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Windhammer, Copyright Wayne Densley 2001 - 2007 All Rights Reserved
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445
 In the violence of the battle you do not see any point in remaining within the power of the stonewood shard. Quickly you whisper the word "epahl" across the stonewood and watch as the terrible visage of the fall of Kal Murda dissolves into the more imminent reality of the approaching storm. Around you the ruins of the settlement are as you have previously found them but it takes a few moments for you to readjust. After the power of the stone dissipates you are left dazed, your thoughts overcome by what you have witnessed.
A powerful blast of thunder to the north shifts your focus away from the visions of the past to your pressing need for shelter, and you see quickly that there is none to be found here. You have seen the Town Hall in all its untouched glory but it stands now as a mere shell. With no roof it extends upon its foundations as nothing more than a facade and a few broken walls. Your shelter from the coming storm will have to be found elsewhere.
In the encroaching darkness you guide Pallenten along the western reach of the main thoroughfare and realise quickly that Kal Murda can provide no sanctuary. The relentless assault of Jotun hammers has left the town a desolation of crumbled walls and fallen stonework, and there can be no safe cover from the storm within its ruined confines.
Without any further hesitation you mount Pallenten and turn her towards the western gate. Nudging her forward you quicken her to a canter. As thunder rolls along the plains you can feel the growing power of the winds as they throw debris along the road ahead of you. It is within this melee of shifting gales that the village comes to life.
Within the bluster there are no shapes or ghostly moving forms, just the wind and the remembered cries of a thousand butchered souls that echo silently through the desolate streets. Embraced by the power of the strengthening winds ill-defined and furtive shadows move at the corner of your eye, never seen in the open but there nonetheless. No matter the cause it is easy to imagine the restless souls of the dead drawing life from the storm and it sends a cold chill down your spine. With the tempest at your back you hurry Pallenten along all the faster, making a hurried exit through the western gate. As you pass out onto the plain you are glad to be out of the village, and equally glad that you made your journey through Kal Murda without having to confront any Hordim, real or not.
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This book, and its associated books and other documents in the Chronicles of Arborell series are the intellectual property of the author, Wayne F Densley, and all rights are reserved by him. Windhammer is best viewed at 1024 x 768 resolution. Any questions regarding the Chronicles of Arborell can be answered by emailing the author at densleyw@shoal.net.au
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Windhammer, Copyright Wayne Densley 2001 - 2007 All Rights Reserved
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