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

            His room was much like he left it. The clothes trunk was opened, with most of his clothes flung about as if someone had riffled through it looking for something. Stripping out of his gambeson and uniform, he picked out his oldest, drabbest clothes. Soon he wore brown trousers and his old hunting boots, with the gambeson over a white shirt and one of his father’s blue tunics covering the gambeson. He belted Bearclaw over the tunic. Over all of that he wore his old gray hunting cloak.

            By the time he finished and returned to the street, Joelle and Armin were just walking up in their new clothes. Both had on worn leather pants stuffed into their army boots, dark shirts under jerkins, and woolen cloaks.

            “Where’s Quinn and Raven?” Joelle said.

            Tane cocked his head, listening. He couldn’t hear them, so he figured them off looking for more suitable clothes for Raven.

            Before he could answer Joelle, Quinn came out of the work shop wearing a pair of Tane’s father’s torn pants and a horribly soiled and forge-burnt shirt. But what caught everyone’s attention was his black eye and bleeding nose.

            “What happened to him?” Armin said.

            “Raven,” Tane said, trying to hide a grin.

            “Yes, Raven,” Quinn said with a wistful sigh, then returned Tane’s grin. “But I won.” Then turning around, he shouted, “Raven! Are you still sulking?”

            “Sulking!” her outraged voice echoed out of the shop. “I’m not sulking, you overgrown goblin! I’m trying to decide how I’m going to kill you!”

            She came around the corner, looking even worse than Quinn. Her face was scratched, and the knuckles on her right hand were bleeding. She still wore the same clothes, but now they were torn and filthy.

            “What are you staring at?” Raven said, glaring murderously at Tane while she picked straw and leaves out of her hair.

            “Oh, nothing,” Tane said, suppressing his need to chuckle. “I was just thinking that you are looking much better than Quinn, so I assume you won the...ah...argument.”

            “Yes, I did,” she said, her eyes daring Quinn to challenge her claim.

            Tane decided that discretion was called for, and promptly started walking south. The others fell into step behind him.

            “How far away is Caeren?” Joelle asked as they reached the edge of the village and started down a shadowy track into the forests.

            “I don’t know,” Tane said. “How far away are the Thanir Mountains?”

            “Almost a month away by foot,” Quinn said. “Maybe two weeks if we really push ourselves.”

            “And if Dakar started there, that means the whole trip will be through enemy territory,” Armin added.

            “Yes, it’ll be a glorious adventure,” Raven said, with a faraway look. “I can already hear the ballads they’ll sing about me – I mean, about us.”

            Quinn leaned close to Tane and whispered, “If Raven has any say in it, we’ll be lucky to even be mentioned by name.”

            “If we all live through this,” Tane said. “I don’t care who gets the credit.”

~**~**~

             From his hiding place in the village stables, Nizar watched Tane lead the others into the forest. They were heading due south, straight toward Treversax and Dakar.

            But they won’t make it that far, he thought. As soon as I can round up enough zombies, I’ll capture the lot of them. In less than a week I’ll be a High Priest.

            With that thought, Nizar took to a parallel track through the forest. Since the failed attempt to capture the swordsmith, the half-elf had taken to backtracking to check for pursuit. Nizar was almost discovered twice.

            With his magical tether to Tane’s gambeson, he could easily pace his prey from the safety of a parallel path and far back. The distance would permit him to assemble and train his zombies without worrying about making too much noise.

            “No, you won’t escape me again,” Nizar said. “I won’t take any chances next time. You will all be my prisoners, or die.”

            Of course, if he had his way, all of them except Tane Kyleson would be sacrificed to Dakar to celebrate his elevation to High Priest.

Chapter 48

            “I had almost forgotten how heady such power could be,” Dakar muttered, smiling down at one thousand new priests and priestesses abasing themselves before Him. Then projecting His voice, “Arise, my children.”

            One and all rose up to their knees, eyes rising to behold their terrible God. They filled the arena’s field, with the stands occupied by divine order with the entire population of free-minded citizens of Treversax. The newest members of Dakar’s priesthood were all citizens of Treversax, allowing Him to show everyone that He had indeed won the war, and the rewards for loyal service.

            “My servants, my blessed children, through you I shall rule the entire world,” Dakar said, His voice now thundering. “I am supremely pleased this day. So, as reward for dedicating yourselves to My divine service, I permit each of you to pick two citizens as slaves.”

            There was a collective gasp from the stands. Zombies and priests guarded the entrances, and patrolled the aisles, so no one made the mistake of attempting escape. The new priests, though, hadn’t been the least bit surprised, for they turned to gaze upon the stands with predatory eyes.

            Dakar smiled.

            “Yes. Power is heady, isn’t it?” He said. “Choose well, my children. The bully who had tormented your childhood can be yours to command. Or the would-be lover who spurned your heartfelt advances. You will have the power of life and death over whoever you choose.” He gave the stands a blistering look, “And if for any reason your slave should fail you, that slave will be sacrificed upon My altar and become your slave for all eternity.”

            A great cheer rose up from the new priests. He smiled again. Humans were so excitable, so easy to control. So easy to please. So ignorant in their blind trust.

            He made a