Free Dead Man (Black Magic Outlaw Book 1) by Domino Finn

football player, a mountain in his own right. He stands as still as the earth as well, facing me, considering my motives.
    "Have it your way," he announces in a deep, confident voice. He isn't scared of me, but he should be.
    The man steps inside and scans the walls. He takes his time to aggravate me. To set me on edge. I do not disappoint him. "Why are you here?"
    He shrugs casually. "We need to talk."
    "We do not need to speak in person."
    "Oh yes," he says, stepping closer, "we do." The darkness in his hood betrays a glint from the lantern flame.
    I peek through the half-open door, seeing the shadow of the pacing trickster. Its unnatural gait sets me on edge, but it obeys and remains outside. "Get on with it, then."
    The ogre nods. "We are displeased with you."
    "I have done everything you've asked."
    "Where is the Horn?" questions the large man.
    "The Horn?"
    "The Horn of Subjugation," he barks. "Do not play coy any longer. You have been deceiving us. Working with the shadow witch. Subverting our efforts from the beginning."
    "Cisco?" I tremble at the name, one I haven't heard in a long time. But he was my only partner. I have no one else now. "What does Cisco have to do with this?"
    "He's alive!" booms the man, raining his fist upon the table's wooden surface. The orange powder spills. It could be dangerous but I ignore it. The possibility of a living Francisco Suarez is much more dangerous.
    "Impossible."
    "It's not," he counters. "Not with powerful black magic. Not with your help."
    I desperately search for the man's eyes under the blackness of his hood. I know now what he is here for. "Resurrection? Such power is beyond me."
    The ogre grunts. It sounds like a broken laugh, the noise of a monster. "Not with the Horn."
    I shake my head. "The artifact was lost to me. You know this."
    The brute doesn't move.
    "You must believe me, Asan."
    The man in shadow paces across the small cookhouse before turning to face me again. "I did. Once."
    Something scurries outside the cookhouse. I ball my hand into a fist and the barn door closes. The man's head turns, but only for a moment. He looks to me again. I know he's smiling, but I can only see a glint of firelight.
    "Do not act rashly," I urge. "You are surrounded by allies. Do not turn them into enemies."
    "Allies?" he questions. "If I cannot trust you, and you will not help me, then you are a liability. Now more than ever, since he lives."
    "And you are sure of this? You are sure he again walks with the living?"
    "There is no question. The Bone Saints are tracking him."
    I scoff. It is unbelievable. But...
    The ogre cocks his head. "Where is the Horn, necromancer? It is your only chance at life."
    I step away from the table. His mind is set. I can only hope the trickster runs. "The crow flies true," I say, "ever and only concerned with birdfeed."
    The large man grunts again. "Your magicks cannot help you now."
    I grip the skull amulet at my waist. We will see about that.
    The wooden floor beneath his feet erupts in a shower of splinters. An undead hand clamps onto each foot. The man pulls away but the grip is strong. He is trapped, a piece of meat waiting to be eaten.
    The walls shimmer. Bodies, once unseen, stir to life. My horde. They will have a feast.
    The ogre reaches down and grabs both hands. With a powerful tug, he pulls the zombie from the ground. My petite is thin but bolstered by blood. He screams and pulls but cannot get free.
    The brute strains and rips his arm off. He throws it at the oncoming horde, then crushes my petite's head with a free hand. The mob closes in on both sides, but the monster is free again.
    He strikes like lightning.
    Limbs rip asunder. Heads roll. In quick flashes of movement, the ogre takes blows but he withstands them. There is something evil about him. Foreign. Not meant for this land.
    I use the commotion to flee, but he sees me and slams me into the table. I tumble to the ground. It takes only a minute for him to cut down my mob and subdue