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." His tone was low and serious, a stark contrast to Mahgra's irritated yelling.The ogre squinted his eyes, blinking through the heavy rain, but saw the figure only briefly before it seemed to disappear into thin air.A low growl, more common among his less civilized cousins, escaped him."Someone is out there, Gyusk.It appears your warriors failed to find everyone."Gyusk snarled, his hackles raising at Mahgra's mention of failure, but he focused that anger on his subordinates, barking orders in their bestial language.They loped into the streets in groups of three.Only ten remained behind to guard the hundred or so frightened prisoners.Thunder rumbled as they waited.Mahgra was lost again in his thoughts of arcane ambition, clearly uninterested in the current effort.Gyusk, though, stared intently into the rain and darkness, his hand gripping a long serrated sword.Large puddles were forming in the streets as the rain grew heavier, pounding down with unnatural fury.A fierce cold infected the wind, freezing the blood and numbing the extremities.Time passed slowly as Mahgra tried to ignore the gnoll's strict attention to the streets, as if an army had slipped past the town gates and threatened them all.He glared at Gyusk, annoyed by his battle-ready posture, and intently stared into the shadows and rain.Above the thunder, he yelled at the gnoll, "It is only one man!"Then Mahgra saw him, closer this time, perhaps halfway between the west gate and the town square, materializing as quickly as he'd disappeared before.The rain, reduced to a heavy drizzle, allowed the ogre and the gnoll to get a better look at the enshrouded figure.His armor was an old style, an odd fashion uncommon in the southern realms, more suited for colder climes of the north.A high collar concealed the lower half of his face and a worn, broad-brimmed hat covered all but his eyes.Those eyes were chilling.Pearly and opalescent, they did not glow, but neither were they muted by shadow, darkness, or rain.His dark cloak was unmoved by the wind, wrapped tightly around him.He was silent and still, as if he were not a part of the world at all but a vision, a figment.Only a few loose strands of silvery-blond hair seemed to react to the cold gale that blew through the streets.Gyusk nodded to two of his warriors.They nodded back and advanced on the still figure.Their loping gait was slow as they padded toward him with axes raised, growling as they neared.His collar was blown aside for a moment, revealing a pale face.The man smiled.His bloodthirsty grin was discordant with Mahgra's observation of light behind the pale gaze.Those unblinking eyes fell on the two gnolls as they closed on him.Mahgra gripped the handle of his glaive, smelling blood on the air in spite of the wind and rain.Mahgra narrowed his eyes, intrigued by this strange visitor but angered as well.Nothing assaulted his vanity more than an enemy who regarded his magnificence with indifference.He clenched his fists and waited to measure the skill of this unearthly warrior.Spells tumbled through his mind like the rain before his eyes.The thundering of his heart and the lightning he prepared on his lips manufactured a storm to match the arcane tempest around him.CHAPTER FIVEQuin had already stained his blade, killing eight gnolls he'd encountered in the abandoned streets.The rest he had allowed to escape, his menacing aura more than just an affectation of style.The shadows that surged through his spirit had an effect on those he encountered, and most were glad to be well away from it.These two approaching gnolls, fur wet from the rain, carrying weapons in hands that must have been chilled to ice in the unseasonable cold, began to sense the darkness that pervaded this lone warrior.Quinsareth could see the indecision in their hyena faces.They looked at one another, then at him.He allowed the tip of Bedlam's long, curved blade to scrape against the cobbled street, making a slight screech.Its grating wail overpowered the sounds of thunder and rain.The gnolls' eyes widened, long ears falling back against their heads.Each took a step backward.The man spoke, in their language: "Leave now." The translation was like a menacing growl.It proved enough.The pair turned and ran down a side street to escape the unnatural warrior and the imminent anger of their leader.A large gnoll at their rear howled in rage, drawing a great-sword and barking for his warriors to attack.The stillness of the moment was shattered by sudden movement.The storm roared back to life as the remaining gnolls advanced.Eight gnolls rushed Quinsareth, separating him from the townsfolk and their commander.Their leader followed, watching carefully, his massive blade held out before him.Quin waited for them to close, playing the element of surprise.He counted the heartbeats, ticked off the stones in his mind.The game continued, and the next stone was Blood.Quinsareth charged the first three, releasing Bedlam's howling blade from beneath his cloak.He ducked the first attack, the center gnoll's scimitar whistling over his head.He sidestepped an axe from the right while raising Bedlam to deflect the broadsword on his left.Spinning on his knees, he was grateful for the protection of his greaves between him and the cobblestones of the street.Before the gnoll on his left could recover, he sliced through its abdomen.Gutted, the hyena warrior howled madly as it fell, struggling to keep its innards from pouring out of the wound.Leaping to his feet, he met the attack of the axe-wielding gnoll.Hooking his sword beneath the head of the heavy weapon, he kicked forward into the gnoll's kneecap.The joint cracked and Quin swiftly disarmed the beast.As the unarmed gnoll fell to the ground, Quinsareth turned to face the scimitar, once again arcing toward his neck.This time, he blocked the gnoll's crude slash.Bedlam screeched as it bit into the heavy-bladed sword, protesting the defensive maneuver and unconcerned by the threat of injury to its wielder.The blade was overcome by an arcane bloodlust, flaring to life its green-hued glow of battle.The gnoll flinched at the magic weapon's surge and pulled back in fear.Quinsareth seized that brief lapse to force the scimitar high with his block, bringing Bedlam down viciously through the gnoll's shoulder and upper chest.The nearly bisected beast toppled backward senselessly, splashing in the gathering puddles.Blank eyes stared at the dead gnoll's five companions, who had slowed their brash charge and circled more cautiously around the enraged ghostwalker.The injured gnoll tried to stand and limp on his damaged knee, carefully eyeing the movements of the quick, silent warrior
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