by Tim Waggoner
He nodded.
"I guess it's everywhere," I said. I wondered how long it would be before Waldemar installed flesh computers in the Great Library and Gregor set up his own homepage on the Aethernet.
"Unfortunately," Arleigh said," the pastureland doesn't extend all the way to the Bridge of Forgotten Pleasures."
"Let me guess," I said. "The way we need to go is directly through the section of the Wyldwood where the Hunt's being conducted."
Arleigh nodded, and I sighed again. Never easy.
Arleigh offered to help us through the Wyldwood and I, distrusting soul that I am, wanted to know why. He puzzled over my question for a few moments before finally smiling apologetically. "The only reason I can give you is because it's the right thing to do."
I didn't buy it, but then twenty years as a cop and two as a zombie had made me a tad cynical. Maybe the lyke was just following his nature again. Whatever his reason for aiding us, we couldn't afford to turn him down.
Arleigh led us through the Wyldwood's pasturelands, but even though he assured us we were safe here, I kept my gun out. Just in case. Before long, however, we had to leave the pastureland and return to the forest. Arleigh thought he'd be able to lead us past the Hunt, but I could tell by the nervous way the lyke kept sniffing the air and looking around that he wasn't as confident as he would've liked us to believe.
We periodically heard the hunting horns, sometimes closer, sometimes farther. Arleigh told us not to worry overmuch about the horns, for sound traveled in deceptive ways in the forest.
Eventually, we reached a small clearing, and Arleigh said he needed to stop a moment and get his bearings. He crouched down, his nose shifted back to a rabbit's, whiskers and all, and he sniffed the ground.
A horn blasted, sounding close by. It was followed by the noise of something large and heavy crashing through the underbrush directly toward us. Arleigh stood, rabbit nose quivering in fear.
"We need to get out of here!" I told him. "Which way?"
But he only stood, transfixed, staring in the direction of whatever was approaching, and trembled. I grabbed his arm and shook him a couple times, but I couldn't break him out of his terror-induced trance. I figured to hell with him, then.
"C'mon, Devona, we have to–"
Before I could finish my sentence, an animal unlike any I had ever seen before bounded into the clearing. It looked something like a muscular ostrich, only with a thick neck and a large, cruelly hooked beak. No doubt one of the "augmented" animals the Hunt pursued. The bird skidded to a stop upon seeing us. It cocked its head and examined us, probably trying to determine if we were a threat or not.
Evidently, the answer was not, for it let forth an angry squawk and came charging at us, snapping its hook-beak.
I only had five silver bullets left, and I hated to waste them on the lyke's prey, but I couldn't let the giant bird attack us either. I aimed for the thing's throat, but before I could fire, a spear whizzed through the air and sunk into the creature's back with a meaty-moist thuk! The bird screeched in pain and pitched forward, where it lay writhing in the grass.
A huge wolfman stepped into the clearing, powerfully built, lupine head held high in a regal fashion. Lord Amon, I presumed. He was followed closely by a half dozen other lykes of various predator species, one of which – a humanoid bobcat – carried an antler horn slung over his shoulder by a leather strap. I was impressed by how silent the lykes had been – they hadn't made a sound.
I didn't need Arleigh to tell us we had stumbled across the Wild Hunt.
The bird, though bleeding profusely, was still very much alive, squawking and thrashing its powerful legs. The wolfman walked up to the animal and regarded it for a moment. I expected him to finish it off, but instead the wolf-headed humanoid padded over to us. I thought he might do any number of things, all of them involving his teeth and claws and our flesh, but he stopped in front of us and then did something I didn't anticipate and couldn't have imagined: he fell to one knee.
"I have downed the bird, my Lord. Would you do me the honor of dispatching it?"
At first, for some crazy reason, I thought the lyke was addressing me. But then Arleigh replied, "You have done well, Rolf. Rise and claim the honor for yourself." The wererabbit's voice was no longer high-pitched but low and resonant.
The wolfman stood and grinned. "Thank you, my Lord." Then he turned and loped toward the bird and, with a single savage bite and twist of his jaws, broke the animal's neck. He ripped off a hunk of meat, and walked away from the kill to devour it. The other lykes waited until Rolf was eating before rushing to the dead bird, snarling, yipping, and biting as they fought for the best of the remaining meat.
"My people have never been much for table manners," Arleigh said.
Devona and I turned toward him, but the rabbity man was gone; in his place stood a broad-shouldered, ruddy-faced man in full fox hunting regalia – little black hat, red jacket, white jodhpurs, shiny black boots, even a riding crop held in one black leather-gloved hand. But despite his transformation, the being still possessed the same yellow eyes as Arleigh.
"Allow me to introduce myself," he said with a touch of British accent. "I am Amon, Lord of the Wyldwood." He smiled, displaying a mouthful of sharp teeth. "So nice of you to drop by."
SEVENTEEN
"Forgive my little deception, but once I became aware of you, I thought it best to investigate. And the guise of Arleigh seemed a perfect way to do so."
