The watchman grabbed Evin’s head and pulled, shoving himself deep into Evin’s mouth, then began to move his hips. Evin was powerless, caught between Tyber—who now stroked himself openly while still being nasty with Evin’s backside—and the watchman ramming into Evin’s throat.
The sounds they uttered, oohing and aahing and groaning, made everything more intense, and Gareth knew he would make the white stuff again. The watchman jerked back, pulled out of Evin’s mouth, and held himself as if to piss, but what spat out in splashes onto Evin’s face was that same stuff!
I’m normal. And as he thought this, Gareth clamped shut his eyes and mouth, trying to remain silent while his body shook and his own stuff came out, up under his chemise, shooting out many times until it ran all over his belly and down his breeches.
With his eyes closed, Gareth almost failed to see it.
Just as he looked on again, the watchman hit Evin, a loud slap that made drops of the stuff on Evin’s face splatter and fly. No! He was so nice to you! And Evin was angry as well—rising from the floor, fist clenched. This was going bad, and Gareth couldn’t understand why. He couldn’t help.
Tyber laughed. Before Evin could strike the watchman, Tyber grabbed his hips and dragged him back. Evin pushed ineffectually at the watchman, but he was pulled down, turned around, and his face pushed against Tyber’s swollen cock.
Evin struggled a bit, but Tyber held on until Evin took it into his mouth.
Gareth dropped from the window, disgusted and confused and all wet. He lifted his chemise away from where it stuck to his belly. Go wash now. He slunk back to the wall and over it, then headed toward the river. Soon there would be no sign of the mess he had made.
But everything is a mess.
Until a few days ago, his life had been an unbroken line of days, each nearly identical to the last. Wake up, eat without calling down his parents’ wrath, work for Father in the darkness where no one could see him, be a ghost spying on the villagers, go home to bathe and sleep. Now everything was changing and scary. The bear had shown him things he never wanted to know. His parents planned to send him away with a stranger who would probably despise him just as much. He might never get to see Evin again, but what did it matter? He didn’t understand Evin, who let people hurt him like that and would never truly be Gareth’s friend anyway.
He stopped walking and looked back in the direction of the work buildings.
He wanted to go back and make those men take their hands off of Evin. He wanted to make them sorry they’d ever touched Evin. He would too, except Evin never called for help or fought back.
Maybe Evin wouldn’t want help. And he would certainly be afraid of Gareth.
Gareth didn’t understand the things he’d just seen, not at all, and couldn’t ask anyone to explain. If he went back, if he made a mistake because he didn’t understand, it might cost his parents their lives.
It took an effort to turn away again, but he went on to the river.
* * *
The next night, Gareth found Evin and Tyber in the building where villagers constructed wooden furniture. As he crept closer, he could hear them whispering urgently to one another. They were alone, so Gareth would have to be especially alert. If the watchman made his rounds tonight, he might come close enough to notice Gareth at the window.
Gareth berated himself for being so foolish as to come here, especially after the disturbing things he had witnessed last night, but he found a shaded window and watched anyway. Evin and Tyber stood, pressing their mouths together, in a wash of moonlight near the middle of the workroom. Evin’s chemise lay crumpled at their feet.
Tyber lifted Evin onto a worktable. He pulled his face away, then pressed it into Evin’s chest. His lips made gentle smacking sounds as he trailed down Evin’s body. He swirled his tongue in the navel and continued down until he was stopped by the breeches Evin wore. He looked up.
“Let’s get these off,” Tyber said.
“Leave ’em,” Evin said. He pulled Tyber’s face back up to his own and touched their mouths together again.
Tyber pulled away. “What’s the problem? Take ’em off.”
“Let’s do other stuff tonight, like using our hands. You hurt me last night, and I don’t want to—”
“No! Shut up. You can’t tell me no.”
Evin slid down from the table and pushed Tyber away. “I’m not telling you no. Just not tonight. You and Nicolas can’t treat me like a dog to beat.”
