Tag: maps

Castle and Country

Castle and Country

David led his horse up the mountain pass, the jagged peaks of the Shandorian border towering high above him, tinged with gold in the morning light.  The path had finally grown too steep for riding, and the air was thin enough here among the last twisted, wind-blown trees that David had to pause to catch his breath.  He didn’t mind; he used the rest to admire his surroundings.  Mountains.  He had forgotten, living so long in Logansburg, how expansive, how simultaneously empty and alive they were.

The breeze blew bright and cool, but the sun was warm on the top of David’s head, on his shoulders.  He drank from his waterskin, and turned to look back over the path he’d been riding, winding back down into foothills and pine forest.  No sign of any habitation; he’d left the last Arienish village behind yesterday, and camped last night under the summer constellations in all their glory.  The weather had held clear, thank the One.  He knew his delight would dampen along with the weather if he had to camp in the rain without a tent.  It had been years since he’d been on a hunting trip, and he was sure his ability to build a shelter or light a cook-fire had gone rusty. Continue reading “Castle and Country”