The Blackgloom Bounty by Jon F Baxley

Author:Jon F Baxley [Baxley, Jon F]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781520948454
Publisher: Unknown
Published: 2017-03-31T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

Realizing their time in the catacombs was growing short, Kruzurk asked Mediah to go back up to the sanctuary and fetch Olghar and his dog—provided Thor was still alive. Before sending him on his way, Kruze added, “I doubt the priors did him much good with their patch and burn healing, but if he’s alive, we’ll take him along. Olghar won’t leave without him in any case and we can’t leave Olghar here.”

“Aye, m’lord. But where will you be?”

“I should read as many of these runes as possible. They must give some hint for the way down to the Well of Fears. Otherwise, we will be here ‘til the next moon trying to find it. Take these phoslin pellets with you—just crush one in your palm when you need it and you will have sufficient light.”

“Phoslin?” Mediah questioned.

“That is what my old mentor Merlin called them. The green light comes from a substance called phosphorus. When you heat it, it glows in the dark. Now hurry my friend—we haven’t much time!”

Mediah crushed one of the gleaming round pellets between his palms. The bright glow made the Greek smile like a child who had just discovered sunshine. “A wondrous thing, Kruze.”

“Mediah—say nothing about any of this to the priors. They must never learn how we got out of these catacombs. Best to leave them assuming we perished. When you return, bring a chalice of some kind—we must collect a goblet of blood from the floor of the wellkeep.”

His hand back on the Monograph, strange images and words again flooded Kruzurk Makshare’s mind. This time, they were intermixed with whimsies of men and horses and a great deal of shouting. Kruze became terribly confused and frightened at first, then realized he must be sharing the mind—and visions—of another. “Who are you?” he asked, but heard no reply. Just the refrain, “Seize the horn and the book and be gone,” that kept repeating itself over and over again in his mind.

* Plumat’s Army *

Chaos reigned in the Caledonian ranks. Sercey’s unexpected return had thrown the whole camp into total disarray. The Saxon knights shouted orders, impatient to have their horses saddled so they could be first to join the chase. Squires scurried hither and yon gathering their masters’ goods to break camp. Caledonians swore at each other and at their taskmasters, angry that the evening grog would again be missed. Everyone except Brude seemed entirely oblivious to those around them.

Lowland fools, Brude thought. I could make my escape if I could but wrench these chains free. His attention fell back upon the bearded sage reaching out to him across time and distance. “Go on, old man, read the bloody runes—and be quick about it—lest I perish while you’re about it!”

The last three wagons at the rear of the column rumbled off the cairn, drowning out Brude’s bellowing and leaving him in a huge dust cloud. Suddenly, the Great Deceiver was all alone and could bring his full attention to his escape.

Given the

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