The Way of the Black Beast

by Stuart Jaffe

  "Ahh, so that's it."

  Malja closed her eyes and faked a yawn. "There's no it."

  "You blame yourself. You think that you failed and that's why Barris is now within Tommy. You think you should have been there to stop it or perhaps never have let Tommy be in that situation in the first place."

  "You couldn't be more wrong," Malja said, but she couldn't convince herself, let alone another.

  Tumus clasped her hands. "I'm sorry you don't believe in Korstra for you would find great comfort and understanding if you did. You'd see that you cannot control the world, that even a brother god could not predict such things. If he could, he would have saved his beloved Elatria. I guess the best I can tell you is that this is not your fault. It is the will of the world. It is the way of life."

  "Yeah? Well, life is tossing the Black Beast upon me for not being a good parent to Tommy."

  A few days later they reached the well-kept mansion where they had found the grounder. Cole's foot had been wrapped and babied as much as possible — now, she could hobble along for several hours without tiring. They spent the night under the comfort of the mansion's roof, and Cole wandered its halls longer than she had spent at any stop since she broke her foot.

  As Malja readied to go to sleep, she heard a strange noise. The size of the mansion caused sounds to bounce around, but she was sure she had heard a voice. She followed the echoing sounds until she reached the kitchen. There she found Fawbry and Tommy playing the Reflex Game. A wide smile covered Tommy's face as Fawbry tried to feign an attack. Backing out quietly, Malja left them to their game. She finally slept soundly.

  The next morning, as they prepared the horses, Cole called the group together. "I'm not going," she said. "I want to stay here."

  "What? Why?" Fawbry said.

  "Bless your heart, you still just want to be with me, don't you? Sorry, Faw-Faw, but it'd never work. We were good for awhile, but I've got plans and you'd really be better off going home."

  "Kryssta, you're an infuriating woman. All I asked was why. I'm not professing my undying love."

  "See that? Your undying love. You've got to move on."

  While Cole and Fawbry continued to verbally spar, Malja thought about the mansion. Filled with ancient technology that begged the attention of someone knowledgeable, there was a graceful logic to leaving Cole with it. One thing gnawed at Malja, though.

  "What plans?" she said, interrupting Fawbry's next insult.

  Cole raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

  "What is it you want to do with this place?"

  Cole walked over to Fawbry's horse and fussed with the saddle. "Oh, nothing to worry about. It's not like I'm going to start a group of blues-playing assassins or anything."

  "That's right," Malja said in cautious tones. "That would be a dangerous and foolhardy thing to do."

  "Why, Ms. Malja, I think you're threatening me. Oh, don't give me any of your looks. I never was built for leading armies or anything like that. That's your area. I just want to get back to the simple things — building machines. Just because we all live by our own rules doesn't mean we have to live without comfort. It's not as if the two are mutually exclusive."

  Malja stayed silent a moment, thinking it over, weighing the woman Cole had been with the woman she had become. Malja extended her hand. "Good luck. I think I'll actually miss you a bit."

  "My, my," Cole said, shaking Malja's hand. "You'll have to come back and visit someday. You, too, Tumus. And Tommy. You're always welcome."

  Fawbry swung up onto his horse. "Don't worry about excluding me. I wouldn't want to come back here if my life depended on it. Not unless you've got a new hand for me."

  Cole raised both eyebrows, grinned, but said nothing.

  Two nights later, Malja woke from a dream she could not recall. Tommy whimpered and nuzzled her side. Tumus sat by their campfire and asked, "You okay?"

  Malja nodded. "What are you doing up?"

  Tumus hesitated. Stretching out her legs, she said, "I'm trying to figure out what I should do next."

  "Korstra's not telling you?"

  A loud laugh broke from Tumus, and Tommy started, looked around and fell right back asleep. "Sorry," she said. "No, Korstra's not helping me out here. I've got to figure it out on my own."

  "Any ideas?"

  Licking her lips, Tumus said, "I think so. I'm going back to Dead Lake. Jarik and Callib hurt my people, killed many, and left them in disarray. Without Barris around, there's bound to be a mess, and I think I could do a good job helping clean it all up."

