by Bobby Adair
“What happened to the soft-hearted men?” Oliver asked.
“Arguments, hatred, and fights. The soft-hearted men hated Lady and Bruce.”
“Fights?” Oliver asked. “The soft-hearted men fought with a woman? Fist fights?”
“Yes.” Winthrop glanced at Nelson before answering, paused, and said, “No man could beat Lady in a fist fight.”
Oliver gulped. “Wow. I don’t know what to say about that.”
“It is difficult for most men to accept,” said Winthrop. “That is why we don’t tell those parts of the story in our devotional service. Most men cannot accept it.”
Oliver understood. “So the soft-hearted men got tired of being shamed by a woman and they left?”
“Lady and Bruce exiled them. After that, there were fifty-seven, the first of the clean ones. We are all descended from them.” Father Winthrop picked up a hunk of bread and bit off a large piece, as if needing to replenish his energy.
Father Nelson took over the conversation, as if he and Father Winthrop had practiced the handoff several times before. “Many years ago, when I was not much older than Franklin here, I went with Father Winthrop’s predecessor and a half dozen other faithful men on a pilgrimage to find Hell.”
Oliver shuddered. Franklin grimaced.
“You see,” said Nelson, “Father Winthrop’s predecessor believed in the metaphorical Hell. He believed that the place where Lady and Bruce spent their seven years below the earth was a real place, and he believed that it was a place not far from here. That makes sense, right? If they were going to build the first town after the fall of the Ancients, why travel far from their refuge to do so?”
Shaking his head, unable to hide his disbelief, Oliver asked, “Even if this place was real, how could Father Bristol hope to find it? The earth is, well…big, I guess, and demons are everywhere.”
Father Nelson put his condescending hand back on Oliver’s shoulder. “Father Bristol said he possessed a secret knowledge. He never told me or anyone else what that was, or where he got it. He said he’d tell me after the pilgrimage.”
“But he didn’t?” Oliver asked.
“You’re jumping ahead,” said Nelson.
“Sorry.”
“We journeyed into the mountains in the east. Of the six of us, two died from demon bite on the way.”
Oliver interrupted, “They turned to demons?”
Nelson shook his head. “They were murdered and eaten.” Nelson looked distantly at the bowl in front of him, but shook off the memory and picked the story back up. “We searched the mountain all through the summer and into the winter. We were up on the mountain in the deep snow, thinking we’d perish, when we stumbled upon something strange.”
“What was it? What did you stumble upon?” asked Oliver.
Nelson leaned over the table and let the suspense build as he looked around at them. “A steel door.”
“A door made of steel?” Franklin’s tone made it clear that he didn’t believe it.
Nelson nodded cockily.
“A whole door, the whole thing made of steel?” asked Oliver.
“Yes,” said Nelson.
“Was it a small door?” Oliver shook his head. Surely a door made of such precious metal couldn’t be large.
Nelson leaned back and spread his hands. “No, a large door, as wide as a man can reach with outstretched arms.”
“No,” Oliver whispered.
“I saw it myself. Touched it myself.” Nelson looked at Franklin and then back at Oliver.
Oliver said, “With that much steel, you could be rich.”
“Yes, I could. But it was not riches that we sought; at least, not riches of this earth. We sought spiritual riches on our pilgrimage.”
“Did you open the door?” Oliver asked.
Father Winthrop said, “Let the man finish his story, boy.”
“Yes, Father.”
“We didn’t need to open the door,” said Nelson.” It was made of heavy, thick steel, but time had rusted it through in places, and we were each able to squeeze inside through the holes.”
“What did you find?”
“At first we thought it was a cave.”
“A cave with a door?” Oliver grinned.
Nelson shrugged and continued. “We realized that the walls were made by man, both of old, rusted steel, and Ancient Stone. There were artifacts, made by the hand of man, some for no purpose that we could discern, others that we could. We found jars and bottles with strange markings.”
Oliver was rapt.
“But the strangest, most wonderful thing of all, was a room that we discovered through a door in the corner of this strange place.”
“And what was in it?” Oliver asked.
“The door into that room was in better condition than the one that led into the shelter, being out of the weather, I suspect. When we let ourselves inside, we saw ancient and rotted artifacts on the floor, as we saw in the other room, but the most amazing thing was that the walls were painted in faded, flaking paint.” Father Nelson paused. “And everyone knows that in the legend of Lady and Bruce, Lady was a painter.”
Father Nelson looked around at his small audience, ensuring that he had everyone’s full attention. “The murals on the wall showed two people wearing strange clothing. The garments looked to have been made of leaves, and were of multiple colors of the forest. In some places the coloring on the clothes looked so similar to the background trees and bushes, it was hard to see if the figures were people or not. Their arms and faces were the only parts not covered with the cloth. In one mural, they were fighting the monsters and killing many. There were parts of the painting that showed the two living in the magical city, and showed them hunting the animals of the forest.”
“How did you know it was Lady and Bruce?” Oliver asked.
