{"id":145,"date":"2012-07-09T11:44:15","date_gmt":"2012-07-09T15:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=145"},"modified":"2012-07-09T11:44:15","modified_gmt":"2012-07-09T15:44:15","slug":"zervakan-free-fantasy-novel-chapter-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/?p=145","title":{"rendered":"ZERVAKAN – Free Fantasy Novel – Chapter 26"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\"\"<\/a>
Cover by TJ Lomas.<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
\nI’m posting a chapter from my latest fantasy novel for free every Monday and Friday (click Zervakan<\/a> above for a synopsis and to start from the beginning). It’s in a “pre-published state,” meaning you might find the occasional spelling\/grammar mistake. If you do, please leave a comment below or email me at robsteiner01 [at] gmail [dot] com.<\/p>\n

If you’re uncomfortable getting something for nothing, you can hit the PayPal Donate<\/a> button in the Tip Jar section to the right. If you donate more than $3, I’ll send you a non-DRM ebook once the book is published (summer 2012). If you donate more than $20, I’ll send you a printed copy.<\/p>\n

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it!<\/em>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

ZERVAKAN<\/h1>\n

by Rob Steiner<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Chapter 26<\/h2>\n

Karak quietly slid his dagger into the Swornman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s back, held his hand over the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mouth until his struggling grew weaker, and then stopped.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak gently lowered the still twitching body to the cobblestone streets of the alley where he was guarding the entrance to Silek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s house.<\/p>\n

Karak bent down, grabbed the dead man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s feet, and pulled him into a corner of the alley that was nice and dark, then he wiped the blood from his knife on the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s coat.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak did something he normally did not do with his victims\u00e2\u20ac\u201dhe studied the man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face.\u00c2\u00a0 No, he did not know the man.\u00c2\u00a0 Not that it would have made a difference if he had, but Karak did not like to kill people he knew personally.<\/p>\n

Unless they had betrayed him.<\/p>\n

Karak glanced up and saw a homeless boy sleeping beneath a stack of empty, discarded crates he had built around himself to keep out the rain and wind.\u00c2\u00a0 The boy was wrapped in several blankets and staring wide-eyed at Karak.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak bent down, removed the Swornman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s coin purse.\u00c2\u00a0 He felt the weight, knew there must have been at least twenty han<\/em> in it.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak tossed the purse at the boy.\u00c2\u00a0 The boy let his blankets drop as he caught the purse.\u00c2\u00a0 He opened the strings and he gasped as he inspected its contents.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak grinned, then put a finger to his mouth.\u00c2\u00a0 The boy nodded.\u00c2\u00a0 He got up and ran out of the alley without taking his blankets.\u00c2\u00a0 With all that gold, the boy could buy himself a new blanket a day for a year.<\/p>\n

Silek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s townhouse in the center of Calaman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Low City was one of his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153quiet\u00e2\u20ac\u009d homes\u00e2\u20ac\u201danything that took place there had to remain quiet.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak knew of four such homes scattered throughout the city, but this was Silek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s favorite.\u00c2\u00a0 It was in a place where most constables would not venture in groups smaller than ten, and it was closer to Silek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s favorite brothels.\u00c2\u00a0 And it was farthest from Silek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wife in their estate north of Calaman.\u00c2\u00a0 Judging from the four Swornmen he had just killed, it was likely Silek was here.\u00c2\u00a0 Silek never posted his Swornmen in a location where he wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t.\u00c2\u00a0 The Overlord had grown too arrogant over the years, a fate that might have overtaken Karak if the events of four nights ago had not changed his life forever.<\/p>\n

Karak saw lamps burning in three of the four rooms on the third floor.\u00c2\u00a0 The fourth window was dark.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak grabbed hold of the drainage pipe that ran down from the flat roof three stories up and began to climb.<\/p>\n

