Things Unseen: (An epic fantasy adventure series) (The Caris Chronicles Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

sisters to be sitting beside her, for her parents to be safe in their house, for everything to be as it was yesterday. The beauty of this spot normally came with a deep sense of peace, but now it brought only grief.
    She sat quietly with tears creeping down her cheeks. Part of her wanted to be preparing for her departure, but in truth, there was not much for her to do, and she knew that when she was done, she would only be anxious to leave. Caris had determined that the morrow’s morning would be the best time to depart. She still hadn’t decided where she was going but she wanted to give the derks time to move away. She would go to the funeral tonight, sleep, and head out in the morning with a full day to begin her journey. There was no reason to put it off longer than that.
    As the sun headed down on the horizon, it began to cool under the trees by the water. Caris said goodbye to the place that had given her so much joy in her life. She headed back to her house, mentally organising what provisions she would take. She was used to going on three-day hunts with her father and some of the other young people. Caris figured that the same supplies would do for a longer trek. It seemed surreal to her that she would not be returning this time.
    The house should feel different, she mused as she gathered her things together.
    She felt disconnected – from her home, the village, the people preparing the funeral... the horror that had filled her afternoon.
    It just feels like mum and dad are out at one of my sister’s properties for the afternoon. It should feel emptier, a place I dread to enter alone . As Caris began packing her small leather hunting-bag, she garnered some comfort from her familiar surroundings. While she was here in her house it felt like Mum, Dad, and Cherri were still partially with her; briefly she let herself imagine that she was going hunting and that her dad would be going with her.
    When her daydream was ended and her hunting gear packed, she began to assemble the extra provisions she would be taking with her.
    In her parents room, Caris found the small heavy leather purse that held her parent’s fortune. Stifling the surge of grief that threatened to overwhelm her, she pushed the silver under the rest of her gear refusing to think of how this money was supposed to have supported her parents for many years to come.
    She headed to the kitchen. Caris would hunt for most of her food and would gather greens along her way, but she figured, she may as well take some hard bread, cheese, and biscuit to last as long as it would.
    She tried to think if there was anything else she would need. She ran through a list of ideas, considered taking the hunting outfit and boots Cherri had hardly used, but as she planned to make some kind of life for herself among people, she decided she could buy what she needed when the time came. In the end, Caris opted for just a simple dress to wear when she stayed in towns or villages for more than a night.
    Maybe a town would be a good place to settle; surely, she could find something meaningful to do in a place with so many people. The thought of trying to find her way in a city scared her, but a town was an exciting prospect. She wished she had Cherri’s ability with a needle. She had heard of people in towns who spent their entire time making clothes to sell, but she knew someone would need to be blind before they parted with money for something she had made.
    Having finished her packing, Caris wandered idly around the house waiting for full dark. She knew the funeral fire would not be lit before that. She moved aimlessly from room to room absentmindedly straightening the furniture. Finally, she got the broom out and began to sweep the floors. She imagined her mum’s exclamation of surprise if she walked in the door now. Though never lazy, Caris had always preferred to do her work out of doors. “Oh Mum,” she sobbed crumpling to the floor. “I wanted to save you!” Caris