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

by Craig Halloran

  The underling workers, on a signal from the magi, dipped their barrels into the waters until they were full. The underlings drew the water out and handed it over to another underling, who hammered on the lid. They made an assembly line, sending the barrel hand to hand and out of the auditorium into another tunnel.

  “What does the water do?” Elypsa asked.

  “When it is consumed, it will do what I command it.”

  “And who drinks this water?”

  “Any man who isn’t an underling that thirsts. Come, I’ll show you.”

  CHAPTER 16

  “Mood, I’ve never been one to question your wisdom, but I’m a little concerned about this,” Venir said. He was inside the dungeons of Castle Kling. The dungeons were built of gray stone slabs. Steel and iron cages and a variety of devices of torment filled the rooms. “But I will say, this is one of the finer confinement facilities I’ve ever been in.”

  Brak and Nikkel chuckled. Brak was inside one of the largest cells with his father, Venir. Nikkel shackled Venir’s wrists and ankles. Heavy links of chain fastened Venir to the wall. Helm lay on the floor at Venir’s feet. The axe, Brool, and shield were on the outside of the cage, leaning against the bars of another cell.

  Mood tested the chains. He said to Brak and Nikkel, “Let’s go.”

  Brak hung back for a moment. He lay a hand on his father’s shoulder. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “I’m going to do it, eventually. I might as well get a better feel for what I’m in for.” Venir tugged at the chains with his muscular gorilla-like arms. “I don’t think I’ve ever broken chains as thick as this before. We’ll see. You better go.”

  “I think I better stay,” Brak said. “You might get the helmet on, but you might not be able to take it off. I should stay by your side to do that.”

  “It could be dangerous.”

  “I’d be surprised if it wasn’t,” Brak said. He looked to Mood. “I’m staying.”

  “I don’t suppose I can talk you out of it. So be it.” Mood closed the cell door and locked it with a key. “It’s your show, Venir.”

  “I think I’m going to sit down for this.” Venir took a seat. He put the ominous helm in his lap. Brak moved in behind him. “Good idea, son.” He took a breath. “I don’t think I’ve ever been hesitant to put this thing on before. It shouldn’t be any different than it has been. I’ve managed good control of it.”

  “Don’t be so sure of yourself. That’s usually when the ground drops out from underneath your feet,” Mood said. “You want to focus on Master Sinway. You know who he is. See if you can sort through the brood and find him. But I’ll warn you, Venir. You might take Sinway down, but another will rise in his place. Still, this will be a blow to their race.”

  Venir nodded. He reached back and clasped Brak’s hand. “Be ready.” He lifted Helm over his head. A sudden draft made torch flames quaver. Venir lowered Helm over his head and buckled it on.

  Brak saw the dormant veins in Venir’s bare arms rise under his skin. His muscles twitched and flexed. Venir’s head gave a stiff shake. He made an angry murmur that stood Brak’s hairs on end. “So many,” Venir growled. His voice became something else. The eyelets on the helm smoldered black. His chest heaved. “Kill them all!”

  Brak’s fingers touched the sides of the helmet. He flinched. The metal was hot. When he took a half step back, Venir came to his feet. The well-defined warrior, lathered in sweat, made a beeline for the war axe on the other side of the bars. The chains snapped taut. The round muscles in his arms and legs bulged. “Give me my axe!”

  Mood stood his ground. “Concentrate, Venir. Find Sinway!”

  Venir’s muscular neck dipped side to side. His shoulder and back muscles bulged. “I am concentrating! Concentrating on killing them! Killing them all!”

  Brak heard part of his father and part of something else. Venir’s transformation was haunting. He’d never been so close to it before. He reached out for Venir.

  “I’m fine, boy,” Venir growled. His voice was dark, dangerous, and fierce. His arms strained against the links. The metal groaned. “I’ll be finer when I get out of here.”

  “You aren’t going anywhere if you can’t control it,” Mood said.

  “I am controlling it. Otherwise, I’d have already torn my way out of here. Just give me Brool. I’ll finish this, once and for all.” His voice trailed off. “So many… so many greasy underlings.”

