Graveyard of Empires

by Lincoln Cole

  Tricia looked at the hand in surprise.

  “Hey, speak for yourself,” Jayson said. “I would have been dead the first night.”

  Richard shrugged. “Yeah, probably. But seriously. Thank you, Tricia.”

  She took the offered hand skeptically and shook it gently. “You’re always so insincere; I’m not sure what to think.”

  “I don’t know,” Richard said, then yawned. “But right now I think it’s time to get some sleep.”

  “Okay,” Tricia said. “You can take first watch. Wake me up in a few hours. Jayson can take the final watch.”

  “Why do we need a watch?” Richard said, yawning again. He leaned back and folded his hands behind his head. “We’ve been out here for at least a week, and nothing’s happened to us so far. The worst things we’ve had to deal with are blisters. It’s not like there’s a single dangerous thing out here.”

  Tricia sighed.

  Jayson groaned.

  Some people just can’t keep their mouths shut.

  7

  The attack came two days later, just after they’d finished their midday meal.

  Tricia froze in place, eyes wary. She scanned the environment, hefting her walking stick and falling into a defensive stance. That was about three seconds before the creature sprang from its hiding place. Jayson stopped walking too, but he didn’t see or hear anything.

  It pounced at them, aiming straight for Richard. It was fast, a lot faster than he would have expected, and Jayson had to fight down a quick wave of fear. His body still hurt, and he was still exhausted. They were definitely not in fighting shape.

  Richard shouted, stumbling back off-balance. It looked like a wolf but was only about the size of a large dog. Its fur was dark gray, almost black, its eyes little pits of charcoal.

  Tricia stepped up to meet it, stabbing at the wolf’s face. The tip of her spear caught in the fur but wasn’t sharp enough to penetrate its hide. The wood snapped. Shards went flying, but it was enough to knock the wolf off its path. It clipped Richard in the hip, sending him off balance and staggering. He landed in the dirt with a grunt and the wolf landed six meters away, growling at them and circling.

  That’s when the other three attacked.

  Jayson was prepared now. Or at least as prepared as he could be. He hefted his walking stick and stepped up next to Richard. It was a heavy piece of wood, not as flimsy as the fish skewer. He used it defensively, trying to keep his weight on his good leg.

  The first wolf that came close received a sharp crack on the nose for its trouble. It stumbled away and Jayson reset his stance.

  The other three circled, snarling and looking for an opening. Jayson and Tricia stood back to back with Richard on the ground at their feet. He was just now sitting up. “Ow,” he mumbled, rubbing his shoulder.

  “If they attack in force,” Tricia said, eyes on the wolves, “we’re dead.”

  “I love your optimism,” Richard said, his voice distant. “What do you suggest?”

  “Show them we are not prey.”

  She hefted her broken stick, hesitated a second to give Jayson time to move into position and then screamed and charged at one of the wolves. It charged back at her, snarling. She raised her stick but used it only to deflect the wolf’s attack.

  It snapped, grabbing the stick in its teeth. It ripped it out of her hands and crunched. The wood snapped like kindling.

  Then it jumped at her, going for her throat—

  —and came right into contact with Jayson’s swipe. He brought the stick down in an overhead attack. He hit it right on the side of the head. The wood snapped in half and the wolf hit the ground, falling onto its side.

  The wolf staggered to its feet, shaking its head. After a few seconds, it began growling though its eyes looked wary now. Jayson lifted the two-foot long section in his hand. It was, at least, sharp and he could use it for piercing.

  Another wolf came at Tricia’s back, but Richard stepped toward it and bellowed. His yell rolled out over the area. At least, that voice is good for something, Jayson decided. The wolf backed away, snarling at Richard.

  Jayson shot Richard a look, raising his eyebrow.

  “What?” Richard asked. “You work with what you’ve got.”

  The injured wolf stumbled a few steps away and the pack shifted positions to defend it. “Back up,” Tricia said, “but don’t turn your back to them.”

