by Scott Moore
“I think we should probably check their pockets and then keep going,” she said.
Malik felt the feeling in his legs return and his arm responded to his commands. He felt the overwhelming sense of shame drop on him like a ton of bricks, but he just moved to comply with Mollie’s orders. The first man had a few coins in his pocket and a note. The second man had nothing but a handkerchief and pipe tobacco. The woman had jewelry, coin, and rolled smokes. Mollie checked the other two and came back with much the same as the others.
“At least we can go in and out of a town, buying a meal on the way through,” Mollie said.
Malik was not so certain of that. The last few times they had gone near a town or village, it had turned out poorly for them. Now was not the time to voice that concern, however.
Khris had finally stood and came over next to them. He did not mention his own fear, or Malik freezing in battle.
“That one is the man who stopped me in the crowd earlier today,” Khris said, staring down at man with the broken nose.
Malik only recognized the man at the food bowls. So much for kindness, he thought. Mollie did not comment on any of them.
“Why are we keeping them alive?” Malik asked when Mollie started to walk away.
“I will never kill again,” she said.
Malik thought that was reckless leaving people behind them that wanted them dead.
“Why not let Egg do it?” he asked.
Mollie stopped walking, “I will not become the Tempre Warriors. We are not killing anyone,” she said with finality.
Malik did not press. He may have furthered the topic if given the chance, but an all too familiar roar echoed throughout the dark.
Malik looked down to Egg, hoping that maybe the little creature had grown a massive set of lungs. Egg was still the same tiny, misshapen creature. Although now, Egg looked just as panicked as Malik felt. Egg scurried up Mollie’s legs and attached to her shoulder.
“Guess we aren’t going that way,” Malik said.
Khris and Mollie looked just as frightened as Malik and Egg. There was no bravery when it came to a giant, man-eating monster. They all started off in the opposite direction of the roar. They picked up the pace as the second roar came closer.
Malik watched Egg grip Mollie’s arm tightly. Did he know what the mother would do to them if she caught them? Malik tried not to think about it.
Callie and Sally started to become excited and Malik hoped they would not become unmanageable. He remembered how they had reacted the first time they came across the beast. Even Abrie was unable to wrangle them and Malik was nowhere near as patient as Abrie.
“Where are we going to hide from that thing,” Malik jerked his thumb over his shoulder, pointing into the night.
“I don’t know,” Mollie answered. “Is there something we can use here to fend her off? Khris what else does the book say about them?” Mollie asked.
Khris did not answer the question. Malik stopped and turned around to face him.
Khris threw up his shoulders, “I don’t know. If I knew, then I would have already told you guys. I told you all it said about them already,” Khris was scared and that was evident in his voice.
“It is okay,” Mollie reassured him.
Khris let some of the tension drop from his shoulders, “I want to help but I can’t. I am not good at anything,” he said.
“We agree on something,” Malik said in reply.
Mollie rounded on him. “Says the boy who froze in the same fight. You even had a weapon. Khris already said he couldn’t fight and refused to do so. You claimed to want to help and then you stood there nearly pissing yourself.”
Malik would have argued, but he knew she was right.
Mollie let out an almost animal noise. “Let’s just stop bickering for a minute. We must find a place to hide from that thing. If not, we are going to end up dead,” she added.
There were many things in life that Malik wanted, but being dead was not one of them. He looked around their surroundings trying to find anything they could use for shelter or protection. There were no trees to climb into or hide behind. There were no rocks, caves, or ravines to slip into.
“Egg you have any more tricks?” Malik laughed.
No one laughed with him. Mollie did grab Egg and hold him out from her body. “Anywhere to hide?” she asked the creature as if he would give a legitimate answer.
Egg wiggled in her grip until she placed him on the ground beside her feet. Egg lifted his claw and pointed.
“He thinks we are still playing that silly game of which way do we go,” Malik scoffed.
“Shut up,” Mollie said, not looking at Malik.
Egg continued to point and when no one reacted, he jumped up and down pointing off in the same direction.
“We should follow him,” Mollie said.
“Oh boy.” Malik was not in the mood to die.
Khris did not voice an opinion; he just started off after Mollie.
“Great then,” Malik said, he wanted to scream, but he did not want the creature finding them any faster than it already was.
They walked for some time, following Egg and its little legs. Malik urged Mollie to pick it up, but she refused, saying that Egg was leading them somewhere. Each time the roar sounded behind them; it was closer than it had previously been. At this rate, they would be dead long before the morning sun greeted them. Maybe not seeing your death coming was easier somehow. Maybe the death would be quick and painless. Malik did not believe that though. Being eaten alive was going to hurt no matter how it happened.
“There is a light just ahead,” Mollie said after what seemed like half the night.
Malik looked up from his feet and stared off into the night. Sure enough, about a quarter mile down the path was a small yellow light, glowing softly in the distance.
“Great, we found someone else to die with us,” Malik said.
