by K. Panikian
I took a deep breath and waved my hands in the air. “No, I get it. He’s reacting completely normally for an alpha male suddenly questioning his alpha-ness.”
“He can’t shoot his gun, he doesn’t know how to swing a sword, and his family, who didn’t even know about him, has superpowers,” Julian pointed out. “His father raised him to idolize us. He came into this fight with something to prove.”
“Intellectually,” I stressed that word, “I get it.” I paused. “Emotionally, I don’t want him here if all he’s doing is trying to prove to himself or to his dad that he’s a Varangian too.”
I stood and turned to Julian. “This doesn’t change anything, don’t worry. He’s a teammate and I’m a musketeer. I’ll do what needs to be done.”
JUST after lunch, we started loading up the snow machines. Zasha packed the copper pots of Greek fire in a cooler and we strapped it to the back of one of the sleds. The projector, we strapped on top.
I asked Theo if he knew how to work it and he answered, “Theoretically.”
I wore my calvary sword on my left hip and my knife in its scabbard on my right thigh. I strapped one crossbow to my back, slid some quarrels into my belt, and put the other crossbow in a backpack, with spare bolts, in the other sled.
Theo wore his shortsword on his left thigh as well and tied his sovnya to the side of his snow machine, since it was too long to strap to his back.
Julian had his spatha and long knife just like mine, and then added his pernach to a belt across his back, hilt up so he could grab it in a hurry. I looked at the flanges of the mace poking out and told him, “You’ve got to ride in the back.”
“I’ll drive him and me,” Theo said. That was fine. With the crossbow on my back, I needed to be in the rear too. I would ride behind Owen.
Owen came jogging up just then and waved his hand. “Give me five minutes, guys,” and he ran into the house.
I picked up my phone and sent a quick email to my parents, letting them know we were heading into a fight and that I loved them. I left my phone inside the entry way. I looked over and saw Theo hugging Zasha tightly, whispering to her. She was nodding and smiling but her eyes looked worried.
Owen came back out of the house, carrying his sword and a long knife. I showed him how to strap them both on without tangling the ties. He agreed to drive our sled and we all slipped our helmets on.
Julian and Owen led the way out of the garage and we were off. I looked back over my shoulder and waved to Zasha; she waved back and mouthed something that was probably “Good luck.”
WHEN we reached the creek, we pulled our snow machines to the side of the trail. We adjusted our weapons and each of us picked up a copper pot except Theo, who carried the projector instead.
It was awkward to clamber down into the streambed while wearing a sword, knife, and crossbow, and carrying a heavy pot. I checked to see how everyone else was doing and saw pained expressions all around. When we were finally all in the creek, I warned them again to try and be as quiet as possible as I led the way up the icy, slippery gully.
I tripped a couple of times and heard some cracking ice and stumbles from behind me, but finally were at the part of the ridge that led to the cave. I hunched as low as I could over my pot and inched my way up the slope. Snow slithered down my collar and into my coat. Ugh. Toward the top I got all the way onto my stomach and just pushed the pot alongside me. Finally, I poked my head over the crest, still hidden under a snowy bush, and peered at the cave.
The sun was setting and the glade was turning purple-gray and shadowy. I could see a few feet into the entrance of the cave but no movement. I turned questioning eyes to Theo, who dropped next to me, and he concentrated on the cave for a moment. Then he held up ten fingers to me.
Only ten inside. That was disappointing. Still, if we waited and tried again tomorrow, the numbers could be even worse. I pointed down at the cave and nodded. We were a go. I saw Theo pass the signal down the line.
Now we needed to move quickly, in case anything in the cave was watching outside. We had to get down the ridge to the cave entrance, dump the pots, and run back behind the ridge, out of the blast zone, before I lit the fire.
I turned my head and looked at Theo again. I mouthed, “Guard us,” to him and he waved back at me.
I rose to a crouch, pot in the crook of my arm, and beside me Theo dropped the projector in the snow and readied his sovnya. I checked to make sure Owen and Julian were ready too, and then, still moving as quietly as I could, I jumped and slid down the icy slope, breaking into a run at the bottom.
