The Darkslayer: Bish and Bone Series Collector's Edition (Books 1-10): Sword and Sorcery Masterpieces

by Craig Halloran

  Melegal got up. “What are you doing?”

  “Looking for the guard.”

  “Don’t start with all the racket. I was enjoying the silence.” Melegal’s eyes drifted toward Elypsa’s cell. He pulled Venir back farther into theirs and spoke in a low voice. “Am I mad, or is that female underling not the most fetching creature you ever saw.”

  The corners of Venir’s mouth went up. “I should say you’re sick, but she’s something. There seems to be ought different about her. No doubt she is a cutthroat and a liar, but…” He shook his head. “No, I’m not saying it.”

  “Say it.”

  “No.”

  “Then I’ll say it,” Melegal said. “She doesn’t have the same murderous look most underlings do. She seems curious.”

  Strange things had been happening of late. The entire City of Three had been poisoned by underlings, and men were working hand in hand with them. Venir imagined the situation in Bone was far worse. “We can’t all be fools, Melegal.”

  “I know, but is it possible men and underlings can somehow thrive together?”

  “I think you mean breed together.”

  With a glimmer in his eye, Melegal approached the bars again. “Well, I always did have a thing for the strange ones.”

  In the cell across from his, Venir noted a pair of eyes boring into Melegal’s starry-eyed gaze.

  It was Jasper. “You’re sick,” she said to the rogue. “Truly sick.”

  Melegal froze and faced Jasper. “I’m just curious, is all. It’s not as if you and your brood back in the City of Three weren’t open to relationships with the so-called ‘vilest of things.’”

  Shaking his head, Venir said, “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.”

  Billip rose up onto his elbows. “What conversation?”

  Melegal turned his back to Jasper and leaned back against the bars. “Whether or not the female underling is fetching.”

  “Oh, she’s fetching I’ll say.” Billip yawned and scratched his head. “As a matter of fact, I think I was just dreaming about copulating with her. Then you loudmouths woke me up.”

  “Need I remind everyone of all the deaths the underlings have caused?” Venir said. “The streets of men run red with their own blood! Melegal, I think you need to let go of this fantasy of yours.”

  “It’s just idle conversation, and I had to check with my peers―present company included, believe it or not―so as to make sure I wasn’t mad.” Melegal glanced through the bars. “It’s clear I’m not the only one who is overcome with desire.”

  “That underling has poisoned your mind,” Jasper said, stretching her hand through the bars. “Once I get close enough, I’m going to claw your eyes out.”

  “I can’t wait until you try,” Melegal replied.

  Venir’s hand with the two missing fingers started to throb. He rubbed it with his good hand. Something was wrong. The close quarters were wearing them all down, and Melegal’s comments were getting under his skin. He felt exposed. Vulnerable. A dangerous element lurked in the air. It had to be the underling―influencing them!

  We need to get out of here.

  “Venir,” Melegal said, “you don’t look well. What’s on your mind?”

  “I’ve got a bad feeling if we don’t get out of here soon, someone is going to kill somebody.”

  CHAPTER 13

  The suns, red and orange, were dropping from the sky, making this the hottest part of the day. Fogle dabbed the sweat from his face with his sleeve. It had already been a long day. A hard day. He and Jubilee had spent hours getting Brak situated. The oversized young oaf had passed out with his arms locked around the trunk of a tree. His body twitched and convulsed. His complexion was peaked.

  “Jubilee, get that stretcher over here,” Fogle said. “I think I can get him peeled away from this tree now.”

  “You fools are not going to make it without my help,” Jarla said, laughing. She was sitting on the ground with her hands bound behind her back. “Death awaits you.”

  Fogle reached down and picked up his spellbook, which he had found in Jarla’s pack. “Now that I have this, I can do just about anything I want―for me and for you.” He opened it up and thumbed through the pages. “Huh, here’s a good one. How to turn a bitter brigand into a dung pile in thirty syllables or less.”

  Jarla leered at him. “You wouldn’t dare. Your eyes like grazing my thighs too much.”

  Fogle slapped the spellbook shut. “True, but I can summon far better, and amiable too.”

