Belly of the Beast Warren Thomas (e novels for free .txt) 📖

him off the narrow road. While in the mind of a bird, Nizar wasn’t able to control his mount. He could still see through his own eyes, but most of his attention had to be turned toward controlling the bird. A moment’s inattention and the owl would be free and beating a terrified retreat.

            “A little more to the right, Jessy,” Nizar said. “See the path? The hut is at the end of it.”

            As they approached the timber and wattle hut, the bird soared high, alone in the wintry sky. It wanted to return to the forest, to rest and eat. Nizar ignored its needs and desires. Ignoring the owl’s fatigue was more difficult, seeming to add to Nizar’s own personal fatigue.

            So immersed in keeping the owl high enough to see a wide area, and going south, Nizar never felt himself taken off the horse and led inside the hut. The first he knew of his rising comfort was the feel of heat seeping through his damp robes.

            “Ah...fire,” he muttered. “Good.”

            That was all he could get out. He didn’t have time to see Jessy’s reaction, for the owl took a dive for the forest when his control momentarily weakened. Eventually, the owl’s fatigue would grow strong enough that the bird would be able to cast off Nizar’s arcane control. He wanted to have all the area within a night’s riding distance scouted before that happened.

            By the time the sun set behind thick gray clouds, the owl was at its limit. Nizar knew it was over, and was about to release the bird, when a movement below caught his attention. Willing the owl to fly closer, Nizar watched as a cold camp slowly came into view. There were several people asleep under blankets...five horses...a lone sentry...

            “Tane!” Nizar cried, startling both Jessy and the owl.

            So overjoyed with locating Tane, Nizar lost mental control of the owl and found himself fully back in the hut. Disoriented, he looked around the unfamiliar interior. Jessy was out of her armor and had turned her padded leather gambeson inside out to dry by the fire.

            “Get dressed,” Nizar said, standing with a grin. “Tane is within striking distance, and his friends are all asleep. He’s ours for the taking.”

~**~**~

            It felt like he’d been on watch for days on end, but Tane knew it had only been an hour or more. The light sleet that was starting up again wasn’t helping any. The darkness, cold and inactivity all combined to sap his will. His body wanted nothing more than to curl up beneath a blanket and sleep for a week. But he had a few more hours on guard to go. Oh, Quinn wouldn’t begrudge him a few extra hours of sleep if Tane woke him, but he couldn’t do that to his friend.

            A rustling sound caught his attention. Holding his breath, Tane listened and waited. Long minutes passed, and no other sound came to him.

            “Now my ears are playing tricks on me,” he grumbled.

            He had quickly learned while on guard duty in the army that nightshadows were insidious. They delighted in scaring him. They would dance around in the scant light until he panicked and told someone. There were never any intruders to be found. Tane was intent not to make that mistake with his friends.

~**~**~

            Jessy held her breath as she watched Tane. He looked poised to wake everyone. Nizar had promised her that she had no chance of surviving a fight with Tane’s companions. They were mercenaries and utterly without remorse or mercy.

            Looking back, she could barely make out the faint form of Ashtar’s priest. He was dark, brooding and all too frequently angry. Nizar didn’t seem the type man to serve Ashtar, but who was she to judge him? Ashtar Herself had chosen Nizar, as She chose Jessy, to stop Tane.

            Stop Tane. The thought still chilled her to the marrow. Nothing mattered but stopping Tane. None of their lives meant a thing, as long as Tane wasn’t allowed to finish his task. A fact Nizar had reminded her of before sending her out to lure her cousin away from the camp.

            If he balks, or tries to wake the others, Nizar had said. Then kill him.

            Oh, Nizar had promised that if it proved necessary to kill Tane, his soul at least would be safe from Dakar’s unholy appetite. And the priest promised the Arisen would not punish Tane for his unwitting assistance to Dakar. Nizar assured her that the Arisen understood how Tane came to be in Dakar’s service.

            Seeing Tane start moving about again, she allowed herself to breathe normally again. After several slow, deep breathes she felt up to approaching Tane. So, as careful as she had ever been, Jessy eased forward toward the dark camp.

Chapter 77

            Tane had just finished a complete circuit around the camp when he heard a rustling to the south. Easing closer, hand on hilt, he listened intently. He heard nothing. After a few moments he started to give it up again when a movement caught his eye.

            Hard as he tried, Tane couldn’t locate the movement again. Everything appeared perfectly normal. With his heart hammering in his ears, he couldn’t hear a herd of cattle if they rampaged through the camp, and the fact frustrated him to no end. Why couldn’t he have better control over his own body, his own fears and emotions? If he and his friends died here tonight, it would be due to his weakness.

            “Shhhh, Tane,” a familiar voice said in whisper. “It’s Jessy.”

            A dark figure stepped hesitantly from behind a tree just ten paces away. The helmet and hood were pulled off, and long white-blonde hair shown in the scant light.

            “Come with me, Tane,” she said. “I...”

            “Jessy! Is it really you?” Tane said.

            “Shhhhh. Quiet, Tane, we don’t...”

            “What? Tane?” Quinn’s groggy voice called.

            Tane turned to see Quinn struggling