Craig Halloran [The Chronicle Hunt for the Hero (epub)

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.Hunt for the HeroThe Chronicles of Dragon: Book 5By Craig HalloranHunt for the HeroThe Chronicles of Dragon: Book 5By Craig HalloranCopyright © December 2013 by Craig HalloranAmazon EditionTWO-TEN BOOK PRESSP.O.Box 4215, Charleston, WV 25364ISBN eBook: 978-0-9896216-7-0ISBN Paperback: 978-0-9896216-8-7http://www.thedarkslayer.netCover Illustration by David SchmellingMap by Gillis BjorkEdited by Cherise KelleyAll rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recorded, photocopied, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.Publisher's NoteThis book is a work of fiction.Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.The Chronicles of DragonBook 5Hunt for the HeroCHAPTER 1Heavy raindrops splattered off me, the ground, and the mirrors, distorting the images.I was alone.The water rose faster.Up to Brenwar’s chin and Shum’s belly.I couldn’t hear Sasha’s screams, but I could feel them.Through my scales.Into my bones.The panic in her face surrounded by the cold surface of the iron mirror’s frame made my spine chill.I fought at my bonds.The purple bands pinched into my wrists but not as much as they had.Either I was getting stronger or the magic was fading, just as Kryzak had said it would.“Brenwar!” I yelled.The thought of him perishing had never occurred to me before.But he’d be the first to drown.He was the shortest.“I’ll have you, Kryzak!”The rain overpowered my voice.I was alone in another room of the cavern where a pair of ember urns burned dimly.Kryzak and his brood had long since departed.I still heard the chuckles of the Goblins and Gnolls in my ears.Helplessly, I watched my friends struggle for life.Dying in some cruel game because of me.What were the Clerics of Barnabus trying to do to me? Why not just kill me and be done with it? Why did my friends have to suffer as well?Scaly arms bulging, I tore at my bonds.The cuffs bit deep, like burning razors.I screamed.My mind was racing.What if Kryzak had lied? What if the bonds weren’t going to fade? Maybe it was just another part of his twisted game.Watching my friends die.Drown slowly.He must have lied.Why wouldn’t he? He was evil.“I can’t let this happen!” I pulled.It felt like my wrists would snap off.“I won’t let this happen!” I braced my feet against the stone behind me.I had to break free and break free now.I needed to buy all the time that I could.“Hurk!”The bonds crackled.Bit.Burned.I put everything into it and roared.Snap!I pitched forward and crashed into the mirrors.They toppled and the glass shattered.“No!”On my knees I picked up one of the large pieces and thought I saw Sasha’s pretty eyes before the image faded.I was alone.Worried.Stomach turning.I dashed into the nearest tunnel with my heart thundering inside my chest.My Dragon eyes could make out the faint outlines of the tunnels.The entire time I was shackled I’d been thinking what I was going to do.I’d have to figure out how I would find them.I rubbed my wrists.They were warm and wet.I’d bled.I was seeing red when I came to the first fork in the tunnels.I stopped.Settle down, Nath.Think.What’s the plan?I’d had a plan a minute ago.A sound one, but it was lost at the moment.What was it? Assuming what Kryzak had said was true, I could save one pair, not the other.And if I had my choice, who would I save? In my mind it would be Sasha.That’s what the others would do.It was an unspoken code among Men: save the women and children.Then the Men can save themselves.But Brenwar.The thought of not hearing his voice again haunted me already.I couldn’t imagine it.Couldn’t think it.I tore a hunk of rock out of the wall.“Guzan! What do I do!”The only reply was my echoing voice.I didn’t have a choice it seemed.Whoever I found first would live.Whoever I didn’t find would die.Unless I was fast enough.Quit wasting time or they’ll all die.CHAPTER 2I dashed into the tunnel on the right.Right always seemed to be the better path.My natural inclination at crossroads time and again.The tunnel twisted and turned and branched off again.I stopped.Fury built inside me.I needed to clear my head and my mind.Use my wits and instincts.I closed my eyes and sniffed the air.I wasn’t a bloodhound, but my Dragon nose was pretty good.I could smell Gnoll and Goblin sweat.Their stink.The dirt from their matted hair.I just needed to find some of them and wring the location of my friends from their greasy necks.I trotted right again, following the stench.My eye caught water flowing downward in the sloped tunnel.A good sign.If Brenwar were here, he’d know exactly where to go [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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