Nightlord: Shadows Read Online Free PDF Page B

silver,” Kammen said.
    “Sounds like good stuff,” I observed, while thinking that I wasn’t going to ask what sort of were-beast was involved. “Well, if I manage to get fed sometime in the near future, we’ll see if I can come up with something appropriate for you three.”
    They traded that look with each other again. Kammen was the one who spoke.
    “Are we going to, you know, have to, well, deal with any of the, the ghosts?”
    “I haven’t seen one since I woke up, but I’m certain you’ll manage just fine. Meanwhile, let’s see if we can get a firepit going. Anyone know how to slaughter and roast a goat?”

    The boys/men knew how. They gathered firewood from the overgrown area at the peak; the courtyard’s inner wall went straight up for thirty feet or so, then turned into a wilderness on top. They went up the steps of the inner courtyard wall and came back with a lot of deadwood. Some basic woodcraft later, they had a spit and braces, with pieces of goat-meat searing over a fire. Seldar even went so far as to catch the goat’s blood in a bowl when they slaughtered it. Torvil gathered more wood and Kammen cooked.
    I resisted the urge to drink the blood. Blood cravings during the day were new. Normally, I just want something mundane to eat. Fortunately, Kammen had a few slices of meat ready fairly quickly. I inhaled them and waited patiently for more. The four of us started spitting meat and roasting it as quickly as the fire allowed.
    To give credit where credit is due, they didn’t react too badly the first time I snapped a piece of meat right off a stick with my teeth. They were merely startled. Nobody screamed, but I think it was a close thing. They seemed determined to be unruffled if I did anything odd. I was surprised, but I tried to keep myself in better check after that.
    I ate everything edible, right down to the marrow in the bones. I felt a little better, and the appeal of a bowl of fresh goat blood was considerably lessened. Maybe it was just exceptional hunger.
    About then I heard the ringing, like the bells on an old-style, wind-up alarm clock, but much deeper.
    “Thank you very much for breakfast, gentlemen,” I said, rising. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think my horse is here.”
    “Lord?” Kammen asked. They all treated me with a good deal more respect and deference. Whether that was because they regarded me as a monster or a king, I’m not sure.
    “What’s on your mind, Kammen?”
    “Will you be back… later?”
    I nodded.
    “I will. My plans are to, first, go find a dazhu and eat it. Then, after sundown, I’ll go back to the herd and eat the rest of them. Probably.” I frowned. On the other hand, if I was as hungry as I expected to be, I might not have that much presence of mind. Well, we could put a bowl of blood outside and they could hide in the room with my statue. And maybe Bronze could sort of encourage me to go chase dazhu.
    Outside, the alarm-bell clangor had grown considerably louder. Bronze, looking very much like a massive draft horse, galloped across the bridge, around the mountain, and started the spiral up. The main thoroughfares ascended at a shallow angle, leading up and around. Other streets ran in counter-spirals, making a sort of grid, but Bronze didn’t bother to slow down for the switchback turns that would require. For my part, I hurried out the northern door, around to the far side of the courtyard and was at the south-facing outer gate by the time she skidded through it, hooves trailing comet tails of blue-green lightning. The metal-on-stone screech must have been audible for miles.
    Bronze. My horse. At slightly over seven feet at the shoulder, she’s markedly larger than any horse I’ve ever seen. She was definitely more heavily built than I recalled, with thicker legs and a deeper chest. She seemed more of a golden color than I recalled, but there’s no telling what she’s been eating.
    She kept her head up for a moment, blowing fire and