The Reborn King (Book Six) Read Online Free Page B

and Felsafell and go his own way.
    Felsafell had warned him against using the flow, or even using his bond with Kaylia. The Dark Knight must believe he was with the army, and there was the possibility he would be able to sense Gewey’s location if he used his power. This restriction did not sit well and spawned several heated arguments.
    “The Dark Knight has never been able to know where I am before,” Gewey had insisted.
    “Perhaps,” said Felsafell. “But you cannot be certain. Melek knew where you were the moment he left Shagharath. He could feel your power. There is no reason to think the Dark Knight does not possess the same ability. There is too much at stake to risk discovery.”
    Eventually, Gewey was forced to relent. His last moments with Kaylia and Jayden before they left for Theopolou’s manor had brought him to the brink of collapse. Up until then he had kept in almost constant contact. And in the end it was Kaylia, not he, who insisted that it be done. They had both allowed Aaliyah to impede their bond. Though he could still feel her, it was dull and distant. Kaylia said that they must trust in the wisdom of Felsafell, for she feared that he was right. If Gewey failed, the world would burn. And, even more importantly in her eyes, the fate of their son rested firmly on his shoulders.
    Nehrutu leaned over in the saddle and whispered to Gewey. “I understand. I too feel the absence.”
    Clearly, Aaliyah had taken similar precautions with her own bond. At first Gewey had found it unnerving that Nehrutu could tell what he was thinking. Likely, the bond he had shared with Aaliyah gave him a keener understanding of Gewey’s mind. But as the days passed and he got to know the elf better, their connection was now becoming a welcome feeling of kinship to fill the void left by his parting with Kaylia.
    The rest of the day was uneventful. Mohanisi came forward twice to speak with King Lousis, then returned to the rear to march with his kin. By the time the sun started sinking beneath the horizon, the road was beginning to narrow. A few wagons on their way to Althetas had been forced to yield the road, and Gewey smiled inwardly at the traveler's dumbfounded expressions as they watched one-hundred and fifty thousand armed warriors go marching by.
    When they finally halted, Gewey and Nehrutu sought out Felsafell in the forest south of the road. It didn’t take them long before they ran across his camp. He had apparently anticipated their company by catching three rabbits and picking some wild onions. After the meal they relaxed by the fire while Felsafell regaled them with stories of the rise of elf and human. There was no need to turn conversation to serious matters. They knew where they were going, and there was no point in speculating about the perils they might face.
    Gewey settled by the fire and allowed himself to drift into an uneasy sleep. The world of dreams would be a lonely place without Kaylia there beside him.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Gewey found himself standing atop a tall dune and staring out at jagged peaks to the north.
    “Don’t go there. You will not return,” whispered a voice in his mind, but he wasn’t certain if the voice was his own…or was it someone else.
    He ignored the warning and willed himself closer to the mountains, secure in the knowledge that, in this place, he could come to no harm. At the base of the tallest peak, a tunnel had been carved into the living rock. As he approached, a blast of searing hot air sent him hurtling back. He touched his face. It burned. And the pain…it felt real. Many times before in his dreams he had been cut, bruised or otherwise damaged, but never once had he experienced actual pain.
    Fear knotted his stomach, but he was compelled to continue walking toward the entrance. A deep rumbling growl echoed from the depths just as he reached the threshold. Desperately he tried to stop, but his body would not obey his will. Once inside, all light vanished and he