by K J Taylor
‘No, I saw him on my way here,’ said the Oracle. ‘Go, Snarl. Hurry.’
Snarl didn’t waste time with more questions. She took one last look at Ambit, and set off, alone.
Snarl crossed the Second Mountain’s territory as quickly as she could, resisting the urge to run. If she did that she would have no energy left when she reached the village. Not that she had much energy to begin with: lack of sleep and the shock of what had happened had left her exhausted. It was mostly anger that drove her on.
Along the way she found some food, and ate it without stopping. The rocks and gems melted in her stomach and gave her some strength. A quick dip in a lava pool she passed helped as well. She could feel the molten stone heating her up and loosening her limbs. The glow at the tips of her claws grew brighter, and she hissed to herself at the sight. She wanted them good and hot for when she slashed them down Northrop’s face. She’d have his skull for lunch.
She was within striking distance of the village by the time she met anyone else. Growl the snake demon came slithering toward her, rearing up in surprise. ‘Snarl, there you are.’
‘Growl, what happened?’ asked Snarl. She had already spotted the arrow wound on the other demon’s back.
‘The Chosen One came to the village with three others,’ said Growl. ‘They’re trying to fight their way through. I came to see what had happened to you and Ambit. Where is he?’
Snarl paused. ‘Back . . . there,’ she said evasively. ‘He’s hurt. I’m going to go and get the spear myself. Will you help me?’
‘All right,’ said Growl, ‘it’s worth another try. At least there are only four of them now.’
She and Snarl headed for the village, where they found a group of other demons sheltering behind a house. It was easy to see why. Not far away, Whitear had climbed to the top of a sculpture and had already shot down several demons. Northrop, Rai and Deeble had clustered together near the sculpture and were busy fighting off a counter-attack led by Growl’s fellow snake demon, Emral.
‘Those cowards,’ Snarl hissed. ‘We have to do something.’
‘Any suggestions?’ asked Growl.
Snarl looked around quickly. ‘We could throw rocks at them,’ she said. ‘Molten ones. Or . . . wait. You!’ She hurried over to the largest of the demons sheltering up ahead. It was Quad, the four-armed demon.
‘You again,’ he said, seeing her. ‘What do you want?’
‘Are you any good with those arms?’ asked Snarl.
‘What d’you mean?’ he demanded.
‘Can you throw?’ she asked.
‘Sure I can,’ he said. ‘What am I meant to be throwing?’
‘Me,’ said Snarl.
Growl opened her mouth, showing her long fangs. ‘What?’
‘Throw me at that archer,’ said Snarl. ‘I’ll take care of her for you. Once she’s down, the rest of you can charge the other three. Do you think you can throw me that far, Quad?’
‘Easy,’ he said. ‘Get over here.’ He held out his lower arms, and Snarl waddled over and climbed into them. He lifted her in four sets of claws, carefully balancing her in his grasp. Snarl curled into a ball, tail wrapped around herself, and got ready.
Quad didn’t waste time. He braced himself, charged out from behind the building and threw Snarl as hard as he could.
The small demon flew in an arc, up and over, turning in the air. She uncoiled herself and spread her claws and tail. She hit Whitear square in the face, and latched onto the woman with her claws, twisting her tail around her bow arm.
Whitear screamed and thrashed, skin burning. As the rest of the demons charged out of their cover, Snarl sank her teeth into the woman’s ear and pulled. A piece of ear came off in her mouth, and she spat it out and dug her claws in deeper.
It was more than Whitear could handle. Panicking, she lost her balance and fell off the statue with Snarl on top of her. Snarl rolled off her, bit her again on the arm, and darted away, shouting, ‘The spear! Get the one with the spear!’
The other demons had rushed in and surrounded Northrop, Rai and Deeble. They clustered together, trying to defend themselves, but they were outnumbered. Deeble, petrified, stabbed a demon out of his way and ran for it, leaving Northrop and Rai to fight alone. They weren’t pushovers, though, and it helped that the demons attacking them were afraid of the spear and sword. They kept back, trying hurt the humans while staying out of reach of the two weapons.