  “That’s spooky.” Nikkel wiped the glistening sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

  Venir let out a mad laugh. “Your eyes are as big as the moon, boy! Hahahahahaha! Mood, let me out of here. I can find Sinway. I’m ready to hunt him!”

  “You sound reckless,” Mood said. “Give me more details.”

  “I’ve been reckless all my life! Now you worry?” Venir back-stepped. The chains went slack and rattled on the floor. He let out a gusty breath. The tension in his voice eased. “I might feel like I have a boiling kettle on my head, but I can handle it. Mood, let us out so I can get closer to the enemy?”

  “Us? Who do you mean by us?” Mood said.

  Brak didn’t get the idea that Venir was talking about him either. He agreed with Mood’s suspicions.

  Venir looked back over his shoulder. “Me and Brak, of course.”

  “It didn’t sound like you were talking about your son. It sounded like you were talking about someone else.”

  “Mood, you are getting under my skin. And if you won’t let me out of here, then I’ll let myself out!” Venir let out an animal-like growl. He charged the cell door. Arms and legs straining against the links of chains, he let out a savage cry. Fingers stretching and clutching, he said, “Give me my axe!” He heaved against the chains. Metal ground and bent.

  Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!

  The shackles gave away against the savage man’s brawn. Venir grabbed hold of the door and tried to pull it free from the hinges. The mechanism in the lock groaned.

  “Sweet Mother of Bish, he’s doing it!” Nikkel said.

  Brak sprang onto his father’s back. He fastened his fingers under the helm’s bottom rim.

  “Get off me!” Venir yelled. Backward, he plowed Brak into the wall. “Open the door! Open the door, Mood!” Nikkel cried. “Venir’s going to kill him!”

  “No!” Mood kept the keys tight in his grip. “We can’t let him out of there like this. It’s not time yet!”

  Venir turned his hip underneath Brak. He slung his son aside like a bail of straw. Brak, off balance, hit the ground hard and headfirst. His face bled as he turned. Venir’s face was a knot of fury, but something was missing as he charged his son.

  Brak held up the object in his hand. “I have your helmet. You won’t be putting it back on.”

  Venir glared at him. “We’ll see about that.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Master Sinway took up residence in another Royal Castle. The castle overlooked the northeastern quadrant of the City of Bone. He and Elypsa sat outside on a terrace overlooking the Royal Roadway just north of the East Gate. A dozen alert ruby-eyed soldiers stood guard behind them against the walls that led back inside the castle. Master Sinway sat comfortably in a wooden chair, his eyes fixed on the activity in the streets.

  Thousands of underlings lined up by rank and file in the streets. They were accompanied by legions of orcs and regiments of ogres. The brute races stood tall over the smaller underlings, yet they obeyed every chittering order like well-trained dogs.

  “We’ll send the brutes into the pitiful dwarven barricades first. Once they smash down their defenses, we will overwhelm them.” A pair of cave dogs lumbered over, panting. He petted both of them, and they lay at his feet. “I think the cave dogs are my favorite race, second only to the underlings. They are loyal.”

  “Agreed,” Elypsa said. She noted a group of juegen marching down the streets. They were in full metal that covered everything but their hands and feet. Each carried a pair of swords
on their hips. “Master Sinway, I would plead with you that I could join them. I want to fight.”

  “Are you hoping to find a suitor down there?”

  “No. I just want to be a part of the final battle. This will be the final battle, won’t it?”

  Master Sinway shrugged. He seemed relaxed, almost fatherly. His rigid exterior was gone for the moment. “Even I cannot predict the future, but I like our chances.”

  “Are you toying with me?”

  “No, I’m toying with the enemy. You should learn how to delight in it, the same as I.” He lifted his hand into the air. The first sun was rising behind them, leaving them in the shade of the castle, but the rays of sunlight clipped the sharp nails on his fingers. “Tell me, Elypsa, which do you prefer, the land below or above?”

