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

by Craig Halloran

  She danced away, laughing. Her black blades struck its head off, time after time, but it kept coming.

  Melegal slapped Quickster on the haunches, but the quick pony didn’t budge. “Get out of here, Mule!” He grabbed Jasper, pointed at Kam and Joline, and said, “Get on that horse and ride out of here. All of you!”

  “I’m staying,” Jasper fired back.

  “You’ll be doomed,” he said.

  “We’re doomed already.” She brought up a mystic shield. “Get behind me. All of you.” The blue shield formed a dome over all of them, including the horse.

  Only Quickster remained outside it. Head down. Nibbling at the grasses.

  Kam’s mystic green snake fizzled out.

  Elypsa turned to face them.

  Above, Sidebor’s hands caught fire again and a ball of orange fire shot straight for them.

  Boom!

  The ground shook Melegal from his feet. The bone-jarring force shook his limbs, and the heat singed all the exposed hair from his skin, clear up to his eyebrows. It was clear that Jasper’s shield had saved them. But how many of them? Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Nikkel. The big black young man’s smoking hide staggered across the desert and picked up a sword.

  “No!” Melegal yelled.

  Nikkel turned in time to catch Elypsa’s blades chopping into him like a piece of wood.

  “Nooooo!”

  CHAPTER 39

  The lightning from the underling’s fingers lit up the sky and wiped everyone out. Bodies of men and women were flung in all directions. The horse that held the women galloped off, slowed down, and fell over.

  Charging toward the danger, Venir let out a bloodcurdling battle howl. “Grrrraaawwww!”

  The sky-riding underling turned toward Venir. Missiles of dark colorful light burst from his fingertips and shot straight at him.

  The maddened warrior brought his shield up, and the mystic bolts ricocheted in all directions. He surged forward in long strides. The armored panther was on the move. The distance between him and the underling swordswoman quickly closed.

  Melegal was there.

  Nikkel was getting hacked to pieces.

  Nooooooo!

  Helm let out a warning.

  Venir slammed into an invisible wall with a crash. He bounced backward and fell down.

  “Bone!”

  He was surrounded by a translucent force, a veil of bright yellow that encircled him all around like a dome. He chopped at it with his axe. It skipped off the mystic surface. Blood boiling, all Venir could do was watch and scream. Pounding on the surface, he realized it was closing in. He braced his body against it with his arms and legs. Like a vise, the magic trap was created to crush him to death.

  ***

  Melegal loosed darts from his launchers.

  Twing! Twing! Twing! Twing!

  The underling swordswoman sprung away like a cat.

  But his darts had saved Nikkel from another lethal blow. The big young man, bleeding heavily, staggered backward, tripped over a dead refugee, and crumpled in the sand.

  Melegal wanted to rush over to him, but self-preservation kicked in.

  The underling woman was closing in.

  Aw slat! Why me!

  Armed with only his dart launchers and a dagger strapped behind his back, he shuffled away from the master swordswoman.

  Curious. I wonder what it would be like to bed an underling woman?

  She sliced her swords back and forth. The black blades had a gentle curve to them. The craftsmanship was beyond exquisite. Her feet and shoulders adjusted to every move Melegal made with cat-like grace. She said something in Underling. A seductive chitter. Every syllable rolled off her perfect lips like cool drinking water. Her white-lashed eyes on Melegal were hypnotic. Erotic. Captivating.

  Like all beautiful women, it’s no surprise she wants to kill me.

  He backed away, leading her away from the others. He wanted to see if his friends lived. He heard Venir but had lost sight of where he was.

  Where is that lout?

  No, now it was just him and the woman.

  And she was clearly the best swordsman he’d ever seen.

  So she can fight. Can she think?

  He pointed toward a spear lying on the ground.

  Buy time, Melegal. Buy time.

  She eased her stance and gave him a nod.

  He reached down and picked it up. The spear tip was pointed behind him. He quickly turned around toward her and shrugged.

  She smirked, brandished her swords, and set her feet again. She let out a chit and eased her way toward him.

