by HP Mallory
“But I thought you said Negara was the only one who has the power to paralyze? The other two don’t, right? Or did I misunderstand you?”
Saxon glanced at me with the pedantic expression of someone who knew something I didn’t. “You didn’t misunderstand me.”
“So why would you warn me not to look into their eyes?” I replied crossly.
“Before I answer that, tell me this: how will you know which one is Negara if you have never seen any of them before?”
“Point taken,” I grumbled. When I frowned up at him, he responded with a quick smile.
“It’s best to avoid all eye contact with any of them. Be aware of your surroundings and if you must, only observe them by using your peripheral vision.”
“That sounds impossible,” I muttered. Shaking my head, I suddenly began to feel sorry for myself. “How am I supposed to protect myself if I can’t see my enemies to figure out where they are and what they’re doing?”
“You do whatever you must in order to survive,” he answered with calculated authority. “And don’t forget that I’ll be there to back you up. If we can just make it inside the gravekeeper’s quarters, we will be fine,” he finished. His soft voice, I imagined, was his delicate attempt to reassure me.
“Until we have to go back out again,” I added with a frown. Inhaling deeply, I tried to calm my already frantic heart.
“Well, yes, until that moment, I suppose.”
“And what about Tallis and Bill?” I asked. My stomach instantly plummeted when I thought of my friends. I could only hope they managed to defend themselves against the zombies, and nothing more, or worse, happened to them. “Can they be paralyzed and then ripped to shreds by the furies?”
“I suppose so; yes, they could,” Saxon answered. Chewing on his lower lip, he further considered the question. “Of course, as immortals, I’m not entirely sure how that works.” Then he faced me with a broad smile. “But you need to leave the chances of their survival to them. Right now, your focus must be entirely on your own safety.” His smile deepened. “Well, and mine too, of course.”
Turning around, Saxon continued down the dirt path. Meanwhile, the sinners that were visible in their open tombs continued to thrash this way and that, wailing and screaming, the relentless fire consuming them entirely, such as it had for decades and, in some cases, centuries. We both grew quiet while making our way through the last of the blazing maze. When we reached the final tomb of the vast labyrinth, Saxon paused and crouched behind it. He motioned for me to do the same, so I quickly acquiesced.
“The three furies are up there on the rooftop; do you see them?” he whispered to me. I glanced up at the one-story, wooden structure, which stood maybe a hundred feet from us. It looked like an old shanty with mismatched wood siding and a corrugated aluminum roof. Sure enough, sitting atop the roof, I spotted three figures. They were nestled closely together, appearing like three enormous crows with their pitch-black wings reflecting the blue moonlight. My attention dropped from the furies down to the front door of the decrepit-looking house. It was wide open. The path to the front door was a makeshift ramp that led to a dock, which stood over what looked like a lagoon … or a swamp?
Not entirely sure I was really seeing water and not simply hallucinating, I narrowed my eyes on the dock and watched the moonlight as it reflected in the ripples of water beneath it. Yep, there was definitely some kind of a body of water surrounding the lean-to.
A body of water? I railed indignantly. You mean a swamp!? It’s just like the one in that vision you had! The same vision in which you were warned not to retrieve whatever Alaire was after! The same vision where Alaire appeared behind you before he pushed you into the swamp so you could become dinner to whatever dreadful creature lurked beneath the water!
Shaking my head to banish my panicked thoughts, I tried to convince myself that what I’d seen was simply a vision created by the Kremelions. Yes, it had been a delusion. A feeble attempt to make me lose touch with my own sanity. There was nothing real about it, or genuine. Glancing up at the water that surrounded the shack again, I decided there really wasn’t anything about it that actually suggested it could be a swamp at all.
“How are we going to make it through that water?” I whispered as I faced Saxon, only to find him already looking at me. I suddenly felt flushed and uncomfortable, although I wasn’t sure why.
“Simple. We walk,” he answered, his tone of voice revealing nothing.
“What? We walk?” I repeated, my doubt and fear instantly brewing up a sickening concoction inside me.
