When Silence Speaks: The Swarming Death, #6

By Steffen Larken

What creatures lurk in the depths of Uddengahl? Veric and his friends will soon find out... but will they come back out alive?

 

With the smoke now gone, Veric ventures even further north, into the forbidden lands where the ancient city of Karish once stood.

 

He hopes to find information about the elusive Kurhen, but what he uncovers is of a very different, and venomous nature.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ASG Worlds
• Release date: Jun 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9782493671066

Book preview

1.

We stood there in the middle of the square, staring at each other.

Now that the smoke was gone, people were coming out of their houses, flocking around us, pointing at the sun in delight, and crying tears of joy.

I looked at the bald man with a thousand questions going through my head.

Did you make the smoke? was the first that came out of my mouth.

He seemed amused by the notion.

Me? Why would you think that? My eyes went to the device he still held in his hands. He followed my gaze and laughed. I see your point. But no. This didn’t create the problem, it contained it.

So you are a wizard, then?

He laughed again.

No, of course not. Though I wish I was. I bet there are spells to keep yourself warm. Come on, let’s get out of this cold. It’s freezing out here.

Without waiting for a response, he started down the street, in the direction we had come from.

You know him? asked Hrosken.

Who is this guy? asked Sandrin.

They both sounded startled, and I couldn’t blame them. I was just as surprised by this turn of events.

I walked after my bald friend, not wanting to lose him—he still had some explaining to do.

His name is Gerhald, I said softly. "I wouldn’t say that I know him. Not really. We met a while back, in Aruvan. He saved my life. And I saved his. Long story."

Speeding up my pace, I caught up with the man.

So what are you doing here?

Gerhald, who was walking at a brisk pace—possibly to keep himself warm—glanced at me.

What? Wasn’t it obvious back there? He grinned. I got rid of the smoke.

"Yes, I saw that, but why? How? And what is that thing?"

All full of questions, aren’t you?

Oh, there are plenty more where those are coming from, trust me.

He sighed.

I’ve been tasked to... he started.

By who? I interrupted.

By Tharn, the King of Krell. He asked me to investigate the smoke and remove it if possible. I was given this tool for this purpose. It can... well... honestly, I don’t fully understand how it works. Magic isn’t exactly my strong point. But apparently, it can locate sources of power...

How would you know which one was linked to the smoke?

He made a face. It’s not like there are that many of them, Veric. In fact, sources of this magnitude are extremely rare. Besides, the closer I got to it and the thicker the smoke became, so I obviously was on the right path.

So the source is here, in Ekreth?

Gerhald stepped toward a tavern. From the sounds within, it already seemed to be quite busy. It wasn’t surprising that a tavern would be one of the first places to reopen.

No, he answered as he walked through the door.

There were more words after that, but they were drowned by all the loud conversations and music that filled the crowded room. How ever would we be able to talk in here? How could any of these people understand each other, for that matter? It was unbearable.

I’d been in many taverns before, of course, but this one was undeniably the loudest. I assumed it was because of the smoke being finally gone. People had stayed indoors and kept away from each other. This was not only a moment to celebrate, but also to reconnect with old friends.

A waitress came toward us with a large smile. Gerhald leaned over and talked directly into her ear. We could not hear a word, of course. But the woman nodded and said something back into my friend’s ear. Then Gerhald waved for us to follow as the waitress led us into a back room.

There were some people here too, and we could still hear the ruckus from the main room, but it was much more quiet.

All the tables here were set into alcoves, and we picked one at the far end, the further away possible from the commotion.

We placed our order and the waitress left.

Gerhald looked at the three of us.

Who are your friends? he asked.

Oh, yeah, sorry. This is Sandrin, whom I met in Aruvan. Hrosken here was a sailor on the ship that took us across the Sangar. He offered to be our guide in the Crowns, since he’s spent some time here in the past.

Well met. I’m Gerhald, as I’m sure Veric must have told you by now.

He grinned.

You were saying Ekreth isn’t the source? Why stop here, then? I don’t understand...

"I wanted to remove the smoke as soon as possible, but I had to time it right. On one hand, the longer I waited the more damage