Blade Of The Vampire King (Book 4) Read Online Free Page B

that.
    Of course he'd have survived. He'd have run like the rabbit he was.
    And of course the two Grey Jackets must have been with him. She should've expected that. If only her brain didn't feel so exhausted, she would have done.
    She remembered what Sharpe had said. That enough of the Grey Jackets fled into the mountains. She'd expected they'd have turned south at some stage and headed back to Leibersland with their tails firm between their legs.
    Never expected them to cross the Bloods.
    Had taken the two guards for deserters, not General Storr's men.
    “Yeah,” the warlock looked down at a fresh tear in his robe and sighed. “A real vicious prick of a man. His name is-”
    “Hyrax,” she said, finishing his sentence and making him blink.
    “Yeah. Hyrax. That's him. How did you know that?”
    “We've met,” she said. Shrugged and turned on him. “Then where is he, Chukshene? Why isn't he here? Camp looks like it used to be bigger. But there were only two men. One tent back there. Two packs. So, where's this cleric now?”
    “He left. With Willem.”
    “Willem?”
    And Chukshene's smile finally appeared between bruised lips. “You saw Hyrax, but not Willem? I guess not. Willem's pretty unforgettable, given the circumstances.”
    “Don't piss me off again by talking in riddles, Chukshene.”
    “Willem's like you, Nysta. In more ways than one. I mean, sure he's mean. Hard. Tough as nails and seems to like using his knives. Hits harder than the others, too.” He licked his lips, thoughtfully. Wondering how much she knew. “But he's an elf. Did you know that? An elf who's not just travelling with them, but leading them.”
    “Leading them? An elf?” She couldn't keep the doubt from her voice, but Pad's words echoed in her head. Can't miss an elf's ears .
    “Surprised the fuck out of me, too. But it's true. Ugly bastard. Got scars all over his face. Looks like he's been chewed on by a troll.” The warlock grinned. “I'll bet the troll choked on him. They're following him, alright. Not that they like it. But I heard them say Rule himself told them to obey him, and you know what Grey Jackets are like. Fucking devoted to Rule. They don't like it, but they're doing it. So far.”
    The elf's eyes thinned.
    She knew Raste had tried defecting to the South. Had stopped him outside Grimwood Creek before he could meet with General Storr. Rumour had been spreading through Lostlight for years of elfs betraying their own. She couldn't understand why. Rule hated elfs. He hadn't ever tried to hide that.
    He wanted them dead. All of them.
    Why would he accept them?
    And what could drive an elf into the arms of their most powerful enemy?
    It didn't make sense. Couldn't make sense.
    She shook her head. Spat a wet stream at the ground between her feet. “Bullshit,” she said finally. “Has to be bullshit.”
    “Does this look like bullshit to you?” The warlock jabbed a finger at his bruised face. “He did this. Sure, he wanted information from me. At first. Then he did it just for kicks. Beat me like a fucking drum. Look at me, Nysta. It hurts. If you were hit like this, wouldn't you remember the face of the bastard who hit you? Well, I do. I remember it well. And, in the years to come, it's going to make me want to vomit when I'm sitting down to eat leftovers because he was an ugly son of a bitch. Grim's gangrenous asshole, he was ugly. Half his nose is gone. You can see the snot.”
    “How many?”
    “I don't know.” The warlock looked confused. “Snot's sort of a fluid, Nysta. You can't really count it.”
    “The Grey Jackets, you fool. How many does he have?”
    “Oh. I don't know,” he admitted. “Best guess? Twenty. Maybe a couple more than that. They knocked me around a lot. And some of them drifted in and out of camp. They were pretty spooked out here, with the Dhampirs and shit wandering around. Not that I blame them. Have you seen a Dhampir? I have. They're evil. Pure fucking evil. One day, I'm going to