by Brom
She lay in the back of a wagon, bound in chains, a steel pail clamped round her head, covering her face. The Colonel had done a brutal job on her, taking no chances, hacking off her wings and paws. There’d been a lot of blood and Carlos hadn’t seen her moving or even breathing since, felt pretty sure she was gone. Veles lay next to her, and a few of the sisters, those bearing the mark of the damned, were in the wagon behind them. They’d taken the wagons from Horkos’s own stockyard, along with more horses; could’ve taken anything they wanted. The little resistance they’d met from Horkos’s guard had crumbled once they’d opened up on them with the muskets.
“Isn’t that your friend?” the Colonel asked. “One of Kashaol’s men?”
A hooded figure stood next to a black horse, waiting for them.
“Gar,” Carlos called, unable to hide his surprise. “Hell, didn’t think we’d be seeing you again. How about Lord Kashaol, how’d he fare?”
Gar didn’t appear to hear him at first, staring at the Red Lady in disbelief; finally he spoke. “You did it. By Lord Lucifer, you did it.”
“Yeah, we did,” Carlos said. “Now you have to tell me, is Lord Kashaol still with us?”
“You knew then . . . about the attack?”
“Sure, we heard all the racket, then when we found Veles again . . . not hard to put two and two together.”
Gar’s eyes still hadn’t left the Red Lady. “Lord Kashaol is still with us.”
“Well, that’s damn good to hear,” Carlos said, and found he meant it, was glad to hear he still had an ally in Hell. He caught sight of the Colonel’s face, saw the man didn’t share his sentiment, and hoped he had the good sense not to say anything stupid.
Gar finally looked at them. “Lord Kashaol will be very pleased. He’d feared all was lost. Bring the bounty and meet us at Osiris’s Mother in two days’ time.” And that’s all he said, mounting up and riding away.
CHAPTER 77
Chet sat upon the ledge watching Mother Eye slowly come to life, watching her copper glow light up the low-lying clouds and reveal the desolate landscape below. He caught a sound, faint, a moan, thought it was just the wind. The moans turned to wails and cries. It took him a moment to realize the sounds were coming from above and he noticed a cloud unlike any he’d seen before, crimson and rolling across the sky, almost boiling. He saw them then, the wispy shapes of men and women, tumbling, churning together, forming and unforming, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand—such woe, such utter sorrow upon their faces. It rolled away, the moans fading, leaving him chilled to his core. He shuddered, wondered if these were the lost souls, the unfettered ba, wondered if Ana was up there. Ado? Johnny? Wondered if he was foolish to trust Gavin, if he too would soon find himself among their number, and if Trish and his daughter’s last chance would be forever lost. He looked at the mark on his palm. “Damned if I do, damned if I don’t,” he whispered, managed a grim smile at that, then headed back into the cave.
Gavin watched him as he gathered up the revolvers and satchel. Chet met and held his eyes. “You’re coming with me,” Chet said. “For now.”
“Okay, that’ll work.”
Chet tied him to the satchel strap, slid it up over his shoulder, and crawled back out, stood staring down the ravine.
“Which way?”
“Toward the black stones.”
Chet moved down the trail, the walls of the ravine growing steeper as he went, eventually leading into the canyon, with its slick, glassy walls of obsidian. The day rolled slowly along, Chet’s long stride eating up the miles.
Gavin led them down one trail after another, always seeming to know the way. After trekking the better part of the day, Chet once again found himself hopelessly lost within the maze of sheer cliffs and towering boulders.
“How’d you do that?” Chet asked.
“What?”
“Remember which way to go?”
“I don’t always. See them marks up there, at the rim of the canyon?”
“Yeah.”
“Those are wind marks. The wind blows strongest on the through paths; that’s where you’ll find the deepest marks. If there’re no marks, then the trail probably leads into a box canyon or dead end. The wind blows away from Mother Eye. Mother Eye is stationary, as are her moons, so as long as you note the direction of the wind and shadows, you shouldn’t get lost. Make sense?”
“I think so.”
