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

            Tane felt himself bristle at the corporal’s words. It was a craven act to insult her so, and not give her the chance to defend herself. From what Tane could see, she wasn’t anymore unprofessional than Pendar. Besides, one of her duties was to ensure her squad learned to march as quickly as possible. Just because Pendar had failed was no reason to vilify Corporal Disa for her success.

            “Ready to get your ass whooped, you ugly old bag of dried up bones?” Corporal Pendar called as they neared. Sergeant Gareth stood to one side and watched. “After we beat the bloody snot out of your kiddies, then my witch is going to turn you all into toads. That’ll be an improvement for you, Disa.”

            Corporal Disa grinned mirthlessly.

            “Care to make a bet, shit-for-brains?” she said. “I say my squad will trounce yours.”

            “Well, I ain’t got any coin to bet,” Corporal Pendar said.

            “Ha! Like I’ve always said, you are a bully and a coward! But Gods forbid I humiliate you again!” she cried, eliciting a nervous chuckle from her squad. Tane noticed Sergeant Gareth grinning with a deadly glint in his eyes. “But, if you can find anything even resembling a pair of balls, then I’ll be willing to wager something other than good coin.”

            “Like what? A service, maybe?” he said, eyes turning inward. “You’re too bloody ugly to tumble, so how about loser spit-shines the winner’s boots for a month?”

            “Throw in all laundry as well, and you got a bet, piss-breath,” she declared.

            “Done!”

            “Shit-fire, am I ever glad I didn’t do my laundry last night!” Corporal Disa laughed. Then turning to regard her squad with death in her eyes, “And if I have to do his tonight, and the rest of this month, who do you think will suffer the most?”

            “Same here,” Corporal Pendar growled. “I hate that bitch with all my soul. I ain’t never lost a bet like this, and I swear to Bandu Invincible that if you pukes lose this for me, I’ll make your pathetic lives living hells from now on.”

            Great, Tane thought. I thought we were brought here to learn how to fight in formation, not to decide some asinine wager between hot-headed corporals.

            Moments later, Tane found himself facing a big blonde Tyrian with a waist-length beard, and a good head taller than even Quinn. Everard Boarsbane looked like a God of War to Tane. Tyrians tended bigger and stronger than other people, too.

            His dark blue eyes were full of contempt as he looked Tane over. Tane looked at Everard’s bulging muscles and multitude of scars, and said a silent prayer to Kamain that he lived through this training exercise.

            With an order from Sergeant Gareth to have at each other, the two sides lunged forward and started swinging wooden shortswords. Tane instantly realized the Tyrian’s personal style of bellowing in rage and swinging his sword in great arcs was disruptive to his comrades. While Tane was hard-pressed to fend the warrior off, Quinn and Joelle were somewhat relieved of pressure when the men facing them had to step aside to avoid being brained by the Tyrian. 

            When Tane was forced back a step, the Tyrian followed with a howl of pure joy. Tane noted both Quinn and Joelle reposition themselves to attack the warrior as he passed them. Victory was within 2nd squad’s grasp. Then Uko screamed in agony.

            Tane turned to see a good handbreadth of bloody wood thrusting out of the Swampman’s back. The 1st Squad Lelt who had skewered him was shaking his head in shock at what he’d done. Tane took one step toward Uko, then a wooden shortsword crashed down upon his shoulder.

            Pain flashed the length of Tane’s arm, diving deep in his chest as well. He dropped his own sword to grab his shoulder even as he fell at the bellowing Tyrian’s feet. Tane could hear both corporals and the sergeant shouting for the warrior to stop, but his next stroke was already descending with all the speed and power he was capable of mustering.

            Tane knew in an instant he was about to die, for the wooden blade was streaking straight for his face. Then the crack of wood on wood reverberated through the air.

            Quinn swept Everard’s blade around and up, then kicked out to the lower belly and felled the huge man. Both corporals and the sergeant leapt upon him before the enraged warrior could jump back to his feet and charge the elf. Several members of his squad also jumped in to subdue the Tyrian.

            Joelle knelt beside Tane and placed her hand on his shoulder. Her touch was sure and gentle, and when she began to chant he could feel soothing heat start deep in his shoulder as the pain began to subside.

            “It’s broken, but not too badly,” Joelle said, removing her hand. Tane didn’t agree, for it began to throb with renewed vigor when she removed her hand. “I’ve done all I can to ease the pain. It’ll take more energy than I have to spare at the moment for me to heal it entirely.”

            “What about Uko? Shouldn’t you be helping him?” Tane said, unable to see the Swampmen for all the people surrounding him.

            “He’s dead,” Joelle said with a voice devoid of life.

            Tane turned in horror to look at the group of men surrounding Uko’s still form. Sergeant Gareth and the corporals joined them then.

            “Pity,” Corporal Disa said. She looked at Corporal Pendar with a wicked grin. “I win.”

            “You win?! How do you figure that?!”

            “You have one dead, and another too seriously injured to continue,” she said, her eyes hard as steel. “And I had to hold back my squad from murdering yours! Ha! Loser!”

            “She’s right, Pendar. You lost,” Sergeant Gareth said. “And now I have to go find another recruit to