Mollie ignored him again. They did not pause long for the light, but Egg kept them moving directly toward it. Egg even sped up a little as they approached a small, wooden cabin. Malik wondered who would live out in the middle of nowhere, so far from the town. He had not seen any fields for plowing, animals for tending, or gardens. He doubted that the individual would have been walking back and forth every single day to gather food. He would have guessed the cabin empty, except there was that pervasive light. The closer they got the brighter it became, until he was able to see the gas lamp sitting on a table in the small, glass window.
Egg ran up to the cabin door and stopped, turning to those following. Malik wondered what kind of person would greet them. This far out, he figured it was a brigade of bandits or mercenaries. There would be no wholesome individuals just hiding out around these parts. Still Egg waited on them to follow. Without question, Mollie did. Then Khris followed Mollie and Malik was left being the only one with any sense yet again. He would have argued about knocking, he would have suggested that they turn and run the other way, but no one would have listened to him anyhow. So instead, he just watched as Mollie lifted her hand up and lightly rapped on the wooden frame.
No one came to answer. Egg urged her to knock again and so she did. The second time, Mollie’s knuckles bounced off the wood a little harder. Malik hoped that the monster was not close enough to hear them, but he knew it had been gaining on them for some time now.
This time, there was a sound from the inside of the cabin. Someone was in there rummaging around. Malik figured they were getting protection or weapons and they would barge out skewering all three of them.
The old man, who opened the door was not carrying a weapon, however. He was hunched, wrinkled, and appeared like any other over aged man. Malik figured he could have been anyone’s grandpa. The old man let a smile spread across his face when he saw Mollie and Khris on his doorstep. His smile did not fade when he saw Malik in the distance. Surprisingly it did not fade even when he saw Egg standing at his feet.
“I expected you all,” he
said.
Malik thought that was quite creepy. How long had the old man been watching them?
“What do you mean?” Khris asked.
The old man let out a soft chuckle. “I had a group of unpleasant people stop by here about two nights ago. They were looking for their children. You see their children had run away. They were very worried about them. They would not be able to sleep or eat until their children were found safe and sound. The odd thing, they were neither one crying, upset, or worried when I saw them. I thought to myself, how hysteric would I be had I lost my child? I knew they were not looking for a small child, and when I asked, they described much older children. Three of them to be exact and I am guessing those children just so happen to be you,” the old man said.
Malik knew who those individuals were. Well not personally, but he knew they were working with Sweet Tongue and the other mercenaries. He wondered if they were the men and woman that they had just left behind them. He opted not to mention the bout to the old man. He thought it better to leave that detail between the three of them.
“I had not heard you were companions with one of these little guys,” the old man bent, quiet easily, and patted Egg on its head. “Had I known, I would have prepped a bit better,” the old man laughed.
Malik wondered if this man was crazy. He was out miles and miles away from town, with no food, no water, and he was talking crazy to three strangers and a little monster. He was not one bit worried that three strangers had shown up, unannounced, panting on his doorstep. Not to mention, they were carrying a beast with claws bigger than a man’s forearm. Malik thought the man was either crazy, or he knew something they did not know.
“Please do come in. I would hate for you to get caught out in the night.” The old man stepped back.
Another roar sounded off, closer than Malik had expected. He turned to see if the monster was breathing down his neck. He did not see it and the others did not see it by their reactions.
“Ahh, come on in. It won’t bother you in here,” the old man said.
Malik doubted that four wooden walls would stop the beast. He remembered how it had torn apart Twin Rocks and their guards. Still, it was better than sitting out in the open and waiting for it to pick them off.
Mollie and Khris had the same thought, as all three of them let the old man usher them into the small, cozy cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Chapter 23
The Cozy Cabin in the Middle of Nowhere
The cabin was small enough to take it all in from the front door. To the side of the home was a small fireplace, without any logs or fire. On the opposite side, were two lounging chairs. One chair was lined with several books and the other looked worn. Directly to Malik’s left was the small table with the oil lamp. Furtherpast the chairswas a ladder that led to a small loft filled with more books. All of it was rather boring in design and color. There was something very interesting inside the cabin, however.
Directly under the ladder sat a small dining table. Around it were four wooden chairs. Three of the chairs were empty and pushed up under the table. The fourth chair had been pulled out and sat in by none other than Simbre’s daughter. The same daughter that Malik was almost forced to lie with and had later helped him escape.
Malik had not thought of the girl since she and Mollie had disappeared into the woods. Mollie had come back to save him, but the girl had vanished into thin air. Now Malik knew where she had made it to. How she had made it here was another story.
“You’re Simbre’s daughter?” Malik was more so speaking out his shock than really asking the question.
Mollie stepped up beside him, the same evident shock on her face. Only Khris did not know the girl sitting at the table. Really, Malik and Mollie knew little about her beyond her mother and brothers
“I am Simbre’s daughter. My name is Embre,” she answered.
Malik thought she looked a lot more pleasant without the thought of being forced onto him. She smiled where before she had cried. Her shoulders did not appear as heavy without the hand of Simbre pushing upon them. The time away from her former camp had done her well. These facts made Malik wonder even more how she had arrived here. The trek had not been easy. Even without the fact that mercenaries and Tempre were hunting them, it had still been a long, tough walk. There was little opportunity for food or drink and Malik doubted that Embre had hidden coin before running off with Mollie. Somehow though she had survived and looked better for it.
