The Darkslayer: Chaos at the Castle (Book 6) (2 page)

Georgio
gawped at its highest point.

“Let me in, Cletus
!” Rayal shouted back. “I demand it.”

“You can come, and your guards, certainly Rayal, but not the others. Klings and Royal Klings only,” the man returned.

The sentry stood firm in his coat of mail and helmet that bore the Royal insignia. A longsword was strapped at his waist. Georgio could see callouses on the insides of his palms as he held them out. This soldier had seen many battles, maybe even been to the Warfield. There was just something about him, but still, he was mindful of the raven-haired woman who seethed with outrage before him.

Her
fists were balled up at her sides. She said, “Cletus! My father has his affairs, and I have mine. I owe these two my life.” She gestured to Melegal and Haze.

Melegal was draped over Quickster
’s back. Georgio held him tight. The skinny woman he thought he recognized as Haze. She was one of the women who had rescued him from Tonio and McKnight. She was draped over the shoulder of a large man, called Brak. A girl, Jubilee, hung on to Brak’s arm.

Cletus shook his head
. “I don’t care if they saved your father, you mother, and the grand ones of your family. They are not coming in, Rayal. I’m not losing my head over them, and you might just lose yours as well if you don’t get inside these walls now.”

“Don’t you dare talk to me like that
, you oaf. I’ll have you quartered.”

Cletus tugged at his beard
. His face flushed.

“Er, Rayal, you know I
am fond of you, but I cannot abandon my duty, no matter how much I’d want to.” He bowed. “Forgive my directness, Rayal, but underlings!” He peered over the streets behind them. “They crawl through the city now, leading monsters and horrors that I’ve not even heard of. I’ve seen underlings, Rayal. I’ve seen what they do to people. I cannot bear the thought of them getting hold of you. Please, come in so we can talk about this. We’ll find another remedy for those people.” He looked Georgio and the rest of them over as if they were little more than urchins. “Perhaps a supply of food and water will help.”

“Pig,” Rayal said.

Georgio heard the girl, Jubilee, giggle. He turned. Brak’s eyes locked on his. There was something there. Something familiar. Something sad in the man’s eyes.  Blinking, he turned towards Rayal. Everything from her hips to her lips was perfect. The young woman was angry, but poised. She was one of the most gorgeous women he’d ever seen. How the sentry, Cletus, resisted her, he did not know, but he’d dive into a barrel of fire for her if she asked. Wiping his sweaty palms on his clothes, he realized something.
I like brunettes.
He cleared his throat.

“We’ll go,” Georgio
said.

Rayal
spun on her heel. “Excuse me?”

“Uh … I said,
‘We’ll go.’”

She reached over and twirled Georgio
’s curly locks in her fingers. “What was your name again?”

He blushed.
“Ah … Georgio. Uh—”

“How well do you know these people, Georgio? Are you the
ir leader?”

“No. I’m no
one’s leader, but Melegal is my friend.” He patted Melegal on the back. “Well, not really a friend so much.  More of an acquaintance. But we’ve been together a long time. I used to live with him and Venir.”

Georgio saw
that Brak’s gaze fell on him and that his eyes narrowed.

“What?
” He shrugged. “It’s true.” He looked back at Rayal, smiling a little. “I don’t know those two so well, but the woman over his shoulder saved me once. She saved me from that monster, Tonio.”

“What!” Rayal
stood up to her full height. Her nostrils flared.

Cletus stepped forward, reaching for her arm.

She jerked away.

“Rayal, Please! You must come inside now. We’ve word underlings are all over. The menace grows, Rayal!”

“Silence, Cletus.” She cusped her hands under Georgio’s face and calmly said, “Georgio, tell me more about this Tonio. When did this happen? What does he look like?”

She smells so good. So beautiful.

Rayal pinched his cheeks.

“Tell me!”

Georgio swallowed hard and started blurting words out. “He’s a monster! A murderer! Insane. He keeps trying to kill Venir. He’s dead, but lives. He tried to kill us days ago in the stables. His face is split. Venir killed him once, but he lives again. No, he killed him twice, actually.”

Rayal’s eyes were wide as saucers
. Her delicate fingers slid from Georgio’s face.

“The boy rambles, Rayal
. Come in,” Cletus said.

She staggered back
. Lost and uncertain.

“Did you know him?”

Rayal nodded. “Does Detective Melegal know all this?”

Georgio felt chilly. It seemed he
’d already said more than he should have. And this woman was a Royal. No matter how wonderful she seemed, Melegal and Venir both had warned him Royals could not be trusted.
What do I do?
He wasn’t a fast talker either. Not like Melegal or Lefty. He wondered how his former halfling friend was doing. He could use his quick wits right now.

“I can’t say,” Georgio said
. “All I think he knows leads me up to the last time I left Bone. And I was getting ready to leave Bone again when I ran across him again.”

That part was most of the truth. He’d seen Melegal only once before,
this time in Bone, but they hadn’t said much, and there’d been no mention of Tonio. Just the Blond-Haired Butcher.

“Sentries
!” Cletus said. The soldier grabbed Rayal by the wrist and held her fast.

“Let me go, Cletus!”

“Stop that!” Georgio said. He jumped off Quickster and grabbed at Cletus.

Whop!

Cletus slugged him right across the jaw.

Georgio’s
knees wobbled. It might have been the hardest he’d ever been hit.

Rayal fought against her bonds.

“Cletus! Unhand me, you pig-headed soldier!”

Half
a dozen men in coats of chainmail and brandishing spears stormed out the door. They shoved Georgio, Brak, Haze, and Jubilee back with the tips of their spears.

“That man comes with me, Cletus!” Rayal said
. She kicked, thrashed and screamed. “Bring them in the castle with me, or all of your soldiers will suffer the penalty!”

