Ruein: Fires of Haraden: Action/Adventure Necromancy Series (Books of Ruein Book 2), G.O. Turner [little bear else holmelund minarik txt] 📗

“You’ve got this,” he told himself.

Stretching his shirt collar over his mouth, Peridoc stomached what he could for a held breath. He reached across, clutched the opposing wool corner, and peeled.

“Oh, gods.”

The bloated corpse had saturated the farmer’s linens and burlaps. Foulness came not from their usual outlets, but from the deep gashes splitting both torso and head. As the blanket came unglued, the top half of the corpse’s head tipped and rolled back, exposing the gray tissue inside.

Tender Peridoc choked down bile. Breathing through his shirt did little to reduce the revulsion lurching from his stomach.

“Alright, ya poor sod plodder.” No. That’s not right. He’d never met this farmer before, yet here was someone who’d fed him and the other citizens of Haraden. Such a fate shouldn’t befall a people who’d suffered so much already. Best to remember this as a fellow citizen. “You look like an Oliver. Shall we get this over with, Ollie? Faster we finish, quicker we can lay you to rest.”

Peridoc steeled himself and leaned in toward the attached portion of the head. Distended terror was stretched over this half. With his head and torso incised diagonally, Ollie’s horror had been mercifully brief.

Besides the two major gashes in the body, there were several additional wounds from smaller hacks. This wasn’t the attack of an animal…at least not the four-legged sort.

These cuts went clean through bone.

Over his shoulder, something clattered on a distant marble floor. The sound echoed from the halls. Clumsy guard? Maybe a drunkard noble? The tender blew it off and continued his examination.

This was just odd. What the guards were asking and what was presented didn’t seem to connect. Unless this stray goblin had a Haraden longsword and could grow to tower over this man, there was no way one of those runts could’ve severed his head.

A garbled cry and a loud crash threw Peridoc off again. Somewhere back in the citadel, someone was in pain.

Yes! Now that, that he could help.

Peridoc released the blanket, dropping it over the body. Relieved at actual healing being needed, his lightened steps made for the chamber’s exit.

Night-darkened halls of the Apex echoed with the familiar breathing of the citadel. Yet, mingled within those breaths, the odd distant sound of… What? Were those grunts, heavy shoving? Was someone stuck?

Peridoc’s thigh bumped an end table as he attempted to navigate the healery’s antechamber. Idiot. Should’ve brought a lantern. As he turned to retrieve that sensible item, he caught the distant hit of something hard and the slam of a door. Next, a torrent of spiteful words bounced down the stone halls to his chamber. It was gruff, inhuman. That was no Haraden voice he’d ever known.

Peridoc paused at the antechamber’s entry, straining his ear for anything more. He leaned out, peering into the dark hall.

There was nothing beyond the shifting, ambient night.

Doubts tugged at him. No one was calling for a tender. Perhaps he should summon a guard instead? He wiped a trickle of sweat from his brow, drying it upon an adjacent wall tapestry.

Padded footfalls slapped against marble floors, growing louder. Whatever that was, it was coming this way.

Oh, re’ew nindol.

Do the sensible thing. Hide. Peridoc’s weak human eyes roved the dark antechamber tables and shelves. Where could he—

The tender’s hand brushed against the tapestry again. Without time to think otherwise, he ducked behind it.

Bounding feet echoed. The slaps on marble grew as they raced in his direction. Peridoc shut his eyes, held his breath, and became as motionless as was humanly possible.

A hand slapped at the chamber entrance. A figure dashed into his room. The rush of whoever or whatever collided with the tapestry, knocking Peridoc back against the wall. Steel clattered against the marble floor as something landed near his feet.

His heart leapt. Oh gods, please say it hasn’t noticed.

Peridoc’s eyes darted to the tiles and spotted the pommel of a sword.

Whoever it was let out a gasp.

The room went silent.

Don’t move. It’s dark. Whatever it is, seems to be in a hurry. Maybe it’s moved on?

Peridoc’s will seized control of his breath and held it. He would not move. Would not belie his presence. Lungs burned as he sought to become one with the tapestry. He hoped with all of his fiber to be unseen.

An eternity later, his lungs could no longer contain themselves. Peridoc let out the spent air as quietly as he could, replacing it with something that would keep him alive.

There came a step.

Then another.

These were cautious but deliberate, not frantic like before. They approached as Peridoc resumed his statue-like nonexistence. The blade clinked as it was retrieved from the floor.

Don’t move.

The tapestry yanked loose and the fabric fell from the ceiling.

His eyes had adjusted to the dark. However, what was before him, he did not want to see, nor could he look away.

What stared back burned with an inner fire. It was hate given form; head, arms, and legs, no different than his own, yet wreathed in black. Shrouded from head to toe in dark wraps, only the eyes glared back.

A glint cast off the Haraden longsword.

Hatred welled from within the black thing. In a flash, the sword moved.

There was no pain. It was all too quick.

The room tumbled over. Ceiling whipped over floor, over wall and tile, ending with a dull knock. His eyelids fluttered, neck muscles tensed and released.

Tender Peridoc looked up at two figures: the black-clothed creature and, across from it, his own body—the neck spewing a fount of red. What might have been only heartbeats stretched on, as his body slowly collapsed to its knees and keeled over.

The creature reared over him. Its own heat consumed those eyes, becoming black. Charcoal smoke poured from the sockets, curling up over its head.

It looked around as if lost. Its hands trembled, fingers released. The blade clanged against the floor.

As Peridoc’s vision tunneled away, he watched the creature arch. Bonelike wings erupted from its back. They