Doom's Break Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Christopher Rowley
infestation.
Ter-Saab was the first to reach the ship. Thru was close behind him, alongside Mentu and Pern Glazen. They gathered there, listening carefully. Thru crawled up the sternpost and found a seam in which to plant his feet and slide over the rail. Ter-Saab quickly joined him, with Mentu and Pern close behind.
"I count five men down there."
"The others are in the hold, I'd say," whispered Mentu.
"Then we have a chance," said Thru.
"Now!" said Ter-Saab, and they got up and hurled themselves forward.
The fishermen saw them coming only at the last moment and turned in stunned surprise at the attack. Ter-Saab walloped the closest over the head and threw him headlong down into the hold.
A general melee followed while the men in the hold looked up astonished. With a shout they jumped to the ladder, but Ter-Saab was already there, wielding a broken oar, and the first man on the ladder paid the price.
Thru pitched another man down to the hold, and Pern Glazen hammered a third to the deck. The two who remained on deck drew back into the bow, holding out their knives. Their faces were contorted in terror, for in the moonlight they perceived they were fighting inhuman foes.
"Demons!" one of them shouted. "They're fornicating demons!"
"They look like the thing we caught in the woods. Apes of some sort," shouted Tricko from down in the hold.
"They're apes who know how to fight," shouted back the man on deck.
Thru Gillo leaned over the lip of the hold and called down in the tongue of the men of Shasht. "If you try to get out, we will kill you, do you understand? You will stay in the hold until we are gone."
The men fell silent.
"It speaks?" said one.
"I do indeed," said Thru very clearly. "You have done us a great wrong and severely hurt our comrade. For that you will pay, but we will not have your blood on our hands if we can avoid it."
"You saying you ain't going to kill us?" said Tricko, the leader and de facto captain of the ship.
Just then Janbur came running up, for Juf had brought the boat alongside the pirate vessel. Janbur carried one of the bows that Thru had made, and with it Thru's quiver of arrows. He gave this to Ter-Saab, who notched an arrow and held it ready above the men in the hold.
"We will not kill you. But we will be avenged."
The men stood there, clenching and unclenching their fists, their faces twisted in frustrated rage.
The two men at the bow still held out their knives, prepared to sell themselves dearly. Pern at one side and Mentu at the other confronted them with hammer and sword. Janbur went forward to join Mentu. Juf had climbed up at last, and he joined Pern.
The men in the hold seethed.
"Who the hell are you?" roared their leader.
Mentu leaned over the hold.
"We are men of Shasht, with our friends here, who are a folk from a distant land."
"They are furred demons. What do you do with them? You are unclean."
"No, they are a good-hearted people. We can learn much from them."
"Abomination! You speak abomination. We are men—we cannot learn from animals!"
"So you say. I think you are wrong."
Thru spoke to the men who crouched in the bow with drawn knives.
"Put down your knives. Jump down into the hold, and we will not harm you."
The men looked to each other with wide eyes.
"What should we do?" shouted one of them down to Tricko, the leader.
Tricko hesitated, undecided.
"Move down!" said Thru. "Or we will kill you." He gestured to the bow in Ter-Saab's hands.
At twenty feet, Ter-Saab couldn't miss. The men realized this. Both of them laid their knives on the deck and swung over into the hold and dropped down.
The ants were still boiling below, and the men could not stand still. They had to defend themselves from the red hordes.
Ter-Saab chuckled, watching the men stamping their feet and slapping their hands against the walls of the hold. "So that's what it looks like when you're fighting ants," he said to the others.
They all laughed. Another man gave a howl and
Ter-Saab was the first to reach the ship. Thru was close behind him, alongside Mentu and Pern Glazen. They gathered there, listening carefully. Thru crawled up the sternpost and found a seam in which to plant his feet and slide over the rail. Ter-Saab quickly joined him, with Mentu and Pern close behind.
"I count five men down there."
"The others are in the hold, I'd say," whispered Mentu.
"Then we have a chance," said Thru.
"Now!" said Ter-Saab, and they got up and hurled themselves forward.
The fishermen saw them coming only at the last moment and turned in stunned surprise at the attack. Ter-Saab walloped the closest over the head and threw him headlong down into the hold.
A general melee followed while the men in the hold looked up astonished. With a shout they jumped to the ladder, but Ter-Saab was already there, wielding a broken oar, and the first man on the ladder paid the price.
Thru pitched another man down to the hold, and Pern Glazen hammered a third to the deck. The two who remained on deck drew back into the bow, holding out their knives. Their faces were contorted in terror, for in the moonlight they perceived they were fighting inhuman foes.
"Demons!" one of them shouted. "They're fornicating demons!"
"They look like the thing we caught in the woods. Apes of some sort," shouted Tricko from down in the hold.
"They're apes who know how to fight," shouted back the man on deck.
Thru Gillo leaned over the lip of the hold and called down in the tongue of the men of Shasht. "If you try to get out, we will kill you, do you understand? You will stay in the hold until we are gone."
The men fell silent.
"It speaks?" said one.
"I do indeed," said Thru very clearly. "You have done us a great wrong and severely hurt our comrade. For that you will pay, but we will not have your blood on our hands if we can avoid it."
"You saying you ain't going to kill us?" said Tricko, the leader and de facto captain of the ship.
Just then Janbur came running up, for Juf had brought the boat alongside the pirate vessel. Janbur carried one of the bows that Thru had made, and with it Thru's quiver of arrows. He gave this to Ter-Saab, who notched an arrow and held it ready above the men in the hold.
"We will not kill you. But we will be avenged."
The men stood there, clenching and unclenching their fists, their faces twisted in frustrated rage.
The two men at the bow still held out their knives, prepared to sell themselves dearly. Pern at one side and Mentu at the other confronted them with hammer and sword. Janbur went forward to join Mentu. Juf had climbed up at last, and he joined Pern.
The men in the hold seethed.
"Who the hell are you?" roared their leader.
Mentu leaned over the hold.
"We are men of Shasht, with our friends here, who are a folk from a distant land."
"They are furred demons. What do you do with them? You are unclean."
"No, they are a good-hearted people. We can learn much from them."
"Abomination! You speak abomination. We are men—we cannot learn from animals!"
"So you say. I think you are wrong."
Thru spoke to the men who crouched in the bow with drawn knives.
"Put down your knives. Jump down into the hold, and we will not harm you."
The men looked to each other with wide eyes.
"What should we do?" shouted one of them down to Tricko, the leader.
Tricko hesitated, undecided.
"Move down!" said Thru. "Or we will kill you." He gestured to the bow in Ter-Saab's hands.
At twenty feet, Ter-Saab couldn't miss. The men realized this. Both of them laid their knives on the deck and swung over into the hold and dropped down.
The ants were still boiling below, and the men could not stand still. They had to defend themselves from the red hordes.
Ter-Saab chuckled, watching the men stamping their feet and slapping their hands against the walls of the hold. "So that's what it looks like when you're fighting ants," he said to the others.
They all laughed. Another man gave a howl and