Courage to Sacrifice by Andy Peloquin

Author:Andy Peloquin [Peloquin, Andy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Fantasy Fiends Publishing Inc.
Published: 2019-11-26T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter Forty

The monstrosities that emerged from the dark swamps were things of nightmare: four-legged beasts with the long, lean bodies and snouts of hounds, but with the thick, shaggy fur of a wolf and a line of spikes running down their spines. Foul green saliva oozed from their slavering jaws and dripped from razor-sharp canines. But where wolves and dogs had eyes, these had only unbroken fur. Their ears twitched up and their black noses lifted, sniffing and testing the air for the taste of their prey.

With a terrified yip, Snarl leapt off the rotting log and took to the air, flapping his wings to climb quickly into the thick-leaved trees. At the sudden movement, the gulons’ eyeless heads snapped toward Aravon and the Grim Reavers. Howls far more bestial and savage than any wolf’s shattered the eerie stillness of the marshlands. Gulons by the dozens burst from the shadows of their warrens and charged in a furious pack of snapping jaws, long claws, and spiked backs.

Aravon had a split second to act before the first monster reached him. The creature leapt toward his throat, saliva-coated jaws opened wide, three-clawed toes outstretched. Aravon whipped his spear around and dropped to a kneeling crouch in one smooth motion, driving the iron butt into the ground. The flying monster spitted himself on the sharp steel head of Aravon’s spear. Momentum punched the tip so deep the gulon’s ribs cracked against the crossbar. The eyeless creature’s howls cut off in a whining, gurgling bark, its writhing, thrashing body pinioned on the end of Aravon’s spear.

But before the first’s jerking stilled, the rest of the gulons leapt to the attack. Aravon shoved the dead monstrosity off the tip of his spear and spun it around to bring the iron-shod butt cracking down onto another’s head. The hound-sized creature gave a little yelping cry and fell, stunned. With a vicious thrust, Aravon drove the tip of his spear into the gulon’s spine-ridged back, just beneath the base of its canine skull. The beast’s panicked, agonized yowling fell instantly silent.

The howling, screeching cries of the gulons echoed all around Aravon. Whirling, he found four more of the creatures emerging from their warren on the western side of the pond, and another handful rushing around the eastern side, clawed toes digging into the soft, scummy mud as they raced to join the two dozen already launching into an attack on the Grim Reavers.

Arrows hissed past Aravon’s head, streaking toward the nearest gulon. One buried to the hilt in a creature’s shoulder, but did little to slow it down. The gulon simply howled louder and bared green-dripping fangs as it leapt toward Zaharis.

Crunch! The spiked mace in the Secret Keeper’s hands smashed skull bones and tore a massive chunk of furry flesh from the gulon’s face. The impact hurled the creature away, sending it splashing into the murky water of the pond. Filthy water sprayed Zaharis’ legs, and he leapt back, away from the reeking slime. Just in time to bring his mace swinging around to crush another monstrosity’s skull.

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