Lorik The Defender (The Lorik Trilogy) by Toby Neighbors Read Free Book Online

creature’s reach just in time.
    Stone had run back to the camp and taken a volunteer’s horse while Lorik battled the monster. He had ridden close to the Leffers and snatched a spear from the twitching body of one of the monstrous horse-like creatures. Then he turned his mount toward the beast which had Lorik trapped without a weapon. Stone saw the creature look up as he lowered his spear and kicked the horse to greater speed. He knew the best throw wouldn’t be enough to stop the creature, and he knew he couldn’t just pick Lorik up on the horse and ride away. The huge beast would run them down easily enough, and they would have no other hope of surviving. Instead, Stone gathered his feet beneath him on the saddle. Then, just as Lorik dashed away and the creature craned its head to try and catch him, leaving its neck exposed, Stone jumped from the moving horse. He held the spear out in front of him as he arced toward the huge creature. He used all his momentum and weight to drive the spear down. It punctured the creature’s neck, and his momentum drove the spear through the muscle and into the beast’s windpipe.
    Stone had expected to crash hard into the beast, but the creature’s neck was soft and it padded his fall. He was also sprayed with hot blood as the spear punctured the beast’s jugular vein. The creature’s first instinct was to whip its head back around, but the spear was driven too deep into its neck. The pain made it roll instead, away from Stone and toward Lorik.
    It writhed on its back as Stone and Lorik moved away in the darkness. They moved toward each other, the horse still galloping away to the south.
    “What is that thing?” Stone asked.
    “I have no idea,” Lorik said. “But I hope it’s dead.”
     

Chapter 5
    Lorik and Stone returned to the camp and the volunteers doubled up on guard duty. Fortunately, no more attacks came that night. When the sun rose, Lorik returned to the huge beast he’d fought in the darkness. It was unlike anything he’d ever seen. The creature was on its back and had died at some point in the night. Blood seemed to have turned the area around the creature into a disgusting bog.
    “What are we are doing out here?” Stone asked. He refused to let Lorik do anything alone.
    “ I’m looking for my swords. I don’t know what you’re doing.”
    “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go off on your own. We’d all be dead now if it weren’t for you.”
    “So you think I need a bodyguard?”
    “I think we need to be cautious.”
    “What we really need is to get the refugees moving.”
    “Vera can do that,” Stone said. “Besides, I wanted a look at our handiwork.”
    “It’s not much to look at, is it?” Lorik said as they walked around the huge beast.
    “I don’t remember the wizard saying anything about shaggy monsters,” Stone said.
    “That’s because he didn’t,” Lorik said. “He must not have known about them.”
    “That’s not a comforting thought,” Stone said. “I wish we had a way to scout ahead and behind.”
    “And a way to move these people along. We won’t be safe until we get back to the border.”
    They waded through the bloody bog. One sword was visible, the pommel barely sticking out of the furry beast’s side. Lorik took hold of his sword and tugged. He had to wrench the weapon up and down before finally putting one foot on the creature to pull his sword free.
    “Where’s the other one?” Stone asked.
    Lorik smiled. Then he hacked into the creature’s side. Blood and water came pouring out, along with a wretched smell.
    “What are you doing?” Stone said, jumping back to avoid the foul excretion.
    “The other sword is in the beast’s back,” Lorik said. “I’ll have to cut my way in.”
    “I’d cut my losses,” Stone said.
    “That’s a famous sword. It’s part of a matching set. I’ll not just leave it behind.”
    “Fine, but I’m standing over there,” he pointed away from the beast.
    “I