The dragon held the dead animal between the claws of its front legs, the scaled digits gripping the bear’s torso as if it were a furry burrito. Although the first bite was gruesome, which left Sygax’s meal headless, the second made Katie want to vomit. When the dragon lifted its food, its powerful jaws snapped shut around the limp creature’s mid-section, causing the animal’s innards to flop onto its thick, furry hide in a blood-slicked, spaghetti-like mess.
Katie tore her eyes from the scene and dry heaved. “Please, tell me when he’s done eating,” she pleaded to Edward while she continued to gag.
“I would have thought that something like this shouldn’t have bothered you,” he remarked.
“Why would you think that? It’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen!”
“You grew up on a farm, did you not?”
“Yeah,” Katie admitted. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Growing up like that, I figured you had witnessed the slaughter of livestock. Did your family not butcher their animals?”
“They did, but it didn’t seem quite so gruesome. It was more of a detached process, similar to carving a pumpkin. But this,” Katie pointed toward Sygax without turning her head, “this is way more violent. There are no precise cuts involved, only the sickening tear of flesh and splashing of blood. I think I’ve seen movies about cannibals that weren’t this gory.”
Even after her explanation, Edward couldn’t see any real difference between the acts. In his opinion, being brought up the way she was should have made her numb to the sight. After all, whether the result was achieved by precision cuts or teeth, disemboweling an animal always made a mess. No matter how you looked at it, entrails were entrails. His thoughts swirled in his mind, but he quickly came to the decision that it would be better for everyone if he did something to put her at ease. “Amber, could you come over here please?” He waved her closer, hoping that with her nearer proximity it would put Sygax in the shadows, and this way Katie couldn’t see him eating.
When she drifted toward Edward, the feasting dragon was shrouded in darkness. Katie breathed a bit easier, finding the chewing sounds much more tolerable than witnessing Sygax devouring the bear. “Thank you,” she whispered, smiling weakly as she met the wizard’s steel gray eyes.
Returning the gesture, Edward couldn’t help but think, I bet she won’t be so eager to indulge her curiosity next time. If she hadn’t snuck off to go back to the Tree of Life, she wouldn’t be dealing with her current predicament.
***
After flying past the clearing with the enormous tree in its center, George kept close to the treetops until he felt he was risking discovery. An hour or so after putting the Tree of Life behind him, he urged his steed higher into the night sky and began maneuvering the three-headed metallic creature in the looping circles of a search pattern.
By the time he saw the familiar faint glow through the canopy, which indicated the position of his adversaries, he realized that the small group was making much better progress than he’d expected. In the distance, George could see moonlight shimmering off of the vast sea to the south. As he circled his mount through the sky like a giant vulture in an attempt to ascertain how the party was moving, George calculated their trajectory and surmised that they were heading almost directly toward the ship which bobbed in the ocean.
With a deep scowl creasing his features, he shook his head in disbelief. To him, it seemed impossible that the humans below could be aware of the ship’s existence. Yet, their direction of travel seemed to indicate that they knew of its presence. Does one of them have an ability similar to what the Black Knight uses, or some sort of ESP? It didn’t seem likely. The demonic entity was almost like a god. The pathetic group below was comprised of mere mortals. It was inconceivable that a human could possess such power, let alone wield it with any efficiency, and he wasn’t sold on the clairvoyant aspect either.
Perhaps it would behoove him to make sure. In theory, it should only take a couple of hours to fly to the ship. Being over the open waters would leave him vulnerable and exposed, but he had to get close enough to the boat to investigate, and potentially disrupt, the plans of the crew. If he were to guess, George thought he might have enough time to scout out the vessel before sunrise. He just needed to make sure he was finished by then so that he could return to the cover of the forest when daylight crept over the horizon. Content that his enemies were unaware of his presence, he piloted his steed toward the sea.
After an hour, the Black Knight’s ominous voice cut through the darkened skies and startled George from his thoughts. “What are you doing? You’re supposed to be reporting your findings to my army, not taking my gift to you on a joyride,” the demonic entity hissed, his agitation obvious.
His mind swirled, searching for a quick answer that would placate the foul creature. “I’m looking for the best point to launch an ambush,” George replied, trying to sound casual. It was only partly a lie, but one that he hoped the Black Knight wouldn’t be able to see through. Technically, he was trying to find such a place, but he omitted the fact that it wasn’t the army led by Verin who would be springing the trap. George wanted that honor for himself.
As the three-headed metallic monster left the cover of land behind, the Black Knight’s voice growled in the wind once more, “How do you propose that they will lay an ambush for my enemies upon the open water? Have I wasted my time putting faith in you? Surely, you can’t be that stupid!”
“I spotted a ship in the sea on an earlier patrol,” George retorted in a tone suggesting annoyance. “It is my belief that your adversaries may be attempting to rendezvous with the vessel.”
“Fool! That boat, along with the scourge who pilot and man it, belong to me! The crew is under orders from me,” the Black Knight snapped.
