City of Demons by Kevin Harkness Read Free Book Online Page A

impressive in a man half his years, the Demonbane easily avoided the slashes of the creature’s front legs. With the quick, precise movements of a sparrow flitting from branch to branch, he sidestepped each vicious attack. Garet soon saw the strategy behind his jumps and twists. Mandarack was leading the creature into the corral, where it soon stumbled over the broken rails and dead cattle in its pursuit of the old man. He had still not used the shield to either protect himself or attack the thing.
    When the creature inadvertently hooked a back leg into the gutted body of a calf, Mandarack shouted, “Now!”
    Salick ran forward and thrust the trident through the fence rails. She pinned the demon’s other back leg between the weapon’s tines and, with a strength not apparent in her slim form, twisted the shaft to lock the leg and drag it towards her.
    The creature, already overbalanced, tried to jerk the leg back in its fury to catch the old Bane darting just out of reach.
    Salick, gasping with the effort of restraining the beast, called out, “Dorict, Marick!”
    The two boys dropped their weapons and ran to her, wrapping their arms around her waist and shoulders. After a moment’s hesitation, Garet dropped his rock and joined them, grabbing the remnant of the shaft that stuck out behind Salick’s hands and twisting hard in the same direction. With a crack, the thing’s leg twisted and it crumpled screeching to the ground. Mandarack fell on it like a bolt of summer lightning. A strong thrust of his shield arm drove the triangular point into the demon’s neck. Garet couldn’t tell if the thing’s throat was cut, but the blow ended the fight. Its free legs clawed the ground as it wheezed and struggled for breath. The younger Banes kept a tight hold on the trident. Mandarack stood, as poised and relaxed as the leader of a harvest dance, shield raised for another blow. But it was not needed. The clawing slowed, then quickened again into spasmodic jerks. Finally, the demon slumped in death, one leg still hooked in the calf’s body.
    The younger Banes relaxed, and Salick untangled her trident. Marick smiled at Garet. “Lot of good that rock would have done!”
    Looking at the size of the creature slumped on the ground, Garet could only nod his head in agreement.
    Dorict punched Marick on the shoulder. “Fool! He had nothing else!”
    Marick kept on smiling, used to Dorict’s disapproval.
    The larger boy turned towards Garet and said approvingly, “Well killed.”
    Garet, still breathing hard from the effort of holding the beast, mumbled his thanks.
    Salick agreed, perhaps a bit reluctantly, “When you helped us, well, you did the right thing.”
    Marick added wickedly, “For once.”
    â€œSalick.”
    Mandarack’s dry voice interrupted them. The old man was breathing a bit harder than usual, but seemed otherwise unruffled by the battle. Salick handed her trident to Dorict and helped her master remove the shield from his arm. The Bane then put his hand on Salick’s right shoulder and repeated the words Dorict had used, “Well killed, Salick.” His apprentice swallowed and looked fierce as she fought back tears. He did the same with Dorict and then Marick, both of whom swelled visibly at the praise. Garet tried to step into the background, but Mandarack’s firm touch on his shoulder stopped him.
    â€œWell killed, Bane.”

The small party of Banes walked slowly back to the campsite, each wrapped in his or her own thoughts. Mandarack’s silence had become a wall, and even Salick did not walk near him. He had not allowed her or the others to examine what lay beneath the skewed and fallen roof of the poor farm. After crawling back out from under the broken rafters, he had walked away without a word or sign. Salick had rounded up the others and followed.
    Garet felt the queasiness in his stomach fade as they left