Chasing the Prophecy (Beyonders) Read Online Free

softly, he watched as archers converged on the remaining combatants, bows drawn, led by a very tall conscriptor who held a heavy iron rod.
    “Hold!” the tall conscriptor bellowed.
    Amazingly, the fighting stopped. Only five of Galloran’s men remained standing, winded and injured. Several manglers had fallen, as had many enemy soldiers. But plenty remained.
    “You are surrounded!” the tall conscriptor asserted, leaning on his metal war bar. “This is over! Throw down your arms!”
    Nedwin bit his bottom lip. The conscriptor was right. The archers were now near enough that they could easily eliminate the remaining defenders.
    “Stand down, lads,” Lawson growled, dropping his short sword.
    Nedwin scrunched his brow. Then he realized that taking five live prisoners would cost the attackers more time than five speedy executions. The current priority was to buy Galloran time to escape.
    The other defenders surrendered their weapons.
    “Where is Galloran?” the tall conscriptor asked, his deep voice carrying.
    “You’re misinformed,” Lawson replied. “He was never with us, Groddic. You’ll have to settle for us as your prize.”
    Nedwin felt his jaw dangling. The tall conscriptor was Groddic? He was the emperor’s right hand, the commander of the conscriptors. No wonder the attack had been so flawlessly coordinated!
    Groddic turned to face the woods, raising his powerful voice. “I am willing to wager that Galloran can still hear me! Furthermore, I expect he will not be content to cower in the woods as I execute his men one by one.”
    A jolt of panic coursed through Nedwin. Apparently, this conscriptor knew Galloran well. Nedwin wished Jasher were here. He and two other seedmen had gone ahead to scout the rest of their path to Felrook. Jasher might have been able to restrain Galloran or, that failing, might have successfully attacked Groddic himself. Could Groddic know that Jasher was currently absent? He had known when the moon would emerge. . . .
    “Surrender yourself, Galloran!” Groddic demanded. “Comeforth now, and I swear that your men will survive. Do not force them to pay for your inept leadership!”
    Nedwin found a hand straying to the crystal globe Galloran had given him. What if he burst from hiding and threw the sphere at Groddic? No. He could not defeat the remaining foes alone, and if they caught him, they would have even more leverage to lure Galloran out of hiding.
    “Don’t listen!” Lawson cried. “Honor us by succeeding! We are proud to die for this cause!”
    Groddic made a small gesture, and multiple arrows pierced Lawson. The woodsman kept silent as he collapsed.
    “As he requested, your companion has died honorably!” Groddic called. “You can still save the other four. Do not hide behind the corpses of your friends! We will track you and find you either way. Torivors are aiding us. No man can escape them.”
    Groddic waited. His prisoners remained silent. Nedwin hoped his master was hurrying away.
    “I am not a patient man!” Groddic bellowed. “Time for another of your comrades to perish.”
    A blazing white flash suddenly brightened the night, followed by a thunderous boom. Nedwin closed his eyes and listened to the subsequent explosions. Galloran had taken the bait and was hurling explosive spheres at his enemies.
    After the explosions ceased, Nedwin opened his eyes, blinking in an attempt to dispel the afterimage of the initial flash. Those explosions must have destroyed several manglers and soldiers and left the survivors temporarily dazzled.
    As his vision returned, Nedwin saw his master engaging the enemy. He and his bodyguards would have shielded their eyes as they threw the spheres. They were seeing clearly while the others were half blind.
    One of the bodyguards, Alek, had taken up a position atop a heap of worn stones, and he now fired arrow after arrow with lethal accuracy. The other bodyguard used his battle-ax to protect Galloran, who stalked implacably