The Darkslayer: Chaos at the Castle (Book 6) by Craig Halloran Page A

she couldn’t pee straight after that, but how can you tell?”
    Joline tried to hide her laugh but couldn’t. The woman, for all her abrasive manners, was likeable.
    Darlene took the entire glass, knocked it back, smacked her lips and smiled. “Mmmmm. That is good. Very good! Scorch, you have to try this … uh … what is it?”
    “Muckle Sap.”
    “Muckles Sap, Scorch. It makes Jig taste like goat piss.”
    Joline briefly looked up, wondering if indeed the woman had ever drank goat piss.
    I certainly hope not.
    “Would you like the entire bottle, Darlene? That first taste is a courtesy sample, and it is our most expensive.”
    “Oh, well, I… Scorch, do we have any coins?” She nodded. “He says we can buy all the Muckle Sap we want.”
    “But he didn’t say anything?” She looked over, saw his smiling face and blushed. “Did he?”
    Mercy walked past the bar beaming, a large jar of pickles in one hand and a plate of fried pickles in the other. She set them before Scorch.
    “Mercy, I didn’t hear him ask for that?”
    “I didn’t either.”
      Another barmaid crossed Joline’s path, a plate of cheese, bread and meats in her hand. She dropped it in front of Scorch, smiled from ear to ear, bowed, and giggled away.
    “What in Bish is going on here? The man hasn’t said a thing.”
    Darlene reached over and patted Joline on the shoulder. “Don’t you worry about what is going on here, and everything will be fine. You see, my friend Scorch, well, he pretty much does anything he wants. And you don’t want to be on the side of what he don’t like.”
    Joline took a long look at Scorch. She couldn’t tell if it was a thrill or a chill that went down her spine. But something wasn’t right.
    ***
    “This place is a lot better than Hohm City, isn’t it Scorch?” Darlene wiped her sleeve across her mouth and burped. “Did you try this Mu-Mookle Surp? It’s something. Like, really good.”
    It was the best Darlene had felt since she could ever remember, being here, in a wonderful tavern full of all different sorts of people. No doubt the City of Three was the place to be. She was never bothered before by the misty city she called home, but she didn’t see herself going back now either. She shook her head, rubbed her red eyes and took another drink. “To the City of Trees!”
    At her side, Scorch had been eating one pickle after another, washing them down with Muckle Sap, and he hadn’t stopped for hours. His broad smile was all Darlene needed to see to tell that he was having a good time.
    “Barmaid, tell me ―Joline is it?” Scorch smiled.
    Her face lit up as she nodded.
    “So, you take the pickles, wrap them in cheese, and dip them in boiling…” he paused.
    “Lard,” she said, wiping the same spot on the bar she’d been at for over an hour.
    “It’s one of the most incredible things I’ve ever experienced in the entire universe!”
    “ The what?” Joline said, cocking her head.
    “Universe!” Darlene blurted out, slapping the bar with her hand. “He talks about it, but I don’t get it. I think it’s in the Underpants ― Hic― I mean the Underlands.”
    “And this Muckle Sap isn’t half bad either,” Scorch said. “I bet Morley would enjoy this.” Scorch looked around as if he was searching for an old friend. “Oh, never mind.”
    “Who’s Morley, Scorch?” Darlene said. “And why are you always talking about him?” Whenever she heard that name, her jealous side came to life. Scorch was her friend and her friend alone.
    “Darlene,” Scorch said, “I told you not to think like that.”
    She grabbed his sleeve, started petting it with her dirty hands and said, “I’m sorry , Scorch. Hic . Won’t happen again. Hic .”
    Hopping off her stool, she ’d started teetering away when she heard Joline say, “Is she going to be alright?”
    “She’ll be alright, Joline,” Scorch said . He reached over and patted Joline’s hand. “But please, tell me about all your