Read Online The price of victory- - Thieves World 13 by Robert Asprin, Lynn Abbey - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Robert Asprin, Lynn Abbey
Ads: Link
stared. The guard turned quickly to his employer then spun to face the sound of the blowgun landing behind him.
The mercenary turned at just the right time for Cade's shot to catch him full in the neck, severing the jugular vein. Cade had time to feel a quick stab of remorse at this. It was no way to kill a warrior. Even as he thought it, he was leaping down off the crates, his sword now in hand.
The Beast hopped from one foot to the other, apparently at a loss as to what to do. Amuuth lay huddled, unmoving; the guard was dead. What was he supposed to do? He looked at the grinning Cade, tall in the lamplight, his sword held steady and pointing at the Sharp Side's tor turer.
"Uh," he said, "uh, guards!" He shouted, "Guards! Attack! Murder!
Guards!" Cade let him go on for a while, smiling the whole time, the
CADE 43
"The guards are all dead," he said finally. The Beast stood to his full height, swinging his thin shoulders back. Cade could still not see his face.
Page 81
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"So," the torturer said, "so. All gone, ah, well." He did a little dance, then moved closer. "All dead. Well, dead." On the second "dead," he moved quickly and a knife appeared out of his long sleeves and spun toward Cade. But Cade was ready and knocked the weapon out of the air with his sword. The Beast just stood there, his other knife still dancing in his hands.
"Uh, so," he said. "Who are you?" he shouted.
"I am Cade."
"So."
"Terrel was my brother."
"Uh, so."
"Terrel was the man you tortured, the man whose bones you broke. All of them." The other was silent for a moment, digesting the informa tion. Then he laughed, a high-pitched squeal.
"Oh, yes. Lovely bit of work, that." The madman's head moved to a song only he heard. "Yes, oh yes. Too bad, though. Only for fun, you realize. There was no information to get or anything/Still, nice bit of work. Spell was a nice touch, I thought." The Beast smiled, showing crooked and browning teeth. "He screamed and screamed, but the sound Page 82
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
didn't carry don't you know. Magic." He snapped his fingers. "Yes, well, you know—"
But Cade could hear no more. With a roar he leaped at the torturer. The other's knife tried to parry his blade, but it was shoved aside by the power behind Cade's swing. The sword crashed into the Beast's head, cutting deep into the skull, splitting it nearly in two. The Beast crashed to the ground, dead.
Cade moved closer to see the face. It was hard to distinguish among tfie purplish-red remains. The face was split to the nose. Cade made out watery brown eyes, quickly filming over, and the face of an old man. He looked like someone's grandfather, the silver-white hair now dyed with red streaks. Cade spat on the corpse. This looked like no beast. Hell was a funny place.
Cade heard the noise behind him, though few others would have. He spun in a crouch, his sword held before him, a throwing dagger already in the palm of the other hand. Who? All nine were taken care of. Slowly, a slight form moved out of the shadows and Cade relaxed
"I told you to stay away, Raif."
**I thought you might need some help," the boy answered, looking
•round. He grinned at Cade, though his face was pale. "I guess you Page 83
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
44
AFTERMATH
"This is no place for you."
Raif bit his lip, darting glimpses at the bodies around him. He slowly
sheathed his knife.
"You said you would teach me to be a warrior," he said. He gestured
at the dead mercenary. "I've seen death before. Cade."
Cade's eyes went dark. He grabbed the boy and pushed him to the ground by the corpse of the Beast. Grabbing the old man's collar, he
pulled the corpse up to face the boy.
"This is death," he said, ignoring the still warm fluids sliding down his
The mercenary turned at just the right time for Cade's shot to catch him full in the neck, severing the jugular vein. Cade had time to feel a quick stab of remorse at this. It was no way to kill a warrior. Even as he thought it, he was leaping down off the crates, his sword now in hand.
The Beast hopped from one foot to the other, apparently at a loss as to what to do. Amuuth lay huddled, unmoving; the guard was dead. What was he supposed to do? He looked at the grinning Cade, tall in the lamplight, his sword held steady and pointing at the Sharp Side's tor turer.
"Uh," he said, "uh, guards!" He shouted, "Guards! Attack! Murder!
Guards!" Cade let him go on for a while, smiling the whole time, the
CADE 43
"The guards are all dead," he said finally. The Beast stood to his full height, swinging his thin shoulders back. Cade could still not see his face.
Page 81
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"So," the torturer said, "so. All gone, ah, well." He did a little dance, then moved closer. "All dead. Well, dead." On the second "dead," he moved quickly and a knife appeared out of his long sleeves and spun toward Cade. But Cade was ready and knocked the weapon out of the air with his sword. The Beast just stood there, his other knife still dancing in his hands.
"Uh, so," he said. "Who are you?" he shouted.
"I am Cade."
"So."
"Terrel was my brother."
"Uh, so."
"Terrel was the man you tortured, the man whose bones you broke. All of them." The other was silent for a moment, digesting the informa tion. Then he laughed, a high-pitched squeal.
"Oh, yes. Lovely bit of work, that." The madman's head moved to a song only he heard. "Yes, oh yes. Too bad, though. Only for fun, you realize. There was no information to get or anything/Still, nice bit of work. Spell was a nice touch, I thought." The Beast smiled, showing crooked and browning teeth. "He screamed and screamed, but the sound Page 82
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
didn't carry don't you know. Magic." He snapped his fingers. "Yes, well, you know—"
But Cade could hear no more. With a roar he leaped at the torturer. The other's knife tried to parry his blade, but it was shoved aside by the power behind Cade's swing. The sword crashed into the Beast's head, cutting deep into the skull, splitting it nearly in two. The Beast crashed to the ground, dead.
Cade moved closer to see the face. It was hard to distinguish among tfie purplish-red remains. The face was split to the nose. Cade made out watery brown eyes, quickly filming over, and the face of an old man. He looked like someone's grandfather, the silver-white hair now dyed with red streaks. Cade spat on the corpse. This looked like no beast. Hell was a funny place.
Cade heard the noise behind him, though few others would have. He spun in a crouch, his sword held before him, a throwing dagger already in the palm of the other hand. Who? All nine were taken care of. Slowly, a slight form moved out of the shadows and Cade relaxed
"I told you to stay away, Raif."
**I thought you might need some help," the boy answered, looking
•round. He grinned at Cade, though his face was pale. "I guess you Page 83
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
44
AFTERMATH
"This is no place for you."
Raif bit his lip, darting glimpses at the bodies around him. He slowly
sheathed his knife.
"You said you would teach me to be a warrior," he said. He gestured
at the dead mercenary. "I've seen death before. Cade."
Cade's eyes went dark. He grabbed the boy and pushed him to the ground by the corpse of the Beast. Grabbing the old man's collar, he
pulled the corpse up to face the boy.
"This is death," he said, ignoring the still warm fluids sliding down his
Similar Books
