It was during this short span of time, while he felt the cool, night air melting his worries away, that he first heard the sound. Initially, he had scanned the area in front of him, thinking the noise may have been the rumblings of a thunder cloud, but as he peered into the darkness he doubted it was what he had heard. Only a multitude of twinkling stars dotted his vision. There wasn’t a single cloud in sight, let alone a thunderhead.
When he heard the noise again, a few seconds later, he realized that it wasn’t a storm approaching, but something else. If he wasn’t mistaken, the steady thrum of turbulence in the air reminded him of a bird flapping its wings. He scoffed at the notion. There is no way a bird could create a noise of that depth. It would have to be as big as a house. Before he could entirely dismiss the idea, George noticed a large section of the stars he’d been admiring a moment ago disappear before his eyes.
Keeping his focus on the darkened section of sky, he turned his steed to the left in a slow arc. Before he had time to think, the veil of night was broken by what appeared to be a giant fireball. It streaked through the darkness toward him, giving George only a second or two to react. Slapping the control lever hard to the left, his steed veered sharply in that direction. He felt his body slide, threatening to eject him from the creature’s back. Clamping his thighs together as tight as he could, George grasped at anything he could get his hands on to keep from falling to his death. His fingertips found purchase in a crease of metal in the beast’s shiny hide, allowing him a brief moment to steady his mount.
He could still hear his adversary’s enormous wings beating the air into submission behind him and to his right. Slowly, George moved the control lever of his steed until it was upright again. The normally cold, night air around him was anything but normal. Though the wind rushing into his face was cool, he could feel a hot breeze against his back. Knowing the flying giant was likely right behind him, he pushed his mount’s control lever forward. Gradually adding more pressure to the stick, the beast descended toward the ground. It was the only option George could think of right now. He only hoped that whatever was chasing him through the sky wouldn’t follow him to the ground.
***
The journey through the tunnels from the Factory, into Cemetery Hill, and finally to the outside world had been tedious at best, but after several trips upon the rail-car to the base of the mountain, Verin was at last able to assemble his new army into one, giant column for the march south. It had been early morning by the time the large formation was ready to get underway, but once they began moving, Verin was more than pleased with the rapidity of their progress. The machines devoured everything in their path. Buildings were reduced to rubble. The dying grasses were trampled to dust. Trees were toppled and pulverized, blazing a path of destruction as they steadily marched toward their objective.
One thing Verin had discovered in his short command over his mechanical counterparts was that communication with his troops was a two way street. He had only expected his new minions to obey his instructions. Little had he known that he would be able to decipher the clicks and clacks of their mechanized speech. It certainly aided his ability to guide them. It was an added bonus when he discovered that he could hold simple conversations with the machines, almost as if they were intelligent enough to think for themselves.
As the day wore on, he was increasingly thankful of his subordinates. One of the giant, troll-like sentinels had relayed information to him which apprised him of a potential threat ahead. If Verin understood the machine correctly, it was entirely possible that his army had discovered the group of mortals the Black Knight had sent them to destroy. It didn’t appear likely to him, though. The humans had a few days head start on them, and it didn’t seem probable that they would dally so close to the mountain.
Nonetheless, the giant machine had told him of a nearby mechanical signature. Possibly one of the two-headed, horse-like creatures that Verin knew was their only method of expedient travel. As the column marched inexorably forward, he thought he saw a glint of light reflecting from something ahead. Before they were able to get close enough to investigate the source, an interesting thing happened.
The shiny object rapidly rose into the sky, gleaming with the last, dying light of the sun’s rays and streaking away from the column of machines. Verin knew when he saw it that the creature he’d seen was not one of the horse-like beasts, but before he could consider its true identity and purpose, one of the giant trolls told him the mechanical signature had disappeared.
Letting out a harsh sigh of frustration because his prey had managed to elude him, Verin started the army forward once again. You can run, but you can’t hide. I will find you again if I have to travel to the edge of this forsaken world.
Chapter 23
Katie was excited. After Edward had agreed to give her the day to instruct Julie on how to use her crossbow, she had found her once dainty friend more than capable of wielding the weapon. Perhaps the most difficult task associated with the usage of the bow was getting the drawstring pulled back so it could be loaded. At first, Katie was unsure if Julie had the upper body strength, but was pleasantly surprised that she was able to accomplish it with fluid ease after the first couple of attempts.
Once Katie was certain her friend could load the crossbow with near combat quickness, she moved on to teaching her how to aim and fire the weapon. For the first couple of hours, Katie gave tips and pointers on how to improve her accuracy, picking out a stationary object for a target and having Julie take shots at it. When she was satisfied with Julie’s progress, she took her lessons one step further. Despite her friend’s protestations about shooting at living beings, Katie took her into the surrounding forest to hunt, hoping Julie would adapt to targeting an unpredictable, moving target as well as she had the stationary ones during practice. This was the closest thing she could offer her friend to simulate combat. It was just an added bonus if her lessons were successful and they returned to camp with an abundance of fresh meat. If nothing else, it would mean they could skip hunting for a while.
