The Long War 02 - The Dark Blood Read Online Free Page B

‘You are many things, Brother Utha of Arnon, but you are certainly not just a man . You possess the blood of the ancients, you are an old-blood of the Shadow Giants, and you are friend to the Dokkalfar – whether you wish it or not.’
    Utha was silent for a moment and then slumped back into his chair. ‘Seriously, do we have any wine?’
    ‘Of course we don’t have any wine,’ replied Randall. ‘I thought survival was more important than getting drunk.’ He spoke with more venom than he had intended. ‘Sorry.’
    ‘I’ll let it pass.’ Utha said wearily. ‘Let’s just get out of Voy.’
    * * *
    Brother Hobson was not a man given to panic, but sitting tied roughly to his chair before Sir Hallam Pevain, he began to feel a sense of dread. Pevain was the leader of a large company of mercenaries recently returned from Canarn with a greatly diminished force. He carried a large warhammer of Ranen design and worked for a witch called Saara the Mistress of Pain.
    It had been two days since Hobson had reported the presence of Brother Utha to the knight marshal’s office and several hours since the mercenaries had begun questioning him. His bewilderment that a mercenary knight was hunting down the rogue cleric was matched only by his confusion that everyone seemed to be working for the Karesian enchantresses – or our beloved allies as they were frequently called.
    ‘I’m getting sick of asking the same questions, brother,’ said the black-armoured knight in a guttural growl.
    ‘So stop asking, Sir Pevain,’ responded Hobson.
    ‘Utha the Ghost was seen two days ago in Voy and you insist that he was on his own.’ Pevain was simple-minded but dangerous.
    ‘I didn’t say he was on his own,’ responded Hobson. ‘He had a young squire and a risen man with him.’
    ‘Yes, yes, so you say – but no Kirin?’ The knight had insisted that Utha must have been accompanied by a Kirin assassin. ‘My mistress sent me to hunt down two men, Utha the Ghost and Rham Jas Rami. They are both evil men who consort with the risen and our beloved allies believe they will be working together.’
    ‘I haven’t seen a Kirin in Voy for many years.’
    ‘I’ll give you one last chance to tell the truth, brother.’ Pevain leered.
    ‘I saw Utha of Arnon, a young squire and a forest-dweller,’ repeated Hobson; he could not keep his attention from Pevain’s hammer.
    ‘Risen man,’ corrected Pevain, ‘an evil undead monster.’
    The White cleric shook his head. ‘Whatever you want to call him, he was tall, with grey skin and black eyes.’
    Pevain rested his hammer in Hobson’s lap. ‘And the Kirin? Fucked if I know why, but she places great worth on their capture... Utha and Rham Jas.’
    Hobson forced a smile even as sweat began to sting his eyes. A noble knight would never harm a cleric of peace and healing, but Pevain was not noble and Hobson suspected the mercenary acted mostly on whim. ‘I can only repeat the truth so many times, sir knight,’ he said.
    ‘That’s a shame, brother.’ Pevain pulled back his hammer and swung for Hobson’s head.
    The cleric didn’t feel any pain and, after eighty years of life it might be said that Brother Hobson of Voy had lived a good life.

CHAPTER 2
DALIAN THIEF TAKER IN THE CITY OF RO WEIR

    The window sill was wide enough for Dalian to stand on, but not so wide as to be particularly safe. The Mistress of Pain had a scheduled meeting with her two hound commanders and Dalian was eager to hear their plans. He risked a glance inside. The enchantress was sitting at a desk reading an old leather-bound book.
    The Thief Taker was a man unmatched in his skill and devotion to Jaa, but now he was a fugitive, falsely accused of treachery. He was nearing his fiftieth year of life, and as he balanced precariously seven storeys up from the ground, all he could think was that he was too old to be clambering about outside buildings. Surely Jaa wanted him to be reclining on a chair somewhere,