Free Chronicles of Den'dra: A Land Torn: Ancient Powers Awaken by Spencer Johnson Page A

storehouse had been the punishment for this interference with his search. After the announcement earlier, Verkal had stated that the soldiers would be housed and fed by the villagers. The already short ration supplies would be strained even further by the extra mouths not to mention the probable manners of the troops. Encer was about to retire when he heard a soft knock on the door. Upon opening the door he saw an ice covered soldier standing outside.
    “ I’m to sleep here?” Encer peered into the red rimmed eyes above the ice encrusted beard. He assumed the man had inhaled smoke from the fire and stepped wordlessly aside. The man stepped inside after stomping most of the snow off his feet. Mytera came from the kitchen and stopped upon seeing the soldier. The soldier walked across the room and slumped into a chair. Encer glanced at Mytera who stepped back into the kitchen. Encer wouldn’t have it said that he aggravated their situation by refusing food to the soldiers.
    “ He’s dead.” The soldier cradled his chin on his hands with his elbows on the table.
    “ The man in the fire?” Encer took a seat opposite the soldier. He had noticed his sword hanging by the door and was hoping to keep the soldier from looking in that direction. It might be misinterpreted if seen.
    “ My brother. The burns were too bad. I couldn’t save him. I tried but it was too hot. I should have braved it. I’m just a coward and now he is dead because of me.” Encer realized that the red rimmed eyes were not from the smoke. Mytera returned with a bowl of soup in time to hear and Encer could understand the pity he saw on her face.
    “ Did Verkal know your brother was inside and still alive?” The soldier winced as if Encer’s words had hit a tender bruise.
    “ He knew.” The soldier ignored the soup and removed his helm. Mytera gave a small gasp on seeing how young the soldier was. Despite the beard he couldn’t have been twenty.
    “ We were both drafted on our sixteenth birth day. We were twins you see. We only had two more years and we could have returned home and finished our apprenticeships. I only had a little more to go on my blacksmithing before I could have become a journeyman. Morden would have finished a few months ahead of me. He was a leatherworker. We were going to be journeymen together.” The soldier choked and was unable to continue. Encer found it hard to think of the man in front of him as an enemy. He was only a boy grieving the loss of his twin brother. Unable to think of something to say he remained silent.
    “ I’m sorry about the storehouse. I had no idea. It wasn’t until after the fire started that I found out my brother was inside.” The soldier got out of his chair and took one step towards the fire before doubling up and falling to the floor. Encer rushed to the soldier’s side and felt for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief on finding that he didn’t have a dead soldier to explain.
    “ Is he...?” Mytera apparently feared the same thing.
    “ He is alive. Probable exhaustion combined with cold.” Encer felt the man’s forehead and found it to be boiling hot. “He has a fever on top of everything.”
    “ Poor thing. I’ll go get the bed roll. He can sleep near the hearth.” Mytera left on her errand and Encer began stripping away the wet cloths. Under the cloak he found a light plate mail over a chainmail armor. Removing this he found the clothes underneath to be wet also. Mytera returned with the bed roll and a few blankets. As the ice melted the man’s beard thinned and became the scraggly growth of an adolescent. Stripped down to the skin the young man was dried and wrapped in blankets. He weighed little so placing him on the bed roll didn’t require much effort.
    After tucking the soldier into the bed roll Encer hid his sword and laid the man’s armor and clothes out to dry. By then it was getting late so he went to bed himself.
    Morning found the man mumbling incoherently and