Neferata said. Ushoran’s lip curled, exposing a fang, but he said nothing. The stairs wound down through the mountain, and as they moved deeper, Neferata caught the mildew-stink of ghoul nests and saw dozens of scuttling white simian shapes scaling the rocks to either side of the stairs. The scrabbling ghouls dislodged piles of bone, sending browned skulls rattling down into the depths.
‘Largest nest of the vermin I’ve seen outside of Nagashizzar,’ Ushoran grunted. ‘I feasted on them for decades before I revealed myself to the Strigoi. They hold hunts, sometimes, into the dark places. It used to be a rite of manhood, before I found better use for the creatures.’
‘I believe that they are all that remain of the tribes that the Strigoi once warred with for control of these mountains. Kadon apparently enslaved thousands to build Mourkain, and when he was finished, the survivors were driven into the darkness, where they fed on the blind things swimming in the deep pools and gnawed the marrow from centuries of bones,’ W’soran said. He chuckled. ‘Mortals degenerate so swiftly. I have undertaken a study of it, and the results are–’
‘Unimportant,’ Neferata said.
‘I would beg to differ,’ W’soran said. He threw back his head and uttered an inhuman screech. A moment later, claws clattered across the stone. Neferata, prepared for treachery, was already turning as the ghouls scrambled up over the edge of the landing and bounded towards her. The first ghoul died, its skull shattered and driven into its spine by a blow from her fist. The second was opened like a fish, from groin to gullet. Behind her, something horrible gave a deep, rumbling cough.
Neferata spun and looked up into the dead, black eyes of something that stank of a battlefield. It was larger than the pitiful pale maggot-creatures milling about below, with a bloated musculature and infected, weeping sores through which protruded lengths of filthy yellow bone. It gave a cursory grunt as it stared down at her with a look of glazed ferocity.
Shock hammered through her. ‘What–’
‘Isn’t he lovely?’ W’soran cackled. He glanced at Ushoran, who was watching the confrontation calmly. ‘Watch, Ushoran. Watch and see!’
The creature coughed and then rose up and threw back its head, uttering a soul-chilling howl. The howl was answered by the ghouls that clung to the walls. The corpse-eaters scuttled down like foul white spiders, their eyes gleaming with mingled fear and hunger. A few held bloody lumps of meat torn from the two ghouls she had just dispatched.
The big creature grunted and its claws spread. It licked its broken fangs and eyed her hungrily. It made a slurping sound as it started forwards. Confused, she almost didn’t avoid the first lunge. Normally, ghouls were frightened of her kind, as foxes fled from wolves, but this thing – this horror – seemed almost enthusiastic to come to grips with her.
‘What is the meaning of this, you old monster?’ she snarled.
‘Testing a hypothesis, my queen,’ W’soran chortled, clapping his hands. ‘Best pay attention, Neferata!’
The monster gave a thunderous hog-grunt and swiped at her. She leapt back, landing lightly on the shoulders of a surprised ghoul, and then vaulted over the giant’s next blow. The unfortunate ghoul was bisected. Neferata landed behind the creature and it spun with a roar. It launched itself at her, slobbering grotesquely.
She backhanded it, putting every bit of muscle she had into the blow. The creature staggered, its jaw shattered and possibly its neck as well, but it didn’t stop. Instead, it latched on to her and hooked her forearm with its teeth. She screamed, more in shock than pain, as it savaged her arm and lapped greedily at the blood that poured forth. She yanked her arm free of its vile grip and kicked it away.
‘Look! Look,’ W’soran said, gesturing excitedly. ‘See! I told you, Ushoran.’
‘I see,’ Ushoran said.
The beast scrambled to its feet and, moaning, leapt at Neferata again. She ducked under its extended arms and jumped up swiftly, her palm striking its throat. Before it could worm free of her grip, she ripped its throat out in a welter of gore. It sagged with a sigh, falling to all fours. Neferata tossed the lump of flesh aside and glared at the other flesh-eaters, giving them a snarl. They slunk away, whining.
Neferata turned her glare on the other two vampires. Ushoran shrugged, but W’soran shook his head. ‘Almost, almost,’ he muttered.
Neferata leapt onto him, quicker than either of them could react. Her hands found W’soran’s scrawny