"And what did you learn?" I asked. It appeared Amon wasn't limited to one wildform as were his subjects – which made sense seeing as how he was King of the Shapeshifters. Still, I was more than a little angry at myself for being fooled so easily. The yellow eyes should have been a tip-off. Who'd ever seen a rabbit with yellow eyes?
"What I needed to know: that you're not a threat sent by one of my fellow Lords. This time of year, we Darklords tend to be busy with certain preparations. So busy that we're more vulnerable than usual to each others' machinations." He smiled. "I myself have set in motion several plots against my peers over the centuries, most of them around the anniversary of the Descension. Unfortunately, none bore much fruit. We tend to be too evenly matched. Still, the fun is in the game, is it not?"
"I'm not a Darklord, so I wouldn't know," I said. Devona gave me a warning look, but I ignored her. The English gentleman act was getting on my nerves. "And speaking of preparations, shouldn't you be conserving your energy for the Renewal Ceremony? I'm surprised you're out hunting instead of meditating or something."
The English fox hunter guise melted away to be replaced by that of a khaki-clothed big-game hunter, complete with elephant gun. The English accent disappeared, too, to be replaced by gravely American. "We each prepare in our own way. Galm meditates, Talaith engages in rites with her people, Edrigu communes with the spirit world, and Varvara throws a lavish party. I have been marshaling my power for weeks now. Today I prepare my mind and soul by engaging in the activity which is at the very core of my being – the Hunt."
I nodded to the ravaged corpse of the huge bird. "It didn't look like you were doing much hunting to me."
Amon ignored the dig. "My sons and daughters always accompany me. This was Rolf's kill."
I looked at the lykes of varied species scattered about the clearing, all of whom were hunkered down, greedily devouring their shares of meat. "Nice family," I said dryly.
Frank Buck gave way to a yellow-eyed Daniel Boone, dressed in the requisite buckskin clothing and coonskin cap, complete with Kentucky accent. "What they lack in manners, they make up for in enthusiasm."
"You're a busy monster, so let's cut to the chase," I said. "What do you intend to do with us?"
"The story we told Arleigh – told you – is true," Devona added. "We're just trying to get back to the Sprawl. We're on an errand of great concern to my father, Lord Galm."
"I believe you," Amon said. "Though you provided few details, I could sense what you told me was indeed the truth."
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I wondered how Amon could be so sure of that. Because of his heightened shapeshifter senses, which functioned as an organic lie detector? Or maybe through other abilities he possessed as a Darklord? Whichever, he did seem to believe us, which was the important thing.
Devona started to talk but Amon, who had become a tall, lean, spear-wielding African tribesman, silenced her with a gesture. "Details are unnecessary. Regardless of whether your errand is of major or minor importance, if your failure to complete it will inconvenience Galm, that's reason enough for me to keep you from continuing your journey."
I still held my 9mm at my side. I wondered if silver would prove effective against Amon, who was obviously much more than an ordinary lyke. The way things were going, it looked like I'd find out soon enough.
"But I have another reason to detain you. Two, actually. And their names are Honani and Thokk."
I groaned inwardly and was uncomfortably aware of the soul jar containing Honani's spirit – which now seemed suddenly very heavy – still resting in my jacket pocket.
"Mr. Richter, you are responsible for Honani's body being taken over by another, and for the grievous injuries inflicted on his sister when she tried to seek justice."
"Vengeance," I corrected.
Amon, now a Native American brave, shrugged. "A mere difference in terminology. Honani and Thokk turned to science to alter their natural abilities. As such, they are outcasts among my people."
I gestured toward the nearly picked clean carcass of Big Bird. "You don't seem completely adverse to science."
"It has its uses," Amon admitted. "Provided it isn't taken too far. Still, even though mixbloods possess corrupted genes, they are shapeshifters and thus still family. You have transgressed against two of my subjects. As Lord of the Wyldwood, I have a responsibility to my people to see that justice is done." He smiled. "Or, if you prefer, vengeance."
I preferred neither in this case, but I kept my mouth shut.
Rolf had finished eating and walked over to us. "These two aren't worthy of your attention, Father." He licked blood off his muzzle. "Especially the zombie. Allow me to slay them for you so that you might not dirty your hands."
Amon, now a shaggy caveman holding an animal's jawbone in one of his thick-knuckled hands, affectionately cuffed his child. "You've had your fun, Rolf. Now it is your father's turn."
Rolf bowed his head and stepped back.
I wondered what the odds were of my squeezing off a shot at Amon before one or more of his children fell upon me. Not good, I decided.
Then I had an idea. I raised my left hand and displayed the mark upon my palm. "My master, Lord Edrigu, will be displeased if anything should happen to us."
Amon looked at the mark for a moment and then burst out laughing. "That symbol merely means that Edrigu has laid a claim on your soul, zombie. I'm sure he'd be happy to collect it earlier than anticipated."
"Then what of my father?" Devona said in her best haughtyregal voice. "I am not just his daughter; I am also the keeper of his Collection. He would be furious if any harm were to come to me or my companion."
