The Darkslayer: Book 02 - Blades in the Night (28 page)

So be it! I’ll take as many as I can.

Leezir watched as the blood began to spill into the murky sewers below, then he summoned Hagerdon and Creighton forward to stand with him. He glanced toward Venir, just thirty yards away and now sporting a helmet and shield. He could see Venir stepping into the charge, wielding a giant axe, the likes of which he had never seen before. Venir’s friends disappeared into the alley’s shadows and did not reappear. Leezir was not concerned for them, but only curious whether or not Venir could handle the five men coming for him and barring his path. But Leezir’s attention was drawn away from Venir when he heard screams directly below him.

He looked down. His man-urchins were in the fight of their lives with the three Shadow Sentries. Leezir began barking commands at the man-urchins. Six of the ragged men overwhelmed one Sentry and began dragging him down to the ground, cutting at his limbs and throat with everything they had. But the Sentry did not go down easy. He poked holes in the bellies and skulls of the man-urchins before they finally ran his dark heart through. Leezir cheered along with Hagerdon and Creighton.

The other six man-urchins, meanwhile, were keeping the other two Sentries preoccupied with their numbers. They darted in and out, cutting at the Sentries from every direction. But the Sentries cut down the inferior urchins with critical blows. One man-urchin managed to jump onto the back of a Sentry—only to have a dagger driven into his skull by the other Sentry. Watching, Leezir grimaced. Even as the other six man-urchins joined the fray, the disfigured men looked reckless in their attempts as they charged forward in anger and desperation, their curved daggers and cheap iron swords no match for the finely forged weapons of the Sentries. One man-urchin fell before hammering hand-axe blows that chopped him from head to toe like a sapling that seeped blood. Leezir cringed at the sight.

“
Oh!” Creighton said behind him.

The black Sentry grinned up at them, then screamed as a dagger was jammed into the back of his thigh. The Sentry chopped off the attacking man-urchin’s hand with one of his axes and then brained him with the other. Leezir didn’t like where this was going. The other Sentry was fairing quite well as his sword and dagger seemed to be steadily chopping Leezir’s men to bits one finger, hand, ear, or arm at a time. The gruesome scene was leaving men howling in pain at additional mutilation they did not need. The cobblestones were slick with blood and they were all covered head to toe in it as well. Leezir shook his head.
They cut my urchins down like sheep.

Death Hall was filled with roars of rage, throes of death, cries for mercy, and delight in killing. Leezir and his men stood captivated, staring down at the gory display. In the world of Bish, dying in battle was usually the only thing you were ever remembered for and even the outmatched man-urchins would receive their posthumous accolades for this day, if anyone survived the fray. Leezir would see to that.

The two Sentries that had been whirling their blades and axes with devastating accuracy had almost finished their business, but not quickly enough, as the remaining man-urchins began dragging the merciless men down under sheer numbers and weight.

It was a valiant battle on both sides but the man-urchins managed to pin down the crafty men’s arms while their brethren eventually stabbed the Sentries to death. It was the victory that Leezir had been hoping for, but the price was high, as only a handful of busted and crippled man-urchins remained at his disposal. Meanwhile two Sentries coming forward from the district end were about to eliminate those few man-urchins and then fully ensnare Venir, who was in the fight of his life at the other end.

Leezir considered cutting and running but his thirst for Almen blood was too great. The twin brothers waited for his order, their eyes darting between him and the fight. He knew they wanted an Almen or two.

“
Ready the bows!” Leezir shouted at them.

Each brother had been carrying a heavy crossbow that was loaded with a heavy bolt with a barbed end. A small line of a specially made silk rope was hanging by their sides, running all the way up to their barbed crossbow bolts, where the rope had been tied off on small eyelets at the butt end of the bolts. The special roped bolts had been designed for fishing for large game in the lakes that littered the land, but there was little purpose for them in the city. The twins were a creative pair and they had recommend another use for them. Leezir liked their plan. Steady as a rock, Creighton and Hagerdon zeroed in on the two Shadow Sentries below. The darkness made the shots tough from over fifty feet away, as their ropes were not much longer than that. Leezir waited until the last man-urchin had fallen or fled then he dropped his hand. They pulled their triggers.

