by Kyle Prue
“What’s a snake?” Neil whispered to Alex.
He laughed and rubbed his forehead. “Umm…. Imagine a long, slithery land fish with big teeth. No fins.”
Neil stared at him. “Like a tube?”
Alex popped a bite of fish into his mouth. “Yeah, like a living tube with big, mean teeth.”
Neil realized he was being rude. A few people at their table were staring at him. He went quiet. Mama Tridenti continued. “He was friendly. So I named him Hector and brought him home. Many people were concerned about me, saying a snake was not a compatible sleeping companion and all that. But I didn’t care. He’d roll up into a ball next to me while I slept, and that was that. I’d feed it with anything I could find and he gobbled it all up. Hector was always hungry.”
She chuckled dryly. “Always hungry,” she said it again, slower this time. “So we had a wonderful arrangement, he and I. He was a nice snake. But then one day he stopped eating. No matter what I tried to feed him, he would keep his jaw clamped tight. He wouldn’t consume a morsel. What was even weirder was that he no longer slept in a ball curled up next to me. He stretched himself way out so that he ran parallel to me. We used to have someone on the island that claimed to be an expert in animals. I asked him about Hector’s new condition. Was Hector sick? Was he depressed? What was wrong with Hector? The man told me that Hector wasn’t sick. You see, Hector wasn’t starving himself… He was fasting.”
Neil felt his stomach lurch.
“The reason he was stretched out… was because he was measuring me. He wanted to know how many meals he should skip so that he could safely eat me whole.”
The dining room was silent. No one was eating or drinking anything anymore. She laughed. “I was so foolish. I told him there was no way Hector was going to eat me. So I continued to sleep with the snake. All was well until the night after, when I felt him try to wrap his body around mine. The bastard was trying to strangle me to death. I grabbed his head in one hand and his body in the other and I snapped his stupid snake spine.”
She crushed the wooden glass that was in her hand and splinters went flying. Someone in the dining hall squealed. “It was sad. I loved Hector. But he was a snake first and friend second. So he had to die.” She pointed above their heads. “There he is. Stuffed.”
Neil looked up and saw what must have been Hector hanging from the ceiling. It was a long speckled tube with an unnaturally twisted neck and dead eyes. Neil assumed a snake with a non-broken neck looked slightly different. Mama Tridenti stepped around the table and approached the center of the dining hall. She stood beneath the snake. “Today we were attacked by the Empire. They found the location of one of our hidden coves and open fired on our ships. Also, a few of our carrier pigeons are gone. Someone sent word to the Empire about our location and our secrets. Someone in our home is not who they say they are.”
A few too many people turned to look at Neil. He was the newest recruit. He tried not to gulp noticeably. “I invited that snake into my bed,” she said as she pointed at Hector. “I trusted it and I let it get close. Now it seems I’ve done it again.”
She glanced at Neil. He stared back unwaveringly. “So whoever you are, spy. Look up. Look up and see what happens to snakes in this house.”
With that she returned to her seat. Neil had no trouble eating the carp after that. There was nothing like a little fear to make one forget the small stuff. He no longer thought about dead fish eyes. He thought about proving his innocence. Because if Mama Tridenti thought he was a snake, there was only one possible outcome. He looked up at Hector again. He had no doubt that someone was going to have their stupid snake spine broken. Maybe they’d end up stuffed, right next to Hector.
Chapter Sixty-One
BRIGHTBOW
CARLIN FILUS
The two bounty hunters entered the atrium of the Mayor’s house with their trophies in tow. If not for the blue Celerius coats the two prisoners would have been unrecognizable. Their limbs were tied and their heads bagged.
Carlin looked the bounty hunters up and down. One was large and bald. The other was a good deal smaller and had neck length black hair. Their outfits were the kind that had clearly been assembled out of bits and pieces. Aside from their large goggles, which were visibly nicer than any of their other clothing.
Carlin grinned at them in an odd fashion, as if showing every single tooth was necessary in expressing gratitude. “Want your gold now?” Carlin asked. “How did you catch them?”
