Iron Kingdoms Excursions Season Two: Volume Five by Oren Ashkenazi Chris A. Jackson William Shick

Author:Oren Ashkenazi, Chris A. Jackson, William Shick
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Skull Island eXpenditions
Published: 2015-05-26T04:00:00+00:00

BLOOD SISTERS

BY OREN ASHKENAZI

A cold wind blew through the Widower’s Wood, bringing with it sweet smells of growth and decay. Beneath the marsh’s odor came the stench of blasting powder and unwashed farrow. Prelen breathed deeply as she took in the scent. The preys were close. She could hear them slowly moving through the forest and softly grunting at each other. To a Tharn bloodtracker, the farrow might as well have been shouting their position.

Prelen sensed the others around her, in the trees and on the ground. She could see the powerful form of her older sister Mysha at the front with Ledren, their band’s leader. Mysha had the honor of being first scout. Prelen was near the back. Small Prel, she thought, whose javelins merely kill instead of passing clean through the prey like her sister’s.

She could see the farrow now; their mismatched armor and bulky rifles stood out against the wood’s green and brown. They traveled in a short column, two abreast, which bespoke purpose. This surprised Prelen. The porcine brigands were usually unorganized, and they rarely entered this far into Tharn territory. Something important must have compelled them to take such a risk. She clutched her javelin and crept forward, painted skin blending with the forest. The farrow would have little time to regret their trespass.

The Tharn were spreading out to surround the more numerous farrow. At Ledren’s signal, they would rain down javelins on the enemy, slaughtering the farrow before they could fight back. She waited, javelin in hand, but then the wind shifted, bringing a new scent. It was like the farrow but stronger, more primal. Prelen had no time to think about the new scent. Ahead, Mysha broke from cover with a shrieking battle cry and sprinted forward, fighting claws shining in the dappled light. Half a dozen other bloodtrackers followed in her wake. Ledren attempted to call them back before battle was joined. None listened.

The farrow squealed in alarm, some unslinging their rifles while others brought out heavy clubs. Mysha reached them in a blur of steel, gutting one with her first strike, then swinging around to bury her claws in a second. The farrow closed in around her, but the other bloodtrackers had joined the melee.

What should have been an efficient ambush was now a chaotic battle, with bloodtracker and farrow coming together in bloody hand-to-hand combat. The enemy had superior numbers, and to make matters worse, the element of surprise was lost.

Prelen stayed low, skirting the melee. She knelt beside a dead farrow, a javelin protruding from its throat. The corpse had a heavy net wrapped around its waist. Prelen examined another corpse, finding an identical net and heavy hooks where the two nets could join together. This farrow also had an oozing bag of entrails slung over one shoulder. It emitted a pungent stench that would lure every scavenger for miles. It was clear the farrow had been on a hunt of their own, and they were after large prey by the looks of it.

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