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

dismissive gesture, starting to turn for the entrance, “Go now and choose. I give you tonight to enjoy yourselves, for tomorrow I have a task for you.”

            Another, louder, cheer exploded from the assembled clerics. Immediately, He felt a thousand prayers leap at Him, asking for aid in finding this person or that one amid the chaos in the stands. He gave them what they wanted, for all the citizens of Treversax had pledged themselves to His temple and His worship. He knew that few of them were sincere, but that didn’t make any difference. Their faith, however sheathed in fear, fueled His divine power. And the fact they had pledged themselves allowed Him to know where they were, and what they were thinking at any time He felt compelled to find out.

            Dakar dedicated a tiny portion of His mind to guiding the priests to their new slaves, then turned His attention to the developing situations all across the frontier of His newly conquered domain. Kestsax was His, with High Priest Mogens returning by horse. The Thanir would be back before Tane Kyleson arrived.

            “Keep pushing them, Nizar,” He muttered, well pleased with how everything was developing. “And I will herd them into My trap. The swordsmith will be mine, and I shall wield his God-given talent, not Kamain. I will force him to create Swords of Power for Myself and My priesthood, and with them I will slaughter the Arisen!”

Chapter 49

 

            Tane narrowed his eyes, trying to peer through the deep gloom of the forest. Quinn was out there, scouting out their route and the flanks. The half-elf had been gone most of the day. He should’ve already returned.

            Raven, walking point some dozen paces ahead, raised a hand high, then made a fist. Everyone stopped and squatted low, all senses alert. Within five heartbeats they heard the steady shuffling sound of zombies passing to their far right. They were the closest so far, making Tane afraid even to breathe until they passed out of hearing to the north.

            Before they could rise and continue, Quinn returned from the direction of the zombies. He was breathless and sweating, despite the gnawing cold that had descended upon the land.

            Once Raven had joined them, they squatted in a circle and Quinn began drawing a map in the dirt.

            “Due south of us is a river,” he whispered as he drew it. Then making a mark, he said, “We are here, about two days away.”

            That stunned Tane. Two days! He hadn’t realized Quinn could move so fast, or so far, in comparison to the others. And Tane was thinking he was making good time. Quinn continued his report, regaining Tane’s attention.

            “There are three ford sites I saw...here, here, and here. Zombies by the thousands are pouring across all of them and dispersing to head north,” Quinn said.

            “How do you suggest we get across,” Armin asked, voicing everyone’s question. “Sneak across at the closest ford late at night? Even zombies have to sleep.”

            That was true, and a pleasant discovery for them. Quinn had already discovered a dozen zombie camps during his long ranging patrols. They had even made use of one, when the zombies left with a fire still burning. That had been their only hot meal since escaping Kestsax six days back.

            “That wouldn’t be advisable,” Quinn said, jabbing at one of the ford sites with his stick. “There are priests stationed at each of the fords, with strong contingents of zombie soldiers on both banks. And two of the fords...” He indicated the two furtherest to the left and right. “Have guards that give every indication of being free of arcane control.”

            “Mercenaries?” Tane asked.

            “That’s my guess. They have the look of veteran campaigners, too,” Quinn said. He then slashed across the river halfway between the two inner ford sites. “Here is a stretch of river that almost turns in on itself, with heavy woods for cover. The river is slow and deep here, so we can easily swim across by emptying our water bladders and filling them with air to keep us afloat.”

            Tane studied the crude map a moment.

            “The lack of a ford there seems to be a break for us,” Tane said. “It’s leaving a relatively wide zombie free area for us to pass unseen.”

            “For now,” Raven said. “I’m willing to wager that we won’t be given that advantage on the other side.”

            “If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect a trap,” Joelle said. “It’s too easy.”

            “You’re right,” Quinn said. “But that would mean they know where we are, and where we are headed. Not likely.”

            “He’s right. Not even a God can locate someone who isn’t a pledged devotee,” Raven said.

            “What about that priest who attacked us?” Tane said. “If he’s still hounding our trail, then Dakar will know where he is, and therefore where we are.”

            “I haven’t seen any sign of him since,” Quinn said. “Besides, I see no reason for Dakar to be interested in us. If He can’t find us magically, how could He divine what we, or you, represent?”

            “The priest probably just stumbled onto us in the forest,” Joelle said. “I’m sure he thinks we are heading north, to safety. For free-minded people to head straight into the belly of the beast would be insane.”

            “Then we continue on as we are,” Tane said. His friends were all veterans, and he trusted their experience and instincts. Turning to Quinn, “Have you had a chance to scout the far side of the river?”

            “No,” Quinn said, rubbing out the map and scattering dead leaves over the spot. “It’ll be about nightfall when we reach the river the day after tomorrow, giving us time to reconnoiter before deciding our next move.”

            Standing, Quinn peered into the forest for a moment. Tane watched as he turned and cocked his head this way and that, silently marveling to see him using that