The running stopped. A fist beat on a heavy door, one hard knock after the other.
Corrin heard a tiny door squeak open.
“Let me in, Mauk,” Creed ordered.
“No coming in. You leave at dark, you take your chances, Fool!”
The tiny metal door slammed shut.
Castle Bloodhound wasn’t a castle so much as large well-fortified home of block and mortar. It resided along Bone’s walls at the end of the Northwest districts. It didn’t have towers nor turrets. It didn’t have moats, massive gates nor stables. Of all the castles, it looked the least impregnable, but the Bloodhounds knew that.
That’s when Corrin heard it. Angry chitters were coming down the street. Right at them.
He could feel the giant spider legs all over him again. Just kill me now, Creed.
Creed set him down and propped him up against the wall. Pounded at the door with both fists. Kicked at it with his boots.
“Let us in, Mauk! Or by Bone, I’ll run you through the next time a see you!”
“You’ll not be around to do that,” a voice muttered from behind the door. “Death is what you get for playing in the night, Fool!”
Creed kicked the door again.
“Blast you!”
The swordsman stood tall and drew his blades once more.
Underling soldiers spilled from the alley. Corrin could see enough to count. Twenty maybe? At least there are no spiders.
“Nice knowing you, Corrin,” Creed said.
Am I going to watch you die again?
Chapter
7
Melegal pressed on, his narrow shoulders scraping against the tunnel walls. Behind him, Venir grunted and squirmed his bulk through the oversized dirt hole. Sounds like an ogre back there. The tiny beam of white light glowing in his hand, the thief’s ears pricked at every sound. His nostrils flared, filled with the smell of rot and decay. His heart pounded inside his scrawny chest like a mason’s hammer.
Bish!
Squeezing through the confines of the City of Bone was one thing. He’d been doing that all his life. But diddling underground in the Outland was another. His mind was troubled with thoughts of getting lost or trapped, caved in. Blast Haze, I should have left you.
He’d left most women in the past. Mostly after a night, but Haze had stuck with him like a loyal cat, and for some reason he didn’t mind. Swallowing his fear, he slid through the tunnels, doing for her what he knew she’d do for him. I don’t know why I’m doing this.
After they wound dozens of feet deeper into the cool ground, a soft glow appeared. He slid his coin into his pocket and cast a glance at Venir. There was just enough light to see the man’s form filling the tunnel. His bearded faced was stern. Grim. He opened his mouth. Melegal poked him in the chin. Venir followed with a soft grunt.
Two hundred thirty two steps in, he had counted and then stopped at the bend. The smell of death was there. Like a mausoleum. The faint smell of ground coffee was there as well, and some other things, more pungent. He wiped his watery eyes, closed them, and cupped his ears.
Venir breathed softly behind him. Quiet as a gentle breeze. His own breath was hardly noticeable. He inhaled and exhaled slowly. His heartbeat no longer filled his ears. Something ahead scuffled over the ground like large critters. There was a clink of metal. Strange mutterings crawled between his shoulders. He slid out one of his swords, adjusted his cap, and peered around the corner.
A ten-foot drop greeted him, leading to a cavernous dirt room. The glow came from jelly stuffed in strange lanterns on the wall. Things moved. Spiders the size of large dogs scurried back and forth. But they were different. Fear gripped Melegal. What is that?
The spiders weren’t spiders at all. Rather men with spider bodies. Naked from the torso up, they had short black hair, beards, coal-black eyes and antennae on the top. Some carried short spears. Others nothing at all. There were half a dozen at work in the lair. Two of them stood along the wall like flies, blowing bubbles of web that coated a lean figure on the ground.
Haze!
Two of the arachnamen were spinning her as the others blew their webs and coated her with a cocoon. Melegal flinched at the big hand on his shoulder. Venir’s blue eyes were intent. His bearded jaw set. A panther ready to pounce. Melegal barred his arm over his chest. In the past, when Venir had the armament, he’d felt more confident. Now it was different. For the first time in a long time, he sensed that Venir was mortal.
