by Scott Moore
“I think we should go, Mollie,” Malik said stepping away from Khris and back to Mollie.
Mollie was still looking to Vee, hoping beyond hope that she would fold and tell them about the creature. Vee was not going to do that, and Malik knew it.
“Mollie.” Malik shook her arm. “We need to go right now,” he said, putting a generic smile on his face.
Mollie turned her chin toward him. “We need more people. Let them see that it won’t hurt them. It is the key, Malik,” she said.
Malik wished she were right. He wanted others to be willing to help, but that was not going to be the case.
“We can try again somewhere else,” Malik urged.
Mollie was not able to reply before a long-bearded man stepped from the growing crowd. “You two should leave. Matter of fact, I think all three of you should leave,” he said.
Khris’ shoulders slumped so hard Malik thought he was going to drive himself through the flooring.
“Why?” Malik asked, knowing full well the answer was hanging from Mollie’s shoulder.
“We don’t want any trouble,” the man said, looking like he was ready for trouble.
“Let’s just go, Mollie,” Malik tried again.
Mollie turned toward the man, back toward the bar and Vee.
“Why are you not willing to hear us out? The creature will not hurt anyone,” she pleaded.
There was no one willing to listen to her pleas. All the crowd was circling them now, making them the center of a hostile circle.
Malik grabbed Mollie’s arm and started to tug her toward the door. He would carry her kicking and screaming if he had to. This was not going to end well for them if they did not get out of this tavern.
The man stepped in front of Malik before he made it three steps with Mollie in tow.
“Leave the creature,” the man said.
Malik knew then that this would not end without confrontation. What Mollie had hoped would be a source of rally, would end up being the source of their demise.
“Just let us through and we will be far from the village before you can count to ten,” Malik tried.
The man was not willing to negotiate with him. “Leave the creature and you are free to leave,” he said.
At some point, Khris had stepped forward from the spot he had rooted himself to.
“Why are you so afraid? A day ago, you did not believe me and now you act as though you always knew,” Khris said.
The man shot a glance of hatred toward Khris. “You are the reason for all of this, boy. Ever since the night you were born, there has been nothing but trouble from you. You would think it would be enough that you shamed your mother and forced her into her flower shop, but here you are now carrying this thing into our midst. It was not an accident that this creature found you, and it will not be an accident that it ends you if you don’t leave now,” the man was almost growling the words.
“Just leave the beast,” Malik said to Mollie. He knew what her answer would be before he had spoken, but it was worth a shot.
“I cannot do that,” she answered, just as Malik had expected.
Malik still felt the bubble of hope popping.
“There is no way you can reconsider this?” he asked, turning back toward the man.
The man laughed. “This has been a long time coming,” he said. “We let the boy stay out of respect for his mother, but I always knew it was the wrong choice to make. Now, we will right that wrong.”
Malik looked to Khris who looked dejected and then to Mollie whose eyes were burning with rage. Then he turned back to the bar patron and punched him square in the jaw. Malik had no idea where he had gotten the bravery to do it, but it happened so fast that the man stumbled back, tripping over his own feet and falling to the ground. Malik grabbed Mollie’s wrist and pulled her through the gap. They were getting a lot of practice running from people. Khris would follow or he would stay, Malik did not care either way.
Malik shoved the door open and ran toward the stables at the entrance where they had kept the mules. He heard an extra set of steps behind him, but he did not dare glance over his shoulder. It could have been Khris or one of the many drunks from the tavern.
The slope was a pain to walk down, but it was even worse to run up. Halfway up Malik could feel his lungs and legs burning in unison. They were making a joint effort to collapse him. His brain telling his body that he would die if he stopped was the only thing that kept him pushing. The entire way he pulled Mollie behind him. He could feel her slowing with each step. At the gates he knew that it would be over for them. The guards would want to question two running strangers and then they would be halted long enough for the guards to see the creature on Mollie’s arm.
Malik still ran, hoping that maybe the guards were on a bathroom break or had fallen asleep from boredom. Neither was the case. At the top of the hill, both guards were incapacitated, which should have thrilled Malik. However, the large claw marks dug into their chest, made the joy a little harder to grasp. Malik stopped looking around. The third set of footsteps ran into them after the sudden halt. Malik was glad that it was Khris and not one of the men following to finish them off.
“I think the mother is here for her child,” Malik said, looking down at the fallen guards.
He could still hear the man’s goofy voice describing the village and its history. It had not been but a few scant hours ago that Mollie had flirted her way into the village. A few short hours ago, that Malik had believed he was going to have a few beers, a rest, and then be off to find Abrie. Every passing exploit made him realize that Abrie had always been right. Go toward the opposite way of trouble and you will live much longer for it. Malik wished Abrie were here now. He would know how to take care of this situation. He had always talked the innkeepers, tavern owners, and merchants down from their anger. All Malik knew how to do was cause trouble and run. So, run he did.
