The Darkslayer: Series 2 Special Edition (Bish and Bone Bundle Books 1-5): Sword and Sorcery Adventures

by Craig Halloran

  CHAPTER 13

  Evening came early to the Magi Roost and half the tables were filled. A lot of new faces sauntered in over dusty clothes, eager to fill themselves after long travel. The City of Three, large but formerly private and peaceful, had been invaded by desperate people fleeing from the underling hordes in the South. There were even a few half-orcs among them.

  Georgio bussed a table just as a rugged bunch of hard cases sat down.

  “Ale, Boy!” a man with an eye patch growled.

  Georgio nodded and moved on, choking back the urge to slug the man in the jaw. He pushed through the swinging door and into the kitchen. Brak stood with his sleeves rolled up, scraping dishes off into a barrel. He nodded at him. Set the pile of dishes down.

  Brak, heavy eyed, nodded with a frown.

  No one was saying much of anything. Not after what happened with Scorch. The man had boiled their guts. It had been terrifying. Excruciating. Georgio had never been so scared before in his life. Being able to heal like he could, he hadn’t thought he’d ever be scared of anything again. He headed back out to the common room but stopped at the door, looking it over. He sighed.

  All of the travelers and dirty faces he wasn’t accustomed to. Not in the City of Three where the people took care of themselves. Without the usual patronage of magi and dwarves, the Magi Roost was a different place. And the pretty girls weren’t as pretty anymore either. Mercy was always tired, no, exhausted. They barely spoke to one another. Even Joline’s bright eyes were saggy. Kam was the worst of all. Her eyes had black rings under them. And she moved around like she was hexed by a spell. Where’s Vee?

  “Get out of the way, Georgio!”

  He turned. Jubilee stood with a tray of hot food, tapping her foot. The young girl was small, but always spry and mouthy. He grabbed her tawny head of hair and tussled it.

  “I’m telling Darleen,” she said.

  “No, no,” he said, squatting down and squeezing her shoulder. “Please don’t.”

  “Hmmm,” Jubilee said, eyeing the roof, “she doesn’t like you fooling around so much. She thinks you’re fat and lazy as it is. So do I, for that matter. Oh Darleen—”

  Georgio clamped his hand over her mouth.

  “Please, please don’t do that.” He reached into his pocket and showed her a silver talent. Slowly, he removed his hand.

  “I want two.”

  “Two?”

  “Oh Dar—”

  “Two it is,” he said, reaching back into his pocket, “and not another word of this.” He dropped the coins on the tray.

  She laughed at him, walking away saying, “Georgio, you’re so stupid.”

  He shot a look at Brak. His thick shoulders hopped up and down in laughter.

  “I hate your little friend,” he said to Brak.

  “Good, she hates you too,” Brak replied.

  Jubilee reminded Georgio of Lefty a little. Small-framed and light-headed. He’d forgotten whatever it was he was angry at Lefty for. A sad feeling overcame him. After what Scorch had done to him, it seemed even less likely he’d ever see the halfling again. Lefty would teach her a thing or two.

  Georgio left and took a seat on a small stool behind the bar, where Kam took the orders and Billip filled them. The men that came and went were always gawking at Kam. It never used to be that way, but now one crass comment came after the other.

  “You sure are pretty.”

  “I’ve never seen such beautiful red hair before.”

  “How about a peek under that blouse of yours, Red?”

  Kam’s mannerisms handled it well and what she couldn’t handle Billip did and what he couldn’t handle Darleen did. The husky woman had thrown more than one patron out on occasion, saying, ‘Lookin’s fine, fellas, but yer taking it far past that, and this ain’t that kind of place!’

  Georgio took a quick glance down at the end of the bar. Master Sidebor sat in Scorch’s seat. Unlike Scorch, he didn’t ask for stacks of pickles and plates of cheese. Just a clear goblet of dark red wine. He sat with his back against the wall and his glowing red eyes now and again peering out from under his dark hood. Sidebor’s presence left a cold feeling inside Georgio. His lithe presence was unnatural.

  “Georgio,” Kam said, shooting him a look. She was still pretty, even when aggravated. “Get your arse up. There’s a table that needs bussing in the corner and Darleen just rounded the stair well.”

