Excerpt Thursday: SOUL OF DRAGONS

For this week’s Excerpt Thursday, we have an excerpt from SOUL OF DRAGONS!

I think more of my books need dragons on the cover. 🙂

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“Aye, my lord?” said Circan.

“Any more of them out there?” said Mazael.

Circan rolled the wire-wrapped crystal through his fingers, eyelids fluttering. “There…yes. Perhaps a score of those deformed Malrags. And…” His eyes opened wide.

“What is it?” said Mazael.

“Four hundred of them,” said Circan. “Perhaps six miles away. Coming this way, quickly. My lord, they will be upon us within the hour.”

Mazael cursed. Mounted men could take on a larger number of Malrags. Yet here, among the tangled roots and uneven ground of the Great Southern Forest, riding horses into battle was suicide. Four hundred Malrags would overwhelm Mazael’s men, especially if the shamans unleashed their green lightning. Could Mazael break free, escape before the Malrags caught them? No, Malrags moved faster then men on foot.

“We’ll need to fortify,” said Gerald. “Find a strong place where the terrain works to our advantage, and fight the Malrags from a position of strength.”

“We need more time than we have to fortify,” said Mazael, his mind racing. “We’ll…”

“Mazael,” said Romaria. “There is a ruined castle near here, from the kingdom of Old Dracaryl. It’s been abandoned for years, but the walls still stand. We can fortify the gate, and hold out until we kill whatever balekhan or Demonsouled commands the Malrags.”

“Can we make it in time?” said Mazael.

“It’s three miles southeast,” said Romaria. “Overlooking the stream we forded this morning. If we hasten, we can get there before the Malrags.”

Mazael stared into the trees. They had encountered a few Malrag warbands since leaving Deepforest Keep, ragged groups of a few dozen, some still bearing wounds from Ultorin’s crushing defeat. Four hundred Malrags aided by zuvembies and shamans was a far more dangerous foe. Mazael needed an edge.

“Go,” said Mazael, ramming Lion into its scabbard and turning towards Hauberk.

They rode to the southeast, taking the wounded with them and leaving the dead behind.

-JM