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

by Craig Halloran

  “What are you saying, Fogle?”

  “I feel it’s best that we part ways.”

  Venir bobbed his chin. “Is that what you want?”

  Fogle readied the coffee grinds. “As I said, I feel it’s best.”

  “It would increase my chances of survival.”

  Fogle’s neck tightened as he twisted around to face Venir. He swore the man’s brooding face was smiling. He rubbed the back of his neck. For some reason he felt like he was a hundred years old. And he’d be lying if he said he hadn’t been thinking about what Venir and Kam had been doing. “I erred.”

  Venir pushed himself off the table and said, “What’s that?”

  “Venir, if you want to throttle me, you would be in your right. I was arrogant.” He cleared his throat. “And I’m ashamed to say, I let my loins get the better of me. So much to the point that I wanted you out of the way. Even dead. And you’ve been nothing less than a friend.”

  “You know, that would be the second time you tried to kill me.”

  “And over a woman on both accounts.” The coffee’s aroma began to strengthen. “Honestly, it’s time we parted ways.”

  “Don’t get all crossed over, Fogle.” Venir dropped his big paw on Fogle’s shoulder and squeezed. “Plenty of renowned men have fallen between the heaving breasts of many women. It’s just how we are.” He slapped Fogle on the shoulder, jostling the man hard. “But if you ever set me up again, I’ll have to kill you.”

  “I won’t,” Fogle said, rubbing his shoulder. “At least not without your permission.”

  “Good.” Venir eyed the pot. “Is that ready yet?”

  “Almost.”

  “So you’re going to ride it out with us. Into the Outlands?”

  Fogle frowned. “It seems awkward.”

  “Better to feel awkward among company than to die alone.” Venir picked up the coffee urn and poured a mug of the steaming brew. He took a drink. “It’s good enough. Strong.” Venir turned and headed back out of the kitchen. “Go ahead and do what you sorcerers do so as to leave a note to Melegal. We’re heading out at dawn.” Venir vanished through the swinging doors.

  Fogle poured himself a cup of coffee. The first sip burnt his lip. “Ow! How in Bish did he drink this swill?” He poured it into the sink. Why does he want me along, anyway? I can’t even look Kam in the eyes. It will be impossible. He thought about Cass. That wispy-haired albino druid. This is her fault. Dragon-loving wench. You really know how to pick them, Fogle.

  He pulled his small spellbook out from underneath his robes. He opened and closed the worn leather tome several times until it expanded and filled his lap. He stuck his nose down in it.

  Maybe I should conjure up my own woman.

  CHAPTER 39

  “Look at how they move. So well organized. So methodical,” Scorch said. “How can one not have admiration for them? They are far more determined than the other breeds. Why shouldn’t they be rewarded?”

  “They’re evil. They destroy everything,” Melegal said from his chair.

  “You have to admire their consistency,” Scorch replied.

  Melegal shook his head. Over the past few days, he, Jasper, Zurth, and Slom had been staring at one of the Tower’s great windows. Its transparency was gone, replaced by live and detailed scenes from all over the City of Three. He saw the underlings taking control of the Nest. Swarming and attacking in the wards and districts. He even saw battles miles distant from the grand city itself.

  “Aren’t these big screens a marvelous invention?” Scorch said while pointing his finger at the oversized glass. He flipped from one landscape to the other. “I have to give these local sorcerers some credit for this one. It’s no wonder they’ve been able to control things for so long, until now.” He took a sip from a golden goblet of wine. “Ah, I just remembered something. Watch this.” He snapped his fingers, one-two-three. More windows came to life with new views.

  “Oooh,” Slom, Jasper, and Zurth said in unison. They all sat in plush chairs that reclined back and were stuffing their faces with food. Fascinated by the imagery, they’d hardly moved in days.

  “I knew they would like it,” Scorch said, fanning himself with Melegal’s cap. “Why, sir, can’t you enjoy it?”

  “Those are real people dying down there. Innocent blood being spilled.”

  “So?”

  “It’s sick.”