  Georgio snatched up his tray, waited, and slipped behind Darleen’s back as soon as she went by.

  ***

  “Where’s that dirty mop-headed boy?” Darleen said to Billip.

  “He’s bussing,” Billip said. He poured a tankard and pushed it over to Darleen. Cracked his knuckles. “Got piles of plates in the corners. I’m keeping them busy. All of them.”

  “You better be,” Darleen said. She grabbed the tankard and eyed Kam. “You better be as well.”

  “I am,” Kam said, offering a short smile. “How are you today?”

  Darleen’s brows perched.

  “What?”

  “You look well,” Kam continued. “I think Master Sidebor has a seat for you.”

  Darleen spied the corner, her beady eyes narrowing like a little animal’s. She huffed and said, “Don’t toy with me, Kam.” With her mug, she walked away and seated herself with some patrons.

  “Interesting,” Billip said in her ear. “I don’t think our wilderness woman cares for him.”

  Kam grabbed a half-moon Muckle Sap bottle from the table, poured a small glass, and drank it down. The delicious spiced nectar warmed her belly with a honey flavor and a hint of cinnamon liquid. She eyed Sidebor and then Billip. “Can’t say I blame her.”

  Billip moved on, preparing another order. More people were pressing up to the bar. Kam shouted back to the kitchen. “Nikkel, get out here and help us.”

  In seconds, Nikkel appeared wearing a dark apron over his broad shoulders. His smile was a welcome sight. He was the only one that still smiled anymore.

  “What are you smiling for?” Kam said, smiling a little herself.

  “Father always said, ‘Smile and everyone will think things are alright.’”

  “Mikkel said that?”

  “All the time,” he said, moving on.

  “That’s what Venir used to say,” she whispered. Her stomach knotted. She felt more lonely now than ever. She untied her apron and yelled in the back. “Joline, get up here. I need to check on Erin.”

  Joline appeared through the door. Her hair was pulled back and her pie face was sweating. She grabbed Kam’s apron and tied it on.

  “Oh, look there,” Billip said, smiling at Joline, “my favorite flower appears, and a dandy one at that.”

  “Oh, hush, you,” Joline said, blushing. “You better keep those busy hands on the customers and not on me.”

  “I’ll try to check myself, but I make no promises,” he said, refilling a mug.

  Joline grabbed Kam’s elbow. “Take your time. I can handle things down here.” She looked at Darleen. “I can handle Badger Face if she starts up.”

  “Alright,” Kam said. She slipped from behind the bar and headed up the stairs. Into her tiny little room she went.

  Mercy sat on a small wooden chair, rocking the small cradle and yawing. “She’s starting to stir,” she said, smiling a little. “Getting fussy.”

  “Thanks,” Kam said. She picked Erin up out of the cradle. “Why don’t you go and fix yourself some coffee? You looked tired.”

  “No,” Mercy said, getting up and heading for the door. “I’m fine, but I think you could use some. I’ll be back.”

  Kam sat down in the little chair and bounced Erin on her knees. The little girl was always happy. Whatever had happened in the Nest didn’t seem to have a lasting effect on her. Kam swore she’d never let anything like that ever happen again.

  “No one is ever going to take my baby from me. Not ever again.”

  The apartment door popped back open.

 
“That was fast,” Kam said, keeping her eyes on Erin.

  The door closed again.

  A chill crawled between her shoulders. She looked up and gasped. Master Sidebor stood inside the door facing her. His ruby-red eyes locked on hers. Erin started crying.

  She got out of the chair and pulled Erin tightly to her.

  “What are you doing here?” she said with a quavering voice. “Get out of here!”

  “Time to serve, Kam,” Sidebor said, stepping closer.

  “No,” she argued. “Scorch said he paid my debt.”

  Sidebor chuckled. He reached over and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

  “Your debt is paid when I say it’s paid.”

  The door slammed shut. The deadbolt latched into place.

  CHAPTER 14

  “Get up there, Halfling!”

  Lefty shot an angry look downward. A wart-nosed dwarf stood at the bottom of the rock face he was scaling. One hand on his armored hip, the dwarf shook a pick axe at him.

  “Don’t come back empty or I’ll crack your skull open.”

