Knight Eternal (A Novel of Epic Fantasy) (Harbinger of Doom Volume 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

cold. Blood streamed down his
cheek. He coughed and spat up blood, and coughed again. Then
everything hurt more. His vision was blurred, his mind clouded; it
was difficult to breathe. He felt as if he floated in a fog. Then
he saw Sir Gabriel walking toward him—strangely, Ezerhauten and
Mort Zag walked on either side.
    “ Help
me,” Jude said. I’m saved; it’s Sir
Gabriel.
    Sir Gabriel squatted down before him. His
eyes glowed a brilliant gold, an eerie grin on his face.
    Jude’s eyes widened in
alarm as he realized who fronted him now; his body shuddered in
fear, though he had no strength to move, no command of his muscles.
“Korrgonn,” he said. “Please—don’t kill me.” Can’t abandon my brothers.
    Jude’s vision grew dark and he saw no
more.
     
    ***
     
    “ I told him not go,” said
Ector. Claradon, Duke Harringgold, Angle Theta, Ob, and several
others gathered around the young knight in Harringgold’s
study.
    “ I told him it was a trap.
We argued and finally he gave in and said he wouldn’t go himself.
He said he would send a squadron of knights and men-at-arms under
Balfin. Next thing I knew, Indigo burst into my chambers saying
that Jude just rode off leading a dozen men. One dozen. Not even a
half squadron. The idiot.”
    “ More muscle than brains
is Jude,” said Ob, nodding.
    “ Indigo and I rode after
them with what men we could assemble in a few minutes.
    We found them a couple
miles north of Riker’s Crossroads. They were ambushed. Twelve men
dead, including Balfin, Mordekain, Mithras, and
Desmond.”
    Claradon and Ob shuddered and winced as he
spoke each name. Each one a friend and comrade of long years.
    Ector took a deep breath
before continuing. “Not just dead. They were mutilated. Unspeakable
things were done to them. Some even looked—gnawed upon.”
    “ Dead gods,” said Tanch.
“Madness, sheer madness. What did we do to bring this
on?”
    “ What of Jude?” said Ob
quietly.
    “ He wasn’t there. They
must’ve taken him.”
    “ Did you search the wood?”
said Ob perking up. “Could he have run for it?”
    “ His horse was down, dead
in the road. They’d pulled a rope up from the brush and tripped the
lead horses. It looked like they fell at a gallop.”
    “ He would’ve been thrown,”
said Ob.
    “ We found no trail leading
into the woods. They took him.”
    “ How many of them did you
find?” asked the Duke.
    “ Not a one. They either
took their dead with them, or none were killed.”
    “ None killed?” spouted Ob.
“Not likely. Twelve men of House Eotrus didn’t go lightly, I’ll
tell you. Balfin is—was—an expert; Mordekain, a bruiser as strong
as Jude, and Desmond was as tough as nails. Dropped twice their
number at least, ambushed or not. They went down as heroes, and I
will hear nothing different from nobody, understand?” Ob smacked
his fist into his other hand and cursed under his
breath.
    Ector stared down at his feet for a
respectful while before continuing. “We came on to Lomion as fast
as we could, chasing at their heels all the way. We got close
enough to see them, but no closer.”
    “ Who were they, and how
many?” said Ob, still red-faced and bristling.
    “ Fifteen to twenty riders,
plus a large coach that moves like the wind.”
    Claradon, Ob, and Theta exchanged
glances.
    “ We followed them to the
city, but lost them at the north gate. The guards let the brigands
pass swiftly through, but held us there for many minutes. We were
so close. It was all I could do to not cut the gatemen
down.”
    “ Did it seem as if the
guards delayed you on purpose?” said Harringgold. “To let the
brigands get clear?”
    “ Maybe, but it’s hard to
say. A Myrdonian Captain gave us a difficult time, asking why we
were riding so hard and what we were about. He just wouldn’t listen
to me or didn’t care, and made no move to stop the coach despite my
pleading.”
    “ Did you get the Captain’s
name?” said the Duke.
    Ector paused,