“Caught ‘em crawling around by the roof next door. Trying to get in a window,” the large bald one muttered in a gravelly tone. “We pushed them off and they broke a few bones. Tied them before they could recover.”
Carlin laughed. “Idiots!” He signaled to one of his archers. “In a second I want you to take these men to be weighed and paid in full! No! Pay them double!”
Carlin kneeled in front of the larger figure and pulled him to a sitting position. “I’ve dreamed of this moment for so long, Wolf.” Carlin said. “Five years together in the Imperial Hunting Squadron and every day all I could imagine was having what you had. I wanted that title. I wanted the respect you had. How does it feel?” He gestured with his sword. “Do you feel like I felt? Do you covet my title? Does it make you feel small to be facing a general? I want you to see it coming. I want you to look into my eyes.”
He pulled the bag off of the hostage and came face to face with James Jacobson. He gasped and scrambled to a standing position.
The Wolf nodded at Lilly and planted his feet. “There isn’t a title in existence that could make you any more of a man, Carlin.”
Carlin’s eyes widened in fury as he realized who the bounty hunters really were. He sputtered a few times trying to comprehend his situation. The Wolf opened his mouth and released the cry that had inspired legends. Luckily the Wolf had been right. Lilly was unaffected by his advanced ability. Carlin roared in pain and tried his best to block out the sound by pawing at his ears. The archers followed suit and dropped their bows. After cutting the Jacobson’s bonds, Lilly was across the room and made short work of the archers. The Jacobson had ears full of candle wax to block them from the worst of the Howl. The Wolf ceased his scream and staggered slightly. Carlin recovered inhumanly fast and charged him. The Wolf raised his sword and blocked the first swings, but it was clear that his howl had taken a lot out of him. He wasn’t even at half strength. Lilly leapt to her uncle’s aid and the two swung at Carlin viciously. He dodged swing after swing and dealt out his fair share of blows. Sparks flew from the blades as Carlin somehow managed to match their Celerius speed.
The Jacobson’s crawled away from the brawl and began ushering hostages out the back door. They were through the kitchen before Carlin could stop them. James lingered behind and pulled the wax from his one ear. “Should we…?”
“Go,” the Wolf grunted. “Meeting place,” he managed through swings.
James didn’t wait for a second order before bolting out of the room.
Carlin kicked the Wolf hard as he was preparing for a swing. In the same motion he spun around and jabbed at Lilly hard enough to make her retreat. He earned himself a moment’s break and used it to scream with rage. “You cut your hair!” he cried in disbelief. “You actually cut off all your hair.”
Lilly removed her goggles and tossed them to the ground. “Survival takes precedence over fashion,” she said, “It was time to abandon old honor.”
Carlin spat on the ground. “You’ve also abandoned your chances of an honorable death.”
Chapter Sixty-Two
ARKNEY
DARIUS TAURLUM
Against all odds, Barlow awoke in the middle of the night screaming. “What happened?” he finally managed after Anastasia was able to calm him. Darius held him down until the thrashing stopped. That was a benefit to Taurlum strength: not even the most frantic of men could overpower him.
“You’re at your bar. Victor gave you a beating,” she said. “I remember you bein
g quicker.”
“Did you kill him?”
“No,” Anastasia said.
“Then I guess he was too fast for you as well,” Barlow said.
He tried to sit-up but groaned and gripped his head. His headache must have been unholy. “Stay,” Darius said. “You need a drink?”
Anastasia gave him a look. Clearly she didn’t recommend this solution. Usually Darius wouldn’t either, but Barlow looked like a nightmare. His face was swelling and cut in various places. They’d have to stitch up his forehead when he calmed down. “No drinks,” Barlow said.
“Really?” Anastasia asked.
“Really,” Barlow said. “Victor is the worst kind of scoundrel, but he was right. I’m getting much slower. Maybe I’ll quit for a few weeks.” He paused. “I’ll quit for a few days.”
He rolled over and planted his face on the wooden table where they set him. They heard snoring within seconds. Bianca pulled him up by the hair. “You can’t fall asleep with a head wound.”
