Free The Blackguard (Book 2) by Cheryl Matthynssens Page A

at the obvious groveling. Groveling had never moved him. “Get her out of here before I ruin that beautiful face,” he said disdainfully to Sordith.
    Sordith grabbed the woman by the arm and started down the hall. The girl was kicking and screaming as she was pulled, and in exasperation, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder as he strode off.
    “Have fun, my friend. I think that one is going to tire you out,” Aorun called after him. He laughed outright, his laughter trailing after Sordith and his squirming prize.
    It was a good hour before Veaneth and his men reopened the door. Owen had joined Aorun after Sordith left, and both had waited outside.  Aorun with far less patience than Owen. The latter seemed content to clean his nails with his knife.
    Veaneth came through first. Like every other time, those that he’d chosen walked single file between the two guards, even the two Daezun. They had a familiar glazed look in their eyes as they filed past. Veaneth stopped beside Aorun as he handed him a purse. “Sorry that took so long. The two Daezun took longer than I usually need. One of them is extremely strong-minded.”
    Aorun just nodded. He didn’t like the look of pleasure on Veaneth’s face as he watched the line stroll by, he just wanted the slimy dung bag out of his house. “It is always my pleasure to serve the council.” Aorun bowed and spoke as was expected.
    Veaneth nodded and followed the last guard out. Aorun managed to hold his disgust till they were out the front door, and only then did he look at Owen. “I feel dirty. I will be in my rooms taking a bath,” he snarled as he bounced the bag in his hand. “This is far too light. Send two squads out and have them look for Daezun too close to our border. He seems to pay better for them.”
    Aorun turned on his heel and strode to his room. He wanted the sour stench that the mage had left behind washed far away. He could still hear the screams coming down the hall from Sordith’s room, but they were replaced suddenly by silence. Good, the man had finally gagged the wench. Aorun finished his way into his room, closing the door to solitude and leaving the rest of the world behind him.

Chapter Five
     
    Alador’s scream of warning was cut off as the cascade of dirt and rocks landed on the wagon. He’d managed to bring a hand up to shield his face, but that wasn’t enough to deflect the rock from sending lights shattering through his vision. The world became a tumbling mass of rock and dirt, and terror coursed through Alador as he fought to shield himself with his arms.
    His last moments of recollection were the wagon tipping over the edge of the road. He was flung from his seat and into the cold, murky depths of the river. The sunlight above the water seemed too far away – How would he make it back to the surface? – And then darkness took him.
    A lador could hear water rushing nearby when he awoke, spluttering, and lifted his head slightly to cough water from his lungs. He was lying in the shallows of the river, his body scraping against sharp rocks. Everything hurt. His head pounded like a death drum at a funeral, slow and felt throughout his body. Despite the warmth of the summer evening, he was freezing. He had no idea where he was or how long he’d been there. He carefully flexed his limbs, relieved when he found that nothing was broken. He forced himself to crawl up onto the rocks farther out of the water until he finally reached a sandy section of the river bar.
    Despite being fairly sure nothing was broken, every inch of him screamed like he’d just been beaten by Trelmar again. There had been plenty of times when Alador could have sworn Trelmar and his friends had broken something after one of their beatings, but they’d always been careful not to break anything, they just made everything hurt. It was an unpleasant and yet not an unfamiliar pain that he suffered now. Alador flopped down and let the late sun warm him. It