I shook my head. “Am I the only one that’s seeing this?” I returned my blade to its sheath. I drew my Flaming Thunderbolt once again, noticing the white spark of energy moving to the tip of the blade and back down to the hilt as I held my weapon in the air.
“What has happened to your sword?” Lhandon asked.
“So, you see it too?”
“Are you talking about the white energy? We all see it,” Roger said, turning back over. “It’s too goddamn early to be awake.”
“I was visited by Dema in my dream…” I began.
“Your dakini?”
I nodded at Lhandon. “She said she was going to merge herself with my weapon to help me in the fights to come.”
Saruul gasped. “Your weapon has been blessed by a dakini?”
I returned my blade to its scabbard. “Apparently. I’m guessing it will help me when fighting against demons or other creatures from the Underworld. This means I would be able to fight alongside Bah-Mo.”
“How incredibly thoughtful of her!” Lhandon said, the portly monk now in a seated position with his legs crossed under his body. “While I would like to say something along the lines of hoping that we don’t encounter such creatures again, I know that would be a foolhardy thing to say.”
“Yeah, somehow I don’t think things will turn out that easy for us,” I admitted.
“Most certainly not.” He yawned. “Well, I suppose it is best if we begin our journey then. The sooner we leave, the sooner we get there.”
“Let Roger sleep for a little bit longer,” Saruul said. “Otherwise, he will be cranky.”
Roger made a sound with his throat. “No, I won’t.”
“He seems like he’s awake to me,” I said, starting to grin.
“Still, let’s give him a little bit longer,” the lioness said as she made her way to the door. “I will bring breakfast for both of you.”
She was just sliding the door shut when Roger called out to her: “Don’t forget to bring breakfast for me!”
“Is he pretending to sleep?” Lhandon asked, looking at the bird curiously, who was now lying on his belly, facing away from us, a few turquoise feathers sticking up from the back of his head as if he had a mohawk.
“That he is.”
After breakfast, Lhandon cast the rune that disguised my features, the four of us continuing on our journey.
Aside from Roger’s complaining and long-winded stories, the next leg of our journey was rather uneventful.
We walked and walked, Lhandon occasionally launching into a story about a famous monk. He told us about Milarepa and how he once used a song to soothe a demon horde, and he went into detail about a monk named Jamgon Kongtrul and a commentary he wrote called The Encompassment of All Knowledge.
It was still humid out, but the jungle’s canopy provided plenty of shade, which at least cut the heat down some. There were more rivers in this part of the jungle as well, giving us plenty of water.
It was late afternoon when the four of us came to a rest stop that was suspiciously silent.
As we approached it, I instinctively brought my hand to my Flaming Thunderbolt.
“Are you sensing something?” I asked Saruul, whose ears had flitted back, her tail rising.
“I smell blood,” she finally said.
“I’ll check it out,” Roger said, lifting off my shoulder.
As he flew toward the rest stop’s fenced-in courtyard, a shadowy tendril shot into the air, striking Roger in the face.
I drew my Flaming Thunderbolt and ran toward the courtyard, Lhandon and Saruul on my heels.
I gasped as I came to realize that all the guests and the owners of the rest stop had been slaughtered, their bodies piled, many of their limbs missing, the furniture in disarray, and the inside of the walls streaked with bloody handprints.
My eyes jumped from the stack of bodies to a pair of enormous shadowy forms, their eyes glowing white.
Teeth began to emerge from one of the forms, and it was just about to chomp down on Roger when I screamed forward, charging the demon with my blade over my head.
I swiped at it, the shadowy entity zipping away, its counterpart doing the same.
“Careful!” Lhandon shouted to Saruul, the monk now standing before her.
“I’ve got this,” I said, quickly tracing Bah-Mo.
The armored, semi-translucent monkey with two scimitars started to form, and as soon as he did, he looked to me, then down to my blade.
Bah-Mo nodded.