  You’ve got one crack at this, Melegal. Make it work.

  Summoning the energy from his cap, he uttered a single command. Freeze.

  Elypsa froze in her tracks.

  Such a shame you’re an underling.

  Melegal rushed in and stabbed.

  Faster than a hummingbird’s wings, she spun away, sliced the spear in half, and kicked Melegal hard in the gut.

  Doubled over in pain, the next thing he saw and felt were two black blades at his throat.

  ***

  Muscles bulging and joints popping, Venir’s great frame fought against the bone-crushing barrier. His veins popped up like purple snakes on every limb. He fought against the tremendous force, feeling the delight of the underling that hovered above.

  It was gloating. All powerful and evil, the underling was quite sure of itself. Thought it was a cat playing with a mouse.

  Venir’s body began to give.

  There was a chitter of laughter.

  Venir hated that laughter. He hated their chitters. He didn’t want to hear any more. His iron will combined with his connection with the armament fueled his body. Mighty arms shaking, he made the force field start to bend to his will. He pushed back.

  The underling above let out an angry shriek.

  Venir comprehended its thoughts.

  Impossible! Its frustration added fuel to its fire. The underling turned it on, making the mystic force around Venir stronger.

  Venir held fast, neck straining in tireless agony.

  The sky lit up in a bright flash of dawn.

  Ssssszzzzram!

  The underling mage was flung backward with its arms wide, spinning around and around in the sky.

  The mystic force fell away, and Venir stood alone on the sand, panting for breath.

  Another figure stood in midair with fire in his eyes. It was Boon.

  ***

  Boon saw what was coming before anyone else did. He sensed it.

  Great, great power, the likes of which he’d never felt before. An ancient underling with centuries of study in the control and craft of magic. Why it was practically alone in the desert he did not understand, but its defeat could turn the tide of the battle.

  Boon hid. He waited. This was the fight he’d been waiting for all his life.

  Venir had the all-powerful fiend distracted.

  Boon struck.

  Ssssszzzzram!

  The lightning hit the mage square and curled up the edges of his robes.

  Boon pressed the attack. Bright lightning flung from his fingers.

  Ssssszzzzram! Ssssszzzzram! Ssssszzzzram!

  The floating underling spun sideways down to the ground and crashed.

  Boon took to the ground and summoned a suit of mystic blue armor.

  Robes smoking, it came to its feet, wiped the black blood from its mouth, and laughed. Its lone ruby-red eye bore into Boon’s. “You have a mark about you, human. Heh heh. But it will not be enough to save you from the likes of me.”

  “We’ll see, Fiend,” said Boon. A long mystic spear grew in his hands. “We’ll see.”

  The underling scoffed. “Very unorthodox for your kind.” Its fingertips grew into long glowing claws. “But I’ll play your game.”

  Boon charged.

  The underling mage braced himself for impact.

  Ssszzcrash!

  Cl
aws and spear connected. Back and forth they went.

  Boon stabbed.

  It swatted his efforts away. The underling was quick and tireless. His lone eye locked on Boon’s, holding his gaze.

  Boon’s head ached. He fought back, exerting his own will on the underling’s.

  Its mind was a fortress. An unbreakable wall.

  “Rrah!” Boon cried out. The spear ripped through the underling’s defenses.

  It howled in pain.

  “Bleed, you black fiend! Bleed!”

  Claws lashed out and shattered Boon’s armor. Flecks of the mystic metal faded away. The underling’s talons tore through robes and flesh. “Die, human, die!”

  Boon’s spear transformed into a shield.

  The underling’s claws whittled away at it one hunk at a time.

  Boon’s mind was searing. The underling was wearing him down. Eating his will away. He probed for weakness. An opening. He’d fought the underlings for decades and knew everything a man could know about them. Their confidence. Their pride. Guarding his thoughts, he thought, “Let that be their undoing.” He gave in a little.

  The underling’s claws burned into his flesh. “Your end is near, human.” Claws jabbed into Boon’s leg.

  He let out a painful howl. Let his shield collapse. His head slumped into the sand. He panted for breath.

