Free B006T5JMRC EBOK by Aya Knight

though the flesh was being tugged from his body, slowly ripping away. Kale had never been so glad to stand upon dry land as he made his way up onto the shore. At this point, he wanted nothing more than to return to their camp to enjoy the comforts of a warm fire and rest. It had been the worst day in all one hundred and twenty six years of his life. Between General Jedah and the monsloths, he couldn’t tell which was worse; both were equally ugly and vicious—then there was the whole being transformed into a human issue. He sighed, grunting and groaning, as he limped his way back to the camp.
    When they arrived back at the ransacked caravan, Kale had a much better understanding of what really happened to the travelers. He tried to shake the thoughts, knowing he needed to rest his mind and body. The once cozy fire had dwindled to nothing more than hot coals and embers. Thomas began to gather nearby twigs and sticks in order to salvage the dying fire, instructing Kale to rest and warm himself. After the fire began to feed off the small pieces of dry wood, Thomas carried a small log to the flames, gently laying it on top of the coals; as he did, his eyes widened. Thomas jerked his hand back, pulling it under the sleeve of his robe thankful Kale was so exhausted he did not notice the blackened veins which ran through his hand.
    Thomas knew he had exceeded his magical limits. Even supreme spell-casters such as sorcerers had boundaries on how much power they could expend within a certain amount of time. Each caster was different and had their own extent of what would push them over—Thomas had met his. When a caster went beyond what their physical and mental strength could handle, the magic would react against them, absorbing into their body as a poison.
    “Can’t you just conjure us a fire? It’s a bit ridiculous to watch a sorcerer tending to a fire as if he were an average human.” After seeing him in action, Kale felt confident Thomas had his strength back.
    Thomas glanced up toward Kale, who still sat in his sopping clothing. “Magic is not to be used recklessly, Kale. It’s not wise for a skilled spell-caster to ease their way through life using only their magical abilities. Any decent sorcerer should be self-sufficient without the need to use spells on basic daily tasks.” He tossed another small bundle of twigs on top of the flames, gently blowing onto the sparkling embers until the fire’s intensity increased. The larger flames now hugged the logs placed into the pit. “I think it would be best for us to sleep inside the caravan tonight. It will provide cover against any unexpected weather and it is much less of a risk in case there are further night creatures roaming about.” Even with the door missing, the caravan would provide better shelter than sleeping in the open.
    Kale nodded in agreement, so tired at this point that he truly did not care where they slept. They spent a brief time engaging in conversation before neither of them could hold their eyelids up any longer. They slowly made their way toward the wooden caravan. Thomas gave a final glance over his shoulder to ensure there was no debris surrounding the pit which could catch fire while they slept. The last thing they needed after such a horrible night would be to wake and find themselves surrounded by flames.
    Suddenly, Thomas paused, stopping in his tracks as he pointed toward the inside of the caravan.
    “I’ll leave that to you, Kale.”
    Kale could immediately see that Thomas referred to the corpse of the woman traveler within the wooden vehicle. He had forgotten all about her until now. Her body hung halfway through the side window, as though she had been trying to escape when the monsloths attacked. Her attempt to flee had failed horribly. Kale sighed at the inconvenience as he made his way around to the side of the caravan. All he wanted to do was sleep. He wrapped his arms around her torso, tugging forcefully in an attempt to dislodge her