Brak avoided her stare. “Sorry. I really don’t know what to say.”
She crawled over to him. Straddling one of his thick legs, she took the cudgel away and set it down. “I don’t need you to say anything. I just want you to listen.” She grabbed him by the chin and looked him in the eye. “Can you do that?”
He gave a feeble nod.
“Good.” She sighed. “It’s starting to sink in that I might not live to be twenty. Maybe I won’t have a family or a husband. I see what Venir and Kam have, and I want that one day. I might not ever have it.” Her chin dipped. “When I have time to think, which isn’t very often because I’m trying not to die, it makes my heart ache. I feel like my life has no meaning.”
Brak clasped her little hands in his and nodded.
Jubilee sniffled. “You know what I like about you, Brak? I know I can count on you. You’re like your father, but you aren’t. He has that axe and helmet. He’s running off after the underlings all the time. But you… you are steadier. You are my anchor. And I know that I couldn’t have made it this far without you. I just want you to know that I’m thankful.”
Chongo’s head with the floppy ears looked at her, and he panted.
Brak made a sympathetic groan. “I wouldn’t abandon you, Jubilee. I just get worried about my temper. I guess that’s why I don’t get so close. You know I care for you, don’t you?”
She threw her arms over his bull neck. Hugging him tight, face wet with tears, she said, “I know, I just needed to hear it.”
Brak wrapped her up in his arms. It felt good to hold her blossoming body. She pressed her soft lips onto his neck. Goosebumps popped up on his arms. Slowly, their lips came together.
Chongo stood up to standing position. One head growled and one of the two stiff tails wagged.
Brak fell onto his back with Jubilee on top of him. “Chongo, what is it?” Brak grabbed the cudgel. He pushed Jubilee behind him. Chongo let out a loud, but happy, bark.
“Oh, please, stop it. And don’t slobber on me either. Apparently, there is enough slobbering going on in this stable.” Melegal appeared out of thin air. The skinny thief was wearing a clean shirt, trousers, and a vest. He held his hands up, keeping Chongo at bay. He lifted his brows. “Looks like the two of you were about to go on a little hay ride. Interesting for such an odd couple.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jubilee said as she and Brak helped one another to their feet by clasping their hands and pulling.
“It means, he’s a giant, and you are a little squirrel.” Melegal’s voice was more agitated than normal. “The only thing you have to match him is your big mouth, which may come in handy one day.” Melegal moved to the stable where Quikster lay, flat on his back with his legs up and hooves down. The shaggy-bellied, gray quickpony stirred. He flopped over and came to his feet. Melegal started feeding him from a bag of apples that hung on the door. “Pah. These fruits are rotting. Everything in this city is rotting. Brak, has your father found a way to save us yet?”
“I don’t know.”
“Brilliant answer. More than I expected from a young man whose loins are burning.”
Brak covered his nether region with his hands. “What are you doing here?”
“The same as you, waiting for some desperate maiden to come along and fondle me.”
Jubilee’s cheeks reddened. “Don’t talk to me like that, you hag!”
“Oh, the wit. With such sharp remarks, my ears are bleeding.” Nonchalantly, he added, “Please, please, no more. I can’t handle the blistering comments coming from the little lost royal.” He sighed, tossed Quikster another apple, and looked at them. “Oh, stop pouting. It’s not a good day, or at least, the bleakness is more apparent than normal. I need to speak with Venir. Just not right away.”
“Why?” Brak asked.
“Because we’re about to be up to our necks in underlings, orcs, and ogre arses.”
CHAPTER 7
Fogle sat on the benches inside the Castle Kling arena. All of the dead had been hauled away by the dwarves. There were only a few seats that weren’t soiled with blood and grit. The big-headed scholar had his familiar, an ebony hawk, in his hands. Using a burning candlestick, he melted the webbing from the sticky, metallic-feathered bird. Inky’s black eyelids flicked open and closed. He burned off the last of the webbing. “I think that’s the last of it.” He tossed the ebony hawk in the air.