“It’s not foolproof, but it’ll at least keep you from going in circles. To get to Styga we need to head downwind and stick to the main vein of the canyon, so just pay attention to the deepest wind marks.”
Chet did pay attention and after a bit found he could predict, with some degree of accuracy, which path to take.
“Stop,” Gavin said. “Into the shadows.”
Chet slid behind a stone. “What is it?”
“Up on the crest, toward Mother Eye.”
Chet caught sight of a mounted figure on a distant ledge.
“Might be a demon,” Gavin said. “That’s certainly a demon horse.”
The figure disappeared back behind the cliff.
“Demons shouldn’t be so far in,” Gavin said. “Something’s going on. Let’s go.”
Chet spotted another about a mile farther along. “Hey, look—”
“I know,” Gavin said. “Don’t let on you see them.”
“Them?”
“They’ve been following us for the past half mile or so. I was hoping they’d let us be, but I don’t think they’re gonna. Keep an eye out for a spot to hole up in case you have to make a stand. High ground. A cave, or ledge. If you make it hard enough, then they just might ride on.”
A gunshot rang out and the stone next to Chet’s head shattered.
“Shit!” Chet cried, ducking down, trying to figure out which direction the shot came from.
“Get up!” Gavin cried. “Move!”
Chet stood and ran down the trail, spotted a drift of crumbly lava leading up to a ledge, and scrambled up. He slipped twice on loose stone, almost fell, but then topped a small rise and to his surprise came upon steps.
Another shot. It came from behind them.
Chet dashed up the steps; they led into the mouth of a small cave. The entrance was square, with a few crude figures chiseled into the obsidian on either side. A gunshot punched Chet in the upper arm and spun him, almost knocking him from the ledge. He dove over a pile of stones and into the cave, flattening himself behind the rocks as he snarled against the pain.
Several more shots hit the ceiling of the cave, sending shards of rock against Chet’s back.
“There’re at least four of ’em,” Gavin said. “They’re gonna start moving up on you unless you give ’em some lead.”
Chet clutched his arm, the bullet had caught him up near the shoulder. He could still move it, but the pain was unbearable.
“Move!” Gavin shouted. “Shoot back, now!”
“Fuck, okay!” Chet cried, snatching out the revolver. He peered down through the rocks, spotted one of the demons moving up, and fired twice. No idea if he hit anything, but things quieted down.
“Okay,” Gavin said. “Now get two ka coins.”
Chet put the revolver down and reached for the satchel.
“Quick, kid. You wanna get out of this you need to move.”
Chet pulled out two coins and shoved them into his mouth.
“Good, now, take your time, aim. The point is to actually hit something.”
Chet snatched the revolver back up and inched forward, slowly lifting his head to peer down the ravine. Several blasts came from below, bullets slapping into the stones in front of him. “Shit!” Chet cried, ducking back down.
“Give me ka, Chet.”
“What? No way.”
“There’s too many. At least six. More might be coming. You wanna get out of this with your hide then you’re gonna have to give me some ka.”
More shots rang out, closer now.
“They’re m
oving up,” Gavin said. “They’re gonna have the high ground soon and then it’s over. Now stop screwing around.”
A shot hit the dirt beside Chet. He rolled away, spotted a demon on the ledge just across the ravine, and fired three shots back, then the trigger clicked on spent shells. He had no idea if he’d hit the demon or not, but Gavin was right, once they gained the high ground, he’d be easy pickings. Chet slid farther back into the shadows of the small cave, snatched the ammo belt out of the satchel, and started to reload.
“Chet, those are demons. They’ll take both of us to Hell. Do you have any idea what that means?”
Chet met Gavin’s eyes.
“I’m your blood,” Gavin said.
“Dammit,” Chet growled. He plucked out three coins, shoved them into Gavin’s mouth, reloading the guns while Gavin chewed.
“More. Quick.”
Chet gave him four more; already he could see the ghostly outline of Gavin’s body on the dirt. Chet scooted back up, keeping to the shadows, peering down, waiting for a clear shot. He could hear them creeping up the embankment.
