After a short rest, we somehow managed to quench our thirst and quiet our grumbling bellies, even though none of us had much of an appetite. No one spoke of turning back. No one wanted to. We didn’t want to fail Yozinda’s brother, and we didn’t want the deaths of Galen and Pwill to have been for naught. So we continued our journey in relative silence. While Thetus got over the initial shock of Pwill’s death, the horror of it lingered in his eyes like a sullen shadow.
Though we saw many small animals that looked like rabbits and squirrels, we weren’t threatened by any more of the vale’s strange denizens. We did pass two creatures the size of mastiffs, fighting over the carcass of what might have been a dracovian. They were covered with a lobster-like shell from canine head to hindquarters, and they had the arms and legs of a monkey. They paid no attention to us and didn’t seem to notice the army of ants and beetles enjoying the carcass while they were otherwise engaged.
Sometime later we reached an area that was more pastoral, with gentle hills, a few scattered trees, and a variety of flowers. It all looked quite idyllic and restful to three worn and weary travelers. Yozinda and I both looked with concern upon Thetus, but he appeared to be holding up well. As it was, he was the first to point out the huge structure nestled between the hills, a short distance ahead of us.
“What sort of building is that?” he asked.
I shrugged. “It appears to be an old temple.”
“Looks more like a tomb to me,” Yozinda said.
“Did Zalendus mention this place in his scrolls?”
She shook her head. “He wrote only of the possibility of finding the ruins of a city. But as I said, he never found it. I don’t think he ever got this far.”
“It’s old,” I said. “But it certainly isn’t in ruin.”
SCI-FI-FANTASY
"Mad Shadows reads like old-school, pulp-style sword-and-sorcery done with a modern edge."
"The Weird Tales of Dorgo the Dowser is a great mashup of Horror/Fantasy/Film Noir. In Television terms, this would appeal to fans of the X-files, Supernatural, or Grim."
"The book combines elements of fantasy and paranormal, all into one wild land. For me, this was one of those 'can't put it down' books that I devoured until I reached the last page.
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