The Dragon's Banner by Jay Allan Read Free Book Online Page B

back over the sea. The sun was deep orange now, and
low on the horizon, the reddish light rippling off the gentle
waves. With a last lingering look, Uther turned and rode on over
the crest of the hill, gratefully leaving the sea behind.
    Another hour they rode, to the outskirts of a
forest of tall, sparse pines. Near a small stream they ended their
day's journey, and they set up the camp by torchlight. Soon they
had a cluster of canvas tents pitched around a roaring fire, and
the servants set to preparing the evening meal.
    They supped on simple fare. Leodegrance ate a
whole chicken, roasted in the fire, with loaves of bread with
butter. Uther was more cautious, for though he felt better, he was
still a bit uneasy where food was concerned. A loaf of bread he
ate, and another wineskin he drained. They had brought apples from
the autumn's first picking; they were small and hard, but good
nonetheless. Uther was very fond of apples, and he finished with
several, pronouncing them not quite ripe, but satisfying
nonetheless.
    With the meal over, Uther took his leave and
retired to his tent, for his ordeal at sea had left him fatigued to
the bone. He stripped off his belt and boots, and threw himself
upon the pile of skins that would serve as his bed during the
journey. He was soon in a deep sleep, disturbed only by a dream of
Igraine. She was standing on a tower looking out at the
countryside, tears in her eyes and her hair blowing in the wind. He
awoke long after sunrise, and he found that a night on solid ground
had done much to restore his constitution. He was troubled by his
dream, but most of all he was hungry. Ravenous, as he could never
remember being.
    The smell of the cook fire drew him out of
the tent, and he found the camp bustling with activity. Most of the
tents were struck, and the cooking was well underway. Uther found a
wineskin that had been hung outside his tent, and he drank
deeply.
    "At last." It was Leodegrance's voice, loud
and cheerful. "I feared I'd have to leave you behind and go on
myself."
    Uther stretched slowly. "I had quite
forgotten what it is like to sleep on solid ground. I shall, in
future, remember to be thankful for that which I have always taken
for granted."
    "Indeed, my friend, you do seem to look quite
like your old self. Come, let us break the fast together."
    Leodegrance sat on the ground near the fire,
taking two dark loaves from a small pile and handing one to Uther.
He clapped his hands, and the servants began laying out a
substantial breakfast.
    "I did not see you eat but a morsel until
last night from the day we set sail over a week ago. I guessed you
would be hungry after a night's rest."
    "Hah!" Uther bellowed loudly. "Hungry?
Starved, rather. I wager I could eat a wild boar myself." He set to
the food in front of him with commendable enthusiasm, beginning
with the salted pork and cheese, then working through more bread,
with mounds of butter, then apples and nuts, all washed down with
flagons of excellent ale.
    Finally, even his bottomless hunger was
sated, and the servants quickly cleared the rest of the camp so the
party could set out. Uther strapped on his sword and leather jerkin
and, last of the expedition, he mounted his horse and declared
himself ready to set out.
    They agreed to make it a long day of travel,
and to put some miles behind them before resting for the night. The
path led first through the depths of the pine forest. The trees
were tall and thin, with little or no underbrush, and the ground
was flat. They kept on for some hours, skipping their midday meal,
and riding until the sun was well past its high point.
    Eventually the forest became sparser, and
they began to emerge into the country beyond. Over rolling
hillsides they rode, and past houses, some great, others small,
surrounded by vineyards and stands of olive trees. Some were
occupied, but many seemed abandoned. Yet others were but burned
shells. This was once a rich part of the empire, but it too