“Good,” Tom said, crawling out of the truck with his harp to look about in dismay. “You mother must have been a cruel woman to bring an innocent child into a dismal place like this.”
“She was not,” Katie said, getting out of the truck. “I love this place! It’s got atmosphere.”
“Aye, I’ll give it that.”
“I’d think a man of the world such as yourself would have seen his share of places like this.”
“Well, I have seen my share of wild moors and wicked forests, I will admit. That doesn’t mean I haven’t grown accustomed to the more creature comforts of civilization which we now lack.”
“We’ve got creature comforts of a sort,” Katie said. “Sleeping bags, beans and weenies, coffee singles, matches, tarps... I think we’ll be okay.”
“What did your father think of this place?” Tom asked as he settled the harp gently against the base of a boulder and busied himself helping her unload equipment from the truck.
“Not much,” Katie said. “When it came to camping, Dad was a wimp. He hated all the work and the discomfort. I think that was the one place where my folks didn’t see eye to eye. Mom loved to camp. She took me with her a lot, taught me about the woods. It was actually my mother who taught me to use a gun. Dad was a professor. Teaching and folklore were his life. He used to blame Mom for the fact that I liked to just wander off and hike the woods alone all the time. I always felt at home out here.”
“And the cabin’s tale or terror doesn’t bother you?” Tom insisted with a cautious glance at the decapitated ruin beyond the nose of her truck.
Katie shook her head. “I guess because I camped here so much and knew there was nothing here to be afraid of. Never seen the witch’s ghost or heard her wild pigs snuffling through the brush. I always wanted to, because like the faery, I wanted to believe such things could happen. In fact, sometimes, I think the ghost and the pigs are gone simply because no one wants to believe. That’s seems to be the whole problem with Mercyville.”
“But you do believe,” Tom said, his whimsy restored by her confession.
“Yes, that’s why I write,” Katie said with a sigh. “It lets me put those beliefs on paper. Kinda sad, isn’t it? Oh, well. I figure we can set up the tarp over the back of the truck and sleep in the bed which will surround us with steel, and if the fae come to bother us, we can always wriggle through the back window of the truck to get inside the cab.”
“Perhaps, you can wriggle through that wee opening,” Tom said. “I suspect I’d find the fit a bit tight.”
“Ah, you’ll just lose some skin. I’ll build a fire if you’ll lay out the bags.”
“Done,” he agreed.
They set to work, and in no time, the campsite was ready. Katie had the fire going a safe distance behind the truck and was starting a meal by the time Tom finished laying out the sleeping bags and hooking lanterns to the sides of the cab. She helped him rig up the poles and tarp to make a tent and cover their sleeping bags. Darkness was coming quickly here, in spite of the length of the summer days. Katie didn’t worry about running out of wood, for the dry, dead trees provided them with plenty. Shadows elongated, and the burnt out cabin became a ragged shape in the gloaming that eventually fell.
They devoured Katie’s meal, and she noted the time was past nine. Screech owls and crickets filled the night with their cries sounding over the rush of the creek. Tree toads joined the chorus, the trilling concert only nature could perform. Tom lost no time adding his harp’s sweet tones to the affair. He flew through such merry tunes “The Scotch Cap” and “Road to Lisdoonvarna”, though she teased him because the second was actually Irish in origin. He countered with several wauking tunes, and threw in a merry ditty he claimed to have learned from the Elf Queen herself. Those were followed by several of Burns’ ballads which Tom sang in a generally fair voice. Katie knew the words to “It was a’for our Rightful’ King,” and found herself joining him.
Tom had just silenced the strings when Katie heard a snap of a foot finding a dry stick that sounded like it came from across the creek. She squinted towards the dark to no avail. If someone was on the road, she couldn’t see them. In fact, it occurred to her that the creek would keep her from hearing any car that ventured up the trail in her wake. She glanced at Tom, but he was sipping his coffee now as though taking no notice.
“Keep playing,” she said. “I’m going to answer nature.”
“Oh, and what was the lady’s question?” Tom asked.
