Read Online Twisted Fate (Orc Destiny Volume I) (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) by Jeremy Laszlo - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jeremy Laszlo
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screamed and the thunderous warriors ceased
momentarily in their pursuit. Glancing back he was surprised to see that even
some of the warriors had dismounted to claim that which he had discarded.
Following the road to prevent leaving tracks, on and on Gnak
ran, sprawling more trinkets here and there even after there were no more
humans. He hoped they would stop time and again to collect them before pursuing
him. For more than three hours he could hear them following in a broken
pattern, each hour their sound growing more faint.
It was after midday that he found an intersection in the
road. He could continue straight, back the way he had come, but he knew that no
humans were in that direction. But with a road before him that turned eastward,
towards the mountains that stood upon the horizon, he could not but help
believe that it must lead to another human camp.
Turning down the road, he was surprised to find that this
road quickly became less and less a road, turning into no more than two
parallel tracks within the distance of a mile. Here, instead of sticking to one
of the clear dirt tracks, he ran along the grassy center of the trail,
stretching out his stride to the max. Two more hours passed, the afternoon
slipping into evening as Gnak topped a rise in the road and immediately froze.
Sliding to a stop, he backed up slowly before he turned and trotted back down
the trail a short way. Ahead were more fields with more dirty humans. He could
not risk a repeat performance.
Instead he dove off the trail, and dropping to all fours he
slowly and carefully circled the crop fields and humans working within them. It
was dusk when he neared one of the humans’ buildings. It was a large thing in
comparison to the other nearby shacks. It had a wide door upon one side, and a
small door as well. Creeping stealthily inside, he found nothing but tools the
humans used in the fields and stacks of bundled, dried, grasses, all tied up
with cords. Silly humans. storing weeds . Gnak shook his head.
It was only an hour or two until dark, and as such he
climbed up over the top of one of the giant stacks of weeds and dropped down
behind it to wait. Just in time too. No sooner had he landed and turned to face
the door he had entered, than a small male child of the humans came rushing
inside.
The child cupped his face with both hands, sobbing as blood
dripped from between his clutched fingers.
“I hate you!” he tried to scream back the way he had come,
his voice muffled by his own hands.
“You do not,” a small girl replied as she followed him into
the building.
Gnak’s whole world spun for a moment, his mouth falling open.
Not only could humans speak, but they spoke the same tongue as his own people. The
thought was absurd. None thought humans smart enough to do anything but stack
stones into buildings and make weapons and armor. Yet here were two of their
young, holding a conversation. Gnak listened in.
“Yes I do, Jen. I hate you more than I hate peas,” the boy
continued.
“No you don’t, Jonny, you’re just mad cause I beat you up
again. You know I need the practice,” Jenny replied.
Then Gnak saw it. Yes the humans could talk, but they used
way more words than they needed. Stupid humans.
“Go and practice on Nick or Patty, why it’s gotta be me all
the time?”
“Cause you are my little brother and I love you the most,”
Jen grinned at her sibling. “Now come here, and let me see it.”
The boy approached the small girl, and Gnak watched as he
lowered his hands. Across his face was a wicked gash where he had been struck
by something hard. Not only did the gash bleed, but so too did his nose, which
twisted to the side oddly. Gnak watched as the girl calmly approached the boy
and raised her hands to his face. She did something odd then that Gnak knew he
would never forget. Leaning her head back she spoke soft words into the air,
her eyes closed towards the heavens. Within seconds her fingertips began to
glow, and he
momentarily in their pursuit. Glancing back he was surprised to see that even
some of the warriors had dismounted to claim that which he had discarded.
Following the road to prevent leaving tracks, on and on Gnak
ran, sprawling more trinkets here and there even after there were no more
humans. He hoped they would stop time and again to collect them before pursuing
him. For more than three hours he could hear them following in a broken
pattern, each hour their sound growing more faint.
It was after midday that he found an intersection in the
road. He could continue straight, back the way he had come, but he knew that no
humans were in that direction. But with a road before him that turned eastward,
towards the mountains that stood upon the horizon, he could not but help
believe that it must lead to another human camp.
Turning down the road, he was surprised to find that this
road quickly became less and less a road, turning into no more than two
parallel tracks within the distance of a mile. Here, instead of sticking to one
of the clear dirt tracks, he ran along the grassy center of the trail,
stretching out his stride to the max. Two more hours passed, the afternoon
slipping into evening as Gnak topped a rise in the road and immediately froze.
Sliding to a stop, he backed up slowly before he turned and trotted back down
the trail a short way. Ahead were more fields with more dirty humans. He could
not risk a repeat performance.
Instead he dove off the trail, and dropping to all fours he
slowly and carefully circled the crop fields and humans working within them. It
was dusk when he neared one of the humans’ buildings. It was a large thing in
comparison to the other nearby shacks. It had a wide door upon one side, and a
small door as well. Creeping stealthily inside, he found nothing but tools the
humans used in the fields and stacks of bundled, dried, grasses, all tied up
with cords. Silly humans. storing weeds . Gnak shook his head.
It was only an hour or two until dark, and as such he
climbed up over the top of one of the giant stacks of weeds and dropped down
behind it to wait. Just in time too. No sooner had he landed and turned to face
the door he had entered, than a small male child of the humans came rushing
inside.
The child cupped his face with both hands, sobbing as blood
dripped from between his clutched fingers.
“I hate you!” he tried to scream back the way he had come,
his voice muffled by his own hands.
“You do not,” a small girl replied as she followed him into
the building.
Gnak’s whole world spun for a moment, his mouth falling open.
Not only could humans speak, but they spoke the same tongue as his own people. The
thought was absurd. None thought humans smart enough to do anything but stack
stones into buildings and make weapons and armor. Yet here were two of their
young, holding a conversation. Gnak listened in.
“Yes I do, Jen. I hate you more than I hate peas,” the boy
continued.
“No you don’t, Jonny, you’re just mad cause I beat you up
again. You know I need the practice,” Jenny replied.
Then Gnak saw it. Yes the humans could talk, but they used
way more words than they needed. Stupid humans.
“Go and practice on Nick or Patty, why it’s gotta be me all
the time?”
“Cause you are my little brother and I love you the most,”
Jen grinned at her sibling. “Now come here, and let me see it.”
The boy approached the small girl, and Gnak watched as he
lowered his hands. Across his face was a wicked gash where he had been struck
by something hard. Not only did the gash bleed, but so too did his nose, which
twisted to the side oddly. Gnak watched as the girl calmly approached the boy
and raised her hands to his face. She did something odd then that Gnak knew he
would never forget. Leaning her head back she spoke soft words into the air,
her eyes closed towards the heavens. Within seconds her fingertips began to
glow, and he
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