Dead Souls Volume Three (Parts 27 to 39)

by Amy Cross

“She will be fine,” he said finally, as if he sensed her shock, “especially with Nixon to help her. Besides, it would do no good for me to go running off into the night, not when I need to take a more cautious approach. Nixon can run around as much as he likes, but this Tenderling has to be caught and I must think of the good of the whole island, rather than focusing on one person.”

  “But -”

  “And one life can be sacrificed if necessary,” he added.

  She opened her mouth to argue with him, before realizing the true horror of his words: it was as if he was willing to let Estella die, in order that he could work out how to capture the creature. She understood how such an approach might be the most logical way of dealing with the problem, but she was still startled by his coldness toward a woman he was supposed to love, and to whom he was supposed to be married in just a few weeks' time.

  “Tenderlings are not the most intelligent of beasts,” Edgar continued finally, as if he'd already put all thought of Estella out of his mind. “They have certain abilities, of course, but they're not known for their tactical cunning or their ability to plan ahead. This animal will most likely remain in the wilderness between the house and the town, picking off anything that happens to stray from the rest of the herd, so to speak. It's most likely hungry after spending so long in the chamber beneath the stone circle, so it'll take anything it can get. Humans will be the most likely targets, because they offer more meat, but the Tenderling will also eat smaller animals, such as mice and rabbits.”

  “So is there some way to trap it?” Kate asked. “Maybe use some kind of bait?”

  “I said that they're unintelligent,” he replied, “not that they're completely stupid. A trap would have to be subtle, or...” He paused for a moment, before turning to her. “Or it would have to be so tempting, it would override the Tenderling's natural caution. Given its undoubted hunger, it might well take greater risks than usual.”

  “So what are you suggesting?”

  “It barely got more than a few scraps of meat from the horse,” he continued, “which means its appetite can't possibly be satisfied. For so long as the hunger continues to burn in its belly, it's likely to be far less cautious than it should.” He paused again. “It must be kept hungry and desperate. I suppose it would be better if Nixon is able to rescue Estella. If the Tenderling catches her and feeds, the hunger would no longer be much of an issue. It is to be hoped that this does not happen.”

  “How sweet of you to show such concern,” Kate replied bitterly.

  “I'm merely being practical,” he told her. “I'm sure Estella would understand.”

  “And what if she doesn't make it?” Kate asked. “Edgar, what if -”

  “I need your help,” he replied, interrupting her. “It's not enough to kill this thing. I need to capture it alive, so that I can find out who buried it in that chamber and why.”

  “And Estella?”

  “What about her?”

  Kate stared at him for a moment as she began to realize that he genuinely didn't seem to understand why she was so shocked.

  “Nothing,” she said finally, figuring that she could bring it up again later. “So what's the plan?”

  ***

  “Edgar!” she screamed, crawling on all fours through the grass. “Help me!”

  With the bright lights of the mansion still a couple of miles away, Estella managed to crawl a little further before slumping down. There were sharp cuts on her back and neck, where her clothes had been torn away by claws that had also ripped her flesh, but while the pain was bad it was the weakness that was really holding her back: she felt as if every moment, every inch of movement, required more energy than she could muster, and her muscles were already burning from the effort she'd expended in crawling from the site of the creature's first attack.

  Hearing a clicking sound nearby, she realized it was coming back for another strike.

  “Please,” she whispered breathlessly, hoping against hope that somehow Edgar would sense her fear and rush to the rescue, “my darling, you have to -”

  Suddenly the long grass parted ahead and the creature emerged once again. Bathed in moonlight, it leaned closer and opened its mouth, hissing as it exposed several rows of needle-like teeth. Its eyes, large enough to fill much of its face, were fixed on her with unblinking hunger, and thick, syrupy saliva was dribbling from its jaw as it reached up and slowly placed a thin, bony hand on the side of her face.

  “No,” she whimpered, frozen in place as fear gripped her soul, “please...”