“At first, we didn’t. The pictures of the two people appeared to match the descriptions of the two from the legend. But in each picture, they both appeared to be men. At least that’s what we all thought. That is, until we came across a section of one of the murals where they were both naked and holding hands in a field of beautiful flowers. Well, I guess the flowers were beautiful before they were faded by time. But that confirmed it for us. The two naked people were definitely a man and a woman, Lady and Bruce.”
Chapter 18: Ella
After conversation with the Warden had died down, Ella focused on her surroundings. Other than the faint rush of the river’s current, she could hear the chirps and chatter of birds, and the sound was soothing. Despite her circumstances, she felt freer than she had in a while—perhaps freer than she’d ever been.
Gone were the confines of the guard, the commanding presence of the Elders, and the threat of Blackthorn’s men. All rules had been stripped away, leaving her alone with her decisions.
How nice it would be to build a house in the wild, to make one’s own way.
If it weren’t for the monsters lurking in the woods, the feeling of freedom might’ve overwhelmed her with joy. But another thought kept lingering in her mind.
Soon William would be one of them.
She squeezed her son’s hand tighter, savoring the minutes. She’d protect him to the end. Whatever that took, however long he had, she’d be there for him.
The guards would be after them soon. Ella and William needed to hurry. If they were caught, all the freedom they’d gained would be stripped away.
They followed the Warden for half of a day, until the sun transformed from yellow to orange and the tree branches started to blend with the forest. Bray broke the silence.
“We’ll need to take shelter soon. Are you hungry?” he asked.
“A little,” Ella admitted.
“Do you have food?”
She thought of the berries in her bag. Although she had enough food for three people, she was hesitant to share. Who knew how long it would need to last?
“Not much.”
“Don’t worry about me—I’ve alrea
dy eaten.”
At the prospect of stopping, Ella instinctively glanced behind them, half-expecting a troop of men on their heels, or a pack of demons, but the forest was empty.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be concealed,” Bray said. “Nightfall is coming, and we won’t want to stay out past sunset. Follow me. I know a place where we can stay.”
Bray took a turn through the trees. He wound through brush and bramble and up an incline, navigating a bed of loose stone.
“Be quiet,” Bray warned, as William tumbled a few rocks noisily underfoot.
Ella and William followed his lead, stepping lightly, gaining elevation with each step. Before long, they were on top of a grass-covered hill. Several ancient stones marked the perimeter, lined up in a rectangular formation. In the center of the stones was a recessed hole, about ten feet deep. The bottom was covered in tall weeds and ivy.
“Was there a building here?” she asked.
Bray nodded. “Yes. A long time ago.”
Bray walked the perimeter, peering off the small hill and into the surrounding forest. After a few minutes surveillance, he proclaimed that they were safe. He pointed to a half-crumbled wall and directed them to crouch behind it.
“Rest here and eat. Then we’ll hole up before dark.”
He scratched his chin, and then stationed himself nearby. Ella and William followed his instruction and dipped behind the wall. She unslung her pack and dug into it, keeping a close eye on the Warden, but he wasn’t showing any interest in them. He was busy glancing over the hill.
“I’m not hungry,” William told Ella, almost immediately.
“You have to eat,” she stated.
She opened the flaps and began digging for a pouch of dried berries. She found one in the bottom of the pack. Among the food pouches was another containing her silver. She buried it underneath some clothes, then scooped out a handful of fruit and reached out to William. He kept his hands at his sides.
“William!” she snapped, giving him a stern look. It was the look she reserved for the rare occasions when he wouldn’t tidy the house, or when she had trouble rousing him in the morning.
“It doesn’t matter anymore, Mom.”
“Of course it matters. You need to eat.”
“But pretty soon I’ll be—”
Her eyes widened and she made a grab for him, and William silenced himself immediately. She snuck a peek at Bray. He was still standing ten feet away, looking out over the trees and hills. It didn’t appear he’d heard anything. Still, there was no way to be sure.
“We’ll talk later,” she said quietly.
She retrieved a handful of berries and popped them in her mouth, chewing out of habit rather than hunger. After a few moments of silence, Bray wandered from his post and back over to them.
“How’re you feeling?” he asked.
“Fine,” Ella said, keeping her eyes on her bag.
“I was just checking. A lot of townsfolk aren’t used to the exercise.”
She snuck a look at him, and saw that he was smirking.
“We get plenty of it,” she retorted.
Ella felt a tinge of annoyance. Between her time spent gathering and her daily rounds to the merchants, she was in better shape than most. Maybe even better than when she’d tended the farm with Ethan. Rather than explaining herself, she kept quiet.
Right now, it was better to be annoyed than afraid.
When William finished his food, he stood, dusting the dirt from his pants, and surveyed the horizon. Ella noticed he’d lost his look of resignation. She packed the remaining berries back in her bag and stood.
Bray was pointing at a mountain in the distance.
“Do you see that?” he asked.
Ella and William nodded.
“That’s what we call Wanderer’s Peak.”
“Is that where we’re going?” William asked.
“Not now. We’d never make it before nightfall. Tomorrow evening we’ll stay there.”
