Hunt of the Bandham (The Bowl of Souls: Book Three)

by Cooley, Trevor H.

  Arcon had finally found one small corner of his mind where she could not hear. He had learned to put all his rebellious thoughts there and sometimes, when she seemed preoccupied he would escape to that safe place. There he could brood, laugh, or scream in horror without her knowledge. But times like that were brief. The mistress was always monitoring him. He could not understand how she could listen to his thoughts, argue with Ewzad Vriil, and command an army of monsters all at once.

  A sultry laugh echoed in his head. “I am just that good, dear one.” This time he could not repress his shudder.

  “Ah! Ah!” Ewzad shouted, leaning far over the balcony’s edge, pointing one finger at the night sky. “He comes! I told you, they return! Yes!”

  Ewzad backed out of the way and Arcon saw the enormous shadow coming. It blocked out the stars and then the red and black beast soared in through the open balcony to skid across the polished marble of Ewzad’s greatroom. Its claws scrambled, knocking over chairs and a heavy wooden table, but it could not find purchase. As it slammed into the rear wall, its massive body gave off a blast of heat that set half the room to flame.

  Arcon backed away, his arms raised to ward off the heat. The enormous beast must have been badly wounded. He could see a boiling trail of blood that followed it to the wall. There was a great hiss and a creature darted out from under of the beast’s wings. It was a nightmare. Badly burnt, half covered with blistered and blackened scales, it screeched gleefully. Arcon saw its disturbingly female body arch in triumph and noted that its claws and teeth glistened with the same boiling blood the great beast had left behind.

  “Kenn!” Hamford shouted, but the big man dared get no closer than Arcon had.

  “Oohoo!” Ewzad shouted, clapping his hands and jumping up and down with joy.

  The female creature’s head whipped around at the sound of the wizard’s voice. Its eyes narrowed. Then, so fast that Arcon could barely register its movement, the creature leapt at Ewzad Vriil.

  A buzz filled the room and the creature froze in mid air, mere inches from the wizard. Its mouth was open, exposing razor sharp teeth, and both arms and legs were extended, claws ready to tear flesh. Ewzad did not seem fearful. He grinned eerily and extended a curving arm towards its face. One finger touched it right on its slitted nose.

  “Boop!” Ewzad giggled. He leaned in and wrapped both arms around the creature in a snakelike hug. “There-there. Shhh, its okay, my dear Talon. You are home to me. Yes you are!”

  Hamford rushed forward and tore a tapestry from the wall. He began beating at the flames. Arcon turned and reached out over the balcony with his magic, condensing the moisture in the air. He pulled the water into a great ball, brought it into the room, and dropped it onto the burning furniture. With a great hiss, most of the flames were extinguished. Hamford rushed to the great beast’s side.

  Ewzad Vriil stepped back from his embrace with the creature. The side of his face and his robes had become caked in clotting blood. The wizard frowned as he assessed the damage to his beloved Talon.

  Arcon saw now that the creature’s wounds were more garish than he had previously seen. There were deep slashes in several places along her body and a gaping hole in her abdomen. He could see through the hole to the other side. How was this hideous creature still alive?

  “Oh my dear-dear Talon. This won’t do. No-no-no,” Ewzad clucked, peering into her wounds. “Very near death, aren’t you? That won’t do. That won’t do at all. Hmmm.” The wizard closed his eyes, pointed his hands at her and concentrated. His arms waved slightly back and forth while his fingers undulated. “I see. The wounds were cauterized.”

  Blackened dead flesh popped forth from the wounds as they began to close. Dead skin fell to the floor in sheets as new skin grew to take its place. Ewzad snickered. Her claws, teeth, and tail spike grew ever so slightly longer. “You somehow got rid of the seed I planted inside you, didn’t you sweetheart. Yes-yes, well that is over. You are mine once again.”

  The wizard left her there frozen in mid air. The door burst open and several guards entered with swords drawn. From the livery they wore, Arcon knew that these were some of Queen Elise’s house guards, evidently raised by the ruckus. They saw the ashes and carnage and beasts and halted in their tracks. One brave man stepped forward.

