Dead Men Walking

by Raquel Lyon

  Lambert watched her with a smirk playing on his face, and the thought that he might find the fact that she was being crushed to death amusing kindled the fire inside her. Her breath heated and stung her throat. White-hot shards pushed from her stomach through her veins, and when they reached the surface, she could almost feel her skin cracking. Below the acrid smell of scorched wood singeing her nostrils, the vines were sizzling. She glanced down, expecting to see flames, but instead, the blackened branches merely crumbled and fell to ash at her feet.

  Cooling as she calmed, she looked over to Lambert with a self-satisfied smile. “How did I do?”

  “An acceptable start, though a touch more speed would be advisable the next time.”

  “The next time?”

  “One should never presume an enemy works alone.”

  Piper turned on the spot, scanning the floor for sprouting vines. If any more grew, she would be ready.

  But this time, the threat didn’t come from the ground. Above her head, an inhuman noise caused her to look up. All around the ballroom, the taxidermy had come to life. To the sound of roars, snarls, and grunts, bodies materialised through the plaques on which their heads were hung and sprang from the wall. Deer, boars, a fox, and even a bear, congregated in the centre of the room and turned towards Piper. In any other scenario, she would have found the thought of woodland animals being a danger funny, but their bared teeth and demonic eyes were nothing to laugh at. They looked hungry.

  “Hesitation will get you killed,” Lambert shouted as the beasts encircled her, their heads low and feet pawing the ground, ready to charge.

  “Yeah, thanks for that nugget. How about some help here?”

  In the corner of her vision, she saw Lambert rest his back against the table and fold his arms, clearly unwilling to assist, and calculated she had only a few seconds before ending up as an antler kebab. Of course, frying their furry behinds would be the sensible option, but behind their evil intentions, they were just animals, and she liked animals. She didn’t want to hurt them.

  When she glanced up, an idea struck. She pushed her palms down at her sides and propelled herself towards the ceiling as a clash of bone reverberated below.

  Lambert’s face creased to a frown as he called up to Piper, dangling from the chandelier. “Are you planning to remain up there all day?”

  Piper looked down at the bear standing on its hind legs, perilously close to clawing her feet. “Pretty much.”

  He turned away and ruffled his hair, as if he were taking time to decide whether she was serious or not, before waving the beasts back to their rightful places.

  Piper loosened her grip on the light fitting, dropped to the floor, and walked over to join him.

  “Interesting evasion tactic,” he said.

  “I thought so.”

  He stared silently into her eyes in the way that never failed to freeze her to the spot. “I hope you were not avoiding the use of your fire on my account.”

  She swallowed tightly. “And if I were?”

  “That would be very foolish.”

  “I’ll remember that, the next time you’re trying to kill me.”

  Chapter Three

  RIXTON LAID DOWN his axe at the sound of the horn and followed the other miners to the end of the tunnel. There, they turned left, whilst he was shunted right, back into the depths. How he wished he could follow them all the way out of the shaft and travel home to the cottage he shared with his parents on the edge of town. He missed the comfort of his bed and his mother’s hog roast. When he put his mind to it, he could almost taste the succulent meat and feel the crunch of the rind between his teeth, but thinking about such things was never advisable. It only made his nightly oatmeal taste all the more bland.

  Every night, he lay upon the rough patch of straw in his underground cell and questioned whether he would ever see his own bed again, but his needs were not important. If his imprisonment ensured the safety of his friends and family, he would suffer it tenfold.

  The iron door clanged to a close, and darkness fell as his gaoler retreated for the night. The absence of light did not vex him. It meant he failed to see the scars left by the torture he had endured at the hands of the King’s Guard—the latest lot dispensed in an attempt to procure information about a girl—but this time, he had not been lying when he swore to have no knowledge of the subject. The only accomplice to his crime had been the queen, and she had long since ceased being a girl.

  Sitting on his straw, he leaned against the wall, listening to the slow drip of moisture seeping from the earth above his chamber as it mingled with another sound—a shuffling, moving along the tunnel outside. Unused to receiving visitors unless they had come to torture him, he jumped up and flattened his back to the wall.

  “Rixton? Rixton?” a voice whispered.

  The voice sounded familiar, but it couldn’t be. She would never risk coming here. “Who is there?” he asked, inching his way to the door.

  “It is I. Aemylia.”

  It was her, but why? He was in no position to grant her any further favours, and would not even if he could. “What do you want?”

  Queen Aemylia’s cloaked outline was barely visible behind the bars. “I have to speak to you.”

  “Unless it is to tell me I am being released, I am not interested.”

  “I cannot do that. I am sorry. But if everything goes to plan, I promise to make amends for your hardship.”

  “Your promises have so far proven worthless. You had your chance to prevent all of this, and yet you remained silent. You betrayed me.”

  “You are mistaken. Believe me. Oban remains ignorant of my part in this. If he even knew I was here—”

  “It is I who would suffer.”

  “True. Though I believe I, too, would not remain unscathed. Oban loves me with a passion, but he loves this land more, and he has dedicated his life to its unification. I doubt his love for me would remain as strong after discovering I had put that desire in jeopardy.”