  Jubilee walked over, dragging a stretcher made from tents and long branches. She dropped it at Brak’s feet, grabbed her canteen, and gulped down some water. “You could have helped a little more, Fogle. Don’t you have a spell to make things quicker?”

  “I need time to refresh my memory of a few things.” He pushed the stretcher with his foot, lining it up at a different angle in front of Brak, and then summoned a charge of energy into his fingertip. “Here goes something.” He touched Brak’s hands.

  The big figure’s arms snapped open, and his body lurched, and he fell flat on his back two feet left of the stretcher.

  “Fogle!” Jubilee knelt alongside Brak. “Be careful.”

  Fogle chuckled. “I’m sorry, Jubilee. I’ll be more considerate of the ground next time.” He glanced at Jarla, who was frowning. “Oh, come on, even you must have thought that was funny.”

  “Funny will be seeing the crows feasting on your tongue,” Jarla said, “while the rodents devour your entrails.”

  “Are you always so morose?” Fogle said, taking a place on the ground alongside Jubilee. “You know, I used to be … well, not morose, but bitter and inwardly angry.”

  “What are you doing?” Jubilee said to him.

  “Oh, let’s roll him onto the stretcher.” With Jubilee’s help, he started to push and strain. “Lords of Three, he’s even heavier than a tree.” Together they managed to roll him over twice, fitting Brak awkwardly on the stretcher. Fogle gasped for breath and reached for Jubilee’s canteen. “Phew.”

  “Don’t drink it all,” Jubilee said.

  Fogle guzzled it down, looked at Jarla, and said, “So, does Two-Ten City have good wine?”

  “Two-Ten City? Hah!” She forced herself to her feet and approached him. “You aren’t going to make it any farther south than you already are. Did you not notice the lands are poisoned with underlings?”

  “Now it’s my turn to laugh. Hah. You’ve survived quite well. I’m certain you can get us somewhere better than where we are right now.”

  “I won’t be helping you,” she said.

  “That will be to your own peril.” Fogle tucked his spellbook up under his arm. “And that’s fine by me. We’ve survived the Outlands before.”

  “The Outlands are one thing, but the south’s landscape is an entirely different matter. The bugs down there will eat your faces.” With a playful look into Fogle’s eyes, Jarla said, “How about we make a deal?”

  Eye to eye, Fogle patted her on the head. “Let me guess. I free you, and you lead us to safety.”

  “I’m the only chance you have.” Jarla glanced at Brak, who was wriggling in the stretcher. “You won’t get very far with him like that. You need me.”

  Jubilee tugged on Fogle’s robes and pulled him aside. “What are you doing? Shouldn’t we be going back and trying to find Venir right now?”

  “The opportunity for rendezvous is over, Jubilee. Don’t think I haven’t considered it, but right now, we need to find safety.” He pushed the hair out of her eyes. “And I think going north is out of the question. The underlings have infiltrated the north, and I wouldn’t head there without an army. Sorry, but we’re just going to have to try something new and see what happens.”

  Jubilee shrugged with her hands up. “See what happens? That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard. That’s your plan?”

  “Oh, I can’t wait to see how this turns out.” Jarla walked toward her horse, Nightmare,
and made a nickering sound. The horse stooped down. Jarla started to climb into the saddle.

  Fogle said, “What do you think you’re doing? You aren’t riding on your horse. Stay off of it.”

  “Or what, mage? Are you going to zap me?”

  Fogle twitched his fingers, and magic sparks flew. “No, I’m going to zap your horse.”

  Jarla’s lips curled. “You wouldn’t dare!”

  Fogle turned his index finger in a circle. The bonds on Jarla’s wrists constricted.

  She moaned.

  Nightmare nickered and whinnied.

  “Don’t test me,” he said.

  “Fine. Have it your way, then.” She marched south, back toward the high grasses outside of the woodland. Nightmare followed behind her. “But you better find help soon for Horse Puncher, before he dies. Do you have anything in your spellbook for that, mage?”

  Brak moaned and rolled off the stretcher.

  “Find some more rope, Jubilee. We’re going to have to secure him.”

