Free Erik And The Dragon ( Book 4) by Sam Ferguson Page A

rest,” Gorin said. “King Sit’marihu has a point.”
    “King?” Peren echoed curiously. “I thought your brother sat upon the throne?”
    “No longer,” Al said.
    “Interesting,” Peren mused. “In any case, I’ll be going with you. What is our mission?”
    Gorin held his arms out to the side and shrugged to Lady Arkyn. “He’s as stubborn as a mule.”
    “I can help with the burns,” Lady Arkyn said. “But I won’t be much use if you get infected. The burns cover a lot of your body.”
    “They are not as bad as they look,” he said. “I have some healing ability myself, and I have worked on them as I traveled here.”
    “You will need a horse,” Al said.
    Peren pointed behind them. “Looks like he is bringing me one.”
    The others turned to see the king’s guard pulling a fourth horse by the reins. “I was going to prepare a fourth anyway, in case you needed an extra,” he said. “Looks like I was right.”
    “Thank you!” Peren said as he strode past the others and clambered atop the horse from the right side. The horse pulled away a bit and forced Peren to stretch his torso. The man grimaced a bit, but kept silent and didn’t utter a single complaint as he struggled to get atop the mount.
    “Usually you are supposed to climb up on the left side,” Gorin pointed out.
    Peren exhaled slowly as he straightened himself in the saddle and gestured for the others to take the lead.
    Al nudged his steed and the others all fell in with him as he ran his horse south by south east, along the same road he had traveled not too long ago from Roegudok Hall. They rode steadily at a quick pace over the well-traveled dirt road as it wound its way through emerald forests and rolled over gentle hills of tall, olive colored grass littered with purple bonnets and red poppies under the azure sky. The bright, warm sun was tempered by the cool mid-summer breeze, making the journey pleasant and comfortable as could be hoped for. The few farms they passed came and went, some adding the odor of barnyard animals mixed with the scent of freshly hewn grasses or the late fruit blossoms that had come after the last freeze of the season.
    When night came, they barely stopped long enough to eat before jumping back on their horses and continuing on. Al could see easily enough in the dark, as could Lady Arkyn. They forged the way while Gorin and Peren followed close ly. The white crescent moon reached high into the night sky, darting in and out behind thick silver clouds that all but covered the light from above. Only then, when their animals drooped their heads low and their hooves began to slow and walk in zigzagging lines, did they stop and make camp. Lady Arkyn and Al quickly set about gathering boughs and low hanging branches from evergreen trees to fashion beds from while Gorin cleared the ground near a copse of birch trees.
    Peren worked on his body with some of his magic, healing it as best he could, but it was obviously slow going, and the day’s journey had not helped him any.
    “You should have stayed behind,” Gorin said when he finished clearing the space.
    “What, and leave all the fun to you? I don’t think so,” Peren said. “I’m fine.”
    “Here,” Lady Arkyn said as she and Al arranged the boughs on the dirt. “It isn’t much, but it will help keep your body warm and the smell will be better than the dirt.”
    Gorin looked to the branches and put his hand on the soft, tender pine needles. “I prefer the ground,” he said as he pushed his branches away. “You can take mine, Arkyn.”
    The half-elf shrugged and took the branches, adding them to her own pile. She saw Peren looking down at the branches with a long, unfocused stare. “In my saddle bag there is a cloak,” she said. “You can lay it over the top to help keep the needles from poking your wounds.”
    Peren smiled slightly and nodded. “Thanks,” he said. “But I think I will just lean up against the trees over there.” He took