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.Three of them.file:///H|/NOVEL/New%20novel/2.htm[9/25/2009 10:21:36 AM] AmaSour FictionTook us by surprise, snatched Pechal.Raz went after them."With one of those eerie growl-screams, Ailill turned and dashed off into the forest."You okay?" Ivan asked Luka as he foundGleb.Swearing as he saw the blood pouring from leg, Ivan set to work fixing the wound."How is everyone else?""No fatalities," Shio said as she picked herself up.She was bleeding from a cut on one arm, but didn't seem to notice it."They were even nastier than Vladimir - I thought you said he only hired one other group."Ivan made a face."That's what he told me.Help me out here, unless you're squeamish.""You have no idea how utterly ridiculous that statement it," Shio said.Dragging herself across camp, she dropped downbeside Ivan and helped him tie the leg off to slow bleeding, then drew a thin dagger from somewhere Ivan didn't see andbegan to dig out the bullet."Who or what are you?" Ivan asked."I've never met women like either one of you.Is Shinju all right?""She's going to be furious when she wakes.Unless you want to know what it's like to be attacked an angry lightning-eel, Isuggest you and everyone else keep away."Ivan didn't bother to ask what in blazes a lightning-eel was."Right," he said, then moved to hold Gleb down as he finallywoke - to intense pain."Hold still," he said sharply."Shot's almost out."Gleb nodded and bit back a scream.One by one, the people around the camp started to stir.Isidor yelped as he tried to help Shinju, and Ivan shared Shio'schuckle."Leave the Kundouin alone.How is everyone?""Fire and ash, someone is going to die," Maksim swore."My head feels like it was split open.What did they hit me with?""Probably a rock," Ivan said."Only thing hard enough."Luka stood up slowly, grimacing in pain."They got Maksim just as they got Gleb - that threw the rest of us off, and after thatit was scorching chaos." He moved toward the fire, swearing softly as he sat down, favoring his left leg, and began torekindle the flames that had been doused in the fight."Hope your cat man can catch them, because they made sure weweren't fit to follow.Raz shouldn't be running either, but I don't think being dead could have kept him from it.""Forest will kill him first," Ferapont said grimly."Too dark to be running like that, and he'll likely get lost.I don't know howthe mercs are managing it."Ivan nodded and said nothing, merely helped Shio finish wrapping makeshift bandages around Gleb's wound.Another booming crack shattered the brief calm the group had achieved.It was immediately followed by an animal cry ofpain, a terrible yowl.Ivan was standing before he realized he'd moved."Ai-"Shio snagged his arm."You can't.You'll get lost.They'll be all right - trust Raz."Ivan shook her off."I'm worried about them both.Raz, from what I gather, is injured.And I can't tell if Ailill is wounded ordead.""Sit tight, boss," Luka said."If we go out there, we're guaranteed to wind up dead.That won't help anything."Ivan snarled in fury and prowled around the camp, helping his men with their injuries and salvaging what he could from themess made in the fight.He was just about to lose his temper when two men stepped out of the trees and into the clearing,holding each other up.Blood trickled down Raz's face, a great deal of it dry, sticky, and smeared with dirt, a leaf stuck to one cheek.Beside himAilill drooped tiredly and as he stepped closer Ivan saw that one sleeve was completely soaked in blood.He dashed towardthem."I'm all right," Ailill said."Changing gets rid of most injuries.I was too exhausted to keep chasing though, especially if theyhad more of those strange weapons." But he didn't protest when Raz was dragged away by the sisters and Ivan slid an armaround his shoulders and helped him to the fire."I tried to catch him.Those things are nasty.""Flintlocks?" Ivan asked."Yeah, they're all kinds of nasty.Expensive, not really worth the hassle." He frowned, mindbeginning to race."Not many people use them, pretty much mercs and a few hunters
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