The Way of Edan by Philip Chase EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Author: Philip Chase
- Language: English
- Genre: Epic Fantasy
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
T RO U B L E S F ROM O U T S I D E
Light crept on the land. A swollen red crescent bled over green hills to
the east and bathed them in dawn’s golden hues. On a grassy slope,
Oswy squinted at the rising sun and walked with his family’s
sheepdog.
The solitude this time of morning was an old friend, and the stocky lad
grinned at the landscape growing more vivid with each step he took. He
raised the cloth bag he held in one hand to his nose and breathed in the
scent of the fresh-baked bread his mother gave him before he set out that
morning, when the predawn sky was still a deep dark blue surrounding their
little farmstead on the outskirts of Kinsford. The dog padded along beside
him. His tongue lolled out, and he sniffed at the bag in his master’s hand.
“You and I are of one mind, Kip,” said Oswy with a laugh. “But not just
yet. If you’re quick with the sheep today, might be I’ll spare a morsel for
you.”
He would wait until he reached the sheepfold for the pleasure of tearing
open the fresh loaf and eating some of it, and he knew he would share some
with the dog no matter what. The strap of a calfskin flask of water dug into
his shoulder, and in his breeches he had tucked his sling, which pressed
against his stomach under his white kirtle. An ash staff in his right hand
completed his gear. It was the staff his father Oslaf had used for years, and
the smooth wood fit right in his hand. Sometimes Oswy liked to reflect that
his son would one day hold the same staff.
For the present, his thoughts turned to the loaf of bread he would soon
devour. The boy made his way across the undulating meadows towards the
fold between two hills wherein his family’s sheep pen nestled. As he and
Kip approached the last hill lying between them and the little valley, the
dog let out a low growl.
“What’s the matter, boy?”
Kip’s ears went flat against his head. His neck extended forward as he
tensed and sniffed. He growled again. It was then that Oswy noticed
something odd. Should hear the sheep bleating by now, he thought. Instead,
all he heard was the cawing of crows.
“Wolves? Go get ‘em, boy.”
Like an arrow released from a taut bowstring, Kip streaked up the hill.
After the dog passed over the crest, his distant bark came several times.
Oswy hurried up the hill, but speed had never been his greatest asset. His
cheeks puffed out as he struggled up, and his heart hammered and squirmed
in his chest. His father would not be pleased if wolves had gotten into the
pen and eaten one of their sheep.
When Oswy crested the hill, he bent over to catch his breath. Wincing
from a cramp in his side, he looked up. “Regnor, Hruga, and all the gods,”
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