Chapter 17
We were on our journey to where Monica had described—a place Nithia said she knew how to find. Only two hours on foot. Turns out there weren't any damn horses in Darguna. Not a single bus stop either. But the transportation problem was less confounding than how close the town was to the horrifying creature Monica had described.
"How the hell can the town be two hours from the freaking monster?" I asked, as we walked through town.
Tara explained. The mountains around the town formed a natural barrier, walling off the land where the creature dwelled. Only a narrow opening provided passage to the creature's domain, but the way was impassable by the creature, since it was so large.
Oh, that's comforting.
We came to the aforementioned narrow opening between the mountains at the back side of town. It was a three-foot wide crevice between towering cliffs—the only opening through the mountains in this direction. I mentally labeled the place we first entered Darguna as the front side. So, we were going out the back, as far as I was concerned. Tara parted from us for a minute, leaving us on the somewhat overgrown path while she went up fifteen or so wooden steps to speak with an old man who was sitting on his back porch, facing the opening we were about to walk through. His was the last house this side of town. She had told us to wait. Said the guy was cranky, but she knew him. She said she had to let him know why we were going that way, though he probably already knew. He would've been one of the first to spot Monica when she stumbled naked into town, coming out of the crevice we were about to enter.
Bet that got his attention.
The fact that the path we were on had a guy on permanent outpost duty watching over it made me question again whether we were the bravest or dumbest lot in town. Either way, I was committed to saving Sydney. With a seasoned fighter like Cormac at my side, we'd stand a pretty good chance of getting to her and then making it back to town without having our asses handed to us. Unfortunately, Nithia had found Tara, but not Cormac. Tara said Cormac might've been checking fishing lines in the river or out hunting wild boar. "Either one," she'd said, "meant it would take an hour to track him down, at least."
We didn't have time to wait. I feared for what might already have happened to Sydney. The old woman at the inn agreed to keep an eye on Monica, who stayed in our room. We tried to get some of the townspeople—the ones who looked like they could make the trip, and might actually be able to help if things got messy—to go with us, but there were no takers. Evidently, the stories of the creature we were on our way to see were well known and sufficiently scary to sap any bravery the people in town might have had.
We were given ample supplies before we left though—too much, really. I had a pack on my shoulders with more stuff in it than there was in the camping section of an REI. The weight didn't bother me much, however. But it was bulky. I questioned whether it would hinder my fighting ability. I thought about leaving some of it behind, but up until the last hundred feet of our walk to the edge of town, we had a gaggle of townsfolk parading behind us, wishing us well. Many of them had given me more stuff to put into the pack. I didn't want to be rude. So, I shoved it all in and thanked them.
Tara and Nithia had small packs, a third the size of mine. I think theirs had mostly some food, and a few other small items. I didn't see what they were. Alara waved off the offer of similar gear, only taking a water flask and a small leather pouch. Both had straps which she wore over her shoulder, draping across her chest beneath her cloak. We all had enough sense to bring cloaks—our savage-land underwear beneath them.
Before we came to that final house, I asked one of the generous townspeople why they were giving us so much supplies for a trip to a place only two hours away, the lady hesitated before answering. "Of the few who've gone through the crack over the years,” she said, “no one has ever come back."
"That's the best fucking pep talk I've ever heard," I said, my words dripping with sarcasm.
I don't know if she registered the sarcasm, but she evidently wanted to soften the message a little. "Maybe they just decided to travel on to another town. So…more supplies. Just in case." She smiled, but I could see it was pro forma.
As much for myself as for her, I rebutted her. "Oh, we'll be back. You can count on it."
She smiled again—definitely out of politeness. I could see she thought I was delusional.
"But thanks anyway," I said. "For the supplies, I mean."
She nodded and I left her, walking on until we reached the house and waited for Tara to talk to the watchman on his back porch.
I glanced back, looking toward where I had received the shitty pep talk from the well-meaning woman. She and the other townspeople were now gone.