  The creature leaned closer, tilting its head slightly as if it was still trying to understand her. After a moment, however, it reached up with its spare hand and spat a small, glistening black pebble into its palm.

  “What...” Estella whispered, with tears running down her face. “Please, I swear, whatever you want -”

  She let out a cry of pain and pulled back as the creature used one sharp claw to slice the side of her neck. Trying to get to her feet, however, she already felt too weak, and she was powerless to resist as the creature began to climb over her body. No matter how hard she tried to pull away, her body seemed to be seizing up and she was powerless to resist, even as the creature leaned close to her face and its overpowering stench became unbearable. Finally, the Tenderling held the black pebble out and slowly slipped it into the cut on her neck, before leaning down and licking the skin, using its saliva to close the wound and seal the pebble inside her body. Looking up at Estella's face, it let out a faint gasp, as if anticipating the feast to come.

  “Please,” she whimpered, watching as the creature got to its feet and stood on her chest, staring down at her. “Please, don't hurt me...”

  She stared up in horror, expecting the creature to attack, but it seemed to be waiting for something. Finally, letting out another hiss, it began to lean back down to her again, running its fingers against the wound on the side of her neck, which had already begun to heal. Closing its eyes, the creature seemed frozen for a moment before slowly opening its mouth, letting thick strings of drool hang down onto Estella's flesh as it bared rows of sharp teeth.

  Suddenly a large shape loomed out of the darkness and crashed into the creature, knocking it down to the ground and landing on top of it while letting out a loud snarl.

  Finally able to sit up, Estella turned and saw to her shock that a wolf was pinning the creature to the ground with a single paw, pressing down on its throat as the creature struggled desperately to get free. Reaching down, the wolf took hold of the creature's torso with its jaws and raised it up before shaking it violently and then tossing it aside. Turning to Estella, the wolf stared at her for a moment, before taking a step forward.

  “No!” she shouted, pulling back. Feeling a sharp pain in her neck, she reached up and felt a searing, burning sensation running up from her collarbone.

  After watching her for a few more seconds, the wolf raised its head, as if it was looking up at the night sky. A moment later, a crunching sound could be heard coming from beneath its fur, and Estella watched in horror as the bones in the wolf's neck seemed to start rearranging themselves and the fur began to fall away in clumps; a moment later, she saw that the same thing was happening all over its body. Too shocked to move, Estella saw that muscles on the wolf's legs were growing and changing shape, and finally the animal dipped its head again and she realized she recognized the face that was slowly taking form as the wolf's snout and eyes began to sink inward.

  “Nixon,” she whispered, crawling a little further away as the transformation continued.

  For several minutes, she watched in awe as Nixon's human body began to emerge from the wolf's form, until finally the man got to his feet. Completely naked and with a few patches of blood smeared across his skin, he stood breathlessly for a moment before, slowly, his expression changed and he looked down at her.

  “Sorry about that,” he said finally, “it took me a little while to pick up on your scent after I'd left the house.”
/>   “I...” She stared up at him.

  “I guess you hadn't seen that before,” he continued, before looking down at his bare crotch. “Or that! Sorry, hazard of the job, I'm afraid. I thought about stashing spare clothes all over the island, but I'm afraid I'm just not that organized.”

  “How did you... How... How did you find me?”

  “I told you, I followed your scent.” He reached out a hand and helped her get to her feet. “When I'm in my human form, I can pick up on scents to some degree, but when I shift... My God, the whole island comes alive.”

  Turning, Estella looked down at the crumpled form of the creature, which was motionless on the ground nearby. “What was that thing?” she asked, her voice trembling with shock.

  “A Tenderling,” he replied, stepping past her and giving the body a kick. “It's not dead, either. It's just very, very unconscious. That's good, I'm sure Edgar will want to play with it a little.” He turned to her. “Are you okay? Did it hurt you?”

  “A few scratches,” she explained. “Nothing I won't...” Reaching up, she felt the lump of the pebble in her neck.

