by Vered Ehsani
We rounded a bend, and the path cleared ahead of us. Koki was nowhere to be seen.
Chapter 26
JONAS MUTTERED SOMETHING in Swahili that couldn’t possibly be appropriate for mixed company; I forgave him as I couldn’t understand the language he used and because I sympathized with his sentiments. The wolf sat on its haunches in the middle of the narrow, root-infested path and panted, its tongue hanging out of the side of its toothy maw.
Huffing, Yao tripped against me. “Where is she?” he wheezed.
“We’ve lost her,” Jonas said. “Or she’s lost us.”
“I’d have thought it rather difficult to lose a giant Mantis,” I commented, “and yet, here we are.” I craned my neck to study the jungle around us with no more luck than before.
“Now what?” Jonas demanded as he too studied our surroundings.
“We go home,” Yao said with a sniff that bordered on a sob. “Yao doesn’t like this one bit. We should return to our normal bodies.” He lifted his hands before him and glared at the unimpressive arms he’d been provided.
Snickering, Jonas said, “Better not die or you’ll be stuck with that body for a long time.”
“Silence,” I ordered as I cupped a hand around my right ear which, like my left hand, had been restored to its former glory. Gone were the bite marks of the werewolf that had attacked me during my childhood.
“What do you hear?” Yao whispered in my other ear, his breath tickling me.
“An imbecile who has no concept of personal space,” I remarked as I sidled away from him.
“But Jonas isn’t in your personal space,” Yao replied as he wrung his hands together. “Oh, why can’t we go home?”
“Just go then,” Jonas snapped and flapped his hands at Yao as if shooing chickens out of the house. “No one’s stopping you.”
Yao straightened his stooped shoulders. “Yao will never abandon Miss Knight.”
“How unfortunate,” I muttered. “Let’s proceed but do try to keep quiet, both of you.”
The silver wolf led the procession, and we did our best to follow without falling on each other or over the roots. After a few minutes, Jonas pointed at the ground and watched me with an expectancy I couldn’t comprehend.
“Yes?” I inquired.
Shaking his head at my stupidity, he gestured around us. “See the Mantis’ tracks? They stop abruptly right in front of us, as if something just swooped out of the air, snatched her up and carried her off without a fuss.”
“That demon is very fussy,” Yao said, his thin lips pursed in disapproval. “She wouldn’t allow herself to be carried off so peacefully.”
“The more pertinent point,” I said, “is that there exists in this world something big enough to carry her away.”
“Oh,” Yao whispered as Jonas nodded, satisfied that I’d comprehended the situation.
“What could be big enough to do such a thing?” I wondered aloud.
Yao whispered, “What would even want to do that?” His eyes darted back and forth as if expecting at any moment the culprit to return for him.
“That’s a lot of insect,” Jonas said, scratching the small curls atop his head. “Insects are food.”
Refraining from expressing my revulsion at the notion, I gazed about for any sign of what happened to our guide. As there was none, I continued down the path, hoping to discover some indication of Koki’s location. The wolf loped ahead and issued a bark that could only be described as jovial before darting off the path and into the undergrowth.
“Blast it,” I cursed while I hurried after the wolf.
“Maybe it’s found Koki,” Jonas suggested with little enthusiasm.
“Or the thing that took her,” Yao said, his voice trembling. “Yao doesn’t want to meet that thing.”
The undergrowth thinned out, and we entered a clearing amongst the trees. Before us was a cliff face in which was carved the entrance to a cave. To one side was a large, metal cage with a single occupant.
I was all astonishment upon seeing Koki in her human form locked up in the cage. Although clearly intended to hold an animal the size of an elephant (or a giant mantis), the thick bars were close enough together to prevent her from squeezing through, as she was attempting to do.
“You’re still alive,” Koki said, as if the very notion was ludicrous.
“As are you,” I retorted.
“Jonas thought something ate you,” Yao said, some of his normal cheer bubbling up through his comment.
“At least, I’d hoped so,” Jonas muttered.
