“Reze’?” Erigg pleaded, looking at her. The young Goor stopped, and tensed.
“If the fangs come out, I don't know when I’ll be able to put them away.” She looked at him with dark, dark eyes, then back at the Goor. “I don’t want to hurt you, Erigg.” Yet out of her mouth came a flick of the tongue, a betrayal of eagerness.
“Yew can’t help without killin’ them?” Erigg said, his face turning grim. “So be it.”
“Just let them have the coins, Erigg.”
“Tchurn’s me friend, and he saved me life,” Erigg said, steeling himself. “I’ll not have them robbin’ him while he’s sleepin’.”
“Witch: no task,” one of them said, looking pointedly at Reze’.
Reze's grin fell away, and she got up. The four young Goor froze, watching her carefully. She stomped over to the wall next to the fireplace, and propped her back against it. She crossed her arms and her legs and glared at them. Her eyes disappeared into shadow, but the menace they delivered could still be felt. “If you hurt him badly, the fangs will come out, regardless.”
One of the Goor nodded at her, shorter than the rest. “Lez task: understand. All task: no weapons.” Two of the four put their pickaxes on a nearby table. The other pair sheathed their knives.
What power she has over them, whispered Indigo.
“If you were not so afraid, Jil,” I said to Jil, behind me, “you could assist your friend Erigg.”
They rushed him. Erigg snapped his antlers up and jabbed forward, catching the short one, Lez, in the gut. He went down, holding his midriff. Another leapt over him as he fell, teeth bared, fists high. Erigg stepped back and spun his antlers up, catching the Goor below the chin, knocking him back into the nearest table.
The remaining pair flanked him, and attacked from both sides. He took a savage kick in the arm and let it push him toward the fourth, who was caught off-guard by Erigg’s sudden shift toward him. He took a fist to the face, and retreated.
The second got up from the bench and tried to grab him around the chest, but Erigg’s antlers knocked the Goor’s arms up, which shot back to his neck after Erigg jabbed him in the throat. Erigg then hooked an antler around the back of his neck and spun him into Lez, who had just stood up. The both went down in a heap of furry limbs.
But the step he made had been with his bad leg, and he hopped on his good leg twice before the third and fourth attacked in unison. The third swung on his knuckles, kicking Erigg in the ribs. At the same moment, the fourth lunged from the opposite side, and rammed his shoulder against Erigg’s knees.
The force of the kick knocked Erigg over, and his face smacked onto the floor.
“Erigg!” cried Jil from behind me. Her Fear was a constant assault, but at least the uXulu’s tight embrace kept her from panic.
Erigg spat blood, and tried to get up. He got one knee under him before the third one punched him so hard in the gut he could not breathe. A few more blows to the stomach, and he retched, covering the floor with a gooey, yellow paste dotted with small, pale chunks and a stream of red. A vile smell filled the air.
“Paid good... money... fer that,” Erigg said. They hauled him up and threw him onto a bench the next table over. He tried to spit gunk out of his mouth but only sprayed it onto the Goor in front of him.
“Task: no spit!” said the third, and slammed a fist into his face. Erigg's head flopped backward. The third raised his arm again, but Lez lunged up and grabbed it with both hands.
“Mek task: no hit!” The pair looked over at Reze’. She was off the wall, stroking the handles of her fangs. Her eyes were wide, and dark. She was whispering to herself.
Let the daggers free, Reze’, said Viridian. Keep not your need at bay.
Mek yanked his arm free and stepped back. Erigg’s head came back up, and he blinked a great deal, his head wobbling like a newborn chikken.
The analogy surprised me. Knowledge of chikkens was new to me, yet I had pictured a small chikken struggling to walk, fluffy and unbalanced, as clear as if it were my own memory. Even worse, the comparison had occurred without my desire of thought.
This new knowledge is merging with your own, Maal, said Cerulean.
How long until you cannot separate your own limited memory with the new? asked Tawny.
Or forget who you are, said Indigo.
The thought terrified me to my very core. It was a Fear far greater than the threat of returning to The Nail. But why? I had no time to dwell upon it.
“Mek task,” Mek muttered. “Watch redbeard.” He wiped fluid off his face.
I could not suppress revulsion to Erigg’s failure. I had not expected him to be so weak, and the lack of violence was disappointing—a frustration that caused my Hate to rise.
