by Jon F. Merz
“Doubtful,” said Ran. He looked at Kan-Gul. “What are you going to do with Vargul?”
“It’s not me that has chosen this path,” said Kan-Gul. “It was your friend Vargul who made the decision to attack me. This is merely a delayed form of self-protection, if you will.”
“Let him go,” said Ran. “You don’t need to do this.”
Kan-Gul smiled. “Oh, but I’m afraid I do. You see, I want there to be no mistaking my intention. Or my desires. And I’ve found that it’s often helpful to illustrate my resolve through demonstrations like this.” He winked. “Plus, it’s fun.”
Ran frowned but turned around to face the pit below them. Vargul seemed completely unaware of his surroundings. In fact, he seemed mercifully ignorant of the entire situation. Perhaps that’s a good thing, thought Ran. He glanced at Neviah, but the protector wore a grim expression on her face and kept her eyes locked forward. Jysal, still semi-stunned, leaned against Neviah.
“Not to worry,” said Kan-Gul from behind them. “While Vargul is a bit confused right now, the spell will wear off shortly. I wouldn’t want him to go through this not feeling every exquisite bit of agony.”
Ran bit his lip. He felt certain there was no way Kan-Gul could have read his mind, but he would have to be on guard for such a thing anyway. He looked at Vargul and wondered exactly what the sorcerer had in mind for him.
He didn’t have long to wait. From somewhere underneath the balcony, Ran heard the sound of chains being pulled back and a gate being hoisted. And then Vargul screamed.
“Ah, you see? The spell has now worn off, so Vargul can appreciate his immediate future,” said Kan-Gul. “Such as it is.”
“This is cruel,” said Neviah quietly.
“That’s the point,” said Ran. “He wants us to see this and realize we’re totally at his mercy.”
Neviah took a deep breath and then covered Jysal’s eyes with her hand.
Ran looked down into the pit. Vargul was at the far side, scrambling for any sort of purchase he could find on the wall, but the sides of the pit were smooth marble, and they offered nothing that the portly merchant would be able to use to climb out of there. Ran shook his head and hoped this demonstration would be quick.
Underneath the balcony, the ground shook. Behind them, Kan-Gul laughed and clapped his hands. “Now you will all see my favorite thing in the whole wide world.”
Ran leaned forward and caught sight of a giant head directly beneath the balcony. Ran didn’t blame Vargul for screaming. The thing beneath them was huge. And when it stopped a few paces farther on in the middle of the pit and turned to face the balcony, Ran got a better look at Kan-Gul’s pet.
The head of the beast was similar to what he’d killed in the forest. But the four limbs jutting out from its side gave it an almost arachnid appearance, despite the fact that it walked on two heavily muscled legs. Padded leather armor like the type worn by the Chekhal covered its entire body. It carried no weapons that Ran could see, but then again, with something as terrifying as this, it didn’t seem to need any.
“What do you think, Ran?”
Ran glanced back at Kan-Gul. “It looks like you’ve stuck a few pieces together and created a monster.”
“Indeed. Do you recognize the parts of the beast you killed in the forest before coming to the castle?”
Ran nodded. “Yes, but this is far larger than what I killed.”
“True enough. Size is always an issue for me. I could have probably achieved similar results with something far smaller, but I do like to see the effect that size has on my audience. It’s somehow more gratifying this way.”
Ran couldn’t fault him for that. The sheer enormity of the beast would terrify anyone. Ran was safe on the balcony, but even he felt vulnerable sitting at the edge in the stone chairs.
“Where do you keep it? Down below?”
“It has its own cage, yes,” said Kan-Gul. “I’ve also taken the liberty of adding a few enhancements to it. The extra appendages give it increased dexterity. And it has some of the same features as the Chekhal. Specifically, this creature has no soul. It therefore requires the same type of sustenance.”
The distinct lack of population in the surrounding lands made even more sense to Ran now than it had earlier. Kan-Gul must have taken as many of them as he could prisoner and fed them to his creatures. The ones who hadn’t fled were no doubt dead by now. Ran shook his head. Kan-Gul had to be stopped. If he was allowed to continue living, many others would perish. And Ran couldn’t in good conscience allow that to happen.
