Mage Prime (Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

bubbling stream cascading over one unfortunate soldier who had ventured in too close. Screaming horribly he went down, black-mired arms thrashing against the stone floor, the vile acidic brew burning relentlessly through his steel half-armour and insinuating itself into the flesh beneath.
    With a stentorian roar Symon brought his power to bear and slammed down the Light of Perimus in incandescent fury on the twitching scaled-and-feathered bodies of the noxious creatures, sending them lurching upwards in one massive paroxysm. In a splattering shower of pungent mucus they flopped to their bellies, jerked once, and lay still. Caught off-balance and thrown to the floor by the horrendous impact, the two remaining soldiers scrambled to the solid safety of the stone wall where they lay, arms curled tight around their stomachs as they retched uncontrollably. A minute of appalled silence followed, before Symon stepped forward and glared down at the repugnant corpses.
    His face flushed with fury he turned to Karryl. With his thin forefinger he stabbed imperiously at the floor. “Stay here!”
    Quickly he knelt down beside the whimpering soldier. Oblivious to the smoking black mess which clung to the man’s body, he placed a hand on each shoulder and murmured rapidly for a few seconds. In a shifting shimmering swirl of pearlescent light, soldier and magician vanished.

CHAPTER FIVE
    Normally steady and level-headed, Vintar gazed, trembling and ashen faced at the ghastly pile near his feet. Karryl stumbled to where the two stinking, evil-conceived corpses lay and stared down at them in numbed disbelief.
    Giving the gruesome pile a wide berth, Vintar edged up to Karryl’s side. “Beg pardon sir, but… what just happened? And what are… er… were those bloody things?”
    Karryl shook his head in attempt to clear it. With eyes which seemed to have aged a lifetime he looked into Vintar’s own as he placed a comradely hand on the man’s shoulder. “Those, Sergeant, are almost assuredly grelfons; creatures of legend, and the epitome of evil. Not by any stretch of the imagination should they exist. Somehow, some malevolent power has resurrected them from the mists of legend and sent them here.”
    Drawing both hands down his sweat-streaked face, Karryl glanced at the malodorous corpses. “My guess is that the spell of transference and materialisation was miscast and they were discovered. I don’t think that was the intention. I also suspect that these particular specimens were juveniles. Had they been mature they would almost certainly have attacked me without hesitation. In that case I would not be standing here now.”
    The sergeant looked aghast and rubbed his hands over his own sweating face. “So they’re natural born killers then, sir?”
    Karryl’s face was thunderous. “Killers, yes. Natural born? No. Nothing could be further from the truth. When you and your men have had time to recover and made your reports, come to our apartments and I’ll show you what little information we have on these vile creatures.”
    They stood a while in silent communion, gazing with revulsion at the aberrant and lifeless forms. An acidic greenish-yellow blood oozed from the diabolically hideous heads, and down the shafts of the weapons on which they were impaled. Severely shaken, but otherwise none the worse for their terrifying encounter, the two remaining soldiers hauled themselves to their feet and came to stand beside their sergeant.
    Trying desperately to avoid looking at the loathsome corpses, one of the men gestured in their general direction. “Shall we get these cleared away, Sarge?”
    Vintar shook his head, looking at Karryl as if for corroboration. “Not yet. I think this matter is in Master Symon’s domain. Until he makes contact with us, we’ll remain on guard.” He forced a wry smile. “But I don’t think it would be out of order to move back along the corridor a pace or three. That stench is a mite intense.”
    The