Warrior Priest of Dmon-Li: The Morcyth Saga Book Three by Brian S. Pratt Page B

carried
in. Several of them come and take the fallen warriors away into one
of the huts. The witch doctor and the warriors dancing seem not to
take any notice of the new arrivals.
    The warriors suddenly stop their dance and
the witch doctor begins talking to them. Gesticulating wildly and
speaking loudly, he begins to work them into a frenzy.
    James notices a pile of bones off to the
side of the village and points it out to Miko. When Miko sees it,
he gasps. For there mixed in with bones of different types of
animals are two human skulls.
    “Cannibals,” James whispers.
    “What?” Miko asks.
    Leaning close so Miko can hear him better,
he repeats himself, “Cannibals. They eat people.”
    “Jiron?” he asks, aghast that that could be
his fate.
    “Looks like it if we don’t get him out of
there,” he tells him.
    Shuddering, Miko looks at the cannibals with
unmistakable loathing.
    While the witch doctor is speaking to the
assembled villagers, several of the men begin erecting a large
spit. When the spit is fully erected and sufficient wood has been
piled beneath it, several warriors go over to where Jiron is being
held and open the cage door.
    Two go in and grab him, dragging him out of
the cage and carrying him over to the spit. “Can’t wait any
longer,” James says as he watches Jiron being brought closer. He
looks to Miko who nods understanding.
    Miko watches as James settles in and begins
to work the magic.
    The witch doctor stands before the spit,
staff held at his side. The warriors carrying Jiron approach and
come to a stop before him. With one warrior supporting him on
either side, they stand him up in front of the witch doctor.
Jiron’s head lolls to one side as if he’s not exactly
conscious.
    Raising his staff high above his head, the
witch doctor begins to sway. He begins chanting as the beat of the
drums intensifies. Feet stomping, he continues chanting as he
dances his way around the warriors holding Jiron.
    He’s gone around them several times when he
comes to a sudden stop. The chanting ceases as well as he turns and
looks directly over to where James and Miko are hiding. He knows
we’re here! Miko suddenly realizes.
    The witch doctor shouts something to the
warriors near him and points over to where they’re hiding. He’s
about to say something else when the villagers as one, gasp aloud.
He turns to look behind him and sees what looks like creatures made
of swamp mud walking out of the water. Little fishes are wriggling
within the mud and occasionally fall out to flop about upon the
ground.
    Raising his staff, he cries out as a flash
of light leaps from the tip of his staff to the nearest mud
creature. When the light hits the creature, it looses all cohesion.
With a sodden plop, the mud which had formed the creature falls
apart and splats with a sickening sound as it forms a pile upon the
ground. The light flashes again and again until all the mud
creatures have been reduced to a pile of muck.
    He turns back toward their hiding place as
he points his staff in their direction. A yellowish beam of light
flashes in their direction but is deflected by an unseen
barrier.
    The villagers begin crying out as the women
and children get up and run off the island, using paths leading
away from where James and Miko are hiding. The warriors grab their
spears as they begin racing toward them.
    “James!” Miko says urgently, “they’re coming
this way.” He waits a moment but James fails to respond to what
he’d said.
    As the warriors come closer, a stick flies
up off the ground and begins twirling above the path, blocking
their way. A warrior comes close and tries to strike the stick,
only to end up being struck himself. The force of the blow could be
heard even from where Miko sits and the warrior reels backward into
his companions.
    Miko sees James remove one of his slugs from
his belt and watches as it flies toward the witch doctor. Inches
before it hits him, it’s deflected away.
    The warriors