Nyrobie’s swift kick sent the bobcat sailing and plunging to the water far below. “We must hurry! We can’t fight them like this!”
Charlie was thankful to see the ledge widening as he scurried along it. His optimism was short-lived as his gaze fell upon additional four-legged fiends approaching from the opposite direction. They had found them from an alternative route and now the party was trapped upon the ledge.
“Shit! They’re coming this way, too!” His fingers ached as he attempted to grip the wall behind him—his gaze diverted from the creature coming to end him. He inhaled deeply and looked to the roof of the cave—lightly lit with small blue crystals. Closing his eyes, he awaited his executioner. He’d certainly fight back, but without a doubt he was confident he’d plummet to his death. All was silent.
Charlie looked to his right to find a bewildered-looking wolf attempting to turn around on the narrow ledge rather than lunge for him. It was as if the drive to taste his blood had left the animal—and all the animals behind it.
“They’re attempting to retreat!” Andre could be heard from the other side of the group.
“What happened?” Charlie leaned out, attempting to make eye contact with Andre.
“That is to be determined my young friend. Be still. Their bloodlust may return. Be mindful and ready.”
Chapter 16
“Enough! We’ve ventured inward enough, Father! I beg of you! I must have assurance!” Carrie fell to the feet of her father at the last step of the stairs leading into Evrastill. She cried before him—violently, finding it nearly impossible to inhale the sweet air around her.
“A future queen would not weep at a peasant’s death, Daughter. A future queen would merely order additional peasants to remove the remnants prior to rot and infestation.”
“Oh no…” She whimpered at the idea of his demise, yet felt their bond alive within her. “Father please! I beg of you! I will do anything you ask of me. You have my word.” Her proclamation left her in spurts and cries as she remained affixed to the grassy earth below.
“I ask you to rise, Carrie. Conduct yourself properly as a queen would.”
“And I…I beg you…please…I cannot stand until I know you will spare him. Lock him away if you must, but please spare his life.” She peered to him—her eyes pleading.
“If, dear Daughter, I agree to chain your pet to the wall for all eternity rather than end him in the jaws of those surrounding him currently…you will forever bow to me.”
“Yes! I will do anything you ask, Father. Spare him…spare him and you have my solid word as a member of this Society. I will not forsake you! Please spare him!”
He chuckled lowly as he kneeled. “You are many things, Carrie…yet I’m certain you’re anything but a liar. It’s a deal. Your human is spared.”
Her face met the grass in an exhaustive release of relief.
“And to prove that I’m not completely horrendous, I’ll spare the pathetic lives of your friends. They too may reside in chains for all eternity.”
“The wolves…and cats. What about—”
“They stand at bay. You will walk with me. We will speak sensibly. You will accept the remainder of my terms and only then will your traitorous bunch be collected and marched to their eternal residence.”
“As…as you wish, Councilman Tarik.”
“Ah…I do enjoy the tone and the sound of that…but it is King Tarik, my dear.” He stood as Carrie looked to him. He gazed about the Kingdom.
“King of Evrastill today…King of the world tomorrow. All will bow to me, my sweet Carrie. All will know my wrath if they do not. Our kind will take the earth and in turn the earth will prosper as it has never prospered before.”
“How can you be so certain, Father?”
“I have you, Carrie. I have the echo.”
“How can you be certain of such prosperity?”
“To rule is to ruin…depending on your point of view. The task of elimination is never beautiful…but we cannot continue to wait for mankind to end themselves…they’re killing our earth in the process. Genocide is now, my precious Daughter. Let us bring balance and peace.”
“I feel…I feel ill, Father.”
“Indeed. The task at hand is overwhelming and—”
“And against all we’ve ever known, Father. You cannot expect to act on this effectively. It’s unnatural.”
