BELLY OF THE BEAST By Warren Thomas * * * * * PUBLISHED BY: Rollicking Dragon Press Copyright 2021 by Warren Thomas Cover by Willsin Rowe Cover Art by Vanette Kosman This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, and locations within either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, or locales is entirely coincidental. All characters in this story are 18 years old or older. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75 Chapter 76 Chapter 77 Chapter 78 Chapter 79 Chapter 80 Chapter 81 Chapter 82 Chapter 83 Chapter 84 Chapter 85 Chapter 86 Chapter 87 Chapter 88 Chapter 89 Chapter 90 Chapter 91 Chapter 92 Chapter 93 Chapter 94 Chapter 95 Chapter 96 Chapter 97 Chapter 98 Chapter 99 List of other books by Warren About the Author Belly of the Beast Tane Kyleson lifted the glowing length of steel and eyed it critically. The blade was almost the right color for the final ritual to give the sword life and a good temper. The barrel of blessed bear’s blood sat to his left, with his father beside it watching him and the blade with a critical eye. “Steady, boy,” Kyle said. A little pride crept into his stern face. “Patience.” It felt good to see the pleasure in his father’s face. Kyle Raymondson was the greatest swordsmith in the region, swordsmith to princes, dukes, and barons. And Tane had to admit, the blade in his gloved hand was the finest he had ever made. A hero’s sword, for certain, he thought. It was a regular enough looking sword, nothing ornate like the nobility wore, but had a double fuller instead of a single. And if he ever decided to sell it, Tane could dress it up with a fancy hilt. “And there it is!” The color of the blade was perfect. Without hesitation Tane thrust the glowing sword all the way into the deep red bear’s blood, until his arm was immersed halfway to the elbow. Tane named the blade, “Bearclaw!” The blood hissed and boiled, foul smelling steam erupting up into Tane’s face. The whole shop suddenly reeked of cooking bear’s blood. The blood quickly rose in temperature as it cooled the precious blade at just the right speed, while he listened intently for that telltale ting that said a blade cracked during the quench. Nothing, until the very blood began to glow. Tane felt hot and cold flow up his arm. He almost released the blade. “Something wrong?” his father asked. Tane pulled the blade out and laid it across the shop’s small altar to Kamain, God of the Forge and Smiths. It remained perfectly straight and unblemished. “No. I just…” he said. “It was nothing. My mind wandered for a second.” His father leaned over to look at the sword. “It’s a beautiful blade.” “Thank you. I worked so hard on it.” A big grin spread across Tane’s face. I did it! Quickly removing the heavy, blood-soaked glove and wiping his bloody hands on a waiting towel to clean his fingers, Tane began drawing the Leltic runes of victory, bravery, and strength in the blood along one side of the blade while chanting the required prayer. Then flipping it over, he used a clean finger to write the sword’s name on the other side. “A good name, Tane,” Kyle said. “I, too, named my Master Blade after Kamain.” The bear was sacred to the God of the Forge and Smiths, and was His animal manifestation. A noble beast, Tane thought with a smile of pride, And my Master Sword is just as noble. Reverently carrying the blood-dripping blade over to the forge, Tane placed it in a wrought iron stand over the fire. The qualities inscribed in the blood would be imbedded within the steel once the sacred bear’s blood dried. Then Tane would clean, polish, and test the blade. “Thank you, Kamain, for guiding my hand and blessing my work,” Tane said, bowing to first the small altar, then the sword. Finally, he grinned at his father, “And I finished just in time for dinner, if my stomach and nose are any judge.” Kyle took a deep breath, smiling contentedly, “Smells like roast pork. By Kamain’s Hammer, I swear that woman can cook! And your uncle said I was crazy to marry a wild forest born Lelt! His civilized wife makes him do the cooking!” “I haven’t heard him complaining much,” Tane said, grinning just as fiercely as his father. “To hear him tell it, he doesn’t let her cook.” “Ha! No wonder,” Kyle laughed. “I ate her cooking once. I was sick for a week. She can’t boil water without detailed instructions. And adult supervision.” Tane chuckled as he stripped off his leathern apron before the rain barrel and began washing the blood, sweat and grime off his face, arms and bare upper body. Like his father, he had short-cropped brown hair and blue eyes, and the stout body and musculature of a long line of smiths. At six feet, he was a six inches shorter than his Jarlander father. His father’s side of the family always clicked their tongues woefully and lamented on how his “dwarfish” stature came from his Leltic mother’s blood. Then everyone would grin and wink at her. His mother gave him his pug nose and right to bear the sacred tattoos of her tribe and clan. Tane had already earned all he was allowed. Blue geometric tattoos encircled both wrists and the upper arms halfway up from the elbow to make him strong and brave. A vertical bar of intricate, interlaced geometric designs and oak leaves ran the length of his spine to give him the
