The Darkslayer: Book 02 - Blades in the Night (30 page)

With all his might, he swung into the spearman’s back, ripping clear through his torso. The bewildered man fell in two. It felt good.
Only one to go.

He turned on his final assailant, who just stood there waiting with his battle-axe. Something was wrong. Venir whirled in time as another Sentry burst from a side alley wielding a sword. Nothing could have saved the man as Brool’s razor edge severed the arm in the middle and drove deep through the side of his chest like a machete cutting a watermelon. Venir watched as the man somehow slunk away, spewing blood into the alley. Venir’s arms dropped, nearing exhaustion.

His instincts screamed:
Move!
He tried to duck under the battle-axe that was closing in on his throat. It clanged off his helmet. Pain blinded his sight as he hit the ground and rolled away. The remaining warrior kept pressing his attacks but Venir somehow blocked them all. He couldn’t feel or see anything, but he just chopped back. His arms ached, his nerves were on fire. His own axe loosened in his blood-slick grip. He felt the end approaching. The last Sentry was clearly the best of the lot, waiting to catch Venir at his weakest. The man had accomplished that much.

Venir could barely remember why he was there.
Got to save Georgio.
He saw the Sentry coming for him again. With both hands, Venir made a desperate slice at the man, catching him off guard. The sentry leapt back out of the way, stumbling. Venir had some breathing room. His ringing head began to clear. His instincts from countless battles began to prevail. His chest was heaving from labored breath and the dawn’s first light began to show on his blood-soaked face.

The lone Sentry stood before him, with not so much as a mark. The Sentry’s face had an expression of astonishment as if he were looking at the living dead. Or something else.

Venir grasped his mighty axe in two powerful hands. The Shadow Sentry gripped his as well.

“
Who are you, warrior?” the Sentry asked through parched lips.

Venir’s gaze burned back at him. The Sentry shrugged, still standing between him and the alley’s exit. Venir charged him, his axe slicing the air. Nothing was faster. Blood and flesh scattered before his eyes. The man cringed back under his raw power. The shaft of the man’s axe was split in two. Venir cut off his hand. Then another. The man stood limp, mouth agape, looking at his gushing forearm stumps.

Again he asked from blood-thick lips: “Who are you, man?”

Venir brought Brool down with such force it cleaved the man in two.

He shook the blood off of his axe as he said, “The one you should have left alone.”

In the distance, he heard the sound of more men coming his way. Weak and aching from head to toe, he limped away.
Got to save Georgio.

The underling mage Lord Catten had spent many hours studying the leather tome that the imp Eep had fetched. The mind of the underling was hard at work trying to decipher the shorthand writing of the halfling scribe named Lefty Lightfoot. Catten’s clawed hands hadn’t stopped scribbling since the tome’s arrival.

The sharpened features of his gray rat-like face contorted from time to time. A plethora of discoveries about the surface world caused his golden eyes to dance in delight and rage from time to time. The unusual book he’d acquired was a treasure without equal in his hands. The mystery of the Darkslayer began to unravel. Verbard stood quiet by his side, assisting his efforts for a change.

“
Brother Catten, do you mean to tell me that the large leather sack Eep pulled out from under that cot was the single thing that could resolve our horrendous predicament?” he rasped while clenching his hands and teeth as if he want to wrench the life of anything in his bare hands.

“
Indeed,” Catten muttered, sticking his nose deeper in the book. His nails riddled the table as he read farther. “The acquisition of that sack would not only be the permanent demise of the troublesome Darkslayer, named Venir, but it might be a tool that we could use for our own gain as well. I cannot believe we were so close!” He slammed his fist down. “And now we have to wait for another chance. Coming across the book itself was hard enough, but getting that sack will be tougher.”

“
Any ideas, brother?” Verbard asked.

