Read Online The Colour of Vengeance by Rob J. Hayes - Free Book Online

year ago would have accepted those odds. He would have charged in, axe swinging, cutting a swathe through his enemies. But something had changed in the last year and it wasn't just his weakened state. Betrim no longer had any backup, no longer had a crew to help him out. The strong, commanding presence of the Boss, the inexhaustible strength of Bones, the silent and deadly bloodlust of Henry, and the unfailing competence of Swift. All were gone, now it was just him and he wasn’t pleased at the odds.
    Betrim heard a shout from behind and below him; someone on the pier. He turned and ran, leaping over the railing. Some corner of his mind recognised that he wasn't as fast as he used to be, that one of the sailors had started forwards before him. With a heavy thud Betrim hit the wood of the pier on all fours, his right hand unhooking his axe from his belt with practised accuracy. The fast sailor hit the pier a moment later and stumbled on his landing. The Black Thorn's first chop took all five of the man's toes off his left foot. His second chop; a meaty back-swing, cut a deep rend through the sailor's screaming face. Betrim didn't wait around to check if the man was dead; he shouldered past and sprinted up the pier towards the city of Solantis, the shouts of the five remaining sailors chasing him all the way.
    Just like every damned dock Betrim had ever seen, the dock of Solantis was a crowded mess of people, crates, livestock and lightly simmering violence. He shouted to the folk in front of him, a wordless cry he hoped would translate to something roughly like get the fuck out of the way . People turned to stare at him in confusion. Some folk got the hint and started pushing to make room, others just stood still with open mouths. Betrim launched himself into the crowd with all his weight. Folk stumbled and fell, recovered and pushed back, some even shouted back but most just tried to move. Then Betrim was free of the press and the city of Solantis stretched out in front of him and he realised he had no idea of where he was going. Truth was Solantis was one of the few places in the wilds Betrim had never been to, never seemed like he'd had a reason before.
    Shouts from behind warned Betrim he was still being chased. He craned his neck around and caught sight of the sailors pushing their way through the crowd, one man was stuck behind a number of docile looking beasts coloured white with black splotches, or maybe they were black with white splotches. Either way they were large and didn't look to be in any hurry to move.
    Betrim began to back away. There were a few mercs watching him with amused disinterest. “Those men are chasin' me,” he said to the mercs.
    The biggest of them sniffed and looked into the crowd. “Aye, reckon they are.”
    Realising he wasn't about to get any help from the local law enforcement without the bits to pay for it Betrim turned and started running. He'd lost valuable time and the sailors would be all the closer for it.
    Buildings loomed up in front of Betrim on either side of the street. They were squat things, low and ugly and built of crude, brown stone. He doubted any of them contained more than a couple of rooms and certainly none of the luxuries. What they did have was steps on the outside of the buildings leading up to the flat rooftops. Some of the buildings had wet clothing staked up and drying in the afternoon sun, some had people sitting on chairs, watching the world move by on the streets below them, some had barrels, open to the sky and no doubt full of water, and some were bare. Betrim didn't much care why the buildings were built that way, he mounted the first steps he came to two at a time and hit the roof still sprinting. With a giant leap he crossed the gap to the next building and stumbled, his momentum taking him arse-over-head. A moment later he lurched back to his feet and glanced behind him. One of the sailors was just coming up the steps onto the first rooftop. Again Betrim