She sounded convincing enough, but I could tell by the uncertain look in her eyes that she wasn't sure that Lord Galm would be all that upset if his half-breed daughter died in the Wyldwood. I felt sorry for her then. What would it be like to have known a father for over seventy years, to have taken care of his Collection for nearly thirty, to have worked hard for him in hope of some simple recognition and still not know whether he cared if you lived or died?
Maybe Amon sensed her uncertainty as well, for after a moment's thought, he said, "You have aided in an assault on one of my subjects and trespassed on my Dominion. Galm cannot gainsay my right to justice."
Amon shimmered and was now a beer-gutted, flannel-shirted, John Deere-capped, shotgun-toting hunter, complete with chewing tobacco juice dribbling down his stubbled chin.
"But as it's the anniversary of the Descension and we are in the middle of the Wild Hunt, I shall make you a proposition." He turned his head and spit a brown stream into the grass. "Several miles from here is a small glen. You will be taken there and set free. All you need do is reach the other side, and I shall let you continue on your way to the Sprawl and will seek no further action against you for what happened to Honani and Thokk."
"And the catch is?" I asked.
Amon smiled, displaying tobacco-stained fangs. "I shall be hunting you."
"You have been given a great honor," Rolf said. He and his feral siblings escorted us through the forest, Rolf leading, the others enclosing us in a circle.
"Yeah, it's a dream come true," I replied.
He snarled and his clawed hands tensed. I'm sure he would've taken my head off if we hadn't been his father's prey. Before we'd set out, Rolf had taken my gun from me and now carried it in his left hand. Lykes are highly allergic to silver, but my bullets were safely encased within the gun, allowing him to hold it without harm. Still, I thought I could detect a slight swelling of his hand. I was surprised and puzzled that the lykes hadn't gotten rid of my gun as soon as they'd taken it from me. But when we reached the glen, I understood why.
"The hunt shall begin as soon as we depart," Rolf said solemnly. "My father, in deference to your weakness, shall give you a head start." His sharp-toothed smile reminded me of Amon. "How much of a head start, however, you shall not know." He pointed a clawed finger toward the other side of the glen. "The rules are simple. Reach the other side and your lives will be spared. Fail to do so, and you die."
He dropped my gun to the ground. "Once we are gone, you may pick up your weapon and begin." Before we could ask any questions, Rolf and the others bounded away into the forest, moving through the underbrush with silent, liquid grace.
I retrieved my gun and checked the clip. The five silver bullets were still there.
"It seems Lord Amon doesn't believe in hunting defenseless prey," Devona said.
"Or that he isn't as vulnerable to silver as an ordinary lyke. Let's get moving; the clock's ticking."
As soon as we stepped into the glen, it became night. I don't mean the perpetual dusk created by the diffuse shadowlight of Umbriel; I mean honest-to-God night, with stars and everything. Despite our situation, I was so surprised that I stopped and stared overhead. They were the first stars I had seen in two years, and they were beautiful.
For an instant I had the dizzying sensation that we had somehow stepped through an unseen door between Nekropolis and Earth – that I was home.
"Are those stars?" Devona asked, her voice soft with wonder. "I've heard about them, but I've never actually seen any before. They're lovely – and so far away. They make me feel small, and yet somehow big at the same time. Does that make any sense?"
"It makes perfect sense. But they can't be real stars. What we're looking at is most likely an illusion, a distraction designed to slow us down."
"You're right, of course. I'll lead the way; my night vision is better than yours." She took my hand and pulled me forward.
"And keep a nose out for Amon. We don't know what form he'll be wearing when he attacks, but it has to have a scent."
"Right."
We ran. The grass was slick with dew, and the sound of crickets chirping filled the air. I knew it was all just special effects supplied courtesy of Amon, but a wave of homesickness hit me hard, and I thought that if I had to die for good, I could pick far worse places in Nekropolis.
We continued forward, Devona's gaze fixed unwaveringly on the opposite tree line, her heightened senses alive and alert; I held my gun at the ready, my comparatively weak vision and hearing working overtime, cop instincts on full.
Moments that felt more like hours passed, without any sign of the master of the Wyldwood.
"Why is Amon even bothering to stalk us?" Devona said in frustration. "He's a Darklord, one of the six most powerful beings in the city, including Father Dis. How can we possibly provide him with a real challenge?"
"I don't know mu
ch about Amon, but I've heard it said he gets as much pleasure from swatting flies as he does from stalking big game. To him, the hunt is everything."
Devona started to reply, but then she suddenly squatted down, yanking me along with her so hard I felt something pull in my arm. I heard rather than felt something large pass through the air above us, approximately where our heads had been. A shrill cry of frustration sounded, followed by the flapping of wings as whatever it was began gaining altitude for another run.
"Looks like our head start's over," I muttered, scanning the night sky for Amon. I looked for a black patch against the stars, but whichever shape Amon was wearing, he was moving too fast for me to locate him. And then I heard something large whistling through the air and Devona screamed.
The starlight didn't provide much illumination, but it was enough for me to see that Devona was struggling with a large bird – an eagle or maybe a condor; it was difficult to tell in the dark. Whichever the particular avian, I knew it really was Amon. I raised my gun, but didn't dare fire for fear of hitting Devona.