Inky took flight. The familiar circled the room a few times before soaring out the shattered glass dome.
Fogle dripped wax onto the bench and stuck the burning candle upright. The arena was a disaster. It would take weeks of scrubbing before the stench was gone. If they survived the battle with the underlings, he hoped the dwarves would stay to help clean up.
“This isn’t even my castle. I’m not sure why I’m even worried about it.” He picked up the spellbook that was on the other side of him and opened the pages just past the middle. It was something he did when he wasn’t certain what he wanted to look at. The book was filled with hundreds of spells, and he’d yet to research them all. In most cases, the lettering was intricate and very small. Yawning, he flipped through the pages.
Not only did Fogle’s body ache, but his mind did, as well. He was tired. It was hard to concentrate. Casting all of the dimension door spells took the magic right out of him. The wind too. He found a spell that Boon had written. “Bone Twist.” He read through part of the spell. The bones of a person would be twisted until they snapped. Fogle shivered. “That’s a nasty one. Nothing worse than the sound of bones cracking.”
“Are you talking to yourself, Fogle Lonely?” Cass said. The petite woman entered through the archways. She practically glided down the stairs as she walked.
“The Gossamer Goddess graces me with her presence.” He closed the spellbook. “I’m honored.”
The albino woman showed a dazzling smile. “Flattery. I really like that. I’m so glad that you are finding better use for your tongue. You might go farther with that.”
“Yes, unless the underlings cut it out first.” He patted a spot on the bench beside him. She sat down. “If you don’t mind me asking, how is Kam doing?”
“The woman whose breasts you swoon over is doing well. She’s awake. Her superior mate, Venir, is at her bedside now.”
“You have a way with words, don’t you?”
Cass hooked her soft, slender arm in his. Her voice was an exotic purr. “I have many special ways, Fogle. You know that.” She brushed his hair out of his eyes. “How are you doing?”
“I was just sitting in the field of carnage wondering how I’m still living.”
“You don’t have to fight. You could always flee with me. I’ll keep you warm and happy.”
“That’s tempting, but this fight will never end. Someone has to end it.”
“You sound like your muscle-bound friend. What does he know? Look at him. His eyes are as restless as a hungry panther. He has no peace of mind. It is a flaw with men. If they aren’t warring with themselves, they make war with someone else. Men should be more like women.”
“Huh, no offense, but I don’t know about that.”
“Who are you fighting, men or women, Fogle? Women just want a man to cozy and nuzzle. They don’t want them to die in a fight. All of this bloodshed comes at the hands of men, be it underling or not. They are consumed over power. It sickens me. That’s why I left and became a druid. The land might be harsh, but it doesn’t fight or talk back, most of the time.”
“I think there is more to it than that.” Fogle looked up through the skylight. One of the moons glowed a pale green above. “Much more. There has to be, doesn’t there?”
“I only know what I know.” She slung her arms around his neck. “Do you have the strength to carry me up to one of these empty rooms? I could use your company.”
Fogle’s throat tightened. “Er… of course. Will you hold my spellbook?”
“Only if I must. Just take me.”
&
nbsp; He picked her up in his arms and began walking up the arena stairs. “So, you aren’t mad at me?”
Running her fingers through his hair, she said with lovesick eyes, “Now why would I be mad at a man as handsome as you?”
“Well—”
She put her fingers to his lips. “Don’t ruin it. Unless, of course, you are too tired.”
“I might be tired, but I’m not that tired. Ever.” Something heavy landed just outside of the skylight. A clamor of dwarven voices rose and carried through the halls. “What in Bish was that?” Fogle looked up at the hole in the dome. Shards of glass busted off the skylight frame, falling into the arena. The ceiling trembled.
A very familiar black dragon poked his huge head inside the dome. His citrine eyes locked on Fogle. He huffed a breath of stuffy hot air that filled the room then made a loud snort.
Cass hopped out of Fogle’s arms. “Blackie! You’ve come back to me!”
