Fifthwind by Ken Kiser Read Free Book Online Page B

words.
    "Yes,
it is." He said, "I mean, the morning...it is a good one." He
remembered his manners and stood, "Ben Karr, at your service."
    The
young woman blushed, "No one has ever been at my service before.
I'm flattered, Mr. Karr."
    "Please,
call me Ben."
    She
spun gracefully on one heel and turned away to admire the sunrise.
The flowing movement of her dress caught Ben's attention as he
regarded her thin waist and long legs. She was youthful and vibrant
and probably only a few years younger than Ben's twenty-two years. He
wondered how such an exquisite beauty came to be jailed away in such
a remote place.
    The
melody of her voice sang, "My name is Kyla."
    "I
remember. You work at the inn."
    "Not
really, I just help out Jimmy on the busier nights. He and my father
are friends."
    "It
must be hard, subjecting yourself to that madness, in the name of
friendship."
    She
twirled a long tress nervously around her finger. She made only
momentary eye contact then looked away again. She was obviously
flirting with him, but Ben didn't mind. In fact, he was enjoying her
company and the subtlety of her game.
    Ben
stretched away his morning stiffness and stepped up to the railing
beside her. He was torn between a compliment on her hair or maybe the
color of her dress when a commotion inside the Masked Pig distracted
him.
    He
heard a chorus of laughter as a voice rang out, "...the loathsome
creatures of the forest will not show you mercy! Lay down your
doubts, lest we all be destroyed!"
    A
gruff voice replied, "We need answers! Not childish tales of
monsters in the woods!"
    "You
will see!" The first voice continued, "You will all see..."
    A
man emerged from the tavern with a look of disgust on his face as he
shook a clenched fist back toward the door. He kicked at a chair that
was in his way and paced nervously biting on a fingernail.
    Ben
nodded toward the man and said, "That must be the town fool that
I've heard so much about. Does he actually believe those things he
says?"
    The
man looked up and smiled. "Oh, there you are Kyla." He looked
back at the tavern and shook his head. "What do I have to do? Don't
they understand lives are at stake here!"
    Kyla
nudged Ben and whispered, "My father."
    Ben
tripped over his tongue.
    Kyla
smiled. "It's alright, he just gets a little wound up sometimes,
but he's not crazy."
    The
man was small, and had a tanned face with friendly lines that
radiated from the corners of bright eyes. He was almost completely
bald except for a thin ring of dark hair just above the ears. It was
difficult to gauge the age of the man but he carried himself well and
was clearly in good health. He strolled purposefully toward Ben and
immediately offered his hand. "I hope you are being a gentleman
with my daughter."
    "Of
course, sir," Ben said, "she is a wonderful girl."
    "Full
of wonder," he nodded. "Yes, you could say that." The man eyed
Ben for a moment as if appraising him, then seeming satisfied, he
said, "I'm Vincent Woodlock. This is my daughter Kyla...but of
course, you already know that."
    "It's
a pleasure sir. My name is Ben."
    Vincent
eyed him with a flicker of recognition. "You're new in town, I saw
you and your friend come in last night. What brings you to Kishell
Springs?"
    "I
didn't know my arrival would draw so much attention."
    "Sorry,
I didn't mean any harm. There are extraordinary things happening
around here. The kind of things that may attract unusual visitors, so
I try to make note of any new faces I see."
    "What
manner of things?"
    Vincent
leaned in close, looked both ways and said in a low secretive tone,
"There's an evil brewing, these hills are crawling with an
unnatural presence."
    Kyla
interjected, "Father, I have only just met him. Don't scare him
away."
    Vincent
turned to Kyla with a longing expression and she gave him a reluctant
nod to continue. He turned back to Ben and said, "Tell me Ben, do
you believe in monsters?"
    "I
guess that depends on what you mean by monsters," Ben said, trying
his