by CM Raymond
Ezekiel raised his hands toward his friends. “Enough. There will be time for all of this,” he shouted over the familiar din.
Olaf got to his feet, pulling the cloak around him tightly. “It’s OK. I imagine your friends from the Valley have never seen a Were, have they?”
“Ho-lee-shite,” Laurel said. “You’re not…”
Karl laughed. “What the hell did ya think he was, lass?”
Her eyes were wide, and for once she was speechless.
Hadley chuckled. “Personally, I figured all of this was some sort of illusion. We’re probably all high on something from Laurel’s special herb pouch. Only way to explain how something from my worst nightmares just nearly kicked our asses.”
“Trust me, the nightmare is as real as it gets. But I’ll explain everything,” Olaf said, “while I show you around.” He turned to look at Ezekiel. “But you did not return to New Romanov to shit around with me. She’ll want to see you right away.”
A smile grew beneath his gray beard. “While it is good to see you, my old friend, you are right. We will have plenty of time to catch up, but right now I will go talk with her.”
Olaf nodded as Ezekiel turned and walked toward the junction of the city and the rock wall. He then turned to Hannah. “Care for a tour?”
****
The big man started walking, and Hannah and her crew followed.
“This is New Romanov,” he said, waving his arms around. “Sorry for the mess—we weren’t exactly expecting visitors.”
“We?” Hannah said. She had to pump her legs twice as fast as usual to keep up.
“Yep,” he said. “Me, the Oracle...ah, and my friends here.”
He nodded his head at a group of people walking toward him from an adjacent street. A tall woman led the group. She was strikingly beautiful and looked like she could bench press a horse. Hannah liked her immediately.
“Olaf,” the woman said as she neared. “The Skrim? Is it dead?”
“Yes, Mika. We are safe, thanks to our new friends.”
She turned and looked Hannah and the others over. “They are...strange-looking.”
Karl crossed his arms. “Well, forgive me fer not lookin’ like a damned princess. I thought we came here ta fight, not win a beauty contest!”
Aysa was right there with him. “Who are you calling strange? You’re the one with the tiny little hands.”
Laurel laughed, then placed a hand on each of their shoulders. “You’ll have to ignore the cranky ones here. It’s past their bedtime.”
Olaf smiled. “No worries. Mika here just has a particular way of communicating. But I assure you, she—and everyone—are glad you’re here. In fact, Mika, I’m sure that our honored guests are hungry and in need of some refreshment. Perhaps you would show them the way?”
Karl’s frown immediately corrected itself. “Refreshments! Lead on.”
Mika scowled at Olaf. “Fine, I’ll serve the drinks. But next time I am not hiding in the mountains with the children while you do the real work.”
She led the BBB further into the town, but Hannah and Parker hung back with Olaf.
“That Mika,” Parker asked. “Is she like you?”
“You mean, a Were?” he said. “No. I’m one of a kind. But she’s more than capable in a fight. She would have been out here with me if I had not ordered her to get the rest of my townsfolk to safety.”
“That red thing,” Hannah asked. “You’ve dealt with them before?”
The big man nodded. His eyes were like steel. “Too many, for too long. We call them Skrimas, and they are wicked creatures. They come here to destroy and devour. I and my people have been holding them off for almost half a century now. It has taken its toll. This,” he waved his arms again, “used to be a place of great power, back when my father Boris was in charge. Every man and woman could fight, but they also knew how to laugh. My father guided us after the great wars, and I helped lead this place during the Age of Madness. But the Skrimas have taken their toll on us and the Oracle. I am afraid my home is but a shell of its former glory.”
As they walked around, Hannah could see what he meant. The place wasn’t as bad as she had first assumed. There were a number of clearly damaged and abandoned buildings, but there were far more still standing and in use.
The whole setup of the town was unlike anything she had ever seen. Some of the buildings were made almost completely from metal, and the parts of the street that weren’t crumbling looked like they were solid stone.
There was also evidence of strange technology that she didn’t understand. Large steel contraptions that seemed like weapons. Strings of glass bulbs that looked like they could have been lights. It was nothing like the magitech she knew from Arcadia. She made a mental note to ask Gregory about it.
Looking around, she got the sense that this place used to be something to behold.
But as they followed their tour guide to the outskirts of the town, they saw the large break in the outer wall. It was shredded like a leaf, and Hannah knew exactly what had done it.
“What are they? Where do they come from?” Hannah wondered aloud. “I’ve seen some crazy shit, but nothing like that before.”
“I’m sure the Oracle will give you more precise information about the threat we are facing.” he said, a low growl issuing from his throat. “But I can tell you exactly where they come from. Hell. And I aim to do everything in my power to see that they stay there.”
Hannah and Parker glanced at each other. They were both thinking of the large red beast they had just killed. Maybe it really was from hell.
“Excuse me,” Olaf said, “but I must end the tour here. I have to check on the outpost that watches for such creatures and make sure everyone is OK. You will find the rest of your friends at that large structure there,” he pointed toward the tallest building in the middle of the town. “It is my home, and you are welcome to stay in it as long as you like.”
