The Scorched Earth (The Chaos Born) Read Online Free PDF

darkness, their thrashing bodies and flailing hooves made it impossible to tell one from another. But he could pick out other forms in the mayhem—the riders who fell with their mounts.
    Still too woozy to stand, he started to crawl forward to help his friends. And then Jerrod was there beside him, holding him back.
    “It’s too dangerous!” he shouted. “One kick could stave in your skull!”
    Keegan knew the monk was right, and he didn’t have the physical strength to resist him anyway. Helpless, he was forced to watch as the mess of limbs and flesh slowly untangled itself. One of the horses sprang to its feet. Uninjured but panicked, it raced off into the night.
    A massive figure—clearly Norr—crawled from the scrum on his hands and knees. He paused to grab hold of a shadowy form lying motionless, dragging the unconscious victim clear of the chaos before collapsing a few yards away.
    Another horse managed to find its feet. Like the first, it bolted, heading in the opposite direction. Keegan could see that it was limping badly.
    The remaining horses were screaming in agony; too injured to rise. But Keegan ignored their gruesome suffering; his attention focused on the two shadowy figures nearby.
    Norr pulled someone out. Was it Vaaler or Scythe?
    In the gloom the other person looked small and delicate beside Norr, but the barbarian dwarfed everyone. In the darkness, it was impossible to be sure from a distance.
    Shaking free of Jerrod’s restraining hand, Keegan rose to his feet and rushed over to his fallen friends. The monk followed close behind. As he drew closer he realized the figure beside Norr was Vaaler.
    Both men were conscious now, sitting up gingerly and checking themselves for broken bones or other serious injuries. Keegan’s relief at seeing his closest friend still alive was quickly washed away by his concern over the missing fifth member of their group.
    “Where’s Scythe?” he demanded.
    Vaaler was still too shaken to answer, but Norr managed to shake his head.
    “I didn’t see her. She must have been thrown clear.”
    Before Keegan could even suggest looking for her, Jerrod tapped him on the shoulder.
    “There,” he said, pointing back toward the suffering horses.
    Keegan could just make out Scythe’s silhouette circling the wounded animals. She was crouched low to the ground, like a predator ready to strike. Driven mad by the pain, the horses still kicked and struggled, their shattered limbs flopping about at unnatural, sickening angles.
    Scythe suddenly darted forward then jumped back. One of the horses shuddered, then a few seconds later it went still. By that time Scythe had already slit the throat of the second tortured creature, and it, too, became still as its life slipped away. Turning away from the animals she’d been forced to put down, the young woman made her way over to the others.
    “How bad is it?” she asked.
    “I’m fine,” Norr assured her, grunting as he levered his bulk into a standing position.
    “You know you’re a terrible liar,” Scythe warned him.
    “Cracked ribs, maybe,” her lover admitted. “A twisted knee. Nothing serious.”
    “What about you, Vaaler?” Keegan asked. “You weren’t moving when Norr pulled you clear.”
    “I was wondering how I ended up here,” the prince replied, slurring his words slightly. “Thank you,” he added with an appreciative nod in the barbarian’s direction.
    “You didn’t answer my question,” Keegan pressed. “Are you hurt?”
    “Took a nasty bump to the head. Everything else seems to be okay.”
    “Let me see,” Scythe said, stepping forward to make a quick inspection. “You’re cut. Bleeding quite a bit. Head wounds are always messy. But it looks worse than it is. You’ll be fine.”
    Satisfied with Scythe’s prognosis, Keegan extended his good hand and helped pull Vaaler to his feet.
    “Now what?” the Danaan asked. “The Inquisitors are still after us.”
    “We’re only a mile away from