Chapter three
Of two leems and one torchThe girl child cried and dribbled. The priest shrieked and writhed. The stench of the leems belched foully in that confined space.
The leems leaped. In that instant I dropped the priest and switched the girl around behind me. I drew the thraxter. The sword cleared scabbard — and the leems hauled up in midair, choked on broad silver chains and collars about their necks.
They crashed to the floor and were up in an instant, howling, spitting, all a bristle of fang and claw.
I glared at them. Foul beasts! They’d come sniffing around the chunkrah herds to cut out a straying animal and chew her up for their dinner. The priest tried to run.
I twisted the sword about and let him see the point and he cowered back, shaking.
“They are death — death, you f
