Shadows of Time: Shadow Maiden by B.R. Nicholson Read Free Book Online Page A

Maggot
played the coy maiden, batting his stubby eyelashes and giving his
best bashful smile
    .“GET TO WORK!” Maggot scurried away before
Fanger’s swinging fist could catch him. Fanger snorted, huffing
over his disappointment that he had missed his chance to leave some
remarkable bruises.
    Fanger staggered over to the war machine.
Maggot had already begun unlocking the wheels. They stood towering
over him, with spokes measuring as long as hip to heal. Fanger
could hear him panting as the squeal of unoiled metal warbled
through the air.
    Fanger stepped up to the door to the
undercarriage where the slaves slept, fiddling with a tarnished
brass key. He shoved it into the lock, and instead of the familiar
click, the door squealed away from him. Damn it. We did it
again .
    “Rise and shine, time for another wonderful
day! On your feet, or you’ll be tasty meat , that’s what I
always say. Not that any of you worms look tasty. Maggot might
disagree with the likes of me, wouldn’t you, my dirty little
Maggot?”
    Maggot popped his head in the door, once
again fluttering his grimy eyelashes. “Did somebody say meat?”
    Fanger’s fist barely managed to graze
Maggot’s cheek as he dashed back outside.
    One day I’ll get him right where it
hurts.
    “Come on, now! UP!” Fanger’s eyes quickly
adjusted to the pitch black inside the war machine. Small wafting
motes spun from the ceiling to glimmer in the early morning rays.
If his senses weren’t assaulted by the rank smell of human piss it
would have been almost beautiful.
    Suddenly stiff, jerky limbs came alive,
trying to pull and push their waiflike bodies to their feet. He
watched them, smirking at their pale, shaking bodies. They seemed
to be getting weaker. That won’t do at all. ‘Bout time to get
some fresh pairs of legs. He kicked at one body that took
longer rising than the others. Only one human would dare do that to
him.
    “Amaeya! I’m in no mood for your games! The
Chief will want you by his side today, he will, especially after a
night like last night!”
    Fanger snatched the fraying blanket from the
body, growling at her sluggishness. His body froze with his yellow
eyes wide as an owls as he studied the corpse before him. The
human’s face was contorted in a mixture of pain and fear, but that
wasn’t the worst of it. Large splinters of wood stuck out of its
face. One very bloody sliver stuck out of its neck, blood
congealing into a slime with a strong, biting metallic smell.
    Fanger kicked the body, enraged that he had
allowed himself to be frightened by such a pathetic sight. He
grabbed the nearest slave by the throat and pulled him upright.
    “What happened here? What did this? Tell me
now or I’ll gut you!” Fanger’s eyes had paled to almost white. He
was mere inches from uncontrollable panic.
    The slave’s head lolled up to look at him,
its eyes glazed over like dirty glass marbles. Its mouth opened
only to gurgle and moan.
    Fanger roared, drawing his sword and pressing
the hungry steel against the human’s bulging neck. Its empty eyes
rolled around its head until they stared up and over his head. He
noticed the shuffling and scraping sounds of the other slaves had
ceased. They all stood staring, unmoving as withered trees.
    He shoved the human away from him, gripping
his sword tight in preparation for whatever stood behind him
    Fanger whirled around, ready to fight. His
mouth flew open and his sword fell from his fingers, clanging on
the dirty ground. His eyes darted around the scene, sensing there
was far worse trouble than the mangled Phookan that hung from the
wall like a rotting trophy . The chain!
    His hands snatched the empty manacles lying
on the floor.
    Two pairs. One for Amaeya, and the other? The
wizard. Damn him!
    He clenched his teeth, trying with all his
might to resist howling with rage. This had to be kept quiet and
under control. He had to find them or find someone else to place
the blame. Finding them would be out of the