The Pure: Book Three of the Oz Chronicles by R.W. Ridley Read Free Book Online

roots, but never falling.
    “‘What?’ I asked Ajax and Kimball. They,
of course, did not answer. They simply continued their hysterics. Ajax pounded
his chest, pock-pock-pock, pock-pock-pock.
    “I saw the branches of the dead trees in
the back of the orchard move. An animal, scratch that, a herd of animals was
slowly heading towards us. An animal I had never seen before. The chatter
intensified. I covered my ears, but the noise was inside my head.
    “‘Silencers,’ I barely heard a voice
say. I turned to see Lou standing at the ready with her sword.
    “‘What?’
    “‘Silencers,’ she repeated. ‘Nothing to worry
about. They’re working with us.’
    “I shook my head. ‘You mean you. I’m not
working with anybody.’
    “She shrugged her shoulders. ‘If that’s
the way you want it.’
    “‘I do,’ I said. Ajax was growing more
and more agitated. He huffed and gritted his massive teeth. ‘Your gorilla
doesn’t seem too thrilled,’ I said.
    “‘I don’t blame him,’ she said. ‘They
cut out his tongue.’
    “She said it with such a nonchalant tone
that I couldn’t believe she’d actually said it. I must have heard her wrong. I
had to have. ‘His tongue?’
    “She nodded. ‘They didn’t eat it
though.’
    “She said this as if it was a great
gesture of goodwill by the Silencers.
    “‘That’s great...’ I stopped
mid-thought. I got my first glimpse of a Silencer. It had a human torso and
head, only the head was upside down. The mouth (where the forehead should be)
appeared to be sewn shut in a dreadful frown. The bottom half of the creature
was a four-legged crab. It bore a single spike at the end of each leg and five
deadly spikes at the end of each hand.
    “‘A new one,’ I heard in my head.
    “I breathed in and almost choked.
    “‘Relax,’ Lou said. ‘I told you they’re
working with us.’
    “‘A fresh, delicious tongue,’ a raspy
voice said in my head. ‘I just need a little taste.’
    “‘Do they know that?’ I said to Lou,
backing away.
    “‘Most of them,’ she smiled.
    “If she was joking, I didn’t get it.
    “She rolled her eyes. ‘You see that
one?’ She pointed to a Silencer in the middle of the orchard. He looked no
different from the others except for a chain with a tongue hanging around his
neck.
    “‘Ye-Yeah,’ I said.
    “‘That’s Canter. He’s the leader. He’s
the only one that matters. The rest of them do what he says.’
    “The group of about twenty Silencers
reached us. They swayed and sniffed the air. One broke from the pack and
stepped forward. Ajax roared and leapt toward it. Another Silencer advanced.
Ajax pounded the ground, and Kimball’s hackles were up. He barked incessantly.
    “‘Wow,’ I said. ‘Y’all work really well
together.’
    “‘Ajax! Kimball!’ Lou screamed. ‘Back!’
    “Wes and the others (including my crew)
approached from behind us.
    “The one Lou called Canter looked me up
and down.
    “‘Picked them up last night. Following
your dead-end lead,’ she said with no attempt to hide the irritation in her
voice. “Canter glared at her.
    “‘Every lead you’ve given me has been a
dead-end. I’m starting to think you don’t want me to find him.’
    “Canter moved forward.
    “‘It’s getting harder and harder to
believe you.’
    “It was obvious they were having a
conversation, but I couldn’t hear Canter’s half. I turned to others to see if
they could hear the ugly crab-thingy.
    “‘None of that,’ Wes said. ‘Damn it now.
Pipe us all in or don’t talk at all.’
    “Canter and Wes exchanged a stern look.
The ugly creature then focused on Lou.
    “‘Do it,’ she said. There was a pause.
‘Just do it!’
    “‘Do not take that tone with me,’ a
voice said in my head. ‘This alliance is held together with the thinnest of
threads. You would be advised not to push me too far.’
    “Lou took a deep breath. ‘I... I’m
sorry. It’s just that we need all ears on this. It’s too