The soldiers paused
.

“Get her in there
!” Cletus said. “Lord Kling will show no mercy to any who don’t follow his direct orders. I won’t either! The guillotine is wet enough with blood already.”

“Unhand me!”

Catching her eyes, Georgio started to wave. The butt of a spear caught him in the back of his head. When he looked up again, it was pouring rain. The angry wails of the beautiful woman were gone. He rubbed the knot on his head.
I hope I see her again
.

The soldier named Cletus stood at the door with his hands on his hips.

“Get out of here, you over-sized urchins! Hide before the underlings get you. If you stick around any longer, we’ll be more than happy to put you out of your misery ourselves.”

Wiping the rain from his eyes, Georgio took Quickster by the reins and backed away until he could see the gate of the castle no more.

Brak and Jubilee followed.

“What are we going to do now
?” Jubilee asked. Her eyes were bright. Inquisitive.

Georgio didn’t know who the
big lout Brak and the droopy girl Jubilee were, but he could only assume they were Melegal’s friends. If Melegal woke up, maybe he’d know what to do with them.

Something exploded in the air.
Everyone flinched. Despite the rain, smoke and fires could be seen lighting up the city in all directions. The City of Bone always had an element of danger, but now it was taken over by something dark and eerie. He wondered if Billip and Mikkel were all right. Perhaps they needed him.

He put his hand on Melegal’s back. The thief was so scrawny he could feel his bones
.
He’s breathing, I think?
He shook him a little, but nothing happened. He knew what a light sleeper Melegal was. A dropped feather would wake him.
I just need to get out of here!
That’s what Me would do.

Scratching his head, Georgio looked at Brak
. “Don’t you have any ideas? You’re the oldest who’s awake. I just want to get out of here.”

Brak leered over at him
. Big faced. Unreadable. “I just want to find Venir.”

“What? Why would you want to find Venir?”

Jubilee started to chime in. “Because that’s his—”

Georgio felt the muscles tighten behind his neck
. Something creeped and crawled over the cobblestone road nearby. He ripped out his sword.

“Underlings!”

CHAPTER 3

“Where’s my daughter, Palos!”

It was Kam. Half naked. Bleeding. Green eyes blazing with mystic fury unlike anything Lefty had ever seen before. Earlier, she’d been dead; he was certain of it, but now she was alive. Alive as ever. Radiant. Powerful. But, one thing was different: the dark red gemstones glowing through her fist.

Palos chuckled
. A bubble of snot formed in his nose and busted. The man’s arms were tied behind his back where he sat on a high-backed chair alongside the roaring fire place. His ankles were bound to the chair legs. Sweat dripped down his paunchy face, and his hair was wet and matted on his head. Lefty had never seen the polished man so out of sorts before.

“You won’t kill me, Kam.” He coughed. “You wouldn’t let the halfling kill me, nor would you. You are a good woman, unwilling to cross the line of evil.”
He eyed her cleavage and licked his lips. “But, you certainly have some very wicked ways. Mmmm. Very wicked indeed.”

Kam shoved her fist under his chin
. “I’ll show you wicked, Palos.”

“By all means—”

She slung her arm back and punched him in the nose.

Palos howled.
“You broke my nose! You broke my nose, you—”

Smack!

Palos’s head rocked back into the chair. He fell silent.

Kam
shook her glowing fist in his face. “I’ll bust every bone in your face if I have to.”

Lefty flinched. Kam was already mad enough at him for getting her into this mess. He’d tried to make it up by saving her daughter
, and he’d failed at that. He eased back towards the door.

Without even turning
, Kam said, “Don’t you move, Lefty. I’m not finished with you either.”

A chair slid across the floor and scooped his feet out from under him. “Sit!”

His chin dipped down into his chest. “Y-Yesss, Kam.”

Lefty had been nothing short of miserable for days, if not weeks. Palos had ruined his life. Even worse,
he’d ruined Kam’s.

But at that moment, Lefty
felt a little sympathy for the Prince of Thieves. The man was rattled. His bloody nose dripped onto his chest, and his eyes watered in anguish. As much of a demented oddball as Palos had become, it seemed the man’s glory days were at end.

Kam was
going to find out what she wanted. Lefty was convinced. Even if she had to pull it out of the man one piece at a time. Something bad was going to happen. He sat still, his tiny feet dripping on the floor.

“Kam, you cannot do this to me,” Palos
said. “My father and your father are allies. Release me, and I’ll see no harm comes to you.” He shrugged. “Why, I’ll even see if we can’t somehow locate your daughter, or at least find one that bears a close resemblance to her.” He flashed a bloody smile. “Eh?”

***

Palos was as disgusting a man as there ever was, but he was no fool. No, Kam knew he wouldn’t give any information up that might lead to his death. Still, she could feel the fear in the man, actually feel it. And that wasn’t all she could feel.

Lefty’s heart pounded like a frightened rabbit
’s where he sat frozen in his chair. And beyond the door she had sealed, a revolution was taking place. Palos’s loyalists were at odds with his usurpers. The Prince of Thieves was undone, unless reinforcement of some sort arrived.

S
he grabbed a log poker and stuck it in the fireplace

“What are you doing, Kam?” Palos said
. He eyed her and the poker. “The fire is plenty hot from where I am sitting.”

Kill him. I can find your daughter.
Kill him. It’s time to serve.
The gems were speaking to her. The force within had saved her. And now, whatever it was, she owed it service. But at what cost?

Kam’s hand drifted to her stomach w
here the hole that almost took her life had been. It recoiled. Her stomach was in knots. Something bad was happening to her. But the power was so strong! So fulfilling. The gems gave her strength and a confidence that she’d never felt before.