Magic After Dark: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels

by Margo Bond Collins

  “The pub keeper wiped a stray tear from his eye as his laughter settled down to chuckling. ‘What is your name, hero?’ That last word was stressed in such a way as to make it sound an insult. ‘We have been keeping a record of those who are killed by the monster. Some of the villagers have taken to betting on them. You know, how long they will live, things like that.’

  “Erent Caahs looked in the man’s eyes, seeing in his peripheral vision that the blond man had almost reached him. ‘You’d do well not to bet against me,’ he said loudly. ‘As for my name,’ he finished his drink in one swallow, ‘I am called Erent Caahs.’ He turned and headed toward the street.

  “By the time he and Raisor got to the door, there was not a sound in the common room except their footsteps.”

  Chapter 33

  “‘Wait.’ A voice chased them out of the door. ‘Please, wait.’

  “It was the blond-haired man, the hero who had been basking in the adoration of the village folk. The two turned to see him coming up to them.

  “‘Is it true?’ he asked. ‘Are you Erent Caahs? The Erent Caahs?’

  “‘I am.’

  “‘Oh, it is an honor, a great honor to meet you,’ he said. ‘I am Toan Broos.’

  “Erent looked to Raisor and raised an eyebrow. His friend shrugged. The man looked at them expectantly.

  “‘Toan Broos?’ he said again. ‘No? I thought maybe you had heard of me. No matter. Are you here for the dreigan, then? To rid the village of this creature?’

  “‘We are,’ Raisor said. ‘And you?’

  “‘I too.’ He looked at Raisor more carefully. ‘Are you Raisor Tannoch?’

  “‘Aye.’

  “The man put his hand out. ‘It is a pleasure to meet you as well.’ Raisor gave him a skeptical look, but shook his hand.

  “The silence dragged on for a moment. Then Toan Broos broke it. ‘Could I join you? I was about to leave to find the beast, but three have a better chance than one…or two.’

  “Erent looked to his friend again and then to the blond man. ‘I suppose we could work together. Better than you getting in the way trying to do your own thing. You will do as I say, though. I’ll not get killed because you think you have a better way of doing things.’

  “‘Agreed. Give me but a moment to gather my gear. I will meet you at the provisioner.’

  “Erent watched the man trot back to the pub. ‘Is it a mistake, do you think?’ he asked Raisor.

  “The Croagh shrugged. ‘He looks to be handy enough in a fight. If he follows orders, it should be fine.’ A wicked grin came onto his face. ‘Worse comes to worst, we can use him as bait.’ Erent laughed as they headed toward the building with scales and a sack on the sign.

  “All the rest of the day, the trio traveled to the southwest. Within a few hours, they found evidence of those who had encountered the dreigan.

  “‘This looks to be a week old, maybe a week and a half,’ Erent said as he surveyed an area that was obviously a site of a battle. Broken weapons were scattered about: swords, spears, an ax. Bits of leather and chain armor were there, too, along with the remains of packs and supplies. There were dark patches where flies and other insects swarmed. The place had a foul scent, the scent of death.

  “‘There had to be half a dozen men in this party,’ Toan said, ‘judging by the amount of armor and weapons. Half a dozen.’

  “Erent looked at him, his mouth turning down into a frown. ‘What did you think, that the monster would be easy pickings? Have you never heard of the legends of the dreigan? If this truly is one of the mythical beasts, it will be the most dangerous thing I myself have ever faced. And that is saying quite a bit.’

  “Toan Broos stiffened as if insulted. ‘I know, of course. It just came as a surprise. I half-expected the thing to turn out to be a bear or a pack of wolves.’

  “‘Well, I would suggest that this proves otherwise,’ Raisor said. ‘It still may not be a dreigan, but you can bet we’ll earn every penny of the reward for killing this beastie.’

  “They found similar sites farther on, only the apparent numbers of the combatants different. Erent silently inspected each site, pieced together in his head the circumstances of the battles, and then moved on.

  “‘How do you know where you are going?’ Toan asked him toward the end of the day. ‘As big as the creature must be, I don’t see any tracks.’