CHAPTER 8
Ebenezer sat in the bleachers of his arena, gazing at the hulking black dragon. His jaw hung. Somehow, the creature had managed to squeeze through the dome-light portal, which seemed entirely too small. Portions of the portal ring were torn way. Cass sat on the dragon’s back, hugging its neck and smiling like a child. A man not known for repeating himself, Ebenezer said again, “I have a dragon in my castle.”
A big red-bearded dwarf like Mood, but with black skin, hit him in the arm. “You’re going to have to feed him, too.”
“What do you feed it?”
Walking away, the blood ranger, accompanied by a smaller set of dwarves, said, “Underlings.” The dwarves guffawed on their way out of the arena.
Billip and Nikkel were clustered nearby, either admiring the dragon or ogling Cass.
Venir stood with his sinewy arms crossed over his chest a few rows in front of Ebenezer. He looked back at the royal. “Dragons make excellent pets, so they say.”
“Please tell me that thing is not staying.”
“I don’t know what it is doing.” Venir called down to Fogle, “Where’s Boon? I thought Mood said he was with the dragon.”
The wizard stood in the front row of the arena, several paces away from the group. His smile was upside down. “Well, he’s not.”
Melegal entered the arena shortly thereafter. His eyes were as wide as Venir had ever seen them. Brak and Jubilee were with him. Like children, their eyes were filled with glee. They went straight down the steps, over the wall, and into the arena, where they started petting Blackie. Brak hollered at Fogle, “Where’s Boon?”
“I don’t know!” the mage replied. Tucking his spellbook under his arms, he stormed up the stairs. “I’m going after some fresh air. This place reeks of scales and death.”
“Not so fast, Fogle.” Melegal cut into the man’s path. “The time for peace and quiet is over. Since we are all gathered, I’ve news to report.”
“You have news?” Venir said with a smirk. “You have my attention. What is it?”
“I took it upon myself to do some scouting.”
“What?” Billip marched right up the bleachers with Nikkel on his heels. “This I have to hear.” Nikkel, standing behind the smaller man, nodded. “Melegal scouting. That’s a first. He probably led the underlings right to us.”
“I’m pretty sure they know we are here, idiot. As I was saying, I took it upon myself and made a run through the city. The north, east, and south gates are chock-full of underlings. But that isn’t all. The orcs and ogres are filing in with them too.”
“Slat. How many?” Venir asked.
“They appear to be a small faction of the underlings, but nevertheless, their forces are growing stronger while ours don’t seem to be getting any bigger.”
“We’ve added a dragon,” Fogle said with a clear note of sarcasm.
“The winged lizard will fight with us?” Ebenezer asked.
“I wouldn’t count on that,” Venir said. “Nikkel, will you take the news to Mood? He’ll want to know, assuming he doesn’t already.”
“Well, if he did, you’d think that he’d have mentioned it,” Melegal said.
“There are more blood rangers out there, doing what they do. I’m not so certain we’ll be privy to what they know unless they want us to know it.” Venir cracked his neck side to side and sat down. “Give Mood some time to dwell on it.”
“I suppose I can send Inky out to get a bird’s-eye view of things,” Fogle offered. “I’ll be needing some rest first. Yesterday drained me.”
“Hopefully we’ll see you before the dwarven horn sings,” Venir said.
Fogle started up the stairs and stopped. He said to Venir, “Would you be offended—”
“Go see her,” Venir said. “She’d appreciate you looking in on her.”
With a nod, Fogle headed up the stairs and out of the arena. All of the men watched him go. Cracking his knuckles, Billip said, “He’s very sweet on Kam.”
“True, but I never met a man that wasn’t in one way or the other. It’s not something I have time to worry about. Besides, Kam and I have our matters sorted out.”
“It sounds like she rebounded quickly,” Melegal said. “You have a smile hidden in your words. I can’t find the word for it.”
“Chipper,” Nikkel inserted. “My father used to say it from time to time. Chipper as a black beaver.”
“Chipper I am, then,” Venir said.
“What words did she speak to you, Venir? I’d be curious to know,” Melegal asked. “Was it words or something else?”
