Tales of the Wolf: Book 01 - The Coming of the Wolf Read Online Free PDF Page B

flame.”
    Gram spit onto the stone floor. “I am not a thief. Not now…not ever.” He looked around. “Speaking of thieves, where is that locksmith of ours, Quglie?”
    Lalith gestured to the far corner. “He fell in battle. One of the golems crushed him before my spell went off.”
    “Damn halfling! Getting’ himself kilt by a walkin’ statue!”
    Lalith offered the wineskin to the warriors. “Drink a toast to his honor. He did not flee or beg for mercy but stood his ground against a deadly foe.”
    Taking the wineskin, Gram took a long swig. It was warm and slightly bitter as it ran down his throat. He passed it to Jax. The minotaur drank deeply before passing it to Darnac who just slung the wineskin over his shoulder.
    Lalith grinned as she moved to the stone archway set in the middle of the back wall. The opening was filled with a swirling darkness that was darker than midnight on a moonless night. It was as if the black void that was the passageway sucked in the fading light never letting any of it escape.
    Turning to her companions, Lalith spoke softly. “It is time. From here on in, we cannot chance a light and sound must be kept at a minimum.”
    Without waiting to see if anyone would follow, Lalith stepped into the darkness and disappeared from view. Gram looked at Jax who looked at Darnac. The elven warrior just shrugged his shoulders and stepped through the archway. Seconds later, the dwarf and the minotaur followed suit.
    Gram wasn’t ten steps in when he began to feel an intense burning in his stomach. Shrugging it off as a side effect of the elixir, he continued down the dark passageway. Minutes later he stumbled out of the dark corridor into a great chamber that stretch over a hundred yards across. He saw that the floor dropped off into shadows while the ceiling rose to the height of several hundred feet. An elaborate spider web with strands the size of a man’s wrist covered the whole chamber. Hanging in the very heart of the web was a large cocoon the size of an elephant. Slight movement could be seen within its silken strands. 
    Glancing about the chamber, Gram realized that Lalith and Darnac were nowhere to be seen. He was about to call out when the burning in his belly increased. Wincing in pain, Gram noticed that Jax was also grabbing his stomach.
    “Poison! The elf bitch poisoned us!”
    Lalith and Darnac stepped out of the shadows behind them. With a wave of her hand she dropped the illusion spell which had hidden their true forms. Gone was their pale white skin and dark hair only to replace by their opposites; their skin became as black as a moonless night and their hair was white as snow. Even through the pain, Gram flinched unconsciously as he recognized them as the Svartaflar – more commonly known as Dark Elves. 
    A slight smile crossed Lalith’s face as she noticed his reaction to their appearance. Moving over to the still form of Gram, Lalith gently caressed his red beard. “Don’t worry. The poison in itself is not fatal. It will merely paralyze you for several days.”
    Glancing up, she watched as three large spiders each the size of a small pony began their descent from the dark ceiling. “Unfortunately you’ll be dead by then.”
    Stripping off her heavy cloak, Lalith handed it to Darnac. She glanced down at the helpless dwarf, his pleading eyes spoke volumes.
    “Why you ask?” 
    One of the large spiders had moved to Gram’s feet and had begun spinning a web around them, while the other two were working on the fallen Minotaur.
    As Lalith continued to strip off her clothes she said, “It won’t hurt to tell you.”
    With a wave of her hand, the spider stopped its work and scuttled back a few steps.
    “You came here to help fulfill an ancient prophecy and discover a great treasure.  So did I. But unfortunately for you and your friends, I work for the other side. With your sacrifice, I will bring the Great Enemy back to Terreth and together, we will conquer the known