He pulled Mollie off again, not waiting for anyone to reply to his earlier statement. He did not need them to confirm what his eyes had already seen. He heard Khris running behind him. Then he heard the roar of the monster somewhere down the sloping hill of the village. He did not turn to see how close it was. Instead, he ran towards the mules, hoping that they would make it to them before they were eaten.
Sally and Callie brayed in greeting, as if nothing strange was taking place just a few hundred yards away. Malik untethered their ties and started off back down the path. He had no idea where it was going to take him; he just knew that he needed to get away from here.
The creature on Mollie’s arm woke up from its nap and hopped down from her grip. Malik felt the shiver of panic run up his spine. The creature stretched its overly long arms and let out an almost purr like noise. It was not as fear striking as its mother, but Malik did not want those claws or teeth sinking into his skin. Mollie bent down beside the creature, as if the mother was not roaming toward them somewhere down below.
“We have to go,” she said to it.
Malik wondered if she believed it could truly understand her words. The creature looked back hearing the roar of its real mother. Malik figured this would be the time that the creature swiped at Mollie’s face, leaving it in ribbons, and then running off to be with its mother. That did not happen. Oddly enough, the creature went to a tree nearby, rubbed its back against the bark, and then ran back to Mollie, jumping into her arms.
“It is leaving a scent for the mother to be distracted by,” Mollie said.
“How in the Saint’s Hell do you get that from what just happened?” Malik asked.
Mollie scooped the creature back to her chest. “It is an animal instinct,” Mollie said.
She really had full trust in this creature. For some reason, she thought him sentient enough to make plans as well. Malik did not have time to argue with her. He moved off in the opposite direction of the tree.
“The wind will carry the scent in the opposite direction of us if we go this way,” Khris said, pointing off towa
rd the Grazer’s Paradise.
Malik was shaking his head, “I don’t think going back toward the nest is the best idea,” he replied.
“It is the best option of many bad ones,” Mollie argued.
She reached back, pulling him this time and urged him onward. Malik did not have the strength or the will to fight back. He just moved off after her, trying to keep his body from collapsing and his mind from exploding.
He could not remember how far they walked. He could not remember walking alongside the ravine until a ramp provided them entry. He did remember walking down the slope and walking into Grazer’s Paradise. He remembered Khris telling them of shelter used by the sheep herders just a few miles from the entrance. Khris guided them there in silence. No one had the will or the energy to do any talking. What they needed was time to sit down, gather their thoughts, and then to come up with a plan to get out of this mess.
Khris pointed to a small cabin in the middle of the ravine. It was built on legs higher than the nearest trees. “We have to build them high enough to stay above water during the raining season,” Khris said, explaining why he was ushering them up a twenty-foot ladder. “Sometimes it still is not enough, and we have to come do repairs when the stream recedes,” he said, still trying to make Malik interested in the history of the village. Malik was not interested in the village. He did not care about its long history or what it did for daily living.
“I only want to know one thing about your village,” said Malik when they finally sat down on the cabin floor.
Khris was starting a small fire in the chimney of the home, but he glanced back over his shoulder to await the question.
“I just want to know why the villagers seem to resent you so much,” he asked.
Khris’ shoulders instantly slumped again. He reminded Malik of a captured rat. He almost thought that Khris was going to run and jump out the window, fall be damned. He did not run though. He was not quick to answer, but Malik could see the wheels inside his head turning.
“Do not lie to us either,” Malik said.
Khris finished stoking the logs and came to sit to the side of Malik and Mollie. Mollie was busy caressing the beast in her arms back to sleep.
“My father was not very liked in our village. Traveling men never are in a place that depends on everyone to keep going. At least that is what mother always told me growing up. When my father died, the village was quick to throw my mother from her home. They blamed it on my father’s lack of funds and said that I was following in his footsteps, not having a contributing job. Mother started trying my hand at every task inside the village, but everyone treated me so poorly. They did not want me as a milk boy, or a gatherer, they kicked me from the mill, and no one else wanted to bother with me. Mother just kept pushing for me to try to impress them. I did not have any skills other than my knowledge of stories. No one was impressed with that knowledge. As you can see, from the tavern, it did far more trouble than it did good.” Khris took a deep breath, trying to keep himself from breaking down. “Mother tried to keep me focused and from telling stories. Soon, she took my books away. Especially after I read the last book father had brought me. I had spoken of the creatures, the dragon, and the myths. That was when the villagers started to really shun me. Only Vee would even allow me into her business. Even then, I don’t think she was very fond of me. I think she just felt sorry for me in her own way. Vee is a good lady,” Khris said.
“So, the villagers hate you because you were born?” Mollie asked.
Khris shrugged his shoulders. “I guess who I was born to,” he answered.
Mollie looked from Khris down to the creature sleeping in her arms, “I think you should be able to relate to this creature then,” she said.
Khris shook his head. “I guess I should be able to,” he answered.
“How do we proceed?” Malik asked.
