Free Rise of the Valiant by Morgan Rice Page A

Kyra stopped beside her, looked past her into a
clearing in the wood, she was shocked by what she saw.
    There, in the
clearing, were dozens of pigs roasting on spits, huge bonfires lighting up the
night. The smell was captivating. Also in the clearing were dozens of men, and
as Kyra squinted, her heart dropped to see they were Pandesian soldiers. She
was shocked to see them here, sitting around fires, laughing, jesting with each
other, holding sacks of wine, hands full of chunks of meat.
    On the far side
of the clearing, Kyra’s heart dropped to see a cluster of iron carriages with
bars. Dozens of gaunt faces stared out hungrily, the faces of boys and men, all
desperate, all captives. Kyra realized at once what this was.
    “The Flames,”
she hissed to Dierdre. “They are bringing them to The Flames.”
    Dierdre, still a
good fifteen feet ahead, did not turn back, her eyes fixed on the roasting
pigs.
    “Dierdre!” Kyra
hissed, feeling a sense of alarm. “We must leave this place at once!”
    Dierdre, though,
still did not listen, and Kyra, throwing caution to the wind, rushed forward to
grab her.
    No sooner had
she reached her when suddenly, Kyra sensed motion out of the corner of her
eyes. At the same moment Leo and Andor snarled—but it was too late. From out of
the wood there suddenly emerged a group of Pandesian soldiers, casting a huge
net before them.
    Kyra turned and
instinctively reached back to draw her staff, but there was no time. Before she
could even register what was happening, Kyra felt the net falling down on her,
binding her arms, and she realized, with a sinking heart, that they were all
now slaves to Pandesia.

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    Alec flailed as
he fell backwards, feeling the cold rush of air, his stomach dropping as he
plummeted toward the ground and the pack of Wilvox below. He felt his life
flash before his eyes. He had escaped the venomous bite of the creature above
him only to fall to what would surely be an instant death below. Beside him,
Marco flailed, too, the two of them falling together. It was little solace.
Alec did not want to see his friend die, either.
    Alec felt
himself crashing into something, a dull pain on his back, and he expected to
feel fangs sink into his flesh. But he was surprised to realize it was the
muscular body of a Wilvox writhing beneath him. He had fallen so quickly that
the Wilvox had had no time to react and he had landed flat on its back, it
cushioning his fall as he knocked it to the ground.
    There came a
thump beside him, and Alec looked over to see Marco land atop one another
Wilvox, flattening it, too, at least long enough to keep its snapping jaws
away. That left only two other Wilvox to contend with. One of them leapt into
action, lowering its jaws for Alec’s exposed stomach.
    Alec, still on
his back, a Wilvox beneath him, allowed his instincts to take over, and as the
beast leapt on top of him, he leaned back, raised his boots and put them up
protectively over his head. The beast landed on top of them and as it did, Alec
shoved with his feet and sent it flying backwards.
    It landed
several feet away in the snow, buying Alec precious time—and a second chance.
    At the same
time, Alec felt the beast beneath him wiggle out. It prepared to lunge and as
it did, Alec reacted. He spun around quickly, wrapping one arm tightly around
its throat in a chokehold, holding it close enough so that it could not bite,
and squeezing as hard as he could. The creature struggled like mad in his grip,
trying desperately to snap at him, and it took all of Alec’s might to contain
it. Somehow, he did. He squeezed tighter and tighter. The beast jerked away,
turning and rolling in the snow, and Alec held on and rolled with it.
    Out of the
corner of his eye Alec spotted another beast charging for his now-exposed back,
and he anticipated the feel of fangs sinking into his flesh. He had no time to
react, so he did what was counterintuitive: still holding the Wilvox, he rolled
onto