  “‘That is another bit of evidence that our prey may actually be a dreigan,’ Erent said. ‘They reportedly have the ability to move silently and without trace.’

  “‘All the more reason for me to ask how you know where you are going,’ Toan said.

  “‘He knows,’ Raisor snapped. ‘He knows, so don’t you worry your pretty head about it. Follow where he leads, and you will soon see the monster for yourself.’

  “It was true. Erent Caahs had the ability to track, even without a trail. He was said to be so good that he could track a person’s thought on a cloudy, windy day. He picked out the trail and the other two followed him.

  “They soon came to an area with towering trees. They were spaced well apart from each other, but their boughs high above met and shrouded the entire landscape in darkness. The terrain was rough beneath the treetops, with ruts and rocks, treacherous to pass. Erent continued on as if he could see the goal in front of him brightly lit under the noontime sun.

  “They came to a massive rock formation made from boulders that had fallen from nearby cliffs and created a pile of stone as big as a hill. Within the pile, a gaping hole stared back out at them.

  “‘The trail ends there,’ Erent Caahs said. The other two nodded.

  “Erent unlimbered his bow and the other two checked their swords in their scabbards. Toan Broos swallowed but did not speak. After bringing torches out of their packs and lighting them with flint and steel, their leader nodded and entered the mouth of the cave.

  “The cave was a hollow made from the way the boulders had fallen and stacked. It was massive, but just the entryway. They soon found that it led to an actual cave, one carved into the cliff itself. It stretched off ahead of them, much farther than the torch could show.

  “The smell of the place began to get stronger. The stench of rotting meat and the musk of animals made the men gag and their eyes water. It smelled exactly like what it was: a predator’s den.

  “There were few passages that came off the main one, and those that did were too small to be of concern. The men could have passed through them, but the dreigan must be much larger than they. So they kept following the main passage through its twists and turns until it finally opened into a large chamber.

  “The ceiling was too high for the torch to reach, and likewise the walls were not visible in the flickering yellow light. What was visible was the beast as it rose from its rest, hissing madly at them.

  “It truly was a dreigan. All three humans looked at it in wonder.

  “The beast was at least fifteen feet long. Its body was sinuous, like a snake’s, but looked like one that had just eaten large prey, with a lump in the middle. Unlike a serpent, though, the dreigan had four legs coming out from the side of its torso, much like a lizard. Hardened spines lined the length of its back, and scaly armor—thick as a man’s outstretched hand—covered its entire body. As it lifted its bulk up off the ground, it opened its mouth, showing rows of glistening, razor sharp teeth. It flicked its tail in irritation and locked its huge yellow eyes on the men in front of it.

  “Before it could strike, the men split up. The creature’s eyes tried to follow all of them, but then snapped to focus in front of it. Right at Erent Caahs. A savage roar shook the cavern and its head shot out on its long neck to snatch up the tiny thing in front of it, a striking snake eager to gobble its prey.

  “But Erent was not so easily taken. He rolled to his right, coming up and already firing an arrow at the dreigan. It bounced harmlessly off its tough scales. Meanwhile, the other two men hacked at it with their swords, but again, were defeated by i
ts armor.

  “According to legend, the dreigan could not spit fire or poison, but their teeth and claws were formidable weapons by themselves. It lashed out with these, first to Raisor, then to Toan. The first brought his shield up and deflected the claws, and the second batted the rock-hard claws away with his sword as he dove to avoid the snapping jaws of the beast.

  “Each of the men looked for an opening, a weak spot in the dreigan’s defenses, but it was too fast and too smart to allow them an opportunity. Even its eyes, vital areas, were shielded by a bony brow and scales. Erent could probably get an arrow into one of them, though the creature dipped its head often to provide more protection from its shoulder. The hero could not think of anything else to do, though.

  “The two swordsmen danced and dodged, striking blows with their swords and hoping to find a weak spot. While they were thus occupied, Erent Caahs circled around the beast, looking in the dim light of the torches that had been set down as the battle started. It was regrettable, but he was afraid the creature would have to be killed. A few arrows through the eyes and it would not only be blind, but at least one was sure to penetrate the brain.

