Free Neversfall by Ed Gentry Page A

as the structure came into sight.
    “Very impressive,” Jhoqo said.
    Taennen offered the spyglass to Adeenya who studied the citadel through the lens for several breaths before handing the spyglass back to him.
    “It makes you ponder how they craft such wonders, doesn’t it?” she asked.
    Taennen nodded.
    “Well, no time like the present to find out—right Durir?” Adeenya said, before turning to Jhoqo and saying loudly, “What’s our approach, sir?”
    Jhoqo called the troops to a halt with a wave of his arms and shouted orders that followed down the lines. “Take twenty people, half Maquar and half Durpari, and scout outside the citadel, around its perimeter.”
    Adeenya affirmed the order and saluted.
    Jhoqo looked to Taennen before he continued. “You will take ten more people, again from both parties, and secure the entrance. Once the perimeter is secure, scout the inside. The rest of us will stay here and guard the prisoners until you confirm the area is safe.”
    Taennen accepted the order and motioned for Adeenya to lead the way through the lines to choose their squads. Jhoqo barked orders for troops to form up and to secure the prisoners in a holding position.
    “Bright and true, Orir,” Taennen said as he walked beside the Durpari commander.
    “Thank you, Durir. Splitting our units into combined commands should yield some results as well,” she said.
    The two leaders chose twenty of their own soldiers and, after brief summations of special skills that existed among
    the troops, split them evenly. Adeenya rallied her new unit and began a wide circle to the west that would take them around the distant citadel. Taennen asked each of the Durpari soldiers in his command to state their names as a means of introduction. He repeated each name, hoping to commit it to memory. Impersonal commanders often led troops that did not care about their leader. Taennen never wanted to be that leader.
    He offered a final salute to Jhoqo before moving toward the citadel at a jog, his troops behind him. Neversfall came into clearer focus with each step. Taennen felt the itch of mystery and intrigue but had learned that curiosity could kill even more easily than a sword. He called for sharp eyes from his soldiers and took pleasure in his vocation and the opportunities for discovery it offered.
    After a considerable jog, Taennen called a stop and put his spyglass to his eye again. He scanned the area around the citadel, hoping the proximity might yield more results. He expected some sort of scarring on the walls, bodies on the ground, or some sign of disturbance. He found nothing but dirt, grass, and stone walls. He continued his scan to find the edge of the woods and was lowering his spyglass when a splash of color caught his eye, something that seemed out of place. He tried to focus in on where he had seen it but saw only green, leafy plants and brown tree trunks. Everything appeared normal until he realized that some of the plants were bouncing as though they had been disturbed. Taennen watched the area for several more moments, seeing nothing. He tucked his spyglass away once again and resumed his march to the citadel. If something had been in the woods, it was gone. Their mission could not wait. Taennen’s excitement turned to caution as he approached the gates of Neversfall.
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    Rectangular blocks of stone as long as a man were carved smooth and fit together tightly to form the outer wall of Neversfall, with each block reaching a height near six men high. Clay and mud lined the cracks between the stones to seal out the gusts of wind common to plains, though the craftsmanship was extraordinary and the lines were thin and hard to find. Crenellated walks topped the wall, and narrow slabs of stone taller than a man stood every sixty or so paces atop the walkway. Each slab had an opening carved in the middle, arrow slits for archers. Two men could stand behind the slab atop the wall, totally protected. They could