All Chapters of Dark Goddess: Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

Soon he had reached the city wall and passed it through the west gate. He took the path towards the river that he wanted to follow up. He looked at everything curiously, because this was the original setting of the family legend, which he had heard over and over again, amazingly without being particularly bored. Instead, his longing for the stranger and his desire to see all the wonderful places for himself was awakened. He did not think of danger. It had surely been exaggerated more and more through repeated telling. Now he saw a varied meadow landscape in the backlight, because the sun was no longer particularly high, although it was still some distance from the horizon. The shimmering river was lined with an impressive, albeit narrow, gallery forest. The water flowed slowly and the channel that the water had dug in the course of time was only partially filled, so that one could easily walk along the bank; instead of riding, he walked beside his horse. Tomorrow he would try to fin

The witch hadn't spoken to her anymore and maybe lost interest in her for now. Athaly was justifiably afraid of her and was therefore not angry about it. Once a day she got a visit from a silent slave from western countries, as her very light skin revealed, who used a spoon to pour a little thin soup into her from a pot in which a few pieces of bread were floating. Then she was allowed to relieve herself in the same pot. 'It's still better than the other way round,' she thought, but she wasn't happy with the current situation. She had tried to get into conversation with the slave, but she was apparently full of fear; when Athaly began to speak, she quickly left the covered wagon. So she finally let it go. As a result, she was mostly alone during the day. Her position was very uncomfortable because with her hands tied behind her back, both sitting and lying down were difficult. Occasionally she got a visit from the man who had been holding her when Salomene forced her attention. As i

The fair-skinned slave appeared with what little food she saved from starvation. She let herself be fed in silence, then the group began to move slowly. Athaly was exhausted and dozed off a bit. She finally woke up because the entourage was slowing down. She tried to see something about the cause of the delay through the narrow slit in the tarpaulin. A small insect just flew in through the crack and sat on the wooden planks not far from her. Athaly had seen such an animal years ago when she was in the Black Mountains. It was a mayfly and where it was there was water nearby. Now she noticed that more light was coming through the gap. The steep mountain walls that bordered their path had evidently receded. Had they come to the bank of a lake or did the path follow the course of a river? Now she heard the unmistakable sound of falling water as if from a distance.She had to get a better overview! Athaly tugged again at the nail that tied her to the floor, jerked around and bit b

Once again the horse refused to obey him. Sometimes it was even possible to ride it, but mostly he had to walk alongside and pull it behind him often enough. Not even that at the moment. He pulled the rope furiously with all his might, but the animal just laughed at him.“Come on, you wretched creature!” He hissed, “you have only just eaten!” But the horse was not impressed. It bared its big teeth, wiggled its long ears and looked at him maliciously with its long, lashed, dark eyes.Gjefren had been on the road a lot longer than he had intended. This creature was to blame. In order to catch up a little time, he had left the mountain road at the narrow, not very reassuring bridge and had followed the path that more or less followed the clear, rapid mountain river. A daring decision, because in his photographs it was not possible to tell whether the path was really continuous and would eventually lead back to the mountain road that circled one of

After a short rummage he found what he was looking for and ran back, holding the opened object in front of her mouth. He put his head next to hers and looked at the reflecting surface, saw that it was fogging up. Well. Pulse.He pressed his index and middle fingers to the side of his neck before it occurred to him that you couldn't breathe without a heartbeat and that this action was pointless. Still, it was very comforting to feel him very slow and weak. So the main problem was hypothermia.He brought the mirror back, got his only fluffy blanket and two towels. He spread the blanket over the flat rock, warm from the sunshine, on which he had previously sat. Then he undid the three buttons on the front of the dress and peeled them off the cold, wet thing by pulling it down over his shoulders. Then he opened her sandals and took them off. Meanwhile, her eyelids moved a little, otherwise she remained passive like a doll.Gjefren took one of the towels and used it