That means I have to get into that water! I informed myself before my stomach dropped like an anchor down to my toes.
“It isn’t deep,” Saxon coaxed. Taking a hefty breath, he faced me with renewed determination. “Okay, are you ready to listen to the plan?”
“Yes,” I answered immediately. The sooner we got this finished, the better. There was no point in me sitting here, imprisoned by my own fear.
“It’s very simple. When I give you the okay, you must run and aim straight for the gravekeeper’s quarters. Do not stop for any reason until you’re inside. I, meanwhile, will do my best to keep the furies distracted and away from you.” He gulped and paused for a few seconds before speaking again. “Whatever happens, you must resist looking at them, and you don’t worry about me. Just do your damnedest to get inside that house! You got it?”
I nodded, and pangs of fear and anxiety twisted my stomach, churning it into knots. “Okay, so once I’m inside, what then?”
“Then, you locate the soul, find the crown, and we come up with plan B, which is how we get ourselves the hell out again.”
“Will we be safe inside the house then?” I inquired of him, eyeing him pointedly. “Won’t the furies come after us?”
He shook his head. “The furies are forbidden to enter. They simply patrol the outside.”
“And there aren’t any other lovable creatures I should know about who might be inside, waiting for us?” I dared to ask. “I mean, the door was wide open! Anything might have gotten in.”
Saxon firmly shook his head. “Anything that wanted to enter would have had to deal with the furies first. Yes, you’ll be safe inside.” He inhaled before sighing as he faced me squarely. “Any other questions?”
I shook my head, and he nodded, which I assumed meant we were about to execute our approach. When my heartbeat started to race, I had to take a few deep breaths before it regulated again.
“You can do this, Lily, I know you can,” Saxon said. He gripped my upper arm and forced me to look at him. “You just run for the front door and don’t stop until you’re inside.”
Nodding, I tightened my grip around the handle of my sword. “I got it.”
Saxon stood up and held his bow with the arrow already loaded up to his eyes. He glanced back at me and nodded, so I stood up. After he mouthed the word “go” at the same time that he released the arrow, I never saw whether it hit its target. I was already running as quickly as I could. What I did not fail to notice, however, was a screeching sound that seemed to be coming from high above me. Yes, I followed Saxon’s orders and paid it no attention. Instead, I galloped at full speed, my entire focus riveted on the front door of the gravekeeper’s quarters. From the corner of my eyes, though, I could barely make out the blurred shape of black wings, which contrasted with the bright white skin of one of the furies’ bodies. Then I spotted another one swooping down beside the first one. They communicated with one another by using a series of glass-breaking shrieks. I resisted the urge to grit my teeth and cover my ears.
One of them attempted to dive down on top of me. All I managed to see was its outstretched talons when they missed my shoulders by a few inches. As I ran, I heard the whizzing sound of arrows flying through the air as they sought their elusive targets. I also detected the sound of Saxon’s footsteps from somewhere behind me. I focused on the entryway into the hovel with even more determination.
&nbs
p; You’re almost there, Lily, I cheered myself while eyeing the moat in front of me. My resolve alternated with a sense of doom and dread. The roaring of my pounding heart drowned out all other sounds, and I began rasping as I tried to suck in deep breaths, too fearful to slow my breakneck speed.
Before reaching the water, I realized I had to ascend a very small hill. Inhaling deeply, I powered up the incline until I got to the wide bank of water. And then I stopped. Glancing down at the water, I was suddenly unable to propel myself forward. My feet were irretrievably rooted inside the sooty dirt that bordered the water’s edge.
“Keep going, Lily!” I heard Saxon yelling urgently from behind me.
All at once, the shrieking furies, all three of them, began to fly in circles above me. They reminded me of vultures spotting a carcass. The first dropped down, the talons from her claws outstretched and eager. As if on autopilot, I instantly ducked down, avoiding her. I couldn’t stand up yet, because another fury appeared right behind the last one. This one squawked as she strove to grasp me with her sharp claws. Hearing the flapping of their immense wings, I fought to resist the urge to look up and search for them in the sky. Instead, I got down onto my hands and knees. Just then, I heard the hiss of two arrows flying through the sky directly above me. They both landed in the water, only a few feet away.