Melegal mouthed a single word. Wait.
Hunkered over the ledge, he watched with bated breath. There were several cocoons in the corner, one stacked up on the other. More arachnamen made their way in and out from another tunnel below. Two of them picked up another cocoon and carried it out. Haze’s body was tossed to the side. Please be alive.
Two more Arachnamen took another cocoon and disappeared. The second of the three pairs followed suit, leaving only two. One of the odd humanoids stood at attention of some sort and minutes later the last one disappeared into the hall. Melegal’s fingertips tingled. It was time to move. He nodded to Venir.
Venir’s hulking form slunk back.
He grabbed his light coin and tapped the metal edge against his Dart Launchers. His toys were fully loaded once more, thanks to some help from the wizards. He held his thumb over the coin’s light and made rapid flashes. Took aim with is other arm and waited.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
Flash. Flash. Flash.
A minute went by, maybe two.
Come now, take the bait! He rapped the coin on the metal launcher again. Still nothing came. Bish, it’s probably not even looking this way. Crawling forward, he tucked the coin away and peered down the opening. The arachnaman was gone. There was no sign of the foul creature anywhere and Haze’s cocoon was still down there. Yes! He nodded back at Venir and slipped closer to the edge. Looking downward, he felt an odd tingling on his back. He jerked his head around. High on the dirt ceiling, an arachnaman’s black eyes pierced him. Melegal froze. Spear first, the creature dropped from the ceiling.
Move!
Melegal twisted his entire body, but the spear tore through his arm. Man and arachnaman crashed into the ground. Melegal kicked its spider body. Punched its hard belly. It brought the spear up and jammed it down.
Melegal rolled left. Right. The stabs fell inches from his neck. He grabbed the spear shaft and hung on. Tried to wrestle it away. The creature was smaller, but stronger. It made strange sounds. Webbing blew from its mouth, filling the air.
No you don’t!
Melegal drove his fist into its belly and squeezed the trigger on his launcher.
Twing! Twing!
The arachnaman jerked and screamed something awful and darted for the exit tunnel.
“Great,” Melegal said, pulling the webbing from his face. Something big was in the corner. He whirled with launchers ready.
“You better save those things,” Venir said, heaving Haze’s cocoon over his brawny shoulders, “I hear more coming. Move!”
Melegal ran, jumped, grabbed the lip of the tunnel and pulled himself inside. Venir tossed Haze’s sticky cocoon up to him.
“Eck,” he said, dragging her up the tunnel. He stopped and went back for Venir.
Like a great ape, Venir swung himself up into the tunnel.
“I hope you remember the way out of here.”
Melegal stuck the coin in his mouth, leading the way. Venir had Haze tucked under his arm, squeezing his way through the giant hole behind him. Eerie hoots filled the air, getting louder and closer. Melegal sprinted forward.
“Slow down!” Venir roared. “Unless you want to carry me too.”
One Fifty Eight.
“We’re almost there. Just run, you beast, run!”
Two hundred. Two Twenty
Five.
The exit out of the tunnel was bright with light. Venir was less than ten spaces behind him. He ambled back and grabbed Haze’s legs and started to pull. They burst out of the hole, carrying her as if on a stretcher.
“Whew!” Melegal said. He’d never loved the suns so much.
He and Venir staggered twenty yards from the hive-like openings and set Haze down. He peeled the webbing from her face. It was drained. Her cheek under his palm was cold. He swallowed.
“You’re bleeding,” Venir said. “Bad.”
Melegal blocked it out and tried to resuscitate Haze.
“Me,” Venir warned, “we have to keep going.”
The eerie hooting crept out of the tunnels, louder and louder like a howling wind.
“I don’t think they like the daylight,” Melegal shot back. “Go if you want. I have to bring her back!”
“I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“And I’m not going anywhere without her.”
Venir leered down at him. A stone shadow blocking the sunlight.
