by Mark Tufo
“Thank you, Sebastian.”
He nodded to me before checking on those with him. I stumbled back toward Lana and the others, unsure what I was going to be able to do if they needed any further help than me asking how they were doing. Kalandar looked as if he had garnered the worst of it. He had a burned gash across the entirety of his chest. Lana’s face was swollen like she’d gone after some bee protected honey and had come up wanting. Mathieu was nursing his elbow, keeping it pulled tight to his body.
“You should get this checked out.” Linnick was down by my side and had pulled my shirt clear to get a better look at the thick slice carved into me.
“They’re going to regroup and come back; there will be more of them,” Gabriel said, staring off into the distance. We’d killed one, but it had taken everything that each of us had to give. Once again, we had to leave, to retreat, to yield this ground. On a fundamental level, that pissed me off to no end. But besides being baseless, it was pointless; we cared much less about this place than we did of where proud Denarth once stood. It was the simple fact of running, of having to run, of not being able to make a stand. People stood firm. Rabbits ran…except for Bugs, he was the exception.
“You should get us out of here.” The townspeople were moving toward us, a wobbly Azile leading the way.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Best I’ve been.” I gave her a waning smile.
Linnick coughed.
“It’s all right, small one; you don’t need to tell me he’s lying.”
Gabriel got the gate up and we were through in record time. The polions were scary; the demons were something that we could hardly even register, they were so far off the charts. We’d traveled long enough that we were, for the moment, safe, but could still see the damage wrought. There was nothing left standing in the city. Whatever had survived the assault, was now ablaze. The polions were moving on, with the Lycan once again leading them.
“What lies that way?” Kalandar asked. He winced as a woman placed a poultice on his wound.
“Talboton,” I replied, and I mimicked his expression a moment later as a cooling, burning, yet comforting sensation spread out from my puncture.
“We’re going to have to get ahead of that,” Azile said.
“Yeah. Tonight we need to rest up and decide what we are going to do with the rest of these people; we can’t take them with us if we plan to make speed,” I said.
We were sitting around a small fire, one of a dozen that the people of Denarth had lit. Our small group looked battered and bruised, as if we’d been in a high-speed pile-up on the freeway.
“Lana,” Azile started. She weighed her words carefully. I wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but the tone and her hesitation led me to believe that Lana wasn’t going to like it. “You need to lead your people to Robert’s Land.”
Fire flashed in Lana’s eyes before she let Azile’s implication sink in. I’m sure she wanted to fight, to right every wrong committed, with the last fibers of her being, but she had a higher calling now. Her people needed her more than ever. And who would she trust, besides herself, to do it?
“You too, Mathieu,” I added.
“I can still fight.”
“You can, brother, you can, and in all likelihood, you will need to. Just not now. Heal up; protect your family and the others. That is the best thing you can do,” I told him. His head fell between his sagging shoulders.
“You didn’t fail,” Azile told him. “None of us failed. We are dealing with unprecedented circumstances, foes unheard of in our world. It is of paramount importance to get these people to a place where they can grieve and rebuild.”
“And you?” he asked.
“I wish with all my heart I was coming with you,” Azile told him, “to go home, to see my children.”
Oggie was sleeping next to the fire, his paws twitching restlessly. Occasionally he would whine out. He was having a bad dream, and for that, I felt terrible because I knew what he was reliving. The only thing a dog should be upset about is that the cupboard is bare of his favorite peanut butter cookies while his human friend is busy preparing another batch.
“You’re going with them too,” I said softly.
“You’re leaving now?” Lana asked.
“We must. Every minute we delay, the Lycan lead the polions further,” Azile replied.
I stood, doing my best to not grunt out from the soreness, stiffness and lingering pain. Kalandar did the same.
“This isn’t your fight,” I told the demon.
“The hell it isn’t.” He started off in the direction we needed to go. He was walking rigidly, his knees barely bending. “That phrase might be considered ironic, right?”
“I suppose it would. Not really even theoretical at this point. Linnick, I’d feel better if you went with them.”
“Tallboat, the only thing that makes your repulsive self even remotely palatable is my presence. I would be doing you a great disservice if I left your side now.”
“As you wish, my little friend. And I’d miss you, too.”
“I do not need to read you to see the truth in those words.”
“Get some sleep, then. I may need you to pinch me from time to time to keep me awake.”
She didn’t need to be told twice, barely the first time, even, as she was settling down nicely. I shuffled a few feet over to lean down and kiss the top of Lana’s head. “I love you, kiddo, and I hope to see you soon.” She reached around my neck and pulled me in closer.
“I’m sorry about those burlap clothes I gave to you, seemingly another lifetime ago. Come back to us and I will do all in my power to make up for it.”
I smiled as I went over to Mathieu; he stood on wobbly legs. We hugged gently and even that caused him no small measure of discomfort. “You are the truest friend I have ever known. Do not make me walk this world without you,” he said, turning so that I would not see the tears forming in his eyes.
“Just brew up a batch; you know I’ll be around.” We both smiled at that.