“I should be so lucky,” Koki replied as she ceased her efforts to push through the bars. “It’s decided that I would make a suitable mate with which to breed.”
While her voice was haughty and detached, there was a glimmer in her eyes that I couldn’t quite identify.
“Must be crazy,” Jonas said as he swiveled around to study the clearing. The ground was an extension of the rocky floor of the cave and didn’t provide any indication of what sort of creature would throw its future mate into a cage.
“The key, Miss Knight,” Koki hissed, gesturing upward to the padlock that secured the door of the cage. “Quickly, before that abomination returns.”
“Where is it?” I whispered in return. “The key, that is.”
“Who cares?” Jonas said with a snort. “Let’s leave her and be done with it. She can be someone else’s problem.”
“She did try to devour you,” Yao added, referring to her attempted attack in the barn, and patted his bony chest. “Yao saved you.”
I paused and allowed myself to ruminate over that tempting idea. To be free of my arch nemesis’ machinations and threats would be a relief after all these years. Besides, what debt did I owe her? What ultimatum could she possibly produce to induce me to assist her? How easy could it be to inform her husband that she’d been killed by whatever beast held her captive?
Koki studied me as I pondered the option to abandon her. There was no emotion on her features, neither outrage nor resignation, merely comprehension. Nor did she plead with me or attempt to produce persuasions. Likewise, Yao and Jonas remained silent, their features unflinching at the proposal of leaving her to whatever fate dictated. Even the wolf waited on my judgment, lying at my feet and gazing up at me.
“Oh, sweet temptations,” I murmured.
And tempted I was until a part of my brain produced an answer to a question I hadn’t asked: the glimmer I’d seen in Koki’s eyes was despair. Proud and fiercely independent, she was now caged and at the mercy of a being that wanted her for nothing more than breeding purposes. My lip curled in disgust at the thought. Only then did I realize I’d arrived at a verdict.
Sighing and hoping I wouldn’t have cause to regret my decision, yet somehow knowing I would, I asked her, “Where’s the key?”
“What?” Jonas blurted out while Yao stared at me slack jawed and Koki’s eyes widened ever so slightly.
“If her fate was mere death,” I explained as I forced my expression to reflect my resolve, “I might yield to the temptation to abandon her here. After all, she has been the cause of many unconscionable deaths. But no woman deserves what her captor has in store for her.”
Jonas clucked in disgust while Yao patted my shoulder. “Well said, Miss Knight, well said.”
Koki noticeably swallowed and nodded once at me, her eyes unfathomable. That, I was certain, would be the only indication of gratitude I would ever receive from her. “I believe the key’s in the cave,” she said.
“Of course it is,” I huffed, turning to the gaping entrance of the cavern from which there was not a flicker of light. “What manner of creature managed to capture you with such apparent ease?”
Koki gripped two bars with her hands and pressed her forehead against them. “A rare one indeed,” she replied. “A Sasabonsam.”
Yao shrieked, at which Jonas scoffed, “It’s one of your kind.” But even my intrepid gardener seemed ill at ease.
“
It most certainly is not,” Yao protested.
“It’s a bloodsucker,” Jonas said as he raised his eyes to the heavens, as if praying for patience or deliverance.
“With huge bat wings and a mouthful of daggers,” Yao whined. “It’s as tall as a tree. No, taller!”
At that, I rolled my eyes heavenward as well. “I highly doubt anything as strange as a tree-tall vampire roams anywhere, even here,” I stated. “How could such a beast remain so secretive?”
Jonas shared my opinion for with nary a hesitation he marched to the entrance, the wolf trailing behind him. “Come on, Mr. Well Said,” he said, his snicker mocking the Adze.
As I had no intention of allowing Jonas to wander off into the dwelling of an unknown assailant, I hurried after him but paused to glance at Koki. “Is the Sasabonsam truly as tall as a tree?”
I had never considered a shrug to be an elegant gesture yet she was one of two people I knew — the other being my brother Tiberius — who could transform the mundane into the sublime. “Maybe a small tree,” she said.