With that he shrugged off the cloak Ezekiel had given him. Hannah stared in surprise at his naked body as it morphed into that of a bear.
The creature took off in a sprint, passing through the hole in the wall into the field beyond.
Parker coughed beside her, bringing her attention back.
“Did you really have to stare like that?” he asked, eyebrow raised.
“What? He was...impressive.”
“Sure. If hairy asses are your thing.”
“Aww,” she said in mock apology. “Is little Parker getting jealous?”
“Please, of the bear man? No way. I just think the leader of the BBB should show a little more tact, that’s all.”
She grinned, then punched him hard in the arm. “Ow,” he said. “What the hell was that for?”
“Because I am the leader, and I’ll look where I damned well please.” She smiled again, sincerely this time, and gave him a kiss. “Relax. I’m much more attracted to pale skinny types. Now come on. I for one could eat a cow.”
****
The lantern light from inside Olaf’s house met the rays of the nearly full moon as Parker stepped out onto the porch to join Hannah. To call Olaf’s place a house would be an understatement. Between the monsters and other threats from beyond the walls, it had been all Olaf could do just to keep one building habitable. So nearly a decade ago, he and his people had all but given up on the city, focusing on keeping threats at bay while maintaining just enough of a place to call home deeper within the caves.
Olaf’s home was more of a fortress than anything. Like most of the town, it had clearly been designed by someone with an eye for defense.
The house was huge. Other than him, there had to have been nearly a dozen other New Romanov people living in its many rooms. Parker assumed that in an earlier age it had been used as a command center of some sort. Even with all of the residents, there was still room for the crew of the Unlawful.
They had spent the rest of the day there, eating and washing and resting. Ezekiel was nowhere to be see
n, and the New Romanov people gave them their space. The rest of the BBB were asleep, but Parker and Hannah had too much on their minds.
“Nice night,” Parker said. The late spring air was warm, but changing quickly. From the porch he could see the ruins of the town, and beyond that, the forest. Everything was still, as if they were the last people in Irth.
“Yeah. Almost perfect,” Hannah said. She had a hint of melancholy in her voice, contradicting the broad smile on her face. She held a mug of Olaf’s beer in her hands. “If it weren’t for the fact that we just fought some sort of giant hell-monster, I’d say we’d made it to paradise. Zeke thinks it can be like this someday. Just like this—everywhere.”
Parker crossed the deck and sat in a well-worn wooden rocker next to Hannah’s chair. Pushing himself back and forth, he sipped from his own cup. “Sounds nice. You believe him?”
She glanced at him. Her eyes were soft. “I try to. Hell, a year ago I just wanted to get my ass out of the Boulevard, maybe save you and Will along the way. Things are different now.”
“Bigger,” Parker interjected.
“Exactly. Back then, if I could have just served those noble bastards and the Capitol Guard some justice I would have been happy. But this new world we’re living in, the universe and all, it’s a lot bigger than just the place we came from.”
Parker nodded and they sat quietly for a moment. They both knew she was right. They also knew that if they were successful at changing things on a grand scale, all would be well for Arcadia too. Not to mention, they had left their city in Amelia’s very able hands. He trusted her with his life and his city. Parker only hoped he would make it back someday.
He smiled, thinking of himself and Hannah back there together, rebuilding the city and building a life. But then the image of the red devil-monster flashed through his mind. “That’s exactly why we’re here, Hannah.” He sipped from his mug in his right hand and reached his left over to her leg. Letting it sit there, feeling the warmth of her thigh, he continued, “If we had stayed we might have built something for the short term, but—”
“The Skrimas. The Oracle. This quest.” Hannah finished his sentence, as she was in the habit of doing.
“Right. But it’s about more than just fighting the bad guys. Anyone could do that. Zeke brought us here because he needs help building something bigger than ourselves, bigger than Arcadia. If the old man is right, we might just be able to secure something that lasts.”
Hannah raised her eyes toward the heavens. The stars blinked overhead, fighting to be seen with the full moon on center stage. “You believe she went up there?”
“The Queen Bitch? Bethany Anne in the stars?” He shrugged. “I’ve always believed it more than you have. And Ezekiel…”
“Yeah. He’s always right, right?” She placed her hand over his and squeezed gently, sending a chill up Parker’s spine. “But why’d she leave us like this?”
He laughed. “There might come a time when the people of the Arcadian Valley ask the same thing about you and this mission. Maybe there was something bigger for her, too. A year ago we thought everything was about the Boulevard, then it expanded to Arcadia. Now we’re here. We see a piece of the puzzle and think we know the whole thing. I guess it comes down to trust—believing in something that’s not right in front of our faces. My guess is that she’s out there protecting us, even now.”
Hannah fell silent, and for a second he reveled in the fact that he had just impressed her. “I didn’t know…”
“Know what?” Parker asked in a hush.
“That you actually had a brain.” She turned her head from the stars to his eyes and gave him a wink.
“Screw you,” he grunted.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” They both laughed. “Parker…”
“Yeah.”
Hannah shifted her weight and leaned toward him, giving him a soft kiss on the lips before pulling away. “I’m glad you’re here with me. Don’t think I could do this without you.”
