Dragons' Onyx Read Online Free Page B

alongside him.
    “It is not the same army, Captain,” whispered Fardez. “Note the Toulane River running through this valley. That river comes from Gortha. One of the reasons the Lanoirians were going so slowly is that they are meeting up here for the attack on Trekum.”
    “This is impossible,” Captain Orteka said while shaking his head. “There is no chance of Trekum surviving this onslaught. We won’t even last a day. Nothing can stand in the way of these two armies.”
    “There is little choice in the matter,” reasoned the soldier. “Emperor Hanchi is not going to stop at Trekum. Where else can we make our stand?”
    Captain Orteka stared at the army below for a long moment before answering. “I brought my men to Trekum knowing that many of them would die to protect Sordoa from the Lanoirians,” he finally said, “but we will barely dent the armor on Emperor Hanchi’s army. Trekum will become a graveyard of Sordoans, and Emperor Hanchi will walk over those graves to get further northward.”
    “To Tagaret?” questioned the soldier. “I heard men talking about where they thought the Lanoirians were going. Most think it is Tagaret.”
    “With armies like the ones below us,” sighed Captain Orteka, “Hanchi can go anywhere he wants. There is no army in the world that can stop him. We have to get off this mountain before those two armies meet, or we will never leave here alive.”
    ”What will you tell General Mobami?” inquired the soldier.
    “The truth,” shrugged the Kadin Claws’ captain. “The Lanoirian army amounts to more than my mind can comprehend. At least he will know that the plan to harass them with cavalry will not work. Let’s go.”
    * * *
    “You don’t have to hold my arm like I am a cripple,” complained Wylan as Sheri led him along a street in Tagaret.
    “I don’t want you to trip and fall,” protested Sheri. “Can I at least hold your hand?”
    “I would like that,” Wylan grinned after a moment of hesitation. “I am sorry for snapping at you. I just feel like everyone is staring at me.”
    “Well nobody is paying any mind to you at all,” assured Sheri. “They are all marveling at the clear sky overhead. I wish you could see it.”
    “At least I saw it once before I lost my sight,” sighed Wylan. “I can feel the warmth of the sun upon me. It feels wonderful.”
    “I know that you told me what King Arik was going to do,” mused Sheri, “but it still seems like a miracle. Imagine knowing the person who restored the skies to Tagaret. It seems so unreal.”
    “I know what you mean,” nodded Wylan. “When I first met Arik, I did not believe the story he told me about the Sword of Heavens. It seems like my life has changed so much since that day in Cleb.”
    “You miss the adventures, don’t you?” frowned Sheri as she led Wylan around a corner.
    “Sure,” nodded Wylan. “Who wouldn’t miss them? There are times that I wish that I had died at Watling Flats instead of being blinded. I don’t think that I will ever adjust to being blind. I will never have another adventure again. I am as useless as an old man now.”
    Tears formed in Sheri’s eyes, and Wylan heard her sob. He stopped walking.
    “I said there were times that I wished that,” soothed Wylan. “There are also times that I feel glad to be alive. You mean the world to me, Sheri. Don’t ever take my bitterness as if it is directed towards you. Spending time with you almost makes me glad that I am not still out there riding with the Knights of Alcea.”
    “Almost?” sobbed Sheri.
    “Almost,” Wylan nodded sadly. “I will never lie to you, Sheri. I love you dearly, but I would give anything to be riding with the Knights again. It is hard for me to explain, but living in constant danger with the Knights is exhilarating. It makes all of life more precious.”
    “Would you miss me if you were riding with King Arik again?” questioned Sheri. “Or would I become the butt of jokes around