Blood Lies (Dark Brothers of the Light #9) Read Online Free PDF Page B

the
wynderjyn. Alons snatched it off and slid his arm through the
straps before bounding into the saddle with a glad cry. "Abby, I
knew you'd find me. I knew you were still alive."
    "Your missing token? Abby?"
    "Ja. My Abby. Mount. They'll get us out of
here."
    The unicorn prodded Horst and he climbed
onto it, settling his feet in the stirrups.
    "Let's get out of here!" Alons galloped
toward a break between two demons with Horst at his heels and Lion
running all out beside them.
    Their sudden movement stirred the ghouls
from the remnants of their initial lethargy. The creatures lurched
from the roofs and hurled themselves from their attic nests,
hooting and ululating at the sight of fleeing prey.
    At the corner of Meinhardtstrasse, three
clusters of demons hooted and screeched: a cluster of five
yellow-manes – the large older males – in the center, four
mane-less adolescent males on the right hand corner and three
females on the left. The latter groups were allowed to scavenge
from what remained after the yellow-manes had eaten their fill of
whatever they had pulled down.
    Horst searched for reins and found none. He
flicked a glance at Alons as the unicorn's stride lengthened. "No
reins!"
    "He knows what he's doing."
    One moment they were charging toward the
knot of yellow-manes, and the next, they had swerved sharply into
the three females. Alons, riding to Horst's left, cut down the
nearest one. Their swerve confused the yellow-manes, buying Alons
and Horst a few seconds to dash past and make the turn onto
Meinhardtstrasse. The yellow-manes leaped after them, swiftly
reducing the equines' lead. Abby struggled to keep pace with the
unicorn, and Horst could sense his mount holding back, reluctant to
outdistance her. Running beside them, Lion's eyes were wide and his
tongue flapped like a flag beside his jowls.
    Alons glanced back. The five yellow-manes
were nearly upon them, and beyond those came the rest of the pack.
There must have been thirty or more of them – more than enough to
overwhelm their entire encampment. Then the yellow-manes reached
them: two setting upon Alons and three going for Horst, drawn by
the delicious purity of the unicorn.
    Claws slid off his flawless chainmail as
Alons struck a ghoul in the neck hard enough to break bone. The
creature went down in the snow and did not move. The other attacked
from Alons' left only to get stunned by a shield in its face. Alons
veered into a ghoul attacking Horst's open left. His companion
screamed as Alons drove his sword into the ghoul's back, gave it a
twist, ensuring a smooth release, and popped it out. As the
creature fell, Alons saw that Horst's arm hung useless, bleeding
from shoulder to wrist.
    To the right of Horst, two yellow-manes
crowded each other to reach him. The unicorn and rider turned at
bay. Claws shredded Horst's makeshift armor and tore his side open.
Lion accounted for one of the ghouls, biting a chunk from its belly
and spitting out a mouthful of entrails. Rage carried Horst through
the pain long enough to hack through the remaining yellow-mane's
shoulder.
    Then they were riding hard again, Horst
doubled over in the saddle, clutching his torn side, and Lion
running beside him.
    Alons glanced behind him. "There's dozens of
them."
    Horst nodded, his features twisted into a
harsh grimace. "Don't look back."
    "I'm praying for a miracle."
    The unicorn, as if sensing the desperate
condition of his rider, put on a burst of speed when they neared
the gates to the previously abandoned ducal estate.
    Alons made the sign of the Lady as Horst
outdistanced him.
    Ahead of them, Father Franz Bachmeier strode
confidently out of the gates to stand in the middle of the street
with a black-clad crone, whom Alons had never seen before. Four
children followed the strange pair carrying baskets. He tore his
attention from them, glancing about for Horst, but his friend had
already gone through the gates and become lost from sight. Alons
glimpsed an overloaded wagon