Here’s the next chapter in the fanfiction I set in the world of Conan the Barbarian!
In case you missed it, here’s a link to the first chapter!
And now, on to Chapter Four!
Asthara grabbed the whip and uncoiled it from her neck. Gasping, she fell to her knees, inadvertently leaving herself open for attack.
Luckily, the slave stepped in to defend her, distracting the trustee’s potentially lethal attack.
Seeing her comrade in mortal danger, Kesisa yelled to Runi, “Cover Nefera! I’ll handle Nazarus!”
Kesisa was off before Runi could argue.
Nazarus flicked his whip low at Kesisa. She leaped over it, bringing herself to the slaver’s side. Her chain went up and around the man’s neck.
Usually, Kesisa would allow herself to fall, her momentum pulling her chain taut and snapping their neck.
However, Nazarus stood a foot taller than Kesisa and had a body more mountain than flesh.
The chain caught, but Nazarus remained standing. Kesisa’s back slammed into his, leaving her feet dangling above the ground.
Runi moved to Nefera.
The girl still breathed but blood-soaked her clothes. Glancing around, Runi saw an area of limestone pillars carved out of the pit’s rock. The pillars stood at about six feet — perfect cover against the arrows.
Carefully taking Nefera into her arms, Runi prepared to move her.
Another volley of arrows ended the need to move the girl.
Runi screamed in anguish. The girl had known only pain. Now she died in the dreaded Red Pit and would never know a life outside of that pain.
Nefera’s death would not be forgotten.
Nor would the death go unavenged.
Asthara snapped up her truncheon and slammed it across the knee of the trustee in front of her. The man’s leg snapped in two.
The man fell to the ground screaming, his body convulsing from the pain.
The Argossean looked for the detestable Nazarus.
Kesisa, her chain around his neck, dangled from the man’s back. She put all her weight into pulling the chain taut about the man’s neck, strangling the evil out of him.
Nazarus’s sausage-sized fingers clawed at the chain but could not find leverage.
Without losing his whip, Nazarus pushed himself backward, threatening to crush Kesisa beneath him.
Runi recovered from her shock and anger and dashed for the safety of the limestone pillar.
Another volley of arrows felled one of the slaves fighting the trustees.
Two of the remaining trustees rushed to the master’s aid.
Unfortunately for them, Asthara closed on Nazarus before they could reach him. She slammed her truncheon into the vile overseer’s face. Teeth and blood flew from Nazarus’s mouth. Utterly unaware of where he was at that moment, he fell off Kesisa. His fingers slipped away from the chain at his neck.
Kesisa continued the pressure on that chain.
Unfortunately, two of the trustees got to her, bringing their truncheons down on her. The blows shocked her enough to loosen her hold on Nazarus.
However, the beast of a man remained dazed on prone.
Asthara pressed the advantage, bashing Nazarus’s ribs with her truncheon.
To her surprise, Nazarus turned to her and flashed a toothless smile.
Kesisa tried to regain her stranglehold on the battered overseer, but he slipped his hand between chain and neck, yanking the chain from around his neck.
The two trustees continued their assault on Kesisa.
Now free from grappling Nazarus, Kesisa managed to twist away from the trustees, avoiding their truncheons.
Nazarus stood, towering over Asthara.
Runi waited for the archers to fire another volley.
This time they hit several of the slaves huddled in the northwestern side of the pit. Their cheers of encouragement quickly turned to cries of anguish as several of their numbers fell to the archer’s onslaught.
Taking advantage of the archers’ rhythm, Runi dashed along the edge of the chiseled rocks to another limestone formation closer to her companions.
The slaves who had been the first to join the revolt had reached the table of food and drink. Three of them now gorged themselves on the unguarded food at the table.
The one who had aided Asthara ran away when he saw Nazarus seemingly gaining his second wind.
Asthara stole some of that wind with a swing of her truncheon to Nazarus’s leg. Nothing broke on the man, but the blow proved solid enough to knock him back to the ground.
Runi pressed the advantage, charging in and swinging her chain at the fallen overseer.
The metal weapon slid off the man’s ample chest but failed to earn an acknowledgment of pain from him.
Meanwhile, Kesisa slammed her chain into a trustee’s head, knocking the man senseless. The other trustee swung at Kesisa but missed.
Nazarus lumbered to his feet. Fixing a steely gaze at Runi and Asthara, he said, “You bitches had this coming.” He cracked his whip to emphasize his words.
“The only thing scary about you,” Asthara said, “is the lack of length between your legs.”
Nazarus’s fingers clenched around the handle of his whip.
Asthara continued.
“What? You didn’t think the girls you raped would keep your little problem a secret, did you?” With a snarky smile, she added, “Emphasis on little.”
Nazarus let out a yell that would frighten the gods.
Asthara silenced that yell with a truncheon to his face.
Runi followed up with her chains against the man’s side, dragging away flesh and muscle. The big man took several steps back but not outside the reach of his whip.
The black leather snake lashed out, striking Asthara across her naked side. Skin split, blood dripping from the wound. Asthara’s teeth clenched.
Nazarus’s sneering satisfaction spurred her on.
Asthara defied the whip and closed on Nazarus, shattering her truncheon against his ribs. The man grunted as a rib broke, and his dark skin turned purple from the coming bruise.
Runi moved behind him, using her chain to sweep Nazarus’s leg and bring him to the ground.
The beast of a man quickly stood up and swung his whip at Runi.
Kesisa swung her chain at the last of the trustees.
The man dodged the attack, following up with a swing of his truncheon. He clipped Kesisa’s side, pushing her to the ground.
To her horror, a grouping of arrows slammed into the ground near her. She looked across the pit and saw the archers high above at ground level.
There was nothing she could do about them, at least for now. Kesisa prayed their aim remained poor — or proved so foul they speared their allies.
Wasting no further thought on the archers, Kesisa stood and swung her chain at the last trustee. Her steel shattered the man’s skull, sending him to the ground. She then looked to her allies, embroiled in their fight against Nazarus the Whip.
Kesisa quickly understood how he’d acquired the name as his black leather snake struck Runi, tearing flesh and blood from the woman’s arm.
Nazarus had not gone unscathed in this fight.
Asthara and Runi had torn away parts of the man’s flesh. He showed signs of fatigue.
It would not take much more to finish the bastard.
That’s it for this one! I’m looking at releasing the chapters monthly, but the story’s all done so it’s not a big thing to get them out sooner.
To tide you over until the next chapter, check out some of my other fanfiction.
Or swing over to the Merch From the Shed page. Catch the sale of Two Sisters, the first eBook in the new launch of my “Shadowdance” action/ urban fantasy saga, or get a free eBook from the saga.
Until next time!
