Free Warrior Priest of Dmon-Li: The Morcyth Saga Book Three by Brian S. Pratt Page A

out.
    “Shhh!” James says, shushing him. “You’re
going to attract anything wandering around out there.”
    Suddenly nervous, Miko looks around
fearfully, expecting a rhino-lizard or something else equally nasty
to come out of the swamp. When no monster is forthcoming, he
gradually relaxes. Turning to James he says, “Sorry.”
    “We’ll just have to wait until he returns,”
he tells him.
    They wait for another ten minutes or so
before they hear the sound of someone approaching. Standing up,
they turn in the direction the sound is coming from and wait. Soon,
Jiron emerges from the trees and makes his way over to them.
    “Where did you go?” James asks, accusingly.
“We were worried about you!”
    “Sorry about that,” he apologizes. “Was just
doing a little scouting.”
    “And?” Miko asks.
    “I think it’ would be best if I just show
you,” he says, then motions for them to follow him.
    Not liking the sound of that, James nods his
head as he follows Jiron away from the camp, Miko close behind.
    He takes them several hundred feet deeper
into the swamp, during which they notice that the state of the
trees they pass progressively deteriorates. Where some back at the
campsite were dying, here they were positively withered.
    “I see what you mean,” James says as he
pauses to examine one of the trees.
    “This ain’t it,” Jiron says as he continues
leading them on.
    James and Miko look to each other as they
continue following him, their apprehension growing.
    Leading them a little bit further, he
suddenly stops and points to a spot further ahead of them. “That is
what I’m talking about,” he says.
    James looks to where he’s pointing and sees
a pyramid shaped stack of white stones up ahead. He glances to
Jiron who nods his head.
    Moving closer, James begins to feel the
prickling sensation he feels when magic is being worked. He stops
suddenly when he realizes that it’s not stones that comprise the
pyramid, but human skulls stacked in layers.
    Backing up, he motions for them to back away
from it as well. Once they’ve backed far enough away that he no
longer feels the prickling, he says, “It’s magical in nature, I can
feel it.”
    “Could this be why the natives don’t come
this way?” Miko asks him.
    Jiron looks to James who nods his head. “I
would think so,” replies James.
    “What do we do?” Jiron asks.
    “Find another way,” he replies. “I don’t
know what it’s doing, but I really don’t think we want to go that
way.”
    “Alright,” he says. Once again taking the
lead, he turns back and tries to find a way around the pyramid.
Miko hurries along behind, anxious to put as much distance between
them and the pyramid as quickly as possible.
    He takes them west back toward the waterway
and when they reach it, turns north again. But the waterway curves
and brings them back to the area where the trees are withering.
“Not this way,” he says, turning again to the south as he back
tracks.
    Retracing their steps, they find their way
back. Taking them to the east this time, he’s able to find a path
where they can walk without having to take the chance of slipping
into the fish infested stagnant water.
    They move a short ways east when a noise can
be heard, like something moving through the undergrowth. He has
them wait for a moment while he continues down the path and sees
what it is making the noise.
    He disappears through the trees ahead of
them for a moment and then they suddenly hear a crashing sound as
he comes running back toward them. Bursting out of the trees behind
him is a rhino-lizard, charging fast.
    Miko screams as he turns to flee.
    James also tries to run, but on his injured
leg, realizes he’s unable to move quickly enough to stay ahead of
the charging rhino-lizard.
    He turns to face it and in a flash, releases
the magic.
    Crumph!
    The ground in front of it explodes upward,
startling it. Roaring loudly, it comes to a stop. Taking advantage
of its startlement,