  “Then why did you?”

  “A moment of weakness. Your friend’s mother paid me a visit, and I was touched by her story—as anyone with a heart would be. I could not foresee any problem with her request, at the time, and I know if I were in her position, I would have done the same for my child.”

  “Yet, because of your actions, another mother has lost her son.”

  “And for that, too, I am sorry.” Rixton heard her sigh as her hand pushed through a gap in the iron. “I have brought you a balm for your wounds and some nourishment to ease your hunger.”

  Rixton huffed. “You are all kindness, Your Majesty,” he said, dripping sarcasm as he accepted the small package.

  “I understand your anger,” she said. “I do. But you have to understand I never intended for you to end up like this.”

  “Then what did you expect would happen?”

  “I did not expect you would be seen.”

  “I was not aware I had been. I find it far more likely I was betrayed.” By you. “But it is my assumption that, as nothing can be changed, you are not here to discuss what has passed.”

  “You are correct. I am here because I wanted to thank you for your loyalty and to ask that it continue. I appreciate what you have suffered to keep silent, and I am certain your friend shares my gratitude. Please know that he is in good hands now.”

  “Taking into account, as you say, my proven loyalty, might I have earned the right to know why Lambert spent his life without a father, and perhaps whose ‘good hands’ he is in?”

  “I wish I could tell you, but further interrogation may cause you to suffer a moment of weakness, and there are those who would use the information to their own ends. I hope you will eventually understand why it must remain a secret.” Rixton felt the queen’s hand on his shoulder. She clasped it gently and rubbed it with her thumb. “All will be revealed soon, I promise. I had better return before I am missed. Enjoy your steak.”

  As her shadow blended into the bla
ckness, Rixton had one more question. “Your Majesty? Is it worth it?”

  Her voice faded into the distance. “It has to be.”

  Chapter Four

  AFTER DINNER, PIPER decided to spend her evening reading a book, which didn’t involve instruction, and left Lambert to be taught the delights of video gaming by Todd. It had taken most of the day for him to calm down and return to his more laid-back demeanour, and she hoped a session of zombie killing would relax him further.

  Under the moonlight, the library’s usual brown tones had changed to a muted blue-grey, giving it the decidedly eerie feel of an old black-and-white horror film, and the knowledge that the room was the family ghost’s favourite haunt only served to accentuate that fact. She searched the wall for a light switch but failed to find one. It didn’t matter. The glass dome in the ceiling illuminated the space just enough for her to see her way through the labyrinth of shelves, and she’d spent enough time in the room to know exactly which section held the kind of read she sought.

  Tiptoeing through the particles of dust glittering in the moonbeams illuminating the aisle, she located the modern classics and reached up to remove Animal Farm, then pulled her hand back, deciding she’d had quite enough animals for one day. She contemplated reading Blood Brothers—which had an interesting storyline but sounded a bit too gory for her taste—and then Brave New World—which seemed an appropriate title but the synopsis didn’t grab her. Finally, she settled upon The Great Gatsby—it was just the right length for an evening’s read, and she had no idea when she might next get the chance.

  Hugging the book to her chest, she turned to return to the living room, but her feet halted at the sound of voices.

  “How did it go today, Grandpa?” Piper heard Sebastian ask.

  “A great success... if one considers my son being trapped in-between a success. Sam was spot on with his information.”

  “He was? You received confirmation of Uncle Seth being in Ocidera?”

  “Indeed. I spoke to him myself.”

  Piper flattened her back to the shelving. Listening in on Sebastian’s conversation with his dead grandfather had not been on her to-do list, and she wanted nothing more than to leave, but there was no way to do that without being seen.

  “You spoke to him?” Sebastian’s tone indicated disbelief.

  “In a fashion.”

  “I knew it.” Sebastian let out a long sigh. “I knew he wasn’t dead, but did he say why he was stuck in the half-world?”

  “Sadly, he has no idea what happened to him. But he’s cold, he’s wet, and he’s alone.”

  “Did he say anything else?”

  “Not very much. His presence was inconsistent, wavering in and out of focus, rambling and moaning. He’s my son, and I barely recognised him. I’m afraid he may not have much time.”

  There was a long pause in the conversation, and Piper heard the gentle squeak of Sebastian’s shoes as he paced the floor. She held her breath for fear she might be heard.

  Finally, Sebastian spoke. “I’m going to find him, Grandpa.”

  “I’d appreciate that, son. Do you have a plan?”

  “Not as such. Are you sure he gave no clue as to his body’s location?”

  “I’m sorry. Cold and wet was all I could gather, dear boy.”

  “Could you return? Maybe try again?”

  “I regret that would be fruitless. A sick toddler would have made more sense.”

  The squeaking grew steadily faster and quieter.

  “Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Jo asked.

  “To organise the hire of a sub,” Sebastian replied, just about audible for Piper to hear.

  “A submarine? Why?”

  “Because I always find the best place to start is at the beginning.”

