CRY FEAR

by Mike Morris

  His stomach churned as he suddenly looked at the buildings around him. The rickety constructs, the homes within homes. The demon could be in any one of them, waiting out the day, until it was dark enough to come out once more.

  He called over a boy standing nearby. "Do you want to earn a silver coin?"

  The boy nodded, his eyes bulging at Jack's uniform and weapons. Jack produced a coin and held it up so the boy could see it. "Do you know the monastery across the river in Grayston?"

  Again the boy nodded.

  "Go there as fast as you can. Find a man called Brother Nial. Tell him Jack sent you and I need him and the others to come here as fast as they can. You got that?"

  "Yes. Brother Nial. Jack," replied the boy.

  "And if he wants to know why, just tell him how the girl died." Jack gave him the coin. "There'll be another for you when you get back."

  The boy snatched it from Jack's hand and ran off, heading for the bridge. Even if he sprinted the whole way, it'd still take him close to an hour to get there, and then it'd probably be another hour before Nial and the others could get to Brixteth. Shit. It was all too long. He thought about going back to get Brendan but dismissed that idea immediately. Brendan was of no help. Jack was on his own.

  "All right, everyone," he said in a loud voice to the watching crowd. "Show's over. Move on. Leave the poor woman to grieve." He got a few hard stares back but they all complied. He bent down next to the girl's mother and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

  She looked up with tear-filled eyes. "My poor baby. Who would do such a thing? Everyone liked her. Everyone. She was only six, for God's sake. Why would anyone hurt her?"

  "Do you live nearby? Is there somewhere we can go to get you both out of the cold?"

  "I only live two streets away. I came past here three or four times this morning looking for her. All the time she was lying here. My poor girl. I could've saved her."

  "Don't think that. Let's take her home."

  The woman allowed Jack to pick up her daughter. The girl weighed hardly a thing. He prayed that her death had been quick. No one deserved such a fate.

  The woman had two rooms on Hasket Street. They were much like any home in Brixteth, basic and functional, short of luxuries. The family slept in one room at the back, lived in the other. The girl's grandmother was in the front room, looking after a young boy. The look on Shelly's mother's face was enough to tell them it was bad news before Jack walked through the front door, carrying the girl. At least the grandmother had the sense to cover the boy's eyes.

  Jack placed the girl on a small table by the window while the mother hugged her family. While they cried together, Jack took off his cloak and covered the body, leaving just her head and neck exposed. He checked the wound. The bite area was nearly as big as his hand, going from one side of her neck to the other. He could see the puncture marks from fangs, the pattern so similar to his own wound. Thank God, death would've been instantaneous. He pulled the cloak over her face while his mind raced at what he'd seen. There was no doubt about it: she'd been killed by a Nostros.

  He glanced out the window. There were probably about four hours of daylight left. Winter days were short, with the sun setting around mid-afternoon, perfect for a creature that could only move in darkness.

  "Thank you for your help." The girl's mother stood beside him, her tears under control. "My mother's going to take little Jimmy around to one of the neighbors. He's too young to see something like this." Her eyes fell on her daughter's body. "His sister... My baby..."

  Jack pulled out a chair and helped her sit down. "Can I get you something to drink? Some water or..."

  The woman pointed to a battered sideboard. "There's a bottle of brandy in there."

  Jack found it easily enough and filled a glass for her, which she took with shaking hands. He waited while she had a sip and then asked: "What's your name?"

  "Sara."

  Jack knelt down beside her. "I'm Jack. I'm sorry to meet you on such a dark day."

  God bless her, she tried to smile but failed completely. Sara probably wasn't that much older than Jack, but the day's events had aged her — dark shadows hung under her eyes and worry lined her face. No mother should see their child die, especially when they were as young as her daughter.

  "When did you last see Shelly?" he asked.

  "Last night. We'd eaten all the day's bread but she knew Tom, her dad, likes some with his dinner. Said she'd go and get another loaf before he got home." Sara shook her head. "It was too late — I told her it was too late — but she wanted to go. Dotes on her father, she does — did — oh God ..." The tears fell once more. "The baker's only five minutes away. Shelly promised to be back before we knew she'd gone."