  “To be frank, I find the landscape above unbearable. I miss our cooler climates and the comfort of the underlight.” A human servant girl walked between them with a tray of food and crystal glassware. Trembling, she set the tray down on a small patio table between them. There was a vial as well, filled with the green liquid Elypsa had witnessed the underlings making below the streets. It was clear as a green wine now. “I think the under troops are agitated by the suns, as well.”

  “Yes, I want them agitated. The more they hate the humans, the better.” The servant girl turned away. “Stay,” Sinway said.

  All of the royals that lived in this particular castle has been killed on the spot or taken to the gallows. Now, only a handful of human servants remained. This serving girl, in a modest blue working dress and cotton servant’s uniform cap, was one of them. So far, she’d managed not to draw Sinway’s ire. The master of all underlings seemed to be in a good mood, which was strange.

  Crossing her leg over her knee, Elypsa asked, “So, are you going to tell me about this underling brew you have created, or do I need to guess?”

  “I thought you would never ask,” he said. Without even prompting the servant girl, she poured a decanter of clear water into a glass, stopping at the half-full level. Sinway twisted in his seat a little, in a casual human-like way. He picked up the green vial, pulled the cork, and emptied it into the glass of water. “Watch.” The green wine mixed with the water and swirled for seconds, until the contents were clear as crystal. Sinway handed Elypsa the glass.

  She sniffed the rim of the glass. “There’s no odor.”

  “And no taste either,” he said. “You can drink it, but it won’t have any effect on an underling. My concoction was created to take down humans. I’ve been poisoning their wells with it for quite some time. The fools don’t even know it.”

  Elypsa leaned forward in her seat and set the glass down. “And what does this concoction do, Master Sinway?”

  “An excellent question.” He looked up and spoke to the servant girl. “Little maiden, do you see that pigeon on the terrace railing?” The girl had broken out in a cold sweat. She nodded. “Good. I want you to catch it for me.”

  All of a sudden, the girl hopped the table. She chased the pigeon on the rail. The bird spread its wings and flew away. The girl spread her arms wide, jumped the rail, and dove after the pigeon. She vanished beneath the terrace wall. A dull thud followed immediately thereafter.

  “Impressive.” Elypsa got up and looked over the railing. The woman had hit the deck below like a blanket tossed out of a window. She hit face-first with her hands stretched out. “She’s still moving.”

  “Really? The human is more durable than I thought. Now, just imagine, as all of these citizens join the dwarves and whatever royals are willing to fight, just when they are in the thick of it, they are attacked by their own kind. It will be a delicious thing.”

  “I’d say.” Elypsa resumed her seat. “It seems that you thought of everything.”

  “You cannot imagine all of the horrible things I’ve thought of, but it’s coming. Just wait. It’s coming.” Suddenly, Sinway clutched his head. His eyes flickered like iron flames. He knocked the table over, got up from his chair, and staggered.

  Elypsa rushed to his side. She grabbed his arm and steadied him. “What is it?”

  “The Darkslayer. I felt the presence like a beacon.” His clenched fists turned to bright-red flames. Elypsa backed away from the searing heat. “He knows where I am. I feel where he is. The time to attack has come!”

  CHAPTER 18

  The standoff between Venir and Brak went on for a few moments before Venir’s temper cooled. Venir offered a hand, helped his bigger son to his feet, and said, “Well done.”

  Mood opened the cell door and let them out. Brak handed Venir the helmet. Venir stared into the eyelets for a long moment. “One way or the other, this is coming to an end.” He packed the three items of the armament away in the sack. “I could sense all of them. Sinway is near the East Gate. I know that. He was the strongest source. If I can get close enough, I can track him down and kill him.”

  “You tried that once. Now might be the time to try something else. Let’s talk about it.” Mood gave Venir a little shove in the back. “We’ll go up top.”

  Venir slung his pack over his shoulders. The air around him seemed heavy. His heart was heavy. The end was near, and he knew it. He caught Brak’s heavy gaze on him. “Don’t fear for me, son. I can handle it. I always have.”

  “I know. I just want to be by your side until the very end.”

  They headed up the stairs. “Well, I was hoping that I could teach you to be smarter than that. But you’re a man now. The decision is yours. I have my praise and respect. Vorla would be proud of you, Brak.”

