The Crown of Omens by E Doble

Author:E Doble [Doble, E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: 2023-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

The Abductor

These Zoltha sure know how to waste my time, Ë’zo growled, as he pulled the blade from the woman’s chest and shoved her over. She slapped down on the stones beneath with a cloudiness in her eyes, gazing up lifelessly at the line of guards who had watched her demise in horror.

Ë’zo scoffed at them and wiped the blood from his blade.

If only they could learn their lessons.

Somewhere behind him, a scream went up, followed by the clatter of marching boots as the Zoltha guards descended on the Tarrazi, driven by a lust for revenge and a blind, merciless fury. The Tarrazi responded with equal force as they approached, drawing their blades to form a perimeter around the cloth sack that had been dumped unceremoniously on the floor, hoping to steer the enemy clear and open up a channel for their escape.

This is less than desirable, Ë’zo admitted, turning back to the row of guards stood trembling before him. Ignoring the corpse strewn at his feet, the Tarrazi opened his hands out to get their attention, which only ended up spooking them even more.

He managed a sigh.

How pathetic.

“Now, Zoltha... let us be reasonable here,” Ë’zo began, rolling a tongue over his pointed teeth. “Please understand what you’ve been presented with. Your leader is dead… and your friends behind me? They will shortly follow. Neither of them respected my commands; neither of them backed down when the offer was given. And now, because of that, they will pay the price of it with their blood.” He paused, smirking. “So, let us not be hasty with what happens next, and risk succumbing to the same mistakes… hm? That would be rather distasteful – wouldn’t you agree?”

He looked between each face to gauge their reactions, balancing on the fine line between negotiation and violence. The guards behind him had made their choice between the two outcomes.

Those stood before him, however, were as yet undecided.

“You see, this hold-up you’ve caused… it’s a damning and fruitless waste of my time,” Ë’zo continued, as a trickle of blood slipped beneath his glove and slid slowly down his forearm. “I have parameters I need to meet, and a timescale I have to follow. And instances like this” – he gestured behind him, where one of the Zoltha guards was cut down the middle and stood gargling their own blood – “do nothing to help that precious timescale, y’see? So, if you people could be oh-so kind and dispatch with any notions of violence you may have, and take on board the advice I gave your leader before her… less than savoury demise, then we can find a solution to this that benefits everyone.” He paused, nodding his head. “And, as I am feeling rather benevolent… I’ll even let you keep your lives––”

One of the guards wailed and charged forwards suddenly, catching everyone by surprise, swinging their sword blindly at him––

Ë’zo had enough time for a sigh, before he rammed his fist into the woman’s gut and doubled her over, forcing a thin gobbet of spit from her mouth that dangled like a silkworm.

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.