The Dark Army - By Marcus Alexander Page 0,2

astonished guard. ‘Tell me where me little Hippotomi –’

The guard slammed his foot into Jensen’s head, cartwheeling the Treman over on to his back. As Jensen lost consciousness, the courtyard finally fell silent.

The Stoman grinned and raised a thumbs-up sign to the rest of his squad.

‘Ya didn’t answer the man,’ said a voice interrupting the moment. ‘Where’s the girl? Where’s Charlie?’

Snarling, the soldier snapped round. Furious, he broke into a run that quickly covered the distance between him and the second prisoner. Slamming shoulder-first into the girth of Kelko’s stomach, the guard once again brought the shaft of his axe into play and knocked the fat Treman into another unconscious heap. When the chubby Treman was down the soldier ruthlessly kicked him several times.

This was getting way beyond a joke. The two Tremen were insulting the might of the Stoman army with their lewd jokes and constant demands to know where the young Keeper was. A sound beating was the least they deserved. The other Stoman soldiers looked on in approval as he continued to kick and grind his heel into the unconscious prisoners.

A flurry of activity at the far end of the courtyard announced the arrival of a lightly armoured messenger. Ignoring the beating, the messenger jogged past the ranks to the colonel.

‘At last,’ snorted the colonel once he had absorbed the message. ‘I thought we would have to babysit these fools all season long.’

Indicating that two of his men and the messenger should follow him, he strode over to the prisoners, who were slowly regaining consciousness. ‘I would like to thank you for gracing us with your constant wit and banter, but we no longer require your presence. Lord Bane has commanded that you be taken with all haste –’ the colonel punctuated his speech with a well-placed kick in Kelko’s stomach – ‘and ceremony –’ and another kick for Jensen – ‘to the Soul Mines of Zhartoum, where you will work till your fingers are worn to stubs, your teeth drop from your mouth and your hair withers like rotten wheat. Welcome to the end of your days.’

With a nod of his head he watched his men drag the two Tremen off.

‘The dog too?’

‘Yes, Colonel.’

‘Good, that beast was a real pain in the neck. It mauled three of my men before we could muzzle it. So what about the Keeper and the Hatchling? Can we get rid of them too?’

‘They are to remain here, Colonel. Lord Bane has further plans for them. He has dispatched a pack of Shades to usher them to the Western Mountains where he will oversee their fate in person.’

‘Excellent,’ muttered the colonel, who felt that guarding prisoners was a waste of his time. ‘And then what of me and my men?’

‘What else but back to the fray? The Human cities are almost ours for the taking and once they have fallen we can turn our sights to Deepforest and that cursed city, Sylvaris.’

2

An Introduction and a Deal

Hands glowing, Darkmount grasped first one manacle, then the other. At his touch the metal peeled back, releasing Charlie so that she fell to the floor in a puff of dust with a startled ‘Oof!’

‘Huh?’ gaped Charlie, too shocked and too tired to register the pain in her backside. ‘Why’d you do that?’

‘Would you rather I had not?’ said Darkmount. ‘If you prefer that I leave you to your fate it will take but a moment to reattach the manacles.’

Charlie managed to compose herself, but only just. ‘But why would you want to set me free after betraying me?’

‘You weren’t betrayed. Alavis simply had the misfortune to fall faster than anyone expected.’

‘Come again?’

‘The Stoman army invaded the city and when you opened your Portal you were unlucky enough to open it into one of the courtyards that the Stomen were using.’

‘Yeah, a courtyard you picked!’

‘When I picked it,’ reasoned Darkmount, ‘Alavis was still a free city. Let me repeat myself, you weren’t betrayed; it was just … poor fortune.’

‘What?’ sneered Charlie, still angry and suspicious. ‘Like you couldn’t send me a message or at least give us some kind of warning!’

‘And how would you have suggested that I do that?’ Darkmount held up his hand and ticked off points on his fingers. ‘One, Bane’s forces were far larger than predicted. Two, the city was surrounded so no message could get out. Three, even if I had sent a message it wouldn’t have reached Sylvaris in time to stop your arrival.’

‘OK, so if you didn’t betray me

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