  "You've been gone a long time."

  "The Chi-Chun are not often fast movers."

  Malja smirked, thinking of how most Chi-Chun could spend hours standing in one place. "We should pass the lake soon," she said.

  "Then I have time to change my mind."

  But Malja knew as she closed her eyes that Tumus would stay behind at Dead Lake. Malja's life did not join well with most people. If not for Tommy, Tumus would never have come along in the first place.

  Sure enough, at Dead Lake, Tumus slid from her saddle and sifted her fingers through the soil. She washed her hands in the cold lake waters and breathed in the lake air as if she had entered a holy shrine.

  Little had changed. Debris littered the ground and birds pecked at the few remains still scattered about the land. Barris Mont's enormous body could not be seen. Malja guessed that scavengers had consumed much of it before the rest slipped back underwater.

  "Guess you're staying here," Fawbry said.

  "It's best I do. Korstra wouldn't want me traveling with a Kryssta-lover like you."

  Fawbry let out a shocked gasp. He jumped to the ground, stormed up to Tumus, and let his face open into a wide smile. He wrapped his arms around the woman and ignored her protests while he hugged her.

  "Never thought I'd miss a Korstra fool, but I'll miss you."

  When Fawbry broke away, Tumus faced Malja. "Don't pretend you'll miss me. I'm just glad we got through all this without killing each other."

  "He's going to miss you," Malja said, jutting her chin in Tommy's direction. "That means I'm going to miss you. And, maybe, I just might miss you a little bit on my own."

  "I couldn't ask for more," Tumus said before turning her full attention on Tommy.

  Kneeling before him as if he were a king, she pressed his hand against her wet cheek. Tommy looked to Malja for guidance. She motioned with her hand — make your own decisions.

  He tapped Tumus on the shoulder, and when she lifted her head, her broad smile set them at ease. She hugged the boy.

  "You will always have a home here," Tumus said. "Promise me you'll come to visit."

  Tommy covered his heart and nodded. He tapped his chest twice and brought his hand to his forehead — his military salute.

  "Okay. Good." She brushed her cheeks clear and stood, but never let go of his hand. She gazed at the lake and grimaced as if the empty waters cut through her. "You could," she said, her voice quavering, "that is to say, if you wanted to, you would be welcome here ... to stay."

  Malja pulled Tommy away, and to her joy, Tommy clutched her side.

  Tumus held the boy's hand as long as she could, all the time speaking as fast as her mouth could move. "I'm sorry. Please, I'm sorry. It's just that part of him is Barris Mont and this is the home of Barris and I just thought part of him may want to go swim in his lake and feel his waters and know why he is the way he is now."

  "Don't ruin this," Malja said.

  "I know. I'm sorry. After all, I have Korstra. Who do you have besides Tommy?"

  "We should go."

  "Of course," Tumus said and blew a kiss to Tommy. "Please, come visit some day. I promise I'll be fine."

  * * * *

  They rode to the Yad in silence. Tommy made a few pleasant faces for Malja — reassurances that he was fine and that he wanted to be with her. But no matter what he did, Malja still felt doubt chewing at the back of her mind.

  Does this parentin
g thing ever get any easier? she wondered.

  At the Yad, three Muyaza came out to see Malja arrive. Much of their village remained in disrepair, yet some were back helping people cross the river's rough waters. Others worked on rebuilding their homes and fixing the broken litters.

  One Muyaza waited for a moment, but when no other horses followed out from the tree line, he spoke rapidly to the others. They waddled off to the main part of the village and within a few minutes, the entire community came out. They were silent and somber.

  Malja dismounted and approached with her head low and her posture as non-threatening as she could muster. An elder Muyaza stepped toward her. She offered the small lock of hair Skvalan had carried. The elder snatched it from her, clutching it close to his chest, and the entire community wept.

  As the Muyaza turned away, Fawbry asked Malja, "Should we stay?"

  "What for?"

  "The funeral — assuming they have one."

  Malja mounted her horse. "You're welcome to do as you wish. I don't go to funerals."

