a sixth excerpt from SOUL OF SKULLS
Happy New Year, everyone! Let’s have another excerpt from SOUL OF SKULLS:
“See,” said the bandit, “this is my road, and there’s a toll for passing through. We’ll take your horses, and that fine armor and sword of yours.” His eyes flicked over Mazael’s armor of dragon scales and Lion’s golden pommel. “And any food you have, too. Then you can go peacefully on your way. Wouldn’t want…”
“Stop talking,” said Mazael.
The armored bandit blinked in surprise.
Mazael dropped from the saddle. Fighting from horseback would be useless in the thick trees. He reached up, pulled his shield down from the saddle, and slid it onto his left arm.
The bandit laughed. “Now, I can appreciate gallantry, but surely you don’t mean to fight! We have you outnumbered twenty to…”
“I said,” said Mazael, “to stop talking. I will give you exactly one chance to save your life. Those peasants you robbed a few hours ago? You will return their goods, and then leave your life of banditry. Otherwise I’m going to kill you all.”
The armored bandit’s mask of jollity vanished in a moment, and Mazael heard the creak of drawn bowstrings.
“You think you can lord over us?” snarled the bandit. “You know what I’ll do? I’ll take that fancy sword and ram it so far up your arse you’ll taste steel. And then we’ll take your daughter, right in front of you, and make you watch as we…”
Molly’s derisive laugh drowned out the bandit’s threats.
“You?” she said. “Please. Your heart would give out from exertion long before you finished.”
Some of the waiting archers laughed.
“Kill them all!” roared the armored bandit, lifting his spiked axe…
-JM