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

good care of their boots, for the army only provided one pair. They would have to buy them in the future, and they weren’t cheap.

            “All right, scum,” Sergeant Gareth said, grinning with approval at his section. “You’re as ready as you’ll ever be. Corporals, take charge and begin training.”

Chapter 9

            Corporal Pendar marched his squad over to the armory to be issued wooden swords and weighted shields. Tane carefully kept the grin off his face, for as a swordsmith he had to know how to wield a sword. At least he wouldn’t be embarrassed. He knew enough to know that soldiers weren’t given the type training he received. They were only taught a limited number of strokes and parries. Fighting in formation was very limiting.

            “I’m assuming everyone here knows which end of a sword is which,” Corporal Pendar said. His sarcasm seemed to be lost on the Swampman, who he eyed warily a moment. “How about you, Uki?”

            “It’s Uko, corporal. Uko Uzalson.”

            “All right, but that didn’t answer my question,” he said, and promptly rapped the Swampman on the head with his wooden sword. “And it ain’t your place to correct a real soldier, scum. Now, do you or don’t you know how to use a sword?”

            Eyeing the corporal murderously, and rubbing his throbbing head, Uko spoke through clenched teeth, “Yes. I can use a sword.”

            “Good,” he said. After giving them all a good look over, he continued, “Now, just so everyone knows where everyone stands, we’ll all give a rundown of our combat experience. I’ll start.

            “Now, I’m from the city of Brajar, up the Jar River a good ways. You might’ve heard of it. Well, at sixteen I joined up with the army there. After serving my time, I took off to be a mercenary. Thought I’d get rich really fast and retire to my own castle. Instead, I wandered from city to city, petty war to petty war until I signed with the Kestsaxian Royal Army and have been here every since. I kind of like the place.

            “Well, I’ve fought mostly pirates and Swampmen raiders for the last seven years. This is the first real war Kestsax has been in since I joined. But I fought in two major wars and twelve battles in the Brajaran army, and all those petty squabbles I mentioned earlier,” he said. Turning to Tane, “Give us your name and tell us about yourself, boy.”

            “I am Tane Kyleson of Bracklin. I’ve never fought in a battle, and only a few times with my fists,” he said, strangely embarrassed by the admission. “I just finished my apprenticeship as a swordsmith, and came here to join the Royal Smithy.”

            “And got yourself snatched up by us,” Corporal Pendar laughed. “Good for you. Army’ll make a man out of you. Now, let’s hear from the elf.”

            Quinn leveled cool eyes on the corporal before speaking. “My name is Quinn. I am the son of mercenaries, trained from childhood to fight. I am a foot soldier, and do not know how many wars or battles I’ve fought in. I have been at it for over three hundred years.”

            “All right,” Corporal Pendar said. He gave Quinn an odd look. “Let’s hear from the Vikon wench.”

            “My wife is not a ‘wench,’ and don’t forget it,” Armin said.

            Everyone tensed, waiting for the corporal to mete his own sadistic brand of justice. But something in the Vikon’s eyes told Tane the corporal had better disregard Armin’s disrespect, this one time. Apparently, Pendar didn’t see it.

            “If she’s not a wench, why can’t she defend herself?” he said.

            Before Armin could respond, the Vikon woman calmed him with a simple touch on the arm. He still looked about to explode, but he stepped back and remained quiet. The witch leveled hostile blue eyes on the corporal.

            “I am more than capable of defending myself, Corporal Pendar, or I wouldn’t be here,” she said. “And if I were you, I’d rethink the wisdom of insulting a witch.” She smiled cruelly, “All kinds of regretful things can happen to men who earn our enmity, which are terribly difficult to prove even using another witch or mage.”

            Sunlight glinted off the silver ring on her left middle finger. Tane noticed other rings, and a few bangles. As a witch, they could very well be powerful talismans. So she could be the most lethally armed person there.

            “Are you threatening me?” he asked, eyes narrowing.

            Feigning shock, she said, “Of course not! Just giving some friendly advice to a respected comrade-in-arms.

            “As for your question, I am Joelle of the Folkke Clan,” she said. She spoke smoothly, though her eyes remained ice cold. “My husband and I have mostly worked as caravan guards. We have fought in two battles, including one with the zombies.”

            “Zombies?” Tane said, voicing everyone else’s unspoken question.

            “That’s what the men and women threatening Kestsax are called,” Armin said. “Joelle says they really aren’t zombies, in the purest sense, but people enslaved by powerful magicks, and she knows about such things. But all you need to know is that they are mindless killers, who eat their victims just like those filthy Swampmen.”

            “AT EASE!” Corporal Pendar barked before Uko and Armin could throw themselves at each other. “The next one to insult another member of this squad will be tied up and horse-whipped!” He suddenly grinned savagely, “That’s my job, to insult and bully. And I love doing it too much to share with anyone, no matter how good you are at it.”

            After Armin and Uko gave brief accounts of their experiences, Corporal Pendar ordered the recruits to line up before him, with Uko and Armin at opposite ends. Tane found himself in the middle, with Quinn to his left and Joelle to his right. The corporal called Armin out first.

            Corporal Pendar quickly tested each one, by having them attack him with the wooden shortsword. Armin