Katie sneered. “My bladder calls,” she said.
She got up, collecting her shotgun and heading for the front of the truck. Tom looked a little uncertain, but he started another song, keeping his head down as Katie made her way around into the shadows. She knew the area well enough to find her way in the dark. Still, she moved with caution. No telling who or what was out there. Oh, for the power to see in the dark, she thought. Frowning, she worked her way down to the creek bank and peered around a large tree.
Someone was moving across the creek with measured steps, a tall, familiar figure. They snapped into the light of the campfire, raising a hand.
“Hold where you are, Tom!” Dan said. “I won’t hesitate to use my gun.”
“I’ve no doubt of that,” Tom said with an aimless smile.
Katie moved quickly. Tom just sat in the firelight, playing his tune as though nothing were wrong. She came out of the forest just behind Dan, poking the shotgun in the small of his back and saying, “Freeze!”
“Katie?” Dan raised his hands. “Don’t get crazy on me, please! I’m not holding a gun now!”
With a sigh, Katie lowered the shotgun. Dan turned, putting his hands on his hips, a silhouette of himself with the fire to his back.
“What are you doing here?” Katie asked.
“Looking for you and Tom,” Dan said.
“How’d you know I’d be here?” she insisted.
“You and I’ve been here several times,” Dan said. “In fact, I remember that one time you brought me up here and started spinning some yarn about a witch and flesh-eating pigs, and tried to scare the crap outta me...”
“She tried that on me too,” Tom said. “Come to the fire, children. Best you work things out in the light.”
Katie rolled her eyes and started for the campsite. Dan followed as she settled herself on the tailgate of the truck and cast him a sour glare. “Are you alone?” she asked.
“Yes,” Dan said. “Uncle doesn’t even know I came up here to look for you. I’m off duty.”
“You sure he didn’t follow you?”
Dan shook his head, crawling up onto the tailgate beside her. “I figured it would be better if I came alone to convince you and Tom to come back and turn yourselves in.”
“Throw myself on the mercy of the court?” she said. “Not likely. Cannon would jail us both, Midsummer would come, and Mercyville will be history once the Erl-King’s had his fun.”
“Poetic,” Tom said. He let his fingers dance flippantly over the harp strings.
“Look, Katie,” Dan insisted. “I don’t want to see you get hurt. Just come back to town, and I’ll do what I can to keep you out of a cell.”
“And Tom?”
“That State Trooper he mooned wants his butt,” Dan said with a shake of his head.
“A man with no taste,” Tom said. “I’m sure there are prettier bums than mine to satisfy his whims.”
Katie bit her lip. Dan looked cross.
“I can’t, Dan,” she said. “I have got to stop the Erl-King. If I don’t...”
Dan looked away at the dark. “You know, if you keep talking like that, you might get yourself put in a mental hospital.”
“Oh, right,” she said. “Are Tom and I the only people in the world who care that something terrible is happening in Mercyville? Granted, I’ve wished a number of terrible things on it in my time—mostly concerning the MacGreeley sisters going to their own hell and Durgan buried under a ton of encyclopedias—but
I can’t sit back and do nothing when I’m to blame.”
“You’re not to blame,” Dan insisted.
“Yes, I am!” she said. “I’m the one who opened the gate and set him free, and Tom says I’m the one with the power to put the Erl-King back. I’m the one in his predictions.”
“Predictions?” Dan snorted. “Katie, don’t tell me you believe that crap he spews!”
“True Thomas never lies,” Katie said.
“True Thomas?”
“Thomas the Rhymer! Surely you’ve heard of him...”
“Yes, I went to college and floundered through poetry and literature, remember! But that’s just a myth...”
“Oh, no it isn’t!” Katie snapped back. “Even the Erl-King called him True Thomas.”
“Katie, this is insane!”
“He hasn’t lied to me yet,” she insisted. “He is True Thomas, and as soon as I get the magic back into his harp, we’re going after the Erl-King once and for all, and nothing—not even you—will stop us.”
