Free Vampire Warlords: The Clockwork Vampire Chronicles by Andy Remic Page B

together!"
      "Whoa!" Saark leant back, and saw that Nienna's eyes were gleaming, almost with fever. Gently, he leaned towards her and put his hand on her knee. "What's going on inside your pretty head, Little One?"
      "Stop treating me like a damn child!" she hissed. "You know what I want!"
      Saark laughed easily. "Yes, I am predictable, am I not? But what you ask will get me killed. You know it, and I know it. If we are together, how long before Kell comes hunting us down? How long before sweet Ilanna cleaves through my skull? Where then your childish love?"
      "Childish love? How dare you!"
      "I dare much, little girl," said Saark, and smiled easily, eyes glowing. "If you simply want a quick session with your legs wide, any soldier in the barracks will accommodate you. I can arrange it, if you like. But if you want prime steak, if you want to feel Saark's superior touch and skill and expertise, well, you'll have to wait until you're a little older. I'm not the same as the perfumed absinthe drinkers in Vor who seek out little boys and girls for their fun. That is a practice I helped stamp out."
      Nienna, with eyes wide, stood and stalked off, just as Myriam arrived and dumped a large coil of rope beside the fire. She sat, and looked at Saark. "You know I heard most of that?"
      "I know."
      "Do you think it'll work?"
      "I hope so. Much as I'd like to taste her youthful sweetness, I'm sure the price would be too high." He glanced again at Kell. "Far too high."
      "There is a price for everything in life," said Myriam, giving him a dazzling smile.
      "I'd noticed," muttered Saark.
     
    • • • •
     
    They ate in a tired and weary silence, the gloom and cold getting to them despite their meagre fire. After three hours of grunting and hard work, stomping around in the shingle, Kell had finally fashioned a raft.
      They stood, staring at the vessel, and Saark wore a frown like a deviated ballroom mask from the Black Plague Tribute , an illegal and anti-royal piece by one of Falanor's most twisted playwrights.
      "So, what's that look mean, then?" said Kell, scowling.
      "Nothing! Nothing. I mean, is it supposed to look like that?"
      "Like what?"
      "Like that . I mean, all twisted and uneven. I swear by all that's unholy, Kell, you're no bloody carpenter."
      "I know I'm not a carpenter," snapped Kell. His eyes blazed with anger. "That's the whole damn point! This is a life and death situation; we must make do with what we have; work with our limited tools. Which means none . This is about escape , Saark, not pissing carpentry."
      "Still." He pursed his lips. "She hardly looks seaworthy."
      " She is not a bloody galleon," snarled Kell, hands on hips, his fury still rising.
      "And I can bloody see that!" said Saark. "To be honest, I think I might take my chances with the soldiers and demons. If we try and ride the river on that thing, we are sure to die."
      Kell stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Suit yourself. You coming, Myriam?"
      "I'm coming," said Myriam, flashing Saark a weak smile. She grabbed one edge, and with Kell they dragged the makeshift raft down to the water's edge, where the water tugged eagerly.
      Saark shuffled after them, and stopped, shifting from one foot to the other. "This is starting to feel like a military training camp," he muttered, as he watched Kell making last minute adjustments, pulling several of the binding ropes tight. The timber creaked in protest under Kell's exerted pressure.
      "Meaning?"
      "Well, we did all sorts of horse shit like this during training. Carry rocks and logs, build rafts, work as a team to get across the river, make stepping stones, swing from high trees, climb like monkeys up pointless walls of rock, run through the mountains, navigate blizzards, that sort of thing. Hah! What a chamber pot of rotting turds that whole thing turned out to be!"
      "So, you've built a raft before?" Kell glanced up as