by M. Walsh
Lily was quiet, and he could see she was trying to digest it all in her mind. Having gotten it all out, Krutch felt some relief—although he didn’t allow much hope she would believe him. The last time he tried telling someone the truth about his curse, the person thought he was trying to con them. If anything, she’d probably lie and pretend she bought it.
She stared at him for a long time, studying him as if he was a complex math problem. He could see her going back and forth in her mind, looking like she was about to reach a conclusion, stop herself, and think some more. He didn’t say, but he actually found it adorable.
Finally, after several moments, she said, “I ... believe you.”
It was as if time stopped. Had he been drinking something, he might have spit it out on impulse.
After another period of silence, all he could say was, “The shit, you say!”
“No, it’s true,” she said. “I mean, I know all the stories they say about you, and I’m looking at you, and ...” She paused and finished, almost laughing, “You’re not that guy.”
Anyone else might have been offended, but in that instant, Krutch Leeroy could’ve kissed her. A small part of him warned she might be lying, but it was overwhelmed by the relief—as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. After so long—feeling like a puppet being pulled against his will, like he was talking to brick walls—finally there was someone who believed him.
Lily was smiling. It made his blood warm, and his aches and pains dulled just a little. But it slowly faded, and she looked concerned, as if something had just occurred to her.
“What is it?” he asked.
She rubbed her mouth, staring into the dark of the forest outside the small cave. The sliver of moon disappeared beneath passing clouds, and the woods around them turned pitch black—Lily herself becoming a dark silhouette against more darkness.
“I’m not sure, yet,” she said. “It’s late. We should get some rest.”
* * *
The next morning was dark and cold, though the snow flurries were replaced by drizzling rain. Krutch awoke feeling stiff and sore, but better than yesterday. Using some of the supplies he took from the pirate camp, he cooked up a small breakfast, although Lily wasn’t hungry. She said nothing the entire morning, deep in thought.
He didn’t think much of it, more occupied with planning where he was going to go next. He supposed the best option would be to make his way east, back to his crap-shack bungalow. But between the Sentries, Hobbs, demons, the Enforcer, who knows what else, and only four shells left to defend himself, getting there would be a pain.
Maybe I’ll be reunited with my trusty mule, he thought.
“Krutch,” said Lily. “What was supposed to happen after Kader got Katrina?”
He thought it over, trying to remember if Kader had said anything he was actually paying attention to. “South,” he said. “Past Fane ... I don’t remember where exactly.”
“The old ruins,” Lily whispered before adding, looking pale, “Past the swamp.”
“I guess,” he said, shrugging. “He might have said something about old ruins.” He finished his breakfast and noticed how worried Lily looked. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve just been thinking,” she said. “Before we were separated, Katrina said we were going to look for Kader and find out what he wanted with me. When the pirates and demons attacked, I saw the Sentries arrive and figured she’d be okay with them, but ... if she’s the one Kader really wants..?”
“What..?”
“What if she thinks I was caught by the pirates? What’s to stop Kader from taking advantage of that and convincing her to go wherever he wants her to? Or even if she doesn’t meet up with him, what if she goes after the pirates on her own?”
“I guess that’s pretty much what Kader wants, either way,” said Krutch, shrugging. “But are you sure she’d be concerned about what happens to you? I mean, I don’t know how well you two knew each other, but ...”
Lily thought it over, her face set and solemn. She brushed some hair behind her ear and said, “She would. She promised. I don’t—we didn’t get to know each other for long, but ... I can tell. She promised, and I know that meant something to her.”
She looked at him, as if expecting him to not believe her. Instead, he shrugged again and said, “Okay. So what are you going to do?”
She stood up and stared toward the south, her arms crossed. “You said south,” she said, though more to herself. “Probably the old ruins.” She paused, still staring into the distance. Finally, she turned to Krutch and said, “I should find her. I have to warn her.”
He looked at her, his eyebrows raised, feeling like he should say something—but nothing came up.
“I guess this is where we go our separate ways,” she said, grabbing her shoulder-bag. “It was ... interesting meeting you, Krutch Leeroy. I hope you have better luck, wherever you’re going.”
She smiled and tapped her forehead before walking off. It was a simple gesture that made Krutch’s blood warm again and inspired a sudden burst of chivalrous resolve. Without thinking, he blurted out, “Hey, wait!” When she stopped to look at him, he added, “Do you really think you should be going alone?”
What the hell did I just say?!
Lily looked equally surprised, but said, “I—uh—I appreciate the thought, but I think it might be better if we go our own way. You said yourself you’re not even supposed to be here. You don’t have to stick your neck out for me.”
“Yeah, but,” he said, still baffled by the words coming out of his mouth. “What about the pirates and demons and, uh, and the Enforcer? You can’t just go off by yourself. I don’t think either of us should be wandering around the woods by ourselves.”
She smiled at him like she was dealing with a small child. “That’s nice of you, Krutch,” she said. “But really think about what you’re saying. And however bad things are in the woods now, it’s only going to be worse where I’m going.”