“Why not? Isn’t that what you are? Now come here and bend over for your master. You know you want it.” Tyber groped for him.
“I don’t want anything from you, bastard!” Evin wriggled free and turned away. He snatched his clothing from the floor and started toward the door.
“Hey! Don’t you—” Tyber grabbed his arm and spun him back around. “Don’t you walk away. You know how this goes. You have to do as I say.” Tyber gripped Evin’s upper arms and shook him.
“Fuck you! You may be able to treat the girl that way, but—”
“Oh, you’re the girl, Evin. That’s your whole problem, innit? That’s why you have to obey me.”
“I’m warning you, let me go.”
Tyber laughed at him. “Not until you settle down. Here, I’ll give you something to shut you up.” Tyber tried to push Evin down to his knees, but this time Evin resisted. Before Tyber could force him down, he slammed his forehead into Tyber’s face.
Tyber yelped, covered his nose with his hands. The scent of blood washed across the room to Gareth. Evin pointed a finger in Tyber’s face. “I may be your dog, but I can bite too.”
Tyber drew a hand away and looked at a red smear on his fingers. “Yeah, I bet you can.” He lashed out with a kick to Evin’s thigh. Evin stumbled, fetching up against the worktable. Tools and bits of wood rattled.
No! Stop!
Sharp points pressed into Gareth’s palms.
Evin balled his fist, but Tyber grabbed his elbow in both hands before he could get his balance and used it to swing him around. Evin’s weight increased his momentum. Tyber let go, throwing him down the aisle between the tables.
Gareth’s heart pounded, deafening in his ears.
Evin fell into a cabinet of shelves and came down hard on his rear end. Impact knocked the cabinet back and disturbed the items on it: boxes of nails, wooden implements, hand tools. A hammer teetered at the edge of the shelf.
Don’t—
It fell, cracking into the top of Evin’s head and striking his shoulder before hitting the floor.
Evin’s mouth opened in a silent cry. He squeezed his eyes tight and raised his hands to his head, but ever so slowly, as if he couldn’t make them work. Without saying a word, Gareth urged Tyber: Help him! He’s hurt!
Tyber went to Evin, but when he got there, he didn’t help. He pulled on Evin’s feet and dragged Evin out to the open floor.
What are you…?
Tyber pulled Evin to all fours. Blood dripped from Tyber’s nose onto Evin’s naked back.
Evin tried to move away, but too weakly. His fingers slipped on the floor.
Tyber said, “There, dog, I told you you’d do what I say.” He yanked Evin’s breeches down.
All saints, no!
Evin collapsed, one ear mashed to the floorboards. While fumbling with his own clothing, Tyber tried to hold Evin’s rear end up with one hand.
Gareth’s feet hit the floor hard enough to rattle the entire room.
He didn’t remember leaping through the window. He was aware only of Tyber whirling to see with wide eyes and a terrified gasp. Of Evin tipping over, slumping to the floor. Of his claws clenching and unclenching as he was tempted by the thought of sinking them deep into Tyber’s belly.
They stared at one another for a long moment before Tyber broke the silence.
“Demon…” Blood stained his teeth.
Gareth leaned close, smelling the coppery tang and seeing reflections of his burning eyes grow to fill Tyber’s own.
>
“Demon!”
“Get out,” Gareth said, but Tyber was transfixed. “Get out!” He pushed past Tyber to get to Evin. He feared his claws might hurt Evin, but as he reached toward the frail body, his fingers shortened, softened, became blunt and familiar. He gathered Evin gently into his arms and grabbed the discarded clothing to cover him.
“Demon!” Tyber said, finding a stronger voice and scrambling to his feet.
Gareth leaped to the window and looked back at Tyber one last time.
“Demon!” Tyber shouted. He turned and ran out the door into the night. “Help me! A demon! Help!”
Gareth dropped out to the ground, carrying Evin’s limp form, and fled.