  Jubilee found the canteen and put some water on Brak’s lips. She felt his head. “He’s burning up.”

  “Get the rope, and be quick about it.” Fogle reopened his spellbook.

  Something rattled the branches above his head. He glanced up. A black blot scurried through the leaves and vanished. His skin crawled. “Hurry up, Jubilee. We need to get out of here.”

  CHAPTER 14

  Another day passed in the dungeon of Dwarven Hole. Not one single dwarf had come. No food and no water had been brought in over two days. Everyone was at each other’s throats.

  Melegal got into Venir’s face. “This is your fault! Again!”

  The cutting words rattled Venir. He sprang up from the bench and shoved Melegal in the chest, knocking him into the arms of Billip and Nikkel. The two men seized him.

  Billip said, “You’ve a lot of gall blaming Venir! You’re the one fooling with an underling. Go ahead, Venir, knock the slat out of him!”

  Venir locked his fingers around Melegal’s jaw and squeezed. “I don’t know what your issue is, Melegal, but your candle’s burning at both ends. Mind your tongue from now on.”

  “Unhand me, you oversized dog!”

  Venir drew back his free hand and formed a ham-sized fist. Deep inside his mind, he knew he’d been through things worse than this before, but he was so irritated. His mind was in a strange haze. A fog in there would not lift. He wanted to rip something apart. All of the people around him―he couldn’t trust a single one of them. Everything everyone said was annoying. “I warned you.”

  “Venir! Venir!” Kam screamed from the other cell. “Please, stop what you’re doing!”

  “Oh, shut up, witch,” Jasper fired at Kam. “Melegal has it coming.”

  “Yes, let him have it,” Billip agreed.

  Melegal struggled, and his eyes bore into Venir’s. Though Venir’s fingers had clamped over his jaw, he managed to say, “Go ahead, you big fool! Hit me. That’s all you’re good for!”

  “Venir! Don’t!” Kam yelled again.

  Erin was crying. Her shrieking cries jostled Venir’s senses. He shoved Melegal’s face back, clasped his own head, and sat down.

  Pull it together, Venir! Pull it together. These are your friends, not black fiends. What madness is this?

  Venir screamed so loud and long his ears rang.

  “EEEEAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!”

  Erin’s crying came to a stop.

  Silence fell.

  Then a soft voice said, “Venir, how are you doing?” It was Kam. He saw her pretty face pressed between the bars. Dark circles had formed under her eyes.

  He sighed. “Sorry.”

  Clank.

  Kam’s eyes widened, and she stared toward the sound of an opening dungeon door.

  Venir rose and made his way to the bars. Billip and Nikkel crammed along both sides of him.

  A dwarf entered. He was huskier than most and black bearded to the knees. He wore the leather apron of a blacksmith and pulled a cart behind him. The wheels squeaked as the cart rolled. He stopped in front of the underling’s cage and grabbed a long satchel of leather and pushed it in between the bars.

  “What are you doing feeding that murderous fiend?” Jasper yelled.

  The dwarf turned and faced Jasper. He had a blank expression on his face, and his eyes were black as pearls. He muttered something that wasn’t dwarven. It was strange but familiar.

  The odd words were like a punch in Venir’s face. “He just spoke in Underling.”

  “No, can’t be,” Billip said, shaking his head. “Your ears must still be ringing.”

  Venir gripped the bars and instinctively started to pull. Something was wrong. Very wrong. A sinking feeling twisted in his guts. Something supernatural flowed in the room.

  The dwarf spoke into the female underling’s cell again.

  “That is Underling.” Melegal squeezed his face between the bars. “What’s moving on the cart? It squeaks.”

  A maroon cloth covered up what looked to be a tray of food.

  “I don’t like this,” Jasper said.

  The dwarf stuffed a key in Elypsa’s cell door and twisted it. The lock popped open, and he shoved the door to the side.

  Elypsa emerged with both of her swords on her hips.

  “Madness!” Nikkel said.

  “Please don’t make a sound,” Elypsa said. “I wouldn’t want the dwarves to hear you. Oh wait, that’s right, they can’t.”

  “Why’s that?” Billip said.