  “It got you, did it?” he asked, stepping closer and feeling the lump for himself. “How many did it put inside you?”

  “Just one,” she replied. “Why? What does it mean?”

  “It's the method these things use when they want to leech your energy,” he explained. “They usually go for victims when they're asleep, but this one was desperate after being trapped for so long. They hide the pebbles under the skin, and then they use the pebble as a kind of conduit, allowing them to draw out the victim's energy. Most Tenderlings feed slowly, savoring a victim over several years, but in this case it would probably have been tempted to take you all in one go. I hope you don't mind if I remove the stone from you?”

  “For God's sake,” she replied, “please, hurry up...”

  “This is going to hurt,” he continued, examining the cut for a moment. “Their saliva causes the flesh to heal over in a matter of minutes, so I'm afraid I'll have to open it again.” Leaning closer, he placed his lips against her neck and used his teeth to tear the wound, and then he slipped his fingers inside and felt about for a moment before slipping the pebble out.

  As soon as she felt the pebble being removed, Estella pulled away. The pain had been intense, but she'd forced herself to keep from crying out.

  “That's the bugger,” Nixon said, holding it out for her to see. “Nasty little thing, isn't it? Some people can end up with thirty of forty of these damn stones in their bodies, weighing them down. You'd be surprised how many people have been affected in the human world, and they never realize what's causing them to feel so tired and drained all the time. I read about a chap named Dunstable something-or-other once, at a place called Gabriel Hall in England. By all accounts...” He paused. “Well, I don't suppose you need to know about that right now. I can find some reading material for you later, if you're really interested. Let's just say that Tenderlings can be very destructive.”

  “I just want to get home,” she replied, “and -” Suddenly she stopped, as if something had surprised her. “Home,” she added finally. “I called it home for the first time.”

  “We'll have to walk, I'm afraid.”

  “But what if there are more of those things?”

  “There aren't,” he explained, picking up the unconscious Tenderling and holding it by its neck.

  “Don't let it near me!” Estella shouted, stepping back.

  “Relax, there's nothing to worry about. These things are solitary creatures, they never travel in packs. There's not another one on Thaxos. If there were, they'd have fought to the death by now.”

  “Where's Edgar?” she asked, looking around. “Why didn't he come to look for me?”

  “Oh, he's busy with Kate trying -” Stopping, he realized he'd already said too much.

  “He's with Kate?” Estella replied, trying to stay calm. “Does he... Does he know I'm out here? Does he know I might be in danger?”

  “Well, of course, but...” Nixon paused again, trying to find a way through the emotional minefield. “I mean, that is to say, he... delegated...”

  “So he sent you to help me,” she continued, with a hint of steel returning to her voice, “and he remained with Kate Langley. I... I suppose that might have been the most logical thing to do...”

  “You mustn't over-think these things,” Nixon replied. “It'll do you no good in the end. Edgar's -”

  “Edgar's Edgar,” she said, “yes, I know that. I'm very much used to him by now. Still...” Her voice trailed off for a moment. “He and Kate are probably very good together, working on something like this. They seem to have been absent all evening.”

  “They were out at the stone circle.”

  “They were? Doing what?”

  “I'm not entirely sure, but they ended up setting this thing loose.” He held the Tenderling up. “I must say, it's been a long time since I last saw one of these beasts. In fact -” Suddenly the Tenderling began to twitch, and after a moment it opened its eyes, only for Nixon to smack it around the side of the head and knock it out again. “In fact,” he continued, “I never thought I'd see the day when one of the damn things arrived on Thaxos.” He turned to Estella. “Do you mind if we get back to the mansion? I'm a little chilly standing out here like this.”

  “Of course,” she replied, staring at the Tenderling for a moment before averting her eyes, only to catch sight of Nixon's nakedness and turn away again. “You really must find a way to cover yourself up in these situations,” she continued. “It's unbecoming for you to walk around like that. Can't you retain your clothes when you change?”