‘Pathetic,’ Snarl snapped, and shoved forward, slipping between the legs of her fellow demons and charging into the ring. She was so low to the ground that Rai didn’t spot her until it was too late. Snarl sank her teeth into the captain’s leg and started to shake it hard, like a dog with a rat. Rai screamed and thrust the spear at her, but her aim was off, so instead of impaling Snarl through the back the spear slashed down her side, opening a nasty, but not fatal, wound. Snarl only bit down harder, and pulled back with all her might. It worked. Rai stumbled sideways and fell over, and, as Northrop turned to help her, the other demons came at him from behind, forcing him to turn and deal with them instead.
Snarl attacked Rai’s arm, biting and slashing. Yelling in panic, Rai let go of the spear and curled up, trying to protect herself. Snarl spitefully bit her on the scalp and then dived onto the spear, wrapping her claws around it and pulling it away as quickly as she could.
‘No!’ Northrop had seen her. He hacked the head off a snake demon and rushed toward Snarl. ‘Put that down!’
Snarl rose onto her hind legs, clutching the spear to her chest. ‘Growl! Quad! Help me!’
Growl struck at Northrop’s leg, but he knocked her away. Snarl tried to run, hampered by the spear. Any moment now the hero would be on her and then he’d kill her the way he’d killed Ambit.
Something huge loomed over her. ‘Come with me, tiny,’ a voice rumbled, and four sets of claws wrapped themselves around her and the spear, lifting both off the ground and up, well out of Northrop’s reach. Northrop raised his sword to attack, but Growl and four other demons came at him simultaneously, forcing him to retreat.
He stood there for an instant, watching helplessly as Quad carried Snarl away from him and then turned and ran away, off toward the Second Mountain as fast as he could go.
Panting, clutching the spear to her chest, Snarl watched him go and felt savage triumph surge through her body like fresh lava. ‘Fuck him,’ she said, glad to be saying what Ambit would have said. ‘Let him go. He’s done for.’
Whitear had managed to get up. She snatched up her bow and ran away after Northrop, followed by a limping Rai. Deeble had already disappeared.
Quad held Snarl up over his head, spear and all. ‘We did it!’ he roared. ‘We got the spear!’
The surviving demons cheered.
‘Thank you, Quad,’ said Snarl. ‘I couldn’t have done it without you.’
Quad put her down. ‘Now you have the spear, what will you do with it?’
‘I’m going to give it to Ambit,’ said Snarl. ‘It’s his by rights. He can take it far away from here.’
A couple of the other demons looked uneasy. ‘I don’t think we should give it to a human,’ one of them said. ‘What if he . . .?’
‘What would we do with it?’ Quad cut in. ‘I don’t want it staying here. Let the human take it. We know he’s our friend.’
‘He is,’ said Snarl. ‘I have to get back to him.’
Growl and Quad went with her, but Snarl insisted on carrying the spear herself. After a couple of false starts she wrapped her tail around it and held it across her back, where it wedged itself between some of her spikes and stayed in place.
‘Is that a demon stone set into it?’ asked Growl.
‘Yes,’ said Snarl. ‘It belonged to Lord Phos. The Chosen One killed him.’
Quad shuddered. ‘We felt the ground shaking from here.’
‘Don’t worry, it won’t happen again,’ said Snarl. ‘Thanks to you.’
‘I think Lord Halite will reward us for this,’ Growl sa
id proudly. ‘Maybe we could even go into the mountain’s heart.’
She and Quad both went silent, imagining something that glorious being given to them.
‘I’ve never even been into the mountain,’ said Quad. ‘I wonder what it’s like?’
‘I’ve been into a few,’ said Snarl. ‘I went into the First Mountain once.’
Quad’s tail smacked onto the ground. ‘No way. You can’t have gone in there.’
‘I did,’ said Snarl, ‘and I spoke to King Volcan and he let me swim in his lava pool.’
Quad and Growl looked at her with awe.
‘I can’t believe you didn’t stay there,’ said Growl. ‘If I’d been allowed in there, I’d never want to leave.’
‘I had to,’ said Snarl. ‘Ambit needed me.’
‘You really care about that human,’ said Quad.
Snarl looked ahead, toward the campsite where the others were waiting. ‘Yes,’ she said, ‘I suppose I do.’
Twenty-four
When Snarl returned to the camp, the five companions were waiting for her. They jumped up when they saw her coming with the spear, and Rigby and Elyne came running toward her.