Reze’ will attack them, said Viridian. Attack, attack! Yet Viridian’s desire led to no action by her. She remained near the cliff wall.
Lez sat down on the bench Erigg had eaten from, holding his furry gut where the antlers had jabbed him. After a few, slow breaths with his beady eyes closed, he started pushing coins back into Tchurn's small bag. He was not a fool: he did so quietly. The second Goor was on the floor a table away, not moving, yet no one went to check on him. The fourth was behind Tchurn, holding his long knife upside down, hesitating.
There was an ache, a desire entirely absent of lust that was no less desperate than my ache for eXia.
Stab him! cried Viridian. “Yes!”
“Boz task: kill Tror,” said Lez, talking softly.
“What fer? Yew got his money,” Erigg mumbled.
“Mek task: sell armor,” Mek said.
Erigg laughed, gurgling from the fluid in his mouth.
“Redbeard task: no talk!” said Mek, and raised his fist. He glanced over Erigg’s shoulder at Reze’, and let his fist fall.
“No, no. ‘Tis funny, watchin’ yew lads. Yew think yer gonna get away with his coin. Yew think yer gonna pierce Lavalier armor with that rusty knife of yers.”
Lez looked over at him, then back at Boz. “Boz task: cut throat! Now task!” he whispered.
“Oh, yew poor lads. Yew don’t know a thing about Lavalier, do yew? Well, when yew kill him, how will yew get his armor off?”
“Lez task: pull off dead body,” Lez said. He laughed a cruel, hooting laugh, and Mek laughed with him.
“See now, there yer wrong. Lavalier don’t wear their armor. Lavalier armor is put on white-hot. It burns them terrible, lads, and the screams can be heard a blueday’s ride away. They throw tha Lavalier into water, but it burns fer several bluedays before it cools. When tha skin heals, it grows into the links. Yew cannot just pull off a Lavalier’s armor. Yew lads will have ta cut it off.”
Boz had a sick look on his face and took a step back.
“Redbeard task: no talk!” Lez hissed. “Boz task: check skin!”
Boz shook his head.
“Boz task: get spine,” said Lez with disgust. He got up and went around the table to Tchurn's bench and carefully pulled the furs down from his neck. His nose wrinkled up. “All task: forget armor,” he said.
“Kemiss task: pay big for armor!” said Mek.
“Mek task: cut off if want,” said Lez. He shoved Boz. “Boz task: kill now!”
Boz held his knife in two hands, but the knife shook.
“Boz task: coward,” he said, and pulled his knife.
“No!” Jil squealed from behind me. A wave of Fear, desperate and horrible, washed over me. I fought it with Hate, building, building Hate, surging into a near-blinding rage. I turned upon her, my Hate a sizzling fire that burned against her onslaught of Fear.
“Desist!” I boomed at her, and she quailed. She cried out and grabbed her ears, and fell to the ground. eXia and oXellona crouched down to aid her. She stared at me, eyes wide, as my fingers crackled with lightning.
It was a mistake. Her Fear rose up like a colossal tidal wave and fell upon me, snuffing my Hate. I fought her valiantly, resisting her emotional retaliation with the remnants of
my Hate, but could not win. A tingling sensation grew in my core as her Fear blasted me, and with it came a feeling of power. I used that instinctively to fuel my Hate, and was surprised to have it succeed. Within moments, I stood defiant, taking in her Fear without losing control.
“You will learn self-control. Or you will suffer!”
Jil was pointing at me and shaking. The uXulu mistook it for her worry over Tchurn’s safety, and eXia pulled her close, blocking the view of Tchurn’s impending demise with her enormous breasts. Oh, how I envied Jil in that moment, but it only added to my Hate.
“Why do you concern yourself with Tchurn’s fate? He has vowed to kill you!”
“Girl task: quiet!” Lez snapped. I turned to watch as he lowered his blade toward Tchurn’s throat.
Tchurn’s hand leapt up and clamped onto Lez’s wrist. The huge Tror simply watched as Lez tried to pull the knife across Tchurn’s throat, then his lips curled back in frustration. Tchurn’s rigid grip did not even twitch as Lez fought to free himself. Desperate, he put both feet on Tchurn’s body and heaved.
To no effect.
Tchurn rolled off the bench, slowly standing to his full height, furs sliding off his chest. He towered over the Goor in his dull, red armor, eyes burning red. He looked like a demon.