  “I’m going!” Lefty dug his tiny fingers into the crevices and heaved himself up higher. He hissed through his teeth. “Blasted Wart Face.”

  “I heard that! That’ll be another day in the Gruell for you.”

  “Who’ll fetch your eggs then?” Lefty said.

  The dwarf fell silent.

  Hah!

  Lefty ascended the steep rock face until the ground below him was no more. He was miles outside the City of Hohm, deep in the belly of its misty forests. It was a wonder anything grew there, but odd plant life thrived. Bright green mosses covered the ground and rocks. Wheat colored grasses grew. Strange birds nestled in the jagged multicolored spade-leafed trees.

  He felt a tug at his belt. The Wart Nosed dwarf below had him tethered.

  Impatient as he is ugly!

  Lefty jerked the rope. Felt the resistance on the other end. Grunted.

  Scorch had banished him. In a blink, he had traveled from one edge of Bish to the other, having no idea where he was when he appeared. In a ramshackle tavern. Surrounded by dwarves the likes he never knew existed. Wart-nosed. A surly and smelly lot. He hadn’t even seen their kind in the Thieves’ Nest below the City of Three. They were broader and taller. Beards shorter and their uni-brows were as bushy as their beards. Their noses were big and their eye sockets wide circles. They weren’t just gruff in their mannerisms either. They were mean.

  Snatched from one evil nest and dropped into another.

  Lefty hauled his lithe body up to the next ledge, sat down, and dusted off his fingers. He couldn’t see much of anything above or below him. Just some holes. Too little for a man or a fat dwarf, but not too small for a halfling. A young one. He tugged at the little hairs on his goatee. He tugged on the rope again. Felt a tug back. What a dreadful occupation.

  Gully was the wart-nose below. He might have been the friendliest and stupidest of the lot. The day Lefty landed in their laps, they had teased and poked him in painful ways. They mistreated him. He could have run that very first day. But, he didn’t have anywhere to go. And, after all he’d been through with Kam, Erin and all his friends, he felt he deserved what was coming. So he’d stuck it out. Why not? Everyone has something you can learn from. Watch and Learn. Learn and live. Gillem had always said that. Melegal had said something similar. ‘Even stupid people have their tricks.’

  Digging his fingers and bare toes back into the rock face, he scaled to the next ledge. It was more narrow than the last, but a hole in the crag was a few feet above it. A large nest sat on its edge.

  Perfect. Get the eggs and get this over with.

  He’d been fetching eggs out of the rocks for weeks. The eggs were hot items in the markets. Each was worth more than its weight in gold. They came from a rare bird, big like a condor, called a Buula. The Royals from Hohm were crazy over them. They were an odd lot so far as Lefty had experienced with Royals.

  Fingers barely hanging on to the rocks, he climbed up and peeked inside the nest.

  “Oh, golden,” he said. Five bright blue eggs lay there, each nuzzled against one another. One had a crack in it. “Not good.” He climbed up into the cave and took a closer look at them. “Bish, I think it’s about ready to hatch.” He touched the cracked one and stuffed it inside his pouch. “I’d better leave you for momma.” He switched it out with the others, leaving it alone by itself. He grabbed another egg and put it back, leaving two. “There, you’ll always have each other. He shrugged. “Besides, this is more than I’ve found all week. Stupid Gully will never know.”

  A soft noise pricked his ears. Something stirred deep inside the small cave. The rattle of a snake tail followed.

  Snakes! Up here?

  A slithering sound shocked his ears. A pair of bright green eyes came right for him.

  Heart beating like a tiny hammer, he hopped over the nest and swung himself down to the next ledge.

  “Whew,” he said, back pressed against the rock-face. He checked the eggs. All three were tucked safely away. He tugged the rope three times. It tugged back once. “A job well done. No Gruell tonight. Some good stew perhaps.” He patted his belly.

  A rattle sounded. A rattlesnake head peeked out of the cave. It was a nasty looking thing with a large flat diamond-shaped head.

  Its red tongue flickered out of its mouth.

  “You missed your chance,” Lefty said, sticking his tongue out. Heart still pounding, he crawled down to the next ledge. Suddenly, his feet started sweating. The snake’s rattle got louder. He looked up.

