Darkblade Slayer

by Andy Peloquin

  "I…blamed myself," the knight continued. "For Moradiss…Visibos."

  The Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

  "Should have…made sure you were dead." She gave a little laugh, which turned into a wet, gasping cough that brought up blood. "I…went to visit…my family near…Malandria. Was gone when…you were at the temple. I wasn't…wasn't there to…save the others. But I…see now…Beggar God's hand…in everything."

  The Hunter gripped her hand tighter. He met her eyes, and was surprised to find her hate and rage had fled. Instead, it was replaced by something else…serenity. It made no sense to him. She had failed in her mission of vengeance. He still lived while she lay dying. So how could she have found any semblance of peace in that?

  "The Beggar God's…will is for…you…to save us all," she gasped out. Her words came fainter, and each ragged breath cost her enormous effort. "He…chose you."

  The Hunter wanted to retort, to hurl the truth of her gods in her face. The Beggar God was a lie fabricated by the Enclave—all the gods were. She had lived and died in service of something that didn't exist.

  And yet, he could not bring himself to do it. Father Reverentus' words echoed in his mind. "In the end, faith is what makes things true. Faith is what brings peace and acceptance that there is something worth living for, worth dying for."

  He understood now. The Enclave—or Father Reverentus, at the very least—did not use the gods as a nefarious tool of control or manipulation. Or not entirely. The old priest had recognized the truth: people needed the gods. No, people needed faith. Faith gave their lives purpose, provided a meaning for the unexplainable. Faith eased burdens—like the burden of guilt Sir Danna carried.

  If she could rationalize what had happened to Visibos and Lord Knight Moradiss as the will of the god she served, it lessened the burden she felt. The pain remained, but faith served as a balm to ease it. In the end, Sir Danna's faith in the Beggar God gave her peace that all was as it was meant to be. It was a delusion, he knew, but perhaps it would be kinder to let her have the lie.

  He nodded. "The Beggar smile on you," he said, his throat thick, "and guide you on your journey to the Long Keeper's arms, where you will know peace and joy forever more."

  A faint smile stretched Sir Danna's bloodstained lips, and she closed her eyes. "H…Hunter," she whispered.

  The Hunter bent to place his ear close to her lips.

  "Find… the Chambers of…Furtherance," she gasped. "They…are…the hope."

  The Hunter's brow furrowed at the words. They made no sense to him. "What does that mean?" he asked.

  Sir Danna would answer no more. She lay with her eyes closed, her skin pale, all tension gone from her face. She had gone to join her apprentice with the Long Keeper.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  The Hunter's mind raced as he tried to decipher the knight's words. He had no idea what a Chamber of Furtherance was, but somehow it had been important enough that Sir Danna had spent her last breath to relay the information to him. For her sake, he would find out.

  He plucked Soulhunger from her lifeless fingers and slipped the blade into its sheath on his belt. Drawing in a deep breath, he stood and turned toward Enarium.

  A sharp pain flared in his side. He looked down, and horror surged within him at the sight of a shard of black iron embedded in his armor. Lord Knight Moradiss' shattered sword! He hadn't noticed it before, and the fact that he'd been hunched over had kept it from piercing his skin. But when he'd straightened, he'd done the damage. It had been little more than a prick, but that was enough.

  His lips twisted in a bitter smile as the irony of the situation washed over him. After everything he'd survived to get here—Cambionari, Illusionist Clerics, Abiarazi, and now the Stone Guardians—was he really going to die within eyesight of Enarium from the prick of a Keeper-damned shard of iron?

  Not a bloody chance.

  A slow chill spread up and down his ribs, and he felt the numbness reach for his organs. He didn't need to look to know the veins would be blackening as the iron's poison flooded his system. With a growl, he stumbled up the hill toward Enarium.

  The open gate stood fifty paces away, but it felt like a hundred leagues. His feet grew heavy, leaden, and his knees threatened to give out at any second. He was fortunate it had only been a small puncture—a serious wound would have killed him in seconds. At this rate, he had maybe two, three minutes before the corruption killed him. If he could just reach Enarium, he could get Hailen to heal him. Either that, or find a victim to feed Soulhunger.

  The demon filled his head with its insistence, shrieking at him to kill Hailen or Kiara to save himself. The iron's poison flooded him with pain, yet it also helped to drown out the voices. Slowly, the demon's presence faded to a quiet hum as agony engulfed every fiber of the Hunter's being.

  One step, another, one more. He could no longer lift his head, could barely keep his eyes open. The world around him faded until only the stony trail beneath his feet remained. Slowly, like the inevitable chill of winter, the numbness seeped into his hips, down his legs, up to his shoulders. It would reach his heart and brain soon, and he would succumb to the iron's poison.

