Free Kingdom's Dawn by Chuck Black Page A

ledge!” he shouted above the noise of the Vactor Deluge.
    â€œLook at your feet. It ain’t movin’ up your legs like it did to Deliverance!” she exclaimed above the noise.
    Leinad noticed that the black mass that was once on his feet lay on the ground in a near motionless, powdery heap. Though his feet were red and tender, they were still there.
    Leinad stood, and Tess grabbed his arm. She was shaking, and Leinad placed his arm around her to steady her. They looked out over the ledge to find that the dark mass of the Vactor Deluge rose no higher than just a few feet below them.
    Leinad gazed over the once beautiful, lush countryside now blanketed with a black mass and a rising orange mist. There was nothing familiar about it now. It was a desert ofunrecognizable blackness. The noise of the Vactor Deluge seemed to subside slightly with each passing moment.
    â€œPoor Deliverance.” Tess was staring down at the small mound of moving blackness beneath them.
    â€œHe was a noble steed. He delivered us, Tess. He gave his all and delivered us.”
    As Leinad scanned the horizon in the final moments of day, he thought of the future—their future and the kingdom’s future.
Who will be noble enough to deliver us from the clutches of the Dark Knight?
he wondered.
    â€œCome on, Tess. I want to put a little more distance between us and the Vactors before nightfall.”

NO PLACE A HOME
    The Plains of Kerr was a no-man’s-land as far as the eye could see. In the early morning light, Leinad could make out the distinct elevation line of the Vactor Deluge’s destruction in the jagged profile of the Tara Hills Mountain Range. The night had been cool, and both he and Tess were looking forward to the shadows of the mountains disappearing and bringing some warmth to the air.
    The sound of the Vactor Deluge was gone. It had slowly diminished through the night until silence once more filled the air. Leinad deduced that the Vactor Deluge had run its course and that it was probably safe to descend, but there was no point. There was nothing to descend to. The only life in the region, maybe in the entire kingdom for all Leinad knew, was above the Vactor Deluge’s consumption line. He contemplated what to do next.
    Tess was shivering. Leinad put his arm around her to warm her a bit and was thankful that her shaking was fromthe cool air and not from the previous night’s terror. Leinad was proud of her for not losing her head in the whole ordeal. She was a tough little girl. He knew that the coming days of survival might be a lot worse if she was not as emotionally strong as she was. Leinad wasn’t much more than a boy himself, but he knew he had to become a man … quickly. The responsibility of providing for and protecting Tess pushed him out of the selfishness and self-pity he was tempted to fall into.
    Leinad’s next move was dictated by the hunger pangs they were feeling. “Well, Tess,” Leinad said, “I have a feeling that our breakfast is going to be pretty slim this morning.”
    â€œWhat do we do now, Leinad?” Tess asked. “We ain’t got no food, no horse, an’ no place to go.”
    â€œFor now, Tess, there is only one thing we can do—survive!” Leinad managed a weak smile to encourage her.
    â€œI know how ta survive on the streets in a town, but there ain’t no town no more.”
    â€œThe way I see it, we can’t stay here forever. We know that the Plains of Kerr are not an option, so our only choice is to get to the other side of these mountains and see if some parts of the kingdom were unaffected by the Vactor Deluge.”
    â€œBut you don’t even have shoes, an’ what are we gonna eat? You ain’t gonna catch much with that sword.”
    Leinad raised an eyebrow. “That’s for sure. It’s going to take a few days to get prepared before we can even think about traveling. The first thing we