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Back The Hidden Relic Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Map
  2. Prologue
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. Epilogue

The tavern-keeper shook his head, nervously wringing his hands. "You understand, don't you? What if someone leaves a note with me hatching plans, or saying something against our new High Lord? I'm going to have to say no."

"Really?" Evrin said, feeling nothing but sympathy for the man. "Is it that bad?"

The tavern-keeper looked to the left and the right, dropping his voice. "People are being rounded up, young and old, and being taken to prison camps. If you cross the templars, you…"

The tavern-keeper's voice trailed off, and his face went as white as the piece of paper in Evrin's hand. Evrin turned, knowing what he would see.

Two templars stood behind him, their hands on their swords. Both had the yellow sheen of the taint in their eyes.

"Want to tell us what you're whispering about?" one of the templars said.

"Hand over that paper," said the other.

Evrin sighed. Two of them would be hard to handle.

"Hold on a moment," Evrin said.

Before they could react, he put the piece of paper into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. Evrin looked from one templar to the other. He would make a dash for —

Something smashed into the back of his head with the force of a horse's kick.

Evrin's eyes slowly rolled back in his head as he sank to the floor.

The last thing he saw was the tavern-keeper standing over him with a cudgel in his hand, an apologetic look on his face.

28

28

KILLIAN arrived in Seranthia, weary to his core. It had been a long walk.

His journey had been slowed by the vast number of soldiers on the road. His survival instincts told him to stay out of their way, hidden behind a hedge or waiting in a copse of trees. These were strange men, a race he had never seen before, tall, with ice-blue eyes and near-universal blonde hair. They walked with others who were perhaps of a different race, or were under the effect of some strange spell, for their eyes were entirely white and they walked with listless movements.

Killian wasn't sure if he wanted to know more. He didn't want anything to distract him from his purpose: find the Primate, and he would find the book; find the book, and he would find Evrin.

As he reached the hilly farmland and pasture surrounding the city, Killian saw the Wall ahead. Monstrous and indomitable, it stood impossibly tall as only the lore of the builders could make things. Grey and forbidding, the Wall grew with each step that Killian took forward.

Killian thought about Seranthia. He wasn't from Tingara, he was from Aynar, and his earliest memories were of life on the streets of Salvation, but he still knew the city well.