“Go, Lily!” Saxon’s voice exclaimed from behind me, now much closer. However, when I looked at the water, I still couldn’t motivate myself forward. I just remained exactly where I was, on my hands and knees, unable to move even a fraction of an inch.
You have to do this! I scolded myself, while fully recognizing the truth in my words. Or the furies will rip you to pieces!
I knew I was right so I did what I had to do. Summoning up my residual courage, I started crawling toward the water. The furies continued screaming and swooping above me, but Saxon’s good aim and arrows kept them from reaching down and snatching me. Although I couldn’t look directly at them, it seemed like they were coming closer in their successive attempts to grab me.
“We’re almost there!” Saxon shouted as he appeared alongside me. He aimed his bow into the sky and released one arrow after another. “Only a few more feet and … ahhhh!”
Saxon gave a sudden painful cry just at the same moment that I turned to the side to see him lifting off the ground. I knew instantly what was happening and the thought made me sick to my stomach. One of the furies had him and was now preparing to fly him off to a terrible fate. He screamed as the fury’s talons buried themselves into his shoulders and she started to flap her great wings, soaring up higher into the air.
I can’t let that thing kill him! I said to myself.
My body acted in unison with my thoughts and I tightened my hold around my sword with my right hand as I lurched up and gripped Saxon’s ankle with my left. I felt my hand slip as I lost purchase on his skin. I gripped at him blindly again and was able to grasp onto his shoe at the very last possible second. I held on as hard as I could, doing my damnedest to pull him back down to the ground. The immense pull of the Fury was beginning to be too much for me to fight and I knew I only had a handful of seconds before I would lose the battle. That was when I turned to Plan B.
You’ve got one chance at this, I told myself.
Realizing the truth in my words, I flipped my sword into the air with my right hand and caught it, the cold steel of the blade cutting into my naked palm. I gritted my teeth and fortified myself to ignore the pain.
“Saxon!!” I screamed. “Take my sword!”
I didn’t wait for a response. I just held my sword out to him, hoping he would take it. I kept my eyes down as I did so, not wanting to look up and into the eyes of the Fury that was doing her best to fly off with my companion. I felt a smile break across my face when my sword left my hand. I glanced down at my palm and noticed it was so bloody, I couldn’t even see my skin.
I continued to hold onto Saxon’s boot, but I was losing my grip, owing to how sweaty my palm was becoming. My hand started to slip, and seconds later, Saxon was gone. I felt the current in the air from the fierce beating of the fury’s wings above me and knew I had failed.
“No!” I cried out in anguish, all the while aware that I couldn’t look up to see what had become of Saxon because I was too afraid of looking the fury in the eyes.
I heard a swishing sound that reminded me of a blade cutting through the air. That sound was followed by a toe-curling screech that could only have come from a woman. Seconds later, Saxon hit the ground hard, just beside me. Bloodied and dazed, he lay there for a few seconds as I made my way over to him.
“Saxon, are you okay?” I whimpered to him as I took in the gashes in his shoulders. There was so much blood, I couldn’t tell just how deep they were.
“You stupid girl!” Saxon yelled at me through gritted teeth. “You should have left me!” Then he shook his head and grabbed my arm before I could utter a word. “There’s no time for any of this! We need to keep moving!”
We were already at the base of the water. And now there was only one thing to do to escape the beating wings of the furies. Saxon handed my sword back to me and then tucked his bow underneath his arm. He then gripped mine and we both plunged into the water together.
Saxon was correct when he said the water wasn’t deep, but it was very cold. The iciness made me break out with goose bumps all over as shivers consumed me from my feet up. Luckily, the water only reached my thighs. Trudging through it wasn’t exactly easy, either, especially with the constant threat from overhead. Blazing my way forward, I was fueled by visions of my own insides being ripped out. When we reached the middle of the water, it was up to my waist.
“It’s getting deeper,” I said, my voice trembling.
