Age of Myth

by Michael J. Sullivan

  She held her breath and pressed against the stone of the cave’s rear wall, wondering if the bear would claw, bite, or crush her. Grin must have decided she had no desire to slam into the rocky wall and slowed.

  That was when a flash of white slammed into the bear.

  “Minna!” Suri shouted in shock.

  The wolf launched herself onto the hindquarters of Grin and managed to hang on with a mouthful of fur. The bear pivoted sharply, and the wolf lost her tenuous hold. Minna flew across the cave, landed on her side with a cry, but scrambled up again. She lowered her head, raised her fur, planted her paws, and growled at the giant.

  Grin roared back.

  Suri came off the wall. “Run, Minna! Run!”

  She knew Minna wouldn’t. If the wolf had broken down the door in the lodge and busted through the front gate of the dahl to get there, Minna was definitely going to die before abandoning her.

  At that moment, as the wolf hunched and snarled, Suri knew that her only friend in the world would die. What hadn’t occurred to her in the prelude to her own bloody end revealed itself in her desperation to save Minna.

  “How’d you do that?” Tura had asked. The old woman stared as the firelight bathed her features, flickering and dancing with the shadows that played all around their little home.

  Suri had shrugged. “I asked the fire spirit to come; isn’t that right?”

  Tura had nodded, but the old woman who knew everything had looked confused, apprehensive, even frightened. She hadn’t been scared of the fire. The mystic was frightened of Suri. The truth was in the old woman’s eyes as they shifted back and forth between Suri and the fire.

  Why?

  That singular question had lingered with Suri for many years.

  If Tura couldn’t call the fire spirit without the use of sticks and string, what difference did that make? What was so frightening about making a campfire or lighting a lamp?

  It had taken years; it had taken seeing Arion attacked by a goblin; it had taken the look of death in the eyes of Grin as she advanced on Minna, but Suri finally understood.

  She focused on the bear, briskly rubbed her hands together, and spoke the words of the gods. She clapped as hard as she could. The impact of one palm slapping the other caused Suri to wince. The effect on Grin was far more dramatic.

  The bear burst into flames.

  The fire started at her feet, orange and yellow tongues rapidly licking their way up the bear’s thick furry body. Suri heard it, a sound like the single downstroke of a giant bird’s wings. She felt it, too. Air sucked from the back of the cave brushed by her as the fire took a breath, grew, and enveloped the beast in a massive plume of brilliant light and blazing heat.

  Minna jerked away as Grin became a torch.

  “Minna!” Suri cried. “Over here!”

  The wolf darted around the flaming bear, which rolled around on the dirt floor. Minna barely cleared the distance. With most of the flames extinguished, Grin let loose a horrible wail. She jerked and raced out of the cave in desperation.

  Suri caught Minna and hugged the wolf around her furry neck. “Thank you, Minna! Thank you for saving me!”

  Minna pressed her weight against Suri and looked up at her with an I-am-so-glad-you-are-all-right-but-we-are-definitely-going-to-talk-about-this-later expression. The wolf wore a belt around its neck, the rest of which trailed on the ground. “Since when do you wear leather?”

  Then Suri remembered Maeve.

  —

  All Raithe knew was that Persephone had gotten past the men and into the trees. He and Malcolm had given her the best chance they could. He felt good about that—surprisingly good—as if the accomplishment was the first truly worthwhile thing he’d done in his life. His father would have scowled at his stupidity, but he imagined his mother and sister would have been proud.

  Having recovered from his bash with Konniger, Malcolm had miraculously returned and pressed his back against Raithe’s once more. The former slave and current storyteller extraordinaire was doing well.

  Raithe had picked up Persephone’s dropped spear and thrown it, dropping one man. Then he severed the points off three spears with Shegon’s sword and split a shield, scaring the man holding it so badly that he fell and tripped the person behind him. Two spears were thrown. One went over his and Malcolm’s heads; the other glanced off his fancy shield from the Dherg rol.

