The Legacy of Alaburg (Alaburg University 67) by Greg Walters

Author:Greg Walters [Walters, Greg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Greg Walters
Published: 2023-10-17T16:00:00+00:00

16

The War of the Three Kingdoms

The man with the colorful turban, who had just called Ûlyėr and Gerald his subjects, approached them slowly. He was wearing a cloak of jaguar skin and a necklace of huge predator teeth.

“You almost killed us just to test us?” Ûlyėr growled, patience wearing thin. “Where are our friends?”

The man just smiled. “The test was necessary, and you passed it with flying colors.”

Ûlyėr clenched his fists, ready to knock the smile right off this stranger’s face, when he felt Gerald’s iron grip on his forearm.

His former Master looked him sternly in the eye and formed a single word with his lips: ‘labyrinth.’

Ûlyėr understood. This was all just an insidious game devised by an old wizard for his own amusement, and when they had decided to enter, they had become his pawns.

The stranger seemed not to have noticed the exchange. He stood in front of them and made a slight bow. “My name is Galotonzuma, ruler of the Pyramids of Jonav and the Highlands of Ziolokan.”

Gerald bowed in return and forced Ûlyėr to do the same with a strong hand on his back.

Galotonzuma was obviously not interested in their names; he simply accepted their gesture of humility. “You asked about your friends, my brave warriors. Come with me. I want to show you something.”

He led them to a stone pool of water at the base of the pyramid that Ûlyėr could have sworn had not been there earlier.

“Behold! See your friends and my power.” Galotonzuma mumbled something unintelligible and stroked the water with his hands.

“Yet another who thinks he’s some great wizard,” Ûlyėr muttered, annoyed. Unfortunately, orcs weren’t very good at whispering, so Galotonzuma must have heard him. He didn’t react, though, instead bending over the pool with Gerald. At first they saw only the light, alabaster-colored bottom of the pool, but then the water got milky and slowly an image appeared. Bryn, Morlâ, Drena, and Maika. They looked terrible. Bruised and wounded. The dark fairy had a black eye and dried blood at the corners of her mouth. All four were bound with chains. A whip kept striking them from outside the frame, driving them on. Anger boiled up in Ûlyėr. “Who did this to them,” he thundered, “and where are they?”

Galotonzuma put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

It took all his self-control not to knock it away, but he managed thanks to Gerald’s raised eyebrows. “You are asking exactly the right questions, my brave warrior. That confirms to me that I have chosen correctly. My mortal enemies, the Hawk People of the Atlima Desert, have taken your friends captive, but we will free them together. Are you ready to save your friends and give me the final victory over that scum of the desert?”

Frenetic cheers of jubilation were now obviously expected, but even Gerald couldn’t manage that. “Can only the three of us manage that?”

Galotonzuma just gave an amused grunt. “We’re not alone.” He pointed theatrically at the pyramid whose steps were now filled with beings clad in black panther fur.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.