The Rules for Lying

by L. A. Kelley

  “Hey!” A rock thrown by Amelie plinked harmlessly off the massive chest. The demon turned toward her. “We’re not done, yet,” she said sharply. “Esther’s talking.”

  Heart beating wildly, I ducked behind another boulder, a dozen yards from my goal. If the distraction held a little longer…

  Both eyes blazed like hellfire. Feu De L’enfer threw back its head and bellowed, “Enough! Join me now. Swear your allegiance and show me the door.”

  A firebolt launched from its eyes and blasted into the rock knocking Amelie, Esther, and Mrs. Hart off their feet. I had no more time to reach the throne. I would make a stand here.

  “Okay, okay.” Amelie and the others scrambled up. “Go ahead, Esther. Tell it where to find the exit.”

  Esther curled her lip. “The door is…” The creature leaned toward her. “Up your fanny, poophead. Surprised you didn’t find it already.”

  Feu De L’enfer roared. Stalactites jarred loose from the ceiling, plummeting downward. Mrs. Hart dodged aside. Amelie yanked Esther out of the way as deadly missiles crashed to the floor. I bolted, dodging the falling debris, and skidded to a halt behind Feu De L’enfer. I grasped the hilt in both hands and savagely thrust the blade into the creature’s leg.

  The effect was like trying to hammer a stick of butter into a steel wall. The jarring shock tore through my shoulders. The knife imbedded in Feu De L’enfer’s calf. The demon, howling more in rage than pain, spun sharply around. The jerky motion freed the blade. It clattered across the cavern floor.

  “Who dares?” Feu De L’enfer screamed. Blazing eyes caught sight of me scrambling over the ground. “So small,” the demon sneered.

  I touched the throne.

  “So weak.”

  I grasped a handhold.

  Feu De L’enfer moved with surprising agility. It vaulted the space between us in an instant. Amelie, Esther, and Mrs. Hart quickly got to their feet, but I was trapped, wedged between hellfire and the throne.

  “You are all working together,” said the demon. “You came to kill me.” It roared a jeering laugh. “Did you really believe a little toy had a chance against a denizen of the Lower Worlds?” Feu De L’enfer crouched down. Two fiery orbs scrutinized me with malicious intent. “I am God. You are nothing.”

  Scorching heat raked across my skin. Being so close to the demon’s eyes was like standing next to the open door of a blast furnace.

  “Don’t like the fire, do you?” the creature noted slyly, scrutinizing me with sharp intensity. “Not all at once…no…I’ll burn you piece by piece. Keep you alive long enough to watch the others fed to my pets.”

  Amelie crept across the floor and retrieved the knife. With Mrs. Hart at her heels, she snuck toward me.

  “You can’t kill us,” I taunted. “You need our help to find the door.”

  “Only one of you is needed,” Feu De L’enfer jeered. “The smallest one. The weakest one. When I am finished with her, she will take me through the door, and then watch as I burn the Earth to ashes.”

  Mrs. Hart tore ahead. She attacked the creature’s foot, biting and snapping. Feu De L’enfer spun around with a roar. Amelie launched the knife, skittering between its legs. I pounced on the blade, stuck the haft between my teeth, and scaled the rocky surface of the throne. As I reached the top, Feu De L’enfer swatted viciously at Mrs. Hart. The monster’s talons hit a glancing blow. She yelped in pain, sailing into a pile of rocks.

  Rage boiled inside me. The symbols in the metal burned white hot. “No defense!” I shouted. The dagger and I were one.

  The demon faced me. Bubbling pools of fire churned within the sockets as it prepared a lethal blast. I leaped off the throne and stabbed the knife into the right eye up to the hilt.

  Feu De L’enfer shattered the air with an agonizing shriek. Taloned fingers raked my back, ripping through clothing. I yanked the knife free, dropped to the ground and rolled, landing hard against one of the throne’s legs.

  Light poured like blood from the eye socket, hitting the ground with a spattering hiss. The creature was in torment, staggering around the floor. Both arms flailed about, seeking contact with all of us. I held my breath as Amelie dodged a razor-sharp claw by inches. Scrambling to my feet, I tucked the knife in my belt and scaled the throne.

  The demon heaved a panting breath. The slit down the center of the face quivered. “I smell you, human. You can’t hide forever.”

