Shadow Seed
Page 7
CHAPTER SIX
Under an increasingly cloudy sky, Arthur hacked away at some branches as he pushed his way through a dense section of the forest. Thomas, Richard, Jacob, and William followed in-line behind him.
When they came to a small stream, Arthur crouched down, paying close attention to the surroundings as his team gathered around him.
Thomas picked up a pebble and tossed it into the water. “With all due respect, I don't believe it was necessary for you to resign your post. I could have led this assignment.”
Keeping his eyes on the thicket ahead, Arthur whispered. “I don't doubt your ability. Maybe one day you'll be a Preceptor and understand.”
“Boring would be the word,” Thomas said, speaking as he would anywhere else. “I can't believe the Marshal allowed it, not with the fine job you did on Sara.”
Arthur looked hard at Thomas for a moment before concentrating back on the forest. “You know, you talk an awful lot, and loudly, too. As far as Sara is concerned, she can take better care of herself more than most men I know.”
Richard sniffed the air. “Is it me, or does it smell kind of odd?”
Jacob inhaled deeply and almost choked. “What is that, brimstone?”
“Pelasgians,” Arthur said, staring in the direction the smell was coming from.
“Wow,” William said, with a hint of sarcasm. “How many are there?”
Arthur wasn’t amused. “Shut up, nitwit. Vesuvians said it could be a sign. Tread carefully now.”
Moving as quiet as possible, they soon discovered a small Pelasgian camp. Three Corinthians, two Centaurs, a Minotaur and a Satyr were either cooking or sharpening their blades.
Arthur looked back at William. “We're outnumbered, so somebody is going to show off. Let's see if you're as fast as your wits. Nail one, then turn back the way we came.”
As William equipped his bow, the rest of the squad fell back, staggering themselves as they hid in trees and bushes.
After waiting a short time, William took aim and fired. The arrow struck a Centaur dead in the chest and alerted the camp.
William stood, giving his position away. “I'm so good it's pitiful!” he shouted, before taking off like a frightened gazelle.
The Pelasgians roared after William.
Running through the bush, a Corinthian at the rear didn't know what hit him when Jacob slit his throat from behind with a dagger.
Richard waited for the last moment to spring a simple trip wire made of vine, and the timing couldn't have been better as the last two Corinthians fell flat on their stomachs. He jumped out and used his equinox to impale the one with no armor in the back. The other Corinthian tackled him and both wrestled on the ground for a brief moment, until Richard managed to free one hand and use a talon to stab his foe through the eye.
Thomas watched from a tree as William dashed by, with the Minotaur in hot pursuit followed by the Satyr. When the Centaur came by, he jumped down landing on the back and snapped the Pelasgian's neck with his hands.
When Arthur spotted William, he grew concerned seeing the Minotaur and the Satyr.
As Arthur jumped out from around a tree swinging his equinox, the Satyr was nimble enough to avoid it with only a cut to the arm.
Grunting in anger, the Satyr lunged with his spear.
Arthur was barely able to dodge the attack as he spun and thrust his equinox into the creature's chest.
William glanced back and found the Minotaur too close for comfort. There was no way he could fire off another shot. He grabbed his halo and spun around, swinging the weapon in a downward arc, but the Minotaur caught his wrist and easily tossed him aside.
Landing with a thud, William scrambled backward on his hands and feet as the Minotaur closed in for the kill.
“No!” Arthur cried, as he leaped through the air and slammed both of his talons into the back of the Minotaur's neck, impaling it several times until the creature fell over dead.
The rest of the men quickly caught up as William got back to his feet.
“Are you okay?” Thomas asked. “I thought I heard you scream.”
Arthur was a little winded, and his chest was covered in blood. “Yeah, I thought the boy here was about to steal my kill.”
William laughed, grateful for the rescue. Though at the same time, he hid his face pretending to scratch it. He was embarrassed at not being able to take on the Minotaur. “Thanks, Arthur. I owe you one.”
Richard sniffed the air. “Oh man, I know we just killed some but, the smell is a lot stronger now. The main camp must be close.”
“That's not good at all,” Jacob said worriedly. “New Haven isn't two hours away.”
Thomas blew his nose to try clearing the smell. “We should go back and report this.”
Arthur didn’t think long about it. “No, we have to find the camp. That’s why there’s five of us. Once we locate the main force, we need to send a constant flow of information to our people.”
“I strongly disagree,” Thomas said, harsh in his tone. “This camp was probably a forward lookout. If the Pelasgians don't hear from them soon, they'll know something is wrong. We should have just gone around it!”
“There's no time,” Arthur said. “We'll deal with any scouts we come across. William, go to New Haven and report what happened. On your way back, one of us will meet you halfway. Okay?”
“You got it,” William said as he ran off.
Richard moved ahead. “I'll take point.”
Arthur turned to Jacob. “Bring up the rear. Thomas, you cover the left.”
The men swiftly and silently hustled between trees and bushes.
It wasn't long before Richard picked up a very strong scent of Pelasgians. He peeked through some bushes as he waited for the rest of the team. What he couldn't see or smell, he could hear, and it sounded like a huge gathering of wild animals.
Arthur slowly crept up from behind. “Pelasgians?” he asked.
“Yeah, probably,” Richard answered. “It's hard to make out anything. There's no way we're getting any closer without being spotted.”
“What choice do we have?” Arthur asked.
Richard looked around. “I've done some patrols out here. There should be high ground that way,” he pointed.
The thick wooded forest hid the men perfectly. From their vantage point, they could see the area was swarming with Pelasgians.
The source of the dark clouds came from hundreds of terrosaurs throughout the camp. They were enormous four-legged creatures veiled in black smoke. Crystal-like spikes protruding their skin burned off at a tremendous rate from exposure to the sun. Their long necks and much of their skin were armor plated, as was the ball at the end of a whip-like tail that was nearly the length of their body.
“Unbelievable,” Thomas said. “How big do you think this army is?”
“I don't think I can count that high,” Jacob replied. “But those oversized lizards are going to be a handful. How on earth are we supposed to deal with that?”
The camp began to burst with a lot of activity.
Arthur could see the Pelasgians falling into formation to begin their march. “They're on the move.”
“There's only one place they can be going,” said Richard.