He was more interested in how to get out of this than what Khris and the baby monster had in common.
“I think we have to find the old man your book talked about,” said Mollie.
Malik was tired of chasing fantasies. “How do you even figure that this man exists?” he asked, trying to keep the anger from his voice but failing.
“I think we can assume that it is true since the creature in my arms is very much alive. We at least have to try,” Mollie said, with just as much conviction as Malik.
“Even if he was real, which I am not saying he is, how do you suppose we go about finding him? Didn’t the book also say he was hard to find?” Malik said.
Mollie did not have an answer. Malik could see it on her face. She was going to try and come up with something, but it would just be a guess and that was what they had to go on.
“The creature should be a compass,” Khris said. “The book says the creatures are drawn to the dragon. Or maybe it doesn’t quiet say that. It says they are associated with the dragon somehow.”
“So, we just set it down on the ground and give it a little nudge?” Malik asked with sarcasm.
Khris shrugged his shoulders. “We can just let it pick the direction we go I guess,” he said.
Malik was not real thrilled about letting a monster pick where they were going to head next. It screamed of a bad idea. “Let it lead us right into the den of another monster. Probably a bigger one this time,” Malik replied.
Mollie gave a loud sigh. “First off, he is not a monster. He needs a name,” she said, pausing for a moment and looking him over. “I think we will call him Egg. It fits since I helped pull him out of his egg.” Mollie looked very pleased with herself.
“How do you even know he is a boy?” Malik asked. He could not tell if the creature even had a sex.
“Good point,” Mollie said looking at the creature in her arms. “I still think Egg fits. It doesn’t matter if it is a boy or a girl. Egg is its name,” she said with finality to it.
“Well Egg or whatever you feel like calling it, is clearly going to cause us a lot of trouble. I don’t think any villager or even city dweller has plans to rally around a monster…” Mollie shot a glance at Malik that felt like razor sharp ice. “Fine, rally around Egg. They are going to continue to try and kill us, kill it, or run us from their homes. I don’t blame them for that. I would run the opposite way if I knew that creature was coming,” Malik said.
Egg stirred in Mollie’s arms, but did not wake. Looking at the creature now, it was hard to imagine the killer it would one day become. While the claws were long, they were almost comical in their oversized fashion. The fangs were sharp, but they were small and did not seem as frightening as they should have. Still, the image of its mother somewhere out there was enough to chill Malik’s blood.
“Khris, how do we use it?” Mollie asked, ignoring Malik’s complaints.
Khris did not look like he was ripe with answers. He looked like a confused boy who had just been run from his home. Malik thought about how he did not even get to say goodbye to his mother. Malik wondered if the mother would care, or if it was secretly going to be a small relief to her.
“It does not say,” Khris finally answered.
“You know what it will guide us to?” Malik asked.
No one was quick to answer, sensing he was going to hit them with a sarcastic answer.
“Egg’s mother is still hunting us. We don’t know how long his little trick will work. We don’t know what she will do to get to us. However, we do know what she will do when she gets here, and that includes flaying us alive,” Malik said.
“Then we must keep moving,” Mollie answered. She was determined that this creature was going to be their saving grace. Malik was not convinced.
“We can try to let Egg lead for a few days. We have nothing else, if it fails then we can come up with another plan,” Mollie said.
Khris agreed that this would be the best plan of action. Malik disagreed wholeheartedly but kept the complaints to himself. There was no point in voicing them when he was clearly outnumbered again.
“Fine,” Malik said.
He moved off into the corner of the room. He was going to shut his eyes and try to sleep.
“Keep that creature away from my face,” Malik said.
Mollie clutched Egg tighter.
“We will start again at first light,” Malik said.
Both of the others agreed, and Malik closed his eyes.
Chapter 21
Travelers
Malik awoke the next day with the creature staring down at him. He jumped backward, colliding hard with the wall. Mollie and Khris stirred from their sleep.
“What is going on?” Khris asked, panicked.
Mollie was wiping the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand.
“This little monster was going to eat me,” Malik said.
He looked at Egg, but it was hard to believe that statement. It was staring back at him with eyes much too big for its face and emptily glaring at him.
Mollie stood up and walked over to Egg, scooping him up. Egg let out another of his custom purrs when Mollie nestled him in close to her chin.
“He was not going to hurt you,” she said.
Malik thought she was probably right, but he refused to admit it.
“I was about two seconds from an early morning snack,” he said without conviction.
Malik stood up and his own stomach growled at the prospect of food. There was no food, however. Callie and Sally had been tied down below the night before, but their saddles were barren. The only thing they carried for them now was the old lyre cases, bows, and a tent.
“Can we forage around here?” Malik asked.
Khris looked out the window, down toward the ravine floor. “There is nothing this way except the yama fruit. There is also a lot of grass,” he chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
Malik did not feel like laughing. His stomach growled again.
“Then I guess we should just get started,” Malik sighed.