The Awakened: Book One by Jason Tesar Read Free Book Online

volunteering to make patrols rather than waiting for me to order them,” he said, trying to make conversation.
    “What do you mean?” Adair said in a stern voice, his gaze now leveled at the man.
    “Oh, I beg your pardon, my lord.  I didn’t mean to make light of his unfortunate circumstances,” the Captain quickly replied.
    “No,” Adair clarified, waving his hand to the side.  “What do you mean by all of the activity? ”
    “Oh!” the Lieutenant exclaimed, a look of relief washing over his face.  “I just meant that you are the second person to come asking about the man today.”
    Adair’s pulse quickened.  “Who else have you talked to?” he asked, not bothering to hide his look of worry.
    The Lieutenant, who was looking more nervous by the second, put his hand on his forehead as he tried to recall the details.  “Some of my patrolmen came across a young man, maybe thirty years old, walking along the beach early this morning.  He said he was looking for his brother…and that their boat had gone down.  I told him where we sent the man and offered to have one of my men escort him, but he refused and ran away.”
    “I need a horse,” Adair blurted out.
    “I’m sorry…” the Lieutenant replied, not understanding what was happening.
    “Quickly, I need a horse,” Adair repeated, much louder this time.
    “You can take mine; he’s outside that door,” said the Lieutenant, pointing to a door by the stairs.
    “Have someone notify my men down on the beach that I’ve gone back to the city.”  Adair barely got the words out of his mouth before he reached the door.  He threw all his weight at it and it flung open, revealing the rolling hills at the top of the cliff.  Squinting at the bright sunlight, he found the horse only a few steps away and ran to it, leaping into the saddle in one swift movement.  He pulled hard on the reins, turning the horse around and kicked his heels, causing the beast to leap into motion.
    “I’m sorry, my lord,” the Lieutenant shouted, leaning out of the doorway.  “I should have taken him myself.”
    Adair’s heart was pounding as he raced southward along a narrow path which followed the top of the cliff.  One specific part of the Lieutenant’s story worried him the most.  Adair made it a point to know everything about his informants.  He knew that Bahari had a wife, but was positive that he didn’t have any other relatives.
    Adair’s horse was running at a steady pace, despite the winding path.  It was obviously used to the terrain from being part of a patrol unit.  The path eventually curved to the west and descended steeply, connecting with the western road on which Adair had just traveled by carriage only half an hour ago.  It was wider and paved with flat stones, being the main thoroughfare along the west coast.  The pavestones which kept the sand from eroding into the ocean made travel by carriage easier, but slowed the progress of a horse.  Adair steered the animal to the inside shoulder of the road, where its hooves would find traction in the bare sand.  The horse was able to gain speed on the unobstructed road and within minutes he reached the outskirts of the city.  Whereas the trip by carriage took him all morning, already he was riding past the vineyards and farmland that surrounded Bastul .  Slowly, the rural environment gave way to the urban, as houses and structures of various kinds became more frequent.  Just before reaching the Market District, the road forked and Adair veered to the right, taking the road that paralleled the water and ran out to the peninsula, encircling the city.
    The organization of the Market District, with its large buildings and regulated structure ended abruptly at the Housing District, which had fewer regulations and resulted in a haphazard look of odd sized and shaped dwellings, housing the bulk of the population of Bastul .  Adair counted streets as he passed them, turning left at the sixth one,