The Way of the Black Beast

by Stuart Jaffe

  By the time night approached, Malja saw something different from the monotony of destruction — an amber halo several blocks ahead. "Cole," she said, "what's that?"

  Cole's features broke into an appreciative smile. "By Korstra and for Kryssta's sake, I don't believe it."

  Tumus said, "Please don't blasphemy."

  "That must be the factories."

  "For what?" Malja asked.

  "Everything. Jarik and Callib have hundreds of people and creatures living here. They need food, clothing, everything. Those factories use magic and muscle to provide."

  "They run all night?"

  Cole tapped her lips. "Perhaps they're making up for lost work from fighting while their masters were gone. Who knows? The factories, though, they're big. We'll have to cut west to go around them."

  "How far?"

  "Miles, I imagine."

  "We don't have the time anymore. Jarik and Callib have had plenty of rest. Let's go ahead and scout what's up there. Then I'll decide."

  Tufts hopped from foot to foot. "I scout. I scout."

  "No. I need to see it myself."

  Fawbry waved a finger. "No way am I staying behind. If I don't stick with you this time, bad things'll happen."

  Tumus said, "What's he talking about?"

  With a friendly pat, Cole said, "Don't worry. It's just some of Krysstanism coming through."

  "Well, I won't stay behind if he's going. Korstra needs to be heard, too."

  Malja raised her hands. "Stop it. All of you just shut up. You can all come. Just be quiet."

  They proceeded along the streets, the factory lights brightening as they closed in on the location. Though they could hear the clangs and calls of people at work and see the warm lights surrounding the enormous buildings, they felt colder than any time before.

  The buildings stretched off like a river and endless chimneys punched the sky. Fences made of chains, wood, and scavenged junk marked the perimeter. Thick posts dotted the ground, each with a metal arm pushed out to the side. From these hung the flag-mouths Malja knew from the Bluesmen. They sang in unison — little soft songs that appeared to lull the workers through their drudgery.

  Lines of workers left the main building to either walk in the yard or deliver materials to one of the numerous, smaller buildings. Many workers had been maimed or injured. A few weren't human.

  Overhead, fluttering along the fence, several crazed-looking people with dragonfly wings kept watch. Each wore a vest strapped with two powerful lamps that cut through the dark with blades of light. Malja thought of Nolan's sister, Audrex, and how the bastard magicians had caused her insanity. Clearly, Audrex was not the only one they had experimented with.

  "These people are prisoners," Tumus said, and Malja shared her disgust.

  "Not quite," Cole said. "They're followers — prisoners only to their belief in the magicians' powers."

  Malja scoffed. "Like the Bluesmen were to you."

  "Maybe. However, dear, I never would have had to treat my people like this. We worked hard in our fields, but we did it together for the common good of all of us."

  "They worked. You sat upstairs where no one could bother you. And somehow I don't think Willie would have agreed with you. In fact, he most likely ..."

  Malja stared at the factory compound, her mind weighing out an idea growing within. Fawbry opened his mouth, but Skvalan stopped him with a sharp gesture. Skvalan's intense focus on Malja told the others to stay quiet.

  Finally, Malja grinned. She pointed to a long row of homes cutting through the compound. Each home stood at least three stories. From the damaged fronts, Malja could see that each home shared a wall with the next.

  "There," she said. "We get inside and cross the factory compound in no time. They'll never see us because they're busy working or guarding the workers or checking the perimeter."

  "And we're upstairs where no one can bother us," Cole said with a bitter undertone.

  "Might as well make some good out of what you did."

  "Little girl, all the problems with the Bluesmen and with you, that was the fault of Willie."

  "Willie didn't order Fawbry's hand burnt off."

  Skvalan snapped his fingers, quieting the two. Fawbry looked both embarrassed and defiant. But Malja detected a little pride, too, in the way he placed his stumped hand around Tuft's shoulder.

  Malja flushed with annoyance at the entire group, including herself. She thought she should say some words to bring them back together, to encourage them, but she stayed silent. Too late for that. They were who they were.