The demon’s declaration caught George off guard, and he berated himself for not considering that possibility. Muttering curses under his breath, he contemplated his response. It was apparent that the demon could either see where he was, or the mechanical mount was outfitted with some sort of GPS device, so George shifted the control lever to alter his course and return to land. “I was not aware of that,” he finally admitted apologetically, though beneath the mask of his tone George seethed with renewed anger.
“Well, now you are,” the Black Knight spat, unable to hide his irritation. Inwardly, he blamed himself. I should never have placed my trust in a mortal. Experience should have made it blatantly clear that the only one I can trust to do something right is myself. Never send someone to do your dirty work because it won’t be done properly unless you tend to matters yourself. The thoughts had no more than crossed his mind when he was forced to consider whether or not the same held true of his army. How likely was it that Verin would similarly screw something up? Severing communications with George, he cursed aloud, his voice reverberating off the walls of his empty throne room. “You better pray that you don’t fuck up, Verin. I’ve got a special place reserved just for you if you fail me.” Blood coursed through his veins like boiling water as he rose from his throne and approached the monitor that displayed the formation led by the formless demon.
Chapter 11
After making steady progress through the night, which was growing more difficult due to the increasing density of the surrounding forest and the dragon’s inability to navigate through it, Amber began to fade again as daylight started to filter through the thick canopy of leaves overhead. When a refracted beam of sunlight penetrated the gloom, Julie gasped. From her position behind the saddle that Katie sat upon, she was startled when a sliver of sun illuminated her friend’s normally dark brown hair as if someone had directed a spotlight on to her. Intertwined with Katie’s normal color were strands of a lighter shade. It was entirely possible that they were blonde streaks, but Julie was almost certain they were gray. Was the difference in coloration some sort of optical illusion caused by the lighting? If she had witnessed the change closer to the time she was re
scued from Cemetery Hill, Julie might have considered the sight to be a hallucination. However, too much time had passed since then, so she didn’t give that option more than a passing thought. There had to be a more logical explanation, but being under too much stress didn’t seem right either. If that were the case, Katie would have shown signs of premature aging long before now. Something else had to be causing the sudden change.
Julie attempted to be quiet about the differences she saw, and tried not to draw undue attention to herself, but it was too late. The subtle sound of her gasp had reached the mechanical beast in front of them. Edward was piloting the machine and apparently hadn’t heard anything, but Brian had whipped his head around immediately. Since she'd shown no sign of interest, it was obvious Katie had mistaken the noise for something other than what it was.
Staring toward the riders on the metallic creature behind him, the shaman opened his mouth to make an inquiry, but immediately closed it. Before he could form the question, his pale blue eyes locked on to Katie’s features, and right away he knew something was terribly wrong. Without removing his gaze from the young woman, he tapped Edward on the shoulder.
The wizard allowed his mount’s control lever to snap into an upright position, halting their progress. Turning his head to the side, he could only see the back of Brian’s head in his peripheral vision. “What is it? Are you sensing something?”
Katie brought her steed to a stop a few feet behind the lead horse. “What are you staring at, Brian? Do I have bed-head or something? You’re looking at me like I’m some sort of hideous freak of nature.”
At the sound of her voice, Edward twisted in the saddle to fully see what was going on. When his steel gray eyes locked on to what he imagined Brian was trying to draw his attention to, his mouth fell open in an expression of slack-jawed surprise. The ramifications of the sight before him caused his mind to churn, but after a few seconds he managed to disclose his concern. “Do you feel all right?”
“I feel fine,” Katie replied, one eyebrow rising curiously. “Why?”
“You look as if you’ve aged twenty, maybe even thirty, years overnight,” Edward stated after weighing the options of how to respond, not wanting to provoke a hostile reaction from her. Especially in light of her recent moodiness.
From beside the wizard’s steed, Sygax interjected in a tone that suggested he was merely relaying a known fact. “The former guardians who raised me placed a curse upon her. Their magic is causing her to age, and if I’m not mistaken, the only beings other than the fairies who can halt or reverse the spell are the gods.”
While the other members of the party waited with baited breath for the wizard to translate what Sygax had told him, Edward allowed the dragon's explanation to sink in. His brows furrowed with concern, he turned to regard the scaled beast. “Why would the fairies do such a thing? If they were that upset with her, why not just kill her outright?”
“Since they were tasked with overseeing the Tree of Life, and nurturing the viability of each new creature that formed within its branches, the gods did not gift them with death magic. Although they were not capable of directly taking a life, forcing a creature to age more rapidly was something of a gray area in the eyes of the gods. I believe the spell was actually meant to force the Tree’s creations to grow quickly, making them more self-sufficient and thus allowing the guardians to focus their efforts on new arrivals. The down side to this magic is, if the fairies deemed it necessary, they could age a being to speed up its death. I would imagine that the gods allowed this form of intervention in the event of a creature being born with deformities that made its existence torture.”
