Storms of Destiny

Storms of Destiny Read Free Page B

Book: Storms of Destiny Read Free
Author: A. C. Crispin
Tags: Eos, ISBN-13: 9780380782840
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the small troop of soldiers, all clad in surcoats taken from captured Taenarith soldiers. His heart hammering, the young Chonao fell into step beside Barus, who handed him his sword. As he belted it on, the other Risore gave him an excited grin and a wink.
    The troop of Silent Ones climbed the ladder leading into Zajares’s stronghold. They found themselves in a small wooden guard chamber. Outside lay a courtyard. Sentries were stationed on the walls surrounding the fortress, but the doors leading into the stronghold were unguarded. Barus, with Jezzil beside him, moved up to take the lead.
    Soft-footed, the Silent Ones scattered and crossed the courtyard, unseen. Stealth was their speciality; each warrior melted into the shadows like something spawned from the darkness. The sentries never heard a thing as the Pen Jav Dal crossed the hard-packed surface.
    Barus led them to the western dome. Gardal signaled to the young Risore to take twenty of the men and head right, into the main hall. Jezzil knew the plan. They would fire the hall, making it appear as though there was a troop rebellion in progress.
    The other thirty Silent Ones followed their Amato into the western dome. They waited around the curve in the corridor, backs pressed against the stone, for their signal to begin the planned attack.
    Despite the chill air, Jezzil was sweating, and he was vaguely sorry he’d eaten. The food roiled uncertainly in his stomach, and the wavering dance of the smoky torches added to his queasiness. He couldn’t stop remembering the way it had felt when his knife had punched upward through the sentry’s vitals, ending his life.
    What had his name been? Had he had a mother, father, perhaps brothers and sisters? Or a wife, children? Was he young, or old? He would never know.
    As they waited, breathing shallowly, evenly, every muscle poised to explode into action, they heard shouts and crashes from behind them, in the direction of the main hall. The others were doing their part.
    A minute or so later a dozen or more guards came thundering down the ancient wooden staircase, shouting harried orders and directions at each other: “Buckets! Get them from the stables!”
    “You, Ranla, stand by at the well!”
    “Weapons at the ready! This is sabotage!”
    “I told you Adlat wasn’t to be trusted!”
    As Zajares’s men charged around the corner, the Pen Jav Dal were ready. Blades flashed, throwing discs whizzed.
    Meaty thunks, grunts, and a muffled scream or two— —and it was done. Fourteen guards lay dead. Gardal’s troops made no effort to hide their bodies. At this stage in their attack they wanted their work to be seen, to strike fear into the hearts of Zajares’s soldiers. The troop merely pulled the bodies out of the way, stacking them up along the wall to leave a clear path, should a retreat be necessary.
    All the while, the sounds behind them had intensified.
    Jezzil smelled smoke, then heard the pounding of running feet. He checked his fighting stance, then relaxed as he heard a familiar whistled signal. Moments later Barus and the others appeared and saluted quickly.
    Mission accomplished, the young Risore signaled.
    Gardal acknowledged the message, then the Amato pointed to the rightmost corridor, making a questioning sign.
    The young Chonao scout nodded. Zajares’s quarters lay in that direction. At Gardal’s signal, the Silent Ones followed their Amato deeper into m’Banak.
    In response to a silent order, Jezzil and two other men grabbed torches off the wall and fired the next two rooms they came to. The main structure was stone and would not burn, but there was plenty of wood around, and oil lamps to kindle it with.
    Barus pointed to a stairway, then the young Risore’s hands moved in quick gestures. “Upstairs. Zajares has the upper-most apartment, right beneath the dome. There’s a back stairway down to the courtyard, the one I told you about.”
    Gardal nodded. “Let’s go,” he signaled.
    With Barus in the

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