  “My Lord Protector . . . is everything alright?” the man said stupidly.

  “And what took you so long, you foolish little men?” Ewzad griped, one finger pointed accusingly. This time his arm did not waver. “Were you hoping to arrive after I was dead? Hmm?”

  The guard blanched. “No, my Lord Protector. We-we rushed here as soon as we were told of the commotion.”

  “Look at these foul beasts!” Ewzad said, gesturing to the frozen Talon and the red and black beast collapsed against the wall. “Were you going to come to my aid with but five men? No-no that would not do at all. Be gone and be glad I don’t flay the skin off your bones!”

  “Yes my Lord!” The guards turned to run.

  “Wait, you fools!” Ewzad commanded. “Visit the kitchens on your way and have them send up a fattened pig from the stocks. And have it raw, yes, raw mind you!”

  The guards bolted and Ewzad walked to the enormous red and black beast, who still lay unmoving. Heat no longer emanated from its skin. Hamford was tugging on its arm, calling out to it in concern. Ewzad nudged the large guard with his foot and Hamford slowly backed away.

  “Kenn!” the wizard barked. He raised one hand and slowly made a fist. A wave of heat shot forth from the creature and it slowly stirred. It raised its head and Arcon saw that it was a demon. Two enormous horns grew from its head and its eyes glowed a smoldering yellow.

  “M-MASTER,” came a deep booming voice. The temperature rose a few degrees from its breath alone.

  Ewzad winced at the heat. “My-my dear Kenn. You dare talk to me like that? In that form? While oh so much bigger than me? No-no that won’t do. Come on now . . . Come along . . .”

  To Arcon’s astonishment, the great beast began to shrink. Its great form decreased to the size of a large man. The tail shriveled and disappeared into its body and disappeared. The horns shrunk down until they were but little nubs on its head.

  “Master I hurt,” it said and this time its voice was not so loud and horrible, but still gave Arcon a shiver. The wounds were obvious. Its abdomen had been clawed repeatedly until some of its innards had spilled, and its right arm had been torn and bitten to shreds.

  “Oh, poor thing!” Ewzad cried and raised a serpentine arm. Its wounds closed and soon the beast stood healthy and invigorated.

  “Thank you, Master.”

  “Ah dear Kenn, you served me well this time. You brought her! You brought my precious Talon home and I thank you.” The wizard said sweetly. Then his visage darkened. “However, you brought her damaged. Some wounds were unavoidable, but she was nearly dead, yes, VERY nearly. So I ask you oh sweet Kenn. What happened to her?”

  “It wasn’t me, master. Well only a small part of it was, but that was after she awoke and started attacking me.” The beast called Kenn looked at Hamford. “It was Hamford’s demon, Master. It was fighting her as I arrived. And it carried a blazing sword.”

  Hamford’s eyes widened. “Good lord.”

  “Oh!” Ewzad’s hands sprang to his lips. “Oh! Oh! Oh! Kenn, dear Kenn you saw him? You saw him again?”

  “Yes, Master.”

  “And you did not take him too?” There was an angry twist to his words.

  “I could not. There were men nearby and your command had been to bring Talon back.”

  “Oh! I must have him. I must! You must go get him for me!”

  “Not now!” the mistress said in Arcon’s mind. “The fool. We need this pet beast for the battle.” She must have spoken to the wizard too, because Ewzad wrinkled his nose in irritation.

  “No-no, you foul creature. I am sending Kenn and that is final. We have enough beasts for the assault. Yes-yes, we will be fine!”


  There was a hesitant knock at the door. The servants had arrived with the pig Ewzad had ordered. They laid it at his feet and backed out the door as quickly as they could. The pig must have weighed at least three hundred pounds, but with one swipe of Ewzad’s hand, it fell in two. He grasped one leg and effortlessly tossed the smaller rear half over to Kenn.

