by Carl Purcell
Roland took a firm grip on the branch, twisted it and pulled it free. The monster threw its head back and roared. Roland cracked the wood over its head and then drove it through the monster's skull.
Roland stood there for a minute, staring at the monster, unable to pull the branch back out and unable to balance without it. His eyes moved over the creature's patchwork skin and hair and settled on the claws. He'd seen those claws before. Then he spotted a tell-tale, round scar in the shoulder of the reptilian thing. He'd recently shot a sorcerer in a similar place with a similar sized bullet. Shit.
“You killed it.” Griffith said from somewhere behind him.
“I killed it.”
“Why? We could have helped it.”
“How?” Roland tried to turn to face Griffith but his neck no longer turned that far.
“I don't know. But I know we could have done something. It was beaten. The fight was over.”
“The fight was over about three times before I killed it. Some people don't stop fighting even when they're beaten.”
“People like you?”
“Yeah. People like me. Be glad I don't know when to quit. If I did, he'd have killed us both by now.”
“Maybe not. We both could have gotten away when it was on the ground.”
“No we couldn't.”
“How do you know?”
“Because this wasn't a random attack. This was a grudge match.”
“What do you mean?”
“I'll tell you when we get out of here. Let's go.”
Roland waved Griffith over to him and put his weight onto the young sorcerer. The two walked as fast as they could, only going a short distance before stumbling onto a single lane dirt road. In the clearing, the sun beamed down on them in short bursts between rolling clouds, its distant heat lost in the chill breeze. They looked up and down the road as far as they could. In both directions the road curved away, out of sight, and disappeared behind cluttered rows of trees. They didn't have time to decide.
They could hear the heavy footsteps of something stomping towards them through the underbrush. They immediately turned back the way they'd come, fearing the worst. Two more creatures emerged from the trees and stepped onto the road. Each monster was as deformed and hideous as the last and just as unnaturally giant. One had a head like a gorilla with large bull horns. The other looked more reptilian; as though somebody had stood a crocodile upright, pumped it full of steroids and swapped its head for a cobra's head. Both looked as solid as a mountain and angry to boot.
“Shit!” was all Roland could say.
“How many of these chimera things are there?”
“When we're dead, remind me to ask you what a chimera is.”
“I'm sorry about this.”
“Don't be sorry.” Roland coughed and wiped the saliva and blood off his lips. “Be helpful.”
“What do you mean?”
“Throw some fireballs. Call a lightning storm. You're magic, so do some magic.” Roland tried to push Griffith forward but the motion almost threw him off balance and he pulled Griffith back for support.
“I told you I can't do that.”
“Learn. Fast.” Roland watched the monsters. They almost looked as if they were smiling.
“No. I'm sorry Roland I won't do it.”
“What?” Roland tried to tighten his grip on Griffith but he didn't have the strength.
“I won't use magic to hurt somebody. I'm not going to fight them.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? We're going to—”
“I'm sorry I brought you into this but I have to stand by what I believe.”
Roland could feel his body burning with rage. He didn't know where to begin vocalising his fury and just stammered out unintelligible grunts.
“Even if it means dying for those beliefs.” Griffith sounded like he meant it, which just made Roland angrier. He pushed the kid away, wobbled on the spot and stood up straight.
“You die like a bitch then!” He stared the monsters down and they stared right back. “And I'll see all three of you in hell.”
Neither of the beasts had claws but the bull-horned creature held a short piece of wood with a round stone tied to the end. The stone looked heavy and the wood looked strong. One good hit from that would knock his lights out for good. He stood his ground and stared at the beasts. This was it. He had met his match and he was finally going to die. So be it.
They came forward.
A sudden growling and snarling stunned them, stopping the beasts in their tracks. Out from the tree line leapt a vicious, wild dog.
“Caia!” Griffith cheered, momentarily all smiles. The dog sunk its teeth into one of the bull-horned monster's arms. The monster swung itself around, trying to lose the dog. Blood sprayed across the ground. Caia held tight until the giant came to a halt. She let go long enough to scramble up the creature's body. She sunk her teeth into the monster's neck. Its throat crumbled between her jaws. The bull-horned creature pulled at Caia until she came loose, dragging blood and torn flesh away with her. The monster wheezed and choked through blood before collapsing. Caia coughed up a squelching mix of gore.
While her guard was down the reptilian monster stepped up behind Caia. With one powerful kick it sent her tumbling and sliding across the ground. She yelped and dug her claws into the ground until she came to a halt. Caia picked herself up and lowered her body, ready to pounce, growling at the monster. But the reptile turned away. It grabbed its fallen ally by the horns and dragged it back into the forest.
“Stand still, Roland. I'll patch you up before they come back.” Griffith stepped closer and steadied his friend.
“Then do it quick, kid.” Roland turned to face Caia. She had already begun the transformation back to human. He kept his voice low. “We might not be safe, yet.”
“You don't still think she's going to try to kill us, do you?”
“She abandoned us to those things!”
“And she saved us from them.”
“It's her fault we were in danger at all.”
