Read Online Witchbreaker (Dragon Apocalypse) by James Maxey - Free Book Online
Authors: James Maxey
Tags: Fantasy
Ads: Link
strategic retreat.
A voice called from above, “Get out of the way!”
Brand was in the vines overhead, with Bigsby struggling to climb to his level. They both had knives, and were slashing at the vines and branches that held the tree she’d attempted to topple. The dragon was still well-positioned to be crushed. Unfortunately, so was the warrior, although she couldn’t see his exact location within the smoke.
“You’ll crush the man!” she yelled, as Brand sawed through the sturdiest vine holding the tree.
“These things happen!” Brand cried.
Sorrow had no time to argue, as the vine snapped and the tree lurched down, gaining momentum as more and more of the smaller branches holding it broke. She ran clear as the massive tree slammed to the earth behind her. She spun, and saw a tornado of smoke rising. Shards of black bones bounced in every direction across the broken ground. The tree had fallen dead on, crushing the beast’s rib cage.
Off to one side, a black claw twitched as the magic that animated it drained away. She ran to the fallen trunk and clambered over it, searching for the warrior.
To her relief, he hadn’t been crushed. He was on his feet, looking down at the jawbone in his hand with glazed eyes. His chest and arms were striped with blood from dozens of gashes. His once white flesh was now black with soot. Perhaps the loss of blood had weakened him, for he swayed on his feet, his legs trembling.
“Are you all right?” she asked, standing on the tree, looking down at him.
He didn’t look at her. He looked down at his arms, coated with soot and blood. He lifted his hands, and silently stared at his long, curling nails. His brow furrowed in confusion.
She felt confusion all her own. Even though the man was plainly alive and breathing, she still couldn’t detect any hint of a life aura. It was as if she were looking at a walking corpse. Hesitantly, she asked again, “Are you all right?”
“Aye,” he whispered, then collapsed, landing face down in the leaves.
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAMBER OF SECRETS
“O KAY, WHAT JUST happened?” Brand asked as he dropped from the tree.
Sorrow shook her head as she climbed down to the fallen warrior. “You know everything I do.”
She knelt over the man. He was still alive, despite his wounds and missing aura. She could see down to bone through the neatly parallel slices across his ribs. Blood gushed freely from a deep gash on his left arm.
“Give me your shirt,” she said. “We need to stop the bleeding.”
Brand obeyed, though his shirt was sweaty and covered with dirt. “He’ll get infections unless we use clean cloth.”
“I think the more urgent problem is his imminent exsanguination,” said Sorrow, tearing the shirt into strips. “Once we staunch the bleeding, I can clean and stitch his injuries.”
Brand dropped to his knees and wadded up one of the shirt rags, applying pressure to a nasty wound on the man’s thigh.
The man began to shiver violently.
“Is he cold?” asked Bigsby, looking over her shoulder.
“He’s hot as a furnace,” said Sorrow, placing her hand on the man’s brow.
“We should feed him,” said Bigsby.
“What?” Sorrow asked.
“If he has a fever,” said Bigsby. “Feed a fever, starve a cold.”
Sorrow started to point out that the man was bleeding to death, not fighting the flu, but pressed her lips tightly together, determined not to get drawn into the dwarf’s madness.
“It’s starve a fever, feed a cold,” said Brand.
Bigsby crossed his arms. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Which is it, Sorrow?” asked Brand.
“How should I know?” she asked.
“Women learn that kind of stuff from their mothers,” said Brand.
“My mother died in childbirth,” said Sorrow. Fortunately, this left her companions silent, allowing her to focus on the task at hand.
“I think we’ve got the worst of his limbs,” Sorrow said to Brand. “See if you can lift him so I
A voice called from above, “Get out of the way!”
Brand was in the vines overhead, with Bigsby struggling to climb to his level. They both had knives, and were slashing at the vines and branches that held the tree she’d attempted to topple. The dragon was still well-positioned to be crushed. Unfortunately, so was the warrior, although she couldn’t see his exact location within the smoke.
“You’ll crush the man!” she yelled, as Brand sawed through the sturdiest vine holding the tree.
“These things happen!” Brand cried.
Sorrow had no time to argue, as the vine snapped and the tree lurched down, gaining momentum as more and more of the smaller branches holding it broke. She ran clear as the massive tree slammed to the earth behind her. She spun, and saw a tornado of smoke rising. Shards of black bones bounced in every direction across the broken ground. The tree had fallen dead on, crushing the beast’s rib cage.
Off to one side, a black claw twitched as the magic that animated it drained away. She ran to the fallen trunk and clambered over it, searching for the warrior.
To her relief, he hadn’t been crushed. He was on his feet, looking down at the jawbone in his hand with glazed eyes. His chest and arms were striped with blood from dozens of gashes. His once white flesh was now black with soot. Perhaps the loss of blood had weakened him, for he swayed on his feet, his legs trembling.
“Are you all right?” she asked, standing on the tree, looking down at him.
He didn’t look at her. He looked down at his arms, coated with soot and blood. He lifted his hands, and silently stared at his long, curling nails. His brow furrowed in confusion.
She felt confusion all her own. Even though the man was plainly alive and breathing, she still couldn’t detect any hint of a life aura. It was as if she were looking at a walking corpse. Hesitantly, she asked again, “Are you all right?”
“Aye,” he whispered, then collapsed, landing face down in the leaves.
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAMBER OF SECRETS
“O KAY, WHAT JUST happened?” Brand asked as he dropped from the tree.
Sorrow shook her head as she climbed down to the fallen warrior. “You know everything I do.”
She knelt over the man. He was still alive, despite his wounds and missing aura. She could see down to bone through the neatly parallel slices across his ribs. Blood gushed freely from a deep gash on his left arm.
“Give me your shirt,” she said. “We need to stop the bleeding.”
Brand obeyed, though his shirt was sweaty and covered with dirt. “He’ll get infections unless we use clean cloth.”
“I think the more urgent problem is his imminent exsanguination,” said Sorrow, tearing the shirt into strips. “Once we staunch the bleeding, I can clean and stitch his injuries.”
Brand dropped to his knees and wadded up one of the shirt rags, applying pressure to a nasty wound on the man’s thigh.
The man began to shiver violently.
“Is he cold?” asked Bigsby, looking over her shoulder.
“He’s hot as a furnace,” said Sorrow, placing her hand on the man’s brow.
“We should feed him,” said Bigsby.
“What?” Sorrow asked.
“If he has a fever,” said Bigsby. “Feed a fever, starve a cold.”
Sorrow started to point out that the man was bleeding to death, not fighting the flu, but pressed her lips tightly together, determined not to get drawn into the dwarf’s madness.
“It’s starve a fever, feed a cold,” said Brand.
Bigsby crossed his arms. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Which is it, Sorrow?” asked Brand.
“How should I know?” she asked.
“Women learn that kind of stuff from their mothers,” said Brand.
“My mother died in childbirth,” said Sorrow. Fortunately, this left her companions silent, allowing her to focus on the task at hand.
“I think we’ve got the worst of his limbs,” Sorrow said to Brand. “See if you can lift him so I
Similar Books