I cackled in delight. Behind me, Jil whimpered, her Fear bursting, leaving behind tears and massive Anguish. This, too, created a tingling sensation within that I had not noticed before. I burned through that power as rapidly as it grew in order to fight off Jil’s obscene emotions.
“Jakkals,” Tchurn said, snorting and spitting on Lez’s face. Boz lunged weakly at his back with his knife. It clacked off the armor, leaving no scratch.
Tchurn’s backhand hit Boz so hard I could hear his jaw crack. Mek jumped over the table with a fierce swing onto Tchurn’s shoulder, but he did not flinch at the impact. Tchurn twisted to grab Mek with his free hand and threw him on the ground before giving him a savage kick to the groin. Boz and Mek lay motionless.
Unable to break free of Tchurn’s hold, Lez took his knife with his offhand, and sliced across Tchurn’s chest, ineffectual against the armor. He tried for Tchurn’s face, but Tchurn slapped the knife out of his hand. Lez punched him in the ribs, but then gasped in pain and sucked on his knuckles. Did the armor burn? Tchurn lifted Lez one-handed off the ground, and Lez pushed off of Tchurn with his feet. He swung back and kicked both feet into Tchurn’s gut.
A corner of Tchurn’s mouth curled up. “Seems to me you’re the only wulff in this pack of doggs,” he said. He grabbed Lez’s captured wrist with both hands, squeezing and twisting. “You should have listened to Erigg.” A loud pop. Lez screeched in pain. “I wonder if you’ll steal again if I let you live. I think you might.” Another crack. “I better make sure you don’t.” Several more cracks and pops.
Tchurn dropped him to the floor. Lez sat there, staring at his wrist in shock. His hand was twisted backwards, the fingers twitching at bizarre angles. Tchurn kicked him in the ribs, hard, knocking the air out of him. He tried to get up, stumbled across the walkway, fell against a table and slid all the way down its length before falling to the ground. Tchurn followed him, eyes gleaming. Lez looked up at Tchurn and tried to speak, lifting his good arm in defense. Tchurn kicked him again. Another crack.
Yes, Tchurn! cried Viridian, ecstatic. Destroy him!
Tchurn watched Lez attempt to crawl away, a feeble motion that gained him nothing. Concluding Lez no longer had the ability to flee, he returned to his own table. He hoisted Mek up, and asked: “How many times did you hit Erigg?”
“Task: no hit,” Mek said weakly. He had tears in his eyes from the pain in his groin.
“‘Tis nothing, Tchurn,” Erigg pleaded. “Let tha lad go.”
“I think I heard six.”
Tchurn held Mek off the ground with one hand, and slammed his right fist into Mek’s stomach. One. The Goor jerked and his eyes went wide. Two. His face went red, and small moans escaped him as he tried to suck in air. Three. His whole body spasmed, then he went limp.
Three more! cried Viridian.The violence was ecstasy, feeding some primal need I had. I did not want it to stop.
“Tchurn! He’s stopped breathin’!” Erigg said, trying to get up.
Tchurn grabbed Mek’s chin and lifted it to study the Goor’s face. He slapped his cheek a few times, roughly. Mek sucked in a long breath, and his eyes fluttered.
“He’s not dead, Erigg.”
Tchurn dropped him onto the floor. He bent over to grab his furs.
“Ooooh, that was marvelous,” purred Reze’. She was rubbing the middle finger of her right hand between her legs, her mini-skirt pushed up to reveal her crotch. She rubbed side to side rapidly, and her back arched as her muscles seized from orgasm. While enjoyable to watch, it did not satisfy as the brawl had.
Tchurn ignored her. He sat down and examined all of the mugs on the table, but they were empty, or spilled. Tchurn coughed and spat into the fire. Jil’s Anguish lessened as she purged herself of the emotion through teardrops. My Hate reduced as well, with no struggle to fuel it.
“Bravo, Tchurn,” Reze’ said, panting.
He looked at her, menace burning in his red eyes.
“Truly,” she said, leaning against the wall again, placing both palms flat against it as she recovered. “I could not have let them live.” She sucked her middle finger.
“My people take thieves to Trorenok’s Blood and stick their hands into it until they melt. Without hands they cannot steal again. If not for Erigg, they would not be crawling away.”