He was pleased to find that the stealth of his youth had not deserted him in his mid-thirties.\u00c2\u00a0 He had done this many times while making his way up the Klahdera ranks, slitting the throats of Silek’s competitors as they slept.\u00c2\u00a0 All orders had come from Silek, and he had never questioned his orders, only obeyed.<\/p>\n

His foot slipped on one of the wet struts that held the drain pipe in place, but Karak quickly regained his balance.\u00c2\u00a0 He mentally berated himself for losing his concentration while on a job, and he refocused his thoughts on the climb.<\/p>\n

The piping took him between two of the three lighted windows, and he paused a moment to listen for any voices within the rooms.\u00c2\u00a0 The windows were closed, and thin lacy drapes covered them, but he could see well enough inside.\u00c2\u00a0 The one on the left was a guest bedroom decorated with ornate lamps, white paneled walls with several landscape paintings, and a four post bed with a privacy curtain.\u00c2\u00a0 One lit lamp in the room showed that it was empty.\u00c2\u00a0 The other room was similarly decorated and also empty.<\/p>\n

Karak continued his climb until he reached the roof and peeked over the edge, searching for more guards.\u00c2\u00a0 Two men leaned against the closed door to what looked like an outhouse in the center of the roof.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak knew the door opened into a stairwell that led to the attic below the roof.\u00c2\u00a0 Both men smoked pipes and talked in low voices.\u00c2\u00a0 Neither was looking his way.<\/p>\n

Karak quietly and quickly pulled himself onto the roof, then moved behind two large brick chimneys.\u00c2\u00a0 Two roof guards meant that they had keys if the door was locked.\u00c2\u00a0 A locked and barred door had concerned Karak more than guards, who he could kill more quietly than trying to break through the door.<\/p>\n

He peeked around the corner of the chimneys and saw that both men were still looking the other way, talking in low voices, and even laughing once or twice.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak shook his head.\u00c2\u00a0 He knew how overconfident Swornmen of the Overlords were.\u00c2\u00a0 No one had dared to take on an Overlord in over a generation, not even the constables, so long as the Overlords kept their activities to the Low City.\u00c2\u00a0 They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d become so complacent that they only posted six guards who wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t notice a train wreck on the street below.<\/p>\n

Karak scampered from chimney to chimney on the roof until he was within several paces of the Swornmen.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak picked up one of the small stones that covered the entire roof and threw it toward the far side.\u00c2\u00a0 It made a loud clang when it hit one of the metal gratings that covered the top of the chimneys.\u00c2\u00a0 The Swornmen immediately turned in that direction, both drawing their revolvers.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll check it out,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said one of the men in a Kingdomer accent.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Stay and watch the door.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Right,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said the second man nervously.<\/p>\n

The Kingdomer who spoke first walked warily toward the other end of the roof.\u00c2\u00a0 After a few moments, when Karak was sure the first Kingdomer was on the other side, he hurled another stone into the corner on the left.\u00c2\u00a0 This caused the remaining Swornman look that way, turning his back to Karak.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak pulled his knife, rushed forward, and gave the man two quick thrusts into both lungs.\u00c2\u00a0 Unable to scream, the man thrashed about and gurgled until Karak plunged the knife into his heart.\u00c2\u00a0 The man twitched a moment longer, and then went silent.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak lay the man down against the door, then crept back to his hiding place behind the chimney three paces away.<\/p>\n

When the first Kindgomer came back after several minutes, he stopped when he saw the young Swornman leaning against the door.\u00c2\u00a0 He kicked the younger man and said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I leave for five minutes and you take a nap?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

When the younger man did not stir, the Kingdomer bent down to check him.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak sprang forward and killed the Kingdomer in the same way he had killed the first.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak felt no regret that he had killed one of his ethnic cousins.\u00c2\u00a0 Back in the Kingdoms, the men\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand most women\u00e2\u20ac\u201dkilled each other for far less.<\/p>\n

