Free Sword of Light (The Knights of the Golden Dragons - Book One) by Troy Reaves Page A

seeking the animals, thinking
the packs were to blame. Things were bad enough without this new complication.
A soldier, or mercenary more likely, had seen her change. She yanked her pack
of clothes from the tree limb where she had left it, and moved near where Fang
rested. The leathers were such a trial to deal with, but it looked like she was
going to have company soon one way or another, so best to be dressed for it.
Tana strapped on the delicate blade she kept for encounters with poachers, and
strung her bow and quiver across her back. Her tall form was clothed and ready
in moments. "Well, girl, let me see if I can get you on your feet again,
and we will go find this new problem together. We can beat him to the bridge
easily enough."
    ***
                Gregor
found a crossing point the next day where a great tree spanned the river half a
day's march from where he had camped the night before. He was glad to have a
chance to resume his path properly, even if it meant moving across the river to
the forest of the unknown female. His dreams had troubled him, and Gregor
wondered at the safety of entering the forest of a woman who clearly held sway
over the animals that called it home. Her flight the day before was a sure sign
she did not wish to be bothered. It had not taken Gregor long to reason this
out, as he gnawed at a breakfast of seasoned boar meat and hard tack. The
breakfast also served to remind him he was running out of provisions, and food
had been hard to come by as he had traveled the river's edge. The simple farm
boy in him longed for a fishing pole and a bit of luck, but his days of plucking
hapless fish from the waters near his home were over. Gregor looked into the
surrounding trees on the far side of the river, and seeing no more reason to
delay, he started across the ancient tree that formed a bridge where it had
fallen. Someone had been using it regularly for that purpose, as the branches
had been cut away to make a relatively safe path across the breadth of the
river, though there was no mark from saw or ax to indicate it had been felled
for this purpose. Still, Gregor had learned his lessons well enough in the
woods, and he watched where he placed his boots as he slowly made his way. The
whisper of an arrow, followed by the appearance of the same near his right boot , made him aware that not only was he not alone, but
that he was in a very bad spot. Gregor had no desire to alarm the archer, who
could easily have put the arrow in him if that had been their purpose. Any
question about whom that archer might be was answered with a low growl just
ahead of where Gregor stood. He very slowly tipped his head up to find that the
large gray wolf he had seen wounded the day before was in fine health, and
currently blocking his path just a few paces away.
                "Can
you swim? She can. Fang can just about swim like a fish when she has the need.
I bet that chain mail would drag you right to the bottom, if the current
doesn't take you first. I want you to think hard about that for a moment, and
then we are going to talk. Can you hear me okay out there? I don't want to
shoot you just because you can't hear me." The voice could not be called
musical due to the hard edge of her tone, but Gregor found it strangely
evocative in spite of his current predicament. He longed to look up at the face
of the woman of the forest, but he decided he had better not.
                "Yes,
ma'am, I can hear you and I can't swim in this armor or otherwise."
Gregor's heart felt like it might fly out of his chest, but at that moment he
could not have said if fear or exhilaration was the primary cause.
                "Good,
I am glad I have your full attention. Rest assured you have mine as well. Now,
you are going to look up slowly, and if I even think you are going to draw
those blades, or try running back across this tree, then you better learn to
swim in that chain mail quick. You