The Storm's Own Son (Book 2) by Anthony Gillis Page A

destruction in the plaza, and then added,
    "Talaos, today, you're the hero of the troops. The man who stormed the gate almost by himself! That said, you might not be much for explanations, but about now, having some would be good... And you'll want to start figuring out who your friends are, because you just made an enemy of one of the seven commanders of this army."
    The wind kept rising, driving the rain almost sideways.
    "And I think I'll need more men of my own," replied Talaos.
    The warlord looked at him in surprise for a moment, then laughed his bear's growling laugh, "You bet you do! Now let's get out of this damn weather!"
    Talaos wasn't bothered by the weather. He thought of the House of the Prophet behind him, and revulsion crawled over his skin.
    "Anywhere but here," he answered.
     
    ~
     
    Talaos and his little column of men made their way from the plaza in a gale. They had the rescued prisoners wrapped like bundles in cloaks. Around them, here and there, shingles came loose from roofs and shutters flew open with shattering cracks. Civilians of Avrosa were nowhere to be seen on the streets.
    Soldiers from the invading army moved about, either looking for shelter or, in some cases, looting. An officer moved with a squad of men, caught a pair of soldiers looting a shop, cracked one of them across the face with the back of his hand, and seized the pair. Then all of them, together, went into the shop and took shelter from the storm.
    For his part, Talaos wanted to climb one of the towers and feel the wind and rain in their full force, with no brick and stone in his way. However, he had others to think of, bound to him by oaths and duty, depending on him. Ahead, nearer the waterfront, he saw a large inn of five stories. The place had a big sign with the image of a man, implausibly, standing on the back of a dolphin as it crested a sea of large spiraling waves.
    Talaos laughed, "Men, that looks like the place mad enough for us!"
    Laughs passed among the men, no doubt, he thought, bolstered by thoughts of rest.
    He led them toward the place. As they neared the harbor, Talaos could see that here the plain was separated from the sea by low cliffs of fifteen feet or so. The actual waterfront, the district of docks, depots, and seedy taverns, was down below and flooded as huge waves crashed in from the sea. Many of the smaller boats in the harbor had foundered or were breaking up as they smashed, over and over, against the quays. Even the larger ships, two of which looked eastern, were in a poor state.
    Eastern ships and unknown problems. Problems for later, he thought.
    They rounded the corner and found the main entrance. With his company behind him, Talaos pushed the double doors. They were locked. He brought back a fist and slammed it against the doors with such force that they shook.
    "Open up!" he roared, voice echoing over the wind.
    There were gasps inside, then a pause. At last, he heard clicks, and the doors opened inward. A thin old man with wispy white hair answered. He shook nervously, and looked up at Talaos as if expecting death.
    "We're commandeering this inn," said Talaos.
    The man still shook, but his expression turned to glum resignation, "Yes... sir, ah..."
    "Tribune Talaos," he told the man. "You'll be compensated when we get things in order."
    "Yes, of course Tribune," answered the man a bit more hopefully, "I'm Kimon, and welcome to The Waverider."
    Beyond the doors opened an entry chamber with wood-paneled walls and a intricate carpet. Broad stairs rose to the right of a desk, then turned left and continued up. To the left was a large common room, and to the right, kitchens and a hallway. Talaos had expected the place to be packed with terrified civilians,  but instead were only a few, mostly well dressed and dry.
    "I thought you'd have civilians here hiding out from the storm, or us." he said to Kimon.
    Kimon looked exceedingly unsure how to answer that. As Talaos's men poured in, he tried, "I... We