8 Days — & Counting Down To “The Gathering of the Lost”
Yes indeed, not many sleeps left now—so on we go to an extract from Summer’s End, the fifth and final part of The Gathering of the Lost.
..
.
.
.
.
from The Gathering of the Lost
.
(c) Helen Lowe
Chapter 53, The Solitary Tower
.
” … The second dream she found more problematic, because the figure in darkness did remind her of the shadow cloak and she had been thinking about Nherenor before she slept. The vision could simply have been a manifestation of that—but it could also be a warning. Malian checked her back trail with greater care as she rode on and extended her seeker’s sense, as unobtrusively as possible, over the terrain ahead. Once or twice she thought she caught the echo of a horse’s hooves behind them, but although she lay in wait each time and continued to seek out vantage points with a wide view of the surrounding country, she saw no other rider.
Gradually, the high hills gave way to more rolling country, with villages clustered around crossroads and fords. Flocks of sheep still predominated, but Malian began to see geese grazing beside streams, and groves of olives and nut trees by farmhouses. Inns became more frequent, some little more than a village alehouse, while larger settlements boasted a secure stable and rooms for hire. Wherever possible she would stop: to water her horse and drink a mug of ale in the heat of the day, or to eat an evening meal and sleep afterward in the stable hayloft, avoiding the stiflingly hot attic rooms that were all an itinerant scribe could afford. At every halt, whether short or long, she would listen to the conversations around her, alert for any indication that there was more to this community than any other sleepy country village.
The local language was yet another dialect of that spoken in Emer and on the River, although the accent was broad and she began to encounter unknown words. She was careful never to ask questions beyond directions to the nearest shrine of Serrut—or Serru, as they said it here, dropping the final consonant altogether. Instead she listened for any difference that rose naturally to the surface of local conversations. But the talk, Malian found, whether in Hayfield, or Oakwhistle, or Forge Crossing, was always the same. People discussed the weather and harvest prospects, and gave consideration, whether serious or idle, to the qualities of horses, dogs, and prize rams. Their outlook matched the Ormondian hill farmer’s view of the world: “As far away as Ishnapur,” they would say, giving it the same sound as ‘beyond the rim of the world.’ And they had never heard of the Derai Wall.
…”
—
So what is Malian doing, so far from the Wall of Night? You’ll have your chance to find out very soon—in just eight days time!
Hey! I just read heir of night. Looking forward to this one. Will buy kindle version as soon as it comes out. 🙂
Tricia–glad you liked! And I understand there’s some early buzz on The Gathering of the Lost, which is always nice to hear.:)
Bought Kindle version. Read it allll!!!!!!! The reading was a little frustrating until the half-way mark when Malian was revealed but now I have the extra pleasure of re-reading to see what hints I missed or what may happen in the next book! Yay! So, I give the series 3 stars – out of 4 ;). Really looking forward to the next installment – which is hopefully soon. 🙂 Like November 2012. 🙂