  “Who’s hiding,” I taunted, waving the knife. The light from the symbol etched in the blade lit the cavern like a small sun.

  Feu De L’enfer sprung. I dodged far right into the blind side. Confused by my sudden disappearance, the demon froze looming over the throne. I skidded underneath the head, lunged upward and thrust the knife into the left eye.

  The piercing scream went on and on. I plugged my ears, but the sound drilled into my head. Rocky chunks dislodged from the ceiling. They rained in a deadly shower, raising clouds of choking dust. I jumped off the throne, squeezing against a shallow overhang for protection. My friends had disappeared from view.

  Feu De L’enfer staggered about, oblivious to the cascading boulders. A talon grabbed at the knife protruding from the left eye. The flesh turned white hot and dissolved with a crackling sizzle. The fire licked across the arms. Bellowing, the demon collapsed to the floor jerking spasmodically as the body erupted in flames. Billowing clouds of acrid smoke filled the air. I doubled over, gagging at the awful stench.

  Silence engulfed the cavern.

  The smell of blood sat heavy in the air while something hot and sticky dripped down my injured back. The rock wall brushed against me and white hot pain exploded through my body. I forced myself from my knees to my feet, waving both hands in a futile attempt to waft away the heavy smoke. I couldn’t see two feet in front.

  Fearfully, I inched forward. Where were my friends? My foot hit a solid object. Amelie’s dagger, black with soot, lay amid a bed of ashes—all that remained of Feu De L’enfer. I spit derisively right on top of the pile. “Not so tough now, are you.”

  I rubbed the dirty surface of the knife against my shirt, exposing shiny metal. The fire symbol had vanished. I tucked the blade into my belt and peered through the thinning haze.

  “Amelie? Esther? Mrs. Hart, where are you?” I shoved aside an awful vision of the three of them trapped under tons of rubble.

  “Here!” Amelie’s anxious cry came from straight ahead. “Hurry, Peter!”

  I struggled forward tripping over debris. She and Esther hunched over the ground, frantically digging at a mound of rocks. “Lucy is buried underneath.”

  Esther’s cheeks were streaked with tears. “The rocks fell,” she sobbed, “and she pushed me out of the way and now I can’t see her eyes.” I scooped armloads of dirt and rocks, mindless of the torturous pain in my back. “I’ve called and I’ve called,” Esther said in a choked voice, “but she won’t answer.”

  I tore at the rocks in a frenzy until my fingers touched a soft furry body. I gently eased Mrs. Hart into my arms. She was limp and not moving. Amelie laid a shaking hand on the ribcage. Her face creased with anguish. “Lucy has a faint heartbeat, but she’s hurt badly. We have to get her to Odile.” At that instant a mournful howl broke though the silence of the cavern. Amelie paled. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “The wolf-things are coming.”

  My face hardened. Mrs. Hart had come so far and suffered so much. I would not let her die in this awful place. “Let’s go.”

  We rose to our feet. I ripped off the remains of my tattered shirt to wrap around Mrs. Hart and then cradled her against my chest. “The shield is overhead, hiding us from our enemies.” The spell snapped instantly into place, no doubt or hesitation in my voice. Cold stone anger forged purpose now.

  Amelie took Esther’s hand. The four of us entered the winding tunnel as the first of the wolf-scorpions bounded into the cavern. Sensing death, they made a beeline for the pile of ashes. Upon realizing their master was gone they immediately tore into each
other, jockeying for leadership of the pack.

  “So much for loyalty,” Amelie noted, wryly. “At least, fighting will keep them busy for a while.”

  I agreed. “Let’s go before they sense a human is loose in the cave. Esther, it’s up to you, now.”

  She cocked her head, and without hesitation pointed down the long corridor. “That way.”

  We moved quickly, hugging the wall to keep from crashing into pack stragglers headed for the cavern. The agony in my back increased with each labored step. I clung to Mrs. Hart and tried to push the pain away. Ever seek to ignore a raging forest fire burning with abandon along your shoulder blades while at the same time keeping a mystical shield in place? Trust me, it isn’t easy. My steps soon faltered.

  Amelie held out her arms. “Give Lucy to me…Now, drop the shield.”

  “Are you crazy?”

  “You’re exhausted, Peter.” Her voice projected a no-argument tone recalling Mrs. Hart at her best. “We haven’t passed a wolf-thing for a while. They must all be in the cavern by now.”

