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

best spell to attack her with. He could kill her outright, but that would deprive Dakar of a slave. Unfortunately, he couldn’t guarantee her reaction upon being enslaved. She might stand up and begin moving about, searching for him, searching for her new master.

            A sleeping spell to keep her quiet, then. After I bespell the witch, then I can enslave the others at my leisure.

            Nizar centered himself and waited for the “connection” to his God. Once he had that mental confirmation of Dakar’s attention, he prayed for the enchantment needed. In less than a dozen heartbeats his prayer was granted.

            Nizar looked up at Joelle with a predatory grin.

            She was still squatting over the cleared patch of earth, rolling the enchanted bones in her hands. At the same time she was being alert to her surroundings. Nizar waited, knowing his time would come.

            Joelle dropped the bones and bent over to study them. Nizar rose up and took careful aim. He had to hit her the first time. No second chances. Failure meant death.

            He let fly.

            The witch jerked. Nizar had lost sight of the stick in the darkness. He tensed, ready to bolt.

            Joelle slowly fell over and curled up atop her enchanted bones.

            After a silent prayer of thanks to his God, Nizar eased into the cold camp. He restrained himself from kicking the witch in the face. That could be done after he enslaved her and all her friends.

            Squatting beside her sleeping form, he reached out to touch her. One touch, and she would belong to Dakar, and be Nizar’s to command. With Raven already enchanted, it would be three against three if he was discovered and he had to fight.

            A movement to his left startled him. One of the others was stirring. It was the swordsmith, in the middle left of the sleeping foursome, writhing in some nightmare. Nizar suppressed a curse, for the fool would wake everyone up if he didn’t stop thrashing about.

            Moving faster than he thought safe, Nizar hurried to Tane’s side and touched his forehead. Tane stiffened, then relaxed. Nizar grinned.

            Mine! At long last, you are mine.

            His fate secured, Nizar looked northward, toward Kestsax. Soon, High Priest Mogens wouldn’t be supreme among priests. He would have a rival, if not an outright successor. Did Dakar really need two High Priests?

            But first he had to deliver Tane Kyleson to his Divine Master.

            “Do not speak, slave,” Nizar whispered, looking around and trying to decide who to enslave next. The keen-eared elf was the logical next choice. But which sleeping form belonged to the elf? “Rise up and be prepared to defend me.”

            Obediently, Tane flung his cloak aside and rose. Nizar’s breath hissed through his teeth, for the fool’s cloak whipped over to strike the witch’s mate.

            “What? My watch?” Armin said with a gravelly voice.

            Nizar reached for the Vikon, to bespell him. But Tane was still rising, and bumped into Nizar. The priest fell backwards, landing atop Raven.

            “Hey!” Raven cried. “Get off me, you dolt!”

            “Intruder!” Armin cried.

            The rasp of steel came to Nizar from all sides. They were all awake, except for the witch. Tane was his slave, but that left three against two. But Tane had no free will. The others were all trained and bloodied warriors. And the half-elf could see far better in the dark than any of them.

            “Follow me, Tane!” Nizar commanded and scrambled from the midst of his enemies.

            A shape darted in front of him. It was Raven. Frantically, Nizar tried to think of a command that would set her against her friends. But Raven cut him off with a bellowed battle cry.

            “Ashtar! Ashtar! Ashtar!”

            “Die, Ashtarite!” Nizar growled, pointing a finger at her as he prayed for a lightning bolt through her chest.

            Raven dropped to the ground before he finished his prayer, rolling through his legs. Nizar fell face first. Rolling aside, he kicked out at her and scrambled for his feet again. She was rising between him and Tane, not even paying attention to the swordsmith.

            “Tane, kill her!”

            “Watch out, Raven!” Quinn cried. “Tane’s been magically enslaved by him.”

            The half-elf’s warning was too late. Tane had a choking hold on her neck, and was straining to end her life. Raven clawed frantically at his arm and face as Quinn charged in to help her.

            “Bastard!” Armin growled, coming in low to Nizar’s left.

            In desperation, Nizar prayed for fire and cast it at the Vikon’s face. Armin cried out in surprise and pain, falling back. Raven cried out in battle joy.

            A quick look showed that together Raven and Quinn had wrestled Tane to the ground. Nizar cursed under his breath, for he knew that Tane was not capable of defending himself against those two, zombie or not. Then Armin was back stalking him, sword in one hand and dagger in the other.

            “Damn you all,” Nizar spat. “You will all pay for this! I swear it!”

            With that, he raced into the forest.

Chapter 46

            Joelle cried out, brutally brought back to the waking world. Armin was kneeling over her, his hand raised for another slap.

            “Hit me again, and it’ll be the last thing you ever do,” she said, eyes blazing.

            He had never hit her before. Blessed Maag, how dare that bastard strike her!

            “Are you all right?” he asked, the concern in his voice registering.

            Joelle stiffened. The last thing she remembered was being on watch, and casting bones. Why was she on her back with her husband leaning over her?

            “Oh my Gods, I fell asleep,” she whispered, blanching. Nothing so horrible, so humiliating had ever happened to her before. What would the others think? Would they still trust her? “I’m so sorry, Armin. I didn’t mean to. You have to – ”

            “Not your fault,” he interrupted.

            She grimaced, though. He would never blame her for anything. He