In Red Rune Canyon by Unknown Page B

his yellow eyes gleaming like the spear point, “but not fast enough to keep me from killing your kinsman. One shake snaps his spine. One squeeze crushes his windpipe.”
    “No!” cried Kagur, leaping to her feet. “I mean, no to both of you! Borog, what’s the sense of killing us to keep us from risking our lives?”
    “I never threatened to kill you,” Borog replied without taking his eyes off Eovath. “Only the slave.”
    She put her hand on her sword hilt. “Eovath is my brother, and if you hurt him, you’d better kill me.”
    Borog’s jaw tightened. “Fine. Go. Your father must know what a stubborn fool you are. Maybe he won’t blame me.”
    Eovath sneered and tossed Zorek away.
    Once Kagur and the giant were on the trail and sure their erstwhile companions weren’t following, she asked, “What were you going to do if they called your bluff?”
    The giant smiled a crooked smile. “What makes you think I was bluffing?”
    “You wouldn’t really kill friends of the Blacklions.”
    “They didn’t seem much like friends when they jumped you.”
    Still, she doubted their father would have approved. But if Kagur and Eovath had offended the Eagleclaws, Jorn Blacklion would make amends with gracious words and gifts. Meanwhile, his daughter and foster son had a hunt to complete. She paused to inspect the ground before them, then pointed at the clearest track she’d found so far: the unmistakable impression of a boot.
    Eovath nodded. “You were right. Dron isn’t dead. In fact, he’s fit enough for his captors to march him along.”
    For a moment, Kagur was certain that was the way of it. Then she noticed additional tracks a couple paces farther along. “I hope so. But look here. The ‘captors’ were wearing boots, too.”
    Eovath grunted. “Then maybe they are orc raiders, despite the putrid smell. Or Kellids turned bandit.”
    Kagur looked up at him. “You sound disappointed.”
    “Haven’t you ever been curious to see a ghost or a demon?”
    “I suppose. Is that why you agreed we should come after Dron?”
    “I agreed because no one should be dragged off into slavery.”
    Kagur frowned. “You’re not a slave, despite what Borog said. No Blacklion thinks of you that way. Not anymore. Not for a long while.”
    The frost giant shrugged his massive shoulders. “We should keep moving.”
    They did, loping across windswept tundra and past ponds surrounded by patches of yellow-green moss and stunted diamond-leaf willows. When the trail led near ripe red bearberries, they gobbled some and picked more for later. Gray-white hawks with crimson beaks floated in the sky, and wild mammoths trumpeted in the west.
    Animals grew scarcer, though, as the terrain became hillier and the trackers drew near to Red Rune Canyon. By the time the sun was sinking toward the western horizon, and the notch between two stony walls came into view, Eovath and Kagur were the only moving, breathing things in sight.
    “It’s nearly dark,” Eovath said. “We could camp here and head in come morning.”
    Kagur shook her head. “Let’s cover as much ground as we can.”
    Unfortunately, that wasn’t a great deal more, for when, peering about for lurking orcs and other dangers, they prowled into the mouth of the canyon, they found it was already twilight inside. They had to stop not long thereafter lest they risk losing the trail.
    They camped beside the creek that ran down the center of the gorge and supped on more bearberries and bison jerky. Kagur had swamp tealeaves in her pack as well, but it would be foolish to build a fire to brew a beverage. Someone or something might spot the light. So far, however, Red Rune Canyon had done nothing to justify its sinister reputation.
    Later, when Eovath was on watch and sleep continued to evade her despite the day’s exertions, Kagur came to a decision. “It’s just orcs. Orcs bold and cunning enough to hole up where humans are afraid to go.”
    “What about the rotten smell?”