***
The two women returned to camp later that afternoon, laughing and carrying on as if they had never been apart. As they walked toward the fire, Katie lifted Julie’s arm high in the air, a string of trophy rabbits spinning in crazy circles from the twine wrapped around her fist.
“I think she’s got the hang of it,” Katie announced, a smile so wide crossing her features that her lips looked like they were trying to nibble on her ears.
“Holy cow!” Brian remarked in awe as he glanced toward them.
“Holy cow is right,” Edward agreed. “It’s going to take us all night to cook them.”
“Well, hop to it. Get it? Hop? Rabbit?” Katie laughed hysterically at the wry smile on Edward’s face as he shook his head.
“I thought you said he had a sense of humor?” Julie whispered, cupping her hand over Katie’s ear.
Never taking her eyes off Edward, she responded to her friend’s query. “Oh, he does. He just doesn’t like to show it all the time. He thinks that nobody will take him seriously if he’s always joking around. At least, that’s my opinion.”
***
As they sat around the evening fire, the last rabbit cooking over the flames and their bellies almost uncomfortably full, the pervading mood of the group was more jovial than Katie had seen in her entire time on Desolace. In the past hour she had heard more laughter and jokes than any time in recent memory, and it warmed her heart. Maybe, just maybe, things would turn out all right. Though thoughts of their journey ahead weren’t far from their minds, for the time being at least, they had been able to focus on more mundane things and develop even stronger bonds with one another than any of them had considered possible.
When all the meat was cooked, and stored safely inside the hollowed chest of Brian’s steed to keep the enticing aroma from attracting predators from the forest, their conversations began to wane. From where Katie sat, it looked to her as if the telltale s
igns of fat puppy syndrome were putting a stranglehold on everyone. As she glanced from face to face in the diminishing firelight, she saw the heavy, drooping eyelids, and the seemingly vacant look in the eyes of each of her companions.
Absently, Edward grabbed a few larger branches and gently placed them in the fire. A brief shower of sparks fluttered toward the night sky as his mouth stretched open in a cavernous yawn. “I don’t know about all of you, but I can’t keep my eyes open.”
With the night winding down, Katie sighed and leaned back, spreading her blanket out and preparing to lay down. “Ditto.”
“No watch tonight?” Brian rubbed his eyelids and gazed toward Edward.
“No. I think we can rely on your senses. There hasn’t been anything since the fireball in the sky last night to indicate we could be in any danger. Besides, everyone needs to get as much rest as possible. We get back underway tomorrow.”
“You don’t need to tell us twice.” Katie grinned sleepily, tucking an arm under her head and closing her eyes. Feeling Julie’s arm drape over her midsection, she scooted backward a few inches, until she felt the warmth of her friend’s body pressing against her back, then let out a contented sigh.
***
When the women awoke the next morning to the sound of stomping feet, they sat up quickly, startled. They relaxed when they saw the source of the noise, Edward, tapping his boots on the dying embers of their campfire to make sure it was fully extinguished before they left. Brian was standing near the mechanical horses, apparently making sure that all of their supplies were loaded properly and secure.
“Well, well, well. Our resident sleepyheads are finally awake,” Brian joked when he saw Katie and Julie sitting up, still encased in their blankets as if they were butterflies preparing to emerge from their cocoons.
“Very funny, Carrot Top,” Katie remarked, waving a dismissive hand at the shaman as she stood.
“Who?” Edward frowned in confusion.
“Never mind, Edward. You wouldn’t understand. Carrot Top was a comedian where Julie and I are from.”
Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to his task. One of these days I may actually understand more of her offhand references, but I doubt it will be any time soon. Hopefully, we live long enough for that day to come.
Katie escorted Julie to their steed and opened its chest to stash their blankets. Thankfully, she had grown more accustomed to the strange creatures, and although she still seemed hesitant around them, she no longer appeared to be fearful of them.
Once their bedding was stowed, Katie returned to where she’d slept last night and looked at the ground in confusion. “Has anyone seen the crossbow?”
“It’s behind the saddle of your mount,” Brian replied. “Sorry, I was just trying to make sure we didn’t forget anything.”
“Thanks! I was freaking out for a second there. Thought something had snuck up on us last night and dragged it off into the woods.”
***
Over the course of the next several hours, Brian maneuvered his metallic steed through the steadily thickening, leafless trees. Whether it was by fate or accident, they had, once again, found the river which ran north to south across the northernmost regions of Desolace. As they rode beside the gently moving waters, Edward informed them that the tributary followed the range of mountains to their east and would eventually dump into the ocean at the edge of the known world. He told the others that there were rumors of land masses beyond the sea, and if the legends he’d heard as a child were true, there was a ghostly ship which patrolled the waters. Whether the boat cruised the ocean in search of passengers to escort to the rumored southern lands, or if it were a sentinel positioned to keep men in the northern regions, he couldn’t say for certain. The only thing he could tell them was that they would find out for sure if they ever reached the shores of the ocean.
Glancing skyward, Edward was thankful that they had found the river again. Dark clouds scuttled across the heavens, obscuring the sun. He couldn’t help but wonder if the foreboding murk above them was an attempt, by the dark forces they fought against, to confuse their sense of direction and cause them to travel in impotent circles. If it was the case, it no longer mattered. The gentle current to their left would be their guide.