I sprinted for all I was worth, hampered by my heavy boots and the slippery snow. The cave was still a few yards ahead when I saw movement in the entrance. I skidded to stop, opened the lid of the pot, and dumped the black liquid out in front of me. Julian and Owen did the same on either side of me and the puddle of thick fluid coalesced into a rough circle in the snow.
A crimson bolt of energy shot out of the cave at us and Theo stepped forward, batting it out of the air with the bladed end of his sovnya. I turned and ran for the ridge, my arms pumping, moving faster now without the heavy copper pot. I glanced back and saw Theo backing slowly, spinning his spear in front of him, as a psoglav crept out of the cave and into the open air. It bared its iron teeth at Theo and crouched, its equine legs ready to leap forward.
I stopped and seized the crossbow from my back, loading a bolt in a smooth move. The psoglav jumped at Theo and I caught it mid-air, my quarrel slamming into its gaping, canine mouth. It fell into the snow, jerking, and I turned and ran again for the ridge. I pushed my thigh muscles and staggered up the slope, panting.
I dropped at the top and rolled a little way down the other side before catching myself and clambering back to the top. Owen and Julian were on the ridge and Theo was most of the way up the slope. I didn’t see anything else in the cave entrance.
As soon as Theo dropped at my side again, I lit my fingertip spark and threw it at the Greek fire, whistling harshly to push it all the way there. It hit the black patch of snow and the glade exploded.
I closed my eyes instinctively and then clapped my hands over my ears an instant too late. I covered my head when debris starting falling around me. When I opened my eyes again, the cave was gone. Rocks, small and large, littered the glade, smoking. There were bloody pieces of besy everywhere.
My ears rang and I turned my head slowly to check on the guys. I saw glassy eyes and shocked faces on everyone. I didn’t know what to do. I’d been expecting a large ball of fire and a fight, not this destruction. Well, the ten besy in the cave were definitely dead. So, I decided to call it a win.
I stood and carefully made my way back down the ridge into the glade. The snow was gray and slushy now; in some patches I saw down to bare earth. I stepped over a hairy, ape-like arm on the ground.
Someone touched my arm beside me and I jumped. I still couldn’t hear anything through my ringing ears. Owen was there and he mouthed with exaggerated movements at me, “Good job.” I smiled and then Julian picked me up from the other side and spun me around in the air. I grinned at him.
We would need to collect all the bes pieces, I knew, and burn them. For the moment though, I merely surveyed the destruction. I found Theo a few feet away and gave him a thumbs up. His Greek fire had been incredibly potent. I would have to tell Zasha she was right; we had been making a bomb.
I looked around at the devastation and hoped that no other creatures had been calling that cave a home. It was obliterated.
The sky was almost dark now. I sighed and started picking up the pieces of bauks and psoglavs I could see near me. The guys bent and started doing the same.
AN hour later, in the full dark, I felt reasonably sure we’d found everything. The pile ended up being smaller than I expected. The bomb must have disintegrated most of them. We were wearing headlamps to see; Julian had gone back down to the snow machines to grab them, plus my handy container of gasoline.
I lit
the pile of body parts and backed away. I whistled the fire strong and hot and after a few minutes, a pile of ashes lay in the snow. I was getting better and better at whistling that element. I felt proud of myself.
We trudged back down the icy stream bed for the last time and loaded ourselves onto the snow machines again. I was tired and my head was aching a little. I resisted the urge to lean against Owen’s broad back as he steered us down the trail.
When we reached the side trail to the meteor impact site, however, Theo and Julian’s sled stopped. Theo climbed off and tossed his helmet to the side. “Hurry,” he said, “we need to get to the crater. Right now.”
He took off into the trees, not bothering with snowshoes and I jumped off my machine too and followed him, Julian and Owen close behind. We slogged down the trail, stumbling in the deep snow.