He was sure his elders back at the school would agree.
Vargul’s shrieks were now mere whimpers. So far, the creature had remained in the center of the pit, completely still. Kan-Gul no doubt had the thing under his control. Ran frowned. The evil sorcerer was letting the tension and fear build to a proper pitch before releasing the thing on Vargul. Ran sighed. Neviah was right: this was inhumanly cruel.
“So, my friends, are we ready to witness the power of what I’ve created? I can assure you that it is most exhilarating.”
“Not for Vargul, it won’t be,” mumbled Kancho.
“Get on with it,” said Ran. “Vargul doesn’t deserve this.”
Kan-Gul frowned. “But he does deserve it. You see, he attacked me. How would you have me respond?”
“Not like this,” said Ran. “But if this is the way it has to be, then be quick about it.”
“Quick is exactly what this will not be,” said Kan-Gul. “In order to extract the deepest and best part of his essence, Vargul needs to be completely terrified of what is about to devour him. The anticipation of his death heightens the energy my pet can gain from eating his soul. Interesting, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Just get on with it,” said Ran. He glanced down at Malkyr, but so far the captain hadn’t said anything. The expression on his face was grim, but his jaw was set. Ran guessed he wasn’t going to say anything that might land him in the pit to face a similar fate.
Incredibly, down in the pit, Vargul had come away from the wall and was approaching the beast. Ran shook his head. Did Vargul think that because it wasn’t moving that he was somehow safe? Or was he trying to work up a strategy for dealing with it? Without weapons, there seemed little the merchant would be able to do. And even if he was armed, his background wasn’t in fighting. At best, he’d manage to wound the creature before it killed him.
“Your friend surprises me,” said Kan-Gul. “He’s not crying out in fear.”
Ran smirked. Vargul was as good as dead, but at least he’d managed to inflict some level of disappointment on Kan-Gul.
“Well, allow me to remedy that situation,” continued Kan-Gul. He clapped his hands three times, and the beast suddenly let out a tremendous roar. This had the effect of making Vargul scream and once again flee for the nonexistent safety of the wall. Next to Ran, Jysal jumped as well. She wiped her eyes and looked around.
“What’s going on? Where are we?”
Ran groaned. He’d been hoping she might be spared the forthcoming spectacle. Neviah whispered in Jysal’s ear while Vargul’s screams filled the air. Jysal took one look at the beast in the pit and then turned and buried her face in Neviah’s shoulder, weeping.
Kan-Gul started laughing. “Now, that’s more like it. You see? The fear is almost palpable. Can you imagine how much it must drive my pet crazy to have such essence on the air? He’s salivating at the thought of it.”
The sorcerer was right. Even as he said it, the beast’s jaws gaped and spilled strands of saliva on to the floor of the pit. The stench of its breath made Ran wince. He had to bite back on his tongue to keep from retching.
Malkyr wasn’t quite so disciplined. He leaned over the edge of the balcony and vomited into the pit.
“Did I forget to mention the peculiar aroma of my pet’s breath? It’s invigorating, isn’t it? Certainly wakes you up.”
Ran glanced back and saw how much glee was plastered across Kan-Gul
’s face. He’s enjoying this far too much, he thought. “What are you waiting for? Do it already.”
Kan-Gul glared at him. “Don’t spoil my fun, Ran of Gakur. Otherwise I might not look so favorably upon you.”
Ran turned back around. The longer this went on, the worse it would be for all of them, but most especially Vargul. Ran was comfortable with the idea that he would die one day, most likely in battle. It was a fate he’d resigned himself to and made peace with. Accepting his own mortality had been the first key step toward becoming a member of the Nine Daggers. But people like Vargul, who made their living on trade and commerce, had no inkling of what real pain was like. They didn’t know the bite of steel. And they never imagined they might end up having their soul devoured by some otherworldly beast manufactured by an evil sorcerer.