As the afternoon wore on, the gloom sank ever closer. The billowing bellies of the darkened clouds looking fatter by the minute, as if the threat of a torrential downpour was in the immediate future. Keeping a close eye on the weather, they picked their way through the tangles of underbrush that dotted the western bank of the river. After another hour of riding, it was getting obvious that they should consider stopping. Even though they couldn’t see the sun’s position, the growing darkness was indicating the fact that night time would soon swallow them up.
Finding a decent spot to set up camp, they dismounted and went about their preparations. There was an abundance of meat still stored in the cavernous chest of Brian’s steed, so Katie and Julie helped with the gathering of firewood. Edward cleared a place for their campfire while the others wandered into the nearby tree line, though they never left his sight. Apparently, fallen limbs were in abundant supply. In a matter of minutes, the three gatherers returned, each of them bearing a huge armload of timber. So much, in fact, that Edward surmised they could build a beacon of fire the Gods would notice.
Once the fire was started, Katie and Julie retrieved the blankets from their steed, and Brian rummaged through their food supplies. After the bedding and their evening meal was distributed, the four weary travelers made idle conversation as they ate.
Chewing the last morsel of cold, rabbit meat, Edward whipped his head around when he heard a disturbance behind him. Barely visible, the firelight reflected off several droplets of water, which rose from the river like rain trying to return home to the clouds overhead. At first he was unable to comprehend the phenomenon, but the cause soon revealed itself to him.
“Long time, no see,” a watery voice floated up from the river.
“Indeed, it is good to see that you still live,” another garbled voice commented.
“Is that who I think it is?” Katie tapped Edward on the shoulder to get his attention.
“It certainly sounds like it,” he replied without turning. “Kronos? Kieron? Is that you?” Rising to his feet, Edward strolled casually to the edge of the river with Katie on his heels. Julie glanced toward Brian with a confused look. In return, the shaman merely shrugged his shoulders and twirled his index finger around in circles beside his head.
Clapping a hand over her mouth, Julie snickered.
Scanning the river’s surface, Edward located his two-headed friend bobbing in the current a few feet from shore. “How are you, friend? What brings you to these parts? Still searching for warmer waters perhaps?”
“I am fine. Although less frigid temperatures would be nice, it is not my main concern right now,” Kronos replied.
“I’ve been searching for you. I have urgent news,” Kieron added.
Katie stifled a giggle as the thought of a fish-o-gram floated through her mind.
After throwing a quick frown in her direction, Edward returned his focus to the river. “What news do you bring? And, please don’t tell me that there’s an evil man riding a mechanical beast heading in our direction.”
“That would be a blessing, I’m afraid,” Kronos admitted, his head dipping toward the water.
“Indeed,” Kieron agreed. “My news is much worse than that.”
“Worse?” Worry lines creased Edward’s forehead and his eyebrows rose dramatically.
“Much worse,” Kieron sighed. “One man riding a machine is bad, but what comes for you now is far more lethal. There is an enormous army of metal creatures heading this way. They are scouring the area to find you, and with a force that large it can only spell one thing. Death.”
Chapter 24
Thankfully, whatever had tried to kill him a short time ago had not followed him to the ground, though, George c
ould still hear the steady whoosh of the creature’s wings beating the air above him. Despite the fact that he felt like a coward for running away, he surmised it to be better to wait until daylight so he could see what he was up against. Attempting another confrontation in the dark would be suicide, although, once he discovered what sort of beast was after him, he may come to the same conclusion. The only thing he could do now was wait. Moving his steed toward a giant pine, he dismounted once he was certain the creature was sufficiently camouflaged.
Lying down on a bed of pine needles beneath the tree, he laced his fingers together behind his head. Though he thought sleep would elude him tonight, he let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and listened to the rhythmic beat of the monstrous wings. Within fifteen minutes, his heartbeat slowed and he was embraced by the bliss of slumber.
***
Initially, George had thought he was dreaming, but when the Black Knight’s seething voice broke the silence for a second time, he sat up quickly, as if someone had jolted him with an electric shock. Disoriented, he rubbed and blinked his eyes.
For the third time, the demon’s voice erupted from somewhere nearby, sounding even more agitated than his last inquiry. “Have you found them yet?”
“Not yet,” George responded, glancing nervously in every direction and expecting to see the cloaked figure burning a hole through him with its fierce, yellow eyes. When he couldn’t locate the demon, he stood and brushed the pine needles from his clothes. Walking across the uneven ground, George approached his mount to get something to eat.
“Well, get busy! If you don’t find them soon, there is a chance they could escape.”
The Black Knight’s voice was so loud it felt as if he were standing right next to him, shouting in George’s ear. For a moment, George thought that somehow the demon was inside his head, but he dismissed the idea when he considered the possibility of more than one spiritual force being inside the same fleshy cover. Then, where did the voice come from? Patiently, he considered his next words, hoping to keep up the illusion of being the younger version of himself. “How can they escape? Is there one of those portal thingies around, like the one you brought me through?”
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