Mahin

Mahin laid on the ground, breathing heavily. Covered in blood, he listened to all the voices around him. The sky above him was cloudy, dark and barely lit with the stars, as if they were shy, or afraid, to gaze upon this forsaken land.

The sky was turning mauve, the molten lava of the sun disk radiated directly ahead of Fredericka. She could not decide whether she liked it or not: the sunset above the hills of North Downs warmed up the heart with its majesty, yet the sun was blinding, and with Fornost ahead, she felt like she could use her vision better. She feared what number and sort of creatures can come out of Fornost. Are they too powerful and overwhelming? Tomorrow would show, but for tonight, they were still camping out in the wilderness.

The man poured himself another cup of uisge beatha and cursed quietly under his breath.

When he agreed on taking more responsibilities, he instantly knew there would be problems. That was a given. On one hand, he was ready for that. The rough life he led made him tough. Tough and stubborn. Quite probably, that was the main reason he did not tie up and gag the wildling girl, when Shemkel assigned him to protect her.