  "And what happened when she didn't come back?"

  "Didn't think anything of it at first. Thought the snow had slowed her down or she'd met someone and stopped for a chat. She was always doing that, was Shelly. Then time went on and her dad got back and she still wasn't back ..." Sara took another sip of brandy. "Tom went out looking for her. He was out for hours until the cold forced him back inside. We reckoned she'd gone to a friend's house to get out of the snow — or at least that's what we hoped."

  "Where's Tom now?"

  "He works at the docks, on the coal barges. He wanted to stay and help look for Shelly, but we need the money. He had to go ..." Sara's hand went to her mouth. "How am I going to tell him?"

  "I've sent for some other knights. When they arrive, we can send someone to find Tom."

  Sara looked up, taken aback. "Why would you send for other Black Dogs?"

  "I want my commander, Brother Nial, to look at your daughter's body."

  "Are you going to help find her murderer?"

  "It depends on what Brother Nial says, but yes, I hope so." Jack didn't say their help was dependent on Nial confirming Jack's suspicions. The Black Dogs didn't get involved in normal crimes.

  An hour later, Jack returned to where the girl's body had been discovered. He'd left Sara at home, calmer more thanks to the brandy than anything else. Hopefully Nial and the others would arrive before too long. In the meantime, it gave him a chance to examine the alleyway where the girl's body had been found.

  It'd not snowed since earlier, and the impression where they'd found Shelly's body was still clear to see. But there were no bloodstains on the white ground. Was that more confirmation that a Nostros had killed her, or had the murder happened elsewhere and then her body dumped in the alley?

  Jack walked further into the alley. It was a tight space, less than an arm's width from one wall to the next and full of all the trash you'd expect in an alley in Brixteth, from a broken chair to broken glass to a sole-less boot. He took his time, keeping as close to one wall as he could in order not to disturb anything. There were no signs of the girl being dragged from anywhere as far as he could tell, no sense of any struggle. Maybe she had died somewhere else?

  Then he saw a loaf of bread, frozen and coated with snow. It wasn't hard to imagine little Shelly running home with that under her arm. He looked back out into the street. The alley was so close to where she lived. She'd nearly made it. Jack drew the circle over his heart and said a prayer for the poor girl.

  A commotion in the street brought him back from his thoughts.

  Horses. Lots of them.

  Jack made his way back to the entrance of the alley in time to see Brother Nial arrive with a dozen men behind him. "Over here," he called out. Nerves flared in his stomach. He hoped he'd not made a mistake and brought them all the way to Brixteth for nothing. Then he felt guilty for thinking that. A girl had died. Perhaps at the hands of a Nostros. Looking foolish was nothing compared to that.

  "Jack," said Nial as he pulled up.

  "Sir," replied Jack.

  "How many times have I told you not to call me that?" said Nial with a smile. He dismounted and signaled the others to do the same. "What's happened?"

  Jack took a deep breath. Nial was a
legend in the order. He was tall — a good six and a half feet — with thinning blonde hair and steel-blue eyes. He had an air of authority about him that no one ever questioned. Jack couldn't imagine a day when he himself would be so confident. Even in the hell of Grosnar, Nial had never lost his cool. He'd been captured and tortured by the Nostros, yet when Jack and Robert rescued him, he'd resumed command as if nothing had ever happened. "A girl was murdered last night. Her mother found her body in this alleyway."

  "Unfortunate, but what's that got to do with us?"

  "I think she was killed by a Nostros."

  That got Nial's attention. "Why d'you think that?"

  "Her throat was ripped open."

  "Where's the body?"

  Jack pointed to the far end of the street. "At her home, two roads over."

  Nial looked up and down the street, running his eyes over the buildings. "And she was found here?"

  "Yes."

  Nial turned back to the others. "Robert, Edward. Get over here."

  The two men walked over.

  "Why have you dragged us out in this weather, Jack?" said Robert, grinning. "I've not had my lunch yet."

