Nature Mage by Duncan Pile Read Free Book Online Page A

twigs, and caught into a tiny flame. Blowing gently on it, Jonn teased the flame into life, smoke streaming from the moss as it was consumed. The twigs blackened and curled at the edges and then flared into flame, and ten minutes later the fire was burning merrily, needing only a little attention every now and again to keep it from going out. Jonn had brought some dried strips of meat and some dried fruit for them to feed on, so there was no cooking tonight, and the fire was for warmth alone; but Gaspi felt they were real adventurers, living in the wilderness.
    Later that night, lying beneath the stars, he gazed in wonder at the familiar sky, enthralled by a sight he had looked at all his life. Everything felt new to him, full of possibility, and a million new thoughts seemed to enter his mind at once. After an hour or so the mesmerising sway of the treetops across his view of the sky gradually quieted those exciting new thoughts, and, lying snugly in his fur sack, the gentle sound of the wind ushered Gaspi into sleep.
     
    The next morning Gaspi awoke to find Emea and Jonn already awake, but Taurnil snored on, undisturbed by the sounds of the camp being broken. Jonn pointed out a nearby stream for Gaspi to wash in, which he did, the ice cold flow from the mountains above them causing him to gasp as he splashed himself for as long as he could bear it. Emea smirked at him when he arrived back in camp, having gone through the same ritual earlier on. To his amazement Taurnil was still asleep, so he prodded his friend’s face with his foot until he grunted and opened his eyes.
    His eyes came slowly into focus on Gaspi’s foot, now hovering a couple of inches over his face, toes wriggling. “That’s not what I want to wake up to,” he mumbled, and, continuing to grunt and groan, started to lever himself out of his sack.
    “Come on, you big grumpy bear,” Emmy teased. “Some of us have been up for ages!”
    With muted grunting, Taurnil completed the operation of standing up, and shuffled over to the stream to wash. Emea couldn’t help laughing at him as he ambled off.
    “He’s not at his best in the morning, is he?” she said.
    “Not at all!” Gaspi responded with a chuckle. They had some more of the dried meat and fruit for breakfast and drank water from the stream, and after throwing dirt on the still-smouldering ash of last night’s fire, the four adventurers started the day’s hike. Jonn told them they would reach a hamlet by evening time and would stop for a proper meal and sleep in a bed, which they were all grateful for. Sleeping on the ground had seemed exciting the day before, but - carrying the bruises and stiff muscles a night on the forest floor had given them - the shine had been slightly rubbed off that once-gleaming notion. Gaspi didn’t admit it to anyone, but he secretly looked forward to a warm bed, and something to eat that hadn’t been dried weeks ago.
     
    They travelled on easily that day, the pace steady but not too stretching, and talked about Helioport and about magic. They were getting ready to stop for lunch, when a rider emerged from the tree line in front of them. His horse was a big, hairy-footed beast, strongly marked with dark brown and cream mottling, which struck Gaspi as a little odd, as horses such as these were used for farming, not for travelling. The man on its back had the stiff movements of someone unaccustomed to riding, though he was doing his best to look comfortable.
    As he neared them, he called out a greeting and pulled on the reins, stopping and climbing down from the horse. His face was too thin to be handsome, his nose long and pointed, and he had an unsavoury look about him, despite the smile that lingered on his face.
    “Say, you wouldn’t happen to have any spare food for a weary traveller?” he asked, head cocked on one side.
    “Where are you from, stranger?” Jonn asked, and Gaspi was surprised to hear a hard undertone in Jonn’s voice.
    “Oh, from the