Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign (Worlds of the Crystal Moon, Book 1) (19 page)

Now, fellow soul ... if you’re not one of the beings who lived on planet Earth, you might not know what I’m talking about or have any clue as to where Scotland was. I would have to say, you truly missed seeing a place of wondrous beauty.

The homes of the people who lived outside the king’s cities were made from stones stacked on top of each other. The roofs were made of large bundles of straw that had been tied together and angled to allow the rain to run off. The structures were bunched together, and Sam could not wait to see how big the towns and cities were, especially if the people on this world called this a village.

Not far from the landing platform, Sam saw an arena that was out of place. Instead of Scotland, it reminded him of ancient Rome.
If Shalee was awake, she’d probably critique the arena’s architecture. It’s nothing like the rest of the village
, he thought.

The arena was not large, but it was big enough for hundreds of people to gather. He wondered what kind of sport or theatre was performed there.
Maybe I’ll check it out if I have the time.

Mosley was right, Grayham did remind Sam of Earth in some ways, but the setting sun splitting two colored worlds was hard to accept.

As they landed, Sam took note of the watch and stopped its timer. The flight had lasted eight hours and 10 minutes. He grabbed their gear and jumped from the griffin. Sam tied the bags together, hung them across Mosley’s back, pulled Shalee off of Soresym, and then draped her over his left shoulder. He was careful not to strike her head against his bow as he adjusted the sword on his hip.

Preparing to walk down to the village, Sam saw that the sun was about to fall below the horizon. “Thanks for the ride, Soresym. It was an honor,” Sam said as he walked toward the front of the griffin. He looked into the beast’s eyes. “Again, I’m sorry for my ignorance. It’s easy to see how your kind is superior to humans. I’ll make sure I speak your name with respect whenever I say it from now on.”

The beast looked down. “Perhaps you’re not so bad after all. I may yet decide to honor you by calling you Sam. It’s clear your remorse is genuine. Your apology is accepted. On occasion, I run into one of you two-legs that I take a liking to. I sense you may be one of those men. May the god you serve be with you as you travel.”

Sam laid his free hand on the beast’s feather-covered neck. “I hope we meet again. Fly safe, and may the god you serve be with you as well.”

Sam turned to look toward the horizon. He reset the timer as the sun disappeared. He found what was left of the purple colored world that Mosley called Luvelles and watched it fall below the horizon.

The night sky was odd. No stars, no moons, nothing on which to focus for navigation. It was an eerie feeling. As the pitch black of a new kind of night surrounded them, they would need to wait until the torches attached to the landing platform were lit before they could make their descent.

Using Shalee’s staff for balance, Sam motioned for Mosley to lead the way. They headed down the long flight of stairs resting high above the ground. The large, but still quaint village below was beginning to fill with the flickering torch lights of a new reality.

BASSORINE
is still looking for Lasidious. The God of War’s anger is increasing. Bassorine has spoken with nearly everyone on Ancients Sovereign. No one has any idea where Lasidious is. The God of War can be heard throughout the hidden god world as he keeps calling for the Mischievous One to show himself.

SAM
followed Mosley to an inn where he laid Shalee on a mattress filled with vestle chick feathers. He left with the wolf to find dinner and have a mug or two of ale to calm his nerves.

LASIDIOUS
is inside his home beneath the Peaks of Angels. Although he can hear the screams of Bassorine echoing throughout the world, he is ignoring them. The protection he and his beautiful goddess put on their home has kept the God of War from popping in. The Mischievous One is laughing with disdain.

Thank you for reading the first edition of the Grayham Inquirer

Left to right

Athena, Susanne and Mary

CHAPTER 7

Breaking and Entering

The Town of Lethwitch

On Southern Grayham

AS SAM WAS FINISHING his flight, George was rushing through the field toward the town of Lethwitch. Dusk was approaching. George stopped, looked back in the direction where he landed on Jason and wondered if the schmuck’s friends had ever picked him up.

George turned to run through the last part of the field and enter the village, but before he could, two men appeared out of thin air in front of him. They seemed foreboding and were blocking his path. One had a bird perched on his shoulder while the other had a serpent wrapped around his neck.

“What the hell?” George blurted. “Where did you cats come from?” He studied their appearance.

To his left, this man was tall and lanky. He had dark hair and wore a brown shirt with black pants. The raven on his shoulder glared at George as he looked at his companion. “I think this is him,” the man surmised. “I love it when they’re confused. That’s typical for humans.”

“You guys have got the wrong guy,” George barked before the other man could respond. “I just got here. There’s no way in hell you’re looking for me.”

Both men ignored George’s question. Unlike his companion, the second man was dressed in dark-blue robes, and gold chains adorned his waist. His hair was also dark and long, and the serpent around his neck had yellow and green scales. Its eyes were pitch black, and they gave George an uneasy feeling as the man spoke to his companion. “I bet he’s hiding it.”

The man with the raven on his shoulder responded. “I think he swallowed it.”

“Swallowed what?” George snapped. “You guys are clearly looking for someone else.”

The second man removed the serpent from his neck and allowed it to wrap itself around his right arm as he scanned George from head to toe. “Perhaps we should open him up and see if it’s inside.”

Rather than listen to another word, George reached into his pocket and pulled out his pistol. “Cut me open?” he jeered. “You must be out of your damn mind.” He pointed the barrel of the gun at the head of the man with the raven and cocked the hammer. “You guys picked the wrong man to screw with.”