“Chet, here.”
Chet glanced back, saw Gavin leaning against the back of the cave in front of a round relief set in the wall. He was nude, his flesh pale but solid. “Here.” Gavin waved him over. Chet could see he was still gaining substance. “The key, quick.”
“The key?”
Gavin laid his hand on the relief. It was as tall as he was, with crude runes circling its edge. “The key, now.”
Chet had the key tied to his belt and stuck down in his pocket. He tugged it out and handed it to Gavin.
Gavin touched the key to the carved circle, tracing its outline, and the runes began to glow.
“What’re you doing?”
“I think it’s a door,” Gavin said. The key finished the circle and there came a loud pop, the sound of cracking stone. The circle dislodged itself from the wall, falling inward, revealing an opening.
Gavin got to unsteady feet and slipped through.
Chet snatched up the satchel and followed to find himself in an immense chamber. Light spilled in from above, revealing a massive statue, some one-eyed beast, its broken form laying half-buried in rubble. Gavin was making his way down toward an opening at the base. Chet hurried along to catch him.
Gavin stopped before the opening. “More ka. Two more should do it.”
Chet dug out two coins, handed them to Gavin. He realized that the ka had done its work on him as well, his arm now back in working order. Gavin was walking strong, his tall frame fleshed out into hard, wiry muscle.
Gavin tugged a few of the larger rocks from the opening, giving him enough room to crawl out. Chet followed. They came out upon a narrow ledge that led them back into the canyon.
“Down,” Gavin whispered.
Chet ducked. Three demons were crawling along the ledge well ahead of them. The demons were closing in on the cave. Chet understood they’d managed to circle around behind them.
Gavin held out his hand. “Gun.”
Chet handed him one of the revolvers and one of the ammo belts. Gavin draped the belt across his shoulder.
“They’re carrying muskets,” Gavin said in a hushed tone. “They gotta reload after each shot. The key is to draw their fire then attack while they’re reloading.”
Chet nodded.
“These look to be lower-caste demons, that means they’re alive. Flesh and blood. They can be killed.” Gavin finished checking the load and snapped his gun shut. “You’re gonna run to that stone, gonna draw their fire. Once they shoot, I’m gonna attack. When I stop to reload, you keep their heads down. Got it?”
Chet nodded.
Gavin gave him a small smile. “Time to go to war.”
Chet sucked in a deep breath, stood, and ran for the stone. The three demons let out a whoop and fired at him. The whole ravine echoed with howls. God, how many are there? Chet dove behind the bolder. Bullets flew from all directions, kicking up the dirt and stones. Then there came a pause, just as Gavin had said, as they reloaded.
Gavin stood then, came out from behind the rocks; he walked slow and steady right for the demons, like he was just out for a stroll. He raised his arm, calmly aimed, and fired. The first demon’s head exploded. He fired again, taking down the second one as it struggled to reload. The third gave up on reloading and ran. Gavin blew out the back of its head.
“Holy shit,” Chet said.
Two shots rang out from the ledge directly across from Gavin, one of the slugs catching Gavin in the side, knocking him into the ledge. Gavin pushed back to his feet, set eyes on the two demons. They had nowhere to hide. He fired, catching one in the gut, the other in the face.
A shot rang out below, a bullet punching into Gavin’s gut.
Chet spotted at least four more demons taking cover.
Gavin staggered, then started downward, heading right for them. One poked its head out to fire, but Gavin fired first, catching it in the shoulder, knocking it backward. The demon screamed and Gavin fired again, this time catching it in the throat, almost taking its head off.
Gavin dropped to one knee, snapped open his gun, dumped the shells, and started plugging in fresh loads, his fingers flying over the weapon.
The demons stood to fire and Chet came out shooting, making them duck. He paced his shots, buying Gavin time to reload. The demons turned fire on Chet. “Steady,” Chet growled between clenched teeth, trying to heed Gavin’s example, trying to set aside his fear and focus on his aim. He caught one of them in the shoulder, then something hot thumped against his chest, knocking him backward and to the ground.
