The First Book of Lost Swords - Woundhealer's Story (35 page)
Read The First Book of Lost Swords - Woundhealer's Story Online
Authors: Fred Saberhagen
“Come along, boy,” said Father Still, getting up from his chair suddenly and holding out his hand. “Someone’s at our door.”
Adrian stared at him for a moment, then jumped up.
At the front door of the house the two of them, with the others crowding close behind, met Mark just as he was lifting a hand to knock.
Adrian stared for the first time at his father’s face. Then with a cry he jumped into his arms.
* * *
Dusk had deepened into moonlit night when Zoltan wandered out of the house, closing the door behind him on the firelight and laughter within. He paused, content for the moment to breathe the fresher, colder air outside. Then an impulse led him along the short wagon road, not the one leading to the gate but another track, which terminated at the edge of the cultivated land, just where a ditch fenced with a grillwork barrier let in water from the stream flowing just outside the farm.
Zoltan, standing just inside the fence and clinging to it, looked for a long time at the undiminished stream outside as it rushed down a hillside. At length he turned away, starting back to the house.
There was a splash behind him, and he turned back just in time to see a small log bob to the surface at the foot of the miniature waterfall. Then the piece of wood went dipping over the next brink down, moving along briskly on its journey to the distant sea.
About The Author
Fred Saberhagen is widely published in many areas of speculative fiction. He is best known for his Berserker, Swords, and Dracula series. Less known are the myth based fantasies
Books of the Gods. Fred also authored a number of non-series fantasy and science fiction novels and a great number of short stories. For more information on Fred visit his website: www.fredsaberhagen.com