Finally, we reached the edge of the crater and Theo motioned us down into the snow. “Watch,” was all he said.
We settled in, eyes on the clearing, and waited. We didn’t wait long.
Out of the trees on the opposite side of the clearing came three todorats, their hooves stomping; a balachko, its three heads turning this way and that; and a tall bes with long, sharp horns dressed in a mail coat, carrying a sword. It was obviously the leader, the one Theo said was angry at being in our world.
I was afraid. We were not ready for this fight, I knew. I shrank lower in the snow.
They climbed down into the crater and moved to its center. The leader held up his sword and it pulsed in the clearing. No, not the sword, I decided. It was a rock embedded in its crossguard that was pulsing. After a large burst of blue lit the clearing, an opening appeared. The edges glowed the same blue as the last pulse of magic and through the gateway, I could see another clearing, full of fresh snow.
The bes leader and his band stepped into the gateway and vanished. The blue winked out.
The portal. The rock opened the portal. The portal could be opened again? “How?” I asked out loud.
“I will tell you,” a voice answered from behind me.
Chapter 19
I spun around. A young man stood behind me. He looked like a college kid. He was thin and wore jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, no coat; his shock of blond-white hair was disheveled. He slouched a little, and in his eyes, I saw the night sky with its myriad stars.
“I am Mesyats,” he said.
“The Moon God,” I whispered, awed.
“Yes, I am the moon. I am worshipped all over the world, though not always by this name or in this avatar.
“I have been watching you four. You have been stumbling around in these woods, not doing much good. But tonight,” he paused, “tonight was good. I have decided to help you.”
His hands came up and he sketched them through the air as he talked. Images appeared and then vanished.
“Chernobog, the Black God, has placed his stamp on the besy of the portal world. They worship him there.” He outlined a large black shadow with a vaguely human face and great, sweeping horns. At its feet, thousands of besy knelt.
“Those that entered this world through the shooting star act in his plan. I cannot touch them. Gods cannot interfere with each other in this space. When we battle, it reshapes too many things. But,” he added, “we can have champions and those champions can fight.” I saw images of knights on horseback battling dragons, warriors facing ogres, a woman commanding an army, and so forth.
“You four must shut this gate and stop Chernobog’s beasts. They do not belong here and I do not like that they keep killing my worshippers.” Mesyats suddenly looked older and sterner.
“Those that just passed through will return, and they will bring others. They are opening the portal with a piece of meteorite that, in the initial impact, blasted from your side, through the portal, and into their world. That is the key. You must find a way to close this access point.”
He stopped and gestured to Theo, Julian, and me. “You three have already been blessed by Belobog. I see it in your blood. He has been protecting the humans in the portal world with gifts of magic. I can offer you no more help.
“But you,” he pointed to Owen, “are untouched by the gods. I will bless you, if you want it. This is the extent of the help that I may offer.”
Owen stepped forward and I had to force myself not to pull him back.
“Tell me, Owen of the Wolf Sword, what boon would you have of me?”
Owen, his brown eyes firm, stared at the god for only a moment and then said, “I want to be a stronger fighter. I want to be better suited for this fight. For ten years I was a soldier and nothing I learned then is helping me now. I’m ill-equipped. Can you make me a great warrior, like those champions you showed us?”
I sighed and Mesyats smiled. “Yes,” he said, “I will do that.” He made a small gesture to Owen, like he was tossing something, and then he vanished.
BACK at the chalet, we found Zasha waiting. She jumped into Theo’s arms and they disappeared into the house in a flurry of whispers, gestures, and kisses.
I took off my weapons in the garage and stored them away. I listened to Julian and Owen talking while they did the same. I was feeling worried and also, a little bit angry.
“Do you feel any different?” Julian asked.
“No,” said Owen, sounding disappointed. “I feel exactly the same.”
“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” Julian said. “Maybe in our next fight, you’ll suddenly get powers or something.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Julian went into the house and Owen turned to me. “How are you doing?” he asked. “That fire bomb was pretty incredible.”