  On top of him, the underling’s claws became a longsword that it held over Boon’s chest while it let out a triumphant chitter. “You’re strong for a human. Too bad you’re human.” The mystic sword point started down.

  Hands becoming mystic spikes, Boon bolted upright and locked his jagged fingers around the underling’s throat and squeezed.

  It choked. “Urk!” Its one eye popped wide open. An angry flame burned within. Its fingertips glowed with fire and latched onto Boon’s neck.

  “Gah!” Boon cried out. He held on and stared deep into the one burning red gemstone eye. He locked his mind with the fiend’s. “It’s time to die, underling!”

  Their bodies floated off the ground and spiraled through the sky. Clawed fingers sunk deeper and deeper like daggers. Iron-forged wills collided.

  Boon saw memories.

  Landscapes.

  Hundreds of bloody battles over the course of centuries.

  There were the inner workings of the Underland. Cold, dim, macabre, beautiful. Thousands of tormented men and women. Cruel devices. Torture chambers. This underling had overseen it all. Enjoyed it all. Ordered it all. A long treacherous path of death.

  With a heave, still spinning through the air, Boon’s fingers dug deeper into the underling’s neck.

  Sidebor screamed.

  In a tangle of magic and limbs, the pair skipped over the ground. Neither’s grip loosened from the other’s neck. Back and forth they went. One mind tormented the other with painful, tortuous images. Every bit of energy was being exhausted.

  Fire blasted from Sidebor’s eyes and smote Boon in the face.

  “Argh!” Flesh burning, Boon held on. It was a battle of mind over matter. His body was a vessel. A storehouse of magic. He summoned everything he had left. Fused all of his inner strength into his limbs and tried to tear Sidebor’s head clean off.

  “You cannot beat me. No one can!”

  “Your son Sinway did!” Boon said.

  The pair of mage fighters rocked and reeled. They smashed through dead bodies and bounded off rocks.

  Battle-bruised, burned, and bloody, the strength in Boon’s eighty-plus-year-old limbs began to fade.

  Sidebor slammed him hard into the ground.

  Boon’s grip slipped, and his mystic spikes crackled out.

  The underling leered in his face, chittering victoriously.

  Boon spat in his face.

  A mystic dagger formed in the underling’s free hand and came down straight into Boon’s exposed chest.

  Zzzit!

  CHAPTER 40

  The blades on Melegal’s throat burned into his skin. Bullets of sweat burst out on his forehead. He’d played his last card. He’d used the power of his cap and lost. The underling woman’s sword edges pushed deeper into his skin. Flesh and hair burned. He lifted his dimpled chin and faced his soon-to-be-slayer.

  My, she’s a gorgeous thing. If only we could have shared a glass of port together, I might have convinced her my life was worth sparing—and a few other things.

  Elypsa’s haunting gaze was captivating. There was curiosity in her deep purple eyes. She pulled the blades back across Melegal’s neck, leaving two lines of seared and smoking flesh.

  Melegal didn’t scream. Instead, he tried another command. Run!

  The underling woman’s eyebrows twitched. Her face turned sour.

  Melegal’s nose bled freely. Blood dripped on his shirt. He grimaced at the pain between his temples.

  So hard to keep clothes clean these days. My attire is hardly suited for a burial.

  She cocked her elbows back to strike.

  Do I have one quick dodge left in me before it’s all over?

  Elypsa hopped backward.

  Venir’s shield soared by.

  Melegal rolled away, increasing his distance from the woman without averting his eyes.

  Bish, that was close!

  There stood Venir. Brawn and steel, one together. The dark helmet’s eyelets glowed with a black angry light. Brool was gripped in his corded tree-trunk arms. Monstrous shoulders hunched over, the warrior squared up on the underling woman.

  She circled him with interest, swords hanging loose in her grip and slicing back and forth through the air. She muttered a word, and they hummed with a faint mystic red light. She spun the weapons around her body, forming a shield of energy.

  Brool in one hand, Venir spread his arms wide and brought them together in front of his broad chest. Letting out a battle cry, he charged.