  With Viper in hand, she led the group across an open street. Crouching as she scurried, she brought them behind half of a car. The ragged edges looked as if some giant monster had torn the other half off with powerful jaws.

  Malja pointed out a gouge in the brick wall of the second row home. The factory fence began only one house further in. Nothing between the half-car and the gouged wall — no cover of any kind. Without a word, Skvalan shot off, sprinted across the open area and slid into the house. Tufts followed as if playing a game of warrior — hunched low, moving fast, his hand carrying an imaginary weapon.

  "Okay, okay," Tumus whispered to herself.

  Malja heard the mounting anxiety, and when Tumus jumped to her feet, Malja yanked her back down. One of the crazed dragonflies flew overhead, his stark light creating day for a few seconds. He snorted and giggled as he passed by. Malja's skin prickled.

  They waited a short while, once the dark had returned. Malja took her hand off Tumus and watched like a hovering parent as Tumus crossed to the house. Cole, Fawbry, and Malja followed up before the next dragonfly guard could fly by.

  The smell hit Malja as she entered the house — something only a day dead. A rank odor that never got easier to inhale. The factory lights seeped in enough to see. The dainty songs seeped in, too. Good, thought Malja. Hopefully that means it's loud enough to cover our noise.

  The room had been picked over long ago. Only a pile of bricks, glass, wood, and dirt remained as an obstacle blocking entry into the hall. Using a wide plank, Malja dug out a gap large enough to shimmy through. Dust coated the air and tasted like moldy bread. Whatever died must have been buried in the rubbish pile. Malja pushed that thought aside and tried not to taste anything she breathed.

  Once all six had entered the hall, Malja picked up the pace. Though they needed to be quiet, the faster they moved, the faster they would reach the other end. Besides, with Jarik and Callib so close now, she never could have moved slower.

  Down the hall, up a flight of stairs, down another hall. Malja saw a finger-sized hole in the wall at the end. She peered in — an empty room in the next house, except for a stained, beaten mattress and a pot filled with liquid.

  Malja used Viper to carve a larger hole. The others paced behind her, crossing arms, tapping feet, making little utterances that did nothing more than piss Malja off. She could have torn down the wall, but feared such an action would be too noisy. But after a few minutes of hard, sweating labor, she had managed only a fist-sized opening.

  "Go away," Skvalan said in a brisk whisper.

  Malja looked back to see Skvalan preparing to barrel through the wall.

  "No," she said. "Too loud."

  "Go away." He waved her aside, but she didn't move. To Tumus, he rattled off a few words.

  Tumus said, "I think he wants to use magic."

  Skvalan took slow steps toward the wall. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Malja stepped away as he approached. The narrow hall forced the others to slide around him so he could pass.

  Malja wondered what other magic the Muyaza knew, but when Skvalan reached the wall, she understood. He only knew the one spell. The bubble formed around him and pressed against the walls. Wood creaked like an old ship in heavy winds.

  Skvalan sat cross-legged in the hall. Malja wished they had something big enough for a litter — they could have made a battering ram out of themselves and the bubble. Instead,
she watched as Skvalan pushed outward with his hands, forcing the bubble forward. Dust and chalky particles trembled around the hole Malja had carved out. Skvalan groaned as he pushed again, his hands shaking. A divot formed in the wood, growing bigger as the bubble moved forward.

  The idea seemed good at first, but the harder Skvalan pushed, the more Malja worried the wall might crash down, giving them away. Before she had time to complete her thoughts, the wall burst open. Wooden framing snapped like broken bones poking out of skin. Flatter wood and soft filling crumbled to the floor sending more dust into the air.

  For a few seconds, nobody moved. They all looked at Malja as she listened for sounds of alarm. Workers continued to trudge. Saccharine singing continued to mellow the yard. No screams or orders or attacks came.

  One look at Skvalan told Malja they would not do this again. Sweat beaded on his face, and he had trouble getting to his feet. She hauled him up by the arm and slapped a hand on his back.

  "Thanks," she said before ducking through the opening.

  "Yeah," Tufts said, slapping Skvalan's leg. "Thanks."

