Taker Of Skulls(13)

Karnea nodded agreement. “Luzak Ath Graghur, Taker of Skulls. His worship is quite common among the goblin tribes of the mountains. Many scholars believe he was their patron in the Age of Shadow.”

Sasha’s glance darted from face to face, becoming more horrified by the moment.

“You are saying the goblin king is an Old One,” she said.

“He may be,” said Karnea. “It is not uncommon for their tribal leaders to take on the names of their former patrons. They believe it is a sign of strength.”

“How do you know so much about these things?” Sasha asked.

“It’s a fascinating area of study,” she said. “There is a connection between the dwarves and the goblins. They are ancient enemies and have been ever since the goblins invaded Khazduroth millennia ago.”

A dire wolf howled. “Sounds like it’s getting closer,” said Kormak.

“Best build up the fire and take watches,” said Sasha.

Karnea rose from the fire and walked around the camp, placing her small rune-inscribed stones at each point of the compass. She inscribed a circle connecting them with chalk and marked some symbols on the ground, then she paused for a moment, looked at the sky and moved her lips as if she was trying to remember something. Eventually she spoke an incantation that sounded like a prayer. Nothing visible happened but Kormak felt the amulet on his chest heat up as it responded to the eddy currents of magic.

“That should give us a bit of warning,” she said.

“I would feel more secure if we set a watch,” Kormak said. “No offence.”

“None taken,” Karnea said. She walked over to the fire, took the rune torque from her arm and placed it among the flames.

“What are you doing?” Sasha asked. She looked as if she wanted to reach into the fire and snatch the rune out.

“Mankh will absorb the heat,” she said. “And can unleash it quickly if the need arises. I’ve been charging it for a few days now just in case.” She glanced around at them and said, “Make sure you keep the fire well fed. Mankh will make it burn down more quickly as it eats the flames.

Karnea lay down by the fire, covering herself with her cloak as a blanket. She closed her eyes and immediately started to snore.

“They say sorcery takes it out of you,” Kormak said.

“Toss you for the first watch,” said Boreas.

“I’ll take it,” Kormak said. “Between the snores and the howling I won’t get much sleep anyway.”

No one seemed disposed to argue with him. He sat with his back to the rocks, looking away from the fire back along the track over which any intruder would have to come. Behind him the fire sputtered and did not provide as much heat as he would have expected. He supposed the rune was doing its work.

He considered his companions. They were as strange a bunch as he had ever travelled with; a girl grave-robber, a seemingly unworldly scholar, and a mercenary killer.

He wondered if any of them would make it back to civilisation or what passed for it in this part of the world.





Chapter Six





BOREAS SHOOK KORMAK awake. He rose and stretched. His limbs felt cold and stiff, his back hurt from lying on the hard rock. He got up and looked at the sky. Grey clouds filled it, softening the outlines of the distant mountains, making the bulk of the peaks difficult to see. The wind was cold and bit through his cloak. He thought he tasted snow on it and said so.

“You got the weather sense,” Sasha asked as she packed her bedroll into her rucksack and lashed it onto the mule.

“No. But I grew up in Aquilea. I remember the feel of bad weather.”

Karnea was mixing porridge for the breakfast. She looked around puzzled for a minute as if she had forgotten something. She straightened suddenly, tapped her nose with one finger, smiled and began to collect her ward stones, then she picked the rune torque from the fire with a stick. She slid it over her arm easily. It did not burn her. She studied the sky. “You could probably tell the same thing just by looking at the clouds,” she said.

“There is that,” he agreed.

They ate their porridge. Sasha seemed a bit unnerved by consuming anything made by Karnea. Boreas noticed her look.

“She won’t poison you,” he said then added, “Of course, if she was going to, I would say that, wouldn’t I?”

Sasha glared at him and began to spoon the gruel into her mouth. “Tasty,” she said, although the oat mix was as bland as could be.

“Needs salt,” said Kormak.

“A hillman would say that,” said Boreas.

“Best with some chopped apple, a little cream and some honey,” said Karnea.

“They would burn you at the stake for suggesting such a thing in Aquilea,” said Kormak.