Gods Of Blood And Fire (Book 1) (33 page)

“Good let us begin. Now Kian, I wish I could tell you this won’t be painful, but it will be. The process may take a few days and I’m afraid I must use my magic to keep you awake the whole time. It’s the whole suffering thing, you understand.”

Kian struggled against the chains but it was hopeless. The sorcerer raised his arms and spoke a word. Kian’s body began to glow with silver light. “You may precede, Siro.” The little necromancer came to the table with a small oddly shaped knife. He started cutting at Kian’s throat and didn’t stop until he reached the Half Elf’s groin, Siro carefully laid the flesh back on both sides and inspected his work. Kian could hear himself scream. He wanted to pass out but the wizard’s magic would not allow it. Then the true pain began as the vivisectionist started sawing through his ribs.

***

They had searched all night and found nothing. Mist lay across the grass like a big white blanket as the sun tried to creep into the sky. Endra could not stop her mind from imagining terrible things that could have happened to the man she loved.

She was bone tired. K’xarr had tried to get her to sleep but she had refused. The children had gotten up and were with Rhys. The young healer had them down at the barn feeding the horses. She leaned against the house, her eyes lids were so heavy they felt like lead. She fought it, but they slowly closed.

“Why don’t you go inside and get some sleep? There is nothing more you can do.”

Her eyes snapped back open. “Where could he be, K’xarr?”

He rubbed at the black beard he had grown. “I don’t know but…” He hesitated, she knew what he was going to say.

“We can’t wait long, Endra, you know I would if I could but it’s getting more dangerous by the day, we have stayed here far too long now. I’m sure the knights’ bodies have been found by now, we must move on before someone comes looking.”

She knew he was right but she couldn’t let go, not now. Her life had been full of too much hardship and suffering. She couldn’t let fate dash her hopes away again, but there were her children to think of.

“I will go on but I will come back after everyone is settled. I won’t stop searching for him.”

“Perhaps I can help.” K’xarr and Endra both drew their swords together. A small figure in a great black robe with a deep cowl had appeared not twenty feet away. It was a woman by the outline of her robe and the sound of her voice. He called out to the others. The rest of the men came out of the farmhouse armed and ready.

“What black sorcery is this that you appear out of thin air?” K’xarr said through gritted teeth.

“The blackest kind to be sure, but if you want to know where your friend can be found I would lower those blades.”

Endra did so instantly the others did the same reluctantly, K’xarr being the last. “I would see your face, wench, before I believe anything you say.”

The woman raised her delicate hands and pulled back the cowl. Waves of black hair fell past her shoulders and her eyes were dark and hard. Her looks were truly exquisite, but she had coldness to her, a look of cruelty. “Are you happy now, K’xarr Strom?”

K’xarr’s eyes narrowed. “Do I know you, witch?”

“Witch, I think I like the term, you may refer to me as such. You don’t know me, Camiran, but I know you and I have chosen to help you at no small amount of danger to myself.”

“What do you want in return? I’ve never heard of a witch that didn’t have a price.”

“I see you have no love of the arts, K’xarr Strom. All I ask is that you remember the aid I give you today.”

“Very well, if that is all I will remember, now tell me your name so I know who it is I need to remember?”

“You may call me Selena, that will do.”

“Well, Selena, do you know what happened to Kian?”

“He is in the hands of the Dark One.”

“I have heard of him, the foul wizard that lives in the Adorn Forest?” Vandarus said, looking almost frightened.

Selena smiled. “Yes, Bandaran, the very one. He has a tower deep inside the forest, your friend is there.”

K’xarr stepped toward the witch, his fear of her magic overcome by concern for his friend. “How did he get him to this tower so fast?”

“The same way I came here, magic, K’xarr, and you will have to face that magic if you are planning on retrieving the half-breed. I will tell you something more before you undertake this quest. You may not want him back after the Dark One gets through with him.”

K’xarr reached out and grabbed the woman by her cloak. “What is he doing, witch?”

The woman looked at his hand. “I would remove that now if I were you.”

K’xarr twisted the robe tighter in his hand. The witch raised her arms and uttered a word. K’xarr and everyone else were hurled against the side of the farmhouse by a great blast of air. Shaken but uninjured the group began to get to their feet. “Take care who you try to bully, boy.” The witch straightened her robe, giving K’xarr and the others a look of contempt. You will find what’s left of the half-breed in the Dark One’s tower, provided you want what remains.” The witch then vanished without a sound.

K’xarr pulled Endra to her feet. “By all the Gods, I hate magic. Rufio, get the horses ready.”

Chapter 14

K
’xarr had sent Rufio and Vandarus into Bandara with Rhys and Endra’s children. Rhys said he had several places they could lay low until the three of them returned from the Adorn Forest. It was well over a hundred miles to the forest and there was no Gold Road to follow this time. It would take weeks to get there and back even if they rode hard.