Chapter Five
Evin woke with a start. He had to get away! He had to escape from…from…who? He found himself lying on his back in a frigid, utterly dark place. His head hurt as if it had cracked open. He sat up, wanting to feel for a way to escape, but nausea overcame him. He leaned to one side and threw up.
His eyes watered as he heaved. Dimly he realized that someone was helping him. As his retching settled down, a cold hand gently pressed on his shoulder and guided him to lie back. Someone cradled him and used a cloth to clean his face.
“Where…? Can’t see.”
“Shhh. It’s okay,” an unfamiliar voice said. “We’re in a cave where he can’t get you. You’re safe.”
Evin tried to remember why he wanted to escape. Why had he been afraid? But it was so hard to think.
* * *
Evin woke again, this time a little more himself. He remembered that he was in a cave with someone who took care of him. He listened in the darkness. He heard wind moving through the cave and perhaps the sound of someone else breathing.
“Are you there?” he asked.
“Yes. I kept you safe. I won’t hurt you, I swear.” It was the voice of another youth, close by.
“Who are you?”
Silence.
Evin tried again. “Do I know you?”
“No. I’m a stranger, but I promise I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”
“What happened? How did I get here?”
“Your friend, he pushed you down and you got hurt, remember?”
Something… It was true. Someone had hurt him.
“He was going to hurt you some more, and I know it was wrong but I had to stop him. I ran him off. I brought you here to be safe.”
“Tyber.” Evin’s face heated as he remembered exactly what the stranger might have seen them doing before… He touched his stomach and crotch and was relieved to find himself clothed.
“Why did he want to hurt you? You were being nice to him, and he got mad.”
Being nice to him? “What business is it of yours? Why were you watching us?”
“I…I don’t know many people, and I wanted to see what you’re like. I don’t hurt nobody! I just watch.”
“When? When do you watch?”
In a quiet voice, the other said, “At night. Always. Whenever I can. I’m sorry!”
Oh, not another one. Evin wanted to be outraged, but his head hurt and he just felt resigned. Easy enough to imagine what this one would want in return for keeping Evin’s secret.
Wait. Evin struggled to understand something the stranger had said. “You just said it was wrong to run Tyber off. Why? What did you do?”
Silence.
“Look, we’re both in trouble now, and I’m trying to figure out how bad it is. You have to answer my questions and tell me the truth. Do you understand? Tyber can make lots of trouble. Why was it bad to run him off?”
“Because…I’m not supposed to let nobody see me. I wasn’t supposed to help nobody. I wasn’t supposed to be seen!”
“Why?”
The voice choked with anguish. “Because I’m a monster. I was born wrong, and now they’ve seen me and they’ll kill me. But I couldn’t help—”
“What do you mean, you’re a monster? You’re not making sense.”
“I was born wrong. Something’s wrong with me. Mother told me if anyone sees me… Now they’re gonna kill us all.”
Evin didn’t know what to say. The boy seemed honestly afraid. Why would any mother scare her son like this? What could really be so wrong with him? “Where’s your lantern? Take me out of this cave. I want to see.”
“It’s not morning yet. I can take you partway, and you’ll be able to see in the morning. Can we wait till then?”
“Look, you want to help me, right? How will it help if I stumble around blind and get hurt? Because I’m leaving.”
The boy quieted for a time. Then he said, “Please can we finish talking first? It’s better if I tell you first. Before you see.”
“Fine. Tell me now.”
“The worst part… Well, I don’t know what the worst part is.” He took a shaky breath. “I’m ugly. I’m so awful ugly. And wrong.”
“How?”
“I look like a sinner’s soul, Mother says, like a monster. I’m disgusting and I’m green. Green all over, like rotten. You can see my eyes in the dark. Father says my eyes are enough to get me killed. Stuff is wrong with me! All over. Everything.”
Liar. “I don’t see any light. Your eyes don’t shine in the dark!”
“I’m trying to keep ’em closed or look away.” The boy’s voice tightened again with emotion. “I don’t want you to—You’d be scared, but I want to help. Don’t be scared!”
“Let me see.”