The beast now turned and fixed its gaze on Vargul for the first time. Vargul screeched and clawed at the wall desperately. Ran saw streaks of blood and realized that Vargul must have broken his nails trying to scratch his way to freedom. But he didn’t seem to even feel the pain, as scared as he was.
“Now watch, my dear guests. Watch and understand the nature of what awaits you all unless you agree to my demands.”
Kan-Gul clapped his hands once more. The beast moved, lumbering across the pit, its limbs all in motion. Vargul pleaded for mercy, but Kan-Gul only continued to laugh. Vargul tried to run to the creature’s left, but it simply changed direction and blocked his path. Vargul ran to the right, and the beast blocked him again.
Vargul backed up until he could go no farther.
The wall stopped him.
And then the creature roared again and plucked the merchant right off of his feet, hoisted him in the air, and used its extra appendages to grab Vargul’s arms and legs at the same time.
Jysal’s sobs grew louder.
Ran took a breath and watched as the creature plucked one of Vargul’s arms off at the shoulder. Blood spurted from the now empty socket. The creature let it spill into its mouth, slurping hungrily as it did so.
Vargul let out a hideous shriek.
The beast plucked off his opposite leg and did the same thing. Vargul’s shriek died to a mere whimper, and then the merchant mercifully either went unconscious or was already dead.
But that didn’t stop the creature from continuing to slurp up the merchant’s blood. Then it crunched into the arm and leg it had ripped off of Vargul’s body. Ran heard the sickening crunch of bones as it chewed and then swallowed. His stomach turned over, but Ran managed to bite back the surge at the back of his throat.
Malkyr vomited again.
“The best part is coming,” said Kan-Gul. “Now watch.”
Ran felt forced to look, like Kan-Gul had somehow taken control of his body. Down in the pit, Vargul’s body lay on the floor minus one arm and one leg. He looked like a rag doll. But the creature still hovered over him, like it was waiting for something to happen.
And then Ran saw it. Vargul’s body jerked. As it did, the creature suddenly opened its jaws and sucked in a huge gulp of air. The air in the pit went incredibly hot, and Ran heard Vargul’s screams again and again and again, despite the fact that his body showed no signs of life.
“Yes, my lovely, feast on his soul. Devour every delicious bit of it. Take it all in and consume him entirely. Yesssss.”
Vargul’s screams echoed over and over again in the pit and in the air all around them. This was what Kan-Gul’s creations did to the people they killed. They ate their souls so they couldn’t journey to the afterlife. Ran shook his head and only stopped when Vargul’s screams finally ended several minutes later.
When Ran opened his eyes, the creature was gone from the pit and only Vargul’s torn-apart corpse remained.
Kan-Gul’s voice was hushed. “You will now be taken back to your cells. I believe you have much to discuss.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“That was a pretty horrible thing to have to witness,” said Kancho back in the cell.
Neviah sat in the corner with Jysal. Jysal had stopped weeping on the way back, but the effect on her was obvious. Ran looked at Kancho. “We don’t have many options to work with here.”
“Escape is the only one that I can see,” said Kancho. “We certainly can’t wait around for that madman to kill us all one by one. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen my death coming at the hands of a beast like that while I’m unarmed. Even if we don’t make it out of here alive, I’d rather go out on my own terms than Kan-Gul’s.”
“Agreed,” said Ran. “We just have to make sure that we choose our moment carefully. Kan-Gul is no fool. He’ll be expecting something from us. I don’t want to get out of here only to walk into a trap.”
“As long as we don’t wait too long,” said Kancho. “Because I don’t think he will.”
Malkyr sat nearby. “Who will?”
“Kan-Gul. He’ll kill us all if we don’t do something.”
Malkyr shrugged. “Seems like our destinies have already been cast. I don’t see a way to get out of this place. Did you see that pit Vargul died in? There was no escape from there, either. Kan-Gul seems to have thought of everything.”
Ran frowned. “I don’t think your attitude is going to help us very much. If you’d rather stay here, then be my guest. But I’m not going to stop trying to find a way to get free.”
“Suit yourself,” said Malkyr. “I’m going to get some sleep.”