Clack! Clack! Thwk! Thwk! Thunk! Thunk!

“
Bone!” a man cried in pain.

“
Bish!” a woman screamed in astonishment.

The bolts hit their marks with great accuracy, popping through the ghost armor and puncturing clear through the man’s and woman’s shoulder blades and sticking out the back.

“
Nice shot, boys!” Leezir said.

The brothers grabbed the ropes and pulled them tight. The man and woman dropped to their knees screaming in sheer agony. They grabbed and chopped at the silken cords, but their swords and daggers did not work on the odd fabric of the ropes. The green-eyed twins tugged harder at the cords, causing the bolts to grind and tear the bones, nerves, and muscles within. The male and female Sentries leaned forward to ease the pain but the Slerg boys kept the pressure on.

“
We have to act quickly,” Leezir said. “Give me those cords, boys!”

They did as they were told. Leezir wrapped the cords around his hands, pulling them taut, and began the tug of war with the warriors below. The Sentries tried to pull him from the rooftop, yelling in agony.

“
Grab my waist, you two halfwits, and hold me on this roof!” Leezir yelled from beneath his black cowl.

They secured him while he braced his feet against the roof wall. Then he muttered a spell. Leezir felt the magic surge inside him as the words of power erupted from his lips, shaking the roof below them. The silk cords sparkled and burned in his grip. The cords then began burning away slowly from his hands and finally fell onto the ground, freeing the man and woman below. The Slergs watched as each end of the ropes crackled with fire slowly, but began to gradually pick up speed. The Sentries looked at each other, then at the strange fire. They scrambled to stamp the fire out. It didn’t work, and the ropes kept burning. Leezir laughed above them. They were spitting on it, even biting the cord, but the rope burned even faster, like a candle wick. One tried to rip the barb out from the other’s back, but time was running out.

“
Watch this,” Leezir said, smiling.

The wick burned in a flash from one end to the other suddenly, and Leezir and the twins could see the tips of the protruding barbed bolts glowing red hot as the wick itself. The sentries screamed so loud it echoed throughout the alley.

Boom! Ka-boom!

Red chunks of flesh and bone filled the alleyway as the bodies of the Sentries exploded in an arc of mutilation and carnage.

“
That was amazing, Leezir,” Creighton whispered.

“
I know,” Leezir said.

Still, Leezir himself couldn’t believe they had been fortunate enough to wipe out five Shadow guards. Certainly Venir would take out a few more, and though it wouldn’t be enough to stop the Almens, it was still weakening them a piece at a time. Now Leezir had to decide whether or not it was worth it to aid Venir or watch him perish. No way could one man handle five Shadow guards, he figured. At worst, he would see to it that Venir was honored somehow. He also had to make sure more Shadow guards weren’t coming, so he decided that he better play it safe for now.

“
Let’s go, boys,” Leezir said. “Our work is done here.”

“
Don’t you want to see the fight?” Hagerdon asked. “I want to see them kill Venir. He’s a fool!”

“
And risk being caught?” Leezir said. “Stay if you want, but those Shadows will be coming for us as soon as they are done with him.”

The brothers shrugged and followed Leezir over the roofs and out of sight.

Melegal watched as Venir strapped on his shield, buckled his helmet, and grinned, Brool clutched tight in his grip. He knew Venir was ready, a stark contrast between the man that was there moments earlier. He was uneasy as he saw Venir’s countenance turn dark.

It was time to flush them out, however, and Melegal and Lefty walked into the alley just ahead of Venir. Three Shadow Sentries emerged from their rear and headed for them, but then a host of man-urchins slipped out of the alley’s darkness and waded into the Sentries.

Might make it out of here yet,
Melegal thought.

But then five more Shadow Sentries appeared in the darkness ahead of them,
and Melegal barely heard them move.
Ghost armor. I need a set of that.
He hadn’t expected so many. His heart sank. He glanced at the man-urchins as they fought three of the Sentries, then back at the five that glided toward them. Could Venir handle five Shadow Sentries? Alone? Melegal wanted to stick around, but Georgio needed help.