‘You got it!’ Rigby exclaimed.
‘Of course,’ said Snarl, unable to keep the smugness out of her voice. ‘Now get out of my way.’
The two humans stood aside to let Snarl and the other demons through. Growl and Quad eyed them and the other companions with thinly-veiled suspicion and anger, but none of them made a move to attack.
The Oracle was still there and so was Ambit. The companions had taken his shirt off and done their best to clean him up, but the wound that had killed him was still very clearly visible. Growl and Quad both looked shocked at the sight of him.
‘He’s dead!’ said Growl. ‘When did that happen?’
‘Last night,’ said Snarl. ‘Keep back.’ She gently lifted the spear down off her back, and looked up at the Oracle. ‘I got it. Now what do I do?’
‘Give it to me,’ said the Oracle.
‘No,’ said Snarl, ‘I’m going to do this.’
‘Then put it on his chest,’ said the Oracle. ‘Over the wound.’
Snarl took the spear and gently put it down on Ambit’s chest. She sat back and waited.
‘What’s going to happen?’ she asked, when nothing changed.
‘The spear will call him back,’ said the Oracle. ‘Watch.’
Snarl watched. And waited. And, one by one, the others gathered around to watch as well. Nothing happened, and Snarl was on the point of telling the Oracle where he could stick his claims and his prophecy when the spear started to glow.
Lord Phos’ yellow stone flickered into life as if it were still set into its owner. Little by little the glow increased, and spread over the surface of the spear until the entire weapon shone with it. It flickered like firelight and the watchers held their breath.
Then, in a sudden spurt, the light poured over the spear’s surface and down onto Ambit, soaking into his skin and shining out of the wound. In seconds it had gone, and so had the wound, which knitted itself back together, leaving nothing but a scar.
Snarl hissed triumphantly under her breath.
Below her, Ambit jerked and started to breathe again. The colour came back into his face. He coughed and his eyes opened, and in a moment they were as brightly silver as they had been before. They stared up at Snarl and at the Oracle, and then at the companions, and blinked several times, slowly.
‘Ambit!’ Snarl said urgently. ‘Say something!’
Ambit coughed again. He looked a little confused. Then his eyes widened. He made an effort to get up, and then slumped back again.
‘Don’t get up,’ said Wittock. ‘You should –’
‘Shut up,’ Ambit rasped. He put a hand over his eyes. ‘Oh . . . fuck that was awful.’
‘It’s all right,’ said Snarl. ‘You’re back. You’re healed.’
Ambit didn’t seem to hear her. ‘I was surrounded by wise mystical elders listing my sins,’ he said. ‘Swearing, drinking, fornication, theft, lying, and I could only think that I’d never get to do any of those things again, and there were other ones I’d never even tried.’ He lurched up, wide-eyed. ‘Snarl, we’ve got to get out of here,’ he said. ‘I’ve never committed perjury. I don’t even know what it is, but I’ve got to do it before I die. And . . . uh . . . usury. Forgery. What else haven’t I done yet?’
‘Plenty,’ said Snarl, ‘but you’re alive, Ambit. You’re back. And you’ve got all the time in the world.’
Ambit lay back. ‘Oh, good. But from now on, no more fucking around. Except in the literal sense, with as many women as possible. I’ve got to go and commit more sins. What are you all doing here? Is that the Oracle?’
‘Yes,’ said the Oracle, ‘and you have your friend Snarl to thank. She won the spear back for you. Its power healed you.’
Ambit groped for it. ‘There you are,’ he said, gripping it tightly. ‘Snarl, did you bite Rai in the face?’
‘In the head,’ said Snarl.
‘Great. And did you eat Northrop’s bones?’
‘I wanted to, but no. But I did savage Whitear’s ear.’
‘That’s my demon,’ said Ambit. ‘Can I get up now? Where’s my shirt?’
Tannock and Elyne helped him up. He stood, wincing and putting a hand to the scar on his chest. ‘I feel like I’ve been kicked by a mountain. Where’s that bastard Northrop?’
‘He’s gone to the Second Mountain,’ said Snarl. ‘With Rai and Whitear.’
Ambit looked around at the other companions. ‘What are you doing here? I hope you weren’t wasting time grieving.’