  Raithe howled as loudly as he could and scared the lot of them into jumping back. He counted six remaining men. And even though he and Malcolm were just two, the group of men was terrified—terrified of the God Killer and his strange friend who dressed like a god.

  “Where’s Konniger?” one of them called out. “Is he dead?”

  The ring of men paused and regrouped. Two went in search of the spears they’d thrown, leaving only four to watch them, none of whom looked happy.

  “How you doing?” Raithe asked Malcolm.

  “Splendid!” the man gasped. “Is bear hunting always this much fun? If so, let’s never do it again.”

  “They’ll probably gang up on you this time.”

  “Lovely! Any advice?”

  “Pray.”

  “Which god?”

  “All of them.”

  Raithe tightened his grip on the Dherg shield and Shegon’s sword, then looked around for Konniger, but he couldn’t see him. “Did you kill Konniger?”

  “Just knocked him down,” Malcolm replied. “I think he ran away.”

  The men surrounding them were hesitating longer than Raithe had expected. Several were looking over their shoulders into the trees, probably wondering why Konniger had abandoned them to fight the God Killer alone.

  “Giving us a good long rest,” Malcolm whispered. “I like that, but is this normal?”

  Off in the darkness, near where one who’d overthrown his spear had gone, someone screamed.

  “Palton?” another man called out, and ran in the direction of the noise. A moment later the snapping of tree branches erupted as the same man came back—sailing through the air as if thrown. He struck a tree to Raithe’s left, bounced, and fell to the ground.

  The thinning circle imprisoning Raithe and Malcolm broke apart as the men lost all interest in them. One man, only a pace away from Raithe, screamed and fell. After that, the rest scattered. In the darkness of the trees around them, Raithe saw nothing. He and Malcolm waited, listening. Snapping branches were followed by screams.

  “It’s like the forest is eating them,” Raithe whispered over his shoulder, pushing harder against Malcolm. He peered out into the moon-dappled darkness, unsure what he’d see next.

  Monstrous trees with gaping mouths? Ravenous beasts?

  They waited, eyes darting with every crack or snap. Within minutes the sounds faded and then vanished. Only the breeze rustling leaves remained. Even the crickets were silent.

  Raithe and Malcolm remained back-to-back, holding their weapons up, waiting. Raithe could feel Malcolm breathing and felt him shifting his head left and right.

  “You scared?” Malcolm whispered.

  “Little bit.”

  “Me, too—little bit.”

  Without sound, ghostly figures emerged from the black. The first thing that came to Raithe’s mind was ghosts—ghosts, ghouls, wraiths, or—

  “I hope those weren’t friends of yours, God Killer,” Nyphron said.

  As he approached, beams of moonlight splashed across his features, turning Nyphron’s hair silver. Raithe saw that his sword was out, the metal stained dark. At his side walked Sebek, with Tibor and Nagon gleaming in the moonlight.

  “Not friends of ours, no.” Although Raithe was happy not to see carnivorous pines, he wasn’t certain if the Fhrey were a better alternative. Seeing them with blades drawn was as disturbing as seeing even a familiar dog with its teeth bared.

  “Good.” Nyphron smiled. After wiping his blade, he sheathed it. “We’re in search of the little tattooed one. Do you know where she is?”

 
; “Suri? Why? What did she do?”

  Nyphron shrugged. “I have no idea, but for some reason, Arion—the one your slave friend leveled with that rock—insists that we find and protect her. Anwir tracked the girl this far. I thought she was part of this mess.” He gestured at the dead man who had been thrown.

  The Fhrey weren’t there to kill anyone. Konniger’s men had just gotten in the way. Raithe allowed himself to relax a bit, lowering sword and shield.

  “We were looking for her, too,” Raithe said. “We think she’s in a cave up there.” He pointed with Shegon’s sword at the moonlit path.

  Nyphron looked and nodded. “Best be moving, then.”

  The whole group of Fhrey shifted like a school of fish, and in an instant they were gone.

