Guns of Mars 10
A Martian action-adventure by The Legend Chuck Dixon
CHAPTER 3.3
“You’re not wrong,” the man nodded. “Only Lan Lanthos won’t pay for your head. He’ll pay for you alive or nothing.”
Lan Lanthos was a hetman of the Western Warhoons and Tagas’s father. He would certainly want Kal alive to cut strips from him over many days. Or perhaps bind him sprawled atop a nest of sand grubs who would burrow into his hide to lay eggs for their young. He’d seen victims of that torture in the past and been entertained by their suffering, to see tharks and men both scream until blood sprayed from their teeth.
“You take me back to Quanta then.” The ruins of an ancient city of men that his clan called home.
“Not directly. We’ll need to go to Samarium and buy a mount for you. Take too long to walk you back to your father-in-law.”
“Samarium.” Kal said and glanced away to the horizon.
“I guess that’s where you thought you were heading when you wandered out here to die.”
Kal glared as a smile appeared on the man’s lips and melted away.
“What is Lanthas paying for my return?”
“Thirty head of his herd of my choice,” the man said.
“I could pay you more.”
The man snorted at that.
“Kal Keddaq, a thark of means, are you? From where I’m sitting, you don’t have a thing to offer me but promises and lies.”
Kal snarled at the use of his name.
“And what are you called, man?”
“You can call me John.”
Special Note: GUNS OF MARS is now available in a hardcover edition. It is available at Amazon and at NDM Express.
