Island of Darkness Read Online Free

the bookshelf and eased his body erect. He stretched cautiously as the feeling of his new body took hold of him.
    For several minutes, Larst stood still, holding the bookshelf for support. Finally, he smiled and stretched with excitement. The First Minister bent down and scooped up the old clothes of the historian. He walked to the fireplace and threw the garments into the fire. He strode to the desk and sat in the luxurious leather chair and reviewed the papers on the desk. He knew when new guards would relieve the Imperial Guards outside the room. Until then he had to remain in the office so that no one would notice that Karnic had never left the room.

Chapter 2
The Weapon Called Food
    Mistake gazed at the enormous canyon as she rode along its western rim. She felt her body shudder involuntarily as she rode close to the edge and tried to peer into its depths to see the bottom. She shook her head in awe.
    “It is called the Wound of Kaltara,” HawkShadow declared. “God created it when he lost faith in the Sakovans.”
    “Impossible,” Mistake said softly as she looked at the enormous gash in the surface of the planet. “It must be over a league to the other rim. Is that a river at the bottom?”
    “The Kaltara River,” nodded HawkShadow. “The Wound of Kaltara is over a league wide and half a league deep. It runs for many leagues in each direction.”
    “How do you cross it?” asked Mistake. “The walls are vertical cliffs. Surely these birds cannot fly across it?” she added, as her eyes fell to the choka she was riding.
    “Certainly not,” chuckled HawkShadow. “Chokas are war birds. They do not fly at all. The fact is,” he continued, “you can’t cross it. It is an impenetrable barrier between the Sakova and that portion of Omunga to our east.”
    StarWind snapped her fingers to get HawkShadow’s attention. Her fingers moved rapidly in a signaling fashion and the Sakovan assassin nodded.
    “It is MistyTrail,” HawkShadow said softly. “She has been observing us for some time now.”
    “Are you sure?” asked StarWind as Mistake turned her attention away from the majestic canyon. “Why haven’t we introduced Mistake to her yet?”
    “I wanted to observe her technique for a while before we met,” shrugged HawkShadow. “It is not often that I get the chance to be an intruder in the Sakova. She has done remarkably well.”
    “MistyTrail has been watching us?” Mistake asked nervously as she reached into her pack for the carozit. “You should have told me,” she frowned as she wondered what kind of impression she had made gawking at the canyon.
    The carozit, a magical artifact, was given to Mistake by the Sage of the Mountain in Fakara. It was a simple polished stick with two metal balls attached to one end with strings. The magic affected the balls when the carozit was turned upside down. Instead of clanging together by the force of gravity, the balls would hang in the air to display the relative distance to your nearest relative. The Sage had given it to Mistake when she had told him of her search for her family.
    Mistake turned the carozit upside down. The balls clanged together, and Mistake’s mouth fell open in awe.
    “It is her!” shouted Mistake as HawkShadow and StarWind turned and stared at the carozit.
    “She must be my sister,” Mistake continued excitedly. “I want to meet her now. Take me to her.”
    HawkShadow nodded in amazement. He immediately turned to the west and headed for the forest. StarWind and Mistake followed him. HawkShadow led them into the forest until he found a suitable clearing. He dismounted and immediately moved towards Mistake to help her off the choka.
    “I don’t need help getting down,” Mistake scowled as she slid to the ground.
    “Do not let your emotions cloud your judgment,” warned HawkShadow. “The choka is not yet used to you. He can shred your skin swifter than an army of knives. Those talons are sharper than any blade.”
    Mistake