"Stan Nicholls - Orcs First Blood 01 - Bodyguard of Lightning" - читать интересную книгу автора (Nicholls Stan)

Sergeants Haskeer and Jup pushed through the troopers. As usual, the former
was sullen, the latter unreadable.

'Enjoy your stroll?' Stryke jibed, his tone sarcastic.

Jup ignored it. 'What now, Captain?' he asked gruffly.

'What think you, shortarse? A break to pick flowers?' He glared at his
diminutive joint second-in-command. 'We get up there and do our job.'

'How?'

Coilla was staring at the leaden sky, a hand cupped over her eyes.

'Frontal assault,' Stryke replied. 'You have a better plan?' It was a
challenge.

'No. But it's open ground, uphill. We'll have casualties.'
'Don't we always?' He spat copiously, narrowly missing his sergeant's feet.
'But if it makes you feel better we'll ask our strategist. Coilla, what's your
opinion?'

'Hmmm?' Her attention remained fixed on the heavy clouds.

' Wake up. Corporal! I said-'

'See that?' She pointed skyward.

A Black dot was descending through the gloom. No details were obvious from
this distance, but they all guessed what it was.

'Could be useful,' Stryke said.

Coilla was doubtful. 'Maybe. You know how wilful they can be. Best to take
cover."

'Where?' Haskeer wanted to know, scanning the naked terrain.

The dot grew in size.

'It's moving faster than a cinder from Hades,' Jup observed.

'And diving too tight,' added Haskeer.

By this time the bulky body and massive serrated wings were clearly visible.
There was no doubt now. Huge and ungainly, the beast swooped over the battle
still raging on the plain

Combatants froze and stared upwards. Some scattered from its shadow. It
carried on heedless in an ever-sharper descent, aimed squarely at the rise