Rebel Elements (Seals of the Duelists) Read Online Free PDF Page B

travelers!” a voice called from the road ahead.
    Bayan poked his head out of the window. Philo grasped the back of his shirt and hauled him inside, but not before Bayan had seen Frits and Fabian astride their horses, engaging a small collection of men on foot.
    “You want to get your head chopped off, son?” the older eunuch hissed, all trace of his usual good humor gone. “These are vagaries!”
    “Vagaries?”
    “Bandits. Vagaries of travel. An old empire term.”

    “Halloo, I know you’re in there,” the same vagary taunted in a sugary voice.
    Bayan looked out his window again. The old man stood atop a weathered boulder against the hillside. He waved at the carriage.
    Bayan turned to Philo. “What do we do?”
    “Nothing. If Frits, Nic, and Fabian can’t handle him, Joord, Lemmert, and Konrad will be along shortly. You stay in here and out of sight, and no more creating crevasses in the ground. Understand?”
    “Yes, Surveyor.”
    An arrow slammed into the carriage, its narrow head piercing the wall above Kipri’s head. The young eunuch skittered across the bench seat.
    “It’s the right now that worries me,” Kipri said, wide-eyed. “There’s a lot more of them than there are of us.”
    The zhoom of Nic’s bowstring told Bayan that the driver was firing back, until an odd whizzing noise resulted in his crying out and toppling from his bench.
    “Halloo again.” A man’s face abruptly appeared at the window. His dark complexion blended with his attire, making him appear as a shadow. “It isn’t nice when the prey fights back, you know.”
    The man dropped a smoking ball onto the carriage floor and darted away. Acrid orange gas emanated from a hole in the ball, burning Bayan’s eyes.
    “Get out! Out!” Philo shouted. Coughing, he shoved Kipri out the far door. Bayan threw open the door nearest to him and leaped out, gasping for air. He landed on his hands and knees, then crawled away from the wagon, praying the agony in his lungs ended quickly. The caustic burn of the orange smoke faded quickly, replaced by the dry mineral smell of the dust and pebbles beneath his palms.
    “Not so fast, young man.”
    Cold metal pressed against the back of Bayan’s neck, and fear shot down his spine like chill lightning.
    “No one leaves without my permission. Empty your pockets.”
    Bayan eased up into a kneeling position and held his trembling hands away from his sides. “I have nothing with me.”
    “Liar.” The man circled Bayan and leaned close, baring crooked teeth. His hair wasn’t gray after all, but powdered with flour, and the bandage on his leg didn’t slow his stride. “Show me your baubles, muckling.” The man lifted a dirty boot, put it against Bayan’s chest, and shoved.
    Bayan tumbled back into the dirt, skidding across rough stones that dug into his back. His mind flashed back to Imee’s slap, when the dark something inside him had risen and retaliated. At the time he’d been terrified of the unknown power within him, but at present, he was more terrified of the man before him.
    You can come out now , he told the darkness.
    The vagary stepped closer and reached for Bayan’s collar, his short sword in his other hand. Bayan parried away the man’s reach and threw him off balance. He jammed a foot into the vagary’s gut and shoved hard. A bright light buzzed around Bayan’s shoe, and the man flew through the air, trailing a conspicuous arc of white light which vanished while he was still in midair. The man landed with a surprised grunt among some dusty shrubs. He shook his head and blinked as if waking from a dream. He lunged for his dropped sword, but released its hilt with a hiss of pain. With an angry grunt, he stood and drew a long dagger.
    Bayan jumped to his feet, anticipating a quick attack; the look in his opponent’s eyes promised Bayan a plethora of pain. Weaponless, Bayan adopted a narrow defensive stance. The vagary advanced and thrust his blade at Bayan’s belly.