The Spook 9 - Slither's tale by Delaney Joseph Read Free Book Online Page B

began to chew it carefully. The foolish girl struggled to control her disgust. Couldn’t she see that I did what was necessary in order to save her sister? As I swallowed the flesh, Susan cried out from beyond the door once again.
    I turned and smiled at Nessa. ‘Be patient, little Nessa. I need strength. If I am weak, all of us will die.’
    Only when I’d finished eating the whole snake did I cross the narrow bridge and approach the rusty iron door. As I expected, it was unlocked, so I pulled it open and stepped into a narrow passageway which ended in a single door. This I also opened and, with Nessa close on my heels, stepped boldly into Nunc’s private quarters.
    This spacious room functioned as the study, private armoury and bedroom of a Kobalos High Mage and, as such, was a curious mixture of the spartan and the luxurious. Upon the bare flags stood a large ornate oaken desk, its edges embellished with the finest silver of a type I recognized immediately. It was Combe-quality silver seized fifty-three years earlier in a daring guerrilla raid deep into that human territory far to the south. Nunc’s exploits were well known. He had achieved much but was known to be egotistical and had worked to ensure that his fame spread.
    On the far wall hung shields, axes, spears and blades of many types, some very exotic, and beneath them stood a large table covered with maps and piles of papers, held in place by large blue agate paperweights.
    The rooms in my ghanbala tree also contain artefacts that are pleasing to look upon, but rather than this ostentatious display of maps and weapons, they represent my own interests: jars of herbs, ointments and preserved fauna and flora which add to my knowledge of the natural world and are useful to my magic.
    Here the walls were panelled so extensively that not a trace of stone was visible; some were carved with representations of warriors in full combat armour, including the last King of Valkarky, who had been slain by an assassin.
    I spotted Nunc, with Susan in his grasp, his teeth embedded in her neck. By now the girl was unconscious and it was Nessa who suddenly screamed behind me, alerting the High Mage to the threat I posed.
    He released the child immediately and leaped backwards. As Susan crumpled to the floor, he seized a huge spear from the wall and brandished it aloft, directing it towards me. He had dressed formally in preparation for the feast, and was unfortunately wearing expensive chain-link armour that I judged thick enough to deflect a blade. But he had intended to eat, not fight, and thus his head and throat were bare and vulnerable to sharp steel.
    ‘Lord Nunc!’ I cried, my voice filled with anger. ‘You have something of mine and now you must return it!’
    As I spoke, I lifted my tail so that it stood up at my back and would give me early warning of my enemy’s intentions. It was fortunate that I did so. There had been no visible indication that Nunc would attack – not even a twitch or the tensing of muscles – but by way of answer he hurled his spear directly at my head. As I have said, my tail had already alerted me to this and I was prepared. As the weapon sped towards me, I moved just one part of my body: I raised my arm and, using the broad flat of the sabre’s blade, skilfully deflected the spear so that it struck the wall close to the door and crashed harmlessly to the stone flags.
    Susan opened her eyes then and managed to kneel up on the floor, her eyes staring wildly at the scene about her. The moment she began to scream, Nunc ran over to the far wall, seized a sabre and a shield, and turned to face me.
    He was evidently strong: the muscles of his torso, although somewhat thickened about the midriff, bore testament to his daily training in martial skills.
    I myself had trained daily when younger, before I became a haizda mage. But now my hunting kept me fit and I preferred to rely on my instincts in battle rather than follow the routines of a High