“
We can have Eep wait for a chance to snatch the sack. If we don’t get a chance in the city, then we will have to track him into the Outlands,” he answered, slapping the book shut. He sat up and ran his nails along the rows of jars. “If we are patient, I think we can have it all once the man heads to the Outlands, but if he wears that armament, it will be a trying fetch. I think Eep can do it when he sleeps … maybe. If this man is but ten feet away from the filled sack, Eep shall have it!”

“
Yes, and to think we will not even have to engage the man ourselves. Surely Master Sinway will be overwhelmed by our success.”

“
Indeed.”

Of course, Catten’s wicked thoughts had no interest in pleasing Master Sinway. No, the sack would warrant the power to usurp Sinway instead. Catten caught his brother smiling right back at him.

“
Verbard, even though we understand where the armament comes from, we still do not know much about it. It seems too easy,” he said.

“
There is only one way to find out, brother,” Verbard said.

Then Verbard summoned Eep. The timing couldn’t have been better. He and his brother watched through Eep’s eye as the Darkslayer carved a host of Shadow Sentries into bits in a dark alley of Bone.

“
I am certain that I want Eep to be successful at his task, brother,” Verbard said.

Catten could hear the awe in his brother’s voice as the two of them watched the Darkslayer kill the last Sentry.

“
I don’t want within fifty yards of him, either, brother,” Catten said.

His hatred was mixed with reverence as he watched Venir stumble off in the early morning darkness. Even Eep expressed his malice for the man that had skewered him and used him as a lightning rod.

Catten laughed at the imp’s thoughts.
It seems the imp hates the man just as much as we.
He couldn’t have better company to kill the man and take the sack.

Again, Catten would have to wait for the right opportunity, but he knew they were getting close.

Melegal stopped as he headed for the barn door. He signaled to Lefty that someone was coming. He and the boys ducked into the shadows and waited. A few seconds passed and Venir came limping their way.

“
Vee!” Georgio cried. “It’s Vee!”

Melegal’s heart stirred as the limping man ran to embrace the boy. It was a long hug filled with blood, sweat, and tears. Melegal was glad to see them both alive. Lefty sobbed from behind him then ran over and jumped on Venir as well. All that gore didn’t seem to bother them. As Venir stood up, a boy in each arm, Melegal could see in his friend’s eyes that it wasn’t over yet.

“
More Sentries are coming, Melegal. We have to go now,” Venir said.

“
How much time?” Melegal asked.

“
Several minutes, maybe more. I can’t be certain. Let’s just go.”

“
Not yet, we have to dispose of something first. Follow me?”

Heading back into the stall, Melegal looked hard at the corpse of McKnight as Georgio and Lefty stripped the man down. The detective and Melegal went way back. McKnight had mentored him. And tormented him. And tortured him. Still, McKnight had been the closest thing to a father he ever had.

Melegal hated him.

“
Now what?” said Venir, looking about.

Melegal’s voice was flat as he said, “To the hogs.”

“
Then you’re gonna need this,” Venir said as he held out Brool.

Melegal had never held the weapon before. He’d never even considered it. But he wanted it now. He wanted to make sure McKnight never saw life again. He grabbed the blood-slickened armament. It was much lighter than he’d suspected. He had never even swung an axe before. He stood over the corpse. He brought the blade down as hard as he could.
Chop!
It was so easy.
Chop!
It was good.
Chop!

Never come back.

He swung hard.
Chop!

His arms quivered.

Bastard!

Venir had to pull Melegal’s shaking body away.

They carried McKnight’s limbs to an inner pen that had a large opening to the mud holes outside. Venir kept watch as Georgio and Lefty helped Melegal toss the parts over the rail. The boys watched in horrific wonder as three big hogs began devouring the man in bone-snapping chomps. It made Melegal’s spine tingle with delight. His dark expression eased as satisfaction flowed through him.

Back in the stall, Melegal pointed to McKnight’s garb and belongings. “Get all those things, Lefty, every bit.”

