00.1 - The Blood Price by Dan Abnett, Mike Lee - (ebook by Undead) Read Free Book Online Page A

shield and tried to check on the
wound in his leg. Blood had already soaked through his robes and was dripping
freely on the ground. Silar stood nearby, stuffing a bloodstained rag into the
hole in his armour. Seeing the highborn’s wound, the young knight forgot what he
was doing and joined Malus. “How bad is it?” Silar asked.
    Malus grimaced. “Damned if I know,” he said. “It hurts like the blazes, but I
think I can stand.”
    “It’s bleeding freely, my lord. Best let me bandage it first,” Silar replied,
and began tearing strips from a dead spearman’s cloak.
    By the time Silar had knotted the field dressing tight the battle in the town
was over. Lhunara came jogging back to the gate, her sword dripping red and her
face spattered with gore. “I was wondering what happened to the two of you,” she
said.
    “Never mind us,” Malus growled. “What of the battle?”
    The first mate grinned. “The town is ours,” she said. “The garrison is
finished, and we’re searching the houses for captives. Looks like the women and
children fled earlier in the day, though. Probably hiding somewhere up in the
hills. Lots of plunder, though, so we won’t be leaving empty-handed.”
    Malus nodded as Silar helped him to his feet. It wasn’t a total victory, but
not a total loss, either. “Take everything you can, but be quick. We’re running
short on time.”
     
    It was just over an hour before the raiders were ready to move again, with
three looted wagons laden with plunder and a coffle of thirty slaves. Losses
among the raiders had been light, and despite the precariousness of their
situation the corsairs were jubilant as they set off down the southern coast
road. Malus rode in the lead wagon, cursing the wound in his leg. He could walk,
but there was no way he could keep up the pace to get to the rendezvous in time.
The druchii gave their captive cousins a taste of the lash to hurry them along.
    They raced down the curving road, trading caution for speed and trusting to
the fickle luck of the gods to see them through. It was just past the hour of
the wolf when Lhunara gave the signal to leave the road and make for the narrow
strip of beach to their right. Malus focused his tired eyes and peered into the
darkness offshore. If the Manticore was out there, she was invisible in
the night.
    Exhausted, the coffle of slaves collapsed onto the sand. Lhunara barked
another set of orders and the corsairs got to work posting lookouts and
unloading the wagons. Silar came up alongside the highborn and searched the dark
horizon as well. “You don’t think he left us, do you?” the young knight asked,
giving voice to Malus’ fears.
    “Gul’s chances of making it back to Clar Karond with such a small crew would
be very slim,” Malus said. “Even I know that.” Still, he thought, it could be
done. He wished he’d insisted on having the navigator accompany the raiding
party, but it was likely that even the crew would have balked at such a reckless
notion.
    “They could have run into that other patrol ship,” Silar mused. “Or hit a
squall and had their masts carried off.”
    “Mother of Night!” Malus hissed. “Are you always this gloomy?”
    “I prefer to say I’m no stranger to misfortune,” the young knight replied.
    “More’s the pity,” Malus said. Then a glimmer of movement caught his eye.
“There!” he said, pointing out to sea.
    The first of Manticore ’s longboats heaved into view, its rowers
straining mightily against the oars. A ragged cheer went up from the corsairs
until a hissed warning from Lhunara put their minds back on business.
    Within minutes all four of the corsairs’ longboats were being dragged ashore,
and Manticore herself had hove into view less than a mile from the beach,
outlined like a ghost ship in the moonlight. Amaleth jogged up the strand,
eyeing the raiders’ haul. “Sailors and plunder first,” the second mate suggested
to Malus. “Then the rest