  “We can’t know for sure.”

  “You’re hurt and can barely walk. The shield takes too much energy. We’ll make better time without it.”

  “If the pack follows…” I left the awful thought hanging.

  “We run like hell,” said Esther.

  “Exactly,” Amelie agreed and then added sharply, “and don’t cuss, Esther.”

  I dropped the shield and took Esther’s hand. With her unfailing sense of direction we made our twisty-turning way through the tunnels. We stumbled along for what seemed like hours. The air grew hot and stale and difficult to breathe. Drawing a deep breath left a caustic pain in my lungs.

  “We have to hurry,” Amelie shouted, “Odile’s potion is failing.”

  We rounded a corner and I stifled a cheer. Dead ahead loomed the opening to the wasteland. Another storm moved in since we arrived. Scorching winds laden with stinging sand whipped across the open range.

  “Not much farther,” Amelie panted. “I—” Frenzied howling issued from the depth of the cave.

  “They’re coming!” I yelled. “Stay together. I’ll call the shield.”

  “No. We’re out of time.” Amelie pulled the tattered remains of my shirt over Mrs. Hart’s muzzle to protect the dog from the blowing sand and then she pushed me into the storm. “Like Esther said—run like hell.”

  “And don’t curse!” Esther yipped.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The Last Lie

  We fought through a howling wind threatening to tear us apart. I held Esther with one hand and looped the other around Amelie’s shoulders to pull her close. Fierce gusts blasted granules of rocks and dirt into our faces. Amelie and I were as sightless as Esther now. The three of us staggered forward, once again relying solely on a little blind girl’s sense of direction.

  The wind was like a living thing, tormenting us with an unwavering screech. The sound reached deep inside. I couldn’t stay clear and focused. Terror bubbled up, ripping at my thoughts. You’re all doomed, the gale shouted. You’ll never escape. The air was impossible to breathe. Rational thought slipped away. Run, screamed the wind. Don’t think. Just run.

  Is this how madness feels?

  A terrifying bay cut through the vicious storm. Barely visible in the chaos, dark shapes loped easily across the wasteland. Wolf-scorpions had the scent and closed in fast. The shot of adrenaline cleared my scattered thoughts. “Hurry,” I yelled. We stumbled forward, unmerciful death snapping at our heels.

  Esther stopped suddenly, waving her arms frantically in front. “Can you see it? The door is somewhere near.”

  “I don’t see anything,” cried Amelie.

  I reached forward and felt a tingling prickle. “Here!”

  A snarling black form lunged out of the storm. I pushed Esther and Amelie. A brilliant light flashed as Esther touched the door. They disappeared through as I was hit a glancing blow by the wolf-scorpion. I scrambled to my feet clutching Amelie’s knife, a pitiful defense against the creature. The wolf scorpion circled in, the poisonous tail arched high overhead ready to strike. The howling of the pack grew near.

  “I kill human.” Saliva dripped from gaping jaws. “I be leader. Me.”

  As the stinger whipped downward, Amelie’s hand appeared out of nothingness and yanked me through the mystical portal. In a bright flash of light, I fell over backwards, landing hard in the dirt. Instead of the blazing arid heat, the air was humid and cool. Gray dawn light filtered through the trees.

  “Clovis, destroy the door!” she screamed.

  “Le Quatriéme est mort.” The glowing symbol on the fourth panel went dark.

  “Le Troisiéme est mort.” The third symbol winked out. Something heavy hit, jarring the door open a crack.

  “Hurry!” Amelie yelled.

  “La Seconde est mort.” One symbol remained.

  “Le Premier—” A snarling muzzle forced its way through the opening. “Est mort.” The symbol vanished. The door disappeared, instantly severing the wolf-scorpion’s head. I scooted gingerly aside as the skull rolled toward my feet and then burst into flames. Within seconds nothing remained, but ashes. All evidence of the door was gone. The circle of fire disappeared. We were safe.

  Clovis toed the smoldering pile dispassionately. “Ugly little spud, wasn’t it?”

  I got to my feet and gave Amelie the dagger. “Thanks for the loan.” Her face was covered with scratches and her clothing torn and bloody, but I never thought any girl so pretty.

  Amelie flashed a brilliant smile. “My pleasure.”

  “Esther?” I called.

  “Here.” She huddled off to the side, cradling Mrs. Hart tenderly in her lap. “Clovis,” she sobbed, “can you help her?”