“Then you better fill your hands with steel.” Venir’s knuckles were white around the dwarven shafts. “Because they are coming.”
One. Two. Three arachnamen popped out of their holes. They didn’t seem so big in the hot open space. More like eight legged dogs that needed put down.
Simmering inside, Melegal rose up from his knees and snaked out both his blades, the Sisters, from their sheaths. He narrowed his steely eyes.
“Let them come then,” he said.
Venir’s shoulders crackled when he rolled them. His neck popped from side to side.
“We can handle them,” Melegal added.
The eerie hoots howled from the tunnels. A sea of arachnamen emerged like rats off a sinking ship.
Slat!
Chapter
8
“Kam,” a voice said softly, nudging her, “Kam, wake up.”
She sat up on her cot, yawning. Her good hand rubbed at her eyes and the other one just hung there. She could still feel it. She still tried to use it. She hadn’t gotten used to it and it had been a bad day ever since.
“What’s going on, Joline? Does Erin need fed?”
Joline had Erin over her shoulder, jostling her up and down. The older woman’s thick salt and pepper hair was a hazard and her sweet face filled with worry. Her ear was pressed against the door of the tiny room that was now their quarters. It had four walls, a small bed, a cot, dresser, and small cradle. It was the smallest room at the Magi Roost. Darleen had taken Kam’s, the largest.
“No, no, no,” Joline whispered, “but there’s a big commotion out there.”
Kam brushed her auburn hair that hung like curtains from her eyes and slipped her shoes on. She was still in clothes. The ones she’d worn yesterday and the day before that. She got up, knocking over an empty bottle of Muckle Sap.
“Here,” she said, holding her arms out, “let me have my baby.” Erin’s bright blue eyes warmed her heart. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
As hard as life had been, it was hard to imagine that such a little living thing could bring her such joy. Purpose. Kam knew she’d never be the same, not after what Palos had done. She could still picture his drooling face, crystal clear in her thoughts. I should have killed him. She had killed, however. She’d snapped Diller’s neck like a twig with a mystic thought which she wasn’t certain had come from her or something else. The gems that had overtaken her, perhaps.
“Are you hungry?” she said, bouncing Erin up and down.
The little baby girl cooed and giggled.
“Huh,” Kam laughed. “And you’ve been eating like a pig.” She shrugged. Rested Erin on her shoulder, closed her eyes and hummed.
Scorch. Darleen. The strange pair had saved her life, only to invade it. She tried not to think about them. If she thought too much, Scorch might appear. Handsome. Powerful. Intrusive. The man wielded powers she didn’t comprehend like a child shaking a rattle. She wanted to leave but was scared to. But that wasn’t all. She didn’t want to go either. She wasn’t going to give up the Magi Roost, the place she’d worked so hard for. It was hers and hers alone. It didn’t belong in the hands of the bearish Darleen. The rough-cut woman seemed well-intentioned, but she was off her rocker. I’ve suffered worse.
“Kam,” Joline said, “can you hear that?”
“Hmm?” Kam said, finishing her hum. She’d learned to block out all the clamor with a cantrip she’d dug up. She muttered an incantation. Instantly, her ears filled with Darleen’s squalor. “Is someone strangling a rooster down there? Here!”
She handed Erin over to Joline and threw open the door. Fists at her sides, she stormed down the hall. “She makes orcs look like halflings.” Traipsing by the balcony rail, she got to the top stair, took the first step down, and stopped. The Roost was dead quiet. She turned and looked down. Four men floated in midair, slowly turning shoulder over shoulder, like roasts. Her friends were screaming but no words came out. Kam’s knees buckled. Scorch!
An icy voice replied from behind her.
“Hello, Kam.”
She took a sharp breath. Scorch stood right behind her in white robes that covered his toes. Without touching her, he shoved her downward.
“Won’t you join us?” he said, impolitely. “We have a dilemma.”
