The Dragon Hunters Read Online Free Page A

them with his presence. Seldis, however, remained wary. Rentor was a good man but there was no mystery as to the purpose of his visit. He’d come to see their guest.
    Rentor graciously accepted his hand. “Well met, old man,” he said with a heartfelt smile.
    “King Rentor. What an unexpected pleasure, and on so cold a winter night,” Seldis smiled back.
    Rentor feigned a shiver. “Damned unseasonable, even for your mountain retreat.”
    “Come inside. There is hot soup and ale for your men in the kitchens and I believe I might have just the thing to ease the cold from our bones in my private study.”
    The king laughed. “Father Seldis, you are a very insightful man.”
    “Amazing what a lifetime of enlightenment will do for you,” he said and waved off the compliment. “Brother Phic, be so good as to see to the king’s men. And get our brothers back inside. We don’t need any more statues out here.”
    Phic bowed and went about his takes. The courtyard quickly filled with warriors, monks, and horses. The men of the Order of Harr left their frigid positions, most eager to get back to sleep and forget how close they’d stumbled towards getting killed. Only Brother Ibram stayed in the midnight cold. His youthful eyes absorbed every detail about the soldiers milling below. How many nights had he wasted lying awake on his meager cot thinking of quests and crusades? Oh how he longed to be the hero rescuing the kidnapped princess from unspeakable evil! But such was not his lot. He was a monk in the Order of Harr. The quest he served was not one of heroism and grateful women, but of self-deprivations and eternal enlightenment. Even so, Brother Ibram went to sleep with visions of battles raging in his mind.
     
     
     
    Seldis poured a tall goblet of mulled wine and relaxed in his favorite chair. A small fire cackled softly, casting a warm glow over the old furniture and shelves of dust-covered books. Rolled up scrolls lay scattered about the room, some in organized piles, others left wherever he finished reading them. Tidiness wasn’t overly important at this stage in his life.
    “I suppose I should ask why you’ve come, for formality’s sake,” Seldis said after a few uncomfortable moments of silence.
    Rentor gave a knowing look. “We both know why I’m here. Besides, I know of your talents towards mind reading.”
    “Don’t be ashamed of that, Rentor. My gift extends to everyone if I choose.”
    “Is he still alive?” asked the king, leaning forward slightly to betray his nervousness. “He may be the only link I have in figuring out what is happening in my kingdom.”
    Seldis smiled and drank deeply. “There is much more going on than you can imagine. I feel great evil stirring. Dark times are ahead.”
    “Your words are cold,” Rentor scowled.
    “I offer neither hope nor doom.”
    “What can you give me?” He drained the rest of his wine.
    Seldis did the same and answered, “A chance.”
    “I don’t like the sound of that. Failure may also be implied.”
    “Indeed, but you’ll come to find that a great many truths we cling to are simple fabrications of something greater. Success or failure. Who are we to question the will of Harr, or any of the other gods?”
    Rentor finally leaned back. “I prefer cold steel in my hand and an enemy I can fight. Win or lose. Not the whim of a half-forgotten deity I’ll never meet. Offer me a chance at closing battle with this new threat and I’ll take your odds.”
    “As I said, Rentor, all I can offer is a chance. What you do along the way will determine your destiny.”
    Increasingly uncomfortable, Rentor set his empty goblet down and stretched. “Your fire burns low. It needs more wood.”
    Seldis folded his arms across his thin chest and watched Rentor add another log. He knew the king was a superstitious man, careful never to cross the gods despite all of his bluster. He also knew a difficult journey lay ahead. Seldis was old but his eyes were as