The Skeleton King

(Le Roi Squelette)

Serge BRUSSOLO

Summary

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Condemned to a life as pariahs, Junia, a young woman of gigantic size, and Shaghan, a boy lacking legs, are the favourite slaves of a blacksmith-mage. A spell permits them to endure the infernal heat of a forge built on top of a volcano, the trade-off being a fatal vulnerability to cold preventing any chance of their escape.

Their survival ensured solely by a potion possessed by their master, Shaghan and Junia are sent out to repair some enchanted armour with defects that are posing problems for a noble client. But the mission turns out to be much more dangerous than expected: the two slaves find themselves forced to cross a cursed land and to confront the Skeleton King in person, an elusive, diabolical entity who embodies the shadowy powers at their nightmarish worst.