Windcatcher: Book I of the Stone War Chronicles Read Online Free

properly healed and left a scar that flowed around his arm, almost like a snaking whirlwind. It had been his constant reminder to respect and never underestimate the power of the wind.
    Those times now seemed like a lifetime ago. His life at sea changed, when two years ago, rumors started to spread across the kingdom about outposts far into the northern wilderness region losing contact with the kingdom. People whispered that death was creeping in from the eastern land, Doskova.
    The eastern continent was a harsh and wild land. The terrain was filled with dark forests that were home to savage tribes of hunters and scavengers. Not many tried their luck in those lands, even fewer returned. With hearsay and uncertainties, unrest grew. To ease the people’s hearts and minds, the current king of Aeterra, Quinnan the Third, sent out messengers and scouts to confirm any of the rumors, but none returned.
    Upon his last return to port, Raylan was drafted, like many other boys and men. The king, on advice of the council, decided not to take any chances. He rallied an army for an unknown enemy and prepared for a possible attack. The borders were strengthened and the cities were prepared, in case Aeterra needed to defend itself from assault…but the attack never came.
    Slowly, the army was disbanded, and life returned to its normal pace. During that time, Raylan only had a few more weeks of service left in the army, before he could return to his beloved oceans.
    Then, four months ago, a mysterious woman arrived by sea to the king’s court, introducing herself as Xi’Lao, a messenger from the Tiankong Empire. She was on official assignment from the royal court to speak to the king of Aeterra. The briefing went on for half a day behind closed doors; but once done, things moved very quickly.
    The royal family of the Tiankong Empire officially requested aid in tracking down and reclaiming an item of great importance to the Empire. An attack force of unknown origin infiltrated from the northeast, somehow surviving the barren region of the White North, leaving devastation in its wake. While a large force drew the attention of the army, a much smaller force moved quickly and looted one of their most sacred monasteries, claiming the item the Empire now desperately sought to retrieve.
    Little information was provided by Xi’Lao, but the political importance of the request was not wasted on the king and the council. A special reconnaissance squad was formed, consisting of a selection of high quality fighters and trackers. The mission—to find the stolen item and retrieve it. If retrieval was impossible, they were to follow the item and relay as much information as possible about its whereabouts and the force that took it.
    Gavin received the honor of leading the squad. The high commander believed they would need Gavin’s resourcefulness, strategic planning, as well as the respect the men had for him in the command position. Raylan's sword skills landed him a spot in the squad, to which Gavin instantly objected. It was guaranteed to be a very dangerous mission, and he preferred his kid brother stayed home where it was safer. But the high commander said they would need the fighting skill of men he could trust. So who better to have that close than family? Raylan knew a few of his squad mates, but most were more experienced veterans, serving in the army long before the rumors began.
    Their group counted twelve men total, including Raylan and Gavin. Gavin, the squad leader, was responsible for taking command on the assignment. Two men named Ca’lek and Stephen went along for scouting and tracking. Raylan was part of the fighting team alongside Richard, Harwin and Regis. Both Richard and Harwin saw plenty of combat and had the scars to prove it. They were considered veterans with excellent records. Harwin was, by far, the oldest of the group; his extensive experience in battles would be useful in unknown territory. Richard acted as Gavin’s