Jalia At Bay (Book 4) by John Booth Read Free Book Online

the shutters of cottage windows, but that night the cottages were dark and deserted. The only signs of the valley’s occupation were a couple of lanterns either side of the doors of the Lord’s House, far in the distance.
    “Shall we storm down and torch the cottages, my Lord? Trik asked at Mallon’s right hand. “The village shall feel the full force of the Taldon Clan’s wrath.”
    “Not yet, Trik,” Mallon said quietly, and turned in his saddle to address the massed ranks behind him.
    “I want to recover the body of my son before we do anything else. Then we will find the person who killed my son and kill him slowly and painfully. Only after that will we destroy Sweetwater and kill every last one of its inhabitants. No one will break ranks; no one will loot anything before I give the word. Is that clear?”
    His family gave a roar of approval and waved their weapons high in salute. Mallon started his horse down the slope towards the Lord’s House to recover the body of his son.
     
    Mallon saw no one as he rode down the road. Perhaps they had abandoned their houses and run for their lives. This did not worry him. He knew they would not get far and killing the villagers would be better sport if his family had to hunt them in the forest.
    When they neared the Lord’s House, they saw that its two great doors were standing wide. Mallon saw the dim flickering of a lantern from deep in the hall. He wondered if the villagers had placed his son’s body to rest in state for his visit. It would not save their lives, but Mallon appreciated the gesture.
    He got down from his horse and his nephews followed. They tied their horses to the same hitching post that Jalia and Daniel’s horses had been tied to earlier in the day. Mallon drew his sword and his nephews did likewise. They walked to the doors with their whole family a few scant paces behind.
    The hall was too large to be properly lit by a single lantern. The villagers must have closed the shutters high on the walls because no light from the stars shone through them. As Mallon approached the door, the sweet sickly smell of death, drying blood and voided bowels wafted towards him. It was mixed with a strong smell of tallow wax and lantern oil. As he reached the threshold, Trik placed a warning hand upon his shoulder.
    “It may be a trap, my Lord. Let me go first.”
    Mallon grabbed Trik’s hand and twisted it painfully back as he lifted it from his shoulder.
    “I am not a fool, nephew, and do not forget it,” Mallon spat out in anger. “But I am also not a coward. My son Adon lies in there and I am going in to see him. If you are too scared to follow, you may wait outside.”
    “I meant no disrespect,” Trik said contritely, but Mallon had stopped listening and crossed over the threshold into the hall.
    It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the gloom. There could only be a single candle in the lamp that burned at the far end of the room. Someone, a boy or a woman sat on a table with the lantern by their side. In front of the lantern, two men sat unmoving on a long bench. Their hands and legs were tied with ropes. Both men had their heads slumped forward against their chins, the smaller one wore his hat at a jaunty angle.
    The person with the lantern jumped off the table and picked up the lantern.
    “I thought you would never get here,” Jalia told them cheerfully. She held the lantern up to her head so they could admire her smiling face. When she lowered the lantern again, its light shone close enough to the two tied men for Mallon to recognize one as his son and other his friend Twist.
    Mallon’s heart leapt at the sight. Adon must still be alive or why would they bother to bind him? The fact that his son was alive would not stop him killing everyone in the village of Sweetwater, but it would be good to have Adon at his side when he did it.
    “Release my son at once, wench!” Mallon shouted. He heard whispers coming from his family outside as word