Oggie stilled as I placed my hand on his side. Quietly, so that no one else could hear, I whispered: “I love you, big dog. You take care, and if I don’t come back, you watch out for MJ and Ali, okay?” I leaned down and kissed his head, his eyelids were moving rapidly and he did not wake.
Kalandar reached down and, thankfully, helped me up. Azile said her goodbyes and we left camp under the watchful gaze of dozens of people.
We were out of camp and skirting the previous battlefield by a good measure. Our pace was lethargic; I wasn’t sure we could catch them if they turned around and came back.
“We’re screwed, aren’t we.” I should have phrased it as a question, but it really wasn’t.
“It is true we cannot fight on so many fronts. Everyone in this war is an enemy of the other; we need to make them fight each other instead of us,” Azile said.
I was too tired to note the hope in her voice.
“You have an idea?” Kalandar asked.
“It seems to me the Lycan are driving this entire affair. They direct the polions, and the angels and demons follow.”
“What can we three do to stop them?” I asked.
“Oh, Michael, it is a shame all those drugs you did in your youth wreaked havoc on your short-term memory.” She lightly touched the side of my face before walking on.
That’s the problem with the loss of memories; how can you possibly know what you’re trying to remember? We slogged on through the night, only stopping long enough to drink some foul tea concoction that Azile had put together. Tasted something like whiskey infused with broccoli–I would rather have eaten a cherry-glazed ham. Or maybe one of Tommy’s more unique pop-tart combos. A cramp shot through my heart at the thought of the boy, which started a whole other thought process. Tim had been adamant that the person he’d imbibed was Ganlin, and not Tommy; that made all that had happened a lie. What was I supposed to do with that? Tommy had been abundantly absent th
e entire time.
I’d been thinking so intently on the problem, I’d not noticed that I had a pep in my step that hadn’t been present a few moments earlier. My side, which had been throbbing, was not much more than an itchy reminder now. And the sleep, which had pressed insistently in on me, had been repelled.
“What did you just give us?” I asked Azile, suspiciously.
“It was not what the German command gave their soldiers,” she answered obliquely.
Had to root around for that answer. “Meth? So, you didn’t give us methamphetamines? Well, I guess that’s good to know, but that’s a pretty weird response. Makes me think your little brew is on par or worse.”
“I would never do anything to harm you, unless it was absolutely necessary.”
“Azile, it’s absolutely necessary.”
“I realize that…look, you’re better off not knowing. No need to obsess about it now.”
“I’ll be the judge about what I do and do not obsess about.”
“I just don’t want you to be too alarmed when you notice that your urine glows.” She wasn’t smiling when she said that.
“‘Hook up with a witch,’ they said. ‘It’ll be fun,’ they said.” I stomped ahead, trying not to show how much I enjoyed the energy boost. An hour later, when I had to relieve myself, it did indeed glow. I should have been freaked out, but there I was, like a four-year-old finally figuring out he had a penis and could aim it all over the place. A bright orange stream flowed out, and instead of splashing everywhere, it clung to the growth it hit and slowly dripped like gummed-up old oil. The fun quickly faded. “Don’t look,” I told Linnick, whose small face was scrunched up in horror. I mumbled some choice curse words as we once again hit the trail. We were into early morning, still moving briskly, when Kalandar trotted off the path. His bellowing could be heard for miles.
“I am like a fire-breathing dragon!” he yelled.
A part of me wanted to go and see, but yeah, a much bigger part wanted nothing to do with it.
“See, he’s all right with it.” Now Azile was smiling.
“Full disclosure next time,” I told her. “You think I should tell him that dragons don’t breathe fire from their penises? I mean, unless of course they paid a visit to the seedier side of dragon town and hooked up with some dragonesses for hire, if you catch my meaning.”
“You have problems, Michael Talbot.” Azile was still smiling, but Linnick looked aghast. She shook her head like I’d ripped a world-class fart in the middle of Benediction.
It was noon when we spotted them up ahead. We were almost abreast of the leading group as they filled in the valley below us. The Lycan were loping out in front, like a guide wire for a shoulder mounted missile.
“Where do you think the main pack is?” I asked.
“Most likely across the herd. They will be rotating fresh legs to lead the beasts,” Azile said.
“I so hoped we were through with them.” I was saddened; two wars and still they had not learned their lesson. Then I wanted to laugh because I was thinking about the plight of humans. Thousands of battles under our belt and the only thing we’d managed to learn was how to kill each other more efficiently.
We caught a break that afternoon when the polions ceased to follow. Had to figure that even an ugly octopus–porcupine–asp hybrid had to take a break now and then. The Lycan began to play a dangerous game trying to get them moving, taunting them by running in close enough that the heavy tentacles lashed more than a few. When that didn’t work, they began to take out their frustration by hurling massive rocks into the ranks of the animals, killing a few. I was optimistic at this; if they kept it up, it would be killing two birds with one stone. The analogy sort of works. We continued on. We’d been going so long, even Azile’s Uranium Urine Cola was wearing off. I was nearly asleep on my feet, to the point I asked her if we should maybe do another shot.