From there, the monkey was airborne, and not a moment too soon.
One of the shadow entities came down only to be met by Bah-Mo’s two blades, which the monkey had crossed in front of his body. He bounced away from the shadow spirit, returning with a spinning kick followed by several strikes from his glowing scimitars.
I charged the other shadow demon, who had pulled a blackened sword made of the same dark material as its body.
Our weapons met, both of us forced backward.
The demon tried to come at me again but I managed to parry its attack, bringing my Flaming Thunderbolt against its shoulder.
The demon cried out in anguish as jet black blood dripped from the fresh wound to the tile of the courtyard.
I mentally triggered my time ability, and as I did everything came to a standstill.
I noticed that Saruul had transformed, the lioness midair as she went to rescue Roger. I also saw Lhandon’s hands glowing blue, the monk ready to do anything he could to fight back. I knew I didn’t have long to deliver a finishing blow to the demon, so rather than look over my shoulder to see how Bah-Mo was faring, I stepped behind the demon and drove my blade through its back.
Time returned to its normal pace and the demon screamed out, more of its inky blood spritzing the air.
But rather than die, it swiveled and struck me hard in the face.
I flew backward, my blade now stuck in its body.
“Shit…” I said, watching as Bah-Mo was driven into the ground. The second demon lifted him again and slammed the monkey down again.
I traced the rune that allowed me to absorb three strikes and I got to my feet. I looked to the stack of bodies, and from there to my friends, Saruul now with Roger in her mouth.
“You have this,” I said under my breath as I rolled up my sleeves.
Both of the shadowy demons turned to me, and while they didn’t have faces, I could tell they were grinning, even the one that had my blade sticking out the front of its body, fire now spreading up to its shoulders.
With a short breath out I charged forward, knowing instantly what I needed to do.
I avoided a sharp tendril, triggering my time ability at the last moment, stepping under a scythe-like blade moving through the air.
Knowing that my own fire couldn’t hurt me, I wrapped my hands around the end of my weapon and tugged it through the first demon’s body. But while the flames didn’t burn me, the blade definitely cut deep, my palms drenched in blood by the time I got my Flaming Thunderbolt flipped around, my hand on its hilt again.
I wondered briefly why my ability to absorb strikes hadn’t stopped this from happening. Was the rune really self-aware enough to know what an actual strike was versus self-harm?
Time sped up.
As if I were swinging a baseball bat, I took a swipe at the first demon, bloodied palms and all, managing to take what I assumed was its head.
A hissing sound met my ears as it stumbled and fell to the side, and as it was getting up, Bah-Mo landed on top of the fallen demon, the monkey furiously stabbing both of his scimitars into the demon’s back.
I turned my attention to my second shadowy opponent, just as its arms began forming into two monstrous blades.
“Okay, okay,” I told it, nodding, the adrenaline surging through me by this point. It spun toward me as if it were a whirling dervish.
I barely managed to block its first and second attacks.
Its third attempt connected with my shoulder
, no pain whatsoever aside from my bleeding palms as I absorbed the hit.
I used this opportunity to lunge for the demon, able to take a nice chunk out of the side of its body. I ducked just in time to avoid another strike, and came up again, bringing the tip of my sword directly into the center of its chest.
A skull-shaped face began to form in the blackness, the demon screaming at me as I started to bring my blade down. It tried to hit me again but I held strong, its eyes igniting with a purple fire, its teeth razor-sharp.
Suddenly, it lost steam.
The shadowy demon dropped to its knees, my blade still in its chest. And rather than pull it down this time I yanked my blade up, taking it out through the top of the demon’s head and splitting it in two.
I fell to my knees, suddenly losing my strength. The demon was clearly dead, and as I looked over my shoulder I saw that Bah-Mo had finished the other one off as well.
I glanced at my other palm and saw just how deep my cut had gone.
All the way to the bone.
