Read Online Twisted Fate (Orc Destiny Volume I) (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) by Jeremy Laszlo - Free Book Online
Authors: Jeremy Laszlo
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creatures, scraping and churning up the soil, cutting down plants and
making piles. Their every effort seemed a waste of time. Did they eat plants
like rabbits did? It was not until an hour or more later that Gnak saw what
he thought could serve as his sacrifice. Thundering down the road a pair of armored
warriors upon great white beasts passed him, leaving the castle headed south,
the way he had come the previous night. If he could capture one of those, it
would make a god happy. Two hours later he could hear them returning, but more
slowly. Also, it sounded as if more had joined them. Wriggling about inside his
stack of weeds, he turned and made himself another hole upon the opposite side.
There the armored men came, dismounted from their beasts, following his own
tracks across the field. Now there were four of them.
Gnak pondered his situation a moment. Eyeing his opponents,
it was obvious that they were better armed and armored, but they were smaller
and slower than he. Closer and closer the humans came, and knowing he may not
get a better chance, he waited until they were on top of him before he sprang.
Like an explosion of dust and weeds he rocketed out of the
stack of drying grass, landing on the nearest human, driving it to the ground. Stabbing
his sword up under the edge of its helmet, he drew it back covered in red blood
with a replied gurgle and spasm. He was on the next human before they knew what
hit them. Stabbing this one beneath the arm, he watched as copious amounts of
blood spewed from the small man as he staggered backwards, reaching for the
wound. Then, finally it was a fight.
The remaining two armored humans charged simultaneously,
each bearing a large two-handed sword longer even than his own. He parried the
first swing and dove aside to avoid the other. Coming to his feet just in time,
he deflected yet another blow, before striking out at the attacker. The other
human vanished from his peripheral vision, but Gnak was no fool.
Charging the human in front of him, he smashed the smaller
man’s blade aside with his own before grabbing the man by his breastplate and
lifting him up and off his feet. Twisting, he spun upon one heel, raising the
human overhead before he threw him at the now charging second assailant. The
human in his hands managed a minor jab that barely pierced his shoulder as he
was flung away. That would have been it. Kill one, claim the other and flee
back to his clan. Except just when the end he needed was in sight, a horn was
sounded from atop the wall of the vast black city, and the thunderous sound of
mounted warriors erupted in the distance. Dozens more came for him, maybe more.
Against his warrior spirit, there was only one thing for him to do. Gnak ran.
Turning back the way he had come, he ran as fast as his legs
would carry him. He thought he could at least match the pace of the beasts the
humans rode, but he doubted he could outrun them.
Screams arose from the road before him as he took to the
smoothest trail possible in hopes of stretching his lead. Women, children, and
men alike dashed away at his approach, but then he had an idea. Ripping the
sack from his belt he tore the strings upon it open, and reaching in he drew
out a handful of the metal disks, stones, and jewelry the goblins had carried. Tossing
it into the air, he listened as it fell to the paved road behind him in a
symphony of tinkling sounds. The dirty, field-working humans’ reaction was
perfect.
One instant they fled him, the next they rushed back to the
road, dropping to their knees to collect the trinkets. With thunderous hooves
still behind him, he tossed more and more trinkets into the air to either side
of the road as well as straight upon it. Let the armored warriors crest a rise
only to trample their own kind beneath their beasts. Let their beasts stumble
beneath them, throwing them to the ground. And they did.
Listening as he ran, human screams sounded as the beasts
carrying the humans also
making piles. Their every effort seemed a waste of time. Did they eat plants
like rabbits did? It was not until an hour or more later that Gnak saw what
he thought could serve as his sacrifice. Thundering down the road a pair of armored
warriors upon great white beasts passed him, leaving the castle headed south,
the way he had come the previous night. If he could capture one of those, it
would make a god happy. Two hours later he could hear them returning, but more
slowly. Also, it sounded as if more had joined them. Wriggling about inside his
stack of weeds, he turned and made himself another hole upon the opposite side.
There the armored men came, dismounted from their beasts, following his own
tracks across the field. Now there were four of them.
Gnak pondered his situation a moment. Eyeing his opponents,
it was obvious that they were better armed and armored, but they were smaller
and slower than he. Closer and closer the humans came, and knowing he may not
get a better chance, he waited until they were on top of him before he sprang.
Like an explosion of dust and weeds he rocketed out of the
stack of drying grass, landing on the nearest human, driving it to the ground. Stabbing
his sword up under the edge of its helmet, he drew it back covered in red blood
with a replied gurgle and spasm. He was on the next human before they knew what
hit them. Stabbing this one beneath the arm, he watched as copious amounts of
blood spewed from the small man as he staggered backwards, reaching for the
wound. Then, finally it was a fight.
The remaining two armored humans charged simultaneously,
each bearing a large two-handed sword longer even than his own. He parried the
first swing and dove aside to avoid the other. Coming to his feet just in time,
he deflected yet another blow, before striking out at the attacker. The other
human vanished from his peripheral vision, but Gnak was no fool.
Charging the human in front of him, he smashed the smaller
man’s blade aside with his own before grabbing the man by his breastplate and
lifting him up and off his feet. Twisting, he spun upon one heel, raising the
human overhead before he threw him at the now charging second assailant. The
human in his hands managed a minor jab that barely pierced his shoulder as he
was flung away. That would have been it. Kill one, claim the other and flee
back to his clan. Except just when the end he needed was in sight, a horn was
sounded from atop the wall of the vast black city, and the thunderous sound of
mounted warriors erupted in the distance. Dozens more came for him, maybe more.
Against his warrior spirit, there was only one thing for him to do. Gnak ran.
Turning back the way he had come, he ran as fast as his legs
would carry him. He thought he could at least match the pace of the beasts the
humans rode, but he doubted he could outrun them.
Screams arose from the road before him as he took to the
smoothest trail possible in hopes of stretching his lead. Women, children, and
men alike dashed away at his approach, but then he had an idea. Ripping the
sack from his belt he tore the strings upon it open, and reaching in he drew
out a handful of the metal disks, stones, and jewelry the goblins had carried. Tossing
it into the air, he listened as it fell to the paved road behind him in a
symphony of tinkling sounds. The dirty, field-working humans’ reaction was
perfect.
One instant they fled him, the next they rushed back to the
road, dropping to their knees to collect the trinkets. With thunderous hooves
still behind him, he tossed more and more trinkets into the air to either side
of the road as well as straight upon it. Let the armored warriors crest a rise
only to trample their own kind beneath their beasts. Let their beasts stumble
beneath them, throwing them to the ground. And they did.
Listening as he ran, human screams sounded as the beasts
carrying the humans also
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