Enderby’s confident grin became somewhat sicklier.
“Weaver is with the Spider Mother,” Kormak said. He could not help but maliciously add, “I was considering waiting for my Order to bring up their war-engines but I was inspired by your example.”
Enderby wiped sweat from his face with a perfumed handkerchief and said, “You make me very proud,” There was a note of mocking irony in his voice that told Kormak the fat little man knew exactly what he was thinking. “I would not think of going back now.”
They pushed on down into the depths of the earth. Glowing fungi emerged from the walls of the tunnels all around them. Small translucent eggs clinging to the wall showed Kormak where the Spider Mother had passed. He did not need the trail though. He already knew where she and her mistress were going. It was a path he had followed once before and which was emblazoned forever in his memory.
They emerged into the great chamber that Kormak remembered. It was even bigger than he recalled, and the floor was still carpeted with bones. The Spider Mother was there, newly woven strands of webbing still holding her upright. Weaver was beside the creature, stroking its side, like a concerned knight gentling a skittish horse. All around were elves of her guard and corrupted humans. Grogan was there with his bow in his hand. Kormak pulled a sunflare from his belt-pouch and held it in his hand. It was cool in his palm.
Weaver looked up and saw him. “Guardian,” she said. “Things have changed a little since last we spoke.”
“You have broken the Law,” Kormak said. “You must pay the price.”
“I may,” she said. “But you will not live to see it. Grogan kill him.”
The ranger raised his bow. Kormak knew he would not miss at this range in this dim light. He tossed the sunflare, praying to the Holy Sun that it would not misfire. The stone hurtled through the air, glowing brighter as it flew. At the height of its arc, it flared to blinding brightness. Only Kormak had known what was coming. He shielded his eyes as he jumped to one side. Grogan’s arrow struck him and not even his dwarf forged mail could totally blunt the impact. The arrow buried itself in his side. He gritted his teeth, ignored the pain and raced forward, knowing that first he would have to deal with the Queen. He raced forward right at the head of the gigantic monster.
His blade sliced into her forehead, bursting her eyes. Even when the effects of the sunflare faded she was not going to be able to see. Kormak slashed again, severing her mandibles, smearing the blade with poison. He leapt at Grogan and drove his blade into the ranger’s chest. There was a faint sizzling sound as the blade passed through flesh and burned out the evil magic.
By now those around him were starting to be able to see again. Their eyes watered and they would be able to perceive only outlines and shadows but they at least knew he was there. Kormak aimed a blow at Weaver but the arrow in his side slowed him and the Shadow witch managed to leap aside. The extra limbs on her carapace armour spiked the walls and she raced up them, with fantastic speed. Kormak leapt among her followers slicing right and left, killing with every blow.
The knights let out a great shout and raced into battle. Hearing them or perhaps perceiving the vibration of their movement, the Spider Mother responded, moving forward, pinning one man beneath her carapace-armoured leg, crushing another with her great bulk.
On the carpet of bones and skulls men fought to maintain their balance. Kormak danced and slashed at elves. Weaver looked down from the ceiling, smiling mockingly, chittering something in a strange tongue. As she did so the Spider Mother wheeled left and right, trapping the knights, crushing them, spraying out webbing from one nozzle in her face. Kormak realised that the great beast was responding to Weaver’s instructions.
Grogan was reaching up for him, trying to say something. “Bow,” he muttered. “Kill the bitch. I’d do it myself but I don’t seem capable of moving.”
Kormak looked down into Grogan’s dying eyes. It was not a trick. Maybe Kormak’s sword had purged him of the taint of Shadow and freed his mind and soul in death. The Guardian bent over, picked up the bow and knocked an arrow. He was not the greatest shot in the world but he did know how to use the weapon. He took careful aim at Weaver, even though his wounded flank felt like it was burning, and fired. The arrow flew true and smashed into the witch’s armour. A scream emerged from her mouth. The Spider Mother halted for a moment.
Howling his battle-cry Baron Enderby raced forward and slashed at her leg with his battle-blade. It bit deep, partially severing the limb. The Spider Mother wheeled to attack him but with surprising quickness he leapt away, stumbling and falling as a pile of bones gave way beneath him.
Weaver scuttled across the ceiling, clutching at the shaft of the arrowhead. Kormak took another arrow from Grogan’s quiver, aiming again. This time Weaver was ready and dropped from the ceiling, landing atop the Mother’s back. Kormak fired a third arrow, this time hitting Weaver and sending her spinning. She was chittering at the Mother again, and her fall put her out of Kormak’s line of sight high atop the giant spider’s back.
