Terror At The Temple (Book 3) by Craig Halloran Read Free Book Online

Whatever poison they stuck me with wasn’t wearing off. I spit a gummy salty substance from my mouth, leaned back, and sat down. Now was not the time to panic. It was time to think.
    “Excellent, Dragon. Look what you’ve gotten yourself into,” I said, tossing my hair over my shoulder. At least the rain had stopped. But now I was thirsty.
    An hour passed.
    My stomach growled. My head swam. And I was seeing black spots from time to time.
    Another hour passed.
    Nausea set in and cold sweat as well, and I began to shake with chills.
    What did they stick me with ?
    I wrapped my arms around my knees and huddled in the cage. And there I lay, spinning and spinning and spinning.

 
    CHAPTER 11
     
     
    Bad people do bad things.
    A ray of sunlight warmed my face, but it didn’t stop the shivers. Time was lost to me, the minutes agony, but from the fading light coming through the cracks in the barn door, it seemed the sun was setting. I remembered the Jackal saying something about the night. Something bad was going to happen. As if it hadn’t happened already.
    I heard wood rubbing against metal, a horrible sound in my distorted ears. Light flooded the barn as the door was slid open. Enforcers. I couldn’t see how many. The squeak of older wagon wheels felt like jamming nails in my ears.
    “Hurry up and get them in there,” one enforcer said. “And double check those locks. We can’t have any escaping. Remember the last time. Jorkan’s dead. The Jackal saw to that. And I’ll not be losing my head over some busted locks!”
    “You check them then!” one said.
    “What? Who said that? Osclar, did you say that?”
    “Yes!”
    “Why you little toad eater! Get over there and check those locks, those bars, that door―or it’s going to be the stockade for you! Understand!”
    “Certainly, Harvey. Certainly!”
    I heard the one I believed to be Harvey grunt, and I started my wait. I closed my eyes and let the shivers take over.
    “What have we got here?” Harvey said. “Not feeling so spry now are you, Demon?”
    “He’s not a demon.” I heard one say.
    “What!”
    “He’s not a demon; that’s was the Jackal said. He’s cursed.”
    I heard Harvey chuckle.
    “Oh, he’s cursed alright. He probably just didn’t know it till now. That Uken poison Renny stuck him with'll have him feeling and seeing all kinds of crazy things.” Harvey checked the lock on the cage. “Tonight's going to really be something. You got those cages secured, Oscar!”
    “Nope!” Oscar said, giggling.
    Harvey grunted again.
    “Shaddup and let’s go; I’m hungry.”
    “Say, Harvey, how long do you think he’ll last?”
    “Shut your mouth, Oscar. The boss says no talking.”
    Oh, talk. Please talk .
    “I don’t see why not. It’s not like it matters if they know what’s coming or not.”
    “He likes the looks of surprise on their faces.”
    “Me too,” the 3 rd enforcer said.
    “Let’s go, chatter mouths.”
    My tongue clove to the roof of my mouth. Say something, Dragon! My quivering lips stayed sealed.
    “Huh,” Harvey said, “looks like this man is done already.”
    “He got some good licks on Big Brock, though. Never seen anyone hurt Brock before.”
    “Me neither.”
    “Shaddup you two! LET’S GO!”
    Harvey’s loud voice sounded like an explosion in my ears. I couldn’t even open my eyes to see as I heard them walk out and slide the barn door closed.
    Idiot . All I had learned was things were not only as bad as before but worse.
    I shivered and shivered. I needed the Uken poison to wear off. Fight it, Dragon! Fight! The darkness came, leaving me alone in the barn with two torches and two new cages. I managed to open my eyes to see. Two forms huddled, one in each cage. Perhaps they could tell me something. I opened my mouth, but no words came.
    “Father?”
    It was the voice of a young man speaking to the other.
    “Ssssh, be silent, Son. Else they’ll whip us.”
    Silence came. A little rustling around