  “Wait!” Raithe shouted. “Did you see Persephone?”

  No answer.

  “What about Konniger?”

  Only silence.

  Raithe and Malcolm stood alone in the trampled circle in the moonlit glade. They looked at each other, then at the bodies at their feet.

  “We’re alive,” Malcolm mentioned in disbelief.

  “What about Persephone?” Raithe began walking around, terrified he would stumble over her body.

  “She got away.” Malcolm pointed into the trees. “I saw her racing into the forest. I think she’s fine. If she got to the rol, she’s safe.”

  Raithe shook his head. “She didn’t go to the rol.”

  “What are you talking about? That’s what you told her to do.”

  “If I’ve learned anything about that woman, it’s that she’s unlikely to do what she’s told.”

  “You think she went after Suri?”

  “That’s why we came out here, isn’t it?” Raithe started to follow the Fhrey.

  “But what if she didn’t? What if she did go to the rol?”

  “Then she’s safe, and we can go look for her with Suri as our guide, right?”

  Malcolm looked less convinced but nodded and followed Raithe into the trees.

  —

  The water felt as cold as it had the last time.

  In the dark, Persephone was worried that she wouldn’t know which way to swim, but breaching the surface, she kicked toward the sound of the waterfall behind her. Swimming as fast as she could, it didn’t take long to reach the edge of the pool. Just when she thought she’d made it to safety, Konniger splashed down.

  The chieftain was smarter, or more determined, than Char and his pack of wolves.

  She dragged herself up on the ledge. Her skirt clung to her legs and water drizzled a trail as she moved toward the crack behind the falls. Konniger was swimming toward her, and she fought against a panicked urge to run. She knew all too well the dangers of running on slippery stone.

  Konniger reached the ledge.

  How is he so fast?

  He didn’t know where he was going, yet he still closed the ground between them.

  No moonlight fell behind the falls and none penetrated the inky crevice. She felt with ice-cold fingers along the smooth stone, searching. Her hands became her eyes, and with outstretched arms, she made her way down the corridor.

  The door will open if you press the diamond shape in the design at the top. On the outside there’s no design, just a little rock sticking out a bit. You have to feel around to find it…

  Persephone had both hands on the left wall, sliding all over. She hammered frantically on any imperfection that stuck out.

  “You in here, Persephone?” The sound of Konniger’s voice nearly made her scream.

  She tried to be quiet, tried to hide in the dark, but she couldn’t stop breathing.

  “I can hear you,” he said. “I can hear your heart pounding. It is pounding, isn’t it, Seph? You don’t mind if I call you Seph, do you? I noticed the Dureyan called you that. Are the two of you lovers? We made up that story about you and him, but maybe we weren’t wrong after all. He’s dead now. So is the other one.”

  Where is it? Where is it?

  Persephone was sliding her hands everywhere, skidding across the surface.

  Where are you, you culling rock!

  “There’s no way out of here, is there, Seph? You might as well give up. I’ll make it quick. It’s not personal. Honestly, I respect you. I wasn’t lying earlier in the lodge. You’re sharp as an ax. That’s just the problem. I knew you didn’t buy the story about a bear killing Reglan. I could see you moving all your men into place. It was only a matter of time before you ordered my death. You just waited a little too long, that’s all. Given a few more hours, I’d have been the one hiding in the dark, trying to get away from Raithe, Nyphron, or maybe that ugly goblin thing. If the situations were reversed, I’m sure you’d kill me quick, right? No sense dragging this out. I swear to Elan and Eton that I’ll cut your throat clean and quick. I feel I owe that to Reglan, you know?”

  Shivering in the dark, she could hear Konniger, feet sliding on stone as he inched in. He was so close that she heard the water dripping off his clothes. When her toe touched the end of the corridor, she felt her heart sink. She was at the end in every way a person could be.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Beneath the Falls

  That night there was more than one killer in the forest, the next day a lot more ghosts.

  —THE BOOK OF BRIN

  Maeve hadn’t moved.

