Torment and Terror by Craig Halloran Read Free Book Online

another underling as well. He was blue eyed, elegantly dressed, and holding a shirt of underling chainmail, some pantaloons, and a sword and scabbard with it. One leg at a time, Elypsa donned the pants, slipped into the chain shirt, and buckled the sword belt on. “You look surprised,” she said to Sidebor.
    Underling women were never trained to fight, not unless they were special. Very, very special. “You make for a fascinating warrior,” he said. “Are we going somewhere to fight?”
    “No, we’re going somewhere to kill.”

 
     
    CHAPTER 11
     
     
    It didn’t matter. Not life. Not anymore. All Venir had wanted to do was destroy his obstacles, Slom and Zurth. He’d made all of his calculations. Was willing to assume all of the risks. Kill them both no matter what the cost. If he died, he died. So be it. At least, he hoped, Kam and Erin would be safe.
    He spat up blood. His chest burned with fire. His skin was soft and clammy. He coughed and sputtered. Slom and Zurth were dead. He was dying. That was all he recalled.
    “Venir! Venir!”
    It was the distant voice of a woman. A red blur loomed over his head, shouting with desperation. He couldn’t make out the sounds too well. The face was blurry. His memories were fading.
    “Venir! Don’t you die on me, Venir!”
    He hacked. Whoever screamed for him needed to save their breath. Death was his bedfellow now. He lingered between the lukewarm world of life and the cold one of death. Inside, something fought to hang on. Something always fought. Struggled. Strived. Hungered. His bloody fingernails clawed at the edges of a cliff. He hung on. He climbed.
    Not yet.
    Something still mattered. Was unfinished. Bright speckled eyes appeared in the darkness. They mocked. They chittered.
    Not yet!
    Unaided, Venir sat up in a baptism of pain. His heavy eyelids snapped open. He gazed into the face of a bewildered woman. A steely spiked helmet trembled in her hands. The words spoken into his ears were not heard. The eyelets of the helmet bore into him. Limbs coming to life despite death’s valiant efforts to take him down, Venir stuffed his blood-caked fingers into Helm’s eyelet holes.
    “Give me that.”
    Dripping blood from his chest, he rose to his feet. Scanning the room and all of its blurry faces, he shoved the helmet on his head, started to buckle the strap, and collapsed down on the wet red floor.
    “Noooooooo!” a woman screamed.
    The only thing Venir heard was his heart’s last beats. Thump-thump! Thump-thump …
    ***
    “Venir! Venir!” Kam cried out. She squeezed his hand. “Get up, you oversized lout!”
    He didn’t move. Not a muscle. Not a twitch.
    She checked, but his blood no longer pumped.
    “Melegal!” She whirled around. “I thought you said the helmet would heal him!”
    She saw the thief standing down inside the hole in the planks where the bolder had fallen on Scorch. His head was down as if he was searching for something.
    “Ah,” said the rail-thin man. He plucked something from down in the cavity and waved it high over his head. “I found it!” He smoothed his floppy grey cap over his head and smiled.
    “What are you smiling at?” Kam shouted at him. “A cap? Venir’s dead!”
    Melegal hopped out of the hole, walked over, and leaned down over Venir. “That seems to be the current situation.” He adjusted his cap again. “How’s that look?”
    Kam’s jaw dropped. She drew back her fist to punch him.
    Melegal eased away. “Ah ah ah.” He pointed at Venir’s neck. “Oh, I see the problem.”
    Kam glanced at Venir. The helmet’s chin strap wasn’t buckled. “You’re joking. Buckle the strap?”
    “Well, it won’t stay on by itself.”
    Crash!
    Trinos’s body smashed through the roof, in one side and out the other.
    Scorch appeared, sailing through the hole. His eyes were fire. Fist-bright emeralds. He didn’t give them a glance. Eyes intent, he followed after Trinos and vanished.
    “Hurry up!” Melegal said.
    Kam