Read Online Siege At The Settlements (Book 6) by Craig Halloran - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Craig Halloran
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High Priestess of Barnabus, Selene? Failing her is a far worse thing.” She pulled out a dagger. “She’ll turn your thews into harp strings.”
“Those are stories,” Dormus said. “Told by the likes of you to frighten children. I know all about you two. Faylan and Finlin. The lowly spies. Dreaded henchmen.” He swung his horse around, bumping Faylan.
“You dare!”
“I am an Overseer.”
Faylan’s eyes narrowed. Finlin knew that look. It was murder. Over the decades, his sister had become one of Selene’s most loyal hounds. Cold blooded. Calculating. She’d been underestimated before. She lived. Her enemies didn’t. Finlin trotted between them.
“Yes,” Dormus said. “Protect your kin, little satyr. I figure you keep her oversized mouth out of plenty of trouble.” He eyed Faylan. “Let me tell you something, you little horned goat. That man … or dragon, whatever he is, should be dead. I delivered a lethal blow. Yet, he still breathes. And he’s coming for me. He’s coming for us. Let us put more distance and safety between us and him.”
“I thought you said the blade you used was poisoned,” Faylan said.
“Indeed it was. With a curse. A drop of evil that will one day take form, but I know not when. I don’t want to be anywhere near him in the meantime. We keep moving. Through the dark if we have to.”
“Your plan is my plan, Sister,” Finlin said.
She shoved his chest. “My plan is the only plan. We wait. You will wait as well, Coward,” she said to Dormus, reaching into a leather pouch that hung on her hip and pulling a tiny figure out. She had a pixie pinched by its wings. It was a small one. Maybe six inches tall. A she with skin like a pale pink rose. A tiny golden collar was on her neck. “Little one. Spy out the dwarves. Come back to us when they move again.”
The little thing nodded her head of white wispy hair.
“Let me see that!” Dormus demanded, leaning forward. He pushed his greasy hair back over his head. “I’ve always wanted my own pixie.”
Faylan held the pixie up before his eyes and shook the tiny thing. Fairy dust sprinkled in the air.
Dormus leaned back, blinking his eyes, and sneezed. “Achoo!” His eyes became dreamy, his limbs loose. He fell out of his saddle.
“What did you do that for?” Finlin said, aggravated. His sister always had to pull one over on someone. “He’ll not wake up for a day.”
She released the pixie.
Zing.
It was gone.
Sighing, Finlin walked over and pulled Dormus’s foot out of the stirrup and then rolled him onto his back. His face was covered in mud and his nose was bent.
Faylan laughed. “Good. A shame his jaw is not busted as well.”
“We can’t move quickly with him in this condition. They’ll gain on us for certain.”
She tossed her knife to Finlin.
“Who says we still need him?”
Chapter 16
B efore the break of day the next morning, Nath, Bayzog, Ben and Brenwar were on the move. They rode east until the sun was hot on their backs and then stopped for water at a stream. Everyone was quiet. Bayzog sat in his saddle with his staff crossed over his lap. Ben refilled canteens with water. Brenwar stood by his mount, not moving at all, staring at the ground. The dwarf hadn’t made the slightest complaint or suggestion to Nath about anything.
Nath wasn’t used to that. But he also wasn’t used to feeling the heaviness in Brenwar’s heart. Murder, such as things were, had always been a rare occurrence in Nalzambor. Things had changed indeed.
Nath made his way over to Ben and refilled his own canteen.
“This would be a nice place for fishing,” Nath said.
“Indeed,” Ben said, slinging his canteens over his shoulders. He looked into the sky. “We don’t have many days like this it seems. Clear skies and warm weather when it’s usually cold or wet. It almost makes me uncomfortable.”
“Has the weather really changed that much while I slept?”
“It’s certainly gotten darker, or at
“Those are stories,” Dormus said. “Told by the likes of you to frighten children. I know all about you two. Faylan and Finlin. The lowly spies. Dreaded henchmen.” He swung his horse around, bumping Faylan.
“You dare!”
“I am an Overseer.”
Faylan’s eyes narrowed. Finlin knew that look. It was murder. Over the decades, his sister had become one of Selene’s most loyal hounds. Cold blooded. Calculating. She’d been underestimated before. She lived. Her enemies didn’t. Finlin trotted between them.
“Yes,” Dormus said. “Protect your kin, little satyr. I figure you keep her oversized mouth out of plenty of trouble.” He eyed Faylan. “Let me tell you something, you little horned goat. That man … or dragon, whatever he is, should be dead. I delivered a lethal blow. Yet, he still breathes. And he’s coming for me. He’s coming for us. Let us put more distance and safety between us and him.”
“I thought you said the blade you used was poisoned,” Faylan said.
“Indeed it was. With a curse. A drop of evil that will one day take form, but I know not when. I don’t want to be anywhere near him in the meantime. We keep moving. Through the dark if we have to.”
“Your plan is my plan, Sister,” Finlin said.
She shoved his chest. “My plan is the only plan. We wait. You will wait as well, Coward,” she said to Dormus, reaching into a leather pouch that hung on her hip and pulling a tiny figure out. She had a pixie pinched by its wings. It was a small one. Maybe six inches tall. A she with skin like a pale pink rose. A tiny golden collar was on her neck. “Little one. Spy out the dwarves. Come back to us when they move again.”
The little thing nodded her head of white wispy hair.
“Let me see that!” Dormus demanded, leaning forward. He pushed his greasy hair back over his head. “I’ve always wanted my own pixie.”
Faylan held the pixie up before his eyes and shook the tiny thing. Fairy dust sprinkled in the air.
Dormus leaned back, blinking his eyes, and sneezed. “Achoo!” His eyes became dreamy, his limbs loose. He fell out of his saddle.
“What did you do that for?” Finlin said, aggravated. His sister always had to pull one over on someone. “He’ll not wake up for a day.”
She released the pixie.
Zing.
It was gone.
Sighing, Finlin walked over and pulled Dormus’s foot out of the stirrup and then rolled him onto his back. His face was covered in mud and his nose was bent.
Faylan laughed. “Good. A shame his jaw is not busted as well.”
“We can’t move quickly with him in this condition. They’ll gain on us for certain.”
She tossed her knife to Finlin.
“Who says we still need him?”
Chapter 16
B efore the break of day the next morning, Nath, Bayzog, Ben and Brenwar were on the move. They rode east until the sun was hot on their backs and then stopped for water at a stream. Everyone was quiet. Bayzog sat in his saddle with his staff crossed over his lap. Ben refilled canteens with water. Brenwar stood by his mount, not moving at all, staring at the ground. The dwarf hadn’t made the slightest complaint or suggestion to Nath about anything.
Nath wasn’t used to that. But he also wasn’t used to feeling the heaviness in Brenwar’s heart. Murder, such as things were, had always been a rare occurrence in Nalzambor. Things had changed indeed.
Nath made his way over to Ben and refilled his own canteen.
“This would be a nice place for fishing,” Nath said.
“Indeed,” Ben said, slinging his canteens over his shoulders. He looked into the sky. “We don’t have many days like this it seems. Clear skies and warm weather when it’s usually cold or wet. It almost makes me uncomfortable.”
“Has the weather really changed that much while I slept?”
“It’s certainly gotten darker, or at
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