Stormcaller (Book 1) by Everet Martins

bones and fracturing Chuck’s blood-tasting reverie. Ribs are always a good target, easy to break on even large men. Noah’s words reverberated across his consciousness. This time, Chuck cried out.
    Chuck slammed Walter with his shoulder, knocking him three paces through the air into the woods. Chuck’s eyes filled with blood, blinding him. “I’ll get you twos for that!” he yelled angrily. He stomped straight towards Brownie and Juzo. Brownie rapidly turned and smashed his chest with a double heel kick, tossing Juzo into a forward roll from the saddle. Chuck gagged and madly chortled as he lay asphyxiating on his blood. Brownie galloped and frantically whinnied, heading west back towards the Bearded Foothills.
    “Brownie, no! Come back!” Juzo shouted from the ground to no avail.
    Walter recovered while the bear of a man died, and scanned the environment using the enhanced peripheral vision that came when one was able to shut down the chatter of the mind. He detected the blowgun a millisecond too late, feeling the sharp sting of a yellow-feathered dart entering his neck.
    “Juzo!” Walter shouted and pointed in the direction of the blowgun. He removed the dart and observed the tip. It was covered in a chunky, purple jam. Poison . “I don’t have much–” Walter said, crumpling in a heap of pine needles.
    Juzo scowled after Walter collapsed. “Come out and fight! Bastard!” he yelled. The faint whistle of the blowgun scored the quiet air. A missile pierced his shoulder and Juzo groaned and sagged. “Is that all you have? Darts?” he turned, shouting, into the patch of trees Walter had pointed towards.
    Another dart lanced through his cheek. Juzo groaned, and hastily removed it. He knew he didn’t have much time before whatever cocktail was on those would take him out. “Have to help Walt,” he moaned, and fell to his knees staring at Mar as he stepped from the Spiny Fellenwort Bush. Its snapping pink flowers contrasted with the overwhelming greens and whites of the foliage.
    “Little bastards! Look at what you did!” Mar screamed, pointing at the thin rivulets of blood over his hands and face. He bounded like a gorilla to his butcher’s knife, kissing it and stowing it in his twine belt. “Women will never like me like this, I reckon, but you’ll do just fine!” He grinned widely, exposing a mouth oozing with blood and yellow-green sores. Juzo couldn’t help but laugh at the man’s absurdity, but it soon became terror as understanding crossed his drugged mind. Juzo fell with a thump, unable to keep his eyes open, but could still hear Mar’s victorious cackling.
    “Oh yes, you very, very sweet!” Mar said.

Chapter 6 – New Discoveries
    “I am the Terrible Death, the brother, the redeemer, master of broken dreams. I come to fetch you away from the valley of life to the infinity of death.” –from Necromancy and Wolves: The Veiled Darkness
    Walter’s eyelids slowly parted. His vision focused and exposed heavily rusted iron bars an arm’s length from his face. He was in what could be a massive bird’s cage, with just enough room for a human to wriggle in. He feigned being unconscious from the poisoned dart. His head wound throbbed with every beat of his heart, magnified by the tranquilizer.
    He observed Mar roasting what appeared to be a thick human leg, covered in scars, over a cook fire. He’s insane , thought Walter. What kind of man eats another man, his friend? Walter searched for Juzo, finding him bound in a standing position, chest-first, to a nearby tree with hemp rope. Maybe he’s not a man at all. Walter felt for his boot knives. Gone. He’s smarter than he seems.
    Mar got up and paced in circles, scampering about the cook fire wearing a strange cloak. “Happy shall ye be who takes his child and smashes him against the rocks! Yarba!” he yelled, waving pale spindly arms in the air. “I will make them eat the flesh of their sons, and the flesh of their daughters… and all