Read Online 02 - Taint of Evil by Neil McIntosh - (ebook by Undead) - Free Book Online

best even. Their bravery could not be doubted,
but it was far from clear that they would win through.
    Bea pulled ahead of Stefan, snatching the burning torch from his hand as she
passed him. “Let me be your pathfinder,” she shouted. “I’ll draw them on—you
can do the rest.”
    She left him little chance to protest, riding like the wind into the thick of
the battle. Stefan followed hard on her heels, pushing his horse hard to sustain
the furious pace. Out of nowhere, a mutant rider materialised in front of
Stefan, intent upon striking out at Bea. It didn’t see Stefan until much too
late. Stefan saw the brief flicker of shock in the cold eyes before his blade
slashed away the mutant’s sword arm and sent the creature spinning from the
saddle, the mutant’s horse going down beneath it.
    Stefan jerked on the reins, pulling his horse out of the way. For the moment
he had lost sight both of Bea and Bruno. A soldier loomed out of the darkness
towards him, his gashed and bloodied armour testimony to a long and desperate
battle. Their eyes met in a brief, unspoken acknowledgement. Before Stefan could
speak, the soldier turned away, reacting to something Stefan could not see. The
soldier raised his guard, reacting quickly, but not quickly enough. Stefan heard
the man scream, then saw light glinting off the blade that seemed to come out of
nowhere, piercing the thin mail corselet in a single, fatal thrust.
    Stefan pushed forward into the mutant’s path. He aimed his sword into thin
air, but it found a solid mark, cleaving a path between flesh and bone. Stefan
drew the blade back and struck again. He had a momentary glimpse of a figure
with the proportions of a man with scaly, black skin. The mutant reeled under
the force of Stefan’s blow. Before it could melt back into the night, Stefan
connected with a third stroke of his sword. The scaly-fleshed warrior toppled
back in the saddle and its horse wheeled away, carrying its dead cargo away into
the night.
    “Stefan, behind you!”
    Stefan reacted instinctively at the sound of Bruno’s voice, dropping his head
and pulling his horse away to one side. He felt a rush of air come towards him,
then something strike the flank of the horse like a battering ram. Stefan
gripped tight but could not hold on. There was a moment of confusion as he was
thrown clear then a sudden impact as he struck the hard ground. Creatures—horses, men and mutants—thundered around him in every direction. Stefan looked
up, but his horse was gone. He was marooned, as likely to be trampled to death
as cut down by a sword. There was a rush of hooves and Bruno appeared, a
half-man, half-bird mutant falling beneath his sword.
    Stefan shouted his comrade’s name. To his relief, Bruno heard him and turned,
reaching out to haul Stefan up into the saddle behind him. In the confusion
Stefan had lost his sword, but a replacement was soon offered.
    “You can do more with this than I can,” Bea shouted to him. “Take it!” she
insisted, holding out the blade. Stefan took the sword. “Slow down a moment,” he
told Bruno. He climbed from Bruno’s horse onto Bea’s, and they rejoined the
battle. Another two mutants were put to the sword, but still they came on.
    But their presence had given visible heart to their new allies. The men in
scarlet were fighting with a renewed vigour, turning defence to attack as more
and more of the shadowy creatures fell to their blades. The odds moved in their
favour. Now the mutants sought escape, not conquest. But there was no longer any
hiding; no shelter to be found within the shadows. The barren landscape would
become their burial ground. Blood raced in Stefan’s veins as he sent the last of
the mutants to the Gates of Morr.
     
    The battle was over, the victory won. Stefan recovered his horse, which had
been wandering aimlessly at the edge of the battle field. Scattered fires
flickered like beacons where the soldiers were burning the