  “It’s always been this way, has it not? It’s no different, except now the underlings are in control. And they should be.”

  “If you are so fond of them, then why don’t you keep them company instead of us?”

  Scorch cocked his head. “Hmmm, you do raise a good point. After all, the underlings are a bit canned. One dimensional. They don’t offer the same surprises that your kind offers. They’re very predictable.”

  “Yes, if you aren’t one of them, they’ll kill you.”

  “It’s called extinction, but it won’t happen to me,” Scorch said. He placed the cap back on his head. “My, this is a marvelous device. You had no idea what you wielded with this, did you?”

  “Certainly. Now let me have it back.”

  “Oh, I can’t do that. Then I wouldn’t know what you were thinking. And I like knowing what you’re thinking. It’s been very entertaining, picking your brain. You have been a wealth of knowledge compared to all of the others.”

  Melegal sunk back into his chair. He’d felt ghostly fingers digging around inside his head. He couldn’t eat or sleep on account of it. The presence of Scorch was probing his mind. Chiseling away one tiny bit at a time.

  “Oh, don’t clam up now, my clever friend. You have as much to gain as the underlings from all of this.”

  “There is not much that I require.”

  “Oh! Look at that!” Zurth blurted out with a mouthful of dried meat. He pointed at the screen. “That’s crazy!”

  The view was of one of the wizard towers. The top had erupted in a bright explosion. Human bodies streaming with entrails were being hurled out of the windows and splattering on the ground.

  Slom started chuckling.

  Jasper twisted her head around and caught Melegal’s eye. She eased out of her chair and took a place by his side. “Sorry. That isn’t right, is it?”

  “Not when the underlings are winning,” he said.

  “I know, but some of them are dying. It’s just amazing to see it like this,” she said. “I knew they kept a watch on things, but I didn’t know that the wizards had power like this.”

  “They don’t, but he does,” Melegal said, eyeing Scorch. The omnipotent man had gotten up and stood before the screens with his hands behind his back. Melegal wanted to slip a blade into his back.

  “I heard that,” Scorch said without turning.

  “Well, if I had my cap back, you wouldn’t have to hear any of it at all.”

  “Tut-tut. However, your plan to stab me wouldn’t do you any good anyway.”

  Slom and Zurth took a quick glance back at Melegal then reattached their eyes to the screen.

  “Besides, you need to think about your other friends and comrades.”

  “What other…” Melegal stopped himself. He’d tried to hide his thoughts and memories, but it had done little good. “You have us. Can you leave the rest out of it?”

  “Oh, I can’t do that. It seems part of the rest of you is a bit of a problem.”

  Melegal knew he was talking about Venir. Of course he is. “I don’t comprehend how you have any problems. You have the power to do whatever you want.”

  “That, my pencil-necked friend, is beyond your comprehension.”

  “What’s a pencil?” Jasper whispered to Melegal.

  He shrugged his narrow shoulders. “Fine, Scorch. We’ve been entertained long enough. Now what do you want your henchmen to do?” He glanced at Cappy’s corpse. It had been picked clean to the bone by blood worms. The foul creatures had been tossed out of the windows for fun by Zurth and Slom two days earlier. “It’s g
etting stuffy in this place.”

  “Why be in a hurry? Can you not enjoy what I have to offer? Great food and entertainment. Why don’t you go and have a tussle with your little mystic concubine? She’s always thinking about it.”

  Jasper chewed on her nails and made a sheepish grin.

  “And these gruesome fellows are both thinking about her, and she’s also entertained thoughts about them,” Scorch continued. “Something’s bound to give. Enjoy.”

  “One doesn’t enjoy things he’s forced to do,” Melegal said. “I like having the freedom to do what I want when I want to.”

  “My way is better. Just give it a try.”

  “I’d rather stick a needle in my eye.”

  A needle as long as his arm appeared out of thin air. Scorch clasped it in his hand and ran his fingers over the edges. “That can be arranged.”