“If it helps,” The transformed Caia said, “I ran off because I didn't want you to be involved. I thought you'd just go back to the Red Lion or wander in circles for a few hours while I dealt with the problem. I didn't expect any of them to find you while I was gone.”
“You knew there was more than one?” Griffith asked. He wore the wide-eyed look of a heartbroken four-year-old. “You lied to us.”
“I told you not get involved.”
“You never said there was more than one! You said it was just your apprentice and that he was lost in his transformation. These chimera are intelligent. That last one he...” Griffith looked into the forest a moment. “He was sad. You killed his friend.”
“He's a monster. They all are. They would have killed you, Roland and me.”
“And that makes it right?”
“It makes it necessary.”
“No!” Griffith's hands balled into fists. “I never would have come if I knew you just wanted to kill them. You didn't come here to save your apprentice. You came here to kill him and his friends.”
“I never said I was going to save him. I said I was going to stop him.”
“You can stop them without—”
“They're monsters, Griffith. They kill innocent people. I have to stop them.” Caia shouted over him.
“By killing them? You're trying to punish them for murder by killing them. That doesn't make any sense.”
“I'm doing what's necessary.”
“Enough!” Roland shouted so loud that it hurt a little. He strained a few deep breaths to recover from the sudden outburst. “Griffith, shut the fuck up before I make you shut up. Caia, you need to tell us the truth. Who are they? How many of them are there?”
“Yes.” Caia nodded. “You deserve that, at least.”
Caia held Roland steady on his feet while Griffith focused himself. His spell worked to close Roland's wounds and, one by one, his pains disap
peared. While Griffith worked and Roland recovered, Caia explained:
“There were seven of us. I have hunted the others for days. Now there are just two of them. Most of them, including the one you killed, were apprentices. Not my apprentices but apprentices with me. The one you saw me kill was our teacher. If I hadn't killed him we would all be dead now. I was lucky to surprise him.”
“And the two left?” Roland asked.
“The one that left was another student with me. The last one was supposed to be my apprentice. That part of the story was true. The others keep him around and let him off the leash from time to time just to cause damage. All of them have been hiding in the bush and terrorising this area for years. Like so many sorcerers, they abuse their power.”
“Why?”
“I don't know why they started. Our master never told us why he came out here or why he brought his first apprentice or took on others. But, in exchange for being taught, he had us kill and steal. That's how we survived.”
“So you're all criminals. You're modern day, magical bushrangers.”
“Yes. When my would-be apprentice became lost in his transformation, I wanted to kill him and end his misery. They thought it was funny. They thought he could be trained to be useful. He's just an animal, now. An animal in a constant state of pain and confusion. I had to draw the line there. When they wouldn't let me put him out of his misery, I left.”
“So why come back?”
“Because when I left, I started to see the other side. Our master had us believing that we deserved to do what we wanted because we were more powerful. Everything we wanted was ours by right because of our strength. But when I began to see what we had left behind us when we ran back to the bush, everything changed. So many people died because of us. So many people were left with nothing after they'd crossed our path. I started going to the funerals so I could see the faces of the people who really suffered. I wanted to see our life from the outside. In all their faces, the mourners and the victims, I saw my own apprentice, my friend, in those final moments of agony before he lost control. I can't let it go on. My apprentice has to be put out of his misery and they have to be stopped. The suffering has to stop for everyone.”
By the time she’d finished, Roland's wounds were gone, his bones repaired and he stood upright on his own, listening to every word Caia said. But Griffith was the first to comment.
“So you know that killing is wrong but you still want to kill them? Can't you see that it doesn't make sense?”
“This is different.”
“It's revenge. And what about when they're dead? Will you kill yourself, too?”
Caia didn't answer.
“You see? This isn't justice. It's not going to fix what you or the others have done. What you're talking about isn't even logical. It's just blood. More needless violence.”
“It won't stop here. Not if even one of them is alive. They won't change.”
“You changed. Why can't they have the same opportunity?”
“I was forced to see what we'd done. They don't know and they never will. They don't want to. Our master brainwashed us and, if I hadn't been cast out, I never would have changed. This is the only way.”
Roland could see she was not only resolved but completely detached. She spoke calmly and refused to look him or Griffith in the eyes. Violence and death didn't mean the same to her as they did to Griffith. Neither of them could stop Caia, even if they tried. As far as she was concerned, the deed had already been done and time was only catching up to that fact.
“It doesn't have to be that way. You've already done enough killing and you've shown them that you won't let it go on. Now give your last friend a chance to change. Come with us and let it go.”
“I still have to put an end to my apprentice's misery. It can't end until he's dead. Anything else is cruel.” A long silence followed. None of them were prepared to move. Nobody knew what to say. Roland could tell Caia's mind couldn't be changed and Griffith couldn't give up hope. This time Roland spoke first.
“You won't change her mind. Just let it go.” Roland placed a hand on Griffith's shoulder.
“No!” Griffith shrugged his hand off and kept his eyes locked on Caia. “She's only being this stubborn because she can't bear to think that the choice she made might be wrong. The worst part is that she only made the choice because it’s easy. Killing them is the easy option compared to trying to show them a better way. It's so stupid!”
