The Road To Kalbakar, Wyrms of Pasandir #1

CHAPTER 8 - RUINS AND DREAMS

The heat slapped me in the face as we stepped from the large tent. Around us the desert was silent and motionless as far as I could see.

'Do you know how to shield?' Naudin said nonchalantly.

I hesitated.

Tell him, Teodar said. He can help you finish your training.

I sighed. A lifetime of secrecy, and suddenly I should blab all over the place. Irritated, I called up a magical forcefield and a telltale shimmering enveloped me.

Naudin touched my shield with his hand, pushing slightly. Then I switched it off again.

'You do know,' he said. 'It felt very strong, too. So you have been trained?'

'Some. It's not done yet,' I said cautiously.

Naudin gave me an oblique glance. 'All right.'

'Doesn't anything live here?' I said, eager to change the subject.

'Not by day.' Naudin's answer carried an image of rabbits burning their feet on the hot sands. 'By nightfall, the beasts come out of hiding; the snakes and scorpions, and the howling coyotes.'

'The reptiles I know all too well, but coyotes?' Eskandar said.

'Mean beasts, like dogs,' Naudin said. 'They stay away from the camp, but you can hear them yapping to each other.'

On the eastern side of the reclaimer camp were the remains of a road leading up to the dead city. Now we were away from the camp, I could see how immensely big that place was. The gates were still half a mile away, yet they gaped at us like a pair of jaws that could have swallowed the octicalvo with the coaler and the little Tipred all at once. Around them, the city walls were a sheer cliff of black stone that glimmered in the sunlight.

'Bless me hook,' I said as I stood staring at the city. 'It's not a small place, is it?'

'Fifteen by fifteen miles,' Naudin replied. 'More or less. Eight times as big as Seatome.' He grimaced. 'Leiha says it is a small city, compared to the other ones they found.'

I swallowed. 'Ah, yes.' A sudden shiver ran down my back and I hesitated before following Naudin towards the gates.

We walked on in silence. The ancient city rising up from the red sands filled me with awe, sadness and a strange apprehension. Drifting memories of ancient happenings tried to invade my brain and as I pushed them away, goosebumps ran up my arms.

I knew those memories. They weren't mine, but echoes from people who had died here. Teodar had explained some memories were too strong to die. They stayed around, waiting for someone fanciful enough to see them. Many of the broken towers in the mountains had been full of them, and I suffered the most horrible reminiscences before I was old enough to understand how to keep them away. Funny, I was the only one who saw them. My non-magical family never seemed to notice even the most urgent ones.

'This is a bad place,' I said suddenly.

Naudin gave me a strange look. 'Why do you think so?'

'There's a feeling of betrayal and death in the air,' I said. It was the easiest explanation.

'The reclaimers aren't yet sure what happened here,' Naudin said. 'There are a lot of bones buried among the ruins. A great lot; every house or palace they search is full of them. Lords and ladies, servants, slaves; they all died violently.'

'You mean there was a war?'

Naudin peered at me over the rim of his glasses. 'I mean they were all killed.'