Kormak 01 - Stealer of Flesh Read Free

bowl. He unstoppered it, and allowed the smallest drop of its contents to fall on his finger. He sniffed, recognising the scent of bitterbloom and winterweed, two herbs used by chirurgeons the world over for the treatment of conditions such as his. He put his finger in his mouth and touched it with his tongue. He detected nothing amiss anyway, so he allowed himself to drink the smallest amount of the potion and waited to see if it had any effect.
    Nothing untoward happened after fifteen minutes so he poured some of it into the bowl and drank it. He waited for another period and noticed some diminution of his fever and no other ill effects, so he drank the rest. He propped himself up on his pillows. He felt the potion begin to take effect and allowed himself to drop into sleep.
    The stealthy opening of the door brought him instantly back to wakefulness. He opened his eyes narrowly and focused on the doorway. He did not move. In his weakened state he would need any edge he could get against the intruder and surprise was always the greatest of advantages. He saw a shadowy outline move closer across the room. Stealthily he grasped the poker. When the intruder reached the side of his bed, Kormak reached out and grabbed for the throat.
    “You are awake then,” said a woman’s voice, surprisingly husky.
    “Who are you?” Kormak said.
    “You are as suspicious as they said.”
    “Probably more so,” Kormak agreed. “You still have not answered my question, and I can assure you that your life depends on giving me a good answer.”
    “I am not a robber,” said the woman. “I just wanted to take a look at the mysterious guest the storm deposited on our doorstep.”
    “Your name, lady. My patience is not limitless.”
    She laughed as if amused. “I am the Lady Kathea. I am the employer of the wizard who looked after you, or rather I am the wife of the man who employs him.”
    “And you decided to visit my room in the middle of the night to make sure of their handiwork?”
    “I confess I was curious,” she said. “I have never seen a Guardian before. I have read about them in the old tales, of course, but I have always thought they were legends. An order of knights sworn to oppose the Shadow, to protect humanity from the Old Ones. It seems more like a legend than something one would encounter in the light of day.”
    “My order is quite real, lady, and not nearly so heroic as the tales would have you believe.”
    “I am not surprised,” she said. “Life is full of disappointments. Would you mind if I lit a candle? I am not quite so adept at seeing in the dark as you.”
    “Go ahead, but make no sudden movements.”
    She stepped away and went over to the fire. With a wooden spill she lit a candle and came back over to where Kormak sat. It was beeswax, not tallow, a sign that the lady or her husband were rich. Of course, he had not needed the candle to tell him that. The fact that they had a wizard in their retinue was evidence enough. She sat down in the same chair as the wizard Tarsus had. The candle underlit her face and he was not surprised to see that she was beautiful. Something about her voice, her movements and her confidence had already told him that she would be.
    “You are quite lovely,” he said, studying her golden hair, high cheekbones and large eyes.
    “And you are very gallant for a monk.”
    “I am not a monk, lady. I am a soldier.”
    “And you fight a war against the Shadow.”
    “That is an overly dramatic way of putting it.”
    “I find it curious that you should appear out of nowhere at this time in this place. Why are you here? Who are you looking for?”
    “I was looking for shelter from the storm.”
    Her head tilted to one side and he could tell she was studying him very carefully. “I cannot tell whether you are lying or not,” she said at last.
    “Why would I lie about such a thing?”
    “Because you belong to an order that hunts men and wizards and other things and you are here