  “As he came up behind the dreigan, he saw something that changed his plans completely. His mind went into action, trying desperately to come up with a better plan than putting arrows in the monster’s eyes.

  “For the moment, the dreigan was not paying attention to him, being occupied by the other men working together to try to attack it. Erent took the opportunity to watch it move, paying close attention to every fold and ripple in the scaly armor covering its entire body. Twenty seconds was enough to obtain the information he needed. As he did, the creature’s tail lashed out at him from behind, coming at him with enough force to crush all his bones. The creature was smart. It had not forgotten the archer but waited until he was in the perfect position for the tail to strike.

  “Erent Caahs jumped into the air, flipping backward over the tail as it rushed by him. He landed softly in a crouch, right knee lightly touching the ground while his left foot was placed solidly in front of him. He let loose three arrows in the space of a heartbeat.

  “The dreigan slashed out at Raisor and as it did so, an arrow penetrated a small place where its scales overlapped just under its right foreleg. The shaft slid cleanly in between the scales and the flesh beneath. The other foreleg was moving toward Toan and as it did so, the other two arrows entered similar spaces between the plating, both shafts angling inward.

  “The creature immediately dropped to its belly, pain in its intelligent eyes. Both of the humans with swords dashed in to drive their blades home into its eyes.

  “‘Stop!’ Erent Caahs said. Raisor, having traveled with the man for so long, halted immediately. Toan, battle rage in his eyes, did not seem to hear him. An arrow striking his moving sword, right in front of the man’s face, got his attention.

  “‘Stop, I said,’ Erent repeated. Toan looked toward the hero, looked at the dreigan lying motionless in front of him, nothing moving but its eyes and a flicking tail, and then stopped his forward movement, lowering his sword slightly.

  “Raisor was looking at Erent, patiently waiting for an explanation. ‘What are you stopping me for?’ Toan said. ‘The beast is wounded. It is time to finish it off.’

  “‘No,’ Erent Caahs said. ‘Give me a moment, Toan Broos. We must think before we act, lest we make a mistake that we cannot correct.’

  “Erent stepped up to the dreigan, unafraid though the monster dwarfed him with its size. ‘I have heard that your kind is intelligent,’ he said conversationally to the beast, as if it would sit quietly and listen to him. ‘Even more so than your cousins, the dragons, if in fact they too exist. I hope that it is true.’ The dreigan blinked at him, but there was no other reaction.

  “‘You obviously understand the position you are in. My arrows have been inserted deep into your flesh. With the angle they are at, if you put weight on your forelegs or you try to strike out with them, the shafts will be forced deeper and they will penetrate your heart. You will die. Maybe slowly, but you will die.’

  “The dreigan didn’t move, but a whining noise came from deep in its throat.

  “‘I am going to walk around you, to the rear of the chamber,’ Erent said, picking up one of the torches. ‘I will do no harm, you have my word. I merely want to confirm that I saw what I believed I observed earlier.’ The dreigan gave the hint of a nod.

  “The other two humans followed their leader around the creature’s bulky body, to an alcove in the far reaches of the cave. When they saw what Erent found, they made surprised sounds.

  “There was a smaller version of the dreigan, white to the parent’s brown, but obviously the offspring of the creature. It lifted its scaly head and mewed at the men before dropping tiredly to dusty the stone floor. Its scales were not fully formed, not as hardened as the larger dreigan. The broken shaft of an arrow protruded from one of its legs, and the shattered length of a spear was visible piercing its hind quarters.

  “Erent approached the smaller dreigan cautiously. It was only the size of a small horse, but it still had sharp teeth and claws. The hero removed an apple from the pack he still carried and offered it to the creature. It sniffed and then gently took the apple from his hand, crunching down on the fruit and swallowing it in one bite. It allowed the man to rub his hand along the ridges on top of its head to soothe it while the other hand brought the torch toward the wounds so he could inspect them.