Three of the five Sentries brandished long barbed spears that would prevent anyone going over or around them. One stood in the middle and the other two held close to the alley’s walls. The other two stood inside of those three, stout and formidable, one wielding a finely forged battle-axe with a razor-sharp edge that gleamed in the night, while the other carried a pair of short swords of similar work. They were the close-range fighters who chopped men to bits while the spears pinned them down. Melegal shuddered and sank back into the alley.

“
Hey, Vee, five armed to the teeth,” Melegal whispered. “Don’t hold back.”

Melegal took another hard look at Venir. His friend, though, was no longer there. It was someone else, someone far more dark and dangerous. Clutched in Venir’s grip, Brool hung by his side. Under the helmet, Venir’s blue eyes smoldered like fire in the night. Still, Melegal wondered if he might see his friend alive again.

“
Yeah, Vee, go get him,” Lefty said and he rushed past.

Melegal slapped Venir on the shoulder. “Sorry I can’t stick around to see this, Vee … maybe next time.”

Venir didn’t respond as he stepped fully into Death Hall. Melegal smiled as he heard gasps: their enemies’ catching first sight of the Darkslayer.

Melegal moved through the darkness and Lefty floated nearby as his shadow. They crept up into an apartment window and slipped through the building on the feet of kittens, continuing on through one building after another, padding over surfaces without a sound. Even the rats remained undisturbed. The pair had played this game a few times before, as Melegal had found that his tiny protégé seemed able to catch onto to all of his tricks. He led the little boy in and out of windows, stepping over slumbering faces. He was certain Lefty would rouse someone or something, but he never did. Through doorways, across balconies, and over rooftops, step for step, Lefty stayed close behind.

Lefty was light, and that made for great silent walking. Melegal envied that, and though ginger for a man, he himself had to be more cautious. Still, his experience allowed him to move unhindered and without slowing down.

Finally Melegal stopped to catch his breath. They had made it over a few city blocks. The wider streets opened up to where the tavern awaited them. On the main drag, merchants prepared for the sunset of the new day. Melegal stood on a rooftop balcony and watched the front door of the Drunken Octopus. He wasn’t sure what to do. He looked down at Lefty’s worried face and sweating feet.

Lefty tugged on Melegal’s cloak and whispered, “They’ve never been like this before! I swear Georgio is in danger close by.”

Melegal could feel something amiss in his own gut. He thought he heard something and scanned back toward the tavern door. Shouts and a crash came from the inside, and he hoped it was Georgio causing such a stir. A handful of patrons began to rush out of the door. Voices were shouting in anger and pain from inside, catching the wary attention of the early merchants who now began gathering to see what the commotion was.

Georgio’s curly brown head appeared through hole that Venir had recently made and which had yet to be fixed. Melegal heard Lefty gasp and relief washed over him at the sight of Georgio. He watched Georgio scramble out in horror. Lefty began to cry out to his friend but Melegal clasped both hands over the halfling’s small mouth. Melegal’s hope faded as a dark figure in a hat exited the hole right behind Georgio.

McKnight … again.

The detective strode forward, slinging blood from his sword and dagger. McKnight turned and pursued the boy. Hatred bubbled in Melegal’s mind. It was time to take care of McKnight once and for all.

Melegal grabbed Lefty’s chin and looked into his eyes.

“
Catch up to Georgio,” Melegal said. “Take him to the spot in the barn. You remember the spot, right?”

Lefty swallowed and nodded.

“
Let McKnight follow you and Georgio into the barn. Then wait for me. And if McKnight gets too close, just run.” He let go of the halfling. “You can do this!”

Lefty nodded, then climbed down the wall and was out of sight in a moment. Melegal followed but headed a different way. He knew McKnight would track Georgio down. The barn wasn’t too far away. He only hoped that Lefty would find his friend in time and take him to the prearranged spot. Lefty had proven to be very capable in following Melegal’s orders so far, but desperation could be treacherous. Even if the boys didn’t make it to where they were supposed to go, Melegal was still going to deal with McKnight, one way or another. He just hoped it was his way.