Elves: Once Walked With Gods Read Free Page A

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    ‘Move out. Give the mages and bowmen some space. Don’t wait for a command to shoot or cast. Come on. Space. Space to fight.’
    Haleth took two deliberate steps forward and gestured with his arms for those to his left and right to come with him.
    ‘How many of them are there?’ asked one.
    ‘Do I look like a seer?’
    One-Eye and his sole charge ran into the rough circle. Survivors of the left flank and rear joined too. Seventeen stood and waited. Three of them with bows. Two mages. There was the sound of feet seeking firm purchase. Muttered curses and demands for more room. The whisper of spell shapes forming.
    Yet around them, barring the dripping, drumming and splashing of rain, the forest had fallen silent.

Chapter 2
    Complacency is your greatest enemy.

    Auum and Serrin watched the men. The three already dead would be reclaimed by the forest. Auum prayed that Shorth visited torment on them for eternity. A prayer sure to be answered. Shorth would be greedy for the souls of men. Merciful Shorth whose wrath when betrayed was more terrible than that of Yniss himself.
    ‘They have courage,’ said Serrin.
    Auum sniffed. ‘They have organisation. Courage, no. We will wait long enough for the fear to eat away what little belief they have. Tual’s denizens will create doubt and false thought. Gyal’s tears will obscure real threat. And then you and I will complete Yniss’s work.’
    ‘Their leader. He has courage.’
    ‘It will not save him.’
    ‘One must survive.’
    ‘Is that an order?’ asked Auum.
    Serrin shrugged. ‘Advice.’
    Auum inclined his head. ‘I understand.’
    He turned back to study his prey and chose his next target.

    ‘Where are they?’ asked Arshul, his voice a hiss into the cacophony of animal and insect calls that had sprung up with a sudden slackening of the rain.
    This was not what he had signed up for. Decent money but unacceptable conditions. He was a man who lived with total certainty. With the knowledge that he had all the answers, was in complete control. He was here to fulfil specific tasks. Remove specific targets. This jaunt into the rainforest was billed as little more than an educational stroll. A way to understand better the complexities of this ridiculous society. Being under attack from lethal elves was not in the brief.
    ‘Out there,’ said One-Eye.
    ‘Very helpful. Any of you, can you see anything?’
    ‘Focus,’ said Haleth from the other side of the circle. ‘Remember the way it’s gone so far. The pale one is a distraction. The others will come from another direction. Keep talking, and whatever you do, do not break ranks. If we stand together, we’ll get through this.’
    ‘A ghost in the forest,’ said Arshul. ‘Not everything you hear turns out to be rumour.’
    ‘It’s no ghost,’ said Haleth. ‘Trust me.’
    The group fell silent. Out there, they were watching. Arshul felt a moment of pure guilt. Was this how his marks felt? Knowing he was coming for them and unable to do anything but note the sun travel across the sky. Wait for the blade to issue through the ribs or the poison to take a hold. And die wondering who it was that had ordered their death at the hands of a paid stranger.
    The hoots and calls of monkeys and birds filled the air above. The buzz and chitter of insects brought a phantom itch to the ear. The undergrowth was alive. Animals took the opportunity to see what the rain had unearthed. They didn’t have long. Thunder rumbled above the canopy. Another downpour was coming.
    But out there, in the infinite shadows the rainforest provided, the enemy awaited the perfect moment. No doubt they would pick it. And the delay was having precisely the desired effect. The men were twitchy, wondering how long they would have to stand here. How long they had to live. Some would be thinking about escape.
    ‘A song, anyone?’ said Arshul.
    ‘You’ve got to be kidding,’ said a voice, nervous and small.
    ‘Not at all. Might break the