As Saruul and Lhandon came to me, I traced the rune that allowed me to heal, my bloodied hands instantly repairing themselves.
“Heal Roger,” Saruul said, handing me the bird.
I waved my hand over him, and as I did he started to come awake, his eyes going wide.
“What in the…?” Roger lifted into the air, surveying the damage, from the now-fading demons to the stack of bodies in the courtyard. “Holy hell! What did I miss?”
“That was unexpected…” I said, waving goodbye to Bah-Mo, who merely nodded at me, stoic as ever.
“We have to do something about these bodies,” Lhandon said. “We can’t just leave them here; it’s disrespectful.”
“That’s a lot of bodies,” Roger said as he touched down onto Saruul’s shoulder. “Is the monk being serious?”
I nodded. “Let’s see if any of them are alive first. Perhaps I can still heal someone. If not…”
“Hopefully, they have a shovel around here,” Lhandon said.
“Yeah,” I said, steeling myself. “Hopefully.”
Chapter Sixteen: Alone Time
Lhandon said a prayer before the fresh mounds, seven bodies in total, all maimed in horrific ways. It was approaching night now, and while we had discussed trying to reach Zol, it was looking increasingly like we would be staying.
“What a shitty way to go,” Roger said, shaking his head after Lhandon was finished.
“It really is,” I said.
“And now we have to stay in this haunted rest stop,” the bird lamented. “Demons already like coming here; the ramshackle courtyard is practically an open invitation for them to come and get a piece of our asses.”
“It’s not haunted yet,” Saruul said. “And no demon wants a piece of your little bird ass.”
“Speak for yourself!”
“Is there a specific amount of time it takes for a ghost to start haunting?” I asked, not able to contain the grin stretching across my face.
“Is someone afraid of ghosts?” Lhandon asked, turning to us. “And what is this I’m hearing about demons wanting body parts?”
“The bird. It is always the bird.”
“I’m not afraid of ghosts; I just don’t want to be haunted by one,” Roger said. “This is just common sense in the bird community. And I’ve heard demons go straight for the ass, that it’s the easiest way to possess someone.” He swooped one of his wings up and made a whistling noise. “Right up the birdhole and straight into an unsuspecting person’s soul.”
Saruul rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, Roger…”
“I’m being serious!”
“Okay, ghosts aside, if we aren’t going to try to make it to Zol tonight, we should at least make ourselves comfortable here.”
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Lhandon asked me, licking his lips. “It has been a while since we’ve eaten, and it was more work than I had anticipated burying all these bodies, gruesome work, I might add.”
“One step ahead of you.” Saruul turned to the dining area of the rest stop.
“It has already been decided then,” Lhandon said, joining her. “It will be better for us to stay here for the night than to venture through the jungle. Nick, if you would, please keep guard while Saruul and I prepare a meal.”
“Sure thing,” I said, turning to the entrance of the rest stop.
“They sure know how to make you useful, don’t they?” Roger said after they were gone.
“I’m not stressing about it. Besides, Lhandon’s a good cook. You already know that.”
“I still think there’s something evil about this place,” Roger said as he landed on my shoulder. “That’s why the demons attacked.”
“There’s really no reason why demons would attack a rest stop in a jungle in the middle of nowhere. I wish there was a better explanation for it, but there it is.”
“Maybe they were looking for us,” Roger said.
“Aside from that explanation. It’s definitely possible, but if that is the case, why wouldn’t they just attack us wherever we were, rather than slaughtering the people here.”
“Well if you want me to get creative…” The bird ruffled his feathers for a moment. “Okay, hear me out: maybe there’s a demon hole here somewhere on the island. Maybe. You know what? That doesn’t sound right. I can’t imagine demons coming up out of a hole, and the term itself is way too salacious. Then again, if I were a demon, and I had my choice between here and a cold place, or an absolutely shitty place like the Great Plateau, I’d probably choose here.”