Indeed, the three were dragging themselves away, emitting moans and cries, making their way to the stairs of the loft. They did not help each other.
Reze’ came off the wall, striding toward them with purpose, an eager look on her face.
“No,” Erigg said weakly, reaching for her.
Reze’ hesitated, her hands twitching, then continued her pursuit.
Yes, Reze’, said Viridian. Yes.
“If yew kill one o’ them,” Erigg called after her, “the rest of tha tribe will kill us at bluerise!”
She halted. Every eye was upon her, as she stood over the motionless Mek, her fangs out. She muttered, then shook her head—a twitch, or a spasm—then half-crouched, then stood up. An arm slashed at nothing.
oXellona hurried over and carefully pulled Mek from between Reze’s legs. She dragged him over to the others and let him fall, before returning to huddled uXulu.
Long moments passed as Reze’ struggled internally. In that quiet time, Mek came to, and joined the others in their attempt at escape.
Reze’ took halting steps toward them: a jerk, then two quick steps, then a small leap.
“Reze’, come back ta me, lass,” Erigg said, pity infused into every word. She halted, looked back at him, twitched her head in three different directions, then resumed to stalk the wounded Goor.
They heard her approaching and sped up considerably. Their cries of pain echoed softly as they leapt to the timbers, and hurried up the ladders until they disappeared into the dark above.
It was very quiet then. Only the fire seemed cheerful, sardonic in its cracking and popping, like Lez’s wrist.
The fight had been a morsel to feed a hunger that required a feast. I wanted more, so much more, but the opportunity was gone. It seemed unlikely I could convince them to fight among themselves. I made an unpleasant sound.
Erigg grinned at Tchurn. “Yew did... did not... kill them!” he said between breaths. He winced, and held his stomach.
“Too sick to care,” Tchurn said, shrugging. He picked his furs off the floor and hugged them around his shoulders, shivering. “Can I get another mug!” he shouted.
The uXulu and Jil had watched Tchurn ruin the four Goor in silence. Now, they hummed to each other, touching each other in the flat space between their ample breasts. I watched eXia’s face transform into something fierce and shove aXarelle toward Tchurn. She gave eXia a nasty l
ook, then straightened her back before approaching with an arched back and an upturned nose. Though naked, she stood proudly beside his table.
She looked down at him with pale, grey eyes.
‘My name is aXarelle. I have never served anyone until this loathsome place. However, First Stone says I must serve you, in thanks for fighting the Goor.”
“I didn’t fight them for you.”
“Even so.”
Tchurn shrugged, wrapped his arms around a dozen or so empty mugs, and set them down in front of aXarelle. He looked up at her blankly. Her hands and jaw clenched in obvious Hate, but she took a pair of mugs and went back to the bar.
“Are yew... hurt?” Erigg asked, wiping his own mouth.
Tchurn chuckled. “The metal of this place cannot pierce even the worst armor made by my people.” He suddenly suffered another coughing fit. He had to stand up, shoving the bench back with his legs before bending over to the side with his hands on his knees for several moments. When he caught his breath, he stood panting for a few moments.
“Yew should… get ta… bed,” Erigg said slowly. Jil brought him a mug and a rag, wiped his mouth, and helped him drink. After a single swallow, he heaved, spewing blood and bile.
Tchurn looked up, frowning. He circled the table to kneel in front of Erigg. Tchurn roughly took Erigg’s face in one giant hand, turning it back and forth, as he had done with Mek. Erigg winced from pain, revealing red-coated teeth. One of his eyes was already swelling shut, and he clutched his gut with a white-knuckled hand. Tchurn growled.
“I should have killed them,” Tchurn said, through teeth.
“No, no,” Erigg said. “’Tis worse… than it looks. Ha! I meant... looks worse... than ‘tis.” With that, he promptly passed out.
M A A L
The uXulu cleaned up, righting knocked-over benches, wiping up blood and vomit, and gathering the remainder of the plates. A pair of them yanked on a chain in unison: oXellona and another. The timbers shook from their fierce pulls, but due to the thick bracing, it would not come free. It was obvious the metal hurt them, from the way they grimaced when they grabbed the chain, and how quickly they surrendered the task. The pair held their hands in a bucket of water afterward, as if their hands had been burned.
Maal The First Skull- Shadows of the Mind Page 14