  “Because they’re all gone. Off to fight a war they cannot win. They march into the face of elimination.” Elypsa rested her hand on the cart handle and eyed the tablecloth as it moved and squeaked. “And they aren’t the only ones about to face elimination.”

  Nikkel licked his lips and swallowed. “Even hungry as I am, I have a feeling I don’t want to know what they’re serving us for dinner.”

  Elypsa patted her sword hilts with her hands. “My only regret is not killing you myself. Especially the big one. And I’m not going to stick around to see this, even though I’m certain I would enjoy it.”

  “Enjoy what?” Venir said.

  Elypsa lifted the tablecloth. Two slimy, fleshy, spiny creatures the size of small hams lay on the table. They had little mouths filled with jagged teeth on one end and long barbed tails all over. They moved their slug-like bodies with tiny insect legs on the bottom and continued to make odd squeals.

  Jubilee’s face sagged. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  “Dwarf, come. Pick them up,” Elypsa said.

  The spacey-eyed dwarf did as he was told. His calloused hands reached out and filled with the strange leech-like grubs.

  “I’m sure these little monsters aren’t anything you’re familiar with. They are treasure from the bowels of the Underland. They devour flesh with no prejudice and fertilize our gardens.”

  The bulbous creatures oozed in the dwarf’s hands like sopping-wet sponges. The tendrils wrapped around his wrists, and the mouths began devouring his fingers.

  The dwarf didn’t even gasp.

  Joline and Nikkel let out a unified scream. “Aaaaiiiieeeee!”

  “Oh, don’t worry,” Elypsa said, “You won’t feel a thing when they eat you. At least, we don’t think so. But you’ll be paralyzed by then, so you won’t scream.”

  The creatures grew in size with every bite. In seconds the dwarf was gone, and a black spirit came out of him and hovered like a small shade near Elypsa before floating through the dungeon door and out of sight. The creatures slunk across the floor, now bigger than cats and one creeping toward each cell.

  “Don’t fight it,” Elypsa said. “There’s nowhere for you to go, and only one thing can kill them. That thing is deep, deep, deep in the Underland. In your words, these are called eeblers.” She waved her fingers and started her exit. “Goodbye, humans.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Traveling on horseback with two pac
k mules in tow, Fogle and company came to a stop at nightfall. They settled in a grove of trees, where the horses chewed on the bright green leaves and the moonlight cracked through the branches.

  He tethered Jarla to a tree and started making a fire.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Jarla said to him. She wriggled in her bonds a little. “You might attract brigands.”

  She has a point, but I can’t let her make too many of those.

  “Aside from you, they’re all dead.” Fogle didn’t turn toward her when he spoke. He kept his eyes on his task, striking flint on rock. It made sparks, but the kindling wouldn’t catch.

  Hopefully she’s never seen a wizard cast fire. Glad I hadn’t done it yet.

  “But I don’t think we’ll be having a fire tonight anyway.”

  Jubilee came out of the shadows and gave Fogle a knowing look. “Here, let me do that.” She glanced around. “I’m not sleeping without a fire. There’re too many strange creatures. And forests give me the spooks. I swear there were men crawling in the trees.”

  “There are snakes bigger than you in this grove, girl,” Jarla said. “They’ll have you, and by the time you know it, your bones will be crushed and your eyes will pop out of your sockets. I’ve seen it many times before.”

  Striking the flint on the rock, Jubilee got the fire started.

  Frowning at her, Fogle fanned the small flames. The small sticks began to crackle.

  Jubilee said, “See, isn’t this nice?”

  Lying on the stretcher nearby, Brak moaned. It was a loud and long one. “MMMMRRRRRoooooooohhhhhhhhhh.”

  “If they don’t see your fire, they will certainly hear us.” Jarla tried to blow her hair out of her eyes. “By the dawn’s light we’ll all be dead.”

  Dusting off her hands, Jubilee said, “Can I gag her?”

  Fogle dropped another stick on the fire. “No.”

  “Can I kill her?” Jubilee asked.

  Jarla tossed her head back and laughed.

  “Don’t let her spook you,” Fogle said to Jubilee. “There isn’t anything scarier out there than what we have.”