They all hid in the stable and enjoyed a moment of peace and seclusion. The enormous barn was still silent, the rising sun’s light entering through the slits overhead. Melegal rummaged through McKnight’s clothes as if he were looking for something in particular and then he began tearing off strips of cloth and dressing several of Venir’s wounds. The warrior was gashed and punctured from head to toe, some wounds deep, but amazingly most of them were cosmetic. Venir’s leg was the worst, but a tourniquet would not be required, it seemed. Melegal wondered if his comrade was either lucky or invulnerable.

“
It astounds me you are still alive,” Melegal said.

“
I could say the same for you … and Georgio,” Venir said, rubbing Georgio’s curly head with his blood-caked knuckles.

“
I’m not the one who plays with glass all the time like you do,” Melegal said. “So how did you survive that fracas back their? Did you tell them one of your stories?”

The stable erupted in uncontrollable laughter at those words. Even Melegal couldn’t help but laugh at his own comment. Anguish turned to a deep sigh of relief, but it didn’t last. They heard a rustle of men in the distance. Time had run out.

“
Melegal, get some supplies and meet us outside the city,” Venir said.

“
No. I’m staying,” Melegal said.

But even as the words left his mouth, the warm stable became cold.

The boys’ eyes got big, not expecting Melegal’s response. Venir gave his friend a worried look.

“
Me, what about that assassin and those Royals?” Venir asked. “They aren’t done with you or me. It’s not safe here.”

Melegal sighed. He felt different now. A weight had lifted from his chest. He knew he didn’t need Venir anymore. He stood by him as he said, “Vee, this is my home. They never wanted me, they wanted you. That assassin won’t get the drop on me again. The Royals will forget about me. I’m not the one that killed one of their own.”

Venir stepped away like he was bitten, shaking his head. But Melegal was not like him. He was loyal to a point but not to a fault, and his fate was better served in his own hands for a change. The thief barely noticed Lefty’s tiny hand tugging on his own.

“
What?” Melegal said, jerking his hand away.

“
You have to come,” Lefty pleaded.

Georgio was beginning to cry now. It made Melegal uncomfortable.

“
You can stay with me if you like, Lefty,” Melegal said. “You don’t have to go.”

“
Oh no,” Georgio said. “He’s coming with me. He’s my friend and I’ll take care of him!”

“
It’s his choice, Georgio,” Melegal said. “It’s still much safer for him here in the city than it is out there. I’m just trying to help.”

It was a sincere offer, and an honest one as well. Lefty had a big decision to make. Melegal liked him, but he knew Lefty couldn’t leave Georgio. He wasn’t like him.

“
I’m sorry, Me. Thanks. But I’m not leaving Georgio’s side,” Lefty said.

Melegal knelt down eye to eye with the halfing boy, then put his hands on both of his shoulders.

“
It’s okay, Lefty,” Melegal said. “I understand. You just remember everything I have taught you. You will especially need it out there.”

“
Will you take care of my books while I’m gone?”

“
Yes, and I will require something of you.”

“
What?”

“
Will you help Georgio take good care of Quickster? Make sure that Georgio doesn’t eat Quickster’s food and that he feeds him more than he feeds himself for a change?”

“
Speed it up, girls,” Venir said. “They’re still coming.”

Tearful laughs burst through both boys’ lips. Melegal grabbed the blue-bladed dagger from McKnight’s belongings and tucked it into Lefty’s belt.

“
You’ll need this eventually,” Melegal said. “I don’t know what kind of steel that is, but it should serve you well, I’m sure.”

Melegal got up and turned toward Venir. “Where will you go now, Vee? And for how long?”

Venir had shed his armament and managed to somehow look human again.

“
We’ll catch up with Mood, Chongo, and Quickster, and maybe head north for a change. I have a feeling that Lefty and Georgio might enjoy seeing the City of Three or Hohm City. There aren’t too many underlings up there to distract me … hopefully. I am sorry you can’t come along. I just hope the smoke clears soon for you soon. I assume Tonio is still out there somewhere. I don’t think he can go home in his condition without me, either. He knows a lot about us. Me, we really aren’t safe here. You should come. We can start over, elsewhere.”