She still looked confused, but also amused. “Then please thank your Lord on my behalf. By the way, he's not a horse but a donkey. ”“ Not a horse? Then I was betrayed! ”Although Gjefren had no idea what a donkey was usually used for, he thought angrily back to the scene in Merida when it had become the target of general ridicule. He could have been informed of his error. His father could have described these mounts more precisely! Then he would have saved himself so many embarrassments! "Are you sure?"She coughed a little. "Mmm. Definitely. ”And after a short pause:“ Your hair. ”“ What about it? ”“ It shines. Shimmer! ”Involuntarily he grabbed his head. He couldn't forget to put on his leather hood like he had done in Merida. She waited for an answer, but when none came she raised her head to look around and saw her dress. Her eyes, whose lids were half-mast before, widened. He had the impression that her hands were quickly feeling her body under the cover

 "Athaly. Yes, horses are much faster, at least if the ground isn't too rocky. Horses are not that good at carrying loads, so it might be a good thing that you have a donkey as a companion. ”She looked briefly into space, then seemed to have made up her mind. “Gjefren, there is no point. If they see you with me, they will kill you! Maybe even the donkey, you don't know. I will stay here and wait for her and you will ride further downstream. Hopefully when I'm dead they'll turn around, then you're in no danger! ”Gjefren pretended to be indignant, but was astonished that she was so interested in the fate of a complete stranger. He looked angrily at her. "You don't think I'll let you down!"Athaly nodded. "But! You have to do it. Each of them is a head taller than you and broader shouldered, and the witch is sure to send more than one man after me. You wouldn't even have a chance if you are very practiced in combat. ”She eyed him intently, especially skeptically his u

Then he saw a glaring flash in the distance and realized almost immediately that the sun was reflected in a helmet. Immediately he took cover behind the bushes that grew on the edge of the plateau. Athaly paused for a moment to then follow his example. "What is it, are they coming?""I saw a light reflex up there." He pointed in the appropriate direction. "I think so."She stared hard and whispered. "Can you make out how many there are?" Gjefren shook his head. “I don't think there's any point in hiding,” she said. “They'll look for my body and won't rest until they find it and bring it back. Or take me prisoner again. They belong to the witch's guard and they know exactly what will happen to them if they return without me. ”“ Which witch? ”He wanted to know.“The witch of Askhauran! She is famous for her cruelty. Nobody knows where she comes from, but rumor has it that she killed the old ruling couple and bewitc

The men seemed to be good climbers, because Gjefren heard loud breathing noises and the occasional gasp but no swearing. Much earlier than expected, he saw a large, hairy hand reach over the edge of the ledge. Nonetheless, he reacted instantly and smashed the big stone at the tarantula-like thing. The hand was withdrawn immediately and Gjefren heard an angry and surprised cry. Then he sat up, lifting the chunk over his head, looked over the edge, looked into the guardsman's ugly face, and let the rock crash down on the man's head. He lost his footing, screamed again and fell down, waving his arms and obviously trying to land legs first, but he couldn't. Gjefren would never forget the expression on his face or the sound of the hitting body.The second pursuer, who now threatened loudly, had been able to hold on, a fact Gjefren had not planned for. The man began to climb down hastily, but Gjefren had already reached for another, much larger rock, lifted it with difficulty, and t

She nodded gratefully and lowered herself carefully - mobilizing her last reserves - down the steep wall. Only in the rough rock of the chimney did she feel safe. Gjefren was also exhausted and tried to really concentrate on every move on the descent. Finally they stood in front of the two warriors and Gjefren was now very impressed both by their stature and by their elaborately crafted black armor. The one who fell first lay there like a carelessly discarded giant doll, destroyed. The other had no obvious wounds."Amazing that you could escape such warriors!" Gjefren looked at her respectfully.“My jump over the bridge was an act of desperation. The alternatives would have been imprisonment and endless agony in the torture chambers of Askhauran. The witch never left me in doubt about that. Drowning or a skullhit on a rock would have been comparatively merciful. ” Gjefren turned away and wanted to go to the camp when suddenly life came into one of the supposed cor