The Darkslayer: Series 2 Special Edition (Bish and Bone Bundle Books 6-10): Sword and Sorcery Adventures

by Craig Halloran

  Slightly aghast, Rayal said, “I’m not used to this witchery. But, it burns in a good way, I believe. Father, Elizabeth is still there, in Castle Bloodhound. We have to save her.”

  Melegal caught Rayal’s attention. “What about Jasper and Creed?”

  Rayal looked him in the face with sad eyes, and gently shook her head. “They didn’t make it.”

  Melegal’s face tightened. “What do you mean they didn’t make it? What happened?”

  “We were called out to the ramparts. At least, Creed was. We accompanied him. One of his men told us that underlings were pounding at the gate, but it was the dwarves. The same ones who rescued me.” She swallowed. “We were ambushed by a flurry of crossbows. At least, Creed was. Jasper was caught in the crossfire.”

  “And you saw them die?” Melegal asked.

  “I saw Jasper die for certain.” She kept Melegal’s gaze. She could see deep in his eyes this was hurting. “A bolt struck her in the head. I’m so sorry. Creed’s body was filled with bolts when he shoved me over the wall. They were shooting from all over. I didn’t see him die, but no man could have survived that. I heard the clamor of him attacking. I swear it was him baying like a wolf. On my order, the dwarves brought me here.”

  “You need to rest, Rayal,” Ebenezer said in a soothing manner. “We will find Elizabeth. I’ll send for her immediately. I’m certain Lorda Almen, despite her ambitions, will be willing to parlay with me. Though, this is a bizarre situation.”

  “She is possessed, father. Not like some wild-eyed demon, but some other deeper, darker anger on a personal level.” She coughed. Melegal grabbed a bottle of wine from a nearby rack, pulled the cork, and handed it to her. She gulped down a few swallows and handed it back. “Thank you. One of the Bloodhounds, Edmund, was in league with her. He mentioned something about Venir murdering her son, Tonio.”

  “It never ends with that brat.” Melegal’s words were seething. “The Almens, I swear there is no good in any of them.”

  Fogle hurried into the living room. The scholarly mage had a refreshed look about him. He nodded at Rayal. “Hello. Er, is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Just try not to fall for every striking woman that crosses your path,” Cass said, “and we should be fine.”

  Melegal took Fogle by the arm. “You’re taking me to Castle Bloodhound. We need to rescue Rayal’s sister.”

  “How do you suppose that I’m going to do that?” Fogle said.

  Billip entered the room with his bow in one hand. A quiver full of arrows was on the other. “The same way you did as before. Make one of those doors in the space and take us there.”

  “I need to know where I’m going. And there should be more planning.”

  “We aren’t waiting, and we aren’t planning,” Melegal said. “Sometimes a fool has to do what a fool has to do.” He looked right at Rayal. “We will get your sister.”

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded. What in Bish is going on with me?

  ***

  Fogle summoned Inky. The bird landed on the parapet of Castle Bloodhound. Dead men were strewn over the walkway in a broad path of blood and limbs. He didn’t see any sign of Creed. With his eyes partially rolled up inside his head, he said to Melegal, Billip, and Ebenezer, “I am ready.”

  “Do it,” Melegal said.

  A portal opened up out of the thin air. There was a full view of the parapet’s walk. Melegal, Billip, Ebenezer, and half a dozen dwarves went right through it.

  ***

  Jasper’s corpse was the first thing Melegal noticed. With a lump forming in his throat, he picked up her body. “I’m sorry.” He passed her through the portal and set her on the ground in the living room. Turning his back, he led the way into Castle Bloodhound, following the trail of battle. Dead men lay in the halls. Body parts were scattered and blood was splattered from the floor to the ceiling.

  Broadsword in hand, Ebenezer said, “It looks like a dust devil of steel went through them.”

  “Spend more time with us and you’ll get used to it.” Billip notched two arrows on his bowstring.

  On cat’s feet, Melegal avoided the blood on the floor. He chased after the sound of many dogs baying. He found a spot where it looked like the last man had fallen. A pair of bloody footprints led into the kitchen dining area. He peeked around the corner. Elizabeth sat behind the farm table. Her gaze was fixed on a man who was mumbling. He gave Billip a quick nod. Billip moved around to the other entrance in the room.