  If he stopped, if he allowed himself to give in to the pain, he would fall and never rise again. Step by agonizing step, up that seemingly endless slope. He would not stop—he could not. Hailen waited for him in Enarium. The boy was counting on him to save his life. He had to find a way to…

  The poison clouded his thoughts and made it impossible to think clearly. Something in Enarium mattered to Hailen, but he couldn't remember what.

  Memories of the Sage's face flashed through his mind, and the demon's mocking smile brought a surge of fury that barely pushed back the numbness. Slowly, the stupor seeped back into his consciousness until the face disappeared.

  Darkness pressed around the edges of his vision. His breath came in faint, ragged gasps. A dull throbbing filled his ears as his heart struggled to pump blood, taxed by its efforts to purge the poison from his body.

  Another face came to him then. Long golden hair hung in luxurious waves that framed Her perfect face. He took in every detail: from the rosy color of Her full lips to the slight upturn of Her nose to Her high cheekbones.

  Tears streamed down his face. He'd come so close to finding Her. They were to be reunited here, in the Lost City of the Serenii.

  His strength gave out and he slumped to the ground. The pain increased, and he dimly realized his fall had driven the shard deeper. He was beyond caring. It was all he could do to crawl agonizingly toward the open gate.

  His vision blurred, and it took every shred of effort to keep his eyes open. Shadows passed before his face. He wanted to give in, to lie down and let the poison take him. He'd come this far. He'd delivered Hailen safely to Enarium. Kiara would care for the boy. It had to be enough.

  The face returned: dainty nose, sharp cheekbones, luscious lips a red so deep any rose would envy it. The face he'd crossed a continent to see.

  He blinked, but this time the face didn't disappear. The scent hit him. Jasmine and honey, cinnamon and berries. So familiar.

  A voice spoke as if from a thousand leagues away, faint, the words muffled. He tried to speak, but his tongue refused to form words. He reached out with a weak hand.

  Shock coursed through him as his fingers met warm flesh. She stared down at him, and tears streamed down eyes as black as his own. Those perfect lips, the lips of his wife, moved as they formed a name he hadn't heard in…a lifetime.

  "Dravyin?"

  The name jolted something loose in the Hunter's mind. Memories that had been locked away came flooding back to him.

  "T-Taiana?" Tears streamed down his cheeks. He reached out again and found the warm flesh of Her hand in his. A smile stretched his lips.

  "I…found you," were his last words as he died.

  The Hunter's journey continues in

  Hero of Darkness (Book 6): Darkblade Savior:

  It takes
a killer to save the world.

  The Hunter’s desperate search has led him to the mystical lost city of Enarium. Triumph turns to heartbreak when his surrogate son is captured by the cruel demon, The Sage.

  Surrounded by a legion of bloodthirsty enemies, time is running out for Hunter and his small crew of allies. To stop the demon from unleashing an ancient evil that threatens to destroy the world, he may just have to rely on his long-lost and powerful wife.

  But as the Hunter unlocks the ancient city’s secrets, everything he knew about magic and the gods of Einan is about to change…

  Click now to read the explosive, earth-shattering conclusion to the epic Hero of Darkness series!

  * * *

  Back to Table of Contents

  More Books by Andy Peloquin

  Queen of Thieves

  Book 1: Child of the Night Guild

  Book 2: Thief of the Night Guild

  Book 3: Queen of the Night Guild

  Traitors’ Fate (Queen of Thieves/Hero of Darkness Crossover)

  Hero of Darkness

  Book 1: Darkblade Assassin (May 29th)

  Book 2: Darkblade Outcast (June 5th)

  Book 3: Darkblade Protector (June 19th)

  Book 4: Darkblade Seeker (July 10th)

  Book 5: Darkblade Slayer (August 7th)

  Book 6: Darkblade Savior (September 4th)

  Different, Not Damaged: A Short Story Collection

  Try This Prequel Story!

  The Hunter of Voramis does not forgive or forget. But his thirst for vengeance against a deceitful client could lead to consequences far graver than he realizes.

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  and get the prequel short story for free!

  About the Author

  I am, first and foremost, a storyteller and an artist--words are my palette. Fantasy is my genre of choice, and I love to explore the darker side of human nature through the filter of fantasy heroes, villains, and everything in between. I'm also a freelance writer, a book lover, and a guy who just loves to meet new people and spend hours talking about my fascination for the worlds I encounter in the pages of fantasy novels.

  Fantasy provides us with an escape, a way to forget about our mundane problems and step into worlds where anything is possible. It transcends age, gender, religion, race, or lifestyle--it is our way of believing what cannot be, delving into the unknowable, and discovering hidden truths about ourselves and our world in a brand new way. Fiction at its very best!