“Will you listen to yourself!” Dan said, exploding off the tailgate of the truck and pointing a finger at Tom. “He’s a crazy old man, Katie! And you’re starting to sound just like him!”
“He’s got more sense than most men I know!” she retorted in anger. “Yourself included!”
Dan’s face went livid. “Fine!” he snapped, stepping back towards the creek. “If that’s the way you feel about it...” He stopped and looked away as though realizing what he was about to say. “This is your last chance to turn yourself in and come with me.”
Katie raised the shotgun. “No chance, Dan.”
He looked at the gun, at her and at Tom and shook his head.
“All right,” he said. “If that’s the way you want to play the game, fine. I can’t say I didn’t try to make this easy on you, but you leave me no choice, Katie. I am a Deputy Sheriff first, and if you’re going to resist arrest at gunpoint, then I’ll have to go back and fetch the Sheriff and the State Troopers and let them haul you out of here the hard way.”
He turned and started towards the creek.
“I really wouldn’t leave just now, Deputy,” Tom called. “I fear it will not be safe for you to leave the circle of light at this moment.”
Dan stopped, glowering at the old man. “Why? Are you planning to shoot me in the back?”
“No, but I don’t think you’ll be able to leave safely just now,” Tom insisted.
“That’s nonsense!” Dan snapped.
“No,” Tom insisted. “That’s fact. If you don’t believe me, take a look around for yourself.”
Dan shot a glare out into the dark and lost it to a startled expression. Katie looked too, turning in a circle as she peered at the inky shadows beyond the burn of their firelight.
From every corner, she could see the forest was blinking with the glow of beady red eyes.
SIXTEEN
Snuffling sounds slowly filled the night as Katie glanced towards Tom. He slowly rose from his fireside seat on the log and moved towards the truck with his harp, keeping a watch out at the dark. Some of the eyes swayed back and forth in a hypnotic rhythm. Others blinked.
“What the...” Dan squinted at the shadows in a leery fashion.
“Goblins, I suspect,” Tom said, opening the cab of the truck and placing his harp within. “Children, I would advise that we all get into the truck just now.”
There was a shrill cry from the opposite side of the camp. A huge shape crashed out of the rhododendron. Its skin had a greenish cast, reminding Katie of an unripe olive, right down to the pimento of a long tongue dangling from its gaping mouth. And it drooled. She didn’t get much more of a look than that. The porcine monster waved a battle-ax and squealed like a pig in a slaughterhouse before Dan jerked his service revolver from the holster and fired. His shot caught the creature in the chest and sent it flopping backwards.
That seemed to signal the rest. At once, there were nearly a dozen of the goblins tearing out of the dark. Katie raised the shotgun and squeezed a trigger, picking out the closest one. The shell blasted into the goblin’s chest and dropped it. She heard Dan’s revolver go off again as she selected another target for the second shell.
“Katie, look out!” Tom cried.
She turned just in time to see a club swinging at her head. There was nothing to do but drop and let it blast past her. She rammed the shotgun between the creature’s legs as it reared over her, and twisted as hard as she could. The steel barrel caused the goblin pain, and it shrieked as she brought it down at the knees. It went over with a squeal as Katie staggered to her feet. She raised the shotgun, but before she could fire, Dan’s revolver cracked and the goblin went silent.
Tom had already abandoned his desire to join his harp in the truck. He had the tire iron in one hand and a stave of burning wood in the other. Two of the goblins went at him simultaneously. He used the iron to parry the rusty shortsword of one while thrusting fire into the face of the other. The latter fell back, screaming in pain. The first snarled a goblin oath, renewing its attack. Tom merely parried the blow and gave the goblin a taste of fire as well.
“Katie, get in the truck!” Dan snapped.
It might have been good advice any other time, but the problem seemed to be getting to the truck in her opinion. She had hardly turned to move in that direction when there was a goblin in her path. Its massive maw spread in a toothy grin, reminding her of the smaller one that had nearly taken Sally. Clawed hands extended towards her as though intending to capture her.
