Free The Halfblood King: Book 1 of the Chronicles of Aertu by Julian Benoit Page B

unrelated point, our passing through this region means we are getting close to Arundell,” he said as they crested a small ridge.
    As if on cue, the forest path opened into a small clearing.  From their vantage point, the entire Arun River Valley opened up below them.  It was a nine hundred foot descent to the valley floor.  They could barely make out Arundell through the haze, far to the north, between the west and north branches of the river.  They had slowly gained elevation for the three weeks they had been travelling.  Now, the massive canyon that formed the upper reaches of the Arun Valley, over thirty leagues wide in places, cut the plateau.  The trail descended the steep slope in a series of switchbacks.  This was definitely not a cart path.  They would have to descend carefully, so as not to injure the horses.  “It’s beautiful Grandfather!” Aleron exclaimed and then continued, “How long do you suppose it will take us to get down there?”
    “This will take a few bells to negotiate,” Hadaras answered.  “It would actually be quicker without the horses.  We will have to take it slow, then camp somewhere on the valley floor tonight.  We should be able to reach the ferry crossing by mid-afternoon tomorrow.  Then, we will be in Arundell by nightfall.”
    “It will be nice to sleep in a bed again,” Aleron said, followed by a sigh.
    “Who said we would sleep in a bed?”  His grandfather chided.
    “Grandfather!”
    “Just kidding,” Hadaras said, chuckling.  “I just wanted to see the look on your face when I said that.”
    Hadaras was still chuckling as they started their mounts down the trail.  It was rapidly becoming steeper and soon they would need to dismount.  The Arun glittered crystal blue in the far distance.  The river formed a seaway, two leagues or more in width, allowing Arundell to become a major port city, as well as being the capital of Sudea.
    ***
    Zormat sat in his private cabin, pleased with his progress of the past week.  Cutting across the open sea, they managed to avoid any warships sent to intercept them on the way in.  The port authorities at Kolixtla stopped them, of course and Captain Matlal’s presence proved useful in negotiating their passage.  His few days of contact with the Kolixtlani officer allowed Zormat to absorb a passable knowledge of the local language prior to meeting with the king.  It was a strange language, difficult to grasp due to many sub-words making longer words, whose meaning would take an entire sentence to convey in other tongues.  The meetings with King Quauhtli and his High Priest Itzcoatl were very productive.  Kolixtlan was the most powerful of the nations loyal to the Nameless One and their allegiance to the cause was assured.  He instructed Itzcoatl to discontinue sacrifices for the near term, saving the captives for a mass sacrifice when the time was right.  Zormat also blessed Itzcoatl and some of his higher echelon priests with the ability to discern true believers from unbelievers.  The upcoming inquisition would weed unbelievers from the populace and swell the number of potential sacrifices.  When he returned Zadehmal to the gates of Immin Bul, thousands would die and the power of the blood sacrifice would flow into his father.  Then, together, they would have the strength to burst the bonds holding the Nameless God captive.  As well, he instructed the priests to begin referring to his father as the ‘One True God’.  He was nameless only because he needed no name.  All other gods were false.  Next stop will be Zyx on the Adar coast, then Corin on the Thallasian coast.  Both are more backward than the Kolixtlani and lack a strong priesthood, but the missionaries I instructed to be sent will help in that respect.  Apparently, the Thallasians were never much more than pirates, looking for an advantage.  A few years of missionary effort, followed by an inquisition will remedy that problem.  Time to get some