Legends of the Saloli: Vengeance and Mercy Read Online Free PDF Page A

here now.
     
    Stepping inside, he called out, “Smallthorn, are you in here?” There was no answer.
     
    Walking a few steps further inside, Blaze cast his gaze across the small space. It was barely a foot and a half tall, and two feet wide. He spotted a strange marking on the wall. Temporarily distracted, he moved over to see it better. Upon closer inspection, he found that it looked like a cross, painted black upon the gray stone. No, it wasn’t a cross. The very bottom did not flatten out into a smooth edge, but narrowed until it formed a sharp point.
     
    It was a sword.
     
    Looking a bit further left, he saw something else painted upon the cave wall. This one was bright red. Before he could get a better look, though, something hit him from behind, propelling him forward, and he struck his head on the stone wall. Through dimming vision, he saw Razor standing above him, a look of triumph on his face.
     

Chapter Six
     

     
    Blaze was lying on a rough surface. This was the first thought that passed through his mind as his senses slowly began to return to him. It felt like stone. Was he still in the cave? No, he could smell other saloli around him, far too many to fit in that little cave. Besides, Razor would never have left him there after attacking him, especially not on Icefire’s territory. Forcing his eyes open, he quickly shut them again when the bright daylight burned him. When they had adjusted to the light, he opened them again.
     
    All around him he saw dozens of saloli. There must have been at least eighty, perhaps even a hundred. They were all abnormally thin, and smelled of despair. Looking further revealed where he was. He was no longer in the cave, as he had surmised, but in a canyon. It was around twenty feet from side to side, and the walls rose seven feet on all sides. Around the edge, more saloli were positioned, keeping watch on the ones below them.
     
    Getting to his paws, Blaze walked to the closest saloli, “Where are we?” He asked, “What’s going on?”
     
    “Shhh!” The saloli shushed him, a look of fear crossing his face, “If they hear us talking, they’ll punish us!” With that, the saloli turned and made his way into the crowd, leaving a very confused Blaze.
     
    “Hey,” someone whispered behind him, “Blaze!”
     
    Turning, Blaze saw Smallthorn standing a few feet away, motioning for him to come over. Hurrying over, he asked, “Where are we? What is this place?”
     
    “Quiet!” Smallthorn whispered, looking around fearfully, “Talking isn’t allowed here. They’ll punish us if they catch us doing it.”
     
    “What is this place?” Blaze asked again, lowering his voice to a whisper like his friend’s.
     
    “It’s Darkcover’s war prison. They’ve been kidnapping saloli from the other tribes and putting them in here.”
     
    “How long have you been here?”
     
    “Since the day Newthorn died. Razor ambushed me, and knocked me unconscious. When I came to, I was here.”
     
    “Did he get you in the fox cave?”
     
    “Yes, I was hiding there to be alone. That’s not important right now, though. Blaze, Darkcover has taken over Groundsky’s territory. That’s where we are right now!”
     
    At this revelation, Blaze felt his heart sink into his stomach. If Darkcover was, indeed, expanding their dominion over the forest, then that meant that their forces had to have grown as well. But by how much?
     
    “Smallthorn,” he whispered, urgently, “we need to get out of here. If Darkcover’s plans are coming to fruition, then we have to warn Icefire, perhaps Cyclone as well.”
     
    Astoundingly, the light drained out of Smallthorn’s eyes at these words, and he hung his head in dejection, “We can’t,” he said, “They’ve got it too well guarded. The last saloli who tried was stopped by three Darkcover saloli, and killed.”
     
    Blaze was shocked to hear his friend say this. Smallthorn had never been one to give up without a fight. Whatever