The Jackal of Nar Read Online Free Page B

now awash with bodies. Drol bodies. They were everywhere, some whole, some in pieces, some so trampled by horse hooves as to be only pulp. The mud of the field had turned a ruddy purple. Things that had been men and wolves burned in stinking pockets of fire, and the air was rank with the smell of kerosene. Except for the buzzards, only one thing moved amidst the astonishing carnage.
    Blackwood Gayle sat astride his horse, surveying the damage his troops had occasioned. His demon-faced helmet gleamed in the smoky sunlight. At his side hung his still-unblemished sword. His head turned toward the trenches as he noticed Richius.
    “Vantran,” he cried, spurring his horse forward. Beneath the helmet’s faceplate the big voice rang like metal.
    Richius ignored the baron. He got to his feet and stooped to help Lucyler out of the trench. Behind the Triin came Dinadin,who whistled when he saw the battlefield. Blackwood Gayle reached them just as Dinadin’s boot came off the ladder.
    “You see, Vantran?” said Gayle proudly. “Nothing to worry about. You make too much of these valley Drol, I think.”
    “Really?” asked Richius angrily. “How would you know? You look … uninjured.”
    Gayle stiffened. His eyes flashed through the slits in his metal mask. “I killed my share,” he assured Richius. “And I will kill more when we find them. Most of the gog cowards fled. I’ve already sent my troops into the forest after them.”
    “What? I didn’t order that!”
    “You don’t order my men, Vantran,” said Gayle. The demon helmet bobbed as he looked Richius up and down. “And from the looks of you, I didn’t think you up to chasing them.”
    “I don’t want to chase them!” thundered Richius. “Especially not on horseback. If you had bothered to ask I would have told you how stupid that is. There’s hardly enough room for a horse to move on those forest paths. Your men will be lucky not to be ambushed.”
    “I waited until you were done to tell you what I’d planned,” said Gayle. “That’s all the courtesy I intend to show you. I will not defer to you more.”
    “I’m in command here, Gayle,” insisted Richius. “The valley’s under my authority.”
    Blackwood Gayle scoffed. “I brought my horsemen here to fight, and fight they will. You may sit in your holes if you like, letting the real men do battle.”
    “You arrogant ass. You can’t fight from horseback in the forest. Those woods are crawling with Drol. If you ride in there they’ll be on top of you before you can draw your sword.”
    “Enough,” ordered Gayle. He reined his horse around, turning away from Richius. “You have no dominion over me, Vantran.” Then, spurring his horse into a gallop, Gayle rode back toward the forest.
    “That fool,” seethed Richius. “He doesn’t even know his way around the valley. We’ll have to go after him.”
    “Why bother?” asked Dinadin bitterly. “Why not just leave him to the Drol?”
    “No. I don’t want him stirring up any more trouble.”
    The company’s horses were kept on the other side of thecamp, just outside the confining catacombs of the trenches. There were not many of them now, but the horse master did have three geldings for the trio. Ignoring his exhaustion, Richius climbed into the saddle.
    “Let’s keep it quiet,” he ordered the others. “There’s no sense in telling the Drol we’re coming.” Then, with a snap of the reins, Richius led Lucyler and Dinadin across the reeking battlefield and into the forest. Though he knew the horsemen had gotten a healthy lead on them, he was hopeful they would find the Talistanians quickly.
    The part of the valley through which they traveled was less overgrown than the rest of the land, and its earth was level enough for a horse to tread on. Still, the forest paths were treacherous and narrow, and the trio had to struggle to keep their mounts from stumbling. More than one of their horses had broken a leg in these woods, and Richius