Chapter 27
“DELIGHTFUL,” I SAID. “A vampire the size of a tree.”
On that reassuring note, we entered the cavern. Instinctually I willed my left hand to glow before remembering that I was now in the unenviable position of being ‘normal’: no metallic hand, wolf energy or werewolf night vision. It astounded me yet again how humans had managed to survive so long with such limitations.
As if sensing my disquiet, the eyes of my silver wolf lit up quite literally, reminding me of Nelly. With every twitch and step, a set of two beams swiveled and bobbed about, casting a strange contortion of light and shadow against the glittering walls.
“It’s rather a drab dwelling for a vampire,” I noted. “There’s not even a shred of comfort to be had in here.”
Yao and Jonas said nothing as they too gazed about. Everywhere was rock, glistening with moisture and some element that was embedded in the stone.
“Quartz?” I wondered as I scratched at the wall nearest me.
My voice echoed around us, somehow exaggerating the impenetrability of the dark and silence that lay ahead. Something fluttered far above our heads. I could only hope it was as benign as a bat (preferably a fruit bat) or, if we were very lucky, a confused pigeon.
“Is there any sign of the key?” I asked as I rubbed my arms, deploring my lack of weapons. The only item that might be of any use, apart from my mind, was a sachet of powdered cinnamon in my skirt pocket. It seemed that the dead could indeed take items with them into the afterlife as long as it wasn’t a prosthetic.
“No,” Yao yelped. “Maybe it’s not here. Maybe Koki is mistaken. Maybe that giant vampire has it and is coming back to—”
“It’s right here,” Jonas interrupted and muttered a few words in Swahili. I could discern in his voice a scowl and an eye roll.
Repressing a chuckle at my gardener’s disgruntlement at our Adze acquaintance, I peered toward Jonas. He indicated with a jerk of his head the general direction of our prize. Kneeling down beside my wolf, I put my arms around its neck and, with my hands gripping its thick fur, I directed its eyes upward. The key dangled on a hook that was beyond any of our reach.
“Brilliant,” I huffed.
“No, not brilliant,” Yao complained, reminding me yet again that the art of sarcasm was lost on most Africans. “This is the very opposite of brilliant. It’s more than opposite. It’s… It’s…” He struggled to find a word that could adequately describe how deeply our situation lacked brilliance.
“Deplorable?” I suggested.
“Impossible,” Jonas added.
“Dee-licious.”
“All of those,” Yao agreed. “Except delicious. How is this delicious? Is there something edible?” He glanced around, licking his lips in anticipation.
“Jonas,” I whispered, wondering who had spoken.
“Wasn’t me,” he said.
“What wasn’t?” Yao demanded.
The wolf growled, the light from its eyes flittering from side to side as it sniffed the air, its hackles raised.
“Yao, Jonas, can one of you climb up that wall?” I asked just as a flapping sound issued from above us and toward the back of the cavern. A foul breeze stroked my skin and assailed my nose. Despite my new body, my nose had retained its sensitivity. I grimaced at the smell: decaying meat.
Something landed with a heavy thump. A shadow began to stalk toward us, its every footstep causing a trembling in the ground that echoed through my limbs. The wolf snarled and crouched as if preparing to launch itself at the creature. I loosened my grip on its neck just as the Sasabonsam entered the rays of light emanating from the wolf’s eyes.
While not as tall as the tallest tree, the vampire was huge. He was at least the height of a giraffe. His legs were as thick as an elephant’s and his arms hardly less so. All his limbs were corded with muscles; he appeared strong enough to snatch up an elephant or a giant mantis. The bat-like wings that flapped behind him filled the width of the cave. His face would have been described as appealing save for the mouthful of daggers that passed for teeth. He gnashed them together as he squinted in the light. His black skin blended with the cave’s interior, and he wore nothing save for a loincloth made of lion pelt.
“And I suppose sunlight has little effect on him?” I asked, hoping that I might receive a contrary answer.