Kancho aimed a kick at his head. “I can’t believe I entrusted my life to you aboard that so-called ship of yours.”
“You leave my boat out of this,” said Malkyr rubbing the spot where Kancho had kicked him. “I did what I was paid to do.”
“You were paid to get us safely to the other side of the Dark Sea,” said Ran.
“Exactly. And here you are. You’re welcome.” Malkyr shifted his position and moved away from the rest of them.
Ran watched him go and frowned. Malkyr’s attitude was disturbing. And Ran didn’t like the fact that he wasn’t anxious to escape. Who would willingly choose to stay here?
“Forget him,” said Kancho. “We’ve got things to figure out. He’ll only get under our skin and make us less productive.”
“You’re right,” said Ran. He walked over to Neviah and crouched down. “We’re going to figure out a way to get out of here.”
Neviah eyed him. “How will you do this?”
Ran glanced at the door. “I’m not sure just yet. But we’re not just going to sit here and give up.”
Neviah nodded. “When you are ready, let me know. If it’s my destiny to die here, I will at least take many of the enemy with me.”
“Hopefully it’s no one else’s destiny to die here,” said Ran. “Try to get some rest for the moment.” He nodded at Jysal. “How is she?”
Neviah looked at Jysal and then back at Ran. “She’s never seen anything so terrible. So horrifying.”
“Probably not.”
“But she’ll be okay. Once her nerves calm down, she’ll be well enough to travel.”
“Good.” He moved back to Kancho. “Think of a way out yet?”
Kancho cracked a small grin. “Any plan will first have to start with that door. But I’m afraid lockpicking skills were not in the curriculum I was taught as a Murai.”
Ran eyed him. “I thought you might be Murai, but wasn’t sure given your appearance.”
Kancho sighed. “I was forced to adopt a disguise in order to escape Nehon. Otherwise I would have been hunted down and killed before I could get across the Dark Sea.”
“Why would that be?”
“I disobeyed a direct order from my lord. Such a thing is considered treasonous and punishable by death. My death, in this case.” He smiled. “It would seem that my karma is proving rather unescapable at the moment. But I’m resolved not to die before I can exact my revenge.”
Ran frowned. “What vengeance do you seek?”
“My daughter was taken by a band of pirates
off the northern coast of Nehon. I haven’t seen her in months. There’s been no word of ransom. For all I know, she’s already dead. But I won’t stop until I find the people who took her and make them pay for their crimes. Naran was my real destination, but nobody would sail there, so I sailed with Malkyr, trying to get as close as possible to the port before heading south on foot.”
“How was your daughter taken?”
“She was sailing on a sloop to visit family and a coastal raider took them just offshore. But they turned toward Igul and disappeared into the fog. I asked leave of my lord to pursue the men who took her, but he denied my request.” Kancho shrugged. “I’ve spent weeks planning my escape. And my eventual vengeance. But now I’ve been delayed. And I’ve dishonored my clan at the same time.”
Ran clapped him on the back. “You’ve accomplished a lot, it would seem.”
Kancho looked at him incredulously and then broke into a smile when he saw Ran was kidding. “I suppose I rather have.”
“Let’s take care of this mess first,” said Ran. “And I promise to help you when we get out of here.”
“Why would you do that?”
“What?”
“Risk your life for someone you don’t really know.” Kancho shook his head. “That path is mine to walk alone. I could not ask you to come along.”
Ran said. “There are other people in Gakur who place value on family and making sure wrongs are righted. I happen to be one of them.”
“But you’re not Murai,” said Kancho.
“No,” said Ran. “I’m not. But Murai don’t have a monopoly on honor.”
“Having a nice talk are we?”
Ran and Kancho turned at the sound of the voice at the door. Through the bars they saw Kan-Gul’s smiling face. He looked gleeful, and it sickened Ran.
“What do you want?”
“Just curious as to whether you’ve had an opportunity to discuss my offer.”
“It’s not an offer,” said Ran. “It’s a demand.”
Kan-Gul shrugged. “Semantics don’t matter to me. Have you convinced Jysal to marry me yet?”
