by Don P. Bick
Chapter 41
The flowers were beginning to wilt with the coming of fall, but not all of the flowers, some of the species lasted all year long. The winters were pretty mild near sea level in most areas of the world. Many of the trees lost their leaves in the fall as well, but the biting cold that gripped the mountain ranges rarely hit the coastal regions.
The Ruler stood in his garden working away, as he usually did part of each day. He knew it had been too good to be true. For almost two and a half weeks there had been very few incidents involving disease or wild animal attacks. He was beginning to think the quest for the bridge had unraveled some mystery to stop the evil spreading across the land. His hopes were dashed as the last two days saw reports of an increase in the evil incidents. The increase was small yet it meant the stoppage had been only temporary, and appeared to be on the rise once more.
There had been no word from, or regarding the whereabouts of the seven quest members. He wondered where they were and how they were doing. If he read the last few weeks correctly they must be doing all right, that is if they were at all responsible for the slow down in evil activity around the land. He figured it could only be due to the group and its successes.
As he went back to pruning the shrub he had been working on, he said a silent prayer for the safety and luck of the seven people facing danger on behalf of the rest of the citizens of the world.