Runebound 01 Rune Empire by Sandell Wall

Author:Sandell Wall [Sandell Wall]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Magic
Goodreads: 35158685
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2017-05-15T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

REMUS SHOULD HAVE BEEN TERRIFIED. He was chained to a column of gibbering fools and being marched through a forest of nightmares towards a dire fate. Savage barbarians stalked the shadows, eyeing him like they wanted to tear his spine out. But instead of being afraid, he was exhilarated. A tiny voice inside screamed at him to cower and grovel, but his fascination overrode the fear.

They had been running for hours. Frost crusted his face and his feet were numb. Icy talons of cold dug deep into his body, warning of suffering to come if he did not find heat. The metal clasp around his foot felt like it scraped bone with each step. His throat was raw from yelling out the cadence.

Twilight outside the forest meant darkness within; the trees blocked the light of the dying day. Visibility dwindled to almost nothing, slowing their pace to a crawl. Hyper alert, the four dark soldiers jogged alongside the captives. The barbarians ranged ahead and behind, scouting the forest.

The man who had challenged Fire Hair led the column. The other armored soldiers followed his direction. Remus had started thinking of the leader as Dour Face. Never smiling, never frowning, the man had a face that could have been carved from stone. He radiated calm intelligence and competence, but seemed to be completely devoid of emotion. Pale grey skin gave the man a sickly appearance.

In front of them, Fire Hair materialized from the shadows. He signaled for the column to halt. Dour Face held up a fist and stopped to confer with the hulking barbarian. Fire Hair spoke in low tones and pointed to a nearby tree. Its trunk was mangled. Remus could barely see in the failing light, but it looked like some giant creature had sharpened its claws on the massive tree. Deep rents in the wood reached at least twice as high as Remus was tall. Whatever Fire Hair was saying, Dour Face listened intently.

The hair on Remus’s neck stood on end, some sixth sense suddenly screaming at him to run for his life. He peered into the trees surrounding them. No longer scouting the woods, the barbarians had returned to the group. Instead of glaring at the captives, they faced outwards into the forest, hands resting on their weapons.

Dour Face turned and beckoned for his three soldiers to join him at the front of the column. For a few heartbeats, the captives were unobserved. Seeing his opportunity, the prisoner at the end of the chain jerked himself free. The man had worked his shoe off and now slipped his bloody foot through the metal loop on his ankle. Remus felt the chain vibrate as the man made his escape. The instant he was free, the prisoner plunged into the forest, heading back the way they had come. His ragged foot left bloody footprints on the cold ground.

Remus winced. He looked to see how their captors would respond. To his surprise, they made no motion to follow the fleeing prisoner.

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