  “She killed me dog. She killed me dog. She killed me dog.” A man inside the kitchen kept repeating the phrase. Melegal revealed himself to Elizabeth. He gave her a nod. She shrugged. Creed was half slumped over the table, white as a ghost, his sword still gripped in his hand. “She killed me dog. She killed me dog. She killed me dog.”

  Billip rushed over to Creed. “Great Bish! The man’s feathered like a peacock. He lives. How bad a shot can these Bloodhounds be?”

  Ebenezer entered the room and picked Elizabeth up in his arms. She kept her eyes on Creed. “Elizabeth, what happened?”

  “Is he going to die? I’ve been waiting for him to die,” she said, “but he keeps breathing.”

  Ebenezer turned her away from Creed and found her stare. “Elizabeth, listen to me. Where is Lorda Almen?”

  “The dogs ate her.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Master Sinway traveled in the drainage tunnels beneath the City of Bone. His iron eyes had a glow that illuminated the tunnel. His feet glided above the wet muck in the tunnel, and his robes made a small train in the air behind him. Elypsa remained two steps behind the floating underling. He moved at an agonizing pace. She was used to moving much quicker.

  “I sense your impatience, Elypsa. I don’t care for it. Impatience is a lack of faith. You should be more like your brothers. They had faith in me. They revered me.”

  “I revere you.” Her nimble fingers quickly braided small strands in her white hair. The underling women were gorgeous–light, lithe, and exotic, with hourglass curves that would make a normal man’s tongue salivate while his toes curled. Her dusky-gray skin had a sheen. Her tantalizing figure moved with grace and ease. “You are a titan among the underlings. Only a fool would doubt you.”

  “And you are a woman who reveres your pets and perfumes more than your men. I know better, Elypsa. Women also have doubts about their men, but so long as they are obedient, then I have no problem with them. After all, it is that or death.”

  They made a few more turns in the tunnels. Elypsa followed Master Sinway, considering what he was saying. It was true, the female underlings were full of guile and deceit. They used flattery and wile to appease their mates. But despite a male underling’s power or station, they didn’t revere them like their male counterparts. They mostly used them for their own purpose. That tended to include what one underling woman had that another one didn’t and gloating about it to all the others. Elypsa called it “gossip among the gossamer.”

  They came to a crossing where one tunnel dropped into a lower tunnel. Sinway dropped downward. His robes almost dusted the ground. He continued on, saying, “Tell me, Elypsa, do you miss your mate, Kuurn?”

  Absentmindedly, she shrugged. “Certainly. He was magnificent.”

  “Pah. You thought him weak. I could see it in those lavender eyes. So much disdain. Yet, he was one of my top magic users. His skills were almost on par with your brothers’. He’s an asset that will be missed.”

  “I can’t help that I don’t have the affection for him that I should have.” She patted the twin swords on her hips. “I like to fight with metal. I’ve been drawn to it since I saw a hammer striking steel on the anvil. It set my heart on fire.”

  Sinway stopped. He slowly turned in the air and faced her. Looking down on her with eyes that burned like molten metal, he said, “Kuurn wasn’t worthy of you. He had ability, but he didn’t have the will that could tame the likes of you. No, you are a unique creature, Elypsa.” He reached o
ut and ran the back of his hand down her cheek. “When this is over, I will reward you with a mate that is worthy of you.”

  “Would it be possible for me to have a mate of my own choosing?”

  “Serve me well, and we shall see.” He searched her eyes. “You want an underling that can best you steel on steel, don’t you?”

  “Or at least an equal match.” She held his illuminated gaze for a moment, but turned away as her eyes started to water. “I need a man that will challenge me.”

  “Like the humans?”

  “I dare not!” she said. Deep inside, what he said had a ring of truth to it. The towering warriors and their skills captured a portion of her heart. She didn’t feel guilty of it either. “I am certain there is a worthy underling sword saint that I have not crossed yet.”

  “You’ve defeated every juegen you have ever met. What makes you think there is a worthy one out there?”