“Carrie…my beautiful, broken princess. Humanity is unnatural. Humans despise nature—they run from it. For a human to return to nature he must first adorn himself with humanly trinkets and manmade comforts…anything but natural. They destroy nature, and have the gall to despise locusts, rats, and flies as pests. They are the pests, Carrie. They are the disease. Let us purify the earth of them. The only humans remaining will be those tucked away within our chains and stone…a reminder for future generations of the lowly creatures that once butchered the world and their own kind.”
“My mother…I know…I know what you did.”
Tarik’s smug smirk and cocked head had Carrie wishing she could mentally remove his skull from his body.
“Her gift…a gift of greenery. Such a waste. Indeed, your mother was entirely pathetic. She took great pride in her ability to grow green grass in seconds…sprout trees in moments. I worried you’d be as lowly yet something told me you’d be brilliant and all powerful.”
“She was brilliant, Father!”
He chuckled. “Nope. She was weak. They all are, really. Look at Jerrek. He stands afar, unsure of what intervention to apply…hoping none will be necessary and his life will be spared. Your mother…she loved the odd tunnels. She loved exploring. She screamed when I threw her mercilessly from the cliff side. Her broken body soon surrounded by the…darker immortals. They delighted in her misery. I didn’t stay to witness her actual demise. I’m sure it was quite colorful. They’re rather creative down there.”
“Enough.” Her heart raced—eyes bulging as she felt the fury raging within.
“Careful, Carrie. We wouldn’t want to make a mess here like you did with our…” He laughed loudly. “To our friends in the dark of the mountain! Such glory, such magnificence! All will come to know us as the only option. All will bow or endure their end!” His hands raised high as Carrie looked upon his madness. “At long last! And it is my own seed…my spawn! Am I not a champion? Am I not worthy of a godly title? Rise with me, Daughter. Let us assume our positions among the great! Infamy, honor…it matters not what history says…we are living history…we will walk still when the pyramids fall from age and ruin.”
“Know this…Father.” Carrie stood, fists balled, chinned lowered, gaze affixed to her father’s stunned expression. “Your breath…each and every one of them, is completely dependent on his. The very instant my Charlie fails to exist, so do you. The deal will be broken…broken before me…screaming and scrambling beneath my rage as you are reduced to nothing…whilst still breathing, until you are not.”
Her words were not immediately answered. Tarik broke gaze—staring toward the ground.
“Only today…this very day, do I really know what you truly are, Father. I have seen monsters. Monsters exist because they have purpose. You are the parasite. You’ve waited in the shadows…lurking and conspiring. You haven’t the skill or magic to fulfill your cruel will, and so you raise your hands to the crystals as if you possess my gifts. You possess nothing but a girl who wishes live in peace and unification. I bend to your wickedness not by choice…remember that as you parade your enthusiasm.”
“Dear, dear, Daughter. Such a sharp and hurtful tongue. Cruel words leave quite a nasty sting—”
“You threw your bride—your bond—from the side of a cliff to be tortured by foul beings. Do not speak to me of cruelty!”
“You imbecile. Have you truly been as blind as your idiotic weakling all these years? I have never felt a bond. Not a single day.” His low tone was coupled with a face lacking any sense of expression.
“Wha…what? I don’t u
nderstand?”
“Without your mother…Lady Victoria…there could be no you…no chance of the echo’s brilliant return.”
Carrie stared at her father for seconds—seconds felt like decades. “You…you unified my mother without the bond…” Tears streamed her cheeks as she turned from him, her hand covering her quivering lips. “And then you ki…killed her?”
“Indeed!” He slapped his hands together proudly. “How is that parasitic? That, my dear, is innovation.” Pointing his finger as he said this, he continued. “So ungrateful…so unappreciative. For you’d be lacking life had I not…would you not.”
“How? Why would she agree to this?”
“What choice would she have, Carrie? Many Councilmen and Society members longed for your arrival. She too believed in the cause.”
