Chaos Read Online Free Page B

villages and cities had to be done under special escort so that people were not wrongfully attacked by the Sentinels that roamed the land. But guards were limited. Once a journey was scheduled, changing it was nearly impossible. If he did not go with them, he would be left behind in Two Mill to fend for himself. "I can handle it."
    "We'll be careful," Sigmund said as he finished speaking with the priest and handed off coin. He shoved his hat on his head, then crouched down. "Swallow this, boy. It'll keep you out. We've made up a place for you in the cart; you can sleep through most of the trip. Once we have you back, Maja will fix you right up. I can't—Killian told me—you're a good boy, David. Thank you. I'll see that you heal up proper and don't have to worry about anything. Now, swallow."
    Obediently swallowing the bitter medicine pushed into his mouth, David slumped back down and waited for it to take effect. "How bad?" he asked, voice hoarse.
    No one answered him, but the grim set to their faces was all the reply needed. David closed his eyes against the fear that washed over him. How long until he could work again? Would he still be in time to make his journey to Unheilvol?
    Before the thoughts could get the better of him, he succumbed to the medicine and slipped gratefully back into oblivion.
    The journey home was three weeks of long, hard travel. Two Mill was closer to the middle of the country, where the land was flat and smooth. Black Hill, where David lived, was in the foothills of the Haunted Mountain. It was hard going and crawling with Sentinels.
    After the first week, David could sit up and manage food and drink on his own. The wounds still bled and had to be treated frequently, but at least they were healing. Hopefully once he was home and able to get real rest, they would heal faster. Maja would make it better; she always did. He would be able to get back to work.
    "Here," Killian said and thrust a cup of hot tea into his hands before sitting down next to him with a cup of his own. "Feeling any better?"
    "A little," David replied and sipped the tea, grateful for the warmth of it, even more so for the medicine he could taste that would ease the pain already climbing back up to unbearable levels. He nodded at the group of men on the far side of the camp. "What are they whispering about? They look scared."
    Killian shifted, looking anxious himself. "They found a dead Sentinel yesterday. You were asleep, and they don't want to talk about it much because they're scared."
    "Sentinels die, though it's rare to find the bodies, I admit."
    "No," Killian said, shaking his head and then looking up at David with fearful eyes. "It was killed. Someone used a sword, thrust it right through the eye into the brain. Magic was used, too. It's like a rogue sorcerer killed it. Someone said something about another being found the same way up close to Oak Hill."
    "Two? Someone killed two? I don't believe it. I think someone is telling tales," David said dismissively. Oak Hill was roughly five days travel from Black Hill, and they'd stop there before making the last part of the journey home. "No one would kill a Sentinel. Lord Teufel would never permit such a fate. The Sentinels watch for intruders and keep them from tainting Schatten." They also ensured that people stayed where they were meant and did not travel more than strictly necessary. They were Teufel's faithful, terrible beasts. Like the sorcerers, they were meant to be guards but in reality were monsters. "He would never tolerate a fate that included killing them."
    Killian nodded, but did not look convinced. "What else could kill a Sentinel and leave something resembling a sword wound, though? And two of them—that many people would not make the same mistake about the Sentinels being killed by a person."
    "Sure they would," David said and finished his tea, already beginning to feel the effects of the medicine. "It's like that time three years ago when everyone swore old