  “If there isn’t now, I’m certain there will be. I should have a thousand years to find him out. Perhaps our swords will meet in a hundred years or so. He’ll be young, but that only serves to benefit me.”

  “I see, but let me warn you: you put too much faith in your steel. Come. Let me show you where your real faith should be placed.”

  The tunnel opened up into an underground auditorium. A ring of stone benches, dusty from centuries of decay, encircled the center. Huge spider webs covered the walls with spiders the size of horses clinging to them. Behind the webs on the walls were paintings, coated in grime, with images of underlings doing horrible things to mankind.

  “It’s true. Underlings did live here,” Elypsa said with her eyes fastened to the macabre murals.

  “Of course. Everything is as I’ve said. I’ve been here before—many times, to say the least.” Sinway pointed to the underling workers standing in the middle of the auditorium. They took a knee and bowed at the sound of his voice. A stream of water ran through a stone channel that crossed the middle of the room. It ran from one side of the auditorium to another before disappearing in the wall. The channel of water broke off into a pool to one side surrounded by underling mages. The waters had an enchanted green glow emanating from their burbling waters. “Brethren, you may rise and resume your mission.”

  The underling workers, on a signal from the magi, dipped their barrels into the waters until they were full. The underlings drew the water out and handed it over to another underling, who hammered on the lid. They made an assembly line, sending the barrel hand to hand and out of the auditorium into another tunnel.

  “What does the water do?” Elypsa asked.

  “When it is consumed, it will do what I command it.”

  “And who drinks this water?”

  “Any man who isn’t an underling that thirsts. Come, I’ll show you.”

  CHAPTER 16

  “Mood, I’ve never been one to question your wisdom, but I’m a little concerned about this,” Venir said. He was inside the dungeons of Castle Kling. The dungeons were built of gray stone slabs. Steel and iron cages and a variety of devices of torment filled the rooms. “But I will say, this is one of the finer confinement facilities I’ve ever been in.”

  Brak and Nikkel chuckled. Brak was inside one of the largest cells with his father, Venir. Nikkel shackled Venir’s wrists and ankles. Heavy links of chain fastened Venir to the wall. Helm lay on the floor at Venir’s feet. The axe, Brool, and shield were on the outside of the cage, leaning against the bars of another cell.

  Mood tested the chains. He said to Brak and Nikkel, “Let’s go.”

  Brak hung back for a moment. He lay a hand on his father’s shoulder. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “I’m going to do it, eventually. I might as well get a better feel for what I’m in for.” Venir tugged at the chains with his muscular gorilla-like arms. “I don’t think I’ve ever broken chains as thick as this before. We’ll see. You better go.”

  “I think I better stay,” Brak said. “You might get the helmet on, but you might not be able to take it off. I should stay by your side to do that.”

  “It could be dangerous.”

  “I’d be surprised if it wasn’t,” Brak said. He looked to Mood. “I’m staying.”

  “I don’t suppose I can talk you out of it. So be it.” Mood closed the cell door and locked it with a key. “It’s your show, Venir.”

  “I think I’m going to sit down for this.” Venir took a seat. He put the ominous helm in his lap. Brak moved in behind him. “Good idea, son.” He took a breath. “I don’t think I’ve ever been hesitant to put this thing on before. It shouldn’t be any different than it has been. I’ve managed good control of it.”

  “Don’t be so sure of yourself. That’s usually when the ground drops out from underneath your feet,” Mood said. “You want to focus on Master Sinway. You know who he is. See if you can sort through the brood and find him. But I’ll warn you, Venir. You might take Sinway down, but another will rise in his place. Still, this will be a blow to their race.”

  Venir nodded. He reached back and clasped Brak’s hand. “Be ready.” He lifted Helm over his head. A sudden draft made torch flames quaver. Venir lowered Helm over his head and buckled it on.

  Brak saw the dormant veins in Venir’s bare arms rise under his skin. His muscles twitched and flexed. Venir’s head gave a stiff shake. He made an angry murmur that stood Brak’s hairs on end. “So many,” Venir growled. His voice became something else. The eyelets on the helm smoldered black. His chest heaved. “Kill them all!”

