Page 78 of On a Barbarian World

“Preferably slower than the descent,” Colm muttered.

“There are mine carts here.” Kavon was looking at where the tracks disappeared into some tunnels. “They must ascend at some place for taking ore out.”

“Everyone on the platform,” she said. “Let me fiddle around with the lift controls and see what I can do.” As the warriors crowded around, she crouched by the same place she’d touched before to activate the lift. She fingered the metal and hoped for the best.

The platform moved, lifting a few inches off the ground. The men all crouched and Kavon wrapped his arm around Aurina.

Then they whizzed upward.

The air rushed against her face and this time she would have enjoyed the ride, except she knew everyone was thinking about poor Viken.

Soon the platform slowed and they came to a halt, back in the upper tunnels.

Suddenly, wild shouts echoed off the rock walls. Aurina spun and saw an arrow fly out of the darkness and right into Kavon’s chest.

He staggered backward.

“Kavon!” she screamed.

He was clutching his shoulder, and around them his warriors clashed with other warriors who rushed out of the darkness.

All the new warriors had a dark, twisting snake tattoo on their arms.

Drog.

She turned and saw a tall, older warrior emerge from the shadows. His face was hard, his hair tied back, the strands containing just a few hints of gray. His body was as muscled and chiseled as the other warriors. He had a giant war axe decorated with gold in his hands.

“An ambush is just your cowardly style, Drog,” Kavon spat out.

She looked back. Blood was flowing down the side of his chest. The arrow had pierced high on the right-hand side. Knowing he had two hearts, and that his nanami would be trying to heal the wound, didn’t stop her worrying.

Kavon grabbed the arrow and, with a swift tug, yanked it out.

She winced, but he didn’t even react.

Suddenly, while she was distracted, Drog lunged forward and snagged her arm. He reeled her in, even as she shoved an elbow in his gut and turned to fight him.

He wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug to keep her still.

“A pretty prize,” he said. “And now she is mine, Mal Dor, and whatever knowledge she possesses.”

Her gaze flew to Kavon.

His face was set in hard lines. “Take her.”

Her heart stopped, and she simply stared at Kavon’s impassive face. She couldn’t read him at all, he was so remote.

Drog’s laugh boomed. “So simple, then?”

Kavon shrugged. “She was a means to an end. I wanted Durendal and I’ve found it. I no longer need her.”

Drog barked out a laugh. “You and that obsession with an old sword…still, I expected you to fight over the skyflyer.” The man paused. “I heard she was warming your bed.”

“Many women have warmed my bed, and there will be many more. Hopefully less odd-looking than this one.”

Aurina’s heart was beating so hard she expected it to jump out of her chest. Bitterness and hurt filled her mouth, and she felt Drog nod. The words coming from Kavon’s mouth were like cuts on her skin. She felt like she was bleeding.

“Yes,” Drog said. “I heard you have been searching for a warlord’s daughter to take to wife.”