The Dread Lords Rising by J. David Phillips
Chapter Twenty
Not Far At All
Niam met Salb’s mocking gaze with his own contemptuous stare. “See to Corey and I will take care of the saddle,” he told Bug, surprised at the steadiness in his own voice. “If he tries touching you, I’m going to bury his face in the ground!”
Salb laughed, but Niam noted that he came no closer. Instead, as Niam tightened the girth, making sure that Bug and Corey wouldn’t fall off on the ride home, Salb did nothing. He was only momentarily taken aback by the ferocity in his voice and would soon make his move. The most important thing to do was slow him long enough to get Bug and Corey out of there.
“I heard you and your pathetic boss talking in front of the mayor’s office, Salb. Why’d he hire you to mess with us? If he had seen you run like scattered geese at the Vandin camp, he’d have you doing the only thing you’re good for—cleaning the crap out of his stables.”
As he spoke, Bug took Corey’s hands in hers and pulled them away from his ears. Her voice still quivered, but she coaxed him closer to the horse. Niam felt only spite for Salb. Because of people like him, Corey always had to have someone close to him whenever he came to town.
“You shouldn’t have gone up to the Vandin camp,” Salb sneered. “You shouldn’t have been spying on us like a filthy little sneak.”
“I wasn’t spying on you. I was just trying to smoke the rats out of the ruins of the old monastery.”
Salb casually looked around the stables. Niam didn’t like that. As Bug drew Corey out of his panicked state, Niam knew Salb was after something to get his hands on. Bode preferred his fists; Salb liked sharp objects. This was one of the things that made Salb scarier. And this was why Niam wanted to get Bug and Corey on the horse as quickly as possible.
“I don’t get it,” he said, hoping to get more talking and less looking out of Salb, “What have any of us ever done to Kreeth besides notice how ugly he is?”
“You’ve been sticking your nose in places it doesn’t belong,” Salb said. “You and Bode, both.”
Niam laughed derisively. “Bode? You were up there pillaging through the Vandin’s stuff as much as he was.”
Salb smiled crookedly. “You don’t know as much as you think you do.”
Niam frowned as Salb located the broken handle of an old broom and twirled it in his hands, feeling out its balance by giving it a practice swing or two.
“How far you’ve fallen,” Niam mocked. “Bet it’s nothing like your sword.”
Salb’s face turned scarlet. “I have others, but I’ll settle up with your rich friend on that account later,” he said, and then looked up at Niam with ice in his eyes. “This will make sure you limp for a long, long time.”
Niam’s gut began to clench. He knew that it might come down to a fight soon. Behind him, Bug said, “Please help me.”
Niam turned to see Corey holding the saddle and shaking his head as if the thing might bite him.
Salb laughed and began walking toward them, menacingly swinging the stick from side to side.
“You’re lying,” Niam said, “You’re just one of Bode’s flunkies. I only went up to the camp to make sure you weren’t going to breed with the sheep and make off without taking care of your responsibility once they gave birth. You wanted the things up there as much as Bode wanted to find whatever his daddy was after.” Salb stopped, and studied the two of them like a man at dinner might study food on a table. “Go on with it, then. Why were you there with Bode if it wasn’t to run away with your feathers singed?”
“I went to keep him from finding what he was looking for,” he bragged. “All I had to do was distract him into giving up so that he would pick up enough jewelry and silver to make himself happy and go home.”
Salb sabotaging Bode? Niam’s mind whirred.
“I did my job well.”
“What was he looking for?” he asked, but Salb shook his head.
“Not for you to know, Maldies. He didn’t know either. But you really do keep sticking you heads into things, you three.”
Corey looked up at Salb and his face turned scarlet. “Leave us alone!” He suddenly puffed his chest out at Salb and roared. “Leave us alone, leaves us alone, leave us ALONE!” On any other day Niam would have been proud of Corey. Coming out of the hiding place inside his mind must have taken a superhuman effort. Bug, eyes darting from Corey to Salb and back again, looked ready to be sick.
Salb’s words dripped with scorn, “Must be hard without a post to beat your head against.”
Corey began to shake, clenching and unclenching his fists. Niam knew he was too unstable to handle if he exploded. If that happened, things would go from bad to worse, and Salb would hurt the boy. Niam couldn’t fight him with Corey in the middle, because if he did, Bug would try to help, and nobody was coming away unharmed. “Salb, this is between you and me. Let them go and we will settle things ourselves.”
“Oh?” Salb said, his voice silky and suddenly eager. “I think all of us can settle up here right now.” He looked down at Card, who moaned in pain. “You hurt my friend, Niam. I think I’m going to have to hurt your friends.”
“Stay away from them,” Niam warned.
“Don’t worry, Maldies, I’m going to hurt you worse,” Salb said, enjoying the effect his words were having on Corey and Bug.
Before Niam could say anything, a familiar voice cut in. “Hey Davin, look what I found—a dick with a stick!”
Niam never loved Maerillus as much as he loved his friend at that moment. Relief flooded over him. “Well, boys do like to play with their sticks,” Niam said without missing a beat.
Salb’s expression instantly went from excitement to hatred. He lifted his stick as if he was about to strike, but Davin stepped forward out of thin air and raised his finger into Salb’s face. “Do it and I will break your legs,” Davin flashed. Niam realized he must have been so close to Maerillus that the two of them remained hard to see until they were both right on top of Salb.