“Fat chance,” she snarled, ramming the barrel of the shotgun into its nose. The touch of steel burned the beast. The goblin lost its grin to a snarl of rage and fell back, only to tumble into the tailgate of the truck. She smelled the odor of scorched garbage as it screamed and lunged forward again. Katie side-stepped and brought the barrel of the shotgun hard across the goblin’s face. Its eyes crossed before it fell.
Dan’s pistol fired again before Katie heard him yell. She whipped around in time to see two of the goblins leaping on him at once. Between them, they drove Dan to the ground, each putting a foot on one shoulder to pin him there. He struggled, his face pressed into the dirt and leaves, trying to get his gun around for another shot. One raised a sword while the other raised a club.
“NO!” Katie shouted. She swung the shotgun up and fired, striking one of the goblins and sending it flying backwards. The other looked at her and snarled as it continued to raise the club. But with one arm free, Dan was able to twist around and aim back over his shoulder. The goblin had only enough time for a startled “erk” before the bullet slammed into its side and tumbled it away. Dan scrambled to his feet, finishing the beast.
“Come on, don’t dawdle!” Tom cried. He had made it to the truck and was gesturing for the others to follow. Katie loaded the shotgun again as she raced for the truck. Dan fired on another advancing goblin and bolted after her. They dove into the cab, jerking the door shut. Dan ended up in the driver’s seat with Katie in the middle.
“Where are the keys!” he snapped.
Katie dug for them in her pocket. A rock came flying at the truck, landing on the hood with an ominous church bell clang. Another flew out of the trees, bouncing off the top of the cab. If the goblins got any better with their aim, Katie feared she’s be spitting out glass. As if to challenge her belief, a thick chunk of wood smacked the windshield, spattering rotten matter across her field of vision and making her swear.
She got the keys out, thrusting them into the ignition. Dan jammed down the clutch, popped the gas pedal once and fired up the engine. The truck roared to life, startling members of the next wave as Dan jerked the headlights on and threw the white light out at the dark. Where the Sam Hill were all these goblins coming from? He backed around in the clearing, nearly running over the fire.
“We can’t leave the fire...” Katie began.
“It’s the least of our worries,” Tom assured her. “Please be careful where you put your
feet.” He reached out and petted the harp as though to reassure it.
Dan ignored them, concentrating on driving. The goblins foolish enough to try and block the back of the truck were knocked over, screaming. Those stupid enough to run in front of the vehicle found out the depth of their ignorance a little late. Like the kelpie, their flesh sizzled from the contact.
“Get us across the water, quickly,” Tom said. “They can’t cross running water!”
Dan roared across the creekbed, sending sheets of water splashing up the sides of the truck and across the bank. But even as they reached the other side, more goblins came rushing out of the darkness there.
“Any other bright ideas?” Dan groused.
“It was a good idea,” Tom said. “I just wasn’t expecting more of them over here.”
Dan snarled an oath. He gave up trying to avoid the goblins when the road became too narrow to allow that kindness. He rounded the first hairpin turn a little too fast even for Katie’s comfort. Tree branches ripped the canvas tent free of its mooring and sent it flapping back like some giant bat to cover a few goblins in pursuit. Katie found herself wanting to close her eyes as Tom continued to fuss about his harp being unused to such violent jostling. Dan glowered at the narrow trail. “How the hell did you get this monster truck up here?” he insisted.
“A lot more slowly,” Katie replied and gasped as they rounded the next hairpin turn. White and green topped with blue light flashed before them. Dan slammed on the brakes and cursed. His own cruiser was blocking the way, and the deadly horde could be heard howling their rage at the night. The goblins were still following.
“Damn!” Dan hissed again, shoving the truck out of gear and pulling on the brake. He drew forth his revolver and reached for the truck door. Yet as soon as he opened it, a claw reached out from around the nearest tree, snagging his arm. The goblin that followed spread a toothy grin as it tried to jerk Dan out of the truck. He brought his gun around to fire it, but the monster snagged that wrist as well, sending the shot astray. The monster looked quite pleased with itself.
Angels of Mercy Page 16