Wow. Wrote us off that quickly, huh? What do they know? We'll make it back. And with Sydney.
I had the sword Cormac had given me, and the muscle to wield it easily. Tara brought her bow, which was good. She'd proven to be a sweet shot with it. Alara had her silver staff and whatever power was inside it, as well as inside her. Nithia had a bow too. I knew at least she'd be able to do some damage without having to get close to the creature. I was dead set on making sure none of the three women got hurt. That was the last thing I needed. I seriously considered going it alone, but Nithia was the only one who knew the way. And Alara had proven she could handle herself in a fight. Tara probably would have ignored me if I told her to stay. She continued to exhibit a fire inside that matched the flaming red of her hair.
I felt strong. I told myself I had what it would take. Of course, my plan was to get to Sydney and haul ass out of there without facing the creature if at all possible. But if I had to, I'd fight. Fear crept into my thoughts now and again, but I kept thinking about Sydney. Knowing it was up to us.
Chapter 18
Once we made it through the two-hundred-foot-long crevice between the cliffs, there was more light. The sun hadn't actually set yet. While dusk had reached Darguna, the other side of the mountains still had plenty of early evening light. Alara turned off the glow she’d used to help us get through the passage between the cliffs easier. She'd done something to make the stone at the top of her staff light up bright enough for all of us to see twenty feet in front of her and fairly well even behind the four of us, despite the narrow passage.
We had to stop twice in the first thirty minutes. The first time to deal with my supplies. All the junk in my pack was making too much noise. I unslung it and repacked it, separating the ceramic mug some kid had given me—why, I don't know—from the small curved piece of steel I had been given as part of a flint and steel pairing—a fire-starting kit. I knew that from seeing one in the glass case at the REI when I was getting a keychain flashlight to hook onto my backpack a few weeks ago. The second stop was our restroom break. I'd been holding it for a while, but finally had to get to a tree.
"Watch out for wild animals," Tara said as I walked away from the path to get a little privacy. "Wouldn't want to lose you before we have a chance to do the deed."
I didn't look back, but I had a suspicion she might not have been referring to the rescue. I heard an annoyed huff. My guess was it came from Alara. I skipped the first few trees and opted for one a little farther into the woods. Thinking about Tara and Alara, and Nithia for that matter, and Tara's agenda-laced double-meaning didn't jive well with my need to empty my bladder.
I found one, leaned my sword against the tree, and took a few seconds to get my focus back on the matter at hand.
I was appreciating how convenient it was to only need to lift a flap of leather out of the way, then I heard the crunch of leaves and the snap of twigs behind me.
"Not the time…" I was about to say 'Tara', thinking she was probably the one crazy enough to sneak up to me under the particular circumstances, but I stopped myself. I realized it would've been asking for grief if it turned out to be Alara behind me. I tried to quickly finish my business so I could turn around. I expected whichever one of the three it was to speak up—revea
ling who it was. But she didn't. I heard another crunch of leaves. I was done. I dropped the tire flap and turned around.
A shady looking man stood seven feet from me. He had a short sword out in front of him, one foot a few inches off the ground—his next step—and a look on his face like his plan had just gone down the toilet. He was frozen—staring at me, but not even putting his foot down. It was like he thought I wouldn't see him if he didn't move. He probably figured a sneak attack had been his only chance. He didn't look especially strong, or even athletic. In fact, he was a bit pudgy in the cheeks and, from the look of how tight only the lower half of his faded green shirt was, in the mid-section too. His face was dirty and stubbled.
I saw his eyes glance to my right. I did the same, eyeing my sword.
"Hurry up, Den!" Tara called out from the forty or so feet away. "Do I need to come help?"
So, no one has them at the point of a sword. Good.
I gave the guy my best don't-even-think-about-it scowl, flexing my chest.
He grinned, lowering his short blade. He pulled back his lifted foot and put it down beside his other.
