Sanctuary (Dominion) Read Online Free Page A

to the curve of his belly. Unruly brown hair fell down his back, pulled together with a leather tie, and a thick beard covered half his face. He glanced at the bodies of the two dead raiders, and then stared at Arkael with rancorous brown eyes.
    "You!” he roared. “You think you can kill my men, like they're mange-ridden dogs?"
    "You are these men's leader?" Arkael asked.
    "I am Ranulf, and these,” he pointed at the bodies, “belonged to me. I'll be expecting compensation. And if you can't pay, then I'll be taking your head."
    "Your men were given a warning, which they chose not to heed. I will give you the same, but it will be the last time I speak it today. This church is protected by God, and I will see to it that no more innocent blood is spilled in here. Take your spoils and leave this place now, or you will face God’s justice."
    I didn’t picture Ranulf as a man who was told what to do very often, and the outraged expression on his face seemed to prove me right. He stepped forward, kicking aside the body of Aedre’s young cousin, a boy named Egric who was only a year younger than her. Aedre gasped and looked away.
    "Where is Caenwyld?" Ranulf demanded.
    "Your false priest is dead by my hand," Arkael answered. "And if you and your men don't leave, you will all be joining his soul in Hell."
    Ranulf's face contorted in rage and he pulled a large sword from his scabbard.
    “You will learn your place!”
    Arkael raised his own weapon in a defensive posture.
    “You have been warned,” he said.
    Ranulf ignored Arkael’s words and leapt forward. He swung his sword up over his head, intending simply to overpower Arkael's defense. It made no difference. With a speed that was anything but natural, Arkael sidestepped the attack at the very last moment, letting Ranulf's sword crash into the stone floor. With his left hand he punched the raider’s wrist, loosening his grip on his weapon, which fell and clattered to the ground, and with his right he held his own blade up to Ranulf's neck. Ranulf's momentum nearly carried him onto the point, but he caught himself just in time, and his wide eyes hammered home just how close he'd come to death. The other raiders in the church either drew their weapons then, or held those they’d already drawn higher. Though it seemed to me they did it more for their own protection than any desire to attack.
    "I will not be sparing any more lives today, Ranulf. You and your men leave, now, or you'll have to figure out how to seek your repayment while burning for eternity in the pits of Hell." His words had no trace of malice, but they had the desired effect, nonetheless. Ranulf backed away slowly from the point of Arkael’s sword and Arkael, to his credit, let him. Once he stood about halfway between Arkael and his own men, his fear waned, replaced by a small modicum of reason. None of the other raiders in the room looked too eager to fight, and Ranulf sensed the unease amongst his men.
    "Everyone out of the church," he said in a low growl. "We have what we came here for. Get what you can on the boats. Now."
    The raiders filed out quickly, leaving only Ranulf standing at the door. He glanced at his sword lying on the ground near the altar, his face a mix of anger and bewilderment. Arkael slipped his foot under the blade of Ranulf's sword and flipped it across the room with a kick. Ranulf caught the hilt expertly. He gave everyone in the church one last glance, letting his gaze linger on Arkael.
    “I’ll be looking for you,” he warned. “Watch your back.”
    He stepped out, slamming the door behind him. It was then that I realized I was holding my breath and gripping Aedre’s arm tightly. I let go and composed myself, exhaling and then breathing in the foul air of the church, which I’d thankfully not noticed during the encounter. Aedre absently rubbed the red marks my grip left on her arm, her expression devoid of any emotion. She stared again at the bodies all about the floor