  Suri held Minna as she looked at the rumpled pile of cloth that had been the old woman, her white hair sprayed out in a fan. Suri spotted the finger of a hand, palm up, and a leg’s pale skin sticking out from under her dress. She needed to check on her but was afraid to, afraid to let go of Minna, afraid to see what the bear had done. In truth, Suri was just afraid. Her hands were trembling where they clutched Minna’s fur. The last time she’d been this scared was after finding Tura facedown in the garden. This time was worse. Suri hadn’t simply arrived home to a woman who looked as if she’d picked a stupid place to sleep.

  Suri felt safe holding Minna, or as safe as she could feel. Nothing was as reassuring as hugging a wolf, but she had to check on Maeve. She might still be alive, not that it would matter. Better if she was dead. Suri couldn’t do much for her if she wasn’t.

  “Wait here,” she told the wolf as she rose on uncertain legs.

  Suri staggered toward Maeve. Along the way, she picked up Tura’s staff, which helped. Then she knelt beside the old woman. All that white hair obscured her face. Reaching out, Suri brushed it back.

  Maeve opened her eyes.

  Suri jerked her hand back. “I thought you were dead!”

  The old woman managed a smile, not just with her lips but with her eyes. Looking up at Suri, she beamed.

  “I’m so sorry,” Suri said. “It didn’t work. I don’t know why. I did it right—I know I did. Tura said I was good at such things, and I am…usually. I’ve always been able to stop the goulgans from getting in the mushrooms. My wards worked even better than hers.”

  Maeve struggled to raise a hand. She only got it a few inches off the ground, where it hovered, shaking. Suri reached out and took hold of it.

  “It’s all right. It’s all right,” Maeve whispered in a thread-thin voice. “It did work.”

  Suri didn’t understand. “It did?”

  Looking around the cave, she searched for Maeve’s daughter. She expected to see a naked baby or maybe a young girl, but only Minna was there. Having never exorcised an evil spirit, Suri had no idea what to expect, what to look for. It was possible she’d missed the moment when Maeve’s daughter freed herself. A lot was happening, after all. Maybe the fire did it. That made a lot of sense. The fire could have distracted the demon and forced the girl’s soul out the way the salt should have. The fire’s brightness would have made it impossible for Suri to notice the transformation.

  But then where is the child?

  Suri looked around the cave once more and found nothing.

  “I don’t see her,” Suri said. “Are you sure it worked?”

&n
bsp; Suri felt Maeve’s quivering fingers squeezing hers. “I can see her. She’s safe and…and she is beautiful…she is so…”

  Maeve’s fingers stopped quivering. The sight went out of her eyes, but the smile, that giant grin, remained.

  —

  Persephone could hear Konniger breathing. He was panting.

  With nowhere to go, she bent her knees, lowering herself and crouching down. She cowered into a ball, trying to become as small as possible. A child’s plan, and as feeble as it was, this one hope was all she had.

  Maybe he’ll reach out, touch the end of the crack, and think I got away. He might doubt whether I came in here at all.

  She didn’t even dare to pray, not out loud. In her head, she begged Mari to save her, to hide her, to—

  “It’s really narrow in here, isn’t it? How did you find this place?”

  Persephone covered her face with her hands to muffle her breathing, which was far too rapid and loud. She cursed her body for needing air. And wondered if Konniger could really hear her heart beating. To her own ears it pounded at an alarming volume.

  “Did you know there was a pool down here, or did you just jump and pray? I’ll bet you didn’t even see the cliff. I’m impressed you didn’t scream.”

  She heard the scrape of his feet as he pressed closer and probably could have touched him if she extended her arm.

  “You don’t have that spear with you, do you, Seph? No, you dropped that. Lucky for me. Otherwise this—”

  Splash!

  The sound came from outside.

  It’s Raithe!

  Somehow he had managed to escape and had come for her. Only one splash meant Malcolm was injured or dead, or maybe they had split up and he had gone to save Suri. What mattered was that Raithe was there, and he was going to save her.