The Crimson Claymore Read Online Free Page A

the kheshlars killing her. This was nearly a hundred years ago when the kheshlars defeated her. She fled, injured, never to be seen again. Her sister still lives. I have a feeling that for the kheshlars, there is still a need to know what happened to their kin that strayed away from the path of the light.”
    “And this sister is the one you seek?” Searon asked.
    “Ah, yes. You are smart indeed, boy. Blood is thicker than water, they say. Well, I say they are fools. Blood is thicker than molasses, and twice as sweet.
    “What is her name?” Searon asked.
    “Starlyn is her name. What do you think this remaining Starlyn desires more than anything?” Karceoles asked.
    Searon thought for a moment before stating the obvious. “She wants to find her sister. Depending on her condition, help her come back to how she was.”
    Karceoles grinned, “Yes, you do learn quickly.”
    “And her sister is with the draeyks?”
    “She was, years ago. I do not know where she is now, but Starlyn thinks she is, and she spends a lot of time hunting draeyks. The sister does not matter, what matters is an alliance with the kheshlars, and if they believe she is with the draeyks that can be an advantage.”
    “And if she’s not?”
    Karceoles grinned from ear to ear, “We’ll improvise. Kheshlars are very protective of their lands…and all those who tread on it.”
    “I can see your logic, wizard, and so I will assist you, but if this doesn’t work, I’m off on my own way,” Searon said reluctantly.
    “Fair enough,” Karceoles agreed.
    “So where is this kheshlar?”
     

Chapter 3
     
    A slight breeze tickled Searon’s unshaven face as he quietly crawled up the hill. The reek of vinegar and spoiled eggs rotted in his nostrils and mouth, and he had to use all his energy to block out the nauseating sensation. The clattering together in the distance sounded too much like swordplay. He knew the sound too well, and this echo wasn’t practice; it was a struggle. His claymore gleamed crimson in the morning sun as he peered down the hill. At the bottom, Searon noticed a woman wearing clattering plate mail that formed a skirt above her knees, with thick plated turquoise boots and a large diamond of gold in front.
    On the woman’s sides were five draeyks, all with high-held one-sided axes with large spikes on the opposite side. She defended herself well, parrying from one to the next, with a complex technique that resembled a graceful shadow-sword technique, except that she carried a hammer. With the way she fought, it seemed she was twirling a feather. It was a sight to watch her singlehandedly battle five draeyks at once. She swirled her hammer and twisted her body, sometimes spinning through the air between two axes with only millimeters to spare. Searon watched in awe as she spun in the air, twirling as her left leg collided with the jaw of a draeyk. The draeyk fell to the ground just before she used her hammer to bash its head in. As she fell, she struck another in the chest. Both fell, lifeless, before her feet touched the ground.
    Only three draeyks were left, and they battled fiercely against their skilled opponent. Searon debated rushing to her aid, but she seemed to be doing a decent job by herself. Besides, he didn’t want to seem like a threat to her, as he didn’t know the woman’s personality or her allegiance. The two on her left struck at the same time, and she impressively blocked both with the same defensive stroke. She held her hammer steady with her left hand, grabbed a shuriken from her pouch, and bolted it into the neck of the third, causing loud gagging from the wound before the creature crumbled to the ground. Then two battled her, rage showing in snake eyes, and she backed up for a better position, tripping on a fallen axe. Without a second to lose, the two draeyks jumped at the opportunity. She grabbed one of the crossed armor straps on its chest, and her fingers scraped against hard scales as she tumbled to