“Good to know,” I said as I watched a monkey land on the outer wall of the rest stop. It crouched there for a moment, looking over to us, its eyes reflecting the orange of the setting sun.
“I’ll handle this,” Roger said as he took off, aimed directly at the monkey. He flapped his wings as he approached the creature, the blue-faced monkey hissing and scurrying off.
Roger returned to my shoulder.
“Little fuckers carry diseases, but you probably already knew that.”
“I did not.”
“Just don’t pet one.”
“I’ll be sure not to.”
“You know, it wouldn’t be so bad being a guard out here,” he said, taking another look around the place. “It’s a simple life, but sometimes those are the best kind.”
“I thought you didn’t like the type of jungle they have on this island.”
“It’s growing on me.” Roger hopped a bit closer to my ear. “I’ve adjusted to the humidity, and they have juicier insects here too. I don’t know if you’ve seen me, but whenever you aren’t looking, I am generally off getting myself a little snack.”
“I’ve noticed,” I told him.
“So you think I’ve gained weight?” he asked, concern in his voice as he patted his belly with his feathers.
“I have no idea.”
Movement in the distance caught my attention as an older man and a young girl came to our gate. The man wore a kurta and a necklace made of seashells. The girl had dark bangs that had been cut to wrap around her face, chubby cheeks too.
“We’re closed this evening,” I called over to them. “Sorry.”
“Please, sir, if you have a room, any room. My granddaughter and I were planning to make it back to Zol today, but she ran off into the jungle while I was, ahem, relieving myself.”
“I saw a monkey, Grandad!”
“Yes, Buka, you saw a monkey, and because of the time it took for me to find you in the jungle, we are now running late. Your mother is going to be so worried.”
“I already said I was sorry…”
“They could be demons,” Roger said as I approached the gate, my hand on the hilt of my Flaming Thunderbolt.
“You have a bird?” the young girl asked. “He’s a pretty bird too!”
Roger perked up. “You’re goddamn right I’m a pretty bird.”
“Like I said…” I looked back at the two-story rest st
op, realizing that there were plenty of available rooms, especially after what had happened. An idea came to me. “You said you were from Zol, correct?”
“That’s correct; I run a small chung brewery there with my daughter. This is my granddaughter, Buka. The name is Amraa. We’re just looking for a safe place to stay tonight, even if it is in the servant’s quarter, or a closet, or basement, anything you can spare will do.”
“Give me one moment,” I said as I turned away from the older man and his granddaughter. I met Lhandon in the kitchen, who was busy cutting up carrots, Saruul bringing water to boil.
“Are you getting hungry yet?” Lhandon asked me.
“We’ve got guests,” Roger said.
“What was that?” the monk asked.
“There’s an older man and his granddaughter at the gate,” I translated. “They would like to stay here for the evening. The man runs a brewery in Zol, and was on his way there when his granddaughter ran off into the jungle. It took him a while to find her, so they’re running a little bit behind.”
“What a bad little girl,” Saruul said.
“She’s cute though,” Roger told her. “And she has good taste in birds.”
“What are you proposing?” Lhandon asked, raising an eyebrow at me.
“I wanted to see if you would check to make sure they aren’t demons or malicious spirits.”
“Because screw those malicious spirits,” Roger chimed in.
Lhandon looked up at me. “You have the Rune of Inquiry power as well, Nick. Also, if they were malicious, you left them out there waiting for us.”
Roger snorted. “Shit, I didn’t even think of that!”
I frowned. “I’ve sort of forgotten about the rune. And regarding the old man and the girl, they didn’t seem dangerous.”
“It’s Ra-Lha,” he said, using the juice from a recently sliced root to trace the character on the cutting board. “And most trickster spirits don’t seem dangerous at first.”
“And how does it work again?” I asked, looking at the character. I could see “Ra” at the top in the form of a small circle, the rest of the character “Lha” with its square, the stem jutting out from the bottom of it, and the two slash marks.
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