“I would not recommend that,” she replied. “The chances of irreversible damage triple with subsequent doses if taken within a month.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What kind of irreversible damage?”
“Remember when the no calorie oil came out back in the nineteen nineties?”
I dug deep for this one. “…Olestra? Yeah. They got rid of it pretty quick, leaky anus syndrome or some shit.” That’s pretty funny, I thought thinking on my unintentional pun. “Anal leakage? Your potion causes that?”
“You’d be happy if that was the worst of it.”
“What are the chances of having issues the first time around?”
“Mike, we just have to get going.”
I took in a large breath and made an astonished sound. “We’d be guaranteed to have symptoms if we did it again, wouldn’t we!? So, what? Our first go around there was, like, a twenty-five percent chance?”
I heard Linnick’s tiny hand smack her forehead.
“Darling, I’d prefer you not attempt the math stuff; it only makes me think less of you.” Azile replied.
“What are you good at?” Linnick asked.
“Huh?” was my comeback.
“It is often noted that when one is under-blessed in the arena of appearance, they are given their fair share of intelligence, charm, or wit to make up for it. But since you have shown none of these qualities in abundance, I was wondering what it is you are good at.”
Kalandar thought that was about the funniest thing he had ever heard.
“Great. Now I’m the butt of jokes from beings not of my world.”
“Do not worry,” Kalandar said. “I do not know the measure of intelligence or beauty here, but I do know the value of a good companion. That, you have in limitless supply.”
“He gets it,” I told Linnick. She stuck her tongue out at me. I gave her a slight pat on the head; she sighed contentedly and was once again asleep–a state we all needed to reach soon.
“Just a little farther, then I’ll do a small alarm charm and we will all get some much-needed rest.”
I was too tired to even be bothered by dreams. When Azile gently shook me to wake up, it was still dark.
“Please tell me I slept until the next night.” I sat up.
“We got six hours. We have to go.”
“Polions on the move?”
She nodded.
“How you holding up?” I stood and wiped my eyes.
“I feel every bit my age, but I’ll be fine.”
“And what do we do when we come across Halifax? If I remember correctly, she plans on killing us.” I was not thrilled I didn’t get a response. We got moving.
“You think Kalandar will give me a piggyback ride?” The large demon was about twenty feet ahead and plowing through the brush.
“No, he will not,” drifted back.
It was once again coming up on twilight when Azile called for a halt.
“You don’t want to keep going?” I realized where we were and mistakenly thought it might be safer to walk through Landian territory during the night.
“I don’t think directly engaging Halifax is a great idea. Luckily, unlike other people I know, I’ve been thinking about this particular problem.”
“Was that a jab at me?” I asked.
Kalandar had his hands up and his arms partially extended. “Did you detect this?”
Azile nodded.
“It is a subtle magic. She is growing more comfortable with her powers,” Kalandar replied.
“What am I missing?” I got an armbar across my chest before I could cross the invisible threshold.
“He is sometimes like a newborn; unaware of the dangers surrounding him,” Kalandar said to Azile.
“You have no idea.” She shook her head. “Concentrate with your considerable powers.” Now she was talking to me.
Telling someone to concentrate is equivalent to telling them to forget something, neither is an easy prospect for a busy mind. After a few moments, I thought that maybe I had imagined the softest of glows. And then, like those 3D image books that my kids love
d way back when, once you saw it, you could not unsee it. For those that did not live through that time, it’s kind of like walking in on your parents pretending to be horny teenagers. You now will be compelled to schedule years of therapy trying to wipe clean the images of mommy with her purple-durple playing yippee ki-ay as she rode daddy like a cowboy while he yelled out her name. Not the same for you? I would have been way better off if I’d never left Chris’s sleepover. That’s what happens when you get sick eating too much cake and drinking too much cherry soda–you get scarred for life. Wait, there’s a breakthrough there somewhere.
“It’s a fence, but not really, like an alarm…there’s more though.” I could tell I was scrunching up my face, thinking on it. “As Kalandar said, this is subtle, like…” I was thinking. “Like cheese on a mouse trap subtle; right behind that little slice of cheddar is a spring ready to snap the spines of some unsuspecting travelers. Is this geared just for us? Or everybody?”
“Difficult to say.” Azile was studying the spell as well. “But I’m thinking anyone not on her guest list is in some serious trouble.”
“Holy shit. I’m all for protecting my borders, but indiscriminately wiping out trespassers seems a bit of overkill.”
“Literally,” Kalandar said dryly.
“We drawing straws to see which of us takes one for the team?” I asked. “Snap the trap, so the rest of us can make a go at it?”
“You do realize there’s an army behind us,” Azile said. “I guess it’s too much to ask for you to be pretty and smart.”
“You’re going to give me a complex the way you continually deflate my ego.”
“Puh-lease. That’s like trying to let air out of a baseball.”
“Good thing you’re hot and possibly the most dangerous woman on the planet,” I told her.
“We have a few hours; I think we should get some rest. When it happens it’s going to be fast and intense,” Azile said.