  They walked into a bedroom, down a hall, and found a door where the shared wall with the next house should be. Malja placed her hand on the door — cool to the touch. She pressed her ear against it and listened — nothing. As if handling explosives, she gently lifted the latch and pulled the door open.

  A dark corridor stretched off. No door or windows offering glints of light existed. Just darkness.

  Malja raised a hand to halt her friends. With Viper in front, she stepped into the dark. She paid attention to all her senses to discern if anything awaited them. Nothing to see or smell or taste. But she heard it — a slight, quivering exhale. Someone trying to be quiet, but too nervous.

  With a graceful shift of her feet, she lowered her body, preparing to pounce. A twist of her hand repositioned Viper for maximum damage off her initial swing. She turned her hips, winding up like a top. She held all that built-up power long enough to be sure of where to strike. And she let loose.

  Three distinct strikes sliced through the dark. A surprised breath came followed by blood-filled choking. A body slumped to the floor sounding like a clumsy fellow dropping a stack of heavy books.

  That's when the alarm sounded.

  Chapter 23

  Malja had expected the singing flags to blare out an obnoxious scream or perhaps to announce, in an irritating voice, that they had an intruder. Instead, they continued to sing and the workers continued to work. The alarm took the form of a high-pitched, rapid beeping coming from the dead man's belt — just like the frame in Cole's basement, the one that exploded.

  Malja sprinted to the far wall and hacked away at it with Viper. Fawbry followed her, tossing away debris as it fell. Cole, however, did not panic. In the dark, she said, "It's an alarm, not a bomb."

  A chunk of wall fell to the floor. Light streaked in revealing Cole bent over a torso while Tumus and Skvalan waited in the back. Tufts wrapped his little arms around Skvalan's knee.

  "A quiet alarm is worse than a noisy one," Malja said and swung Viper into the wall again. "Means that whatever answers the call is expected to handle us without everyone knowing. It means that—"

  Standing behind the group, a dragonfly-winged madman raised his arms. The lamps on his vest blasted the hall with drastic brightness. Malja shielded her eyes until they adjusted. She heard Skvalan yell, Tufts shriek, and the flat smack of Cole or Tumus hitting someone with a wooden plank. She could see the dark outlines of punches thrown and people tossed.

  The Dragonfly faced Malja. He didn't kill the others. He read the team well. Malja saw it in the way he repositioned his body. He knew she posed the real threat. With his wings moving faster, creating an incessant buzz, he launched after her.

  Fawbry dropped to the floor and covered his head. Malja had time for two quick thoughts. First, there was no room to evade the attack. Second, this was going to hurt.

  She tried to bring Viper up to a useful striking position, but the Dragonfly slammed into her like a wild horse. Just as the impact on her front registered, the Dragonfly continued forward, using her to ram through the wall. Pain fired across her back.

  They tumbled to the floor, spraying dust into the still air. They were in a wide room with a beautiful, tiled floor and tall windows lining both sides. Two huge lamps hung from the high ceiling, each decorated with glass bits now covered in cobwebs and grime.

  Malja had no idea what the room had been built for, but as she shook off pieces of wall, she saw that the place was intended to impress. The Dragonfly glanced around, too, until they locked eyes. Malja raised Viper. The Dragonfly buzzed his wings.

  Like before, he soared towards her with amazing speed. This time Malja didn't need to think. She had plenty of room. She sidestepped the attack and cut the creature through the waist. One swift slice. Two pieces of Dragonfly tumbled in different directions.

  "Hurry," Malja called back. "More will come."

  Fawbry's dust-covered face peeked through the wall. "Good to see things are as usual with you." With Tufts climbing on his back, Fawbry entered the room.

  Skvalan limped in, his arm around Tumus's shoulder. Cole brought up the rear. Even in the dim light, Malja could see that Skvalan's body was not used to magic. But before Malja could speak, Tumus brushed by her and said, "He'll be fine."

  Halfway across the room, the tall windows behind them shattered. Four Dragonflies — two women, two men — flew inside.

  So much for the quiet way. "Run!"

  Malja bolted ahead to clear the way while the others hobbled as fast as they could manage. She hoped the Dragonflies would converge on her. No such luck. But her separation from the group confused the buggers enough to gain a few seconds.