  The rattlesnake slithered down the rock face like a spider. In seconds it was right on top of him.

  “Ew!” He slipped a small knife from his belt. He swung. “Back!”

  Lefty hopped down to the next level, slippery toes gripping on the ledge. The snake came right after him. It was large. Six feet long and thicker than his leg. Its eyes said it wanted to make a meal of him. It slithered up the same ledge, coiled its head back, and struck.

  Sssah!

  Quick as a mongoose, Lefty dodged. He lost his grip on the rock and grabbed it again. The small knife fell from his fingers.

  The snake struck again.

  Sssah!

  It missed his toes by an inch.

  Move, Lefty, move! He was quick. Quicker than snakes. He’d trapped them as a boy. But not hanging from a wall or standing on a ledge inches wide. Facing the rock, he slid along the ledge as far and fast as he could. The snake was right on top of him when he ran out of ledge.

  Oh no!

  He could see the venom dripping from its fangs. It curled back to strike.

  A bird cry filled his ears. A Buula appeared. It was as big as Lefty. Face like a hawk with blue feathers in its brown wings. It snatched the snake off the ledge with its claws, flapped its great wings, and clipped him with its beak.

  “Whoa!” he cried out, losing his balance. His toes slipped. His fingers clutched at the rocks. He fell, bouncing down the rocks. Fingers and toes dug. Reached. Clutched. He slowed but didn’t stop. He landed hard.

  “Oof!”

  When he looked up again, windless, Gully was standing over him, scratching the black wart on his nose.

  “Let me see what you got.”

  Groaning, Lefty opened up his pouch. All the eggs were broken, the young birds inside dead.

  Gully growled and drew back his fist.

  “It’s the Gruell for you.”

  Wop!

  CHAPTER 15

  The suns set behind the city walls of Bone and Creed tucked himself away in the shadows. The past few days inside Castle Bloodhound had been agonizing. He couldn’t sleep. He paced the floor. Lorda had ignored him, adding confusion to his tension.

  A cat scurried by. Stopped and looked at him. It padded underneath his feet. He nudged it with his boot.

  “Shoo.”

  Leaning against the wall, he listened. Wait. All around the town, doors were shut. Locked.
Windows boarded up again only to be opened up by morning. The dusk was the quietest time he’d ever known. These were the times he had enjoyed the most. Strolling the streets at night. Moving from one tavern to another with his comrades and tasting different wines. The life he’d known was gone.

  He rubbed the pommels of his swords. Took a soft breath. Checked the cowl around his neck. Not yet. The shroud was a problem. Once he put it on, a bloodlust was soon to follow. He’d had some time to think about that. He’d fought too many enemies at once and had gotten killed for it. He couldn’t let that happen again.

  He made his way through the streets and followed a flight of steps to the top of a four-story building. At the top, a stone deck housed gardens. Small trees and large stone planters. Bushes and flowers were lined up in benches and rows. His mother had liked to take him here when he was young, but she was gone now. The circumstances of her demise he’d never understood.

  He took a spot underneath a tree and propped his back up against the wall. From there he could see the Castle Road that ran the length of the Western Wall. He could just barely make out the banner of Castle Bloodhound in the distance. He chuckled. Despite Lord Grom’s efforts, he always found a way out. Every castle had secrets. Many forgotten. But curious boys have ways of discovering things that others easily miss.

  He took the pack off his shoulders and opened it up. The Mystic Sack was in there. Some food as well. Hard fruits and bread chips. A flask of water hung on his hip. He ate. Eyed the streets. Royal Soldiers on horseback clopped up and down Castle Road making checks at all the Castle Gates. There were squads of them. All in plate mail armor that gleamed in the moonlight. He could hear their soft voices speaking, but was too far away to comprehend. The horses nickered and then moved on.

  Creed packed his food away and took one last swallow of water. He was sweating like he’d woken up from a nightmare. His fingers tingled. That dreadful feeling overtook him. He rubbed the strange metal on his bracers. I should be dead now. Something had brought him back from the threshold of life and death. The armament and its great power. Still, he could feel the blades and spears sliding into his guts between his ribs. He didn’t want to go through that again. Ever. Are you mad, Creed!