King Kobold revived-Warlock-2.5 by Christopher Stasheff Read Free Book Online Page A

whoever told ‘em about dragon ships and horned helmets… did tell ‘em! To help them scare poor people like you! After all, if it worked for the Vikings…”
    “What are ‘vikings,’ milord?” one of the women asked timidly.
    “The horned raiders I was telling you about.”
    “Could they freeze people with a look?”
    Rod shook his head. “No, of course not—though I suppose they wanted to. You mean these gorillas could?”
    “Froze us near to stone,” the man growled. “One of ‘em looked me in the eye, and all of a sudden, his eyes seemed to pierce right through to the back of me head. I tried to move, but I couldn’t.”
    “Ye was scared,” the second woman scoffed, “frighted stiff, like a babe with a snake.”
    The man’s face reddened. “Was ye there on the green with us, woman? Did ye look into their eyes? Oh, aye, those glittering eyes frighted me—but I’ve been frighted in battle afore, when our young Lord Anselm fought the Queen… and… um…” He eyed Brom furtively.
    “And his younger brother, who is now our King,” Brom growled. “None will fault thee for that, goodman. What choice hadst thou? When thy lord summons thee to fight, thou must needs fight. Yet, in that battle, did fear freeze thee?”
    “Nay, good my lord!” The peasant shook his head. “I swung my pike the harder for it. Yet when that grisly monster’s eyes pierced my brain, I sought to strike in wild anger—but mine arm would not answer!
    I strained, I tugged at it with all my will, but it would not…” He broke off with a shudder. “Lord in Heaven save me! May I never live through such a moment again! To not be able to budge, yet see that huge club swinging down at me…” He squeezed his eyes shut and turned away, shaking his head.
    “Softly, now.” Rod clapped him on the shoulder. “You did bravely, goodman. You did all that a man could do.”
    “ ‘Twas the Evil Eye,” the man muttered. “ ‘Twas witch-craft.”
    Rod turned to Gwen with a questioning gaze.
    “There are tales of it,” she answered slowly, “of witches and warlocks who could freeze folk with a glance. Yet I never have met one with such a power.”
    “And you know most of the witches in Gramarye.” Rod turned back to the peasant, nodding. “So our enemy is something new, in more ways than one. But if it had not been for yourself, goodman, we would not have known that. My deepest thanks.”
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    “At your lordship’s service.” The big peasant recovered a bit, and managed to smile up at Rod. “
    ‘Twas… ’twas real, then?”
    “Is the lump on your head real?” Rod retorted. “Then, the club that made it certainly was, and so was the beastman who swung it. As to the Evil Eye—well, when a battle-tried veteran freezes, it couldn’t very well be anything else.” Not on this world, anyway, he thought.
    “Thank ye, milord.” The peasant smiled up at him.
    “Don’t worry. I would’ve frozen too.” Rod clapped him on the shoulder again, and turned to Gwen.
    “Know any counter-spells?”
    Her lips parted to answer as she spread her hands—and suddenly there was a baby in them, kicking and crowing, “Mama! Found you, Mama! Found you!”
    Gwen stared, startled. Then a delighted grin curved her lips, and she hugged the child close to her. “Hast thou indeed, thou naughty babe! Come, didst thou seek thy mother through thy mind only?”
    “Huh!” The baby nodded, very pleased with himself.
    “A telepathic tracker?” Rod was staring too. “My son’s a headhunter?”
    “ ‘Tis a head I’ll be having, though not his,” Brom growled. “Whose charge was this bairn? Hobgoblin!”
    Something small popped through the door and scurried over to Brom. “Par-don, King of Shadows!” It was a miniature man about a foot and a half tall, heavy in the shoulders and deep in the voice. “The elf-wives’ powers have waned; the babe lost