The Lost Library of Cormanthy - Mel Odom [18]
The orc's spine splintered.
Baylee released the corpse and it collapsed to the ground. Evidently enough noise had been made to warn the orc's companion. The creature turned around in surprise and nocked an arrow to the short bow it held.
Hanging upside down from the tree branch, Baylee stared death in the eye. The shifting of the orc's shoulder told him when the arrow was about to be released. The ranger threw himself to the side. The arrow fletchings slipped along the side of his face, letting him know just how close it had been.
On his way to the ground, he flipped in midair and landed on his feet. The orc screamed out a warning to the others of its party. The sound of running feet started immediately toward Baylee.
Seeing the human still alive sent the orc into a panic. The creature drew back to the shelter of a nearby tree as it tried to nock a new arrow.
Baylee sprang forward, reaching for the orc. He seized the creature's head and slammed it into the tree hard enough to smash its skull. The orc let out a
long breath, shivered, and died in the tangle of roots thrusting up from the ground.
The ranger gathered the short bow and the quiver of arrows. A quick count showed him fourteen arrows in the quiver. He took five of them out, fitting one to the string and taking four more up in his left fist, holding them with the bow, managing the handful with ease.
Though Golsway had been reluctant to allow Baylee to carry weapons, he had seen his apprentice trained in their usage. Happily better armed, Baylee faded into the darkness of the forest. It was time for the hunted to become the hunter. * ** ** "Detestable creature," Jaeleen said aloud. Her words dripped spite and venom.
Roosting upside down high overhead in the tree the woman hid under, Xuxa regally chose to ignore the woman and sent her senses ranging far out, seeking Baylee. She touched the minds of two of the orcs and retreated instantly by choice.
Orcs had such narrow, closed minds filled with horrific dreams fueled by the smell of blood. Xuxa shuddered, re-closing her leathery wings about herself. She still could not sense Baylee, and she was beginning to feel somewhat anxious.
"I know you can hear me," Jaeleen called out from below, "and I know you're up there."
Then do us both a favor, Xuxa flashed at the human woman, and shut up. She intentionally made her telepathic voice loud enough to hurt.
Jaeleen loosed an oath, summoning up a colorful, but wholly inaccurate family history for azmyth bats in general, and Xuxa in particular.
Xuxa ignored the outburst. Seated in the upper branches of the tree, she had a good field of view. Her night sight stripped away the dark shadows twisting across the land. One of the orcs had closed the distance between itself and Jaeleen to sixteen paces. Feeling disgusted, Xuxa also noted that the human female still did not register the orc.
Baylee would never make such a mistake, the azmyth bat knew. She had trained the human ranger to be alert to everything going on around him, and she took pride in Baylee's skills, which were well beyond those of most humans.
The orc continued creeping up on Jaeleen.
Xuxa briefly considered sending a warning to the human female and letting her fend for herself, but decided not to. In the ensuing fight, Jaeleen might manage to get injured, and Xuxa didn't intend to listen to Baylee berate her for it. And there was a certain amount of territorial pride involved since Baylee had made the woman her charge.
Unfurling her wings, Xuxa let herself fall from the branch. She dropped like a stone, emitting her high-pitched squeak too high for either humans or orcs to hear. The sound bounced back up at her from the forest sward, instantly letting her know how near she was to her quarry.
She broke her fall