No sooner had he stopped moving than he heard faint sounds of movement in the woods outside. Working quickly, Malus forced his way three more feet up into the hollow trunk and hung there, scarcely daring to breathe.
As his other foot came off the ground he fumbled quickly for another foothold and found one just above the cleft. Gritting his teeth, the highborn pressed his back against the trunk and heaved upward. Within moments his boot found a ridge that would support his weight.
Then, moving carefully, he raised a foot and felt about for a toehold a few feet off the ground. Malus closed his eyes and clamped his mouth tightly shut against the dank-smelling debris and braced his back against the far side of the tree. Rotten, pulpy wood and squirming insects rained down on him as the edges of his armour plates scraped the inside of the tree.
Thinking quickly, Malus hurried to the cleft and carefully wormed his way inside. A cleft in the wide trunk ran from root level up to about waist height. Clearly felled by lightning years ago, the shell of the old tree rose less than ten feet and terminated in a jagged, moss-covered stump. Instead he burrowed deeper, hoping to draw the vegetation behind him like a cloak.Ī few yards further on the highborn came to the burnt and blasted trunk of an old oak tree. Vines and brambles tugged at his hair and scraped against his steel armour, but he resisted the temptation to swipe them away with his axe. Moving as quietly as he could, Malus swung around the bloodstain so as not to leave a trail his enemies could follow, and sidled into the dense woods to the west of the path. Did he dare make a stand here, or keep running? Now he regretted leaving the warpsword bound to Spite’s saddle! Malus sank into a crouch, quickly sizing up the surrounding terrain. The hunters had reached the south end of the hollow. As near as he could tell, however, he was alone.īranches crackled perhaps a dozen yards behind him. The highborn turned in a slow circle, looking for any signs of danger. Which meant that the warbeast could have gone off in nearly any direction.Ī flicker of movement in the shadows to Malus’ left brought him around, weapon at the ready. Nauglir, like many predators, preferred to drag their food somewhere more secure before they felt safe enough to eat. He’d found the spot where Spite had ambushed his prey but the damned cold one was nowhere to be seen. Malus settled into a crouch, breathing heavily.
0 kommentar(er)