  Piper peered around the edge of the shelving to check the coast was clear, then slid from the room unnoticed. The corridor appeared to be deserted and the sound of male crowing was coming from the snug. She poked her head into the room and stood in the doorway, smiling. It made her happy to see Lambert happy.

  Wearing Todd’s clothes and shouting his disbelief at the television set as his computer character succumbed to a gruesome death, he looked like any other teenage boy. No one viewing the scene would be able to guess that, up until recently, his idea of fun had been firing stun bolts at targets and charming dogs to dance a jig. She’d never had the chance to know that Lambert, but if she had, she was sure she would have liked the old version just as much as she liked the new.

  Todd sensed her presence—in that amazing way boys could without diverting their attention from the game. “Piper, take a pew and watch your big brother get his ass whipped, or join in, if you like.”

  “For your information, we’re the same age. And no... thanks. I’ve planned a more relaxing evening, and I’m sure Lambert would prefer me not to find out I’m actually better at something than he is.”

  Lambert turned his head with a frown and Piper answered it with a wide, forced smile before leaving them to it.

  In the living room, Piper chose to curl up in a seat by the fire. She didn’t need its heat, but she liked to hear the crackle of the logs and stare into the flames licking them. Sophie was already in situ on the opposing sofa with her laptop on her knee. She looked up and smiled as Piper sat down.

  Piper considered mentioning the overheard conversation, but decided against it and opened her book. She’d only managed to read the first page when Sebastian strode into the room to talk to his wife.

  “A matter of urgency has come up,” he said, stroking the blond hairs on the back of his neck, “and I need to take a small trip.”

  Sophie looked up from her monitor. “Oh? When?” Her smile faded as she studied his face. “Now?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Well, how long will you be gone?”

  “Hard to say.” Sebastian shifted his weight from foot to foot, looking uncomfortable. “As long as it takes. You know how it is.”

  “Will you be back in time for my exhibition next week?”

  “I hope so. You understand I wouldn’t miss it unless I had to.”

  “Do I?” Sophie’s tone changed from concern to resentment.

  “I’m sorry, babe.”

  “You always are, but never quite sorry enough not to go.”

  “Sweetheart, you know I love you, and I do not want us to part on a quarrel, but I have to go. This is important.” Sebastian kissed her on the cheek and turned to leave.

  Sophie watched him walk away. “It always is,” she said with a sigh of resignation as she rotated back.

  Piper diverted her gaze and pretended she’d been reading her book the whole time.

  “Men,” Sophie huffed. “They can be so infuriating.”

  Piper flashed her a smile. “I can’t disagree with you there.”

  Chapter Five

  PIPER WATCHED SOPHIE hitting her keyboard harder than was necessary and felt the need to say something. “I don’t mean to pry, but why didn’t you ask Seb where he was going?”

  The tapping continued as Sophie took her frustration out on the keys. “I’ve learned not to. His jewellery company ensures we keep this ridiculously expensive roof over our heads, but to be honest, I can do without the boring details of his business trips. And as for his other work... Well, let’s just say there are some things I’d rather not know.”

  “What other work?”

  “He does a lot for the Supe community.”

  “Oh. Of course. So, if he was going somewhere really dangerous, you wouldn’t want to know?”

  “I’d probably worry myself sick when, deep down, I know Seb can take of himself.”

  Piper very nearly commented that, not too long ago, Sebastian would probably have been killed by a warlock if she hadn’t intervened, but checked herself just in time. Sophie didn’t need to know that. “Does it not scare you being married to a werewolf?”

  A puff of air shot down Sophie’s nose. “No. He
would never hurt me. He just annoys me occasionally... like now.”

  “I know the feeling.”

  “Are you talking about Lambert?”

  “Yes. His mood improved as the day wore on, but this morning, he was being particularly obnoxious.”

  “Do you think it was because of your comment at breakfast?”

  “Maybe. But I’m more of a mind that, underneath his occasional outbursts, he misses his home and his mum.”

  “I’m sure he does, as you must miss your dad.”

  Piper sensed Sophie’s scrutiny as she lowered her eyes and nodded.

  “If Lambert wishes to return to Chimmeris, have you not considered joining him to seek out your father?” Sophie asked.

  “It’s crossed my mind once or twice, but when I think about the kind of place Chimmeris is, I’m not too keen to visit. I think I’d rather wait for Dad to come home. Then I’ll confront him about why he lied to me.”

  “Are you certain he will? Come home?”

  “Not at all. I’m not sure of anything. I just wish I knew why he left in the first place. Maybe, if I’d been raised in Chimmeris, I’d feel differently, but right now, I’m just trying to get a handle on who I am, and ignore all the questions in my head.”

  “I understand. You must have a lot.”

  “Yeah. The biggest one being why he left me here, alone, with only a breadcrumb trail of clues as to who I am—which I would never have been able to figure out on my own, by the way. It could have been years before I read that first letter. In fact, I doubt I would have thought to read it at all if Rixton hadn’t seen it in the drawer.”

  “But you did, and you knew it meant something.”

  “It was just a feeling.”

  “Feelings are good. Sometimes you need to listen to your gut. Like you said, you just need time to absorb everything, and when things become clearer, you’ll know what to do.”