Taker Of Skulls(32)

“THAT’S THE START of the Forge Quarter,” said Sasha. “Once we cross the Bridge of Nets we’ll be in it. That’s where I found your rune.”

It was easy to see how the bridge had got its name. It was a long and barely wide enough for two people abreast. It looked as if it had been partially destroyed. It was shattered. In the middle a gap dropped down into darkness. Even what remained was not solid but latticed, where magic or acid had eaten through the stone. Parts of the stonework were so eaten away as to be like a web. Through the gaps in the stonework the long drops to the glowing water below was visible.

What had caused this, Kormak wondered? Had it been some ancient struggle between sorcerers? Maybe some alchemical weapon such as acid had done this. He realised he would never know.

“Is it solid? Will it hold our weight?” Boreas asked.

Sasha nodded and said, “It will, or at least it has every time I have used it. Just be careful of the gaps. You don’t want to fall through.”

“There is strong runework in the bridge,” said Karnea. “That’s all that’s holding it up. A normal stone structure would have collapsed an age ago. We don’t want to place undue stress on it.”

The howling was very close behind them now.

Kormak’s heart beat against his chest like the wings of a trapped bird thrashing its cage. His mouth felt even drier. All sorts of fears invaded his mind: of the long drop, of the bridge giving way when they were all on it, of losing his balance and falling through the gaps in the stonework.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to be calm. Think rationally, he told himself. They needed to get across. Once they were there the wolves would have exactly the same problems crossing. Maybe they could kill enough of the beasts to drive the wolves and their riders back.

Another thought struck him. Quickleaf had its price. Soon their bodies would have to pay back all the borrowed vitality the drug had given them and with interest. At any moment, they might become too weary to fight, even to move.

“Go,” Kormak told Karnea. “You too, Boreas. Sasha and I will hold them here.”

“Why me?” Sasha asked. “He’s the one with the bloody big hammer.”

“You’re the one with the ancient dwarf stonethrower.”

“Only a few shots left now,” she said.

“Then make them count,” Kormak said. “You two get moving.”

Boreas nodded and gestured to Karnea to tell her he would go first. He obviously still saw himself as her bodyguard, which was a good thing at this point. They had no idea what might be waiting for them at the other side of the bridge.

With surprising grace for a man so big, Boreas moved across the bridge, flattening himself against the sides to pass one gap, leaping over another when there was no other way to pass. He gestured for Karnea to follow him.

“I’ve never liked heights,” the sorceress said. Sweat beaded her face and her eyes were wide. Kormak could see her pupils were dilated to the maximum extent.

“Get going. I doubt you’ll like the inside of a wolf’s stomach any better.”

Karnea swallowed and very slowly made her way out onto the bridge. Kormak cursed again. The quickleaf was probably magnifying every fear in her mind.

“Here they come,” said Sasha.





Bestial eyes glittered in the darkness. Mangy diseased-looking white shapes bounded out of the shadows and raced closer. Kormak heard Sasha counting to herself above the howls of the great beasts. He picked out the leader, a massive brute whose long pink tongue lolled out over yellowish fangs. He hoped if he could kill this one and its rider it might give the others pause. At very least, he would have the satisfaction of sending the beast into the Kingdoms of Dust before him.

His heart pounded as the lust to kill rose in him, drowning out the drumbeat of fear. A savage smile twisted his lips. He was ready to deal death.

Sasha unleashed her firestone. It sped straight and true to the beast Kormak had picked and exploded in a gout of flame. The wolf’s howling became a high-pitched yelping like that of a beaten dog. Its fur caught fire. The force of the explosion tossed more wolves backwards as if hit by a giant mallet. They tumbled through the air, fur ripped and burning. The leader rolled on the ground trying to extinguish the flames that were consuming it, trapping its rider under its moving body.

“What happened?” Kormak asked. Sasha looked appalled and amazed.

“I don’t know. Sometimes they just do that. Maybe it was an especially powerful stone.” Maybe all of the stones were once like that and had simply lost their potency over time. He had seen it happen with alchemicals. In any case it did not matter.