Excerpt: The Conqueror

[andrew_ashling]

Chapter 8 (excerpt)

He ate his breakfast—dark bread, beans, and a little piece of salted pork—with relish. The simple, honest food was thoroughly satisfying.

Duina came back inside with a pitcher of fresh water. She poured him a beaker which he drank in one drought.

“I don’t think I ever had better-tasting water.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“There’s a little spring nearby. On our own land.” She seemed to be happy with the compliment.

“That’s a valuable commodity to have,” he said. “For growing things and such.” He frowned. “I have no idea where I got this.” He looked at his coarse peasant hands. Was Mordauch, the once all-powerful but now fallen prince-regent of mighty Lorsanthia, just a figment of his imagination? A dream?

“We use the spring only for drinking and for watering the animals. For the land, we use water from a small river that also runs through our lands.”

“So, water is no problem. That’s great.”

Duina sighed.

“I suppose so. It hasn’t been easy. A woman and a small boy. He helps where he can, though.”

“Where is he?”

“Yono? Yono is in the stables. He has been looking after your horse. Grooming it every day. Where he gets it, I don’t know. He was so little still when he watched his father taking care of his horse… He has also cleaned your saddle.”

He suddenly wanted to run to the stable and chase the boy away from horse and saddle. With some effort, he suppressed the urge and the rising panic.

They were alone, the three of them, in the middle of nowhere, as far as he could tell. If the boy had discovered something, he would already have come running to the house. Unless they had discovered his diamonds earlier and they were just leading him on. Then why hadn’t they killed him? They could easily have done so and buried him somewhere in the forest. No, it was unlikely either of them knew anything about his hidden treasure. Good. He would have been sorry to kill them. They had been good to him and he wished them no ill.