  CHAPTER 40

  Maintaining a low profile, covered in traveling cloaks, Venir led the way, with Kam, Joline, and Erin in tow. Joline rode on the back of Quickster, with Erin in her arms. Kam walked by his side.

  “How can you stand the thought of splitting up with them?” she said, rubbing her shoulders. “We need to stick together.”

  “We’ve always done it this way. Brak knows where the rendezvous is, and Fogle will keep them all safe. This is what we used to do when we took scalps from underling heads.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Too big of a crowd will raise suspicions. Besides, they’re looking for all of us. We can’t have them snatching us all at once.”

  “If you say so,” Kam said with her eyes drifting up to him. “I just don’t want to be separated from my family any more that I have to be.”

  Venir swung his arm over her shoulder. “I’ll do my best to keep us all together. I promise.”

  “That’s good enough.”

  The City of Three, unlike Bone, didn’t have a massive perimeter wall and hundreds of guards posted. Instead, there was a series of low-lying stone walls and lots of horse patrols. A pair of Royals patrolling on horseback galloped toward them just as they broke past the last barrier. They wore dark brown tunics, and curved swords hung on their hips. One carried a spear.

  “What business do you have outside the city?” the soldier said. His square jaw jutted, and he spat tobacco on the ground.

  “We’re going to stay with family in the City of Mist,” Venir said, stooped over a bit. “We’ve lost everything.”

  “You’ll never make it. Stay in the city.”

  “And be run through by the underlings or have another tower topple over on me? I’d rather bake to death in the dust.”

  “You’re a big fellow. You need to stay and fight,” the soldier said. He had an irritating tone about him as he circled them and kept glancing at Kam. He nodded back to his comrade with the spear. “We’ll have to search you.” He eyed Venir. “Are you armed?”

  Venir lifted up his cloak, revealing his long hunting knife. The armament was secure inside the sack, resting between his broad shoulders in his pack.

  The other soldier hopped off his horse, holding the spear. He began rummaging through Quickster’s pouches. He ran his hand along Joline’s knee.

  “Do you mind?” she said, pulling away.

  “You’re awfully fit for an older woman,” the soldier said, licking his top row of teeth. He started running his hand up her leg. “I suppose you’re a widow now.”

  “That’s not your concern,” Joline said, pushing her cloak down. “Please, go away.”

  Venir’s jaw muscles clenched. He was beginning to regret refusing Fogle’s offer to move them outside the city with one of his portals. He’d had enough of that already though. “Please, leave my mother alone. She’s a difficult woman at best, sir.”

  “I can see that,” the soldier shot back. “But we make the rules out here.” He pointed his spear at Venir. “Not you. Am I clear?”

  “Clear enough.”

  “Good, now let’s have a better look at what’s sitting on that saddle, milady,” the soldier said to Joline.

  Joline slapped him hard in the face.

  “You old wench!” The soldier grabbed her by the back of her hair and started pulling her out of Quickster’s saddle.

  Joline started screaming and fighting to keep her hands wrapped around Erin. “Unhand me!”

  Venir’s legs coiled to spring. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a green glow coming from Kam.

  “Enough of this,” she said. A tiny green missile shot from her fingertip and popped the soldier in the head. He dropped hard to the ground.

  The other soldier’s sword started to scrape out of his sheath. Venir closed in, pinning the man’s hand before the sword was clear out. “You made a big mistake today.” He jerked the man out of the saddle and knocked him out with one punch. Whap! “Is everyone all right?”

  “Yes,” Joline said, handing the baby over to Kam. “It’s not as if I haven’t been rough-handed before.”

  “And you?” he said to Kam.

  “We’re both fine, and I’d be lying if I said that didn’t feel good.” She hugged Erin tight. “Let’s just get moving. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

  Venir noticed a cloud of dust coming their direction from the west. It looked to be a formation of men riding on horseback. A dark cluster in the smoke. There was something odd about the movement. He shaded his eyes with his hand and squinted. Something crawled up his spine. “How well can you ride?”

  “Not so well,” Kam said.

  “Me, neither.”

  “Why?” Kam said to him.

