The Realms of Animar

The Realms of Animar by Owen Black Read Free Book Online Page B

Book: The Realms of Animar by Owen Black Read Free Book Online
Authors: Owen Black
upward. Something was wrong.
    Dugan sprinted to Semu’s side while Trussil worked to quiet the young voices that had begun to chatter.
    Just up ahead was the impending darkness of the Bluemist Forrest and, not far beyond the tree line, the river waited. Unlike Dugan, Semu was anything but timid. He was from the jungle and knew the natural sounds of trees and leaves better than anyone.
    “What is it?” Dugan whispered to Semu. “Did you spot something?”
    The massive dark-skinned guard grunted angrily.
    Dugan bit his lip as a worried look covered his face.
    “Do you smell that?” Semu asked.
    Dugan inhaled deeply through his nose. “No. I don’t smell anything. Should I?”
    “There was something here. Not long ago.”
    Semu then turned and motioned for Trussil to come forward. When she approached she was ready to argue.
    “I’m not canceling the trip without good cause,” she declared.
    “Semu smelled something,” Dugan replied. “It might be for the best.”
    “Well, I don’t smell anything,” Trussil argued. “This is ridiculous. You go tell those children we’re going back. I won’t do it.”
    Semu scowled. “I never said we needed to head back. What I need you to do is scout the trees ahead and look for movement.”
    Trussil was relieved. “Well why didn’t you just say so?” She then turned to her students. “I will be back in a moment. You behave while I am gone.”
    Without another word Trussil then looked toward the tree line and in a quick fluid motion transformed into a brown and tan owl. Upon long majestic wings she climbed deftly into the air, feeling the wind flow over her body and her feathers ruffle as she pushed against the current and began surveying the land below.
    ***
    Dugan watched nervously as Trussil soared high above, her silhouette growing fainter with every passing second. “I can’t believe you let her do that.”
    “She’ll be fine,” Semu grunted in a deep voice amplified by annoyance. “Nothing can reach her in the air and whatever it was is probably close.”
    Suddenly a yell erupted from behind them, sending the guards scrambling to find the source while the once calm students turned into a whirlwind of chaos.
    They stumbled upon Javan whose obese frame hopped up and down while he pointed across the fields to the north. In the distance they could make out the backside of a white horse kicking up a mixture of grass and dirt as it galloped away.
    Dugan cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed, “Thane!” He then looked at Semu, uncertain of what to do next.
    “Foolish boy!” Semu roared. “Everyone stay put. We can’t separate the group. When Trussil returns we will send her to find him. Until then he is on his own.”
    ***
    After nearly half an hour Trussil returned. In a precise and seamless transition, she landed in front of the guards and morphed into her human form.
    “I thought I saw some movement in the forest but when I got closer it was gone,” Trussil said. She then realized that something else was wrong. “What happened? Is everyone alright?”
    “Thane ran off,” Dugan said.
    “Ran off? What do you mean ran off ? How could this happen?” Her icy glare pierced Dugan’s heart.
    “We don’t know,” Dugan replied sheepishly. “He just galloped off north through the fields without warning. Semu didn’t want to separate the group.”
    Trussil pondered the situation and then sighed. “That is probably best,” she said. “None of you could catch him anyway. I will go look for him.”
    When she began to turn away Semu grabbed her arm. “I will go with you. There might be trouble.”
    “W-w-wait,” Dugan stammered. “I can go.”
    “I think Semu should go Dugan,” Trussil said abruptly before softening her tone. “Besides, I need you to take the students back. They like you.”
    She added a smile to warm him over and then, without complaint, Dugan turned toward the waiting children. A wave of moans spilled forth when they

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