Monsters & Mayhem Omnibus 1 by Dan Decker

Author:Dan Decker [Decker, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0042917123
Publisher: Grim Archer Media
Published: 2019-11-15T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 4

The leaves rustled with the breeze and flashes of moonlight splashed onto Adar's face as the movement of the trees created gaps above them. Jorad was surprised to see that Adar was calm, even contemplative. He would have expected Adar to be anxious and afraid, given that the thing he'd been paranoid about for years had finally happened.

“We have to get to Rarbon,” Adar whispered as he stared at the place where the Hunwei had disappeared.

Jorad made a face but didn't speak. He could still smell the Hunwei even though they were gone. It was a musky stench mixed with rotting flesh. He sniffed trying to imprint the smell on his memory. The return of the Hunwei changed everything. His first thought was for Soret. He'd have to convince her to come with them. Adar hadn't expressed the sentiment yet, but Jorad knew that their time in Neberan had come to a close. His second thought was that he'd have to reevaluate his decision about returning to Rarbon to make a claim.

“The Rarbon Portal is our best chance now.” Adar stared at Jorad.

“We don't even know if the Portal will work.” Jorad didn’t need any more lectures from Adar. He needed time to think. “For all we know, it's just a bunch of scrolls gathering dust.” He strained his ears. The only sound he was able to hear were the crickets that had started up again after the Hunwei had left.

“What do you suggest?” Adar asked.

“I don't know.” Jorad thought about Ruder and was filled with anxiety. Why hadn't he told Adar about the Ou Qui? They had lost a day. One day could make a big difference.

No! He thought, I won’t wallow in what could have been. He couldn't afford to think like that, or second-guessing would keep him from getting anything done. Telling Adar about Ruder wouldn't have changed much. They would still have spent the day looking for Hunwei. Adar might have been more zealous but in the end, they'd found the Hunwei by mere chance anyway.

Regardless, Jorad could no longer keep the truth from Adar. He took a deep breath and hoped Adar wouldn't kill him. When he'd finished telling Adar everything about Ruder, Adar didn't say anything. He didn’t need to because he could recognize the guilt on Jorad's face.

“What do we do now?” Jorad asked. There had to be a way out of returning to Rarbon. Everything he’d learned about it made it seem like an impossible task especially with the Hunwei breathing down their necks.

“At least you're finally asking,” Adar said. “To even have a chance you’re going to need to focus. Hard decisions lay ahead, and you’ll be dead if you’re in the habit of hesitating or doubting.” Hearing this advice was unnerving. Adar had taught him to think through things. Oh sure, there were times when Adar jumped into things, but it was always to protect somebody. His father was irrational in other things, women for example, but when it came to matters of arms and death, Adar was cold and calculating.

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