The Fell Sword Read Free Page B

woman gave a scream and leaped from the floor, where she’d been lying naked. She had long legs and a muscular midsection and he had the impression of fine breasts high above a slightly bony ribcage and wonderful hips. The sight of her body rose above the pain of his broken hand and arm.
    The giant leaned over the bed. ‘You are alive! By the gods!’
    Mortirmir had a pain in his head like a spike in his temple. He put his left hand to his forehead, and the whole right front of his head was spongy. ‘Oh, my God, you’ve broken my skull.’
    ‘Oh, I’ve had worse fighting with my brothers,’ said the big man. ‘There is a lot of blood,’ he admitted.
    Mortirmir forced his head back onto the pillow and the pain abated by the breadth of a hair. ‘How long was I out?’ he asked, trying to remember anything the medical magister had told him about head wounds.
    ‘Almost a day – Anna? How long was he out?’ cried the giant.
    The woman spat something that sounded unkind. She appeared, pulling a gown over her head. Before her hair emerged, she spat, ‘I suppose you don’t care that I haven’t eaten in two days, you Christ-cursed barbarian! And now I must be seen naked by another barbarian. And I’m sure you can’t even pay me – Holy Mother, I open and shut for you for nothing and why? I have no idea, when you repel me so much! The ugliest man I’ve ever seen and I the very pearl of this city – the finest Hetaera – it’s like a fine mare lying with a boar. Oh – I hate myself! Why do I do this? Perhaps it is punishment for my many sins – God curses me to rut with the very lowest form of life in the gutters. Perhaps next it will be a leper.’
    Derkensun watched her with a small smile on his broad face. ‘Are you finished?’ he asked. ‘I hate to interrupt.’
    She slapped him as hard as she was able, cocking back her arm and her hand moving like the arm on a catapult. The slap echoed around the room and she clutched her hand as if the giant had struck it, when all he’d done was to stand perfectly still, a slight smile still curled comfortably in the corner of his mouth. He leaned forward very gradually, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her. ‘But,’ he said slowly, ‘I love you.’
    ‘I will never come here again,’ she said.
    Derkensun laughed aloud. ‘If you insist,’ he said.
    ‘I hate you!’ she shrieked.
    ‘Of course,’ said the Nordikan.
    When she was gone, the giant watched the door for a long moment, and then came back to his patient. ‘Wine?’ he asked.
    ‘Never again,’ Mortirmir said. There was something odd about his right hand. Flames seemed to lick at it. When he looked, there was nothing there but the warm sun coming in the room’s single open window – it was still hot as hell – and falling on his hand and arm. But it felt pleasant, and it was a long chalk better than the pain. Mortirmir lay back.
    His assailant came and brought him some nice water – bubbly from some underground spring. ‘This will make you better. The witch woman says so. Listen – I have to go on guard. I’m on the gate of Ares today. I will be all week. I’ll be back.’
    Morgan nodded. ‘I thought you Nordikans guarded the Emperor?’ he asked.
    Derkensun shrugged. ‘Something must be up, for me to be on a gate. Now sleep.’
    Mortirmir had the strangest sensation in his hands and his head – like flying, like finding he could read a new language. It was all—
    He shrugged it off, waved at the Nordikan, and fell back into sleep.

Chapter Two

    Liviapolis, the City – Aeskepiles and the Emperor
    A eskepiles, the Emperor’s magister, preceded him through the reception halls of the palace with two of the axe-bearing Nordikan Guard. Their scarlet surcoats heavily embroidered in real gold showed their rank, and their great axes and heavy full-length chain proclaimed their roles. The man on the left had a scar that ran from his right eye to the left edge of his mouth and made him