"Richard A. Knaak - The Kingdom Of Shadow" - читать интересную книгу автора (Knaak Richard A)

Kentril did.

The wooden bolt caught Hargo in the upper chest, burying itself deep.

Hargo slumped in the beastтАЩs jaws, dead instantly.

The act caught the other mercenaries completely by surprise. Gorst lost his grip. The others belatedly
released theirs, not wanting to be pulled in by accident.

In sullen silence, the survivors watched as the wounded monster sank swiftly into the river, still hissing its
rage and pain even as its head vanished below the surface. HargoтАЩs arms briefly floated above the
innocent-looking waterтАФthen suddenly, they, too, disappeared below.

Letting the bow drop, Kentril turned and started away from the area.

The other fighters nervously gathered their things and followed, keeping much closer to one another.
They had grown complacent after the third death, and now one of them had paid for that. Kentril blamed
himself most of all, for, as company captain, he should have kept a better watch on his men. Only once
before had he ever been forced to resort to slaying one of his own in order to alleviate suffering, and that
had been on a good, solid battlefield, not in some insufferable madhouse of a jungle. That first man had
been lying on the ground with a belly woundso massive that Captain Dumon had been amazed any life
lingered. It had been a simple thing then to put the mortally wounded soldier to rest.

This . . . this had felt barbaric.

тАЬKentril,тАЭ came GorstтАЩs quiet voice. For someone so massive, the tanned giant could speak very softly
when he chose. тАЬKentril. HargoтАФтАЭ

тАЬQuiet, Gorst.тАЭ

тАЬKentrilтАФтАЭ

тАЬEnough.тАЭ Of all those under his command through the past ten years, only Gorst ever called him by his
first name. Captain Dumon had never offered that choice; the simplistic titan had just decided to do so.
Perhaps that had been why they had become the best of friends, the only true friends among all those
who had fought under Kentril for money.

Now only fifteen men remained. Fewer with whom to divide the supposed treasure the Vizjerei had
offered, but fewer also to defend the party in case of trouble. Kentril would have dearly loved to have
brought more, but he had been able to find no more takers of the offer. The seventeen hardened fighters
accompanying him and Gorst had been all who would accept this arduous journey. The coins Quov Tsin
had given him had barely paid them enough as it was.
And speaking of TsinтАФwherewas he?

тАЬTsin, damn you!тАЭ the scarred captain shouted to the jungle. тАЬUnless youтАЩve been eaten, I want you to
show yourself right now!тАЭ

No answer.

Peering through the dense jungle, Kentril searched for the diminutive spellcaster, but nowhere did he see