Page 246 (1/1)

"I have nothing to fear froh they may be too foolish to do so"

After a pause during which the chieftains fingered their spears in silence and a few regarded hiood idea to run hih that instant, his littermate Tenth Son raised the expected objection, as they two had agreed beforehand "It is foolish not to fear those with powerful ic" He raised his standard Feathers adorned it, bones strung together ire and clacking softly against strings made of beads and scraps of leather that twisted in the breeze as they brushed against the desiccated skin of a snake Chains forged froold, tin and silver, chi fro as the wind raced through them

"You e warrior with massive hands the size of a spade and skin as pale as powdered arsenic

"All those I hold in ainst me"

"What of spears and arrows?"

He grinned, displaying the jewels set into his teeth "Not even I can protect your sorry hides fro you who desire such a shield in battle? Do you fear to fight?"

They roared their answer as the wind ripped through their lifted standards, raising a hellish noise

After a bit, the wind dropped enough, and their shouting ceased, so that he could speak again "Those who faithfully follow me, I hold in my hand Those whose hearts are not loyal receive no protection fro his co? Who has turned tail to run ho froht days before One had been seen drifting lifeless on the open waters, and no captain had dared board it for fear that the tree sorcerers had poisoned its hull with their ic

"It flew Ardaneka’s banner," said Hakonin’s chief "Not one of Ardaneka’s ships do I see now"

Some of his chieftains eyed the distant shore nervously A blanket of fog had settled in over the headland, tendrils probing out onto the open sea before they were ripped to pieces by the wind A warning whistle blew shrill and strong At the fringe of the gathered asseht where the rock dropped precipitously away to the sea on its steepest side, his human allies huddled They had pulled their cloaks up in a vain atte of the wind, but now they exclaiship was co in the swells Its mast had been snapped off halfway, and shreds of sail draped the deck Seareathed the stem of the ship A half-dozen oars had survived the wreck, but not one body could be seen Deep gouges h the red-and-yellow paint to reveal pale wood beneath Rigging trailed behind like so h the sea, except for two lines drawn taut at the front

Thein the crippled ship

Foura bloated corpse Taive it a final shove, and it scraped up along the beach, rolling against the pebbled shore until it wedged face up between two rocks, caught there They watched in silence as the sea troubled its rest, trying to suck it out as waves receded, trying to force it in to shore as waves rolled in

Even fronized the corpse Like the rest of thes on his torso Seawater and feasting crabs had obliterated portions of the three-headed yellow serpent painted onto his chest yet, even with sea wor oval that had once been his face, enough could be seen to identify him

Hakonin’s chief hissed derisively "Ardaneka’s master only bared his throat to you after the battle at Kjalth to resist you It seeh to protect him from the tree sorcerers’ storhand

They all agreed then, one by one, that Ardaneka’s chief had been furtive and tricky, eager for gold and silver but reluctant to place his people in the front lines where they ht take the brunt of an assault His sea to boast of, either, and he had only raided where the pickings were easily gained, not where he ht meet real resistance