  Brak’s expression saddened. He walked on, taking the lead up the stairs. His life had been nothing but hard since he came to the City of Bone, seeking out Venir, the father in his dreams. Vorla, his mother, paid the ultimate price, dying in the streets to a bunch of thugs, protecting the boy in their search for Venir. It was a cruel twist of fate. It seared the young man’s heart. Despite his size and mannish looks, he was little more than sixteen seasons old. He walked on heavy feet, opening the door at the top.

  There was a commotion in the main living room offset from the courtyard. Melegal, Ebenezer, Fogle, Rayal, and Elizabeth were transfixed on the man sitting on the floor. The blood-covered Creed had the pale look of death on his face. His hair hung over his eyes. Cass’s glowing hands were on his back. Billip was pulling crossbow bolts out of his body. Creed flinched.

  “What happened,” Venir asked Melegal.

  “I can’t readily say, but the man slaughtered his own, or they were going to slaughter him. Apparently, Lorda Almen had a hand in the treachery. She mentioned Tonio.”

  Venir flinched.

  “There was vengeance on her mind, but she is dead now. Allegedly.”

  “They were possessed,” Creed said in a raspy sigh. He spit out some blood that dripped down his chin. “I saw it in their eyes. Witchery is afoot. Gah!”

  Billip tossed another bolt aside. “I don’t know how he lives. I’ve pulled out five of these bolts. If he survives, it will be painful living.”

  Venir caught another presence in the room. Jarla lingered by the drapes by the bay window. Her eyes locked with his. They had a deeper connection. It was tied to the armament. He felt it. Looking away, he noticed Jasper lying underneath some sheets nearby. He turned to speak to Melegal.

  “Don’t say anything,” Melegal said. With downcast eyes, he walked away.

  CHAPTER 19

  Mood looked through the long brass cylinder of a spyglass. It was stretched out almost a full arm’s length. From the terrace of Castle Kling he had a clear view of the blockades that the dwarves had set up on the Royal Roadway. With the suns of the early day beating down from above, he said to Venir, “They are coming.”

  “The war for Bone has begun, then.” Venir took the spyglass from Mood. “It’s going to be a long one.” Venir spied from spot to spot on the blockades. Over a thousand strong worked each blockade. They were led by blood rangers, who wore green and red dyed tunics
of leather. Their beards were as red as Mood’s. Their stalwart builds gave them a commanding presence among the men and dwarves. “Are you certain you want to stay on the defensive, Mood?”

  “Aye, we need to test their strength and see what the war is going to toss at us. We got a good feel for their forces in the Black Columns, but we have some of the same problems.” He put his foot up on the terrace wall. “They come on those crawlers, up the walls and across the roofs, trying to make it past our defenses.”

  “Crawlers?” Nikkel said. The young black man fastened on a unique set of leather armor. It was dyed black, covering his ankles, torso, arms, and neck. It was special armor that the shadow sentries wore, called ghost armor.

  “He means the spiders.” Billip sat down, buckling the buckles of his own ghost armor suit. “Venir, do we really need to wear this getup? It will slow me. Throw off my aim and timing.”

  “It won’t throw off mine.” Nikkel aimed a bolt thrower toward the sky. Shutting one eye, he said, “My shots will be just fine. Of course, mine are always right on target.”

  “You can’t fight with your bowels spilled out.” Venir looked Nikkel and Billip up and down. The armor gave them a menacing look. “The second skin suits you.”

  “Yes, especially given that your own skin is very thin to begin with.” Melegal stood on the back side of the terrace, helping Brak with his armor. It was a suit of chainmail that Ebenezer procured for him. Ebenezer was helping out with Brak, wearing his own suit of ghost armor. “Slat, Ebenezer, when did you have a man so big that wore this?”

  “The man that wore this suit of chainmail didn’t live in my time, I assure you that. I just came across it when I was retrieving the ghost armor.” Ebenezer turned Brak around and buckled the back straps. “It’s a good fit, and notice how small the links are. Very light and made from the strongest steel. How does it feel, Brak?”