Chapter Twenty-Eight: Corpse in the Fort

 

Anglorae and Kyosti had to wade through chest-high water to reach the fort. The water was so warm they barely shivered, even after climbing back out on the other side. The air was noticeably warmer too. Scrambling around fallen arches and crawling through the sunken battlements, they made their way deeper into the ancient building. Kyosti could hear water dripping all around them, collecting in pools they had to tread through and around.

Chapter Twenty-Seven - Overlooking Nasala

 Now they were only a few weeks away from Chith-oo-bra, Anglorae and others were anxious to get there as quickly as possible. Kyosti, hiding the issue of the knife hidden at the bottom of his bag, couldn’t help dragging his feet a bit. The terrain wasn’t the easiest in this part of the world; they crossed Tenash to the shore of the Bengal Ocean, trying to stay away from the snowy south, then reached a huge strand of mountains they had to cross to get to the Ben Sea. And from there, Chith-oo-bra.

There was no easy pass through the mountains, and it took all of Kyosti’s and Anglorae’s cold-weather know-how to keep them from freezing in the short days and long nights.

Around halfway through their journey across the mountain, Kyosti found the perfect delaying tactic.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Ragfish in the Corner

 

“You’re lost, aren’t you?”

“It’s around here somewhere! I remember a strong smell of fish!”

“Kyosti, we’re by the sea. Everywhere smells like fish.”