“Not at all,” Yao whimpered.
“So what’s the plan?” Jonas asked.
“Eat,” the Sasabonsam thundered.
“Charming idea,” I said. “And we would love to join you but we really must be off now. Run!”
That said, I spun about and followed my own instructions. There was, after all, nothing ignominious in a dignified retreat, for it provided us with the opportunity to survive to fight another day. Unfortunately, our retreat could not be described as anything resembling dignified. Yao shrieked and somehow managed to trip over himself. With one hand holding my skirt up high enough so as to facilitate sprinting, I reached down with the other and dragged the Adze to his feet. I lost sight of the wolf as it had decided to run in the opposite direction, toward the giant vampire.
As we stumbled into the clearing, our eyes temporarily blinded, Koki shouted, “Where’s the key?”
“The Sasabonsam, it’s in the cave!” Yao howled as he continued his dash, arms flailing about him.
I spun about, conscious of how my knees and calves were exposed for all to see but not daring to lower my skirt in case I would be required to follow Yao’s example. Fortunately, we were hardly in a public venue, so I remained thus while searching the ground for a possible weapon. All I found was a long bone — presumably the leg of an animal — and that did little to comfort me. Still, it was all I had on hand.
“Miss Knight, get over here,” Yao whispered from the foliage. “What will Yao tell Mr. Timmons if you are eaten?”
“That I was eaten,” I replied as I stared into the cave. It was terribly quiet. Surely, my wolf would be howling and snarling as it attacked? Or Jonas would make some sort of commotion if he was being devoured? “Jonas, are you still alive?”
A flutter of movement alerted me and I prepared to either run or drop my skirt while swinging the bone. I was saved from the decision as Jonas exited the cave, holding onto a key that was as long as his chest.
“Clever man!” I said in wonderment. “How did you manage—”
“Never mind that,” Koki interrupted. “Give me the key quickly, boy. Or else your efforts will be wasted.”
When he glanced at me for confirmation, I nodded once. Frowning, he dragged the key to the door and slid it through the bars. Koki partially transformed, her lower half taking on her mantis self while her upper body remained human. Only then was she able to reach the lock into which she inserted the key. Once free, she stalked out of the cage in human form, her eyes narrowed and her mouth a snarl.
“Let’s go,” Yao shouted from his hiding place.
&nbs
p; “Not without my wolf,” I said, much to the consternation of Yao and Jonas, and the amusement of Koki.
“It’s just a dog,” Yao said.
But it wasn’t. When the dwarf known as Nameless had captured my wolf energy, I’d been incapacitated to the extent I couldn’t manage to stand on my own. What would happen if I returned to our world without the wolf? Would I retain my energy? Without it, my metal hand would be of little use, and who knew what other powers I might find lacking. The wolf was such an integral part of my life now that I couldn’t abandon it.
Ignoring their protests, I tiptoed into the entrance of the cave, the leg bone gripped in one hand and the hem of my skirt in the other. Whereas I anticipated the noise of a battle, or at least of a struggle, what I heard was cooing. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I detected my wolf’s glowing eyes. It was lying on the lap of the Sasabonsam, tongue out, tail wagging, as the giant vampire stroked its silver fur.
“Traitor,” I muttered with some astonishment at the contented scene.
The Sasabonsam looked up and tilted his head to the side. I could make out very little of his features but as he remained seated, I assumed I was safe for the moment. Indeed, even as I watched, the vampire’s head lolled forward, and the cooing transformed into the heavy breathing of deep sleep. Focusing my thoughts, I commanded the wolf to run after us. It barked once in what I hoped was both acknowledgement and agreement with the order.
“Let’s go,” I told the others as I backed out of the cave, only to find that they had already departed.
“Over here, Miss Knight,” Jonas called out from the path.
I hurried after them. A few moments later, the silver wolf darted past us. We all glanced behind but there was no indication that a giant vampire had woken from his slumber to find both his new pet and his caged mate gone.
Chapter 28