Ashar'an Rising (Nexus Wars Saga) Read Online Free Page B

sound reverberating through his already booming head. He frowned at her as he left with a frustrated growl.
    That left the kitchen to be searched. He dashed across the taproom, kicking aside chairs and tables in his rage. The large door to the kitchen was closed but he kicked it forcefully, bringing a tearing of wood from beyond as it cracked ajar. He kicked it again, resulting in a crash of pots and plates as he stepped through.
    The kitchen was well lit from narrow window slits in the walls. It was also empty. With a curse he returned to the common room.
    The ugly woman he had seen on first entering the Inn the previous evening was crossing the room in an attempt to silently make it to the exit. With a cry he leapt towards her.
    “ Where is my gear? Where is Kaz?”
    The woman paled, however, and gave a choking scream as she tried to duck away, but Valdieron was before her in an instant, sword raised. Had she been in on it too? He had not seen her the previous evening after she greeted him, and he assumed she was a cook, but by the intelligent caste of her eyes he guessed she was more than that. With a growl he raised his sword menacingly to emphasize his question.
    “ Valdieron, NO!” The pleading command halted Valdieron's raised sword as he spun. Not that he was going to use it on the woman, but by his appearance it would have seemed such. He recognized the voice instantly, and turned to see what answers he could unravel, but his gaze met nothing as he spun. Kaylara was nowhere to be seen, and when he turned back, the big woman was gone also.
    With confused disbelief he tried to speak, to call to Kaylara, but he knew she was gone. But where? It had been her voice, of that he was sure, but she was nowhere to be seen.
    He finally found his equipment locked in a cabinet beneath the bar, but he pulled it free after smashing the door open with a table leg. Still there was no sign of Kaz, however, but as he hoisted his saddlebags and pack onto his shoulders he heard a distant roaring, as easily recognizable as Kaylara's voice had been, but this time he knew it came from the stables at the rear of the Inn.
    Dashing from the building he found Kaz crouched menacingly before two men dragging at Shakk's bridle, trying to draw the big stallion from the stable. One had a whip, and was using it across the black beast's neck and back as they pulled his head down after each rearing protest. A third man was keeping Kaz at bay with a rusted pitchfork. All had the appearance of common thieves, but he knew that appearances could be deceiving after what he had just been through. They seemed vaguely familiar, however, and guessed they had probably been in the taproom the previous evening.
    Leaping forward, he raced to the two men holding Shakk, sheathing his sword as he ran, despite the anger he felt at their attempted theft. The thieves did not hear his approach over the stallion’s protesting snorting and pounding hooves.
    He caught the arm of the man with the whip as he recoiled for another lash, grasping the leather cord in his other hand and wrapping it quickly around the stunned man's neck as he turned. Before he could react, Valdieron grasped the length in both hands and twisted, flipping the choking man over his arched back onto the ground. He landed heavily, the wind rasping through his constricted throat as he clawed at the cord, trying to free himself. He had no visible weapons so Valdieron turned away from him.
    The other man holding Shakk's reins turned with a curse, one hand going to the hilt of a rapier at his side, but in doing so he forgot about Shakk. The horse reared, jerking the man from his feet, sending the rapier flying as he screamed before Shakk's flashing hooves descended on him. Valdieron turned away quickly at the sickening sound of the horse's crunching hooves, before he turned and reached out for the stallion to settle. Snorting heavily the beast complied, though hesitantly, as Valdieron ran a hand over his