  "That's because you're usually the one who did the killing."

  Malja didn't bother answering. The Muyaza were gracious enough to get them across the Yad for free and that served as their final words. Once they had gone back into the forest, Malja pulled up next to Fawbry.

  "Thank you for helping us save Tommy."

  "Some help. I go crazy, and you're thanking me." Fawbry's horse snorted and this appeared to be the most answer she would receive.

  "Well," she said, "I assume you'll be heading back north, back home, but if you want to stay with us, we'd be happy to have you."

  Fawbry snapped his head around. "Are you insane?"

  "Look I know things have not been easy with us, but Tommy likes you and I think—"

  Laughter burst out of Fawbry like a colorful fountain spraying cool water. "Shut up already. You're insane to think I'm going north."

  "But you hate me."

  "Somebody's got to protect this boy from you, and I still have one hand. Besides, after I left you I almost died out there. And I ended up back with you, anyway. This is a dangerous world. Might as well have the most dangerous person in it on my side."

  Tommy snickered and that brought a smile to Malja. "That's good enough as far as we're concerned," she said.

  "Great." Fawbry clapped his hands. "So where are we going?"

  Chapter 27

  The town of Darmen had been built on a small hill and consisted of two roads crossing. Homes lined the north-south road. Here lived the Governor, some store owners, and a few citizens. The east-west road consisted of The Maple Tree Inn, the stables, a house of prostitution, a gambling house, three bars, another house of prostitution, and three homes belonging to the true rulers of the town — the Morlina Brothers.

  The Star Bar had been built around the rusting shell of a bank vault which served to keep food cold. The metallic walls provided it with a unique atmosphere and unusual acoustics. Malja, Tommy, and Fawbry sat at a round table made from an old road sign — TORSKA BRIDGE 5.

  "Got any apples?" Malja asked.

  The gruff owner behind the bar, heavy beard and bald head, pointed to a small basket on the far end.

  "Thank you," Malja said and helped herself to a ripe, red apple. The cold Korstraprime rains had been falling for three weeks, sending rivers of grime rushing through the town streets. Finding apples in such good condition was a treat. She bit into the fruit, licking its juice before taking the next bite, savoring the experience thoroughly.

  Tommy dug into a cheese sandwich, his attention fixated on Fawbry's copy of the Book of Kryssta. Learning to read had proven easy for the boy, and Malja expected him to be proficient within a few months. She would have to keep an eye out for an astronomy book or else Tommy might become a Kryssta convert.

  Fawbry said, "Um, not to upset you, but what in Kryssta's name are we doing here?"

  "Having lunch," Malja said.

  "But this is the Morlina's town. Coming here is like begging for a fight. I thought we were done with all that."

  Malja took another bite of her apple. "How long have we been wandering around Corlin?"

  The question took Fawbry off-guard. "I don't know. A few months, I guess."

  "That sounds right. And what have we been doing?"

  "Traveling. What's this got to do with being here?"

  After one final bite, Malja placed the core on the bar and returned to her table. "We've been doing nothing. Just wandering. That's because we didn't have a purpose. Before, I had a clear reason for every action, every step in my life — get Jarik and Callib. But now there's nothing."

  "I see," Fawbry said, his eyes more panicked with every word. "You were feeling bored and useless, so you thought it'd be fun to provoke some nasty men and cut them down."

  "No," she said, calm and patient. "We're here because I finally know how to live in this world. For me. And I hope for you and Tommy. This is the first step."

  "Oh, wonderful. Just what I wanted to hear. What limb am I going to lose this time?"

  The bar room door opened with a blast of cold air. Four men walked in, each wearing a dark, rain-doused coat. The first was Arkam Morlina. The second was his magician. The other two were his thugs.

  Malja's nerves jangled. Arkam was a portly, unimposing fellow on the outside, but his name and the violence his brothers had attached to it kept Malja alert. The magician ate far too much and smelled of raw onion.

  "Are you Malja?" Arkam asked as his thugs spread out. One edged behind her, the other slid along the wall in front. "I got a message you wanted to see me."