Down the steps she went but through no will of her own. Fear and panic seized her. She turned and shot a look at him. Her neck snapped forward.
“I’m not feeling very cordial today.”
Her toes drifted over the wooden floor and she was slammed down into a chair. Paralyzed, her thoughts went to Erin.
“Don’t make me have to bring her into this,” Scorch said. A chair slid over the floor and in front of the fireplace. He took a seat.
Darleen moved behind him with the look of a hungry critter in her eyes.
Another man she hadn’t seen before glided behind Scorch’s other shoulder. His features were dark, his hair black. His robes, dark gray and ornate, hung loosely on his slight build. His eyes met hers. Kam shuddered in her unseen bonds. Dark ruby-red eyes greeted her. Fear raced along her spine.
Scorch gently clapped his hands.
“Kam, dearest, eyes on me. Introductions are coming.”
“Who is he?”
Her last word was silenced. She held her tongue.
“That’s better,” Scorch said, leaning forward. He propped his elbow on his knee like a wise grandfather. His smile was quaint and magnificent. “I want you to take a moment and take a look, a very close look at your friends.”
She hesitated.
“Go ahead,” he assured her.
She turned. Georgio, Billip, Brak and Nikkel’s faces were red and screaming in silent terror. They kicked and squirmed. She couldn’t read their lips but she knew that were trying to warn her. Tears formed in her eyes. “Please stop this, Scorch,” she said, gentle and pleading.
“Stop, you say,” he replied. “Well, perhaps.” A log lifted from the rack on the mantel and hung in front of his face. “Watch.” The bark separated from the log. The rings of the log separated one from the other. Fifty rings at least. One by one, from the inside out, the rings ignited with fire and drifted to the ground in ash. “That is what is slowly happening to your friends.”
“No,” she begged, “please don’t!” Her words fell silent again.
“I’m no longer humored by your rebellious nature, Kam. Nor that of your men. You seem determined to stay here, for reasons that are well beneath me, and they are even more determined to stand by your decision.” He thumbed over his shoulder at Darleen. “This one likes this place. She’s loyal. Doesn’t dispute my authority. The place is hers for as long as she wishes.”
Darleen’s beaver face gave a quick nod. She folded her arms over her chest.
“Now, as unpredictable as creatures such as yourself are, I would suspect, as do you, she’ll tire of this and move on. But that might take a while, whether you make her feel welcome or not.” He huffed and looked at the man behind him. “People are more orderly where I’m from. Trinos did a strange thing here.” He shook his head. “I need you to keep Darleen happy. I have more pressing matters on my … oh what is the saying … on my plate.”
Kam glowered at Darleen. Looked away. With great effort, she buried her vehement thoughts.
“We have an understanding then?” he said, perching one brow.
Certainly. Knowing he could somehow hear her thoughts, Kam merely thought this at him.
Scorch flicked his wrist and the ashes from the log quickly reformed. He stood up, looking like a perfect portrait in his robes. The wave in his blond hair, the lashes on his eyes. Everything was in perfect alignment. Too perfect.
“Excellent. In the meantime, I’ll be coming and going. My new acquaintance will be in and out as well but for now will help smooth things over. I’ve some troublesome persons to attend to. I think you two have met already, a bit informally.”
A human with ruby eyes came forward. His chiseled complexion seemed gray. The short beard on his face was a soft white.
What about my friends, Scorch?
All four men fell to the floor, gasping for air. Each and every one looked miserable, their expressions aghast. Billip dashed to a tankard on the bar and guzzled from it like water. Georgio and Nikkel helped themselves to a bucket of mop water. Fear glazed their eyes.
“Scorch, I don’t need any help,” Darleen said, placing her meaty hands on her wide hips. “They step out of line again, I’ll put an end to all of them.”
“Is that why you called me, Darleen?” Scorch said, “to show me how you were going to put an end to them?”
The Darkslayer: Series 2, Box Set #1, Books 1 - 3 (Bish and Bone) Page 4