  Brak’s fingers touched the sides of the helmet. He flinched. The metal was hot. When he took a half step back, Venir came to his feet. The well-defined warrior, lathered in sweat, made a beeline for the war axe on the other side of the bars. The chains snapped taut. The round muscles in his arms and legs bulged. “Give me my axe!”

  Mood stood his ground. “Concentrate, Venir. Find Sinway!”

  Venir’s muscular neck dipped side to side. His shoulder and back muscles bulged. “I am concentrating! Concentrating on killing them! Killing them all!”

  Brak heard part of his father and part of something else. Venir’s transformation was haunting. He’d never been so close to it before. He reached out for Venir.

  “I’m fine, boy,” Venir growled. His voice was dark, dangerous, and fierce. His arms strained against the links. The metal groaned. “I’ll be finer when I get out of here.”

  “You aren’t going anywhere if you can’t control it,” Mood said.

  “I am controlling it. Otherwise, I’d have already torn my way out of here. Just give me Brool. I’ll finish this, once and for all.” His voice trailed off. “So many… so many greasy underlings.”

  “That’s spooky.” Nikkel wiped the glistening sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

  Venir let out a mad laugh. “Your eyes are as big as the moon, boy! Hahahahahaha! Mood, let me out of here. I can find Sinway. I’m ready to hunt him!”

  “You sound reckless,” Mood said. “Give me more details.”

  “I’ve been reckless all my life! Now you worry?” Venir back-stepped. The chains went slack and rattled on the floor. He let out a gusty breath. The tension in his voice eased. “I might feel like I have a boiling kettle on my head, but I can handle it. Mood, let us out so I can get closer to the enemy?”

  “Us? Who do you mean by us?” Mood said.

  Brak didn’t get the idea that Venir was talking about him either. He agreed with Mood’s suspicions.

  Venir looked back over his shoulder. “Me and Brak, of course.”

  “It didn’t sound like you were talking about your son. It sounded like you were talking about someone else.”

  “Mood, you are getting under my skin. And if you won’t let me out of here, then I’ll let myself out!” Venir let out an animal-like growl. He charged the cell door. Arms and legs straining against the links of chains, he let out a savage cry. Fingers stretching and clutching, he said, “Give me my axe!” He heaved
against the chains. Metal ground and bent.

  Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!

  The shackles gave away against the savage man’s brawn. Venir grabbed hold of the door and tried to pull it free from the hinges. The mechanism in the lock groaned.

  “Sweet Mother of Bish, he’s doing it!” Nikkel said.

  Brak sprang onto his father’s back. He fastened his fingers under the helm’s bottom rim.

  “Get off me!” Venir yelled. Backward, he plowed Brak into the wall. “Open the door! Open the door, Mood!” Nikkel cried. “Venir’s going to kill him!”

  “No!” Mood kept the keys tight in his grip. “We can’t let him out of there like this. It’s not time yet!”

  Venir turned his hip underneath Brak. He slung his son aside like a bail of straw. Brak, off balance, hit the ground hard and headfirst. His face bled as he turned. Venir’s face was a knot of fury, but something was missing as he charged his son.

  Brak held up the object in his hand. “I have your helmet. You won’t be putting it back on.”

  Venir glared at him. “We’ll see about that.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Master Sinway took up residence in another Royal Castle. The castle overlooked the northeastern quadrant of the City of Bone. He and Elypsa sat outside on a terrace overlooking the Royal Roadway just north of the East Gate. A dozen alert ruby-eyed soldiers stood guard behind them against the walls that led back inside the castle. Master Sinway sat comfortably in a wooden chair, his eyes fixed on the activity in the streets.

  Thousands of underlings lined up by rank and file in the streets. They were accompanied by legions of orcs and regiments of ogres. The brute races stood tall over the smaller underlings, yet they obeyed every chittering order like well-trained dogs.

  “We’ll send the brutes into the pitiful dwarven barricades first. Once they smash down their defenses, we will overwhelm them.” A pair of cave dogs lumbered over, panting. He petted both of them, and they lay at his feet. “I think the cave dogs are my favorite race, second only to the underlings. They are loyal.”