Taker Of Skulls (Book 5) Read Online Free Page B

time. He slapped the hammer against his palm again. He looked Kormak up and down and said, “You really think you can do it? Get your blade out before I can smash your fool head off and kick it all the way back to Aquilea?”
    Kormak said, “Why don’t you try and we’ll find out.” Otto looked as if he was contemplating exactly that.
    The barman brought a crossbow to bear from under the bar. “If you want to keep this up, do it somewhere else. Any blood gets spilled in my place, I’ll be the one doing it.”
    “Only got one shot in that thing, Lucian,” said Otto.
    “One shot is all it will take to send you to hell,” said Lucian. “Now get out of here and don’t come back.”
    The stable boy and some other big lads were entering now. Otto sensed the odds were shifting out of his favour. He let his hammer drop to swing from its leather strap on his wrist. “We’re not done yet,” he said to Kormak and turned on his heel and left.
    Kormak looked at the Innkeeper, “Thanks,” he said.
    “No bother,” said Lucian. “Can’t have his type threatening the customers. Bad for business.”
    Karnea coughed. “You could just have let me pay him off,” she said. “It would have been much less trouble.”
    “No trouble,” Kormak said.
    “Yet,” she replied. “We won’t get to the city if you get us all killed.”
    “We won’t get to it either if you give away all our money.” He knew she was right but he felt he had to say something.
    “I don’t think a few silver will put us in the alms’ house.” Kormak saw Sasha’s eyes narrow slightly. She was paying careful attention. She was starting to realise that Karnea was a very wealthy woman.
    “Men like Otto always want more,” Sasha said. “You’d only be buying off trouble till another day.”
    “In another day we will be out of here, if you are ready to show us to Khazduroth, young lady,” said Karnea. It was odd to hear such words coming from Karnea’s lips. She did not look any older than Sasha. Still, something about her mannerisms suggested a great difference in their ages.
    “I’m ready to go when you are.”
    “What will we need for supplies?”
    “It’s two days to the mountain and we may be underground for a few days. Best take two weeks supply of food just to be on the safe side. Jerky, oatcakes, waybread, dried fruit. You can get them all from the merchants here. Won’t cost you more than an arm and a leg.”
    “Boreas, will you see to it that we are supplied,” Karnea said. The big man nodded. “Anything else?”
    “You’ll need lantern oil and lanterns. Many parts of Khazduroth are in darkness now.”
    Karnea nodded. Kormak was surprised to discover that not all of the city was dark. “Anything else.”
    “Weapons you’ve got and you’ll need. It can be pretty hairy down there.”
    “I think we knew that already,” Kormak said.
    Sasha said, “Get your gear and meet me at the last league post at noon then and we’ll be on our way.”
    “The last league post?”
    “It’s where the royal road ends and the track up into the mountain begins,” Sasha said. “You’re at the edge of civilisation now.” She looked around and grinned. “If you can call this civilisation.”

Chapter   Four

    KORMAK ARRIVED AT the meeting point early, leading his pony. It was on the edge of the village. The last league post was half as tall as a man and showed the horned crown within a solar disk symbol of Taurea. It was well-weathered.
    He was surprised when Sasha showed up early as well. With her were two other people. One was a pretty sad-faced girl a few years younger than the prospector. The other was a sickly-looking little boy not more than five. He watched pale faced and a little tearful. He kept glancing at the weapon on Sasha’s back then at the long winding track up into the mountains. Clearly both had significance for him. He knew it meant she was going into danger.
    “They’re not coming with us,” Kormak