“What…?” he asked. “Why?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “But some people do it and they don’t wake up.”
Barlow crossed his arms and sat up. He looked like he wanted to argue but didn’t. He swung his legs over the table and, with a pouty look at his compatriots, stood and began pacing the floor.
“How long will it take to get to Abington from here?” Darius asked Bianca.
“Two weeks at least. We’ll have to cover a ton of ground.” She was right. Arkney was as Far East as someone could travel without falling in the ocean. Abington was west.
“Can we leave tonight?” Anastasia asked. “I don’t want to give him time to move.”
“What about him?” Bianca asked as she jerked her head towards Barlow who swayed like a drunkard as he walked soberly.
“He’s a strong fellow,” Darius said.
“I agree,” Anastasia said. “He’ll be okay. Rhys is the priority.”
They made the silent agreement to leave that morning. Darius went upstairs to pack his things. He heard Anastasia’s quiet footsteps behind him. “That was an exhilarating evening,” she said once they reached the top floor.
He gathered his meager belongings and shoved them into his bag. “I’m not sure if that’s the word I’d use.” Something was weighing on his mind. “The Marksman took down you, Barlow, and Bianca tonight. He could have killed any of you but he let you live. Any idea why?”
He looked back at her. She was eerily calm. “Maybe when Bianca and I attacked him together he realized he was outnumbered.”
“From what I hear, that’s not really a problem for him.”
“Stop dancing around what you really want to say,” Anastasia said.
He slung his bag over his shoulder. “The Doctor wants us to get to him at some point. It’s not about the money anymore. He wants to toy with us. He wants us to attack him on his home turf again.”
“What can I tell you?” Anastasia asked. “He’s a sadist. Of course he wants to fight us on his home turf.”
Darius nodded slowly as if asking for more. She looked like she wanted to tell him more, but couldn’t let the words out. “You worked for him,” Darius said.
“I did.”
He was sure her eyes were moist. “Would he trick a group of us into going after him?” Darius asked. “Are we walking into a trap we couldn’t possibly hope to survive?”
She didn’t say anything for a while. It almost seemed like she was going to confess something. “Darius… I…” She took a deep breath. “I don’t think we have a choice. Rhys is in trouble.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Darius said as he brushed past her and descended the staircase. As he left her he couldn’t fight the feeling that she was keeping something from him. It had always been like that with her. She always had information he wanted; ever since the day she’d broken him out of prison to kill him. She always knew a little bit more than he did.
Chapter Sixty-Three
BRIGHTBOW
LILLY CELERIUS
Before the two Celerius could overtake Carlin, Lilly heard a window break behind her. Focused on the combat, she didn’t hear the Hyena approach. By the time she heard his snickering it was too late. He tackled her to the ground and away from the duel. Her sword slid away from her. He planted his feet on her ankles and began snapping at her neck viciously. “Sorry I’m late,” he said between bites. “I stopped at a hospital for something to eat.”
Carlin took the moment’s distraction and disarmed the Wolf with a mighty swing. Before the Wolf could escape, Carlin stabbed him through the stomach. “Do you know what I realized when I killed Anthony?” Carlin asked as he plunged his sword into the Wolf.
Steven crumpled and Carlin stood over him, continuing to push his sword deeper. “I had a religious realization,” Carlin said slowly as if pushing his words out at the same rate that he pushed the sword into the Wolf. “I realized something incredible. A god sent you, didn’t he? You were bestowed upon the people, right? You were destined to protect the people of Altryon, weren’t you? But look at this.” He gestured with his free hand to the sword. “My blade slices right through you. You’re flesh. You’re blood. I had no reason to look up to you because you are what I always suspected: a false god.”
The Wolf tried to stand, but Carlin kicked him to the ground and began sliding his sword up toward the heart. The Wolf grabbed the blade desperately and tried to stop it from cutting him in two. “You weren’t meant to protect us! We were meant to kill you. You are a test for us to prove who the real heroes are! Why else would any god send such fragile heroes? He wanted to protect Altryon by teaching it to burn and to break the petty, selfish, Lightborns.” Carlin laughed to himself. “Well, here I go. Doing his bidding.”