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  Glossary

  Gods of Einan

  Kiro, the Master: God of virtue and nobility

  Deralana, Lady of Vengeance: Goddess of warriors and vengeance

  Garridos, the Apprentice: God of ventures and enterprise

  The Maiden: Goddess of purity, devotion, and festivities

  The Illusionist: God of coin, success, and madness

  The Bright Lady: Goddess of healing

  The Swordsman: God of war, heroism, and metal-smithing

  The Mistress: Goddess of trysts, secrets, and whispered truths

  The Bloody Minstrel: God of sickness, plague, and horrible music

  The Watcher: God of the night, god of justice and vengeance. Thieves and criminals know him as “the Watcher in the Dark”.

  The Lonely Goddess: Goddess of orphans and broken hearts

  The Beggar God: God of outcasts, the destitute, and the needy

  The Long Keeper: God of death.

  Kharna, the Destroyer, Breaker of Worlds: evil god, seeks to destroy the world

  Darkblade Slayer Characters

  (in order of appearance/mention)

  The Hunter of Voramis/Hardwell: legendary assassin, half-demon, wielder of Soulhunger (Chapter 1)

  Hailen: child cared for by the Beggar Priests, innocent to an extreme, the Hunter’s ward, possesses mysterious new abilities (Chapter 1)

  Elivast: chestnut-colored horse, friendly, very wet nose (Chapter 1)

  The Sage: shadowy figure mentioned by Toramin and Garanis in in Darkblade Outcast, again mentioned by Queen Asalah in Darkblade Protector, demon, introduced in Darkblade Seeker, devious as all hell (Chapter 1)

  The Warmaster: ruler of the Masters of Agony, vicious bastard, delights in torture, psychopath, slain by the Hunter in Darkblade Seeker (Chapter 1)

  Master Eldor: former trainer of the Hunter, Elivasti, well-respected, pawn of the Sage, slain by the Hunter in Darkblade Seeker (Chapter 2)

  Sirkar Jeroen: caravan master in Darkblade Protector , warrior, lover. (Chapter 3)

  Master Uqio: innkeeper of Kharan-cui, paid by the Hunter in Darkblade Seeker to care for Hailen, not worth his price (Chapter 3)

  Madame Aioni: madame, proprietress of Divinity House, offers anything if the price is right (Chapter 3)

  Sastia: working girl at Divinity House, cares for Hailen (Chapter 3)

  Darillon: mountaineer, trail guide, very bald, not the friendliest sort (Chapter 4)

  Karannos Taivoro: mad playwright, famous for his works of erotic poetry and romance, original Illusionist Cleric, savant and lover of ciphers (Chapter 5)

  Graeme: alchemist, lover of erotic poems and romances, member of the information-collecting Hidden Circle, the Hunter’s only “friend” in Voramis (Chapter 5—see Darkblade Assassin)

  Bardin: former Illusionist Cleric, homeless madman, very bald, slain by the demon Toramin in Darkblade Outcast (Chapter 5)

  Toramin: demon in human flesh, murderer, slain by the Hunter in Darkblade Outcast (Chapter 5)

  Evren: pickpocket and clever thief, knows more about the Master’s Temple than he lets on, hiding dark secrets (Chapter 6)

  Under-Lectern Sisket: low-level priest in the Master’s Temple, lackey and general flunky, target of “Brother Makrell’s” displeasure (Chapter 8)

  Father Reverentus: high priest of the Beggar God in Voramis, old, member of the Cambionari, not the Hunter’s biggest fan (Chapter 10— see Darkblade Assassin)

  Father Pietus: High Beggar Priest in Malandria, very old, slain by the Hunter in Darkblade Outcast (Chapter 10)

  Visibos: Sir Danna’s knight apprentice, in service to the Beggar God in Malandria, scholar, lover of soft beds, Cambionari priest, locked in a vault by the Hunter in Darkblade Outcast (Chapter 10)

  Farida: Child saved by the Hunter (in Life for a Life), sold flowers, slain by the demon in Darkblade Assassin (Chapter 11)

  Sir Danna Esgrimon: Knight of the Order of Piety in service to the Beggar God in Malandria, redhead, Cambionari priest, seeking vengeance for the death of her apprentice (Chapter 13)

  Rassek: Darillon’s partner, mountaineer and trail guide, the salt to his companion’s pepper (Chapter 15)

  Kiara/Celicia: Fourth of the Bloody Hand, enemy turned ally, helped the Hunter defeat the Demon of Voramis (Chapter 30—see Darkblade Assassin)

  Taiana: the Hunter’s wife from a lifetime and thousands of years ago, the woman he’s dreamed of and crossed a continent to see (Chapter 44)