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.The man tumbled.Redbone and Sekeu kept going without so much as abackward glance.Nick gritted his teeth and jumped over the squirming guard,horrified that the man was still trying to get to his feet.Sekeu and Redbone charged the next two guards, pushing them back before aPage 138ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlwhirlwind of strikes and blows, like offensive linemen clearing a path for therunning back.Nick and Leroy dashed through the melee, heading toward thebarrels.There was now only the peg-legged hunchback left between them and the barrels.Leroy made the rise first and stopped cold.Nick ran into him, started tocurse, then saw the scene: a large troop of guards were chasing Peter s bandinto the trees, but that wasn t what had stopped Leroy in his tracks belowthem, not fifty yards away, at least twenty guards were heading directly forthem: hard-looking men moving fast.A minute, Nick thought, they had maybe one minute before those guards would beupon them.Nick yanked out his sword and yelled,  Go! He gave Leroy a shoveand the two of them ran as hard as they could for the barrels.The hunchback held a wide, curved sword in one hand and the oily ladle in theother.He showed them a few crusty black teeth and shouted,  Com eer youlittle fucks, let Henry cut out your eyes and shove  em up your asses.Nick feinted a hard swing to the man s head, intent on using the trick that dworked so well on Leroy the night before.But the hunchback caught Nick ssword at the hilt, knocking the weapon out of Nick s hand.Nick would ve beendead for certain, but the hunchback shifted his attention to stopping Leroy.He swung the ladle, catching Leroy in the back of the head and sending the boysprawling into the dirt.Nick snatched up his sword and swung as hard as he could, hitting the man inthe shoulder, the elven blade opening a nasty gash and knocking the hunchbackoff balance.His peg leg caught a root and he tumbled down the steep incline,cursing all the way to the bottom.Nick dove for the barrel, ramming his shoulder into it.It barely budged. SHIT! he cried, and tried again.It didn t move.A spear slammed into a stump next to Nick.The guards were almost on them, afew even now scrambling their way up the steep, muddy slope.Nick was about togive up and run when Leroy reached the barrel.They both shoved.The barreltipped but fell back. AGAIN, Nick cried, and together they rammed theirshoulders into the barrel.This time it tipped and over it went, splashing thehillside in slick oil as it careened down the incline, taking several of theguards with it.Leroy and Nick leaped for the second barrel, only to be confronted by athick-set guard.Red eyes blazing, he raised a huge cutlass and came at them.Nick tried to run, only to collide into Leroy, knocking both of them to theground.The guard let loose a victorious whoop, then a sword blade torethrough his throat from behind.The man dropped his weapon, clasped his neck,and crumpled to the dirt.And there, behind him, stood Abraham. THE BARREL!Nick and Leroy jumped up and slammed into the remaining barrel.Half-empty,this one rolled right over, almost taking Nick with it.It bounded and spundown the slope, knocking down at least three guards and dousing several othersin the oil.But the men were quick to their feet and at least a dozen of themwere scrambling up the hill right through the patch of oil.Abraham kicked the cauldron over, sending the hot oil right into the face ofthe foremost guard.Nick could hear the man s skin sizzling as the oil burnedout his eyes, hear the man s choking gargle as he tried to scream through amouthful of boiling oil.Abraham snatched up a timber from the fire and stood over the slope.Theguards saw the flame, the oil clinging to the hillside and to themselves, andat once understood their fate.Abraham tossed the flaming timber onto theoil-drenched hillside.There was a moment when nothing happened.Everyone, Devils and guards alike,were frozen for a prolonged heartbeat, then a blue flame bloomed, dancingacross the surface of the oil.Nick saw the horrified looks in the men s eyes,the look of knowing one s ultimate demise, and knowing it would be bad.Theoil burst into bright red flame and Nick was running, running away from thetwisting, burning men, running away from their horrible screams.Page 139ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlTHE FLESH-EATERS WERE almost upon them. Positions, Peter cried, and the Devils and elves melted back into theforest, shifting from swords to spears, taking cover among the trees andledges.Peter was well aware that the Devils would never stand a chanceagainst the Flesh-eaters in open-field combat, not against the long pike axes,thick armor, and heavy weapons of their enemies.But if they could draw themin among the smoke, among the trees, where maneuverability was key, they couldplay a lethal game of hide-and-seek until every last Flesh-eater was dead.The Captain halted about thirty yards out, just shy of effective spear range,and quickly formed his men into four rows of ten.Peter had hoped for achaotic mob of Flesh-eaters mindlessly charging into the woods.He hadn tcounted on the Captain rallying his men so quickly. What are you waiting for? Peter whispered. Come get us.But the Captain seemed in no hurry.He scanned the terrain.Peter could see hewas carefully planning his next move.Peter didn t like it.If given thechance, he knew, the man would turn the situation to his advantage.The Captain barked a quick succession of orders, and two lines of men brokeaway from the main body, heading outward, toward Peter s flanks.Peter leaped up, strolled boldly out into plain sight, and set his foot uponthe breastplate of one of the dead guards from the skirmish.The Flesh-eaters halted, all eyes on Peter.Peter brought his sword down,cleaving the dead man s head from his shoulders.He snatched the head up bythe hair and raised it for all to see, then spat into its face.Curses and shouts of outrage rose from the lines.The formation wavered asseveral Flesh-eaters broke ranks and came for Peter. HOLD, cried the Captain. HOLD I SAY!All but one of the guards halted; a shirtless man with a large ax. STAND DOWN, BOYLE! the Captain cried. STAND DOWN! But the man kept headingtoward Peter. YOU LL PAY FER THAT ONE! the crazed-eyed man screamed [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]