Under Tattered Banners by Christian Warren Freed

Author:Christian Warren Freed [Christian Warren Freed]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Warfighter Books
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

SIXTEEN

3215 A.G. (After gods), the Forsaken Path

“Ah’muf, run!” Elisa shouted and leveled her rifle at the nearest attacker. Sighting quickly, she slipped her finger in the trigger well and exhaled before squeezing.

The round sped the gap between her and the monster threatening Ah’muf. The terrified desert dweller wailed as he felt the hot breath of a creature that made no sense on his nape. Running on goat-like legs, the head and torso reminded him of a deep desert worm. A mouth filled with teeth and three tongues lashed and gnashed as it attempted to succeed where so many others already failed. A string of corpses stretched back to the portal.

The bullet struck between where eyes should have been. A fountain of dark, almost black blood spurted across Ah’muf’s back as the beast died. Unwilling to turn for fear of the others emerging from the ground, he ran harder. His lungs burned. Muscles ached. Sweat and dust caked his face, threatening to drip into his eyes. Forced to climb, Ah’muf reached for handholds to gain Elisa’s elevated position. She fired, and again. Flecks of loose stone, sharp and stinging, cut him. He collapsed beside as she busied reloading.

“Are you injured?” she asked without looking.

Gasping for air, he laid on his back and closed his eyes. “I can’t keep doing this. There must be a better way.”

The ghost of Mollock Bolle materialized. There was sadness in his eyes. “Another way? No. This is the only path to Goti Tai. Any deviation will result in you being lost for eternity.”

“Easy for a ghost to say,” he snorted in reply.

“You think I wish to be this incorporeal form? My life was never easy, but I much prefer it to this substance-less existence in which I am trapped,” Mollock said. His voice lacked emotion. “All life wishes to continue, often past its time. When death does come, it is meant as respite. A means of escaping the endless years of toil and trial. Becoming whatever I am was never meant to be. I long for the time of darkness. Of oblivion.”

“Hey, philosopher, there’ll be time to lament once we are clear of these damned creatures,” Elisa snarled. She settled back behind her sight.

A dozen creatures stalked them. Though slowed, they followed the trail of corpses, suggesting either an uncanny sense of smell or unwavering sonic tracking abilities. Regardless, they died easily enough. Elisa and Ah’muf first encountered a knot of them feasting on the corpse of an unknown creature too close to the menhir. The battle was short and fierce, leaving both sides awash in gore. It was only Mollock’s warning that forced his friends to move.

Hours passed, though it might have been moments, as time was distorted on the Forsaken Path. Elisa found herself wishing for Sorrow. His size and fury would make quick work of the creatures. Like most of her life, she was left without those she needed most. The tragedy continued the older she became. Now, she was the protector, responsible for herself and Ah’muf.

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.