Read Online Hunted: The Warrior Chronicles #2 by K.F. Breene - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: K.F. Breene
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And Shanti was the best—”
“So she said,” Xavier interrupted with spite.
“Okay, well, she was way better than any of those Inkna, and she’s better than the Captain. If she’s not the best, then we’re all in trouble. She wasn’t afraid of the Inkna, and didn’t mind running straight into battle, but the Graygual made her go pale. If they come calling, we’re screwed.”
“The Captain is forming alliances. He’s got a bunch already on our side. We’ve got help.”
“Xavier!” Marc shoved the larger guy. “Will you wake up? She left, and that sucks. I hate her for it, too, but if you pulled your head out of your ass, you’d see the bigger picture. Alliances are all well and good, but the Graygual are still bigger. They are breeding people like Shanti. We need more than a few old farts from prosperous cities merging with us.”
They turned a corner at the last house before they reached the large, dusty training grounds.
“Well, the Captain is the best at what he does, and he’s working it out,” Xavier said. “He—”
Someone rushed out of the shadows.
Xavier reacted hard and fast. He grabbed the man and threw in one smooth, precise movement.
Hands windmilled as a body flew through the air. Before it hit the ground, they heard Leilius utter, “Why?” He landed in a tumble of limbs.
Xavier turned to Marc with a grin. “Did you just scream? ”
“Did I?” Marc put his hand to his chest, out of breath. His heart pounded against his rib cage. Images of the Inkna battle had flashed through his mind, making him think someone was attacking with a sword or knife.
Xavier doubled over in laughter. “You screamed like a girl!”
“ Well? He jumped from out of nowhere!” Marc defended.
“What’d you do that for?” Leilius asked as he picked himself up off the ground, dusting off his plain gray clothes.
Lanky and average looking, Leilius was the only one of them that was still as good with his skills as when Shanti left. He loved slinking around the town, randomly waiting in various places and watching people, waiting to see if they would notice him. He was the only one among them that had absolute faith—absolute, unequivocal faith—that Shanti would return.
The problem was, the army didn’t acknowledge silent loitering as a quantifiable trait. Of what the army did recognize as necessary skills, Leilius was only good at working with a knife at close range. Sanders often threatened to send him to work in the mines.
“What if you had been a Mugdock and I didn’t react?” Xavier asked Leilius as they continued on.
“How would a Mugdock get into the city without the sentries knowing?” Leilius said with a put-upon expression. He wiped at a small cut on his cheek. When his fingers came away with a smear of blood, he held it up with an incredulous expression. “You made me bleed!”
Xavier ignored the accusation. “You’ve gotten past the sentries without being noticed…”
“But then I got in trouble by the Captain for wandering around outside the walls when I was supposed to be cleaning out the horse stalls. He knew where I was. You think he wouldn’t notice a Mugdock sneaking in?”
“What if you’d been an Inkna? They can hide their minds.” Xavier hesitated as they neared the edge of the practice yard. Men of all ages and abilities congregated there to practice with swords, or to work in the pit throwing knives. There were even long-range archery targets set up into the trees beyond the perimeter of the city.
“Not really,” Marc cut into the argument, spotting Rachie and Gracas, the other two members of their old Honor Guard. The two guys were standing on the periphery of the crowd of cadets waiting for their Training Captain. “If the Captain was paying attention, he’d know they were there. They wouldn’t be hidden.”
“You said yourself,” Xavier pushed. “He’s not great with his power. Someone might slip past.”
“Oh, now he’s not great with
“So she said,” Xavier interrupted with spite.
“Okay, well, she was way better than any of those Inkna, and she’s better than the Captain. If she’s not the best, then we’re all in trouble. She wasn’t afraid of the Inkna, and didn’t mind running straight into battle, but the Graygual made her go pale. If they come calling, we’re screwed.”
“The Captain is forming alliances. He’s got a bunch already on our side. We’ve got help.”
“Xavier!” Marc shoved the larger guy. “Will you wake up? She left, and that sucks. I hate her for it, too, but if you pulled your head out of your ass, you’d see the bigger picture. Alliances are all well and good, but the Graygual are still bigger. They are breeding people like Shanti. We need more than a few old farts from prosperous cities merging with us.”
They turned a corner at the last house before they reached the large, dusty training grounds.
“Well, the Captain is the best at what he does, and he’s working it out,” Xavier said. “He—”
Someone rushed out of the shadows.
Xavier reacted hard and fast. He grabbed the man and threw in one smooth, precise movement.
Hands windmilled as a body flew through the air. Before it hit the ground, they heard Leilius utter, “Why?” He landed in a tumble of limbs.
Xavier turned to Marc with a grin. “Did you just scream? ”
“Did I?” Marc put his hand to his chest, out of breath. His heart pounded against his rib cage. Images of the Inkna battle had flashed through his mind, making him think someone was attacking with a sword or knife.
Xavier doubled over in laughter. “You screamed like a girl!”
“ Well? He jumped from out of nowhere!” Marc defended.
“What’d you do that for?” Leilius asked as he picked himself up off the ground, dusting off his plain gray clothes.
Lanky and average looking, Leilius was the only one of them that was still as good with his skills as when Shanti left. He loved slinking around the town, randomly waiting in various places and watching people, waiting to see if they would notice him. He was the only one among them that had absolute faith—absolute, unequivocal faith—that Shanti would return.
The problem was, the army didn’t acknowledge silent loitering as a quantifiable trait. Of what the army did recognize as necessary skills, Leilius was only good at working with a knife at close range. Sanders often threatened to send him to work in the mines.
“What if you had been a Mugdock and I didn’t react?” Xavier asked Leilius as they continued on.
“How would a Mugdock get into the city without the sentries knowing?” Leilius said with a put-upon expression. He wiped at a small cut on his cheek. When his fingers came away with a smear of blood, he held it up with an incredulous expression. “You made me bleed!”
Xavier ignored the accusation. “You’ve gotten past the sentries without being noticed…”
“But then I got in trouble by the Captain for wandering around outside the walls when I was supposed to be cleaning out the horse stalls. He knew where I was. You think he wouldn’t notice a Mugdock sneaking in?”
“What if you’d been an Inkna? They can hide their minds.” Xavier hesitated as they neared the edge of the practice yard. Men of all ages and abilities congregated there to practice with swords, or to work in the pit throwing knives. There were even long-range archery targets set up into the trees beyond the perimeter of the city.
“Not really,” Marc cut into the argument, spotting Rachie and Gracas, the other two members of their old Honor Guard. The two guys were standing on the periphery of the crowd of cadets waiting for their Training Captain. “If the Captain was paying attention, he’d know they were there. They wouldn’t be hidden.”
“You said yourself,” Xavier pushed. “He’s not great with his power. Someone might slip past.”
“Oh, now he’s not great with
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