Dragonlance: Taladas Chronicles, Book 01 - Blades of the Tiger by Chris Pierson

Dragonlance: Taladas Chronicles, Book 01 - Blades of the Tiger by Chris Pierson

Author:Chris Pierson [Pierson, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7869-3569-7
Publisher: Fanversion Publishing
Published: 2015-12-31T16:00:00+00:00


Arrows thudded to the ground, barely ten yards in front of the horde. The Uigan laughed, brandishing their sabers at the distant archers, whose helms appeared now and then among the merlons atop the wall. Bodies littered the ground before them—men and goblins who had gotten too close, and had been felled by lucky shots. They could smell the minotaurs within the walls, and their fury was unspeakable.

But they did not charge, as much as the bloodlust urged them on. Even the Wretched Ones held back, though the twisted creatures were half-mad with the call of battle, their riding-wolves snapping and snarling, tense as bowstrings and ready to leap forward the moment Gharmu gave the word.

Still they didn't charge. There was a problem.

"That wall is strong," said Hoch Tegin, waving his arm toward Malton. He glowered at the town, disgusted. "We cannot knock it down. How do we get in, Tiger?"

Chovuk Boyla didn't answer. He stood apart from his chiefs, Hult at his side. Unlike the Tegins, who were either anxious or angry—even Sugai looked concerned at what they faced—Chovuk was calm, and his brow was smooth. He held his fingers steepled before his mouth, and his eyes might have been shards of iron, so fierce was their gaze. They seemed to gleam with their own inner light, like the storm clouds had, moments before. The rain and the lightning over Malton had stopped, leaving only the pall of black, hovering like dragon-wings above the city.

"Boyla," Sugai pressed. "We have not the craft to topple those battlements. We cannot even get close, with so many archers waiting. This place was not so fortified in the old days. If we attack, we will surely be defeated."

Chovuk only smiled. "You are wise, Sugai Tegin," he said. "But you do not know everything."

"What does that mean?" blustered Hoch. "You have led us all this way on promises of glory, and now it lies beyond our grasp. And all you do is mock our worries?"

Hult glared at the young lord, though inside he had to admit the words had the ring of truth. Getting into Malton would be like beating down a mountainside. Nothing short of a dragon's breath could do such a thing—and there hadn't been any dragons in that part of the world since the ancient days. He looked at Chovuk, unable to keep the fear from his eyes.

"And even you doubt," said the Boyla. He sighed. "I had hoped for more faith from my own tenach. Very well… let it begin."

He raised his hands, shut his eyes, and spoke words that made Hult's skin feel like razor-beetles were crawling all over him. The Tegins shied back, glancing at one another in alarm and biting their hands to ward off evil spirits. Hult fought the urge to do the same. He must remain at his master's side, watching for danger. He had to, no matter how unsettling the Boyla's behavior. There was no doubt what he was doing now—it was sorcery, not the will of Jijin.



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