The Black God's Drums by P. Djèlí Clark

Author:P. Djèlí Clark
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

In a blur, he pulls a curved knife from inside his suit and darts right for me.

I jump back. Nobody should be able to move that fast, but he do. Oya’s wind is there again, pushing hard against him, so hard the whole cabin shake—and I fear for a moment it might fall in about us. But the man twists his lanky body like a sidewinding river snake, sliding around the gust of air easy as ever.

I’m still backing up, hearing the heels of my boots on the wooden planks, my mind warning me there’s soon going to be nowhere to go—and I’ll just be trapped in here with him. But there’s no time to think as he suddenly bounds forward in one big leap, that curved knife flashing silver in the flickering lamplight like a serpent’s fang. I throw up an arm to protect myself, all I can manage to do to as the blade comes close to slicing my face.

There’s a sharp sting, followed soon after by a powerful burning up and down my forearm. I glance to see the sleeve of my coat sliced open, and there’s blood soaking through the tear and into the fabric, warm and wet and running down to drip from my fingers. The pain is enough to make me stumble back, lose balance, and slip awkwardly to one knee. The tall man takes his time now, back to doing his shuffling dance and humming his damn tune. Behind me Jewel is shrieking in my ear, and I’m reminded how much I hate to hear folk screaming their fool heads off. What good that going to do? I want to turn and tell her to hush up, to let me think, but my eyes are locked on that skull’s face that’s coming for me. I don’t even think I can move. I feel trapped there and held in place. He’s twirling that knife between his fingers, the edge of it red with my blood, grinning his skeleton grin the whole while.

“Come see, cher,” he croons, beckoning with a finger. “Don’t be scared. Don’t run. I just want to cut you open. See what a witch insides made from. Maybe pull them out, and play with them some. I let you watch too.” He laughs and does a little hop and slide. “I can’t lie to you though, cher. It gonna hurt. It gonna hurt a lot. Real, real bad.”

He goes still for a moment—then moves all at once, coming at me quick as a shadow, that blade glinting as it shoots forward. I inhale, bracing for it to bite into me, knowing this time it’s gonna dig deep. But my attacker stops short, crying out suddenly instead. Something’s latched onto him, a small shape with teeth buried into his knife hand. I blink in surprise. Féral!

I got no idea how the swamp girl got here so fast, but she’s there and biting hard. The tall man tries to fling her way but she’s holding on tight.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.