Kara Laurel laid her delicate hand upon Sureen’s lower back, clasping her bound hands within it. “Come, dear, we are to go through the servant entrance to the Muddy Wagon Inn and Tavern. We must make haste. My master has waited with little patience.”
Sureen did not bother with an answer.
Thumbing the latch, Kara Laurel pushed her firmly inside. Pressing on the small indent of her back, her intimate friend from early adulthood channeled her through a kitchen active with the meaty smells of broth and fresh vegetables. Cooks wearing splattered aprons worked in a frenzied elaborate dance, slicing at counters, stirring cast-iron pots, and flipping sizzling meats over a large flat-topped stove. No one glanced overly long at them.
Leaving the kitchen, they entered a smoky tavern filled with the drone of many raucous voices. The booth at the back proved to be the first one they came to, dimly lit and occupied by three shadowy forms.
Kara Laurel’s touch indicated she should sit at a circular benched seating. Sureen did so, shuffling inward and making room for her captor. One of the shapes across the round table leaned forward and adjusted the wick on the oil lamp centered on the table. The light flickered brighter.
A voice Sureen had heard many times spoke softly as a face she knew well leaned into the light. “What have you told her?” Durandas asked.
Kara Laurel chuckled. “Not much, only that there is someone coming to our little gathering she will want to meet.”
“Which is much more than you have revealed to us, First Light of the Circle of Light,” Malkor sneered. As the light flickered across his narrow face, his eyes seemed lit with an inner, smoky red fire.
The third person, a handsome man Sureen hadn’t yet met, drew the hood of his gray robe over curly brown hair. “I told you not to trust him. You are a fool, Lore Master,” the man said.
Durandas’ dark eyes smoldered. When had his eyes darkened? “Your trust is not required, outlander. Only your power, if we cannot convince the Azure User to join with us.”
Sureen gaped like one afflicted without the ability for coherent thought. What in the name of all bloody subterfuge was going on? What vile plan had these people taken her prisoner to implement? More importantly, why did they need her? There was enough power at the table to lay waste to the entire tavern, even without knowing what the outlander was capable of.
Outside the light’s reach, a shadowy form slipped into the booth.
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Other books by R.V. Johnson: Beyond The Sapphire Gate, Book 1 of the thrilling The Flow of Power epic fantasy series, and Beyond Terra, An engrossing novella set in the same two worlds.
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R.V. Johnson grew up in Utah wandering through beautiful tranquil forests, exploring the unique alien-like setting of the red rock desert and climbing the rugged trails of the high Uinta Mountains where mountain goats roam. Indoors, he read from his large library or wrote in his journal. One can now find him writing and reading outside.
R.V. Johnson strives to be the one gem the dragon hoards.
https://www.authorrvjohnson.com
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