  "A girl was murdered. He thinks by a Nostros," replied Nial before Jack could say anything. The smile fell from Robert's face. "You two stay here with the men. I'll go with Jack to see the body. If he's right, I want the buildings around here searched before it gets dark. Send someone back to the barracks and warn them as well. If it is a Nostros, we'll have to act quickly and get as many men down here as possible."

  "Sure, boss," replied Edward. "I'll make it all happen."

  Nial nodded at Jack. "Let's go see this poor girl and let's hope you're wrong."

  Shelly's father was home by the time Jack returned with Nial. He'd left work early and looked as distraught as Sara. He ushered them in, swaying slightly on his feet. Jack could smell alcohol on his breath. "Come in. Sara said you'd helped her out with getting our little girl home. I'm grateful. Mighty grateful."

  "It was the least I could do," replied Jack. "This is Brother Nial, my commanding officer. I've asked him to have a look at Shelly's body if that's all right with you."

  "I hope you can catch the monster that did this to my beautiful girl." Tom filled a glass up with brandy, topping Sara's up after. "Hope you don't mind us drinking, but it helps."

  Nial smiled. "I understand. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll check your daughter's wounds."

  The couple stepped back and Jack pulled his cloak off the girl's face and neck. Nial leaned in, but he didn't have to look for long. He nodded at Jack. "You did well to spot this."

  "You found something?" asked Tom, stepping forward, hope all over his face. "Do you know who did it?"

  "We're going to have to take your daughter's body with us," said Nial, straightening up.

  "What?" Tom put his glass down on the sideboard with a thunk. "You can't do that."

  "I'm afraid I can," replied Nial. "I'm concerned at how your daughter died and I need to have one of our doctors examine her properly."

  "When will we get her back?" asked Sara, tears welling up in her eyes once more.

  "You won't. We'll have to bury her once we're done." Nial indicated to Jack to pick up the body. "I'm sorry."

  "You can't take her!" screamed Sara.

  Tom lunged at Nial but the Black Dog caught him and held the man firm, shushing him until he stopped struggling.

  "I know none of this seems fair," said Nial as he lowered the man onto a chair. "I wish there was another way of dealing with this, but there isn't. We think she was killed by a Nostros."

  "No," said Sara with a gasp. "Not my Shelly."

  "They don't exist," said Tom, but there was fear on his face and the fight in him had gone.

  "I'm sorry," said Nial. Jack picked up Shelly's body once more and they left the couple in each other's arms.

  "Next time, don't take the body back to their house. The moment you think someone's been bitten by a Nostros, you send the body to the monastery. If that's not possible or it's too close to nightfall, you destroy it on the spot," said Nial once they were back on the street. "If the Nostros had Turned this poor girl, she could have transformed while they waited for us to arrive. If that had happened, she'd have murdered her own family, her neighbors, anyone who got in her way."

  "Yes, sir." Images of humans with glowing red eyes and inhuman strength flashed through Jack's mind. He'd fought them at Grosnar, seen them rip ranks of Black Dogs apart. He shivered. He didn't want that happening to anyone, let alone the girl in his arms. It was a stupid mistake. "It won't happen again." He paused. "What do we do now?"

  "Now we deal with our worst nightmare," replied Nial.

  They returned to the others. "Edward, take her to the crypt," said Nial. "Tell Brother Silas to have a look at her. I want armed guards with the body at all times. If that body shows signs of movement, I want it thrown in the furnace immediately."

  "So it's a Nostros?" asked Edward, looking at the small shape under Jack's cloak.

  Nial nodded.

  "Shit," said Robert.

  "Once the girl's body is secured, I want an alert sounded," continued Nial. "With luck the Nostros is still in Brixteth and we can find it. In the meantime, I want the city gates locked at nightfall and all access across the city's bridges shut down. Bring in as many men as you can and get them to search for the demon. We need to contain this mess any way we can."

  "I'm on it. May God look after us all," said Edward. He signaled for two men to take the girl's body off Jack.