“Please…stop speaking.” Carrie gagged, as if she were on the verge of purging. “You’re a complete hypocrite. You would speak poorly of humanly decisions…those of spousal betrayal…yet you betrayed our Society and our ways long before you threw your bride to her death. You were never even bonded to my mother…I am nothing but your weapon of destruction.”
“Come now, Carrie. Don’t fret. Much more favorable than the bride of a mountain mortal…wouldn’t you agree? You are the future queen of all the earth, you have only to take it.”
Chapter 17
Avoiding gravity and the bewildered beasts on either side of them, the party remained steadfast aside the cliff. The air was much warmer in this area and the atmosphere was much better lit. Charlie attributed both to the presence of the sparse blue crystals in the walls and cave roof. There were nowhere near as many as in Evrastill, but their existence here seemed to play some role in the tranquility.
All was silent with the exception of the water below and the scuffling of paws surrounding them. As if the animals were at a loss as to what to do. The wolf closest appeared confused—nearly frightened and longing to run—yet would bare her teeth if Charlie inched in her direction.
“How long can we persevere in such a way, my love?” Elinor sounded exhausted from a few feet down, next to Andre.
“As long as we must. We haven’t the strength nor the numbers to overcome this. If Tarik wanted our blood spilled, we’d be gutless now.”
Charlie peered once more down the line of refugees to Nyrobie. Great despair gripped her expression. “Nyrobie! Are you…what’s the matter?”
Their gazes met—tears streamed her face. “It is Carrie. She is with Tarik and her heart aches greatly.”
“Is she in danger?”
“All in Tarik’s presence are in danger, Charlie.”
“Nyrobie! Is he going to hurt her?”
“No…no, it appears as though negotiations are at hand.”
Charlie’s back returned to the wall. Reflecting on the events that had led him to the climactic and indescribably odd scene he was playing a part in. He couldn’t help but place blame on himself. Imagining Carrie’s grief—her turmoil—it was more treacherous than the pink fangs to his right. “We need to go to her, Nyrobie.”
Charlie attempted to step around Joseph, pebbles fell from the ledge and to the rushing water below. He shivered, knowing there would be no kind-hearted mountain man to pull him to safety this time if he fell from his friends.
“Charlie!” Nyrobie’s tone startled him. “What are you doing?”
“Coming to you.”
“No, you are certainly not. Stand next to the wall and be mindful of your surroundings, my friend. We did not risk our lives to rescue you, only to have you end yours in an act of stupidity!”
Her words stung. He looked to her once more and then wriggled in between Joseph and Clark to remain silent.
His gaze on his worn sneakers—a feeling of defeat overtook his emotions. He only wanted to be with Carrie—nothing else could make anything better. Small commotion had him looking to his left to see a remorseful-looking Nyrobie by his side.
“Charlie, forgive me my friend.” Her hug was uplifting. “I am worn and the hours from my home have felt like centuries. Forgive my tone.”
They shared a smile as they separated. “It’s okay. I’m beat too. None of us know what comes next. I understand.”
“I’ll wait here with you.”
As Nyrobie stepped left, looking for a spot to snuggle into, she lost footing on the slippery, crowded ledge. She was falling merely one second later. Charlie watched her frightened face swallowed up in the water. Instinct—friendship—loyalty, whatever had Charlie jumping after her; he did so before he could think it through. His arms flailed as the screams of the party roared behind him.
Even before his submersion he was well aware of the ignorance behind his heroism. Nyrobie was incredibly strong and would likely survive this with ease…Charlie understood as he entered the frigid waters he would likely not.
He plunged deep into the rapid flow, fighting with all he had to reach the surface. It never came. Blurred vision—and then his lungs were burning—burning with icy gulps of cave-river water as they filled. His limbs grew heavy…lifeless; he sank into darkness…and unlike before…Carrie was not there to comfort him…this was his end.