I took hold of my sword. "Why do you want to try a thing like that?" I said, taking advantage of the fact he clearly thought himself outclassed. "Especially with a guy like me. Can't a guy take a leak without somebody trying to stick a sword in his back?"
"I'm sorry," he said, sheathing the blade.
Who the hell says they're sorry when they get caught trying to stab someone with a sword?
The problem was, he was totally believable. It didn't seem like a trick, he honestly looked like he regretted what he had been about to do. I couldn't take my sword to him now.
"I thought you were that thing, before you turned around," he said, his voice gave away how frazzled his nerves were. "They've been rounding up people. Taking them to…I'm not sure, but I heard they're feeding them to…something. One of them followed me. I lost him a while back, but then I saw you."
"So the guy chasing you looked like me?"
"Not a guy. Some creature. But yeah, at least from the back."
"What do you mean, creature?"
"He…they look like men—strong men—but their faces are…not human. They're like fanged apes. Terrifying."
Well, shit. The plot thickens.
Then an arrow landed in his neck. He dropped like a…guy who just got hit in the neck by an arrow. It's not like I'd seen that sort of thing before. So, a better simile didn't come to mind.
"Son of bitch!" I flattened myself against the tree and scanned toward where I thought the arrow had been fired.
Alara called out to me. "What's going on?"
"Take cover!" I yelled back. "Someone's shooting at me!"
I looked down to see if the man who'd been sneaking up on me was still alive. Not a chance. The arrow was sticking out of the side of his neck, but half of it was buried inside.
An arrow flew past the tree I had taken cover behind. Then another. At least they don't have a line on me, I thought. But I knew I was pinned down. Without knowing exactly where the archer was, or even if there was more than one, I wouldn't have much of a chance if I stepped out from behind the tree.
I heard a gruff voice in the distance, in the direction the arrows were coming at me. "I told you you wouldn't get away!" The guy sounded like he had half a sandwich in his mouth. Maybe that's the ape-faced creature, I thought.
It spoke again. "But who's your friend?"
Great. Now I'm friends with the guy the ape-man archer just put an arrow in. That's not good.
I looked down at the dead man who'd put away his sword instead of facing me—before he got hit with the arrow, I mean. He wasn't undead or anything like that. Bad luck, man. I realized he'd made an honest mistake in thinking I might have been one of these guys who were after him. Probably stumbled upon me and didn't know what else to do to avoid me killing him, I thought. Maybe it was the adrenaline in my system, or the fact I'd already been in a bloody fight with the dark riders. I wasn't as shaken at seeing the lifeless body as I would've expected.
"So, I guess you needed me to come help you after all."
I quickly turned my head and saw Tara behind me, a few feet away, taking cover behind another tree. She had her bow in hand with an arrow notched in the string. She'd abandoned her cloak, no doubt to move more easily. I saw her flat stomach moving, taking in a few deeper breaths. She must've sprinted to get where she was without getting shot. I realized I hadn't even heard her approach. Too distracted by the guy dying and the other arrows whizzing by, I suppose.
A tiny bead of sweat traced the curve of her right breast, before disappearing behind it. She was standing with her side facing me.
"How many?" she asked.
"Not sure. I think it's just one. Maybe not human."
"Not human?" Tara asked. "But shooting a bow?"
Another arrow shot by my right shoulder. I inched a little to my left to make sure I was completely behind the tree on that side. Fortunately, another tree beside it gave the rest of me cover on the other side.
"Apparently."
Tara took a quick look, but had to jerk her head back behind the tree as an arrow came dangerously close to hitting her.
"I think I saw him," she said. "If I can get a shot off, I think I can take him out."
"It," I said.
She popped her head out again, but another arrow flew by.
"Wow," she said. "He's fast."
"Are you sure there's only one? I'm just going by what this guy said." I nodded my head down at the dead guy.
"Yeah. I saw him this time. I didn't see anyone else."
