Free The Hunter on Arena by Rose Estes Page A

creature’s demands, and with the exception of Septua
     to whom the bug-like being seemed to have taken a special dislike, they escaped without further injury.
    But Septua was not entirely without means of hisown, and as they were about to leave the room, the little man leaped on the back of the unsuspecting insect, wrapped his thick,
     muscular legs around its chest and squeezed, bringing it to its double-jointed knees, gasping for breath. The guards sprang
     forward, then stopped, eyeing the rest of them nervously. It would be necessary to break through their ranks if they were
     to rescue the insectman. Perhaps he had caused them pain in the past, for after a quick glance among themselves, they stood
     their ground. They did not retreat, but neither did they go to the insect’s aid.
    Septua took advantage of their brief hesitation and his thick hands flew. When he sprang aside wearing a wide grin, releasing
     his prisoner, the unfortunate creature lay gasping on the ground, its delicate antennae tied in a series of complex knots,
     the fragile length forever broken and bent.
    The soldiers grinned at Septua, all but slapping him on the back, and made no attempt to help the fallen insect as he lay
     there chirping in distress. Nor did they interfere as their prisoners put on their clothing; Septua’s action seemed to have
     won them a small amount of approval.
    Their next stop was an armory, and here they were let loose to wander among an impressive array of weapons, many of which
     were entirely unfamiliar to Braldt. He was immediately drawn to a rack filled with swords of every description, crafted of
     gleaming metal completely unlike the dull, bronze weapons he was accustomed to. These weapons were bright and shiny and bore
     a razor-keen edge that would deflect the hardest blow withoutsustaining damage. There were short swords and long swords, curved blades, tiny, wavy-edged daggers, and immense, two-handed
     swords that even Braldt with all his strength could not have lifted.
    Randi showed no interest whatsoever in the swords, dismissing them with but a single glance and then hurrying toward a glass-fronted
     case displaying an odd assortment of dull, black objects whose use Braldt could not even guess at. She lifted the glass top
     and reverently took out one of the bulky objects, gripping it with her hand and inserting her index finger into a small hole.
     She hefted it appreciatively and sighted down its length, thumbing back a small protrusion on its upper surface and nodding
     happily.
    Marin had made his way to a rack of lances, all tipped with wicked-looking metal points and barbs. He tried a number of them,
     dropping them on the ground with a growl when they failed to meet his approval. At last he found one that satisfied him, fashioned
     of dark wood, as dark as his own gleaming skin and longer than he himself by half a body length. It was tipped with a large,
     metal point and vicious-looking barbs were embedded in its sides for more than half its span; the base of the lance was sheathed
     in metal. Nor was the big man finished. He stalked the aisles of weapons and accessories, choosing a small, metal trident
     which he tucked into his belt like a dagger and a rope net weighted at the edges with heavy, metal discs.
    Septua was sitting crosslegged on the floor crooning happily, sifting through a pile of objects like a child playing in a
     sandbox. He had accumulated a sling and alarge sack filled with round, metal marbles, a wooden blowpipe, two boxes of sharp-tipped, feather-edged darts, an unusual
     dagger with a twisted corkscrew of a blade, and a handful of prickly, metal things, each no larger than a thumbnail that looked
     like sandburs with wicked hooks on each point. Chuckling to himself, the dwarf scooped up the strange items and poured them
     into a leather sack which he knotted and hung around his waist, with the exception of the dagger which he carefully sheathed
     and attached to his