  They did, forming into a tight group and taking short steps away from the pack. The wolves continued watching them but didn’t pursue.

  Gradually the distance grew until the wolves were out of sight.

  Jayson let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

  “Hey Trish,” Richard said, out of breath.

  “What?”

  “You are so hot right now.”

  And then he collapsed, hitting first his knee and then collapsing onto his back.

  “You’re bleeding,” Jayson said, kneeling. Blood was pooling where the first attack had hit him just above the hip. Either a tooth or claw, it was hard to tell which. Blood was covering his pants on that side and running down his leg.

  Luckily, it hadn’t done more damage. The wound wasn’t very wide. Jayson ripped a strip of his shirt loose and pressed it against the cut.

  Richard lifted his head up and looked at it. His eyes were glazing over. “So I am.”

  “Lay still.”

  “Okay,” Richard said, his voice woozy. He yawned.

  “And keep talking,” she said, putting pressure on the wound.

  “I thought,” he said, then groaned, “I thought I talked too much.”

  “Right now we need for you to keep talking. Stay with us.”

  “Not going anywhere,” he said. His eyes slipped closed.

  Tricia slapped him in the face.

  “Hey!” he said. “What was that for?”

  “For calling me Trish,” she said, turning to Jayson. “We need to get moving. With him cut like this he’s going to be a beacon for any predators in the area looking for a snack.”

  “We can’t carry him,” Jayson replied.

  “I know,” she said. “He’s going to have to walk.”

  “He,” Richard said with a yawn, “is going to take a nap.”

  She slapped him again.

  “Gah! Would you stop that?!”

  “Help me lift him,” she said. “Get him to his feet.”

  Jayson heaved. His leg was better and he had more energy now, but he still wasn’t back to full strength. By the time they had Richard to his feet Jayson’s lower back was throbbing.

  Richard slumped forward and Jayson held him up. “Now what?”

  “We go,” she said.

  They started walking. Jayson braced his left side with the walking stick and used his right to keep Richard up. For Richard’s part, he did the best he could to move on his own. After a while, the wound in his side stopped bleeding, but he’d already lost a lot of blood.

  His face turned ashen. Jayson did his best to keep moving at a good pace, but after a few hours, Richard started tripping every few strides. Jayson expended a lot of energy catching him as his legs gave out, and finally had no choice but to lower him to the ground.

  It was getting dark, and Jayson could barely keep walking. His clothes—what hadn’t been torn up or left behind—were soaked with sweat and he hadn’t drank enough water recently.

  “That’s it,” he said, collapsing beside Richard and panting. “We can’t keep going. Not like this.”

  “We’re close,” Tricia replied. “The last time I climbed I think I saw railroad tracks. A few kilometers.”

  “It won’t matter. Even if we make it to them, it’ll be at least twenty kilometers to reach the Academy. And that’s up the side of the mountain.”

  “We can’t stop.”

  “We aren’t,” Jayson replied.

  Tricia stared at him.

  “We aren’t leaving him,” she said, her tone final.

 
; “I’m flattered,” Richard muttered, leaning sideways against a tree. The wound had reopened and was seeping blood.

  “Shut up, you,” she said.

  Jayson sighed. “We aren’t doing that either. We just need a plan.”

  She blew out a breath and sat down next to them. “Okay. What do we do?”

  Jayson thought about it. “Do you remember the sheds we passed every few kilometers?” She nodded. “I think those are for storage. On Eldun, we use trains for a lot of public transit, and sometimes maintenance crews use trolleys to ride on the tracks. If we can find one of those, I think we can use it to get back to the Academy much faster without needing to walk.”

  “Okay,” she said. “Should I climb a tree and try to spot one?”

  “It’s too dark,” he said. “Go on ahead of us. Find the tracks. As soon as you do, start a fire. Pile some wood nearby for us. Then follow the tracks to the left.”

  “Away from the Academy?”

