Night of Blood by Richard A Knaak

Author:Richard A Knaak [Knaak, Richard A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Epic, Fantasy Fiction, Fiction, fantasy, General, Magic, Imaginary Wars and Battles, Krynn (Imaginary Place), Minotaur (Greek mythology), Rulers
ISBN: 9780786931965
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Published: 2004-02-01T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter XIV

Fate and Choice

The day came when Faros and Ulthar were assigned to the processing station.

“You two! Come with me!” Whip in hand, Paug pointed them toward a pair of wagons separated from the others. The prisoners there had an even more gaunt look, and their fur had patches where not only the hair had all fallen out, but their blistered skin burned red.

Ulthar's ears twitched. “In there?”

“That's right, barbarian! You recall the way, don't you? You spent three months there last time, didn't you?”

The mariner clamped his mouth shut and started forward. Eyes wide and unnerved, Faros trailed behind.

At the second wagon, Paug turned them over to a grim, thin guard with bloodshot eyes. “Here's the two replacements.”

The other figure, his fur patchy, indicated the wagon's interior. “Inside with them.”

“Get in!” snarled Paug, snapping the whip.

The prisoners seated themselves. Eyes deeply shadowed and bloodshot stared back at them.

Shivering, Faros dropped his gaze.

Their first hint that they approached the station came with the metallic odor that stung their nostrils.

What seemed a mist also pervaded the area, a mist that proved to be acrid smoke created by the four constantly smoldering pits that surrounded the two-story, ash-gray building.

The station had no windows, a wise precaution considering the foul haze permeating everything.

Only two wide wooden doors allowed entrance into the rectangular stone structure.

“You two,” muttered the soldier who had received them from Paug. “You'll be working on Number Four.”

Flames shot up from the pit in question. At the same time, a harsh scream erupted and a thick-linked chain hanging down into the fiery hole rattled madly for several seconds.

A furious overseer began shouting something into the pit while other guards began forcing four prisoners down a pair of ladders.

The guard steered them toward a long row of workers standing just yards from the edge. The prisoners were bent over a long table on which they appeared to be hammering away at something.

“Over here!” a sentry shouted to a minotaur pushing a full cart.

The prisoner maneuvered the cart next to the line then took an empty cart away for the full one he left behind.

Atop the battered but sturdy iron table lay piles of ore. Prisoners labored to reduce the ore in size.

After chipping the rock and earth away, blue-green copper glinted in the smaller rocks that workers then tossed in the carts. Two sentries constantly patrolled the line. Nearby, a lone archer stood ready to shoot on command.

“Unless you've got no brains in your head, you know what to do,” snarled the guard. The soldier who had brought them walked off, his part done.

Ulthar and Faros seized hammers. “Lucky we are,” murmured Ulthar.

“It's so hot!” Faros gasped. “Even Argon's Throat can't compare.”

“Could be worse. Could be down in the pit.”

They battered away at the rock. Standing in one place, working steadily, was exhausting.

After some time, an elderly prisoner came by with a bucket of water. As Faros took a drink, he saw that the other prisoner had lost all but a few traces of 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.