I nodded, “Yeah, and unexpected. I’m fine. Just a little tired, I guess.”
“Can we talk for a minute?” he asked. “I want to apologize for yesterday. I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have stopped you when you were trying to talk to me about the dragon fight. Not making excuses, but I was feeling pretty down on myself, and I reacted badly.”
“And now that you maybe have superpowers, you’re feeling better about yourself?” I asked. I couldn’t keep the irritation out of my voice. “Now that you’ve been blessed by a god, you want to talk to me about your emotions?”
“No,” he said. “I tried to talk to you this morning too.” He hesitated. “Wait,” he said. “Are you mad at me for that? Because I wanted more power? To be more useful? I don’t understand.”
“No,” I answered. “I’m not mad you want to help more. I think,” I paused to collect myself, “I’m mad because you think that without power, you weren’t useful. You were part of a team and now you’re a grenade.”
“But grenades are powerful weapons,” Owen argued back and then stopped. “I feel like I’ve gotten off track. I know I hurt you last night and I’m sorry. You, you’re strong and beautiful and intimidating. Your cousins are funny, yeah, but they’re formidable too. I wanted so badly to help; I reacted badly to the dragon fight. The rest of it, whatever you’re angry about right now, you need to get over it. Whatever this power is, it can’t be undone. I’m a part of this team and now this team is stronger.” He turned and went into the house.
I restrained myself from yelling after him that he was still wearing his sword. He’d figure it out himself, I said to myself sulkily.
I sat down on one of the snow machines seats. Why was I so angry still? He’d apologized for being a jerk last night. I should let it go. Plus, he’d called me beautiful. But inside, I was seething. I kept thinking, over and over, about that moment in the clearing when, faced with a god, Owen stepped forward and said yes, and how scared I’d been for him.
That was it, I understood finally. I was scared for him. I wasn’t angry at him; I was filled with worry and anxiety. He’d changed and we didn’t know into what. What if he wasn’t Owen anymore? I really liked Owen. I kicked my foot against the seat. Even when he was a jerk, I admitted.
Suddenly, from inside the house, I heard a crash.
I ran insid
e and then stopped abruptly in the living room. A bes stood in the middle of the room, holding a sword in front of its mishappen body. It had the head of a wolf, with cunning yellow eyes and very sharp teeth. The wolf head merged into a human torso and it appeared to be standing on human legs as well. It was huge; its head nearly reached the ceiling.
Its mouth gaped open and it said, in Owen’s voice, “What’s happening?”
I stared at its face, then looked down its body and realized under the torn shirt, it was wearing torn jeans as well.
“Owen?” I asked faintly. “Is that you?”
The wolf said, “I feel funny,” and then crashed to the floor. It let go of the sword and turned back into an unconscious man.
“Owen!” I screamed.
Chapter 20
He sat in a chair in his tent, a map spread out before him. He could hear the sounds of the camp outside, bladed weapons clashing, fire crackling, and low voices growling. He smelled meat roasting. There was a scratching at the door and he boomed out, “Enter.”
A small, brown, and hairy bes slipped inside the tent flap and knelt on the ground in front of him. “Lord Abaddon, the scouts have found Orus and what remains of his cohort,” it said.
“And what remains?” Lord Abaddon asked.
“Three todorats and one balachko, the one called Femor, sire.”
“Bid Orus come to me immediately,” Lord Abaddon demanded and turned back to his map. His sharp fingernails bit at the table where he sat and smoke curled from his large nostrils. He scraped his hooves against the ground in agitation before deliberately calming himself. He was not an animal.
A few minutes later a hulking bes with tall horns entered his tent. He knelt and waited.
“Stand,” Lord Abaddon told him. “Report.”
“Sire, we were on the trail of a Varangian scout party. They were half a day ahead of us. Suddenly, there was a giant blast of power that shook the earth. I went immediately to where it originated and there was no sign of the scout party; there was only this rock.” He held up his sword, hilt first, and pointed to the rock embedded there.
