Which finally looked up.Ĭurious as he might have been to witness the clash of behemoths, Kalam wasted no time in lingering. There seemed to be no moment of disorientation among them, for three of the five closed instantly on the nearer hound, whilst the remaining two flanked Kalam as they clambered, in a blur of limbs, towards the hound in the street. He scrambled in a half-circle to bring the scatter of diamonds between himself and the attacking hound.Īnd blew through the bone tube as hard as he could.įive azalan demons rose from the ancient stone floor. Then Kalam clamped the whistle between his teeth. The hound skidded across dusty flagstones, legs cycling wildly beneath it as it twisted around.Ī glance showed the other hound entirely unmindful, still gnawing away in the street beyond. The assassin continued rolling until he was on his feet once more, tugging desperately at the whistle looped around his neck. He pivoted hard and sprinted, even as he flung his last handful of smoky diamonds-his own cache, not Iskaral Pust’s-into his wake.Ī skittering of claws immediately behind him, and he flung himself to one side, rolling over a shoulder as the hound flashed through the place where he had been a moment earlier.
![tor house of chains tor house of chains](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ef/46/07/ef460715a1966c3fd23694f30a3dd97c.jpg)
Kalam leapt up the worn stairs, one hand reaching into the folds of his telaba. The other continued crunching through a human knee, seemingly indifferent to its companion’s sudden tension.Įven when the beast turned to stare at the place where Kalam crouched. Wonder where they came from… and what they’re going to do now. There were no other alternatives available to him, at least until the hounds left.īut they seemed to be in no hurry, both settling down to split the last long bones and gnaw at joints. Motionless, he had slowed his own breathing, then the pace of his heart.
#TOR HOUSE OF CHAINS SKIN#
The sight of them made the assassin’s skin crawl. Devoid of fear and supremely confident, as if this strange place they had come to was as familiar to them as their own hunting grounds. Yet, as they now filled their bellies with raw human flesh, they moved with savage grace, primal and deadly. If anything, they were larger, bulkier, massing more like a bear than a dog. These, Kalam could well see, were not Hounds of Shadow. The other hound had begun feeding on the corpses of the Pardu warriors, and the sickening sound of breaking bones continued.
![tor house of chains tor house of chains](https://media.onthemarket.com/properties/12288982/1414666798/image-2-1024x1024.jpg)
The hound-for that, Kalam realized, was what it was-then stepped away, as the shaman’s headless body staggered back, then sat down with a thump. Huge black head swung to one side, jaws opening wide, and the shaman’s head vanished within the maw. The shaman shrieked as one of the enormous beasts closed. As if darkness itself had taken form, only the shimmer of their sleek hides betrayed their presence, and they moved with blurring speed, amidst spraying blood and snapping bones. Two massive beasts had arrived, immediately attacking the Pardu warriors.
![tor house of chains tor house of chains](https://steven-erikson.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/cropped-04-chains-pb-tor340.jpg)
The darkness lying heavy on the street seemed to convulsively explode-and then screams tore the air. Kalam never discovered if what occurred next had been intended without doubt its conclusion was not. An acrid stench wafted out from the ritual circle. Black and glittering, the objects crackled and popped on the ground as if they had been just plucked from a hearth. The shaman’s muttering had fallen into a rhythmic cadence, and he reached into a bag of sewn hides at his belt, collecting a handful of small objects which he began scattering about as he walked his endless circle.
![tor house of chains tor house of chains](https://i1.wp.com/www.tor.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/LockeKey_GuidetoKnownKeys_cover.jpg)
He slowly sheathed his otataral long-knife and settled back in the deep shadow of the recess, to wait, and watch. Something told the assassin that these Pardu did not belong to Sha’ik’s Army of the Apocalypse. And in his movements Kalam saw the beginnings of a ritual.
#TOR HOUSE OF CHAINS FREE#
The shaman began stamping around, muttering under his breath, reaching up with his free hand to tug at his tangled hair every now and then. His warriors swung down from their horses in a more graceful fashion, and Kalam caught the flash of a quickly hidden grin from one of them. He landed badly, twisting an ankle, and spent the next few moments hobbling about, cursing and spitting. The shaman growled a few words, then pivoted on the high Pardu saddle and slipped to the ground.