  Fawbry nearly choked on his food. "You called this guy here?"

  Malja stood in as non-threatening a manner as she could manage. "I'd like to discuss with you how you and your brothers are going to stop hurting this town."

  Arkam stared in shock before breaking into laughter. "Are you threatening to take over here?" To his men, he said, "This is unbelievable."

  "No threats," Malja said. "I don't want to hurt anybody. If you'd simply sit down, I'm sure we can figure out a way for you to live here peacefully, or if you don't like that, you and your brothers can leave and the town can take care of itself."

  Arkam leaned against a wall and shook his head as if dealing with a naïve kid who needed to be shown who was in charge. "Do you know who I am?"

  Malja raised a finger. "Do you know who I am?"

  Throwing his hands in the air, he said, "Well, you've been funny, but you make no sense. I've got to go. Just be glad my brothers weren't the ones to get your message. If they had to get soaked just to listen to this nonsense, well, you'd all be dead right now." To Fawbry and Tommy, he added, "You both should run from her. She's going to get you killed."

  Fawbry crossed his arms. "She's the safest bet we got."

  "Come see me. I'll give you better."

  Malja shifted her foot. "Don't make me hurt you. Please. Sit with me and work this out."

  Arkam's face tightened. He motioned to his magician. The magician rolled up his sleeve and gazed on his tattoo — swirling smoke with bits of grit dotted throughout. Malja didn't have to look behind her to know Tommy had several spells ready to go.

  Throwing his fist onto the bar, Arkam said, "Do you know what my brothers will do to you?"

  Malja sighed as she saw Arkam's eyes signal his men. The one behind her died first. Malja jabbed Viper back and up, catching the thug just under the rib cage. The other one swung a short sword overhead. Malja sidestepped the attack and countered right through his mid-section.

  Arkam backed up to his magician. "Y-You just killed two good men."

  "These were thugs," Malja said. "They stole and raped and terrorized this town for you and your brothers. Now sit with me and talk. It can stop here."

  Arkam kicked one of the bodies and slipped on some blood. He managed to keep from falling by holding onto his magician's sleeve. "You're all dead. You understand? Simple as that. All three of you are goin
g to die."

  The magician popped his head up and the ground quaked. Arkam bent over with a sadistic howl of joy. The bartender jumped from behind the bar, crying, with his arms raised in surrender.

  "Fawbry," Malja yelled.

  Fawbry leaped forward and tackled the bartender, bringing him to safety behind the bar. Even as the ground in front of her opened up, she listened for sounds that Fawbry had succeeded. She heard it in a giddy laugh — the sound of someone surprised to be alive. The sound that launched her into action.

  She thrust forward. Viper sprayed blood off its blade as it sliced toward new victims. Before she struck Arkam, a thin stream of fire shot by her, igniting the somber magician. He screamed, but the sounds were never heard. A bubble of air had formed around him, containing the fire, the smoke, and the sound.

  Malja brought Viper down and Arkam's right arm joined the bodies on the floor. With a flick of his fingers, Tommy closed the wound.

  Malja placed Viper under Arkam's chin. A dark spot formed at Arkam's crotch. "P-Please. Don't kill me."

  "There's only one reason you are alive right now. So listen closely. Your brothers are out of business. You go tell them that. And then, you leave this town and go to the next closest one. You tell everyone in that town that the great Malja is real, that she's sick of people like your brothers ruining life for everybody. You tell them that Malja is fair. Give up all this evil and all is forgiven. We've lived in crazy times. I understand. But fight me, and you'll die. Either way, I'm going to rid the world of all the scum like you. You tell them that, and then you go to the next town and do it again. And you keep doing it until you die of old age. Understand?"

  Arkam nodded.

  "And I'm going to be following just behind. If you stop, I'll catch you. So, get started."

  He bolted from the bar, tripping on the fallen corpse of his magician and landing in the muddy streets.

  "It's okay now," Malja said.

  Fawbry and the bartender stood. "You do understand that his brothers are going to come fighting."

  "Maybe not. I can hope for the best, right? If not this time, then maybe the next. Eventually these fools will get the message."