Brak the Barbarian Mark of the Demons by Jakes John

Author:Jakes, John [Jakes, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
ISBN: 9781453263266
Amazon: 1453263268
Goodreads: 15814812
Publisher: Open Road Media Sci-Fi Fantasy
Published: 1969-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter V

RIVER SINISTER

“FIFTY STROKES.”

The hooking nose of old Hadrios stood out sharp against the flat gray sky as he spoke. His lips pressed tight together. Then:

“And well laid on.”

Nervously the caravan boy named Kes uncoiled the long whip in the sand. A few of the other boys stood about, none looking cheerful. Some had chosen not to witness the punishing, which was taking place at a discreet distance from the morning campfire.

The wind lifted particles of sand against Brak’s face. In the distance, one of the mules brayed. The only other person present was Friar Pol. He faced the man to be punished but did not look at him.

The Nestorian fingered his little stone cross. His lips moved. Talking to his Nameless God, Brak supposed, uncomfortably.

“Will you give me the count, master?” Kes asked.

“I will,” Hadrios replied. “Begin.”

Craaack. The whip left a red line on Captain Gorzhov’s naked back.

The scout lay on his belly in the sand. His wrists and ankles were fastened to tent pegs by ropes. His head was turned to the left. Shivering and itching inside a borrowed cloak, the big barbarian could not see the Captain’s eyes. But he saw Gorzhov’s neck muscles tighten and cord as the lash was pulled back for the second stroke.

“One,” Hadrios said. His eyes were without pity.

Kes laid on the next stroke.

“Two.”

Brak didn’t enjoy watching. He would have been just as happy if matters had been settled another way. But Hadrios had taken affairs into his own hands. Friar Pol clutched his cross to the bosom of his gray robe, raised closed eyes to a sky already filling with darker clouds.

Brak’s hide itched from the unguents and dressings that had been applied to his wounds the night before. He eyed the sky as the sound of the whip quickened. If the Skulwind did not blow today, it would soon.

Brak had no solid evidence for that belief. But it was still a firm conviction. If the worst could happen to this caravan it would.

Craack.

“Fourteen.”

It went on and on, giving Brak no satisfaction, only a leaden certainty that there would be more trouble as a result of it. Gorzhov was a devious man. He had apparently chosen to return to camp the preceding evening as if nothing had happened, gambling that Brak would never leave the area of the hell-pits alive. It had turned out otherwise.

The whip sang and popped.

“Twenty-four.”

At the count of forty-one, Captain Gorzhov groaned aloud. Hadrios held up a hand.

“Enough.”

Breath hissed out Gorzhov’s teeth. Hadrios said, “Hear and heed me, Captain. If I am called upon to punish you for a similar offense again, I’ll give you death, not the lash.”

The bearded scout groaned to signify he’d heard. His back glistened with red criss-crossings but none was particularly deep. Despite Hadrios’s instruction, the boy Kes had not lashed with all-out ferocity. He realized that Captain Gorzhov would still be with the caravan after his punishment. Obviously Kes feared the scout’s long memory.

Hadrios caught up the hem of his robe and turned away.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.