Soul of Dragons – an excerpt

It’s only Tuesday, but it’s already been a rough week. How about we treat ourselves to a quick excerpt from SOUL OF DRAGONS?

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“We’re not in the Grim Marches yet,” said Mazael. A halo of crackling blue flame snarled around Lion’s blade. “Brace yourselves!”

A moment later dark shapes erupted from the trees.

Mazael expected to see Malrags. Creatures with gray, leathery skin. Hands with six fingers and the fang-filled mouths. White, colorless eyes, and a third eye glowing in the foreheads of the shamans. Black armor, and the axes and spears of black steel.

He did not expect to see a line of animated corpses burst from the trees, moving with inhuman speed, empty eyes shining with green flame. The creatures looked as if they had been dead for some time, crumbling flesh stretched tight over yellowing bones. Yet they moved with supernatural speed and power, some racing on all fours as their clawed fingers raked at the earth. Mazael had seen such creatures before. They were corpses, raised by the dark magic of a skilled necromancer.

Zuvembies.

Lion shuddered in his grasp, its azure flame burning brighter.

“Release!” bellowed one of the archers.

“No!” shouted Mazael, “no, lower your bows, take your…”

But it was too late. His men knew how to fight Malrags, but most of them had never seen a zuvembie before. A storm of arrows slammed into the charging mob of zuvembies. The impact knocked the front row down, sent them sprawling into the others. But the arrowheads did not harm the undead flesh.

Normal steel could not wound a thing raised by necromancy.

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Watch this space for more excerpts!

-JM