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Fear like that meant only one thing… her husband stood behind her.
“Do you know which appendage I am going to cut off each of you first?” Varrick asked with a forceful confidence that caused the two men to shudder.
Fia turned and hurried to her husband’s side, grateful to feel his arm go around her back at her waist.
“Are you unharmed?” he asked, without taking his eyes off the two men.
“Aye, you came just in time.”
“I am going to kill you both,” Varrick said, his fury igniting even more, feeling his wife tremble beside him.
“We meant no harm, my lord,” the one said. “Please. Please have mercy on us.”
“We were just having a bit of fun. We would not have hurt her. Honestly, we wouldn’t have. Please, my lord, please spare us,” the other man begged.
“Fun? You intended to have a bit of fun with my wife?” Varrick accused harshly. “I am going to cut your lying tongues from your mouths. Then I am going to cut off your shafts and stuff them down your throats.”
One man’s hand went to protect his mouth, the other to cover his shaft, and Fia shuddered at the thought of what both men would suffer.
“Please, my lord, please don’t harm us,” one man pleaded.
“You are both going to get what you deserve and then some,” Varrick said, condemning them to their fate.
The man who did not pee himself suddenly took a defiant stance. “There is two of us and only one of you.”
Varrick did not need to change his stance. He already stood with unshakeable confidence and possessed a skill that the two sloven men could not hope to match. “Then you might want to get more friends to help you.”
The two men looked ready to flee.
“Run and I will track you down and I promise you that I will do far worse to you when I catch you, and, make no mistake, I will catch you both,” Varrick said, leaving no doubt he would do as he said.
“At least we have a chance if we run,” one of the men shouted.
“Then run, my warriors wait, eager to chase after you,” Varrick warned.
One man’s eyes went wide as if he got a sudden thought and he hurried to say, “Spare us and we will tell you who stalks these woods.”
“You will tell me whether I spare you or not,” Varrick commanded, not trusting the two men.
The other man hurried to add, “But until you know for sure we speak the truth, it would be wise of you to spare us harm. Especially spare our tongues or else we will be unable to tell you anything.”
“Continue to bargain with me and I will see you suffer the wraths of hell before I send you there,” Varrick threatened, having suffered the pair’s lies until he was sure his warriors had time to situate themselves in the woods. “Tell me who stalks these woods.”
“Your word you will not harm us at least until you discover the truth of our words,” one of the men said.
Varrick knew they bargained for time hoping to make an escape and since he knew that would never happen, he said, “You have my word. Now speak up.”
The two men’s shoulders sagged in relief and one hurried to speak.
The white hell hounds burst out of the woods almost as if they appeared out of nowhere and descended on the two men, clamping their teeth into them, and dragging them off screaming.
Fia cringed at their agonizing screams of terror and pain and turned to bury her face against her husband’s chest, grateful his arm tightened around her.
Varrick kept his free hand on the hilt of his sword. He did not think the hell hounds would return but he would take no chance. His warriors would show themselves soon enough and they did, emerging from the woods, many of them with worry on their faces.
Corwin approached while the others lingered, gathering to whisper among themselves.
“We never saw the hell hounds coming. It was as if they just suddenly appeared out of nowhere,” Corwin said, shaking his head in disbelief and concern. “The hell hounds killed. They never killed before now. Why? What has changed?”
