Slave's Gamble

by Jay Stonesmith

  "What's he doing?" Hob said. "He can't be coming with us, he hasn't even got his bow with him. He'd never leave that behind."

  Ordella didn't reply.

  Jereth ran over to Fellbrig. The men exchanged a few words, then Fellbrig nodded.

  Pike and Marden hoisted the stretcher's poles and her floating platform drifted on. Jereth jogged back and fell into line beside Hob. He turned to Ordella.

  "I've spent too many years waiting and watching, my heart being pulled in two directions," he said. "Enough. I've lingered here for too long. It’s time to move on."

  Jereth looked away before Ordella could respond.

  She smiled to herself. She didn't know exactly what Jereth was talking about, and what had caused him to leave the Border Wood without his cherished bow, but, whatever his reasons, she was glad he'd decided to join them. Gilmar would seem far less daunting with both him and Hob at her side.

  Ordella eased herself down until she was laying flat. She stared up at the branches and studied the browns and yellows and oranges of the Autumn leaves.

  Just like Jereth, she too was moving on. With Skerrick's death, she'd finally left the Warren behind. And every stride towards Gilmar was another step closer to discovering her father's fate and fulfilling the promise she'd made to her grandmother.

  Ordella took a deep breath. The familiar smells of earth and tree sap and damp foliage filled her nose.

  Although it'd been years since she'd last seen her father in the flesh, she could still picture his face as clearly as if he was standing before her. She conjured his likeness in her mind.

  Dressed in his weatherbeaten cloak, his brown eyes stared at her, urging her to unearth his secrets.

  The throbbing in her leg seemed to subside and a calming wave washed over her body.

  Pike and Marden now seemed to be stepping in a synchronized rhythm, and the stretcher swayed in time with their movements like a rocking cradle. Ordella yawned, and her eyelids became heavy. With her father's face still in her mind, she rested her head on her hands and closed her eyes.

  His familiar features drifted away into the blackness. Her breathing slowed, and the sounds of the forest dimmed until she couldn't hear them at all.

  A robed figure emerged from the darkness of her mind, his hood concealing his face. The man took a couple of paces closer, his staggering gait crooked and unnatural. He put his hand to his lips and whistled. A jarring note echoed through her dream. For several heartbeats, the figure remained motionless, then a grotesque beast leaped from the gloom and sat down at its master's feet.

  The man bent down, stretched out his hand and scratched the animal under its chin. It's head, a ghastly marriage of canine and human features, stretched up and turned towards her. Its misshapen eyes took her in, then the creature stood and shook its rancid patchwork pelt.

  With a click of his fingers, the man brought his pet to heel. Then, side by side, they stalked off into the shadows.

  GET THE NEXT BOOK

  What happened to Ordella’s father? What does Fellbrig know, and what secrets will Ordella uncover in the city of Gilmar? Who was Dunder, and how did he know so much about about Ordella’s past? And who is the sinister hooded figure haunting her dreams?

  Find out in the next installment of Ordella’s Quest.

  jaystonesmith.com/ordella2

  Thanks for buying Slave’s Gamble and for reading to the end. I really hope you enjoyed the story.

  The bare bones of the plot have been rattling around in my head for more than twenty years. I remember scribbling down the names of the kingdoms of Kelsharla and Gilmaria between serving customers at the ice cream kiosk where I used to work when I was sixteen.

  As you can imagine, the story has evolved a great deal since then, and now that I’ve released this book (the first title in the Ordella’s Quest series), it feels like the floodgates have been thrust open. There will be at least three more books in this series, and I’ve already sketched out some ideas for an additional six World of Ellusia stories.

  If you liked Slave’s Gamble and you’ve got a minute or two to spare, I’d really appreciate it if you’d leave a review on Amazon.

  Join my mailing list to stay up to date with all the news from the World of Ellusia. You’ll also receive an exclusive short story, The Archer and the Trial, telling the tale of Jereth’s first days in Oakhaven.

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