She started walking again, and Krutch—who never had any problem running with his tail tucked firmly between his legs—felt ashamed. A young woman was charging off into danger to find her friend—that she apparently didn’t even know all that well—and here he was, the so-called “great” Krutch Leeroy, cowering in a cave and thinking of letting her go on alone while he ran back to relative safety.
But I’m not the great Krutch Leeroy! I’m not that guy, and I have no business trying to be that guy!
Any other circumstances—or more accurately, with any other person—he would’ve let her go. But Krutch always had a soft spot when it came to women in need. He was not a ladies man by any stretch of the imagination—despite his revered reputation—but when a pretty face was in the equation, he tended to be get roped into misadventures that much easier.
She did save his life against the Enforcer. And she did believe him when he told her he was cursed.
Oh, crumbs.
“Hey!” he called, grabbing his things and running after her. “I’m going with you!”
She stopped and stared at him, a look of dawning surprise on her face. “Are you now..?”
“Yeah,” he said, catching up. “I’m not going to let you go off on your own. And like it or not, I am a part of this.”
“Seriously, Krutch, you’d be better off turning back. I can take care of myself.”
“Oh, no argument there. But all the same, I’m going with you.”
... because I’m an idiot.
15
Further west from where Krutch and Lily were debating their next move, Katrina Lamont rode south alongside Rasul Kader by the coast. They were beyond the Derelict Woods, somewhere between Bevy and Fane, and to their right the ocean was choppy and gray as stone. Cool rain drizzled from the overcast sky, and steady wind from the south made the water crash against the rocky shore.
Kader secured another horse for her to ride and suggested they take the main road along the coast to Fane. He didn’t think t
hey’d catch up to Lily there, but they would pass the town on the way to the ruins anyway and might have a chance to get information or supplies before moving on. She didn’t care—her only concern was getting there as quickly as possible.
Kader said little along the way, and she was grateful for that. She was determined to find Lily and make sure she was safe—not just from Leeroy and Daredin, but him, too, if necessary. But her stomach still turned in knots, and she felt the fingers of panic threatening to strangle her heart at any moment.
Riding on horseback, the cold wind blowing through her hair, and her sword strapped to her side brought back many memories. She recalled her youth, riding hard with somewhere to go, some mission to accomplish, and the shaky dread that came with knowing a battle was inevitable. She remembered being regarded as the leader, and yet somehow the most important missions were never hers. It always seemed like she was being told where she needed to go, what she needed to find, and who she was supposed to fight.
Those days are over, she thought. I’m not going to find Lily because Kader told me to. And I’m not doing it because destiny says so.
Kader slowed down and called out, “We should give the horses a break!”
They’d been pushing the horses at top speed since leaving Bevy. As much as she wanted to catch up as soon as possible, she could see the animals needed a chance to rest. She nodded and slowed her steed down to a trot, trying to ignore the craving for another drink.
“I’m not sure about tonight,” said Kader. “But I think we can definitely reach Fane by tomorrow. The ruins are not far from there.”
“Depending on how far ahead the pirates or Daredin’s men are,” she said. “We’ll be cutting it very close.”
“They won’t sacrifice her on sight,” he said. “Remember, it must be under the Devil’s Moon. We have two days.”
“Still closer than I’d like,” she muttered under her breath. “So what’s this Daredin’s story? Who is he?”
“Little is known about Jacob Daredin. He might have had some affiliation with the Guardians at a time. But he favored the dark arts and looked to the Black for power. He learned to summon, create, and bend demons to his will and have them do his bidding. Over time, he came to believe he was destined to become the new Dark Emperor and gathered followers to his cause.”
“When the demons appeared, I was attacked by someone that called himself Rictor. I’m guessing he’s one of these followers.”
“Yes. Edmund Rictor is his right-hand man. He is said to be half-man, half-orc. He has some skill in the dark arts, though not as much as Daredin.”
“Who else does he have serving him?” Katrina asked. “What can we expect when we finally catch up to these guys?”
“Aside from Rictor are the Hawke twins, Carlyle and Lenora. Carlyle is said to be Daredin’s ‘demon wrangler,’ and Lenora can tap into her victims’ minds. I cannot say for certain, but beyond that, I believe he has another thirty to fifty disciples, a small legion of orcs, and based on what you said, a swarm of gargoyles.”
She shuddered and, wishing she still had a full flask, settled for taking a swig from her water canteen. She glared at Kader and asked, “And you didn’t think it was worth telling the Sentry Elite in Dictum when you had a chance because..?”
“I think what happened in Dictum should be proof my movements have been watched,” he said. “You think the gargoyles were bad..? If Daredin had learned I went to the Sentries or their Mage, he would’ve summoned far worse and unleashed it upon the countryside.”
“And bring down every available Sentry Elite and Guardian Mage upon him and his little cult? How many demons can he possibly summon at once? It seems to me keeping this all secret serves his benefit more than yours or anyone else’s.”