Carlin’s sword was mere inches away from the Wolf’s heart. He was slicing through ribs slowly and maliciously. Lilly wanted to run to her uncle’s aid, but she was no better off. The Hyena snapped viciously at her neck and inched closer with every bite. She pushed on his neck desperately, but he was strong, even stronger than he looked. She could hear the Wolf calling to her from far away, but she couldn’t understand him. The Hyena finally reached her neck and grazed the surface with his razor sharp teeth. She screamed louder.
The Hyena laughed. “What happens if I chew through the spinal cord?”
She knew exactly what would happen. She would die. Decapitation was one way to kill a Celerius, and the Hyena’s teeth, although an unconventional tool, were probably sharp enough to accomplish it. Suddenly the Wolf’s voice could be heard clear as day. “Lilly! Fight! Go for the eyes!”
She tried desperately but was tiring and her neck was struggling to recover as the Hyena’s teeth made deeper cuts. “Come on,” the Hyena persisted, frustration creeping into his voice. “Just a little off the top.”
Lilly was amazed the Wolf could focus or talk with a sword in his chest, but he kept calling to her. “Who are you, Lilly?” he asked. “Are you a girl petrified by nightmares? Or are you the nightmare?” His voice grew weaker. He was swinging his fists desperately at Carlin, but Carlin was out of reach.
The Wolf persisted. “Are you a victim? Or are you a force to fear? Abandon Lilly the lady. She has no place here. Abandon old honor. This isn’t a sword fight.”
The Hyena giggled with glee. “You have nightmares do you?” he whispered into her neck, “Do your nightmares involve traveling through my digestive tract?”
Lilly’s eyes met the Hyena’s and his smile dropped. Something was different about her. She slammed her forehead into the Hyena’s nose. He growled and attempted to snap at her throat again but she slammed her head into his again. She beat his face senselessly with her own until she felt her skull fracture and heal itself over. The Hyena rolled off and groaned in pain. He tried to stand, but Lilly was on her feet in an instant. She slammed her foot into his stomach and, despite his hard muscles, he yelped. Before she could do it again, he scampered to his feet. “No
more jokes, eh?” he said maniacally.
“You want a joke?” she asked.
She closed the distance between them in an instant and delivered a lightening fast kick to his ankle. As he tried to correct his footing, she punched him hard in his neck. He dropped to the ground and she placed her foot on the back of his head. “What’s stronger than a Hyena’s upper jaw?”
“What?” he choked.
“His lower one,” she said.
With that she stomped on the back of his head. She heard the telltale crack that told her his metal teeth had fractured his jaw. He would have been howling in pain if his mouth hadn’t been crushed shut. She didn’t have time to relish her victory though. The Wolf needed help. She grabbed her discarded sword from the ground and charged Carlin without mercy. He ducked under her swing, but was forced to backtrack away from the Wolf. She pulled the sword from his chest and he breathed in relief. His wounds began to sew themselves shut, but she knew it would be a while before he could stand.
Carlin took a few more steps back as Lilly advanced. “You wouldn’t kill an unarmed man,” Carlin said. “That’s your Celerius honor at work.”
She clucked her tongue. “Sorry, Carlin. The lady Lilly Celerius is gone. I am the warrior Lilly Celerius. Honorable men deserve honorable deaths. You deserve nothing.”
She jabbed her blade at him but as always, he was quicker than he looked. He used her moment of confusion to leave sword-fighting distance and enter combat distance. He brought his elbow across her face. She hardly seemed to notice it as she slammed her sword hilt into his chin. He stumbled backward. Even in his dazed state he was able to duck under her next swing. “I do admit,” he breathed. “Something’s different about you. You’re less stuck up. Less arrogant.”
She caught him in the leg and he howled. A sudden opening of the doors drew her attention. The rebels guarding the doors must have fled. Carlin seized his opportunity and kicked her sword out of her hand. He pulled a knife and jabbed it into Lilly’s flank. She still managed to catch a glimpse of Virgil entering. He was covered in blood and looked worse than the Wolf.