“She’s not that far along, I assure you. No, I think after all of this time, Kam and I have an understanding.”
“I see. She’s still delirious. I bet if you served her orc pudding right now, she’d delight in it,” Melegal added. The men, one and all, chuckled. “Tell me, was she drooling when she came to this understanding?”
Venir flexed his bicep. “Of course she was. They always do.”
Nikkel laughed out loud.
“Speaking of women, where are the likes of Jasper and Rayal?” Melegal asked.
“Creed went to fetch them,” Billip said. “I’d expect them back sometime soon. In the meantime, while we wait, perhaps we can play a game or two.”
Melegal wriggled his fingers. “Cards.” He patted the pommels of the blades tucked into his belt. “Or daggers?”
Billip held up a golden coin. “We’ll flip for it.”
CHAPTER 9
The setting suns of Bish glared into the faces of the travelers. Georgio and Lefty walked behind Boon with their heads down. Lefty licked his cracked lips, his tongue dry.
“This is a long walk. My feet are burning. Are you sure we are going in the right direction?” Georgio picked the last flecks of burnt skin, now fully regenerated, from his fingers. “I don’t recognize anything.”
“For the one-thousandth time, we are not lost.” Boon picked up the pace. “Just keep your eyes on the sky for Blackie. Bloody dragon should have come back by now.”
“What makes you think the dragon is coming back?” Lefty asked. His feet were burning. He was tired of walking. He should be running. It had been so long since he ran. He liked running. Keeping up with Georgio’s and Boon’s long strides wasn’t an issue. He was fast, and his abnormally large feet didn’t ache. He was a lightfoot, a halfling breed known for long walks and runs. But in this case, it was getting dreary. All he’d been doing was running since he took up with Venir. It felt like it started decades ago. He scanned the clouds. Turkey buzzards circled high above. “I don’t see any signs of a dragon. I don’t think he’s coming back.”
“Of course you don’t. Just be silent.” Boon trudged along over the dusty ground. “Try to be positive.”
“Positive?” Georgio said, scratching his head. “I don’t really take your meaning.”
“He means be happy,” Lefty said.
“No, I don’t mean be happy, though, that would certainly be more welcoming than your dour moods.” Boon stepped over a clump o
f rocks. “Er… watch your step. There might be a rattler in there.”
Lefty changed direction, angling around the rocks on the ground. Georgio stopped to inspect them. “What are you doing?” Lefty asked.
“I wonder if poison can kill me,” Georgio said.
“Are you entertaining the thought of being snakebit? That’s a stupid thing to do.”
Georgio picked up some rocks and tossed them aside. “True, but I’m not known for doing smart things, now am I?”
Lefty shrugged. “Do what you will.” He hustled up to Boon. “You seem very disappointed that you lost the dragon. Is that going to be a problem? I mean, eventually, we will get where we are going, won’t we?”
“True, we will get there, but I’d rather have been there already.”
“’There’ being the City of Bone, right?”
“That’s what I’m aiming for. How good are your eyes, halfling?” Boon said, squinting.
“Are you so old that you have trouble seeing?”
“Perhaps. Do you see that cluster above the grasses, far, far away?”
“That’s interesting. It’s trees, I think. I’m not used to seeing trees in the Outland, not that I’m so well traveled. I’m more used to the southern climate. Is that where we are going?”
“Yes.”
Georgio caught up with them. “I hope there’s water there. Not only am I thirsty, but I’m starving. I never thought I would have missed that grove in the Mist. I’m not much for fruit, but it was tasty. I wonder why the rest of the world isn’t more like that?”
“An interesting question,” Boon said. There was a flicker in his eyes. “Not many would ponder such things. The lands beyond the Mist are very different. I’ve only seen part of them, myself.”
“You mean there is more to Bish than just Bish?” Georgio said.
“There’s the Under-Bish, where the giants come from. That’s one more place that I know of. Its lands flourish in more greenery.” Boon picked up the pace.
The Darkslayer: Bish and Bone Series Collector's Edition (Books 1-10): Sword and Sorcery Masterpieces Page 124