Another voice called out from the road as Jalt rushed out of the row of houses down the road at the edge of town. “The Wizard’s Hammer is coming! Get out of here!”
Salb looked down at Card as the hindrance he now was.
“Yeah,” Niam mocked. “Get your friend out of here.”
Salb looked at the stick as he lowered it. His eyes glowered as anger seethed within him.
“Get your friend out of here, Salb,” Davin said. His voice was rock hard and laced with violence.
“This isn’t over.”
“You keep saying that,” Maerillus said. “But it is for today.”
Jalt took in the scene before him and immediately ran off—away from Salb. “Your friend left you, just like you all left Bode,” Niam said. “Bunch of bloody cowards the whole lot of you.”
Niam saw forces moving within Salb. One part of him yearned to drive the stick into someone. The other part knew that flight was the only option now. For a moment it looked as if Salb still might do something, but he shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t care. Instead of feeling relief when Salb turned to walk off, leaving Card to stir in agony in front of the stable, Niam felt only unease.
“Here comes Jolan Kine,” Davin said. His muscles, taut as springs, visibly relaxed the further away Salb got.
“What happened?” Maerillus asked.
“This piece of crap almost got Bug,” Niam spat toward Card.
Behind him, Bug continued trying to calm herself down. “Why weren’t you with Corey today?” Niam asked as Bug held the stirrup for her cousin. Shame was written in pink splotches across her face. Her eyes were still bloodshot from crying.
“I was stupid, Niam,” she said in a small voice. “I
Niam nodded. He knew how Corey would have reacted to the crowds—but Bug was right; it had been a dumb thing to do. Corey had his good days when he was almost like anyone else. He easily imagined Bug thinking a trip to town was okay on a good day.
“Well, what’s done is done.” Davin said, double-checking the girth now that Corey was seated in the saddle.
“Come one Madeline,” Maerillus said, using her name in the best stern big brother voice he could, “Let’s get you up in the saddle, too.”
Bug shook her head. “I think I need to walk.”
Niam spun around quickly when Jolan Kine suddenly screamed out, “Look out!”
Salb sprinted back into view from around the stable holding a pitchfork like a spear. His lips were pressed tightly together in concentration as he took aim. Niam followed Salb’s gaze, and leapt in front of his target without thinking, knocking Maerillus out of the way.
Corey began striking himself in the forehead again, bellowing, “GO AWAY!” over and over.
Maerillus was down and Niam moved to launch himself toward Salb.
In an instant, the bully found another target and hurled the pitchfork with all of his might.
“No!” Niam shouted in fear, realizing he was too late to stop it.
The pitchfork flew, spinning in a lazy arc, and struck the horse Corey sat upon, burying one of its tines into the animal’s haunches. The horse gave a startled grunt and jerked its head up, pulling the reins from Bug’s hands. The startled animal hopped to the side and took off toward town. The quick movement threw Corey off balance as it began galloping away.
Bug’s cousin let out a terrified scream and jerked his hands up over his ears. The panicked horse kicked its rear legs out, and Corey went headfirst over its side.
In one horrifying moment, Niam knew what was going to happen. With his hands clutched over his ears, Corey had no way of softening the impact with the ground and landed too hard.
Bug screamed. Niam wanted to be sick. The momentum of Corey’s legs kept his body going in the direction of his fall. His head bent back at an impossible angle, and his scream stopped abruptly following an audible snap. “I told you I’d make you pay!” Salb shouted venomously.
Davin cursed and shot off after Salb, yelling to Kine to stop him—but Kine’s eyes were large and fixed on Corey’s unmoving body. “What are you doing?” he shouted at the Hammer as Kine began running toward Corey’s lifeless form.
“Wha—” Davin began, but his eyes found Corey in midword and he moaned, “Oh no!”
Kine knelt down as Bug began to talk. The pitch in her voice rose with each word. “What’s wrong with him? He’s not moving! Niam! He’s not moving!”
The Wizard’s Hammer raised his head and shook it grimly.
Bug’s voice cracked for one brief moment as Kine’s message settled in. Then she started to wail, and her words dug into Niam like daggers. “It’s my fault, all my fault!” Bug launched herself past Niam toward her fallen cousin, and Maerillus only barely managed to grab ahold of her. Niam went to her, where she struggled against Maerillus like a wildcat.
“Let me go,” she demanded hysterically. “Get your fingers off of me!” Maerillus winced as her fingernails dug deep furrows into his hands.
“Madeline . . .” he implored, “Bug. He’s gone. Please stop. You don’t want to go over there.”
“Yes I do!” she demanded. “Yes I do!”
Niam looked over at Kine and nodded his head. The Hammer understood, and while Bug was distracted with Maerillus, he gently repositioned the boy’s head so that it no longer bore death’s ghastly angle.
Niam put his hand on Bug and said, “Let her come see him.”
“But—” Maerillus sputtered.
“She needs this,” Niam said gently.
Tears welled along the crescent of his friend’s eyelids. “I—” Maerillus began but trailed off. He didn’t know what to say.
“I know,” Niam told him.
“It was instant,” Kine said. “At least there’s that.”
Bug walked over to Corey’s body, struggling mightily to contain her tears. “His eyes—they’re open still. They’re open but that’s not him anymore . . .”
“Maybe we should close them for him,” Niam said.
“It was such a short fall,” Bug wept. “He didn’t fall far at all, Niam . . . not far at all.”