Read torg 03- The Nightmare Dream for Free Online Page B

serves no purpose annoys me, Major Boot. As Decker said before, Colonel Matthews is a fool."
    Julie nodded, then followed Kurst's gaze toward the tree line. "What do you see out there?"
    "I see the soldiers, and the trees, and the wall of storm," he said.
    "What else, Kurst?" she urged despite her nervousness. "You look like you're ready to spring. Tell me what you see."
    "I see nothing, Julie," Kurst replied matter-of-factly. "I see nothing. Yet."
    Colonel Matthews and the others noticed Kurst and Julie staring out of the tent. Leaving his argument, the colonel joined them. "Too good to sit in on the discussion, Mr. Kurst?" the colonel prodded, speaking loud enough so that everyone at the table could hear. "Tell me, what's so important out there that it dragged you away from our meeting — a meeting, I might add, that I strongly believe you have no business attending anyway."
    A feral snarl curled Kurst's lip as he leaned close to the colonel. "I do not care what you believe, nor did I ask to sit in this tent and listen to you bleat endlessly when
    there .ire more important things to be done."
    "Such as, Mr. Kurst?" the colonel retorted furiously.
    "Rallying your soldiers, for one," Kurst said calmly. "The edeinos are about to cross through the storm."
    Decker, Paragon, and Tal Tu looked at each other, then at Kurst, trying to determine if he was joking. Colonel Matthews made ready to hurl his fiercest barbs at the shapeshifter, but Covent interrupted him.
    "Corporal West, one of the spotters along the storm front, is on the line," Covent said. He was standing beside the field radio, cradling its receiver on his shoulder. "He says that there's movement down there."
    "What kind of movement?" Matthews demanded.
    "There's something gathering on the far side of the storm front," Covent relayed to the group in the command tent.
    "Your debate is finished, colonel," Kurst informed him. "All of your options are gone. The invaders are coming to you, and all you can do is defend yourself."
    Matthews looked from Kurst to Decker, anger raging in his brown eyes. But he was also a soldier, and he knew his duty when push came to shove. He turned to Covent, snapping orders briskly. "Mobilize the troops, Major," he said. "Let's keep those lizards from coming through."
    11
    Father Christopher Bryce opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. The sunlight, even diffused as it was by the canopy of trees and the volcanic ash that hung in the sky, sent sharp pains through his head, which added to the various pains shooting through the rest of his body.
    If it hurts this much, Bryce thought, then I must still be alive. He remembered the fall down the incline with
    Toolpin and the insect creature, but little else beyond 111.it. He tried to rise, but was only able to manage sitting up.
    "Father Bryce, are you all right?" Toolpin asked. "I was afraid you were going to leave me alone with these terrible people."
    "What people?" Bryce asked tentatively, looking ,i round to see where they were.
    They were in a clearing at the bottom of the incline. Toolpin was a few feet away, held fast by the insect creature. Sitting on a rotting log beside him was a bald man in black robes. He nodded to Bryce, and gestured at the insect thing.
    "Do you appreciate the amount of power it takes to keep one chthon active, let alone four of them?" the bald man asked.
    "Is that what that thing is called, a chthon?" Bryce managed to get the question out as he got his feet under himself and stood up. He wobbled, but caught himself and leaned on a tree for support. He hoped he didn't have a concussion as he mentally checked off the symptoms — headache, dizziness ...
    The bald man ignored Bryce's question, instead moving on to other topics. "The dwarf already identified you as Father Christopher Bryce. As it is impolite for me to know your name while you are ignorant of mine, allow me to introduce myself. I am Wilfred Markham, of the Royal Society of Exploration."
    "How