Carrie
Trailing her father, his ramblings initially settled on deaf ears. It wasn’t until he mentioned an expedition from the Kingdom that she took heed to his words. Talks of isolating and alliance formation had Carrie once again feeling nauseated…and then, as they paralleled a gentle stream, something dreadful sprouted within her core. This was not the echo…oh no…this was something else entirely. This was an absence, an absence of something more valuable to her than eternity itself. This was an amplified grief that no poems or paintings could accurately portray. He was gone…Charlie was dead, she felt their bond diminish within her, leaving her hollow and open for grief to enter and fill.
“Awe…” Hitting her knees, clutching the soft grass, Carrie caught the attention of her father. He rushed to her.
“Why, whatever is the matter?”
She remained incapable of speech, nearly incapable of inhalation.
“Daughter…are you ill? Why are crouched and poorly?”
There was nothing left. From her peripheral vision, she witnessed Jerrek charging toward her. It all felt slow—as if she were submerged.
“Carrie! Carrie…what is wrong!” Jerrek’s voice offered no comfort. There was not comfort to offer. “Carrie, talk to me, my friend! Please.” Jerrek hit his knees before her, embracing her tightly. “What have you done to her, Tarik?”
“Don’t be a fool, boy. I’ve done nothing.”
“What have you done to her…?”
Carrie squeezed Jerrek’s hand firmly as her piercing gaze fell heavy upon her father’s. Looking once more to her friend, she attempted to muster a warning. “Ru…run.” She shook as she spoke.
“What?” Jerrek was clearly taken completely aback.
“Run…Jerrek. Leave…now…run…”
“Carrie I can’t leave you with—”
“Ruuuunnnn!” Her screech set Jerrek sailing toward the exit of Evrastill. He landed violently against the steps. Once his wits were collected, he hobbled from his home and out of sight.
“Daughter…we had a deal, my dear.” Clearly terrified, Tarik stepped backward.
Carrie rose to her feet—grass still clutched within her hands. The strength of her gift was something different than before—it was deeper, nearly all-consuming.
“He was precious to me…a pest to you…but absolutely precious to me. You…you long to conquer the world…yet you would criticize mankind for doing the same thing. I longed only to hear his laughter, kiss his smile…his…his beautiful smile. To feel him in my arms…hear his heart beat against mine. I wanted a small home, a smaller garden. I craved simplicity.”
“Carrie. You’re…you are floating, my dear. Come to me now. Let us talk. Perhaps Charlie may roam freely. Chains and stone are quite—”
“Do not play coy with me, father. Char
lie breathes no more. He is gone. Our bond is broken.” Carrie looked below to see her feet suspended above the ground. She felt the echo dancing within her throat, waiting patiently to be unleashed. It was present also within her fingers, toes, eyes and every inch of her being. She was the echo—she was her own gift.
“Summon your followers, Father.”
“Carrie…Daughter, your human…Charles is alive. I haven’t—”
“His name was Charlie, you bastard. Remember that as your end falls upon you.”
“Carrie please! If Charlie met his end…it was not by my doing! I assure you, all those summoned do stand at bay.”
“The echo! Beautiful!” Carrie heard a man’s voice as several townsmen ran to the scene. Their faces bathed in delight as they stared up to her.
“Fools! You follow this wretchedness?” She pointed toward her father as the onlookers collected—all smiling and embracing one another.
“We will take the world!” was shouted.
At least one-fifth of Evrastill’s population had congregated—a hideous following of her father’s. They’d conveniently presented themselves for slaughter. She looked upon them—even sheep have purpose and individuality—these supporters were as pliable as the branches of willow trees. Knowing she could paint the blue crystals red with their essence had a calming effect…calming, yet not comforting.
“Deceivers of Evrastill…is this what you’ve lusted for? Your Queen?” Her question had many clapping, some crying happily.
“We would leave our walls…march to the vast lands around us. We would wipe the world of insignificance and our time would be now…now and for always.” Raising her hands and her gaze to the blue haze above her, she listened to the cheers below, her father’s being the loudest.
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