Free Death Mages Ascent: Revised Edition (Death Mage Series Book 1) by Jon Bender Page A

protested. “She was making eyes at me. Besides, you’re just jealous that she didn’t take a second look at you.”
    “I am a priest of Sarinsha,” Da’san replied, as if that absolved him of such trivial emotions and desires.
    “That doesn’t mean you can’t lay with a woman. In fact, I know a priestess who is very open to--” Brenin started.
    “Enough!” Jerup interrupted. “We aren’t here to debate which of you is prettier.”
    “It’s not a debate,” Da’san said under his breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear. Jerup ignored the statement and continued. “Captain, any idea how close we are to Teriken?”
    “I would say at least another three days, but Da’san would know better than I. This is as far north as I’ve ever been,” Cribble said.
    “That is right. From here, the road will get rougher. We will see few towns and fewer people. The folks who live near the forest survive through farming and hunting. Some of the finest furs and leather comes from that area, but few wish to be so close to Teriken.
    “What do you think, Magus?” Jerup asked.
    Jaxom had only half been listening because something had caught his attention. He had been secretly looking about the common room trying to find what was bothering him. His eyes kept coming back to a man sipping wine at the bar. He appeared to be a simple trader with a long beard and clothes of better quality than the average farm hand. Jaxom couldn’t put his finger on what troubled him about the man, but he couldn’t get past the sense that something was off about him.
    Realizing that he had been asked a question, Jaxom returned to the conversation. “I told you before, Jerup, don’t call me magus.” He had told them to call him by his name once they left the city and had the Guardsmen put away their livery. “Sorry, Jaxom,” Jerup corrected. “What do you think?” 
    “The plan hasn’t changed,” Jaxom said. “We’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Until then, let us just enjoy the comfort of a roof for tonight. If Da’san is correct, we’ll be sleeping in the open for the next few days.”
    The others nodded their heads in agreement, and even Cribble seemed satisfied with that. Before anyone could talk further, the young woman came back with their drinks. She took a moment to pat Brenin’s hand when she gave him his. This started up the banter between him and Da’san again.  Jerup talked about his time in the army hunting bandits while Cribble described some trouble he had been having with street gangs near the wall in the poorer parts of the city.
    When Jaxom looked back to where the trader had been sitting, the man was gone. The bar maid returned with their meal, and Jaxom eventually put the man from his mind. The food was surprisingly good. Jerup started telling stories about some of his funnier experiences in the army, which even had Cribble laughing. As the night wore down, Jaxom told Cribble and Jerup to take one room while he and the younger men would take the other. Jaxom would sleep on the floor. These men were here because of him, and he felt obligated to make the journey as comfortable as possible for them. Da’san argued for a moment but acquiesced after Jaxom insisted. They rose with the sun and went down to the stables to collect their mounts. The man who had taken their horses refused to collect Jaxom’s horse now that he could better see it in the light of the day. Jaxom commanded the risen animal to come, which seemed to frighten the stable hand even more. As they saddled the horses, Brenin kept laughing and talking about the man’s reaction. They had all become used to Jaxom’s mount, but it amused Brenin to no end every time someone new saw it.
    Back on the road, the scattered farmland ended, yielding to flat grassland sparsely dotted with small clumps of trees. The road narrowed to no more than two ruts in the dirt. Last night’s storm had completely moved on, not leaving a single cloud