Edward relayed the new information that Sygax had provided him with, and tears began to stream down Katie’s cheeks. Suddenly, she was thankful that she didn’t have to look upon her reflection in a mirror. Just hearing the words tumble from Edward’s lips made her feel like an old hag. She hung her head in shame as the implications of her predicament swirled through her mind. If my curiosity hadn’t driven me to go back to the Tree of Life, none of this would be happening. Several minutes of complete silence passed before she could raise her head to meet the expectant gaze of her comrades. “Is there a cure for my condition, or should I be resigning myself to being fifty years old?” Her voice cracked with emotion as she spoke, terrified of the response she would get.
It was apparent that her question had saddened Sygax. His massive, red head drooped as if he were ashamed, almost like he blamed himself for what the young woman was going through. When he raised it once more, he saw that everyone was nervously awaiting his answer. “As I mentioned before, I believe the gods are the only ones who can remove the curse.” Sygax paused for a moment, considering whether or not to divulge the rest of his knowledge pertaining to the current dilemma. With a deep, rumbling sigh, he continued. “I wouldn’t get too used to your current age,” he stated, no longer looking at Edward, but locking eyes with Katie as he spoke. “I’m afraid your condition is graver than you realize. You have not simply aged twenty or thirty years, but are likely going to continue growing older as time progresses. I’m not sure about the lifespan of humans, but I don’t imagine that this is good news.”
When Edward didn’t immediately translate for the rest of the group, the concerned expression on his face put Katie in a state of near panic. She bit her lower lip nervously, waiting to hear the wizard’s rendition of the dragon’s words. After a minute, she could no longer restrain herself. “So, what’s the verdict?”
“The prognosis isn’t very good,” he finally admitted with a heavy sigh. His lips, which were pressed together tightly, formed a thin line that turned downward at the edges. “If Sygax is correct, the aging process isn’t over.” He paused for a few seconds to let the information sink in, then delivered the worst part of the news. “According to Sygax, he believes you will continue to age rapidly. This is probably the last thing you want to hear, but it sounds like you will likely die of old age within the next few days if we don’t reach the Throne of the Gods in time to reverse the spell.”
***
Although George was far from afraid of the dark entity who commanded him, he wasn’t stupid either. For the time being, he would allow the Black Knight to believe that he was following orders. At least, until he found the appropriate opportunity to sever his service to the demon. The timing had to be absolutely perfect if he was going to catch the Black Knight by surprise, but George was certain that as the situation escalated over the next few days, the occasion would present itself to him. In the meantime, he had to maintain the image of being the demon’s lapdog, and not do anything hasty that would arouse suspicion. As much as he loathed pretending to be obedient, and abhorred dealing with Verin, George knew he must if he were to keep up his ruse.
Technically, now that the sun had crested the horizon, he should be staying hidden on the ground in order to keep a low profile. The Black Knight’s plot of a surprise attack on his enemies depended greatly on the intelligence he provided to the army led by Verin, though George found the idea ludicrous. How the hell is a column of machines, stomping their way through the forest and obliterating everything in their path, supposed to sneak up on anything? The amount of noise generated by the army would easily be heard from miles away.
Having made the decision to relay the approximate position of the Black Knight’s enemies to Verin, George urged his three-headed mount to the sky. He scanned the forest canopy below, trying to remember the last place he’d seen the group. As he flew over the treetops, flying as close to them as he dared, he found that his gaze couldn’t penetrate the dense foliage. The humans would have been easier to spot at night, presumably guided by the glow of the ghostly nuisance that seemed to plague him, but waiting for nightfall was a luxury he didn’t have right now. The best he could hope for was that the small group would have the same problem, being unable to spot him through the blanket of leaves over their heads.
***
Standing in front
of the monitor, which showed a view provided by the surveillance equipment that was integrated into the mount George rode, the Black Knight’s anger abated slightly. His disciple had followed orders, this much he saw in the lens of the camera as the three-headed machine veered away from the sea and back toward land, but he couldn’t help feeling as if something wasn’t right. Sure, George had pushed his luck on occasion by being willful. Was it a premonition of things to come? Or was he merely paranoid that the younger version of his prior servant would be just as treacherous as the older one had been?
For the time being, it seemed as if young George would bend to his will, but there was only one way to be absolutely certain that everything went according to plan: he would have to see to matters himself. As he watched the treetops whiz by on the monitor, the Black Knight turned away from the screen. He desperately wanted to physically assault or torture one of his minions, but since they were all marching with his army right now, his chamber was eerily silent.
The hiss of his breath, squeezing through his clenched, elongated teeth, along with the click of his clawed feet on the concrete floor, echoed throughout the chamber when the Black Knight left the throne room. As he walked through the doorway into the tunnel beyond, he punched a command into the console near the archway that would summon Morgana to Cemetery Hill. Once aboard the transport, he would set a course for the open sea to rendezvous with the ship George had inquired about.
Chapter 12
Katie’s deteriorating condition worried Edward more than he would admit out loud. Travel to the south had already been slow going prior to the discovery of her rapid aging, but progress was hindered even more by the fact that he couldn’t stop peeking over his shoulder at her. Every time he did, Edward expected to see her dilemma growing more dire. The almost constant checking on her had slowed their pace to a near crawl. If he didn’t get his emotions and fears under control soon, the army of machines would catch up to the group. That would be a disaster in the making.
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