  He nodded. “Go back toward the city, in case we hit the tracks close to one behind us.”

  “How far?”

  “As far as you can. When it’s dark, turn and run back to us. If you find one of the sheds, grab the trolley and anything else you can find and bring them to us.”

  “Okay,” she said. “What about Richard?”

  “I’ll get him to the tracks. The fire should keep anything that wants to eat him away.”

  He didn’t add, I hope.

  She hesitated. “And what about before then? What if those creatures come back while you’re on your way?”

  “They won’t,” Jayson said. “But if something else does, I’ll have the walking stick ready. If you don’t find the trolley tonight, then we’ll start out as soon as we have light in the direction of the Academy. We’ll pick up a trolley as soon as we pass one.”

  “Good,” she said. She frowned and stood. “Do you need help lifting him?”

  “No,” Jayson said. “I’ll need to rest for at least a little while longer. But you need to go. The farther you make it tonight, the more likely we are to have transportation.”

  “Okay,” she said, clearly not happy. “Are you sure you’ll be all right?”

  “No,” he said. “But this is about all we’ve got left.”

  She stuck out her hand. “Good luck.”

  He shook it. “You too.”

  8

  Four hours. Pure misery and exhaustion were his constant companions, but they were gentle compared to the last one: terror. Pure unadulterated terror.

  He heard movement in the trees, flanking them as they traveled. Half the time he spent carrying Richard. Night came on. He found himself peering into the trees, ready for an attack.

  The silence was the worst of it. Since the trek had begun, Richard had filled the environment with his presence. Now, with Richard staggering along too weak to take care of himself, the forest suddenly seemed threatening.

  It went thus: they would move through a particularly dense section of the woods. His nerves were dancing on razors, sending adrenaline coursing through his body. They would finally make it through without being attacked only to repeat the process once more.

  Four hours that could have been four years. That was how long it took to reach the campfire. He smelled the smoke in the air before he saw anything. The fire had burned to little more than coals, and it sat two meters from the tracks. He grabbed the entire pile of sticks and set them in a pattern on top. Slowly, he coaxed the fire to life.

  Richard shivered next to him. The blood loss had slowed, at least when they held the shirt on tight, but it was still seeping through the bandage. Jayson didn’t know what they could do about that without proper medical equipment. He also knew that if they didn’t get some soon, Richard would be dead.

  He might not even make the night.

  The tracks were rusty with age. Jayson sat on the edge of one of them and watched the fire build. It bathed them in its flickering light, illuminating the area and releasing its light giving warmth. They would need more wood if they wanted to keep the fire burning all night, and they would need even more if they wanted to make it any bigger.

  But that meant leaving the fire untended and heading into the dark woods alone. Right now he had neither the energy nor ambition. The woods looked threatening, an endless abyss of shadow and death. There’s nothing to be afraid of, Jayson told himself. But he knew there was. If there were wolves out here, then they were other predators as well. Larger, more dangerous and deadly.

  They’d been lucky to get this far. But that meant nothing compared to what stood before them. They were at least eighty kilometers from the Academy. Probably a lot more. That meant another ten days walking at least. They were exposed and out in the open.

  Richard was dying, and there was nothing they could do to help him.

  “Richard?” he said, his voice cutting through the deepening gloom. He could hear Richard breathing, lying beside the fire, but there was no response. He didn’t like being here in these woods. And he damn sure didn’t like being alone. “Damn it, Richard, wake up.”

  He had barely finished speaking when he heard a wolf howl in the distance. The beast’s morose call filled the air around him, cutting him to the bone with a sense of deep gloom.

  They wouldn’t make it to the Academy. They couldn’t possibly. Who were they trying to fool, trekking through the forest? This wasn’t some macabre trial the Academy had set for them. They’d been left out here to die, abandoned to the wilds.

  The call was answered by at least six mates scattered through the area behind them. Jayson held his breath as the sound enveloped him, and he heard Richard cough in his sleep. They wolves couldn’t be more than a kilometer away.