  He pointed toward the oncoming horde. It looked to be a dozen men. Maybe more. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to explain what happened here. It might be best to head back into the city and wait it out.”

  “The others are waiting, Venir. We have to keep going,” said Kam, handing Erin to him to hold while she stuck her foot in one fallen soldier’s stirrup and pulled herself up into the saddle. “I can ride well enough. Joline, hang onto those reins. Just give me a few moments. Now everyone, gather close.”

  Venir handed Erin to Kam, who put her in a baby satchel that hung in front of her chest. Then he hoisted himself up into the other fallen soldier’s saddle and gathered in. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but make it quick.”

  “Hush,” Kam said, revealing a small vial that was concealed in her robes. She poured it out on each of the mounts’ heads while she chanted in a fast, soft tone. Her emerald eyes flared with mystic light. All the horses started to stamp their feet. Kam then said to Venir, “You lead, we ride.”

  Venir tugged on the reins. His horse shot off toward the Outlands. Venir let out a thrilling cry. “Wooo Hoooo!”

  Wind whistling in his ears, thundering over the barren steppes, his mount seemed to soar on eagle’s wings. He glanced behind him. Kam was on his tail, head down, red hair waving like a red flag. Behind her, Joline rode on Quickster, screaming with her eyes squeezed shut.

  He let out a throaty laugh. Their pursuers vanished. The great City of Three, with its grand towers, diminished. The Outland, its sunburnt plains, offered the environment that he thrived in.

  Hard and fast, they rode for several minutes, covering the distance three times faster than they normally would have. The horses began to slow. Beneath him, the beast’s great lungs labored. It throttled down to a walk. Venir slowed, allowing Kam and Joline to catch up. One was on one side and one on the other.

  “That was something,” Joline said, spitting dust from her mouth. “Yech. That’ll teach me to leave my big mouth open.”

  Kam chuckled. Nuzzling Erin to her chest, she smiled at Venir and said, “What did you think?”

  “It was something, all right.” He scanned the landscape. They were miles west of the City of Three. It might as well have been a hundred. Not even patrols ventured out this far. The harsh landscape made it easy to get lost once you got too far away. “The rendezvous point is not too far ah
ead.”

  “I don’t think I can handle all of this riding,” Joline said. “My rump hurts.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” Venir said. “If not, maybe Kam can conjure you up a pillow.”

  “I’ve enough pillow back there already.”

  Kam giggled. “I’ll be glad to see the others. It’s good that you sent them out before us. I don’t think I could handle the waiting.” She fanned herself, eyeing the first of the rising suns. “I can really feel the heat. It’s going to be unbearable, isn’t it?”

  “It won’t be so bad,” he said.

  “Somehow, I don’t believe you.”

  Venir eyed all of the bone trees, fire bushes, and cacti in the area. Hard clay. Large stones. Lizards darting over the cracked landscape. The Outland warmed his heart for some reason. He took in a deep breath of the toasty air. “I’ve often wondered what you might look like with a little sun on your face.”

  “You have, have you?” said Kam.

  Venir let out a mirthful grunt. Ahead, a rock formation started to take form. He pointed. “That’s it.”

  “Great. But I suppose this is only the beginning of a very long day,” Kam said. “We’re going to become nomads, aren’t we?”

  “I prefer the term Outlanders.”

  “There just isn’t a very pretty way to say it, is there?” Kam hefted Erin out before her eyes. “Erin the Outlander.” Erin drooled down on her clothes. “Yes, it sounds horrible. And she’s too old to still be drooling. From her father’s side, no doubt.”

  Venir forged ahead. Given what had happened earlier, he wanted to see for himself that the others were safe. Brak could handle himself well enough now, but it was Fogle he had to put even more trust in. The wizard should have been able to scurry them away from any trouble. Staring forward, he noted something odd in the landscape and grunted.

  “What?” Kam said.

  Standing against a backdrop of hills and great stones stood a fortified structure.

  “Is that a building?” Joline said, dabbing her neck with a plum-colored scarf. “Oh, good. I’m ready for some shade.”