‘Would you prefer it if we danced on your grave?’ Srawn laughed.
‘Well, no, I don’t have one,’ said Ambit. ‘Wasn’t going to either. I asked Snarl to eat my bones after I died. Thank you for not doing it, though, Snarl.’
‘I was thinking about it until the Oracle came along,’ said Snarl. ‘He told me how to save you.’
Ambit eyed the Oracle. ‘You don’t still want me to fulfil that fucking prophecy, do you?’
‘What I want never came into it,’ said the Oracle. ‘The prophecy –’
‘Oh, screw the prophecy,’ said Ambit. ‘If I didn’t have more sins to commit I’d say I’d rather be dead than have anything to do with it.’
‘What else will you do?’ the Oracle asked unexpectedly. ‘Fulfilling the prophecy is your purpose for existing.’
‘No, it isn’t,’ said Ambit. ‘I have two reasons to exist, and that’s drink and women, in that order.’ He looked down at Snarl. ‘All right, I have three reasons to exist. But the prophecy isn’t one of them. Now what about Northrop?’
‘What about him?’ said Snarl.
‘You said he’s headed for the Second Mountain,’ said Ambit. ‘Sounds like he’s going to try and kill the demon lord by himself.’
‘He’ll never make it,’ said Tannock.
‘You think so?’ said Ambit. ‘He’s survived worse. Got in and out of more than one mountain and didn’t even get hurt. I wouldn’t be too sure. Oracle – you tell me. Can Northrop kill a demon lord? Or does it really have to be me who does it?’
‘Yes, he can,’ said the Oracle, ‘and unless you stop him, he will.’
Snarl started in alarm. ‘Did you see that, Oracle? Was it one of your visions?’
‘It was,’ said the Oracle. ‘Northrop’s sword can kill demons. It can kill Lord Halite. If you do not stop him, Ambit, then you will have killed Halite, even if indirectly.’
‘This prophecy has a hell of a lot of loopholes,’ Snarl muttered.
‘Well, fuck it, then,’ said Ambit. ‘There’s only one thing to do now, isn’t there? Go and stop old Northy fulfilling the prophecy for me. Who wants to come with me?’
‘I’ll come,’ said Rigby.
‘We can’t let Marrow Valley go the same way as Acornville,’ said Wittock. ‘And there are other settlements close enough to b
e destroyed. Eggwater and Cricklewood, at the very least.’
‘We’ll help you, too,’ said Growl. ‘We have to, don’t we?’
‘And you, Snarl?’ said Ambit.
Snarl was still staring at the Oracle, but she turned back to Ambit and said, ‘You know I’ll stick with you no matter what, Ambit.’
He grinned at her. ‘Then let’s do it.’
Everyone went with Ambit and Snarl as they left for the Second Mountain. Everyone, that is, except for the Oracle. He stayed where he was and let them go, watching in silence. He had done everything he needed to and played his part. There was no need to go and watch what happened next. He had already seen it. So many people thought they could avoid their destiny, but their efforts to shake it off only tightened the bonds of fate. The Chosen One would go to the Second Mountain still blindly believing he could save Lord Halite, but his going there would only make it happen. The Oracle’s lie had been enough.
When Ambit threw his spear at Northrop to try and stop him, he would miss and hit Halite. There was no way to avoid it. He’d kill the demon lord whether he meant to do it or not.
Twenty-five
Ambit and the others made it back to Quad and Growl’s village, where the local demons greeted them cautiously, and were only prepared to trust them when they saw Quad, Growl and Snarl with them. Once Ambit had told them what he and the others were planning to do, plenty of the village demons were happy to help. They let the travellers stay for the night. They were exhausted, and badly in need of some sleep.
Ambit, though, didn’t sleep. His chest was still aching, and though he wouldn’t admit it to anyone else he was slightly too nervous to allow himself to rest. He remembered what dying had felt like and couldn’t shake off the feeling that going to sleep might somehow make it happen again.
He sat up and watched the stars instead, with Snarl by his side.
‘I should’ve thanked you properly,’ he told her. ‘I guess I was too out of it for that.’
‘Gushing thanks isn’t your way,’ said Snarl. ‘Don’t worry about it, anyway. I’m just happy to have you back.’