  She dashed into a small room with a wide bathing tub built into the far wall and a cracked seat with a hole at the bottom like a fancy indoor outhouse. She stepped into the smooth tub and swung Viper into the wall. Tile chipped off and the wall crumbled apart as if had been made of wet, clumped sand. The damp odor of rot wafted out. Malja stood still — the walls had looked so strong.

  Skvalan and Tumus stumbled in. Malja heard the rapid buzzing not far behind. They stepped through the wall and continued on. Cole charged through next.

  Malja said, "Get started on the next wall. I'll be right there."

  Cole nodded and dashed off. Either she was a good soldier following orders or a scared mouse too frightened to balk. Malja was happy to take either one.

  The buzzing grew louder. Malja flattened against the wall next to the doorway. She raised Viper and waited.

  "I'm coming," Fawbry yelled, bursting into the room and through the wall, Tufts riding his back the whole time like a panicked version of a child's game. Malja waited as the buzzing closed in. When the first Dragonfly entered, she decapitated it. The others pulled back, hissing and buzzing. She leapt over the tub, through the wall, tucked her head and rolled. Popping to her feet, she hurried on.

  Before she reached the end of the hall, she saw a new problem. The entire next building lay in a collapsed pile below. Malja waved toward the stairs. "Down," she yelled and the others obeyed.

  Thumping down the stairs, Malja noticed Skvalan moving with a little more certainty. At the bottom, she pulled him ahead and said, "Will you be okay?"

  Skvalan shook off the arm. "I don't stop."

  "We've got to run the rest of the way. Understand? No cover. You fall, that's it."

  "I fine."

  "Good." She heard the confused buzzing above. "Everyone follow me. No stopping until I stop. Got it?"

  She made eye contact with each one. They were ready. Maybe like dollops waiting to run from their burrows, hoping nothing tried to eat them, but ready nonetheless.

  Malja counted to three. She kicked open the door and sprang off. Glancing upward, she saw them — two Dragonflies leaping from the open wall three stories up. They let out a churlish cackle as they descended in a frenzy of bloodlust and
sheer, adrenaline-fueled excitement. She pointed onward and let the others sprint ahead.

  The singing mouths clamped shut. Several Dragonflies hovered above, casting their spotlights on Malja's team. The workers halted and watched.

  "Keep running," she yelled. They had another block to go.

  Malja suppressed all sounds of her feet pounding the ground and her blood pounding through her heart. She ignored the lunatic symphony surrounding her and filtered out the confused calls of the workers. She heard only the buzzing wings.

  The volume and tone changed. She kept running and listening, never looking back, just listening, driving her legs and listening. She waited for the pitch to alter as the Dragonfly swooped in to attack. It came fast.

  She dropped to the ground and rolled forward. The Dragonfly passed overhead — close enough to touch. As Malja returned to her feet, she followed through with Viper, digging its point into her enemy. It cried out as one wing tore off. Malja sliced down and sprinted onward. She passed the trembling Dragonfly without remorse.

  Tumus and the others had stopped running. Malja cursed as she rushed to catch up. When Malja reached them, she saw what had brought them to a halt. A Dragonfly woman stood before the fence. Her greasy hair draped over her lowered head as she stared at her tattooed arm.

  "I'll handle this one," Tumus said and spread her arms outward.

  Malja waited. She tapped her fingers on Viper's grip. The itch to attack grew stronger, but the Dragonfly's spell might be ready. She could be waiting for Malja to launch. Better to wait on Tumus while everything remained static.

  Skvalan leaned on Cole. Fawbry bent over and coughed spittle onto the ground. Tufts hid behind the legs of one, then another, in the group. His eyes big with nervousness as he rasped out harsh breaths.

  They were all exhausted, but Malja's body shivered with adrenaline. Her assault suit kept her going, too.

  The fourth Dragonfly landed behind them, his body taut and ready to strike. Malja attacked, her muscles thrilled to be active again. She swiped low, hoping to cut the creature near the knees. This Dragonfly, however, read her intentions and took to the sky.