I had an idea. I bent my knees, lowering myself as much as possible while still remaining behind the two trees. Then I stuck my foot out slowly, as close to the ground as possible, hoping not to get hit with an arrow.
"What are you doing?" Tara asked.
"Hold on."
I stretched out my leg until I could reach the dead man with my boot. Then I hooked my heel around the side of his torso and dragged him back toward me, which was harder than I expected.
"Are you two okay?" Nithia called out from back on the path.
"Not now!" I strained to respond loud enough, despite crouching and stretching my foot to the dead guy. "Don't come over here!"
When the body was close enough, I reached down and took hold of him by his belt and shirt, bunching up a fistful of the latter in one hand to get a controlling grip on him.
"What are you doing?" Tara looked baffled.
"Over the shoulder or under the arm?"
"Under the arm? What?"
"You're right. Raising his arm would be silly…and impractical. Over the shoulder it is. I'll hold him low enough for you."
"Who is that guy?"
"Not sure. But he won't mind. Are you ready to fire?" I looked at her. She had the arrow notched, her fingers on the string. "On the count of three. I'll hold your shield."
"You're kidding?"
"One. Two." I lifted the dead man's body up into a standing position. He dangled like the guy in Weekend At Bernie's. "Three!"
I took a wide step out from behind the two trees, yanking the body in front of me and right next to the tree Tara was behind.
She took advantage of the moment, darting out in a pivoting move from behind the tree as she drew the string of her bow back. I adjusted the height of my Bernie shield to match her stance and give her arrow and line of sight a clean path. Bernie took an arrow in the chest, but he didn't budge. Tara released her arrow. A split second after I heard the thwip of it flying off her bow and past Bernie and me, I heard the ape-man in the trees cry out in pain. I leaned my head to the left of Bernie's and saw our assailant fall forward through the greenery below the trees.
Tara took cover again. "Are we sure he was the only one?"
I waited a few seconds to see if another arrow came at us. Nothing happened. Bernie was getting heavy, so I dropped him and leaned back toward the tree I'd be
en hiding behind. I scanned the area the arrows had been coming from. I couldn't see any other movement. "I think that was the only guy."
"I hope you're right," Tara said.
"Hey, you two." Nithia was walking toward us.
I glanced back at the trees where the creature Tara had shot was. Still no movement. I moved out to block the line from there to Nithia, just in case.
"What's going-" She saw Bernie on the ground next to me. "Oh, my! What happened?" She looked at me and Tara. "Are you two okay?"
I saw Alara coming up behind Nithia. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Uh," I said, looking at Tara, then to the body at my feet, then to the distant bushes where part of the dead ape-man was visible. "Bernie snuck up on me, but it turned out he thought I was an ape-man. So, we worked it out until the real ape-man shot him in the neck with an arrow before trying to do the same to me and Tara. So Bernie volunteered to take another one for the team, allowing Tara to plug the guy." I looked at Tara again. "Going over the shoulder, not under the arm."
Tara smirked.
Alara and Nithia looked confused as hell.
I leaned toward the tree, bracing myself with one hand, dangling my sword in the other. "And all this because I had to go to the bathroom."
Alara shook her head. "Well, I'm glad you're both alright, but we should get moving."
"Oh, shit!" Sydney's plight jumped back into my head. I'd been so sidetracked with nearly getting killed that I'd forgotten. "Yeah. Of course, let's get going."
I felt badly for Bernie. We didn't have time to show him any respect—with a burial or even a minute of reflection on him. Sydney was still alive—at least I hoped. I had to believe she was. So, we hustled back to the path and Nithia led on. We picked up speed. I told them about the ape-faced man, though I didn't actually see him up close to verify Bernie's description. I also told them what Bernie had said, about the ape-faced men rounding people up, taking them to the creature.
"Must've been what happened to Monica and Sydney," Nithia said.
Dennis the Conqueror: A Harem Fantasy (Sword and Sorority Book 1) Page 13