He scabbarded his blade and raced forward. Leaping up and grabbing the Spider Mother’s side, he hauled himself onto her back. The pain in his wounded side was awful. He thought he was going to black out but he needed to finish this. The Spider Mother swayed in response to Weaver’s chittering, turning to assault the spot where Kormak had been. She reared up and brought her full weight down. He was glad he was no longer standing there, as he listened to bones break and skulls crunch.
He pulled himself upright, swaying with the violent motion of the great arachnid. He saw Weaver waiting there and realised that she had the advantage. She could maintain her position just as easily here as she had on the wall. He could barely remain upright.
Weaver saw him coming and shrieked. She raised her skull tipped staff. Its eye-sockets glowed with a horrible greenish light. She pointed it at him and a fog of bile-coloured ectoplasm seethed towards him, swirling around him in a hideous cloud that made his skin itch and threatened to clog his lungs. He felt the Elder Sign grow warm on his chest as it fought the dark magic. He reached up to unsheathe his sword. The pain almost made him howl. Blood flowed in his mouth from where he had bit the inside of his lips. He felt as if he was choking.
He staggered forward along the Mother’s back, hardly able to keep his balance. Weaver smiled evilly as he closed and brought her staff sweeping down towards him. He tried to parry but was too slow. The staff hit him on the chest near where he was wounded. Agony surged through him. The Elder Sign felt as if it was branding his flesh.
Two of Weaver’s limbs flickered out towards him. He could see sharp points extrude. The curved over his shoulders and buried themselves in his back. He felt himself hoisted aloft like a joint of meat. Warm blood ran down his back beneath his armour. Weaver smiled at him and he could see the fangs in her mouth. The stab of pain sent the dwarf-forged blade falling from his grip.
“If nothing else, I will have the pleasure of sending you to hell before me,” she said. She paused for a second, considering him. He felt all strength drain from him. He was weaponless and at her mercy and she was enjoying the sensation for a few extra moments.
Kormak writhed in her grip. The arrow felt like fire in his side where it pushed against her armour. He reached down with his hand and pulled it free. Blood came out in a spurt and splattered her face. She turned her head to one side in a reflex action; when she brought it back, Kormak drove the sharpened obsidian point of the arrow in her eye and down into her brain. He twisted it and then struck her beneath the jaw with the heel of his hand. She spasmed reflexively, pulled her claws clear of his flesh and fell off the back of the great spider.
Kormak tumbled forwards into blackness.
He awoke. His body felt as if it was on fire. Above him, the ceiling rippled and it took him a moment to realise he was in a silk pavilion. There were several other people present.
He looked up to see Gilean looking down at him. With her was Master Graydon
and Baron Enderby.
“It seems you are not ready to march into the Kingdoms of Dust yet,” said Graydon.
“I am not so certain my body agrees with you. I feel like I have been chewed up by a dragon and spat out.”
Graydon gave him a wintery smile. “You may yet have a chance for that to happen but for the moment you seem well. The master alchemist has been dosing you with the universal antidote and the master herbalist has been treating your wounds. He says that given time, you should make a full recovery. Your shoulder muscles should heal and the arrow in your side did not touch your lung.”
“The Blight,” Kormak asked.
“We have found the source of the corruption— in the rotting corpse of the great tree. We will burn it with alchemical fire and salt the ground. We shall burn out the corrupted groves. It will take time but I am hopeful that we will cauterise this foul growth.”
“Weaver?”
“She won’t be coming back after what you did to her. The Baron and his men took her body and chopped it to pieces. We burned them.”
“How did you get the Spider Mother?”
“After you killed Weaver, she keeled over and died. The bloody beast had already taken a lot of wounds, and the amount of hacking we did probably did not improve her health,” the Baron said. “We’ve won.”
“It’s over,” said Gilean.
“For the moment,” Kormak replied. He knew the war against the Shadow was never really over.
THE END
MORE E-BOOKS BY WILLIAM KING
KORMAK
Stealer of Flesh
Defiler of Tombs
THE TERRARCH CHRONICLES
Death's Angels
The Serpent Tower
The Queen’s Assassin
Shadowblood
OTHER NOVELS
Sky Pirates
The Inquiry Agent
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William King lives in Prague, Czech Republic with his lovely wife Radka and his sons Dan and William Karel. He has been a professional author and games developer for almost a quarter of a century. He is the creator of the bestselling Gotrek and Felix series for Black Library and the author of the bestselling Space Wolf books which between them have sold over three quarters of a million copies in English and been translated into 8 languages.
He has been short-listed for the David Gemmell Legend Award. His short fiction has appeared in Year’s Best SF and Best of Interzone. He has twice won the Origins Awards For Game Design. His hobbies include role-playing games and MMOs as well as travel.
His website can be found at: www.williamking.me
He can be contacted at
[email protected] If you would like to know when his next book will be released then please sign up for the mailing list. Your details will never be shared. Subscribe now.
William King, 3 Weaver of Shadow
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