Karak searched the two men and found rings of keys on both of them.\u00c2\u00a0 After Karak trying several keys, the third key on the ring he held opened the door\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bolt lock with an audible click.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak eased the door open and crept down the dark stairwell.\u00c2\u00a0 Light from the city illuminated the stairs enough for Karak to see that it was only ten steps to another door below.\u00c2\u00a0 A dim light shown around the edges of the door.\u00c2\u00a0 When he reached the door, he put his ear to it, slowed his breathing, and listened.\u00c2\u00a0 There was silence on the other side.\u00c2\u00a0 He turned the handle.\u00c2\u00a0 The door was unlocked, so he opened it a crack.<\/p>\n

The door opened into a large linen closet.\u00c2\u00a0 Shelves filled the room on all sides with towels, sheets, buckets, and scrub brushes.\u00c2\u00a0 Several brooms leaned against the wall in the far left corner.\u00c2\u00a0 In the center of the room was a table where a startled maid, in the middle of folding a small face cloth, stared at Karak.\u00c2\u00a0 From the looks of her, she was a Kingdomer\u00e2\u20ac\u201dher hair was pure yellow and her skin was of the palest white.<\/p>\n

Karak hated to kill innocent people who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.\u00c2\u00a0 The Swornmen on the roof and in the alley below chose this life knowing its risks and rewards; this maid was just trying to earn a living.\u00c2\u00a0 Some Klahdera assassins he knew chided him on this weakness, but Karak chose to look at it in a practical way.\u00c2\u00a0 The constables essentially let the Klahdera fight it out with any other crime syndicate they wanted, so long as the body count of innocents never rose to attention-grabbing numbers.\u00c2\u00a0 The fewer the civilian casualties, the less chance the constables would get involved in Klahdera business.<\/p>\n

Of course, Karak was no longer in the Klahdera.\u00c2\u00a0 But that did not mean he would give himself the all-clear to start killing innocents.\u00c2\u00a0 You have to have a code, something you stood for, or else you weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a man. <\/em><\/p>\n

Karak put a finger to his lips.\u00c2\u00a0 He stepped into the room and shut the door silently, all the while watching to see if the maid would make a move toward the door.\u00c2\u00a0 If she tried to warn anyone, or even took in a long breath to scream, she would no longer be a civilian.\u00c2\u00a0 She did neither.<\/p>\n

He stared at her a moment.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are a Kingdomer, yes?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he asked in his native language.\u00c2\u00a0 It had been so long since he had used it, and it felt good coming off his tongue.<\/p>\n

The girl\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes widened even more, and she said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, I am of the Hlaan kingdom.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak grinned.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I too am Hlaanish.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The girl still stared at him warily.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What are you going to do to me?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What is your name?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Karak asked.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jelia.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Jelia.\u00c2\u00a0 I will not hurt you…unless you force me to,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Karak said.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My business is elsewhere in this house, but I cannot leave you behind to raise an alarm.\u00c2\u00a0 I must tie you up and put a gag in your mouth for five minutes, and then I will return and release you.\u00c2\u00a0 Now, to compensate you for your troubles….\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak pulled one of the coin purses he had taken off the Swornmen he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d killed tonight and handed it to her.\u00c2\u00a0 She took it tentatively and opened it.\u00c2\u00a0 She stared at the contents for a moment, licking her lips.\u00c2\u00a0 It was probably more han<\/em> than she saw in a year.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153When I return,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Karak said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will give you another just like it.\u00c2\u00a0 Do we have a deal?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

When Karak finished tying Jelia to one of the shelves, he asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Is that too tight?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

She looked up at him and shook her head.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Good,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.<\/p>\n

He was about to put the gag over her mouth, but then asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where is Silek sleeping tonight?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Jelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes hardened, and he was ready to gag her quickly if she screamed, but she said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sleeping with his new whore in the master bedroom.\u00c2\u00a0 Third door on the right.\u00c2\u00a0 The man is Hlaan, but he has no honor.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak expected Silek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s servants to show him some loyalty, but Jelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reaction meant Silek still slept with his maids and probably promised them the stars to keep them from whispering to his wife.<\/p>\n

