The Guardians: Book One of the Restoration Series by Christopher Williams Read Free Book Online Page B

although most of the trees were short and stumpy. In the darkness, Flare spotted a small clump of trees off to the right, several hundred yards away from the road. He dismounted and led the mare over the grasslands to the trees, after tending to his horse, he quickly fell asleep.
    He slept until the warmth of the mid-morning sun woke him, and then he quickly saddled his mare, while eating some more of the elven bread. Not wanting to waste any time, he mounted and quickly headed south along the road.
    The journey continued in much the same fashion, but now more villages and towns started to appear along the road. If the village was small enough, Flare just pulled his hood up and rode right on through, pretending not to notice the stares of the villagers. However, when he approached a larger town or city, he followed the plan that he had used previously, wait until dark and ride around the city. Perhaps he was being overly cautious, but then again maybe he wasn't.
    The road slowly turned to the southwest, and then back to due south as he got closer to Telur. The farther south he got, the more people he noticed along the road. Also, farms replaced the grasslands running along the road. He spotted many a farmer working the fields, but they rarely noticed him.
    Flare finally abandoned the idea of skirting around the towns and cities in the night. There were so many travelers on the road this close to Telur, that the townspeople didn't even seem to notice them. He rode through the towns and cities with the rest of the masses. Tired guards posted at the gates looked them over, but they apparently did not find anything amiss. As bored as the guards looked, he wondered if they would have missed a goblin riding through the gates.
    He was beginning to think that he would never reach Telur, and several times he caught his attention drifting. There were just too many sights with all the people that were around him now.
    A fight broke out between two merchant guards from different caravans, and he watched intently, as the guards rushed to break it up. He quickly followed the other travelers, as they moved to quickly get away from the argument. The last thing that he wanted was to accidentally get involved. He continued to ride slowly, looking back over his shoulder at the fight, until he started to lose interest. He turned back around and for the first time noticed how thick the crowds of travelers had become. For a moment, he was confused as to why there were so many, but then his gaze swept forward to the plains ahead. The road had just crested a small hill, and the view from here was excellent. Flare sat frozen in his saddle, looking in amazement at the massive city that stretched out in the distance ahead of him. He had reached Telur.
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 3
     
     
     
     
    Flare stared in amazement at what was in front of him. The city of Telur stretched across the horizon. Although he was still some distance away, he could tell that the city was many times bigger than Solistine. The buildings were block and most of the roofs were wooden, but he also noticed that some were made of an orange tile. The city had been built in an obvious random manner, with little thought for planning. Buildings had been built right beside other buildings with a completely different type of architecture. Built around the city, was an immense wall. He could see guards walking on the wall at different intervals. The wall was twenty feet high, and made out of huge square blocks of stone. He could see another wall further into the city. Leading down the hill and to the gate was a road that had been used heavily.
    It was mid-morning, when he approached the city gates. Like most of the other human cities, the poorer residents of the city lived outside the walls. Makeshift communities had sprung up, with tents and small huts spread along the base of the wall. The smell of smoke hung in the air from the many small cook fires. A few sat along the road and