  The fire was already burning low as it devoured the small pile Jayson had offered it.

  A few minutes later the wolves howled again. They were much, much closer.

  Jayson couldn’t decide if he should gather wood or pray.

  9

  By the time Tricia made it back the blanket of night had settled over the entire area. She walked up the tracks, exhausted with shoulders slumped. Jayson moved out to meet her and she stopped walking.

  “Nothing?”

  She just stared at him.

  “Then we’ll find something quickly in the morning,” he said. He wasn’t sure which one of them he was trying to convince.

  “How is he?” Tricia asked.

  “Not well,” Jayson said. It wasn’t worth lying. “The wound won’t close without stitches, and we don’t have anything to take care of him. He’s going to keep bleeding until he’s dead.”

  Tricia let out a long sigh.

  “You think we should leave him?”

  She bit her lip.

  “Like you wanted to leave me?”

  “He’s the most difficult and annoying man I’ve ever met. ‘Obnoxious’ doesn’t even begin to describe him,” said Tricia, then she sighed. “But no, I don’t want to leave him.”

  “Okay,” Jayson said. “You get some sleep. I’ll wake you up in a couple of hours. As soon as it’s light we’ll start moving.”

  “It could be a long way,” she said.

  “I know,” he replied.

  “Uphill.”

  “I know.”

  They began walking back toward the little fire. “We’re low on supplies, and the fish won’t last more than another day.”

  Jayson blew air out between his lips. “I know.”

  Tricia lay on the ground next to Richard. She checked his bandages, wincing when he groaned in his sleep. Then she lay her head down and closed her eyes. She was asleep in only seconds, her breathing getting deeper.

  Jayson fought to stay awake, focusing on their surroundings. He thought he heard movement a few times out in the trees. Just outside the fire. But nothing approached the camp.

  When he couldn’t stay awake any longer, he tapped Tricia on the shoulder. She woke up blearily and nodded at him. Jayson took a spot near the f
ire after tossing some more wood on top and closed his eyes.

  10

  A few seconds later, Tricia shook his arm. “Wha…?” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “I haven’t even fallen asleep yet.”

  Tricia only stared at him. It was light out. He groaned and sat up.

  “Is the coffee ready?”

  Tricia stared at him.

  “I forgot, no sense of humor.”

  “I have a sense of humor,” she said, standing. “You simply aren’t funny.”

  Jayson groaned again as he lifted himself up. He brushed his pants off. “How’s he doing?”

  “Little change,” she said. “His breathing is shallow, and he is pale. We need to move.”

  Jayson ate a strip of fish while Tricia woke Richard up. He was groggy but coherent. Jayson took him under one arm and Tricia helped balance his weight under the other, slinging his arm around her shoulders.

  They walked alongside the tracks. It was slow going, but the ground was cleared of underbrush or roots. “This sucks,” Richard said after about ten minutes.

  “I agree,” Jayson said.

  “I thought you guys would leave me,” he said, grimacing in pain. “I wouldn’t have blamed you. I would have cursed you, hated you, and haunted your existence. But blame? No. Not my style.”

  “You wouldn’t leave me,” Jayson said. “So I’m sticking it out.”

  “That was all part of my diabolical plan,” he said weakly, “to indebt you into saving my life.”

  “Then it worked,” Jayson replied.

  “But what about Trish?”

  “I told you I would stab you if you ever called me that again,” she said.

  “I recall,” Richard said, “that you were going to stab me in the eye. If I get to pick, can it be the left one? I never had much use for that one anyway.”

  “The right one it is,” she said.

  “I figured you’d be gone by now,” Richard said. “But I appreciate you sticking around too.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “No,” Richard said, his voice sounding a little weaker. He was quickly wearing out. Tricia through his arm over her shoulder to balance his weight better, keeping pressure on the wound on his side. “I mean it, Tricia. Thank you. I’m probably going to die before we ever make it to the Academy—”