A Threat of Shadows by JA Andrews Page B

cringing when his foot crunched down onto the eerie bed of bones.
    Ayda and Milly picked their way through carefully, discussing the bones they came across. Brandson stepped through, gingerly testing each step before moving on. Douglon followed right behind Brandson, cringing and shuddering with each step.
    “It was a dragon,” Gustav said petulantly to Alaric.
    “That’s the most obvious answer,” Alaric said. “And it fits with the legend of Bone Valley. But we certainly don’t need to be frightened of a dragon from a hundred years ago.”
    Gustav scowled at him and continued ahead. Alaric shook his head. That old man certainly had a love for the dramatic.
    The bones ended with the trees. The sun had broken through the clouds, and they stood at the edge of a meadow stretching across Bone Valley, dotted with stands of pine trees. Above them, the clouds were chasing each other on the wind. Snow-covered mountains soared above the western side of the valley.
    “We’d better find a place to camp,” Brandson said glancing at the sun, which sat low above the mountains. “Twilight is going to come earlier here.”
    “How about away from the bones?” said Douglon.
    They struck out along the edge of the trees searching for some other shelter. The sun had dropped behind the mountains by the time they reached a little grove of pines set out in the middle of the meadow. After Douglon inspected the ground for any bones, they set up camp between the trunks.
    Brandson carried an armful of wood for the fire. “I don’t suppose you could do that thing again where you see if Patlon followed us?” he asked Gustav.
    “Of course, my boy,” the wizard answered. “I was just about to.” Standing up tall and spreading his arms wide apart, the wizard closed his eyes and began to mutter, spinning in a circle.
    Alaric watched him, keeping his face bland. He felt Gustav’s wave limp past again.
    “We are still alone,” Gustav announced. “That monster did not follow us.”
    “He’s not a—” Douglon started, but at Gustav’s glare he stopped. “We’ll set a watch tonight,” he grumbled.
    Alaric cast out his own wave without any movement or sound, but his findings agreed with the old man’s.
    Gustav ambled over to where Milly and Brandson were setting wood for a small fire. The wizard shooed them away. As he did, Alaric saw a glimmer of silver drop onto the wood. With a flourish, Gustav shouted, “ Incende !” and stabbed his staff into the wood. There was a tiny spark and then an explosion as the wood burst into flames. Milly scrambled back and stifled a scream. Smiling in satisfaction, Gustav strode away from the flames, waving them back to the fire.
    Alaric knelt to rummage in his pack, trying to hide his smile. Fire powder! The old man had used fire powder and passed it off as magic. Alaric thought for the hundredth time that he should give up everything else and bring fire powder to Queensland. It was prohibitively expensive, but the wealthy in countries far to the south sprinkled the silvery powder in ovens and over wood. A quick rap would ignite the powder and result in what had occurred in their own fire. How had Gustav managed to get ahold of some?
    “Amazing, Gustav!” exclaimed Milly.
    “Wondrous,” Alaric agreed.
    The evening stretched out, perfectly quiet, as the group settled down around the small fire. It was a little eerie that there were so few noises, and Alaric found himself constantly straining to hear something. Anything.
    Brandson volunteered to take first watch and ambled to the edge of their small pine grove. Milly watched him for a moment. Seeing Ayda’s encouraging nod, she prepared a plate of food and took it over to him.
    “Thanks, Milly,” Alaric could just hear Brandson say to her.
    “She’s a nice girl,” Ayda said, following Alaric’s gaze.
    Alaric nodded.
    “I think Brandson should marry her. I’ve been trying forever to get the two of them together.”
    “Marry