  Elypsa skipped away from the first swing.

  Venir was practically a giant in her midst. Chopping with fury. Brool sliced through the air in strokes of lightning. Two close strikes skipped off the woman’s shield.

  She countered. Striking quick, she lunged at Venir’s exposed belly.

  He brought Brool’s hung blades down, blocking the first blade.

  Clang!

  The second stroke tore through the side of his mid-section.

  Rip!

  Brool came down in a lightning-fast chop that should have split the woman in half. It skipped off her shield and shattered the magic.

  Backpedaling, she danced away with narrowed eyes. She unleashed some angry chitters.

  Venir pressed the attack. He jabbed Brool’s spike at her.

  On light feet, she tiptoed away.

  Venir used his superior reach, keeping her quick efforts at bay. Short stabs. Short chop. Steel rang on steel.

  Clang! Clang! Clang!

  Quick as Elypsa was, Venir’s moves blocked her every assault, using every bit of his axe.

  Slat, that big lout is fast!

  Captivated, Melegal snuck over and collected Venir’s shield. He glanced up at the fire in the sky.

  He might not need this, but I do.

  As he wiped the blood from his nose, his head tingled.

  What now?

  ***

  Elypsa started muttering something.

  Venir unleashed a decapitating blow.

  She leapt high and froze twenty feet in mid-air. She chanted in Underling and banged her blades together. Her body started spinning. The blades twirled around her body like a vortex of lightning. She touched down and, like a gale, headed straight for Venir.

  He brought the axe down on the underling whirlwind. Metal grinded on metal like a clap of thunder. Venir staggered back, renewed his efforts, and chopped again.

  Ching! Ching! Ching!

  Sparks flew from the blades. Darting away like a fly, the vortex slipped past Venir’s guard.

  Slice! Slice! Slice! Slice!

  Venir let out a howl. “Argh!”

  Elypsa’s bl
ades tore hunks of flesh from his back.

  He scrambled away, set his feet, and readied for the next charge.

  Helm had sensed all of her moves before but not now. The underling woman’s magic had fooled even him.

  Bleeding heavily on one side, Venir said to the woman inside the whirling blades. “Come on, you double-bladed witch!”

  The flashing blades disappeared, and the woman stood still before him. She eased her swords into her sheaths and showed a cruel smile. One by one, she pulled the throwing knives out of her bandolier, filling her hands with metal darts. She started spinning again. Her body became a cotton white mist.

  Venir closed in.

  She drifted away and headed straight for the fallen women.

  Venir ran after her, but her blades shot from the cloud and into the struggling wounded. Melegal dove in front of them, shield ready. He blocked some, but not all.

  Kam was wailing, “Erin!”

  Elypsa came to a stop and drew her swords again. She turned into a metal whirlwind.

  Enraged, Venir charged straight for her.

  Metal collided with metal. A shower of sparks followed.

  Getting nicked to pieces, he kept chopping. Battering. Slicing. Up and down Brool sliced.

  Side to side the massive blades cut.

  Venir the tireless juggernaut would not stop. Not until the underling fiend met her end.

  “Chitter. Chitter. Chitter.” She mocked. She struck.

  Muscle and bone exposed, dripping from scores of wounds, Venir fought on. His limbs were tireless. Pushed beyond their limits. Propelled by a force that only his iron will could handle. That he had to handle. He had to see it through. Every underling must die. He was the man to do it. “Rah!”

  Clang! Clang! Ching! Ching! Clang!

  He hit harder and harder. His huge axe became black lightning. Cut to ribbons, he fought on. Sensing a sliver of an opening, he hacked.

  Chop!

  A glowing black blade skipped out of Elypsa’s whirlwind arms.

  Cling!

  Her spinning stopped, and she staggered back. Shoulders drooped, perfect chest heaving, and covered in sweat, she shuffled back from Venir. Her eyes were violet moons, captivating but defeated. She stepped over body after body and almost bumped into Quickster. She stopped. Arm trembling, hair matted with sweat, she lifted her sword parallel over her head. Her lavender lips spoke a word.