Temple of the Traveler: Book 01 - Doors to Eternity Read Online Free PDF

and guard your mouth gate. Do not breathe if you can help it,” whispered Tashi, bracing to face this new threat. He’d never faced such a demon before, but had faith that the rune wards covering every spiritual nexus of his body, and the item around his neck, would protect him from any evil. The dust devil of the wizard’s fury built in intensity and size as it spanned the intervening gap. The lieutenant ducked behind Tashi again, sacrificing the shield of the bridge in favor of greater distance from this impending doom. Tashi, himself, might have been carved of stone as the spinning cloud zigzagged toward the pair, howling. When it drew close enough, tendrils whipped out and probed every part of the swordsman. Though the grit stung his cheeks and eyes, the wisps recoiled whenever they touched him. When the demon was sufficiently frustrated, Tashi used his confidence as a weapon against the noisy spirit, “You cannot have me. Flee my wrath and return to your host.” As a novice at the demon business, he made the typical mistake of not being specific with either order.
    About that moment, the two hunters creeping into the mill planted a dagger deep in the throat of the necromancer. Then Babu clubbed him from behind so hard the shutters broke asunder and the wizard was propelled out the window. For a timeless moment, the body seemed to hang in midair before plummeting down to dash against the hard ground. The men in the mill whooped and began shattering every trace of magic paraphernalia they could find. The demon spirit became frantic at these events, whipping all manner of loose matter through the air at gale speeds. The lieutenant began hyperventilating in panic and ran from the epicenter of the assault. The frenzied spirit felt this movement, tasted the delicious aura of fear, and poured itself into the man through his heaving lungs.
    “No!” shouted Tashi, betraying emotion for the first time. The lieutenant put up little struggle, grunting a few times before rolling on the ground. While the demon was still assuming control, the sheriff used the hilt of the Sword of Miracles to knock out the host body. The killing field was silent now.

Chapter 4 – Possession
     
     
    Sulandhurka raced down the stairs and out the front door of the mill. While his henchman continued looting the necromancer’s lair, the slaver reclaimed his throwing dagger from the body on the ground and restored it to its rightful place in his boot. Just to be thorough, Sulandhurka used his sword to separate the crumpled wizard’s head from his shoulders. It took two chops. The sheriff shook his head at the sloppy form. The slaver glared at his former quarry, both because of the implied judgment and the fact that the Sword of Miracles was still bared.
    Men were pouring from the woods to support their leader now that the immediate danger was past. Several flanked Tashi as though taking him prisoner. Tashi sighed, holding his battle stance. More sounds of shattering and destruction came from the top floor, making Tashi wince. “Sulandhurka, ask your man to throw down a chunk of the glass the size of his fist. Also, when he breaks the glass he should try to do so in dagger-sized shards and not just pulverize it. It is difficult to use dust as a weapon.”
    “What’s wrong with Hon Li? Is he wounded?” asked the leader, walking toward the bridge.
    “No, possessed. We need to bind him before he wakes up, which could be any moment now,” explained Tashi. The crowd stopped moving in unison.
    The slaver turned to his latecomers. “Did any of you men see evidence of this?”
    The nearest archer, a far-sighted lad with several hash marks on his belt, described the odd series of events leading up to the lieutenant’s subdual. Sulandhurka wasted a few moments cursing before he had orders flying in three directions at once. The bulk of the men were delegated to secure the mill for the night. “We’re not going anywhere till we straighten up this