Roland clenched his fists, and his arms trembled. He held himself still. He could see this was a tense moment and he would be gentle about it, even if Griffith wouldn't.
“Back off, kid. You don't know that she—”
“I'll make you a deal,” Griffith said to Caia. “I'll help you find them and together we can kill your apprentice. Sometimes, just sometimes, death really can be mercy. But we don't kill the other one unless we absolutely have to. He's just one sorcerer. He can't expect to win in a fight against us and he deserves the same chance to see the mistakes he's made and be forgiven for them.”
“I don't need your help. I never did.” Caia turned around and started to walk away. Griffith ran ahead of her and stood in her path. He stretched out his arms and dug his feet into the dirt.
“You take my offer or you kill me first.” Caia shook her head and started around him. Griffith shuffled across to block her again.
“I don't want to fight you, Griffith. There's no need for this.”
“I don't want to fight you either. I won't fight you. But I won't let you pass unless you take the deal. What's one more life between you and your vengeance?”
“It's not about revenge.”
“Prove it.”
“Do you really want to die this badly?” Caia stepped up close to Griffith and placed her hand around his neck. “Is this what you want?” Roland watched without making a sound. He'd already seen Griffith's devotion to protecting life. Last time, Griffith stood between him and Caia. Now he stood in front of Caia the same way.
“I don't want to die but I'm ready to give my life. Are you ready to take it?” There was no fear in his voice. Roland was amazed. There was no doubt that Griffith's devotion to pacifism and to the sanctity of life was the most annoying thing about him but he had to respect the lengths Griffith was willing to go to be a fucking idiot. Staring down Caia, Griffith looked different, in a way Roland couldn't quite explain. He could have stared down a tank and made the tank hesitate. That devotion made Griffith as much a mountain as a man. He wanted to punch Griffith for being willing to die so easily but Roland found it hard to hate somebody with that kind of guts.
Caia released him. “You win. We'll do it your way.”
“Thank you, Caia.”
“Come on. There's a clearing not far from here where they make camp.” Griffith let her pass and Caia marched forward. She walked angry, stepping fast and pressing down the undergrowth as she went. Griffith kept close behind her and Roland brought up the rear. Nobody talked but Roland considered sneaking away, back to the Red Lion and staying there. Then he remembered he'd lost his wallet along with everything else back at the motel in Guyra.
Exactly as Caia had told them, they found themselves in a natural clearing after only a short walk. The grass grew shorter here and a few smaller, younger trees dotted the roughly oval patch. There were no bushes or shrubs, just a wooden shack, weathered and decrepit. The door and windows overflowed with backpacks and tent poles and piles of clothing. A lot of the various camping gear had rotted or grown mould but some looked like it had been added to the pile more recently. In the centre of the clearing several sleeping bags and fold-out chairs circled a fire pit. The tree closest to the shack had a chain wrapped around it. The other end of that chain wrapped around the neck and wrists of another enormous chimera. This one was bigger than all the others, made up of a patchwork of animal skins, furs and features. Most prominent on this creature was a golden lion’s mane around its neck and its two bulging compound eyes. The m
onster lay motionless against the tree, bleeding from the neck.
Beside the giant corpse, in a fold out chair, sat a man in ragged clothes and mismatched shoes. Even from a distance, Roland could spot the white hairs in his beard. Richard sat with a long hunting knife on his lap, watching Caia, Griffith and Roland approach him through the clearing.
“I've seen him before,” Griffith said.
Roland nodded.
Caia slowed her pace and called out to him. “Richard, put the knife down.”
“Stay back!” Richard croaked back. He put one shaking hand on the knife's hilt. “The knife isn't for you, anyway. We both know there's only one way this is going to end.”
“It's not going to be like that.”
“Don't try to trick me, Caia. I've seen you do this act before!” Richard shouted, and then continued quiet, as if talking to himself. “You were always the strongest of us. The way you looked that day the master exiled you, I knew this would happen. I knew you'd come back.”
“I'm not here to kill you, Richard. Just talk to me. What happened to Juan?” Caia took a single step forward and stopped.
“I said stay back!” Richard shot up and waved the knife at Caia.
“Okay. Okay.” Caia rooted herself to the spot and raised her hands slowly to her side.
“I killed him.” Richard shot a quick glance at the nearby corpse then turned his gaze back to Caia and tightened his grip on the knife. Then, seeing she hadn't moved, he relaxed. “I thought maybe if he was dead, like you wanted, then you would leave. But that's not enough, is it? Nobody crosses Caia and lives to brag about it. This has been coming to us for years.” Richard began to cry. His whole body quaked but he pulled the knife back and held it flat against his chest. “I always hoped I'd be one of the first. Seeing the others die like that was even harder than I thought it would be. Seeing you again is harder too.” He paused to sob and wipe his nose on his sleeve. “I miss the old days when we were family.”
“Put the knife down, Richard.” Caia inched her feet forward. “This can end right now.”
“You're right. It can. I'd rather it be quick. Not the way you do it.” Richard turned the point of the blade against his skin.