“Yeah. Me too,” he whispered. A playful smile formed on his lips. “In fact, I’m sure you couldn’t.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Gregory had tossed and turned in the borrowed bed for what felt like hours. Evening had brought peace to the near-ruined city, but not to Gregory’s mind.
That monster they had fought—it wasn’t from this world.
For weeks now he had been anxious about the fight they were heading into. But with Hannah, Ezekiel, and the others by his side, he knew they’d be OK. Today had shaken his faith a little. That thing gave even the Founder a run for his money, which was a level of badassery Gregory hadn’t thought possible.
He stopped trying to find a comfortable spot on the pillow and came to a decision. He would do whatever he could to stop this threat. Not for Hannah. Not for Arcadia. But for Irth. He’d never considered himself a brave man, but he knew this was about survival, and not just his own. That need trumped whatever fears he had.
With his mind settled, he closed his eyes and tried for sleep one more time, but a gentle tapping sounded outside his window. He sat up, wide-eyed and fully awake. Waiting, he hoped that the sound was just in his imagination. But it came again—three increasingly louder knocks in quick succession.
Something was out there.
He turned and looked at his bunk-mate Karl. The rearick was snoring heavily in his own bed. Gregory thought about waking him, but then decided that if he was gonna learn how to fight the Darkness, he needed to stop being so afraid of the dark.
He gritted his teeth and got out of bed.
When the room was originally built, the windows had been glass. Now the night air was kept out by hastily constructed wooden shutters. He crossed the room and began untying the latch.
It’s just the wind, he told himself. But he knew in his heart that it was something more.
Finally unhooking the shutters, he took a deep breath and pushed them outward, ready to meet whatever was lurking in the night beyond.
He had expected a monster, or some vile creature of the night. Instead, he was met by a pair of large green eyes.
Gregory opened his mouth to scream, but a hand reached through and held his mouth shut. Laurel smiled, then crawled through the open window.
“Laurel,” he whispered, “what are you doing here?”
She shrugged as she looked around the room, crinkling her nose at the sight of Karl in full-on slumber. “Couldn’t sleep. Figured I’d take the unofficial tour. Wanna join me?”
Gregory struggled to control his breathing, but managed a smiled in return. “Sure. But why climb through the window? You could have just come to the door.”
She grinned again. “Because I figured this would scare the shit out of you. If you’re gonna come, you might want to wear something a little more...modest.”
She looked down, and Gregory followed her gaze. It took him a second to realize he was wearing nothing but his undergarments.
His face turned red and again he nearly screamed. Laurel could barely contain her laughter as Gregory tried to cover himself. He had turned around and was scrambling to find some clothes when she smacked him hard on the butt. Karl gave out a louder than normal snort and went back to his snoring.
“Damnit,” Gregory said as he hopped around trying to pull his pants up. “You’re gonna wake him. Now stop taking in the show, and let’s get out of here.”
****
The two scrambled down the vines climbing the side of Olaf’s house and made their way through the streets of New Romanov hand in hand. Laurel fluctuated between leaning close to Gregory and bouncing around in excitement. She was always playful, even with the group, but when they were alone she was like a schoolgirl.
“Just look at this place,” she said, balancing on an old rock wall. “It’s way old. I’ve never seen a place so ancient.”
Gregory nodded. He was impressed with everything he saw here. Arcadia was an impressive city, but this place had been built with a cl
ear purpose. “Yeah, it’s all old-world construction. Even though it’s abandoned now, it looks like it made it through the old wars largely intact. I’m not surprised. The way everything is laid out, it’s clear that a great military mind designed the place. And with a guy like Olaf defending it, I sure as hell wouldn’t want to attack it.”
“You’re not wrong about the buildings, but the earth beneath tells a different story,” Laurel said. She held out her arms wide and spun in a circle. “This place has seen its fair share of fighting and bloodshed. The ground seems almost...sad to me. But yet, it’s brimming with potential. Like it was designed to be a perfect home, and could be again.”
He smiled. “That was beautiful. Poetic, even.”
Laurel punched him playfully in the arm. “They teach us more than magic and warfare in the Forest.”
“Oh yeah?” he said. “Is that where you learned how to kiss?”
She grinned, then grabbed his shirt and pushed him against a wall. Pressing her lips against his, she kissed him long and deep, then pulled away suddenly.
“Wow,” he said, his heart thumping in his chest.
She cocked her head to the side. “Let’s just say that I’m a pretty good study.”
Gregory leaned in for another kiss, but the sound of voices caught their attention.
He sighed. “Never a moment’s peace.”
She looked around, then grabbed his hand and began to tug. “That’s because we’re in a city. I know where we can find some true solitude.”
She started running, leading him down streets toward the wall. Gregory knew immediately where they were heading.
“Are you sure this will be OK?” he asked in a nervous whisper.
“Trust me,” she said. “I can protect you—you can bet your ass on that.”
“I’d prefer not to bet my ass on anything, but I trust you. Lead the way, my mysterious Lady of the Forest.”
They reached the outer wall, and Laurel quickly found a hole large enough to crawl through. Once outside the perimeter, nothing but trees spread out before them.