Chet let out a grunt, rolled behind a rock, clutching his chest as the pain overwhelmed him. “Up,” he growled at himself, determined not to leave Gavin out in the open. He sat up, tried to raise his gun, but Gavin was already firing: three shots, and three demons fell. The last demon leapt up and ran. Gavin fired twice, the first shot missing, the second catching the demon in the lower back, sending it tumbling into the dirt.
Things quieted down after that, no more gunshots, just the moans of the wounded and dying.
Chet forced himself up onto his knees, tried to stand. God, how does that man keep fighting with two bullet holes in him? He pulled out another ka coin, shoved it in his mouth, made it to his feet, chewing as he stumbled his way down the hill.
He found his grandfather standing over one of the demons. Gavin was nude, covered in mud, two gaping wounds in his torso, his feet shredded by the jagged lava rocks, yet his only concern seemed to be the creature lying before him. “These are true demons. See their armor, their weapons . . . those belong to a lord of means. A lord in good standing with Lucifer. You never see their likes in these parts.”
“Here,” Chet said, handing Gavin two coins.
Gavin took them, handing one back. “Should conserve these. I think there’s gonna be more trouble ahead.” He spotted the wound in Chet’s chest. “You done pretty good, kid.”
Chet shook his head. “I’m still kicking.”
“That’s the goal.”
The demons were of various shapes and sizes. Gavin walked over to one that appeared almost human, stripped it of its pants and boots, and tugged them on. He held the key out to Chet. “This is yours now.”
Chet nodded, took it.
“Think I could have my coat and hat back?”
“What? Oh, yeah, sure.” Chet stuck his gun in his belt, slid the long coat off. When he went to hand it over he found Gavin holding his revolver on him.
“Should never let your guard down on a man you can’t trust,” Gavin said.
Chet’s mouth went dry.
A mischievous grin crawled across Gavin’s face. “I’m gonna take it that means you trust me.” The grin turned to a smile, a warm genuine smile. He spun the gun around, handle out. “Here, hold this for me while I put my coat on. If you don’t mind, that is.”
“Fuck you,” Chet said, taking the gun, but he was smiling too. He d
idn’t know if the man before him was the murdering bastard Senoy painted him to be or not; what he did know was at this moment he was sharing a genuine smile with his grandfather after killing more than a dozen demons together, and it felt good, damn good.
CHAPTER 78
They walked along at a rapid clip, two lean men who could easily be mistaken for brothers, their long legs eating up the trail. Mother Eye was just starting to wane, her amber glow glittering off the sheer obsidian cliffs.
Gavin slowed, glanced behind, then forward. “Not much cover along this next stretch, so keep a keen eye out.” Chet nodded as they entered the narrow passage, the towering cliffs hemming them in on either side.
“Gavin, the door. The one back at the cave. How’d you know how to open it?”
“I didn’t. The key did. It’s never failed to open any door or lock. I’ve found by running the thing around doors, or just touching locks, the key finds its own way. Though it did me little good when I was enslaved by Nergal, on account that I was bound by a rope through my ribs, here,” he touched his chest. “There was nothing to unlock.”
“Through your bones?”
“Yeah. That was when I met the Colonel. When he raided the camp and set the slaves free. I still had the key though, had it hid inside my own flesh the whole time, shoved up into my arm here.” He pushed up his sleeve, revealing a scar on the underside of his arm.
“The key has certainly come in handy over the years, allowing me to get into places no other soul ever could . . . even into the temples of the gods. Had it all this time with no idea it could take me back across. Not sure I would’ve even if I did. I believe, in the right hands, it can make doors as well. Lamia created one when she was trying to escape, the one I crossed over through. But as you know, she’s some kind of witch creature. After thinking about what you told me, I think Lamia must’ve stolen it from that demon, Senoy. That it’s some sort of talisman, somehow channeling their sorcery.”
“Senoy said he’s an angel.”
Gavin grunted.
“Veles and Yevabog seem to think so as well.”