Taker Of Skulls(44)

“What?” Kormak asked.

“I was thinking blasphemous thoughts,” said Verlek. “I am young and untested and I don’t know any better.”

It sounded like he was repeating something he had been told often by others. Some of what the dwarf had said earlier came back to Kormak. “The goblins are your enemies,” he said.

Verlek made a curious movement of his head that Kormak was fast coming to equate with a nod of assent.

“Then Graghur is too,” said Karnea.

Another head movement. Verlek’s beard twitched in an agitated manner. His eyes narrowed. His mouth shut tight as if he was trying to hold in words by force of will.

“We can help you against him,” said Karnea. “At least the Guardian can.”

“That decision is not mine to make,” said Verlek, but there was a note of excitement, almost of hope in his voice that had not been there before. There was something else too, a note of horror, as if he was contemplating something unspeakable.

“I have never seen tattoos like yours before,” Karnea said. “They are rune script.”

“Yes. They are Branhilde’s work and they have helped keep me alive when others have fallen.”

“Life in the Underhalls is dangerous,” Karnea said. Kormak remained silent. He noticed that Verlek was more likely to reply when she spoke. He was not sure whether it was because she was a female or because she was simply a more sympathetic listener than he was.

“Indeed but I have survived fifty full years,” said Verlek. “No one thought I would when I was born.”

“Your name, Lastborn, that is quite literally true, is it not? You are the last child to have been born among your people.”

“That is truth.” Kormak heard talk coming from behind him. Sasha and Boreas, excluded from the conversation here were talking among themselves. They seemed to be getting on. He focused attention back on Verlek.

“That is hard to imagine,” said Karnea. “I know few children are born among dwarves but I would have expected more than one birth in fifty years.”

The dwarf looked away. In a human, Kormak would have taken his expression for embarrassment. He fell silent. Perhaps he felt he was giving too much away. Kormak decided it was his turn to change the subject.

“You came a long way from your Hold on your own,” he said. “What brought you to the Forge Quarter?”

Verlek continued to be silent for a long time as he loped along. Kormak wondered if he was going to get any answer at all.

“I wanted to prove myself against one of the beasts that Graghur unleashes there. Utti questioned my courage and I decided to show him. I told him I would bring back Yellow Eye’s head as an ornament for the Wall of Skulls.”

“You could have,” said Kormak. “Yellow Eye is dead.”

“I did not kill him,” said Verlek. “I was taken by surprise by the Slitherer while stalking him and would have died had you not come along. There is no honour to be gained taking such a skull. Instead I gained a debt, and perhaps something more.” He showed a small smile. “Aye, and perhaps something more.”

They walked through the dark corridors in silence. In the distance a drumming sound started. A familiar howling echoed through the corridors.

“The Graghur-spawn have found our trail again,” said Verlek. “There can be no rest now.”

The howls echoed through the corridors behind them. Verlek loped along easily on all fours. He was not very fast compared to a man sprinting but he had proved he could easily keep up this pace for hours. He was showing not the slightest sign of strain. The same could not be said for Kormak or his companions.

“They are driving us before them,” said Verlek. “Some have circled ahead. We are in the jaws of a pincer.”

He spoke easily. His breath did not come gasping from his mouth.

Kormak said, “We can turn and fight.”

“If worst comes to worst, we shall,” said Verlek. “But there are too many of them. At least a hundred goblins, a score of the great goblins and a pack of hunting wolves.”

“How can you tell?” Kormak asked.

“Can you not hear them? Smell them? Feel them in your beard.” He made a grimace that again suggested embarrassment. “Of course, you have no beard.”

Was it possible that Verlek’s beard was some sort of sensory organ, like a tongue or a nose? Could he smell things with it, feel them or was it some other sense, unknown to humanity such as those that some of the Old Ones possessed? He remembered the dwarf touching the floor with it previously. Did it pick up vibrations? Now did not seem to be the time to be asking about it.