  “‘I’m not sure of dreigan anatomy,’ he said to the other two, silently watching him, ‘but I don’t think the wounds themselves are life threatening. This infection, though,’ he brought his face closer to the spear wound, ‘will kill it if not treated.’

  “He patted the little dreigan again, offered another apple—which it took without hesitation—and came back around to face the larger creature. It had been trying to crane its neck to see what was going on without causing its injuries to worsen.

  “‘It appears to me,’ Erent said to the dreigan, ‘that your little one ran afoul of some villager or adventurers or such. It seems that you have been protecting it and bringing food for it, but that you can’t properly remove the things piercing its hide.’

  “He watched the reptile as he said it, the two locking eyes. It gave another slight nod.

  “‘It also seems to me that dreigan are cautious beasts, not attacking people and bringing attention to themselves without a reason, thus most people believing you don’t exist.’ Another nod. ‘If I remove the shafts and use herbs to clean the wounds, will you leave and bother the humans here no more?’

  “The dreigan nodded, its eyes wide and unblinking. Erent looked to his friends. Raisor nodded immediately, Toan a few seconds after, once he realized what was expected of him.

  “‘Very well. I will take my arrows from you. The wounds will heal; they are not life-threatening on their own. When I do so, do I have your word you will not attack us as I give you my word I will do my best to heal your offspring? The legends say that the dreigan are honorable, and so I trust that this is true.’

  “The dreigan nodded, more emphatically than it should have because it immediately grunted from the pain the movement caused.

  “‘Good. I will trust you and you will trust me.’ Erent went and pulled the shafts from the dreigan, the last being at such an awkward angle he had to put his foot on the creature’s torso and yank with all his might to get it free. The dreigan sighed and slumped to the ground.

  “The archer was as good as his word. He spent fifteen minutes foraging for herbs in the nearby bushes and, when he returned, pulled the shrapnel free from the smaller dreigan, cleaned the wounds completely after lancing the infections, and then applied the crushed herbs to the punctures. He fed the little reptile more food from his pack, and it was soon asleep, exhausted from fighting its sickness. All the while, the larger dreigan lay watching.

  “When he was done, Erent turned back to the beast. ‘The wounds shou
ld heal in a few days, enough for you to leave this place. As long as you are here, the people will try to hunt you. Can you find a new place to live?’

  “The dreigan nodded and jerked its head to another section of the cave. When they brought a torch close to where it indicated, the humans saw that the cavern continued, going deeper into the mountain.

  “‘Does that lead out of this place?’ Erent asked.

  The dreigan nodded again.

  “He rubbed his chin, thinking a moment. ‘I know what we can do, then.’ He explained his plan to the dreigan and his friends. The beast nodded its understanding, and Raisor and Toan voiced their agreement. Within an hour, it was done and the three were headed back to Chisan’s Draw.

  “The pubkeeper was speechless, as were the others in the pub, including the mayor. ‘The beast is dead, you say?’ the mayor asked.

  “‘It is buried under tons of rock,’ Raisor told him, ‘and will never bother you again. You’ll not be having any more trouble with the likes of that beastie.’

  “Cheers went up from the villagers and drinks were brought for the three. Several of the village women swarmed around Toan, and he went off to enjoy their attention in a corner of the common room. So popular was the legend of Erent Caahs, and his dedication to truth and honesty, no one doubted that they had indeed killed the dreigan.

  “No one but the lordling when they stopped at his manor house to report they had disposed of the monster.

  “‘Where is its head?’ he asked. ‘I told you to bring back proof, not stories.’

  “Erent had told the other two this would happen. He didn’t care. He hadn’t accepted the job for the money. He told his companions that they could come back in a month or two to make a case for themselves after the dreigan hadn’t been seen for some time, but as far as he was concerned, the matter was settled. The villagers were safe, the dreigan and its baby would continue to exist, and he had found another companion who was a worthy member of his traveling party. Toan Broos accompanied Erent Caahs after that, but that is the stuff of other stories.”