  “Eat, dear Kenn. Yes, the healing will have taken much out of you. You need nourishment. Eat-eat, I wish you to leave tonight.”

  Kenn caught the heavy half of pork with one hand, hunger in his eyes. He tore one haunch loose and raised it to his mouth.

  “Are you going to eat that raw?” Hamford asked.

  “Raw?” Kenn laughed. It was a haunting, evil sound. He bit into the haunch and steam poured from his lips. Grease rolled down his chin and caught fire on his red-skinned chest. The smell of cooking pork filled the air. He chewed a couple times and swallowed. “Nothing I eat is raw anymore.”

  Ewzad giggled. He pulled the rest of the carcass over and dropped it in front of Talon. “Here you are, sweet-sweet thing. Your wounds were even greater. I can’t have you starve, no-no I can’t. Be good, now.”

  The wizard snapped his fingers and she dropped to the ground atop the half-pig. Talon whipped her head around, her eyes taking in the room. A hiss escaped her lips. Arcon and Hamford took a few steps back in alarm, but she simply tore into the pig rending it into pieces and occasionally tossing flesh into her mouth.

  Ewzad gave her a loving smile. Arcon did not want to take his eyes off of Talon, afraid that the creature would not find the pig to be enough. He backed further away, making sure that Hamford was between the creature and himself.

  Kenn had already demolished the one haunch and was tearing into the other. Flaming grease pooled on the floor around him. Arcon had missed dinner waiting for Kenn to return with the wizard’s prize. The smell of fried pork would normally have made Arcon’s stomach growl, but the sight of the two creatures’ gorging just made him nauseous.

  “Steel your stomach, my Arcon. You are no child. Ewzad Vriil stages this feast in part to frighten you,” his mistress purred.

  Ewzad tapped his foot. “Finish up, Kenn. I don’t want you to lose that beautiful beast, no-no I don’t.”

  Kenn swallowed. “Then I will leave, Master.”

  “Before you go, head down to my dungeon and pick out a few of my sweet new babies to take with you. Whichever ones you like. This must be done quickly, yes? I do not want you to have as much trouble with this prize as you did with Talon. Hamford will show you the way.”

  “Of course, Master.” Kenn continued to eat as he followed his brother to one of Ewzad’s secret passageways, leaving a trail of flaming oil in his wake.

  “He has the beast take two more with him? The fool! The Fool! The ignorant fool. He weakens our force even more with his little distractions!” His mistress’ anger was so intense that Arcon’s vision blurred. He felt his nose begin to bleed as it sometimes did when she was in a rage. This often happened around the wizard. He hoped that there would not be permanent damage.

  Ewzad scowled. “Enough of your prattle, woman! Silence yourself or I will punish you again! Yes I will!”

  Arcon could feel his mistress glower, but she must have remained silent because Ewzad smirked with satisfaction. Arcon’s nose bled again, but it was worth it. Ewzad was the only person alive except perhaps the Dark Prophet himself that could do his mistress harm. Arcon heard her squeals of pain and outrage whenever this happened. But any pleasure he took from her punishments was shoved back to that safe little corner of his mind to be enjoyed later.

  “Still, you are right. Yes indeed,” Ewzad said. “It is indeed time. Unleash our hordes. Yes-yes, tell my army to begin. Tell them Envakfeer says close the noose. Close it! It is time we started our conquest. Yes. The Dark Voice shall be pleased.”

  “Finally.” Arcon felt her satisfaction in his mind and her presence lessened as she spread her focus out amongst her contacts in their army.

  “Yes-yes, of course you are pleased. The army goes and plays while I have to sit here and pretend to be the loyal protector. Pff! Necessity-necessity. Always necessity. Elise had better give me that heir soon,” Ewzad mumbled and padded over to Talon. The creature had finished her play and was now simply devouring the bits of flesh she had torn from the carcass.

  “Now you, my little beauty . . .” he crooned, petting her scaled head. Talon chirped and nuzzled his hand. All traces of her former rage towards the wizard were gone. “It doesn’t do to have you defeated. No-no. We have some improvements to make, don’t you think?”