He looked over at the woman riding beside him. K’xarr wanted to send Endra with the others to Bandara, but he knew there was no chance of that. For some reason Endra had fallen for the crazy half-breed, why he would never know. A sword maid like her could make any warrior’s blood run hot. She could have her pick of any man she set her eyes on, but she chose Kian. Maybe she was crazy too.

He wished he could have brought Rhys along, but Rufio and Vandarus could never have managed the children alone. Endra’s children would have out foxed those two in a day.

At least he had Cromwell with him. K’xarr had become accustomed to having the big Toran at his side. They had been sword brothers for a long while now and K’xarr could not ask for a more dependable ally. Not that he would ever tell Cromwell that, he would never hear the end of it if he did. “Cromwell, keep an eye out. I don’t know where those two armies are and I don’t want to run into either right now.” Cromwell nodded.

They were headed north, somewhere out there the Abberdonian and the Bandaran armies were making war on each other that was where he should be going. There was just no way he was going to let some wizard take one of his men, he was going to find Kian if he had to burn the Adorn Forest to the ground to do it. He didn’t much care for that witch either. If he saw her again he would set her straight on who she could bully. It still bothered him why the witch had taken an interest in his small band. He didn’t like magic and didn’t trust anyone who used it. He had no doubt he would see the witch again.

Rufio was not happy. K’xarr, Cromwell, and Endra had been gone several days and it already seemed like a life time. Rhys was off delivering some woman’s baby and Vandarus had taken off to the Silver Fist again, and he had been left with the little heathens.

The two boys had broken spindles off Rhys’s front porch and were using them as swords. Rufio had encouraged that at first until he was hit in the leg with one. Now he sported a bruise the size of a ham on his thigh.

Sweet little Tressa had brought a dead cat into the house and told him it was her new pet. He had tried to take it from her but the little girl had gotten away from him. Now her pet cat “Cromwella” was hidden somewhere in the house.

The devils wouldn’t listen to anyone but Rhys—and to him only about half the time. He had commanded a company of Dragitan cavalrymen and they weren’t as unruly as Endra’s brood.

They had decided to stay at the healer’s home. Rufio found it foolish, but Rhys said he had to be somewhere his patients could find him. Dedication like that could get a man killed.

They hadn’t seen anyone lurking around and the people of the neighborhood said they had not seen any Royal Guardsmen in the area since the war started. Rufio had given them a few copper coins to let him know if they saw anyone from the palace in the area. Rhys had told all his patients to be on the lookout as well.

Rufio figured everyone at the palace might be too busy with the war too worry about the healer, but he tried to do as much as he could to keep them from being unpleasantly surprised.

He heard Vandarus ride up outside. When the Bandaran walk up on the porch, he wasn’t alone.

There was a portly young man with him, maybe seventeen, with a bowl haircut, wearing home spun clothing and a dirty apron. Tied to the apron strings was a skillet.

Rufio met them at the door. “I see you’re doing a good job of keeping our location secret there Vandarus, what’s wrong, you could only find one person to bring back from the tavern?”

“Don’t get mad yet, I recruited Nick here he’s going to be our cook. He’s a good man, besides we have been here for days and no one has come looking for Rhys anyway.”

Rufio looked at the Bandaran and closed his eyes, waiting before he spoke. “You went to the inn to get us some ale, and you took it upon yourself to recruit a cook while you were there?”

Vandarus smiled at him. “Well, yes, every band needs a cook and Nick here is the best. Also I tired of always being the one that gets stuck doing the cooking.”

“K’xarr is going to kill you, you know that don’t you?”

The cook’s eyes darted to the blonde warrior. “I don’t want to start any trouble Vandarus. I’ll just go.”

Vandarus grabbed him by the arm. “Just wait. Rufio, I have known Nick a long time, just give him a chance to cook for you. He lost his job and I told him I would see he had one with us.”

Rufio looked at the cook. “If you’re such a good cook, why did you lose your job?”

Nick adjusted his apron and looked at the Dragitan. “I was a better cook than the owner of the Silver Fist. I was bringing in a lot of customers and he had been telling them he was doing the cooking. When his wife got angry with him because he was dallying with one of their barmaids, she told all his patrons it was me doing the cooking. It embarrassed him and he became very angry and told me to get out.”

“What’s your name?” Rufio asked, “Anais Nicolas, but most people call me Nick Nock. “

“Okay Nick Nock, you can cook us supper tonight and if you can make the slop Rhys calls food taste good, you have a job, that is of course if the man that leads us agrees.”

The chubby cook smiled. “Sounds like a deal. Where’s the kitchen?” Vandarus slapped him on the back and pointed him to Rhys’s kitchen.

The young man went into the kitchen to get started. Once they were alone Rufio looked at his friend. “Vandarus what were you thinking? We are trying to lay low until K’xarr gets back. I don’t think he really wanted you recruiting people while he was gone.”

“I couldn’t just leave him, they fired him right in front of me, what could I do?”

Rufio scratched at his curly black hair. “I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything else from you.”

Vandarus unbuckled his sword belt. “Where are the children?” Rufio sighed and his shoulders slumped. “The boys were on the roof last I saw them and I’m unsure where Tressa is.”