Etchings of Power (Aegis of the Gods) by Terry C. Simpson, D Kai Wilson-Viola, Gonzalo Ordonez Arias Read Free Book Online Page A

their positions.
    A familiar smell akin to spoiled meat assaulted Ryne’s nostrils. He stared in the direction of the scent and Lenka’s crooked arm and forefinger. The stand of trees the man pointed out was darker still, deep night to the rest of the area’s dusk. Ryne watched and waited as Lenka joined the other five men.
    From deep within the knits of vine and sapling leaves, a guttural sound reverberated similar to a man’s death rattle as he choked on his own blood. Except no man makes that sound.
    Branches snapped and heavy footfalls thudded as if whatever approached walked on stone instead of the leafy rug that covered the forest floor. Ryne kept his gaze trained, his body tense, and his hand hovering over his sword hilt. The earlier tingle returned, but this time it built into the familiar thrill of his battle energy.
    Where the other six men hid appeared as nothing more than shadowed trunks and foliage. The footfalls grew closer until they became thunder in the silent forest. Each step played a rhythmic beat to match Ryne’s own heart.
    The sound silenced. Not just the noise from the footfalls, but all nearby sounds.
    Leaves rained to the ground as branches whipped back and forth among the saplings directly across from Ryne. The black greenery parted.
    Snarls and grunts ensued. Two golden embers for eyes appeared. A wide muzzle and a head bigger than a massive bull followed.
    Once again, Ryne observed the unusual amounts of shade that clung to the lapra’s aura. Could it just be the rot?
    The lapra stopped before its body became exposed. Shrouded in the darkness, Ryne didn’t need to see the grotesque red and black flesh dripping with decaying meat. From the near suffocating stench that clawed at him, he could picture the beast.
    Another face, this one human, appeared not far from the lapra’s. The man’s aura, also tinted by more shade than normal, wavered in patterns Ryne recognized but couldn’t quite place. Paint covered the man’s face, blending with the leaves and shadow.
    Ryne’s breath quickened. An Alzari mercenary? Here? Did Mariel already inform the Tribunal of my presence? Have they hired these assassins to hunt me down again?
    A cry rang out in Kahkon’s unmistakable high pitch before Ryne could think of answers. Immediately, the lapra’s head and the Alzari’s face retreated among the trees. Sakari gave the signal and the hunters moved, all sprinting toward the stand.
    From the corner of his eye, Ryne caught a flash of long golden hair and an unfamiliar feminine form just as it fled behind a trunk. An aura with a peculiar mix of light, shade, and earth essences emanated from the stranger. Who is that?
    Heart thudding in his chest, his battle energy crawling across his skin in static charges, Ryne brought his hand down to his greatsword’s hilt and eased from his hiding place. But there was no sign of the stranger or her golden tresses. Her aura had also vanished.
    Crashes and shouts abounded as the hunters from Carnas engaged the lapra and its master. The creature’s roars joined the men’s voices. A yell cut off with an abrupt cry. Howls changed to snarling whines. The lapra’s thunderous rumbles continued to echo.
    Ryne raced to his friends, his brow drawn together in a lumpy frown. How could an aura he identified disappear as if it never existed?
    The lapra’s roars continued, occasionally interrupted by a whine or a snarl. The clang of metal meeting metal also rose.
    Ryne passed through the shadowy trees into an unexpected sight. Carnas’ five hunters had the grotesque ten-foot beast surrounded. From varied directions, they thrust, sliced, and feinted. Multiple wounds littered the lapra’s moldy fur. Its head dipped from side to side as it attempted to defend all attack points. Skin sloughed in places, and its blood dripped viscous and black.
    But that was not what surprised Ryne. The shock was in seeing Sakari battle not one but two dual-dagger wielding Alzari.
    Clad in dark