  “Come on,” he replied, setting off with the Tenderling in one hand. “The sooner we get back, the sooner I can get back into my dinner suit.”

  “And the sooner we can find out what Edgar and Kate have learned,” Estella whispered, staring up at the distant mansion for a moment with a hint of bitterness in her eyes. “After all, if he couldn't tear himself away to come and help me, I'm sure it must be something terribly important.”

  II

  “Can you keep it down in here?” Benjamin muttered as he made his way through to the front room, “some of us are trying to -”

  Stopping in the doorway, he saw that the source of the giggling and laughter was not only his brother but also an unexpected late-night guest: Evangeline Mediaci was sitting at the table, with a glass of beer in her hand, although she immediately looked shocked and a little guilty when they made eye contact.

  “I'm sorry,” Benjamin continued, “I didn't know we had -”

  “It's okay,” she replied, getting to her feet eagerly and setting the beer down. “I just...”

  “Evangeline and I had a drink in the cantina,” Joshua replied with a grin, taking a swig from his own glass. “When the place shut for the night, I figured I'd invite her over to continue the fun. Never thought she'd actually take me up on the offer but, well, here she is. I'm a lucky boy, eh?”

  “I should be getting home soon,” Evangeline continued, keeping her gaze fixed on Benjamin. “I just... I wouldn't normally be out so late, I know it's terribly wrong of me.”

  “You're old enough to do whatever you wish,” Benjamin replied, dropping his keys into the metal dish on the counter.

  “Don't let us detain you,” Joshua said. “We'll keep the noise down, you can go back to bed.”

  “No, stay!” Evangeline added, stepping away from the table. “I mean, if you want to stay...”

  “I should get some sleep,” Benjamin replied. “It's late and...” He paused for a moment, thinking back to the moment when Madeleine had run from the lighthouse. Knowing that he'd never be able to sleep, and that he'd merely spend the night staring up at the ceiling, he felt torn for a moment. His mind was racing and Madeleine's words were ringing in his ears, taunting his every thought.

  “You're pathetic,” he heard her voice hissing. “How could you think that so
meone like me would ever love someone like you?”

  “Please,” Evangeline continued, putting a hand on his arm. “Won't you sit with us for just a few minutes?”

  “Let him get to bed,” Joshua muttered. “We can have far more fun without him. You know what my older brother's like, he has a tendency to make everything so serious.”

  “You look sad,” Evangeline said, pulling a chair out for Benjamin. “I know you, I know that expression... Has something happened?”

  Rolling his eyes, Joshua took another swig of beer.

  “It's nothing,” Benjamin said, turning to go back to the stairs. “I should leave you two alone.”

  “No!” Evangeline continued, grabbing his wrist. “Please,” she whispered, “stay.”

  Sensing her unease, Benjamin made his way back over to the table. He could tell that Evangeline regretted accepting Joshua's invitation for a drink, and he figured that even if he didn't particularly feel like company, he should help one of his old school-friends get out of a difficult situation.

  “Oh good,” Joshua said with a sigh. “The more the merrier, eh?”

  “It's Madeleine, isn't it?” Evangeline continued, ignoring Joshua completely as she and Benjamin sat at the other end of the table. “Don't try lying to me, Benjamin, I know when a man's heart has been broken.” She waited for a reply. “She's a strange one,” she added finally. “I've seen her around town a few times, and I've got to admit, something about her sends a shiver down my spine. There's a touch of darkness about her, in the way she looks and the way she moves and the way she... Oh, perhaps I'm being unfair, I've no real experience with her and I shouldn't imagine that'll ever change, but she just strikes me as being a very brooding person. Is that really the kind of person you like?”

  She waited for a reply, but Benjamin seemed lost in thought for a moment.

  “Is that the kind of person you like?” she asked finally. “Benjamin?”

  “I cannot put it into words,” he replied quietly.