Read Online Curse: The Dark God Book 2 by John D. Brown - Free Book Online Page A

girl in a pea green frock who was leading a cow out to its pasture. It was an amazing leap. An inhuman leap.
    He broke his fall with a roll, then was up in the blink of an eye, running for the woods.
    The big blond said, “Even if your men catch up to that Mungonite priest, they’re going to have a time roping him. Our naked friend has skills .” He emphasized that last word. “It would be easiest if someone with equal skill went after him. Let me fetch him for you. We’ll call it a gift of good intent.”
    A Mungo priest? If that were true, it would mean he wasn’t sleth. But if Mungo were going to send a spy, it would not have been a lunatic wearing nothing but a blue scarf about his neck.
    Shim regarded the big blond for a moment. “Flax, is it?”
    “Yes, lord.”
    “You bring him to me at the fortress, and we’ll talk.”
    The naked man raced across the pasture, bird in hand, heedless of the effect his speed was having on the people in the square, who were all moving down the road to watch him.
    Flax smiled. “I’ll have him before the morning’s done.” Then he walked over to a hitching post, untied a fine saddle horse, and mounted it. Then he rode off after the crowds.
    Shim watched the big man for a moment, then turned back to Argoth. “That Mungo has no sense of fashion, but, Regret’s arse, he can move. Did you see that?”
    “It was hard to miss,” said Argoth.
    “Scampering around like a squirrel, batting away arrows—I want him in our army.”
    Argoth looked around. Almost everyone was trailing down the road after the spectacle, including a pack of village dogs.
    Argoth pitched his voice low. “No. A man like that can’t be counted on.” There were indeed many that might bear the title of sleth that would be useful, but it was clear that the Mungonite was damaged. Argoth knew his call would bring all sorts, and he wondered now if he’d made a mistake.
    “I didn’t say put him up front,” said Shim. “I said we could use him.”
    “You know what your opposition claims.” There were those the Clans who feared Shim was controlled by dark masters. “Someone like that would only confirm their bad assessment.”
    “Captain,” Shim said, “you fight lies with the truth. Our friend has skills. If we can learn them, we will. If he turns out to be unstable, then we’ll use him to remove some of the fears the people feel. We don’t want to hide him or make him mysterious. That simply starts rumors and turns him into something to be feared. If we were Divines, that’s exactly what we’d want. But we’re not. I’m going to let the people get up close. I want them to see that he’s nothing more than a man. I want to make him common.”
    Shim had no caution. And yet, hadn’t Hogan said the same of Argoth? He found it ironic that he had taken the role of the conservative now that Hogan was gone.
    “He’s from no group I know,” said Argoth. “We have no idea where he’s from, no idea of his purpose. We need to be careful.”
    “Careful is my name,” said Shim.
    This from the man who was bringing the Order out into the sun. “In your world,” said Argoth, “careful is nothing but a soggy flatulence.”

6
    Meat

    BEROSUS, WHO HAD GIVEN the false name of Flax to Lord Shim and the sleth with him, rode away to follow the naked Mungonite. Berosus was blessed. There was no other explanation. During Berosus’s recent voyage across the sea, the Mungonite had learned what Berosus was. Being a priest, the Mungonite knew what to look for. But Berosus had prevented him from revealing the secret. However, the Mungonite had still escaped him out at sea.
    All thought he’d jumped overboard and drowned, but here he was, like an offering from the Creators. A gift that would help Berosus begin to earn the trust of Lord Shim and his sleth, Argoth.
    The naked Mungonite ran into the woods. Berosus followed. A few of the villagers wanted to tag along, but Berosus motioned them back. He followed the