The Best Laid Plans
Page 6
I sheathed my swords. “I have no skill at divination, but something tells me you’re upset about more than your friend being a blood-drinker. Oh, and thank you for saving me.”
“Don’t bother.”
He eased off the draw but kept the arrow nocked. “You are a thieving bastard.”
“Comrade! It pains me to hear you say that.”
“Not as much as it’s going to fucking pain you. Now put your hands up.”
I did as he bid. “Happy now?”
His bushy brows knitted together. “No. My friend is dead, and you lied to me and then you stole from me.”
“Stole is such a strong word. I merely took that which you owed me. I risked my life— twice as it turns out.”
“I just discovered one of my oldest comrades was a fucking infernal, and you’re more interested in coin. Have you no honor, no decency?”
I was a stranger to both but now wasn’t the time to tell him. “Yes, of course, what do you take me for?” I spoke with confidence as there was only one way to lie when something pointy was aimed at your face and that was confidently. More often than not, it isn’t what you say that matters, but how you say it. The arrow wavered, the head dipped.
“Why did you come back?” I guessed that he was asking out of more than idle curiosity. This was a test, which if I failed would probably result in me taking up permanent residence in this demesne of the not-quite-dead.
“Because I couldn’t live with myself if I left, knowing that she would kill more innocents who wandered too close to her lair. You know it wasn’t for coin, because I already had that.” I grinned. “Why did you come back?”
He lowered the bow. “Same.”
Despite the grim surroundings and the blood-drinker’s festering corpse, there was a moment’s peace as we came to a place of mutual understanding. It was entirely bogus on my behalf, but I allowed myself to indulge in the fantasy that I, like him, had acted out of a sense of duty and honor instead of greed. It was amusing, if odd. This must be what it felt like to be a hero, although, in truth, I could only guess at that. “I really must be going now,” I said.
He nodded, his gaze drifted to the corpse. “I’ll take care of Mur. Give her the warrior’s pyre she should have had. She was a great fighter.” His eyes glittered with tears. “She was also a talented potter, but that was more of a hobby. You haven’t seen the best side of her, but take my word…”
While he haltingly eulogized, I slipped out unnoticed. I had a sackful of chink and his modest coin purse and deemed it best to be on my way before he remembered one and noticed the other. To give the big lump his due, it didn’t take him long.
“Oi! Come back here you scaly fucker. Where’s my purse?” His words thundered after me, followed by the sound of his pounding footfall. I laughed. I’d met a few humans over the years who were almost as fast as I was. Ulthvarr wasn’t one of them. I dug my claws into the dirt and propelled myself towards the bridge where I came to an immediate, screaming halt. Climbing on the span were the misbegotten spawn of the blood-drinker.
The poor bastards who’d been drained and hurled off the keep like empty wine bottles had it seems been cursed to rise from the dead and seek out their own victims. Whether she’d summoned them to her aid before she ‘died’ or whether some other dreadful imperative had driven them to climb out of the gully at this inopportune moment I couldn’t say. What I could say for sure was that I was in a bit of a pickle.
There was a dozen, ragged corpses staggering around on the bridge. Leprous and gaunt, their fingernails had turned into talons, their teeth into fangs. I stared at them, and they stared at me. The wind whistled off the mountain, the air was drawn taut with unexploded tension. At last one of the damned broke the deadlock and threw back her head before unleashing a piercing shriek. I took this as my cue to run back into the crypt. I bounded down the stairs and just managed to see the rind of the barbarian’s grinning face before the door slammed shut leaving me on the wrong side. The sound of the bolt being thrown was underscored by the furious scrabbling and baying closing behind me.
“Uli! Open up.” I hammered my fist between the broken thorns.
“I don’t think so, comrade.”
“I’ve got your purse. Here, let me give it to you.”
“That’s all right. I’ll collect it when they’re through with you. Or not.”
“What about honor and courage, a warrior’s death?”
“Maybe later.”
“Prick.” I drew my blades. The dead crawled and crept towards me. Thinking darkness was their shield, they grinned as they closed. I let them come, and when the first one leaped, I side-stepped and took his head off his scrawny neck with a well-timed swing. The soggy cabbage hit the wall, the uncorked body floundered and fell twitching amongst its kin. I shrugged my shoulders pleased to see a look of confusion, if not outright fear cross the face of the screaming wench as her fellows fell upon the body. “What?” I said to her as I flicked the ichorous blood off my sword. “Did you think you were the only monsters ‘round here?” I laughed, bared my fangs, and waited for them to come.
The End
You have finished this prequel novella, Breed’s exploits and problems are only going to get bigger. You can discover how in The Chronicles of Breed.
You can get your copy of Dangerous to Know on the 4th April 2018 from Amazon.
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Author’s Note
Hi. Thank you very much for reading The Best Laid Plans. I am really pleased that you decided to enter Breed’s world.
I hope you enjoyed it all and you will be joining me for Breed’s later, remarkable exploits in Dangerous to Know, book one of The Chronicles of Breed.
Thanks
K.T.
About the Author
When I’m not writing books, I work the day job, wrangle my kids, four dogs, and a grouchy, old cat. I play computer games, ride horses, practice medieval martial arts, grow vegetables, throw axes, and read, not at the same time, that could get messy.
I have a website here http://kdavies.net
And a Facebook page, Click Here, where we can hang out, have a couple of brewskis, and talk about the good old days.
You can also find me on Twitter, @KTScribbles.
Once again, thank you so much for going on a ride with me and Breed. I hope I see you again soon.
All the best,
K.T.
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