Fallen Crown (Orc Destiny Volume II) (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) by Jeremy Laszlo Read Free Book Online

from that pup as well. Then, without
delay, he released the second essence he had captured into the first pup, and
the first essence into the second pup, switching the power from one to the
other.
    Immediately both pups began moving, but not as he had
thought. Instead they jerked about the floor in fits of spasms, their eyes
flitting around in their sockets as their tongues lolled out the sides of their
mouths. This had certainly not been what he had intended. Reaching out to
retrieve their power once more and switch them back, he paused as the pups’
behavior began to change.
    Where before they were wracked by fits, now the fox pups began
to calm, and each rolled once more to its belly, shaking its head groggily
before making as if to rise. Gnak continued to watch as each pup arose on what
seemed to be wobbly legs, and within minutes both animals were again bouncing
around and playing with one another. So he could switch them! But what
did it mean?
    “Gnak take power one fox, give other,” Gnak explained his
experiment to his second in command. “What think you?”
    A long silence ensued as Bota pondered, but when he
responded Gnak listened intently.
    “Pup is pup. Take one power, give other, no difference. What
if Gnak take power from man and give animal? What if take animal, give man?”
    Gnak did not even wait to discuss the idea further, reaching
out instead to open a fourth cage and brush against the fox within. Stripping
the animal of its glowing power, Gnak quickly replaced it with another and
watched.
    Just as before the fox began to jerk and convulse, this time
taking longer than the previous. Bouncing off the walls of the small cage the
animal foamed at the mouth, odd sounds escaping between its teeth as its neck
and back bent at odd angles. It was near an hour before it relented, but Gnak
never made move to stop it.
    When it finally did stop, the small beast lay deathly still
for a moment and Gnak feared a failure. Turning the cage upon the sand floor he
watched as the small beast opened its eyes, blinking several times and panting
as if exhausted. When its eyes focused it peered back through the makeshift
bars into Gnak’s eyes before it started barking, growling, and snapping with a
rage that poured from the animal. It seemed his father did indeed live within
the essence Gnak had stored. Apparently he was still angry about being set up
and murdered by his own son.
    “Was for good, Gnak chief, make Orcs better,” Gnak said to
the small creature before he brushed at it through the bars of the cage and
removed his father from the beast.
    The beast again fell into the odd trance, unmoving as Gnak
located the animal’s original essence within him and returned it to its
rightful owner. This time, as had happened with his very first experiment, the
animal recovered quickly, almost as if nothing had happened at all. Gnak was
beginning to understand.
    “Was Gobgob?” Bota asked.
    “Yes. Want Gnak dead,” Gnak replied with a smirk.
    “Worked, yes?” Bota asked.
    “Yes, worked. Gnak think animal different Orc, but work. Is
more hard for Orc in animal. Is less hard for animal in animal. Very not same.”
    For hours they discussed the uses of Gnak’s discoveries.
Using Orc minds in animal bodies to infiltrate enemies, or saving an Orc from
the clutches of death by restoring it to life within another animal or man.
This of course led Gnak to want to bring Jen back, but he knew there was still
much to learn, and he could not fathom putting her inside a beast. No. She
deserved better. For now he would keep her where she was safe. He had tried
bringing her back once and had failed her tremendously. This time he would make
sure he knew how to properly use his power.
    Even with so many possibilities, there were two more tests
Gnak wanted to perform, though he doubted either would have immediate results.
First, he swept his hands across one of the foxes within its cage, and removed
the essence from it, simply