  Once they were gone, Nial called everyone else around. "It's our worst nightmare, lads. A Nostros here in Abios." The shock rippled across everyone's faces. "It's bad, but it's what we've trained for. We can deal with this. We're the Knights of Saint Stephen. We're the Black Dogs, and God is on our side.

  "We're going to split up into three groups. Robert, you take one team and search the left side of this street. Alan and another unit search the right. Go with your weapons ready. Knock on doors. No one answers, kick it in. Don't leave anywhere unchecked. If we're in luck, the Nostros is in one of those buildings. You find it, you kill it. No hesitation.

  "I'll stay on the street with the rest. We'll question the public," continued Nial. "See if anyone's seen anything strange or out of the usual." He paused, looking from face to face. "I don't need to tell you how serious this is. Don't take any chances. Keep your eyes wide and bright." He glanced up, saw the darkening sky. "We've got about an hour before dark so if we're quick, we'll catch it sleeping. If not, reinforcements are on the way and we'll keep going till we get lucky. Got it?"

  "You got it, boss," said Robert. "I'll take Jack, Steve, and Guy."

  Hearing his name, the knot in Jack's stomach grew tighter. He was in a search team, and could be fighting a Nostros in the next few minutes. His hand went to his neck, as it always did when he thought of the demons.

  The others didn't seem bothered, though. Guy grumbled, but that was what he did. Steve was an old hand but new to the team. He'd been brought in after Bridgewater. He kept his black hair cropped short and he looked like he had a dimple on one cheek — until you got close enough to see it was a scar made when a sword blade got intimate with his mouth. He was a serious character until he had a drink or ten inside him. Word was when that happened, you had to watch your back. He could start a fight in an empty room.

  They moved as one, faces set, professional. This was what they trained for. This was why the Black Dogs existed — to kill Nostros. Cloaks were discarded, pistols drawn and charges checked.

  Jack squeezed his hands into fists as his heart pounded away. He tried to work some moisture back into his dry mouth. He wondered if any of the other Dogs were nervous like him. Probably not. They certainly didn't look it.

  They stopped by the door to the first building on their side of the street. Robert gripped his war hammer. "Jack, you knock, then get out the way. The moment the door is opened, I'm going through. Jack, Steve —
behind me. Guy — you take the rear. Got it?"

  "Got it."

  Robert grinned with a mad gleam in his eye. "Then let's do it."

  Jack stepped forward and knocked on the door.

  6

  Lin

  Lin didn't have much to pack. A few clothes and her sword, stolen from a dead Nostros prince. The blade was as long as her arm but perfectly balanced, almost weightless. A dragon was etched into the steel — the sigil of the royal prince's family. It was different to the Black Dogs' blades — theirs were long, sleek and single-edged whereas the Nostros' sword was thicker and double-edged — but Lin liked that. She'd never be a Black Dog, so she was glad her sword stood apart.

  As she looked down on her belongings, she smiled. Some borrowed clothes and a stolen sword. They were all the possessions she had in the world and yet more than she'd ever owned before.

  She put on an extra tunic to help keep out the cold while they were on the road and packed the rest into a small bag. The sword she wore on her hip. As she threw her cloak over her shoulders, she remembered the last time she'd left Whitehaven. She'd smuggled herself, with Jack's aid, onboard one of the ships sent to attack her former home. When she'd tried to free the other slaves in the castle, they'd refused and called her mad.

  She stopped by the door to the cottage and looked around. It had been a good home, but Lin couldn't shake the feeling she'd never see it again. Master Snow was right. A road lay ahead of her. She'd no idea where it went, but she'd learnt at Grosnar that there was no going back. Whatever happened, Lin would keep going until she found her future.

  Simon was waiting for her near the memorial flame in the central courtyard. He pointed to the two horses nearby. "No carriage, as requested."

  "Thank you," replied Lin.

  "Do you have anyone you need to say goodbye to before we go?"

  Lin looked around the old monastery. She could think of a few who would be glad to see the back of her, to have their home back the way it was. Still, Whitehaven had been good to her. She was more excited to leave. "No. No one. Let's go."