Taker Of Skulls(48)

“My life is beholden to them, Utti,” said Verlek. “I have talked with them. I say they are not followers of the Shadow.”

Utti turned his sneering face to Verlek. “And what would one so young know about the ways of the Shadow? You have barely grown a beard, boy.”

The air between them fairly crackled with tension. There seemed to be real hostility between these two, Kormak thought.

“Aye, Utti, but I know how to fight, unlike some, who collect heads of those they did not kill for the Wall of Skulls.”

Kormak saw that all of the dwarves were red-handed now and were piling up small mounds of severed heads in front of them. Boreas was watching all of this with narrowed eyes. He did not understand Dwarvish but he could hear that the tone of speech was not friendly. Kormak put a hand on Boreas’ arm just to let him know everything was all right.

“There are four more heads we could take right here,” said Utti. He turned to look at Kormak once more. Kormak met his stare levelly. He did not want trouble but if he was attacked he would respond. Utti’s beard twisted and writhed and seemed to be tangling its furthest end in knots. He took a step back almost as if he had been reading Kormak’s mind. Ferik laughed. It was a sound like stone grating against stone.

“Utti has just discovered that taking this one’s head might be harder than he thought.” Kormak sensed a change in the air. There was still suspicion and hostility but there was no longer a sense of imminent violence coming from Ferik. He realised the change had happened during the exchange between Utti and Verlek and just afterwards. Was it possible that Ferik did not like Utti?

Utti spat on the ground, but carefully. The spittle did not land anywhere near Kormak or the other dwarves. Ferik glanced around. It seemed like all the heads had been taken. The dwarves were starting to place them within sacks. They looked as happy as children who had collected their gifts on a feastday morning.

“We do not need to decide to do what to do with these humans right now,” said Ferik. He turned and looked at Kormak. “Put down your weapons!” he said.

Kormak looked back at him. Every fibre of his being rebelled against putting down his sword. He would almost rather lay down his life.

Ferik sensed this. Suddenly the violence was back in the air.

“You have the look of a handy man with a blade, whatever else you may be,” said the dwarf. “But we outnumber you and be assured we will kill you if you do not do as you are told.”

There was utter confidence in the dwarf’s manner. Kormak considered the situation. He could hold onto the sword and die. In that case, he would still have lost the blade. At least if he was still alive he might be able to reclaim it.

“Be not afraid, that anyone will take your sword. No one would want to carry such an unholy weapon,” said Ferik.

“The sword was forged by dwarves,” said Kormak.

“Aye, to our shame it was,” said the dwarf.

“I will carry it until it may be returned to you,” said Verlek. He said this as if he were taking a great burden upon himself. Kormak felt sure this was not from the responsibility of holding the weapon but because of the nature of the thing he had to carry. He seemed embarrassed but determined to do this anyway. He held out one huge hand to Kormak.

Kormak still considered refusing. He could see the tension in Ferik now. He glanced around and the other dwarves were all staring at him. One or two were thumbing the blades of their axes. The prospect of taking another skull seemed to appeal to them.

Abruptly, he pushed the scabbarded blade into the young dwarf’s hand. “Take good care of it,” he said.

“I will do my best,” said Verlek.

He slung it over his back as he had seen Kormak do. The Guardian wondered if he had made a huge mistake as the dwarves crowded in around him.





All of the humans were stripped of any weapons they were carrying. They took away Karnea’s bag of adjuncts and the rune on her arm as well. They seemed familiar with power of such things.

The dwarves looked oddly at Sasha when they took away her runestone thrower. One or two of them grumbled to each other in a tone that suggested that some dark suspicion had been confirmed. “What is going on?” she asked.

“We are being held prisoner,” said Kormak. “Until they decide what to do with us.”

“They don’t look any too friendly,” said Boreas. He went to stand beside Sasha, and hovered by her protectively.

“They think we are Shadow worshippers,” said Kormak. “I suspect they think everyone who lives outside their walls is one.”

“Living in this place I can see how they would believe that,” said Karnea.