“Why is it called Wanderer’s Peak?”
“It’s the highest point between Brighton and Davenport. A lot of the Wardens use it for safety. It gives us a better view of the demons. Better than here.”
“Will other Wardens be there?” Ella asked, trying to mask her concern.
Bray shrugged. “We’ll see. I have a spot of my own up there that nobody knows about. So either way, we don’t have to worry about finding a place to sleep tomorrow.” He looked up at the sun, which was starting to descend.
“Where are we staying tonight?”
“Right here,” he said.
Bray pointed down into the square hole beside where they’d eaten.
Ella followed the line of his finger down. “What am I looking at?”
“You can barely see it,” he said, “But down there, behind that debris is an ancient door that leads to a room.”
Ella asked, “Do you mean a room built by the Ancients?”
Bray looked at Ella like she had just asked him the stupidest of questions. “Of course.”
“The demons.” Ella looked around nervously. “They live in ruins like these.”
Bray laughed heartily. “Is that what you’ve heard? That they have their own houses?”
Ella glared at him. This Warden was going to be hard to like.
“Not all ruins,” said Bray. “Just in the ancient city.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“I’m sure.” Bray turned and pointed at Wanderer’s peak. “If we try to make it to the peak we won’t get there until well after midnight. Travelling through the forest at night is not wise. If we spend the night here, we’ll be safe.”
Ella stared into the debris. “Or you’ll murder us and leave our bodies inside the room.”
Bray laughed loudly again. “Why would I need to murder you down there and foul a perfectly good hideout with your corpses? Wouldn’t I have been better off to let the monsters kill you by the river?”
Ella looked down into the hole and gasped. While her and Bray were talking, William had climbed down and cracked the door. He was peeking behind the debris into a dark hole in the side of the rectangle. “William. Get back here. Now!”
William looked back up, smiled, and slipped out of sight.
“No.” Ella looked left and right at the walls of the big square hole, looking for an obvious way down.
Bray jumped into the hole, rolled to the ground and bounced back up to his feet. He pointed at the thick wall of vines. “Climb down there.”
Looking at the depth of the hole, Ella knew she’d break an ankle if she jumped. She ran around to the other side of the hole and scrambled down the wall, scratching herself and tearing her dress on the way.
Once her feet hit solid ground, she turned to see Bray squeezing through the opened door, which was hidden behind some kind of fallen support beam. It seemed to be going into the earth. “Bray?”
He didn’t turn around.
She bounded across the small space and squeezed behind the support beam and through the door. “William? William?”
Inside the dark room, she smelled smoke and ashes. Once her eyes adjusted, she saw Bray’s silhouette.
“William’s here,” Bray said. “He’s fine.”
She shuffled forward though she could barely make out the floor. When she reached William, she grasped his shoulder and turned him around. “What were you thinking?”
He looked up at her with a question on his shadowed face. “What?”
“What are you doing running off without me?”
He shook his head. “I was exploring.”
Calming her frantic breathing she said, “Don’t do that. You can’t explore when you’re outside the circle wall. Demons could’ve been in here. You could’ve—”
“What?” William asked. “There are no demons in here.”
Bray was looking around in the semi-darkness. “He’s right. They don’t come down here.”
“You can’t know that,” Ella told Wil
liam.
“I know,” William replied.
Ella shook her head and drew an exasperated breath as she took in the darkened room. Through the faint light from the doorway, she could make out the cracks in the walls. The room was larger then her house back in Brighton and full of debris. “How could you know demons weren’t down here?”
William pointed out through the door they’d come through. “Nothing on the ground outside was disturbed. No tracks, no broken twigs. Even the autumn leaves weren’t crunched like they’d been stepped on.”
“He’s right about that,” said Bray.
Ella laughed and ran her hand through William’s hair. “A day and a half in the wild and now you’re a tracker.”
William’s face turned serious as he shook his head. “I notice things, Mom. I’m a kid, but I notice things.”
“You don’t even know what demon footprints look like.” Ella bent over to bring her face level with William’s. “How would you know the difference between a demon foot print and a person’s footprint? How could you know that the demons hadn’t been careful when they snuck in so they could ambush the next person who came through the door?”
William pushed his mom’s hand off his head. “I saw their tracks in the forest yesterday and today. You didn’t notice them, but I did.”
Ella looked worriedly up at Bray, as though he might say something to prove William’s words untrue. She said, “William, how come you didn’t say anything to me?”
“You were already frightened,” he answered. “I didn’t want to scare you anymore. I wanted to protect you.”
Ella engulfed the boy in a hug and sniffled. “It’s my job to protect you, honey.”
Bray moved away from them. “I’ll start a fire. It may get cold tonight.” He shuffled through the scraps of wood and other things on the floor, collecting what looked like it might burn.
Ella let go of William.
William said, “I learned about the tracks as we were walking through the forest.”
“Just by walking through the forest?” Ella wasn’t sure whether to believe William or not.
He shrugged. “There wasn’t anything else to do so I paid attention. I learned that the twisted men don’t wear shoes. Not like us.”