“Come in.” The old man pushed on the back of Mollie and Malik. “We can catch up over some nice warm tea,” he added.
Malik did not resist his urging. His feet and legs ached, and a chair would do him wonders. The old man pulled out a fifth chair from the corner. Malik had not even noticed the chair before, but it matched the others exactly. Khris, Mollie, Malik, and the old man sat down with Embre at the table.
“Ahh,” the old man sounded before getting up. He walked over to the small cook stove that Malik had also missed on his first inspection of the home. The old man pulled a kettle from the rack and brought it over to the table with five small saucers. “I hope you all like tea,” he said. He poured them each a glass and passed them across the table.
Malik greedily grabbed his cup. They had eaten earlier in the day, but they had only gotten water to drink. It would be nice to have something warm his bones. He sipped on the steaming concoction letting it coat his tongue and cheeks. The others did the same and the conversation was nonexistent for several minutes.
Malik could have probably fallen asleep at that moment. The tea had calmed his nerves, and he noticed that since entering the home, he had not once heard the roar of the monster. He wondered if the walls were really that thick, or if the beast had given up and been deterred by a simple cabin.
Malik put his cup back onto the table. The others looked at peace as well. Their previous worries slid from their face and their bodies looked to be less worn. Malik looked at the old man who smiled back at him knowingly.
Malik felt a momentary panic rush over him. Had the old man drugged their tea? They had been so quick to join him in the cabin, so quick to sit with him around the table, and even quicker to chug down his offered nourishment. Had they not learned a thing about how others treated them? Malik did not feel loopy, confused, or disoriented though. He honestly just felt like a week’s worth of trouble, anguish, pain, and hunger had been washed from him.
“There was nothing harmful to you in the tea,” the old man said. Malik realized that the old man had been staring at him the entire time.
“I know,” Malik said, trying to sound more confident than he felt.
Having sat for a few minutes, thinking about nothing but the tea, the thoughts of before started to trickle back into his mind. He looked up and across the table to Embre. She was smiling pleasantly back at the group.
“What happened to you?” Malik asked.
Embre let the smile drop as if thinking about the past had ruined the moment. Malik guessed thinking about the troubles that followed them was in a big sense, a buzz kill.
“I don’t know exactly what happened,” Embre said.
The old man reached a hand out and placed it on her shoulder. “Do not worry, child,” he said.
Embre took a deep breath, as if the man’s words were enough to drop a wall inside her mind.
“I remember you going into the medical tent. I had no idea what you would find in there. My people were not evil. I knew they had not killed your friend. However, I had no idea what orders my mother had given about you or your friends. I urged Mollie to run with me as soon as you disappeared. I did not believe you would return. Mollie would not listen to my pleas. She was convinced that you would succeed. When you did not return in a timely manner, I ran and I heard Mollie following me into the trees,” Embre took another deep breath, steading herself. She looked to the old man who encouraged her to continue with a nod of his head. “Afterward, Mollie decided to go back and save you. I did not have
it in me to risk it. I had been there in that village for far too long. I just kept running. I do not know how far or how long I ran. I did not think about that, I just thought about the idea that I needed to get away. When I finally stopped running, I was here in front of this cabin. Although, I am not sure where here is. I am also not sure here is the same as you’re here,” she said, looking confused by her last statement.
“What do you mean by that?” Khris asked before anyone else could.
Embre shrugged her shoulders, “I don’t think I am the best one to answer that question for you,” she answered.
She looked to the old man sitting beside her and he gently nodded his head. “I think you did a marvelous job telling your portion of the story,” the old man added. “Since she has arrived, Embre has been a delight. She has been waiting on you all with me, keeping me company, even if she was not quite sure who”the old man looked down at Egg“or what was coming,” he said.
Embre nodded. “Did you save your friend?” she asked.
Malik at that moment realized she had no clue as to what happened once Mollie had returned. She would not know about Timbre, Zimbre, or her mother. She would not have heard of the demise of her village. She was just like him and Mollie, destroyed by the Tempre Warriors. Malik was not sure he wanted to be the one to tell her, so he waited on Mollie to engage on the tale.
Mollie was not quick to start either. It was not the easiest to tell someone their family was dead. Not only their family, but everything they had ever known. Although, maybe it would be different for Embre; she had chosen to run away from her village. She had not been in the best relationship with her mother or Zimbre, her brother. Maybe it would be okay. Still Malik shied away from saying anything to her about it.
“I think it will be easier if she hears it now and does not find out about it by accident later,” the old man said, looking at Malik and then to Mollie.
Mollie nodded, looking uncomfortable at the thought still. “After you left, I ran back to save Malik. I found him in a tent on the outskirts of your traveling camp. There was no one else there with him and I was easily able to free him from his restraints,” Mollie looked up to Embre who was listening intently to the story. “We still had to save our friend Abrie, who had been wounded by one of the Tempre Warriors named Sweet Tongue. Abrie was still, to our knowledge, in the medical tent. So, that is where we headed. Once we were there, we saw your mother and brother, Zimbre, exchanging words with Sweet Tongue and other mercenaries he had brought with him,” Mollie paused.