Chapter 18
Daylight spread yellow and orange colors across the horizon and mist blanketed the forest floor. Steigan, Petor, and Martias walked in a dry riverbed. Steigan's head had passed throbbing some time ago and he thought he knew what an anvil felt like under the pounding of metal being forged. The heat, the hammer coming down, the sweat, the snapping of hot coals... Tap, tap, bang. Tap, tap, bang. If he kept his footsteps in that rhythm, he thought just for a moment that he might make it through this.
Petor gave a sob from behind him.
Tap, tap, bang.
Martias touched Steigan's shoulder. “Dominus Steigan, we should stop for prayers. The shock is wearing off.”
Tap, tap, bang. Did he dare stop now? Oh yes, stop. A break. No, if he broke his pace now he might not get it back. Looking
