<< Go Back

Veiled Light: The Land of Talsar - Book 1 (Volume 1)

By Heidi Likins

Order Now!

Chapter 1
Clouds

Ariyuna shoved a stray curl of brown hair out of her face and glanced behind her. Another dense, black cloud slithered down the mountainside. Quickening her pace, she ran straight into Dugur, the biggest and oldest ram in the flock.
"Move!" She gave him a shove from behind. The rest of the sheep bleated and jostled their way down the rocky path, contrary to their usual orderly descent.
A ghastly, foul odor drifted in the air and stung her nose. Despite a wave of sickening heat, she pulled her new spring coat tighter as she followed the sheep's quick pace.
On the other side of the imposing form of Turtle Rock stood her family's farmhouse with its thatched roof and stone chimney. The house nestled into the woods with the Tegus Valley stretching out into the distance below it.
Hurry, hurry, her mind pushed.
She spun around to check for more clouds, but saw nothing except the familiar snowcapped Yuratag Mountains that rose like a wall of stone.
As they reached the farm, the skittish sheep bolted for the barn with Ariyuna close behind. She shut the barn door behind them and leaned against it. But the small wave of relief was pushed aside by an involuntary shudder that ran through her at the memory of the black clouds.
"Ariyuna, catch!" Her eight-year-old brother, Dash, threw a muddy ball at her. "I'll race you to the swing." His green eyes sparkled with expectation.
"Not now." She threw the ball back and headed toward the fields. "I need to find Papa." She brushed her muddy hands off on her trousers.
"Can you play later?" Dash called after her.
"Maybe."
"Ariyuna!" Ma beckoned from the house. "Please come help me with dinner. We have a guest tonight."
Ariyuna stopped and looked toward Ma. Her usually well-groomed hair drooped to her shoulders, two carved wooden hair rods stuck out at odd angles, and her dress was covered in flour.
Ma always needed help...and another guest? That made three for this week alone. The new trade road to Belgutai had made her once peaceful home a busy place.
She sighed and made her way toward the house while the memory of black clouds prowled in the back of her mind.
Up ahead, she saw her father, a husky farmer with a short, graying beard, talking to a tall man by the front door. She looked the stranger over from a distance. The beginnings of balding had left his curly brown hair a little thin on top. Patched clothes hung shapelessly on his thin frame, and a long, brown, hooded cloak draped his shoulders. His white shirt with blue embroidery on the collar indicated that he might be one of the Gahzar people that lived over the mountains, but his features were distinctively Tarmoor, like her own.
Bits of the conversation floated in the air.
"Yes, I've heard the same thing," Papa said to the stranger. "Why do you think King Galdak is building up the army again?"
The stranger shrugged. "I have a guess, but no good evidence to back it up."
Dash bounced up to Papa. "Are we going to have a war?"
"No, of course not." Papa tousled Dash's hair. "Don't worry your brain about that. Talsar has been at peace for a very long time, and I expect it to stay that way. Besides, they have the main road over the mountains near Magsa in better shape. No more lost messengers from the king, I hope."
Ariyuna slipped over to the side of the house and in through the kitchen door. Ma raced around, banging pots. A plate dropped onto the hearth and broke.
"Ma?" Ariyuna grabbed the broom and small shovel from the fireplace. "Why do we have to have another guest? I wanted to go see Sovda and Surna tonight. And...and I saw some nasty dark-"
"Not now, dearest, and your friends will have to wait. I can't do anything more about a guest showing up than I can about the direction of the wind."
"But-"
"I need you to help me get this meal on the table."
Ariyuna swallowed hard.
"But the clouds were horrible."
"Later, my dear, later. Could you peek at the vegetables?"
Ariyuna dumped the broken plate pieces into the trash box. She checked the pot of gray, mushy vegetables. Looking over the rest of the meal, she grimaced. "I hope he's a gracious guest."
"What was that, dear?"
"Nothing, Ma. Dinner looks, well, as good as ever."
Ma managed a weak smile.
The front door squeaked on its hinges as Papa and the stranger entered. The tall man crossed his fists on his chest and bowed in Ma's direction. She nodded in return.
A moment later, Ariyuna's two muddy brothers tumbled into the kitchen smelling strongly like the barn.
"Not on my clean floor!" Ma yelled, wagging her spoon at them and flinging bits of potato across the kitchen. "Go wash. How many times have I told you-oh! The meat's burning. Ariyuna, quick!" She shoved a bowl of watery dumplings at Ariyuna and ran to the stove.
"Let's give it to her now," Dalan whispered to Dash. Dalan, whose full head of unruly, dark hair stood out in all directions, was only a few years younger than Ariyuna.
Ariyuna frowned at them as she set the dumplings on the kitchen table.
Dash reached out a grubby hand and patted her on the back. "You're the best sister ever, Ariyuna." A toothy grin stretched across his freckled face as he tugged gently on the collar of her tunic.
"Thanks, I didn't think-oooh, oh! Something's crawling down my...Dash, you...ooh!" She wiggled and reached behind her. "There it is. You poor little thing." She cradled the agitated lizard in her hands.
Dash ran off with a snort of laughter. He slid past their guest, who watched the kitchen activity from a seat at the table.

During the evening meal, the stranger listened politely while Papa talked. Glancing over at his wife, he stuffed a bite of questionable-looking potatoes into his mouth. "Sarnai, I didn't tell you this, but your cousin Buyu said he saw some strange-looking men this morning. According to him, they were dressed all in black, and had grayish skin and red eyes."
Papa helped himself to more soggy vegetables. "But he's always getting excited about things that amount to nothing much."
A worried tone crept into Ma's voice. "Jaren, do...do you think they're going to cause problems?"
"Nah, don't worry your head about them. I am curious to know where they came from, though. Buyu said they weren't Tarmoor or Gahzar, and they didn't have those fancy things in their hair like Taltai men from Endurek. Those folks sure do dress well."
"I saw some..." Ariyuna began and then stopped.
Papa jabbed at another potato. "What did you see, little one?"
She swallowed hard and glanced at the silent stranger. "Nothing. Can I talk to you later?"
"Sure." Papa held out his mug. "Sarnai, fill it up, would you?"
Ariyuna bit her lip and watched the stranger shove his soggy food back and forth across his plate. Then she noticed his eyes. One was definitely blue and the other almost green. A wildness reflected in their mismatched depths.
He glanced at her, and she quickly turned her gaze away. Those eyes were...were...something wasn't right. Her stomach felt pinched, and a shiver ran down her spine.

Order Now!

<< Go Back