  The shaman laid his hand gently on Mrs. Hart’s head. “I will do what I can, but healing is Odile’s specialty.”

  My heart sank as the truth set in. Mrs. Hart was dying. “We have to get to the Benoit’s. The rats may have already gotten through.”

  Clovis raised a hand. “No need. I’ve already sent Renny.”

  Amelie inhaled sharply. “He’s all right?”

  “Yes, yes, of course, my dear, although I can’t say the same for the rest of Delphine’s guards. One of them lived long enough to admit they all had orders to shoot to kill. Delphine planned to blame your death on Renny and take over the estate. I sent your brother to fetch Odile in case her services were required once you returned through the portal. As to the rats—Pike’s power is broken. His hold over the filthy creatures disappeared once Feu De L’enfer was killed. I’m sure Chris and Marie easily disposed of them.” He raised an eyebrow. “You did kill Feu De L’enfer, didn’t you?”

  “Dead as a doornail,” I said.

  “Excellent, Peter. I’m very proud of you.” He draped an arm tenderly over Esther’s shoulders. “We’ll wait in my cabin and make Lucy as comfortable as possible.”

  As we made our way across the clearing, I noticed the singed holes in the shaman’s clothing. A smoky scent lingered in the air while huge swaths of newly burnt vegetation crisscrossed the ground. “Clovis, what happened here?”

  “A little run-in with Pike.” He snorted in disgust. “The conjuror had fireballs and arrogance working for him and precious little else, especially once the demon was vanquished. He felt his powers fading and took off into the swamp just when I began to enjoy myself.”

  “What of Delphine?” Amelie demanded sharply.

  “She ran after Pike. Renny wanted to follow, but I insisted he go for Odile. Your brother said he would have no trouble following the trail once he returned. Delphine doesn’t know the swamp,” he assured her. “She won’t get far.”

  The interior of the cabin was as we left it weeks ago, if not a trifle shoddier. I held Mrs. Hart as Esther settled on the pile of gunny sacks. The little dog lay cold in my arms. I was gripped with the sudden fear we were already too late, until her chest slowly rose and fell and she took a
shuddering breath.

  “Lucy’s so weak,” Amelie whispered fearfully.

  I gently laid Mrs. Hart in Esther’s lap. She buried her face in the soft fur with a muffled sob. “Mrs. Hart will be all right won’t she, Peter?”

  I swallowed the tightness in my throat. Esther didn’t need to hear me blubbering. Esther needed a hopeful lie. So did I. “Of course she will,” I asserted roughly. “She’s tougher than all of us.”

  Believe the lie.

  Digging down deep, I projected all the confidence I could muster. “You hear me, Mrs. Hart?” I whispered in her ear. “You’ll be fine. You and me and Esther…” I blinked hard. “We’re a family now. W-we both need you.” The words were no lie. Somewhere along the way, we became a family—something I thought I would never need or want, but now realized I’d fight, even kill, to protect.

  I rose to my feet and muttered tersely to Amelie. “As soon as Renny returns, we’re going after Pike and Delphine.” Amelie didn’t need to speak. Her savage expression told me we were in accord. Neither one of our enemies would leave the swamp alive.

  Clovis spoke with kind concern. “Your back could use tending, boy.” Amelie offered to collect wood and start a fire. I filled a bucket of water from the pump. While the water warmed Amelie and I took turns filling Clovis in on the battle with Feu De L’enfer. “An invisibility shield,” he chuckled. “That’s a good one. Should have thought of it, myself. Of course I was too busy going insane at the time.”

  “I couldn’t hold both lies together.”

  “Tosh, no one could at your level of development. Endurance requires more training.”

  Esther held up her empty cup. “Peter, I’m still thirsty.”

  Grimacing, I rose to my feet. Every nerve ending in my body uttered a fierce protest at the slightest movement. “The rest of the water is heating. I’ll get more from the pump.”

  Amelie snatched the bucket from me. “I’ll go. You can barely move.”

  She was right, but her comment ticked me off. I fought weakness from my own wound and also struggled with the emotional turmoil caused by Mrs. Hart’s critical injuries. The pain, weariness, and fear wore my nerves to a frazzle. I thought I did a darn good job showing Amelie and the others (well, mostly Amelie) how stoic and manly I was. Physical and emotional suffering meant nothing to me.