The Path Of Peace (The Cremelino Prophecy Book 3) by Mike Shelton Page A

me.
She used to go by Berlain. Auburn hair, wide eyes, and tall.” Alessandra could
barely picture her mother in her mind; it had been far too long.
    “I have heard of this woman
before,” the guildmaster remarked, “but I am not sure she wants to be found.”
    Alessandra’s heart dropped.
    “But I will ask around and let
you know. I wouldn’t want to be the cause of that frown on your face,” he
teased.
    Alessandra regained a small
amount of hope. “We will proceed with the plans then. I will let you know when
things are taken care of.”
    A servant showed Alessandra out
the door and escorted her back into a more crowded part of town. There she met
her father.
    “Did they accept?” her father
asked.
    “They did. And they will search
for my mother also.”
    The Preacher waved his hand in
dismissal. “Our spies tell me the ambassador is back in town now. He is guarded
by the governor’s daughter. Although she is gifted with the power, she is no
match for me.”
    “You promised you wouldn’t kill
him,” Alessandra reminded her dangerous father. It was all she could do to ease
a portion of her conscience. She wished she could find her mother on her own,
just see her one last time, then she would leave. But it seemed she needed her
father’s connections. When she looked at him, she sometimes had to take a step
back to avoid the evil shine from his eyes, but he was still her father and
deep inside she still loved and cared for him. It was a twisted life she led, a
life of betrayal.
    “Yes. I won’t kill him. Just
remove him far, far away. Maybe the forgotten lands would do him good.” The
Preacher laughed and laughed, attracting attention from people crossing the
small city square. “Unfortunately, the young ambassador won’t be around to see
my triumphal return to power.”
     
     

Chapter Seven
    JUSTICE OR
MERCY?
     
    J akob had a way of finding water in the
White Sand Desert. Darius wasn’t sure how he did it, but was glad for the boy’s
talents. Even his own wizarding powers were not adept to that task, though he
wondered if an earth wizard would find it easier. The Wizard King was excited
to visit with Mezar in Gildan. The thought of a library that might help him
understand his power drew him south. It seemed that everything he did came to
him naturally when the time was needed, but it was frustrating to not
understand how he did it. However, first he must travel to Sur, meet with a
representative from the Kingdom of Arc, then travel to Denir, all the while
spending time in small villages and towns along the way.
    After traveling back to the
mainland south of Mar from White Island, Darius bid farewell to Kelln and
Taliana with a reiterated promise that he would send soldiers to Mar to help
Kelln. Not wanting to get too close to Mar with the Preacher still loose in the
city, Darius along with Roland, Jakob, and five Cremelinos cut west through the
White Sand Desert. Eventually they would run into the Crystal River and would
use that to guide them back north to the road that ran from Mar to Sur.
    “Over here.” Jakob motioned to
the group. Once again, he had found a small spring oasis of water among a few
short trees and reeds. The men let the horses get their fill first. Having open
access to all the water and food they needed on White Island, the Cremelinos
were not used to the dry, barren desert. Their physical abilities were stronger
than a normal horse, but the heat of the desert was new to them.
    The group sat next to the small
pool of fresh water and took some meat and cheese out of their bags. Food was
no problem since Haman’s wife and the innkeeper had provided them with far more
than they would need. Any town they passed through, no matter how small, would
declare a feast in honor of their King. The night before they passed through a
small sand village. Some nomads that didn’t usually have much to do with the
Realm as their government still insisted on feeding the group and