There was a moment, and in it, Katrina thought she saw something in Kader’s eyes. It almost looked like hesitation—as though she flustered him with her questions. It only lasted a second before he barked, “An-and risk how many innocent lives in the process? Our best hope is to infiltrate and rescue Lily as quietly and secretly as possible.” He paused, wiping his glasses, and she thought he looked shaken. “Come now, Ms. Rien, we’ve delayed long enough.”
He jabbed the side of his horse and picked up the pace. Katrina lingered behind, thinking about the look in his eyes. She recalled, back in Dictum, thinking he might be incompetent and completely incapable of handling the responsibility he’d been entrusted with.
But just then, he seemed almost petulant. Less like he never thought of those questions and more like he was insulted she was bothering to question him at all. She already didn’t like Rasul Kader—but now she was finding reasons not to trust him.
* * *
Krutch tried as best he could to keep up with Lily, but days of running and tumbling through the woods made every step a flush of pain and aching. The girl, on the other hand, was spry, quick, and very eager to get where she needed to go. He didn’t begrudge her of this—after all, she wanted to help her friend—but he lamented his rotten luck all the same.
“So where are we going?” he asked, trying not to sound so out of breath.
“There’s an ancient city a few miles south of Fane,” Lily answered. “Past the edge of the swamp. What’s left of a city, anyway. I don’t know what it was in its prime, but I do know for a long time it was a dumping ground for ... bad things.”
“By that, I’m guessing demons and stuff, right..?”
“You guess right.”
Krutch nodded. “Assuming your friend is going there, do you think we’ll make it in time? What if she got a horse?”
“I think—I’m hoping,” she said, “she’ll approach the ruins taking the main road. That goes around the edge of the forest, by the coast. If we cut through the woods and swamp, we should be able to get there on foot around the same time, if not before her.”
“And then what..?”
Lily slowed and stopped to glance at him. “Improvise, I guess.”
“Great,” he grumbled.
While Lily resumed sprinting through the woods, Krutch took the time to load his gun with the remaining shells. He only had four left, which didn’t fill him with the highest confidence—especially considering what they’d find in the ruins was probably far worse than just hired lugs.
As they continued their trek south, he noticed the forest around him change slightly. The trees started to appear warped and contorted in unnatural angles. The bark on them looked darker than normal, and what leaves remained were gray.
The air grew colder, and there seemed to be a kind of oddly silent, almost sterile atmosphere all around them. In fact, he realized, his allergies had stopped bothering him. Ordinarily, this deep in a forest, his throat would feel like it was filled with cotton balls.
Lily stopped, looking around. Mist was forming along the ground and grew into a light fog further ahead. Krutch came up behind her and asked, “Is it me, or is there something ... off about this place now?”
“There’s a sickness in these woods,” she said. “I know it started further down, but it seems to be spreading. What it doesn’t wither and decay, it corrupts. Most likely the Black infecting everything.”
“What is the Black?”
“You don’t know..?” she asked, turning to him.
“I mean,” he said, shrugging. “I’ve heard of it. I know demons are called ‘creatures of the Black,’ and all that. But I don’t know what that really means.”
“I’m not sure how to describe it, but I guess the simplest way to put it is the Black is evil. Evil in its purest form.” She paused, thinking it over, before continuing, “The Black is the primal darkness that exists between worlds. In certain parts of the world, the barrier is weak and ... uh ... bad things can infect and infest. It corrupts whatever it comes into contact with. Demons are forged from it. Its energies can be harnessed for dark magic. It knows only to consume and destroy.” She paused again, glanced at Krutch, and shrugged. “That’s the simplest
I can describe it.”
“So I guess, like, the Dark Lands is a place where the barriers are especially weak?”
“Not weak—full-blown breached. If you want to know what would happen if the Black just busted open and spilled over the entire Realm, just imagine the Dark Lands, everywhere, and multiplied by a dozen.”
“Basically: royally screwed.”
“In so many words, yes.”
“You seem to know a lot about all this,” he said. “Come to think of it, I just realized I don’t know anything about you.”
“I used to live around these parts. You learn a thing or two—especially about demons. You know, being so close to the Dark Lands and all that.”
“Your family lives around here?”
“I don’t have one. I used to live with this one family for a while. They were good to me.”
The thought of living so close to the Dark Lands for most of one’s life made Krutch’s stomach turn. “No offense, but I’d hate to live with the Dark Lands right on my doorstep.”
“None taken. I can’t imagine many would.”
“So you think that’s what’s going on here? The Black is, uh, infecting the woods?”
As if on cue, Krutch heard something that sounded like hissing in the distance. He felt a shock shoot up his spine and clumsily turned around, drawing his gun and almost falling into the dirt. Lily caught him and gently held him up.
“Take it easy,” she said, smiling. “I know it’s spooky, but there’s nothing to worry about right now.”
“But there will be later,” he said. “That’s what you’re saying, right..?”
“Should I remind you I insisted you turn back a long time ago?”
He sighed, trying to calm down. He placed the pistol back in his jacket and dragged his hands through his hair. His heart was thudding in his chest, and he reminded himself he (stupidly) agreed to go along with this. And if Lily was keeping it together, he should, too.