  Chapter Thirty One

  Jhonate sat on the lowest pine bough perfectly balanced, her legs folded beneath her and her arms folded in front of her. Her eyes were closed as she breathed in the crisp air of the mountain winter. The cold pressed against her, bit at her face, and tried to invade her padded armor, but Jhonate was not chilled. She felt all, observed all, but her thoughts were turned inward. Inside her mind, a small figure prepared for battle.

  There was a stirring at the edge of her thoughts. She heard the light crunch of the snow as someone walked closer. One of her comrades was approaching. It was that blond mage. Jhonate could smell the sweet flower water the girl brushed into her hair every morning. Jhonate was beginning to hate the smell of flowers.

  Ever since the journey started, Faldon had insisted that she stay near Vannya and Wizard Locksher while the rest of the group did the real work. She had protested, but Faldon told her it was because she was their best fighter and he needed her to protect the magic users in case of attack. That was his excuse, but she knew the real reason. Though Faldon left it unsaid, it was Jhonate’s job to make sure that the other students left the girl alone. She supposed that it was necessary. The girl was a distraction. When she was around, the intelligence of the other students dropped below trainee level. Jhonate had been forced to send each of the male students away at least once, Jobar several times. Vannya was no help. She flirted away any time the men came near.

  It shouldn’t have been so bad protecting the two. The wizard Locksher himself was pleasant to be around. He was highly intelligent and even somewhat knowledgeable about her people. But the girl was insufferable. She was so frail and dainty, constantly complaining about the hardy mountain bugs, the cold, the lack of showers, and her feet. Oh how Jhonate was tired of hearing about her poor little mage feet. Vannya would not have lasted a day in the wilds around Jhonate’s home. She itched to be away from the girl, but above all else, Jhonate itched to be part of the action.

  “What are you doing?” came Vannya’s puzzled voice.

  “I am training,” she replied.

  “Look’s more like sleeping,” Vannya remarked.

  Jhonate kept her mind quiet and calm as a hawk waiting to strike, letting the irritating woman’s words flow past her without effect. She said mildly, “That would explain my dreams of you slipping and falling on that face of yours.”

  “Why, I-!” She heard the mage stomp her little foot. “And what did I say to deserve that?”

  Though she could not see it, Jhonate could sense the dropped jaw on the girl’s little face. Only her vigilant training kept her mouth from curling into a smile. What did the girl expect? She had fired the first volley.

  “Did I offend you?” Jhonate asked.

  “Yes indeed!”

  “Then move along, child, and leave me to my training.”

  “Child?” Vannya said. The sheer outrage in her voice nearly caused Jhonate to lose her composure again. Instead, she kept her eyes closed and breathed steady. Vannya on the other hand could not hold her feelings in check. “How much older than me are you? A year? Maybe?”

  “Vannya, come, leave the daughter of Xedrion alone,” Wizard Locksher said from several yards away. “Can’t you see that she is training?”

  Vannya huffed and sputtered a bit before saying, “No wonder Sir Edge had such a hard time with you as a trainer. Two weeks merely sharin
g a tent and I am ready to pull my hair out. I can’t imagine a year.” The girl then stomped away to join her master.

  Jhonate’s brow furrowed a bit at the mention of Justan, but just slightly. She was quite proud of herself. She had not let the girl distract her. She was still as calm as the cold mountain air around her. She hadn’t even reached for her staff. There had been times during the last two weeks she had let the girl rile her up. Luckily for Vannya, Faldon had commanded her not to strike the girl.

  Vannya seemed to resent the time that Jhonate had spent training Justan. She always brought him up in conversation, bragging about the time they defeated the orc captain, going on and on about the way Justan single handedly destroyed a giant golem that attacked the MageSchool. Then she would bring out this letter that Justan had written her. Vannya never read it aloud, but often commented on how dear their friendship had been, and how Justan had said that he was looking forward to seeing her again.