Karak said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Thank you, Jelia.\u00c2\u00a0 Now I must put the gag on.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 He tied a small hand towel around Jelia\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mouth.\u00c2\u00a0 When asked if she could still breathe, she nodded.<\/p>\n

He went to the door to the linen closet, then looked back at her.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will return in five minutes.\u00c2\u00a0 My word from one Hlaan to another.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Jelia blinked, then nodded.<\/p>\n

The linen closet door was at the end of a long hallway about twenty paces long.\u00c2\u00a0 Two lit lamps, ten paces apart, sat on small tables on the left side of the hall.\u00c2\u00a0 At the far end was a window, and then the hallway turned right.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak quietly closed the closet door and walked as near to the wall as he could, where the boards tended to creak less.\u00c2\u00a0 The rooms behind the two doors he passed were dark and quiet.\u00c2\u00a0 When he reached the third door on the right, he paused.\u00c2\u00a0 There was no light coming from the other side.\u00c2\u00a0 He put an ear to the door and heard Silek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heavy breathing.\u00c2\u00a0 He put his hand on the knob.<\/p>\n

And then paused.<\/p>\n

This was too easy.\u00c2\u00a0 Silek was a Klahdera Overlord, not some captain in the ranks (like Karak used to be).\u00c2\u00a0 Why was he only guarded by six Swornmen who did not seem to know the sharp end of a knife from the hilt?\u00c2\u00a0 Why was the door to the roof guarded by two incompetent men, and not double barred from the inside?\u00c2\u00a0 And why had a Hlaan maid just let him enter her master\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s house when she knew Karak was going to kill Silek?\u00c2\u00a0 Hlaan were loyal to a fault, almost voluntary slaves to their masters.<\/p>\n

Karak had honed his instincts over the years to the point where he knew to trust them when things did not feel right.<\/p>\n

He let his wits take control of his thirst for vengeance, and let go of the knob.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak backed away from the door, then turned and crept toward the closet.\u00c2\u00a0 The uneasiness he felt only increased the farther he got from Silek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s door, and he tried to calm his pounding heart.\u00c2\u00a0 Every instinct in him wanted to bolt for that door, the noise he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d make be damned.\u00c2\u00a0 The trained assassin in him, however, controlled those urges.\u00c2\u00a0 Barely.<\/p>\n

With sweat beginning to trickle down his back, Karak opened the closet door to find the Hlaan maid crouched behind the folding table with a revolver aimed at his head.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will not hurt you,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said, smiling, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153unless you force me to.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Behind him, the doors on either side of the hall burst open and a dozen of Silek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Swornmen filled the hall, all with revolvers pointed at him.\u00c2\u00a0 Silek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s door opened, and the Overlord walked out, fully dressed in one of his finest blue suits.\u00c2\u00a0 He stared at Karak with a mixture of fury and sadness that seemed to match Karak\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s feelings at the moment.\u00c2\u00a0 Karak opened his mouth to explain to Silek the meaning of loyalty when he froze at seeing who exited the bedroom after Silek.<\/p>\n

Crane in his garish white suit with white top hat strode out, clicking his black cane on the wood floor.\u00c2\u00a0 He looked paler than the last time Karak saw him in the silo.\u00c2\u00a0 Thin blue veins crept around the corners of his eyes and grinning mouth.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mr. Karak,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Crane said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153is this any way to repay your patron?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Karak turned his revolver toward Crane, but a sharp blow to the back of his head stopped him from firing.\u00c2\u00a0 Darkness took him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cover by TJ Lomas. I’m posting a chapter from my latest fantasy novel for free every Monday and Friday (click Zervakan above for a synopsis and to start from the beginning). It’s in a “pre-published state,” meaning you might find the occasional spelling\/grammar mistake. If you do, please leave a comment below or email me […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,28,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-free-stuff","category-novels","category-zervakan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=145"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robsteinerauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}