by Sky Corbelli
Chapter 21
Demons in the Dark
Just under an hour later they came to a stop. Ezra strapped on his night vision goggles and looked around the rain-streaked terrain. He squinted at something off to the north, and adjusted the goggles to zoom in. A solid line of glistening black came into view, and Ezra drew in a breath.
“The blight line,” Mat confirmed. “It stretches nearly around the world, more or less straight, broken only by lakes and oceans. The ground there was superheated until it turned to glass.” He shook his head as he readied his rifle. “We don't know what did it, but it's been there since before Sanctuary, so it's a safe bet that it happened during the war. That much power...” His voice sounded slightly haunted. “I don't think we could have done that. Hell, I don't think we could do it now.”
“People out here are scared to death of the blight line itself.” Sarah adjusted her belt and engaged the hologram that would hide their skiff. “But they make roads beside it, since it cleared the ground for kilometers around it on either side. They actually have bridges to cross it in some places, where they can't use the sky stream.” She looked off toward the small town in the distance. “Come on, our meeting place is on the blight side of town, in a little cave.”
They made their way through the night until a small group of rocks, tilted together to almost form a tent, appeared. A bedraggled red flag flopped around near its peak. Mat took off at his loping run to get a view of the inside of the cave and the surrounding area. Sarah and Ezra slowly crept around it to come in from the north, as if they had come off the blight. Ezra saw a weak red flicker inside the cave. Someone had lit a fire. Just before they slipped inside, Mat's voice came through their communicators. “Hold. Jeremy Haldis is not in the cave.” Sarah and Ezra froze, waiting for Mat to continue. “There's a young woman inside, huddled up next to the fire, trying to stay dry. She's looking around every few seconds. I'd say she's here for us. Sarah, how do want to do this?”
“I don't like surprises.” Sarah's voice was as hard as it had been all night. Or morning. Whatever time it was. “You spot anyone else around? Heat signatures?”
“Nothing,” came Mat's reply. “That little fire isn't enough to hide someone else, either.”
Sarah cocked her head slightly, as if weighing options. Ezra stared at the little copse of stones for a handful of seconds, then asked, “Mat, how does the girl look?”
“She looks miserable and... terrified. Like she's expecting something to jump out of the shadows at her any second.”
Ezra nodded. “Almost like she's out near midnight waiting for demons to show up?”
“Heh, yeah, I guess it could look a lot like that.” Mat chuckled grimly.
Ezra turned his attention back to Sarah. “Okay,” she said. “We'll check it out. Keep us covered and apprised of any changes in the situation.”
“Roger that. You are green to engage.” Ezra took a deep breath as Mat gave them the go ahead.
“Making contact.” Sarah's voice came back, cold and detached. They made their way into the shelter of the cave, making no effort to hide as they stalked inside.
Ezra thought the girl was going to faint. “Sweet Mother preserve me!” she gasped, scrambling back away from them. She looked young, maybe sixteen or seventeen, homespun dress smudged with mud, her reddish blonde hair pulled back from her face.
“You raised the flag,” Sarah stated.
“I-I... yes, I raised the flag, as my father before me, great ones.” The girl watched them with terrified eyes, getting to her knees and bowing low. “He... well I suppose you know, what with his soul and... since you're here, and y-you knew that I'd...” She gulped loudly, then closed her eyes and stammered out, “I, Jenna Haldis, will make any c-compact that pa... that my father made with you, only... p-please, you must help us, like you did b-before, the other times!” She was practically sobbing at this point. Ezra felt horrible.
“The compact will be kept.” Sarah's voice still sounded alien, void of any emotion or inflection. “You will tell us what you wish done, and we will judge.”
The girl, Jenna, opened her eyes and gazed back up them, and Ezra couldn't tell if her tears were from fright or hope. “He... he came the day before yesterday. My father and the other village elders, t-they were meeting at the edge of town.” She took a trembling breath. “The wind-scarred, he killed them all. He didn't ask for anything. We didn't even know he was there until he walked in, all covered in bandages except his hands, and they were a mess of scars so we knew, we knew he had done it. And then this storm came and we just...” An edge of anger began to tinge words. “He demanded... things, from us, from many of th-the women, whichever ones he fancied. Took anything he wanted and said that the elders were just an example, that if we didn't, that he... that he would...”
“How do they know it was him?” Ezra murmured to Sarah and Mat. “It could have been a freak wind storm.”
“In hundreds of years of watching, there's never been a natural disaster,” Mat said quietly. “When man controls nature, every disaster in man-made.”
The anger that had entered Jenna Haldis's voice as she spoke flared into hatred, hatred at the man who had done this to her and her family, hatred at her own inability to do anything about it. “I don't care what you do to me,” she spat, “but I want him to suffer. I want to see him die. Make him pay!”
Sarah stared at the girl unnervingly until she visibly wilted, cowering again. Mat's voice came back through the communicators. “No fire-kissed then. Girl probably knew her dad did this when there was trouble, but didn't know which flag to use. Have to slip her a cheat sheet on that before we go.” Ezra nodded slightly. The girl shifted her gaze to him, all anger and terror.
“We shall do as you ask,” Sarah said, then turned and stalked from the cave.
Ezra followed, trying to walk like a demon until they were out of sight. He heard the girl sobbing in the flickering fire light behind them. “Oh thank you. Mother help me, thank you.”
“Can't say I like whoever set up this contact,” Ezra muttered as they made their way back to the skiff.
“We all do what we have to, Hawkins. We just try to get by as best we can.”
Mat joined up with them back by the skiff. “Oh, before I forget,” Ezra said as he pulled on his rain gear, “my secretary was poking around old Guild events. I think I threw her off the scent, but she found some pictures of this guy, was wondering if you knew him. His name was... something with an R. Ralson, I think.”
Mat made a choking sound as Sarah exploded. “What, one time wasn't enough?! It hurts, okay! Now can you both just drop this so I can do my strucking job?!” She started the skiff and began moving it into a better position to watch the town. Ezra thought he heard her sniff and saw her shoulders tremble slightly. Mat gave him a warning look.
“I'll take first watch.” Mat intoned quietly. “The town should be pretty quiet 'till some time after dawn, especially if this rain doesn't let up. You two try and get some sleep.” He settled in to watch the town. Sarah pulled her rain gear around her without looking at either of them and hunkered down under it, staring off into the night without seeing anything. Ezra shook his head, too tired to be curious, then tried to fall asleep.
He failed. A few hours later, Mat produced a small thermos of coffee. Ezra glared up at the still pouring rain and nodded his thanks to Mat, taking the covered cup that was offered to him. Mat set a second cup next to Sarah. “Tell me about it?” Ezra asked after taking a scalding sip.
Mat glanced at Sarah's still, unmoving form. “Not for me to say,” he muttered, pouring himself a steaming cup. They sat watching the day brighten, the sun rising somewhere behind the rain and clouds.
Several minutes later Sarah stirred, one hand slipping from beneath her rain gear to pick up the coffee. Her voice was rough as she said, “Report. Anything notable?”
“Nothing so far.” Mat took a moment to scan the small town through his scope. “Looks li
ke there's a little movement. We should probably get you two fitted out to head in there and get a better feel for things.”
Sarah nodded as Ezra looked through the packs Mr. Blair had provided for them. One contained five jugs of the cider they had brought back from Arborlen. Mat looked over his shoulder. “Good thing we brought a packhorse, eh?” He let out a laugh as he thumped Ezra on the back. Even Sarah almost smiled at that.