Evin peered into the blackness in the voice’s direction, expecting the stranger to give up his bluff and make excuses about why he couldn’t produce any shining eye trick. Then maybe Evin could pry some truth out of him, find out how to get out of here and go home. The boy’s breathing became shallow and hitched. Evin waited a moment for the story to come spilling out, but instead there was a sound of movement. The stranger scooted closer.
A huff of breath washed over Evin’s face, and he flinched. Scant inches away, the boy whispered, “Please don’t be scared.”
Eyes like burning yellow lamps split open in the darkness.
“Lords!” Evin threw up an arm to push away whatever this thing was before him and scrabbled to try to get away from it.
The panicked motion made Evin’s head pound again. Tiny specks of light appeared and faded in his vision. He had to stop to battle nausea.
The creature’s miserable pleading continued. “I’m sorry; I’m sorry. I knew you’d be scared, but I won’t hurt you, I promise, please…”
Evin tried to get hold of himself and put the image of those unnatural eyes out of his mind. His breath came in gulps. The thing wasn’t looking at him now, thank the lords, and that made it easier to control his urge to run screaming through the darkness. Finally he calmed enough to say, “Okay. Okay. That was bad—”
“I’m sorry; I’m sorry.”
“Shut up! It’s not your fault.” He took a deep breath. “I didn’t believe you, so I got surprised. That’s all.” Then he tried to make his voice less harsh and said, “Stop sniveling and act like a man, or whatever you are, okay?”
“Uh-huh.”
While Evin’s nerves settled again and the creature seemed to compose itself, Evin spoke. “Okay, okay. You have to hide, I understand now. And you helped me and you’re not going to hurt me. I believe you.” He paused to let his words soothe the thing, then continued, “The reason we’re in trouble is because you scared Tyber really bad when you chased him away, right? And if he saw your eyes…well, he’s gonna have the village panicking with tales of a monster come to get us. They’ll search for me. They might use dogs to find the monster. And then they’ll kill the monster. But you didn’t hurt Tyber, did you?”
“No, not a bit.” The glowing eyes appeared again, looking to Evin for help, and Evin had to fight back another surge of panic. Lords, they were terrible!
Evin tried to concentrate on solving their problem. “So…if I can get back to the village really soon, as fast as I can, then I’
ll tell another story. No monster. Tyber can’t talk about what we were up to, so who knows what kind of story he made up. If I show up without a scratch and tell a better lie, maybe they’ll stop looking.”
“But you do have a scratch! He hurt you.”
“I’ll think of something. Tyber will punish me for it, and his friends too, but—wait.” Daubrec was destroyed by a demon. Even if nobody believes Tyber, they’ll search. “Tell me something. Do you know much about hunting? About dogs?”
“Yes, I know lots. My father teaches me.”
“Okay, we need to split up, and you have to use whatever you know to throw off the dogs. Are we close to the river?”
“I can get us there quick if I carry you.”
Evin suppressed a shudder. “Okay, that’s good. It’ll put your scent on me, then we can split up and you can use the water to fool the dogs. Does that sound good?”
“Yes.” The blazing eyes looked down at the floor. “I’m…I’m sorry you have to touch me. I didn’t mean none of this.”
Evin didn’t want to think about that. “Let’s go.”
* * *
The quickest way out of the cave was for the boy-thing to carry Evin, which he did easily, with no more trouble than Evin might have carrying a lapdog. Evin was mortified at the thought of anyone carrying him like an infant, but also frightened about what he would see when they left the cave. They neared the entrance, and the moon’s light grew enough for Evin to make out his surroundings.
The creature moved very fast, leaving the cave and plunging into the forest at a run. Evin could probably run as fast in an open field during the day, but nobody could sprint through the forest like this at night. This thing must see perfectly in the dark. That’s why there had been no lantern in the cave. Evin found his attention fixed on the trees and branches that flew by, because he was terrified to look up and see exactly what kind of monster held him to its breast.
But now that he thought about it that way, he had to look.
In the Darkness Page 4