“Not to worry. This is as deep as it gets,” Saxon informed me before firing another round of arrows into the sky. The shrieking furies made me wish I were deaf. I did my best to ignore them, fastening my eyes on the dock ahead of me and forcing myself ever onward.
Upon reaching the dilapidated mooring, I wrapped my fingers around the splintering posts. With great effort, I started to throw my leg over the side so I could hoist myself up. That was before I saw the sharp claws of a fury standing directly in front of me, at eye level. I couldn’t help looking at her. I took in her shiny, black wings that looked just like those of a crow. She was completely naked with the body of a well-endowed woman. Her skin was milky white and her breasts were heavy and voluptuous. My eyes began to travel even farther still, up towards her face. I wasn’t sure where my willpower had gone. I was just sure of one thing—I wanted to see her, to look upon this magnificent creature …
“Don’t look at her face!” Saxon’s voice cut through the air and shattered whatever spell I was under.
In rapid response, I dropped my eyes and heard him release an arrow. I felt the arrow wiz by my face and it felt as if it was mere centimeters from striking me. There was a second of silence … a second that seemed to last forever. That was followed by the sound of the arrow hitting its target and another blood-curdling scream. The fury’s wings began flapping when she took off, screeching all the while. I wasted no more time, but hoisted myself up onto the dock. Sprinting for the front door to the gravekeeper’s quarters, I dared not to look back to know whether or not Saxon was still behind me. But when I heard his footsteps, I knew we were going to make it. My stomach nearly tripped over itself from relief.
That was before I heard a woman’s high-pitched voice inside my head. Enjoy this small victory, it started. For you have truly gained nothing. Your defeat is short lived. Your fate was sealed the second you walked into this valley. You are deceived, your company false. What you seek here shall be your undoing. You have made it past me and mine, but the time draws near where you will wish we had killed you!
The voice was raspy and sharp, that of a woman mixed with the screeching of a bird and the hissing of a snake all in one. I kept my eyes down and kept my feet moving. The furies continued
to squawk and soar above us, but I ignored them. With great determination, I launched myself right through the front door of the hovel before tripping over something that sent me careening onto the floor.
As soon as I regained my bearings, I watched Saxon bounding in after me, throwing the door shut behind him. Smiling, he took a deep breath.
“That was a fucking close one!” he exclaimed.
“Not anything know we of your human state…”
- Dante’s Inferno
TWENTY-THREE
As soon as I managed to catch my breath, I rolled onto my hands and knees while pushing myself up until I was standing again. I’d tripped over what I now realized was a warped floorboard that protruded at the entrance to the gravekeeper’s quarters. When I’d fallen down, I’d inadvertently dropped my sword. Now, as I bent over, intending to pick it up, something stopped me. I paused for a few seconds, still leaning down, trying to figure out what suddenly prevented me from retrieving my sword. I had an irresistible desire to stand up again, and worse, to step away from my sword, and leave it exactly where it was.
“Are you okay, Lily?” Saxon asked. He faced me with what looked like sincere concern. His face was pale and blood soaked through his clothing on both of his shoulders where the fury had gripped him with her talons.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I answered breathlessly. But I didn’t feel fine. I felt strange … like something was off, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I just didn’t feel like … me.
Stepping away from my sword and Saxon, I had the sudden urge to retreat. The feeling didn’t make any sense to me, however, so I paused and inhaled a couple of deep breaths. I hoped I’d just shake off the bizarre sensation; but, if anything, it seemed to deepen. In no time, it was all I could do to avoid retreating to the far end of the room.
In an attempt to pay attention to anything other than my bizarre feelings, I glanced around myself, taking in my surroundings. The inside of the hovel was just as tattered and worn as it was on the outside. There was no furniture except a wooden dressing table with an attached mirror and an upholstered chair that stood against the wall on the far side of the room. They both looked as if they’d seen much better days, possibly in centuries gone by. Both were covered by a thick layer of dust and the upholstery on the chair was faded and torn. What could have been red velvet at some distant point in the past was now threadbare and a light shade of pink. The mirror reflected its age with spots. It was so foggy I found it difficult to see my own reflection.
