Cunning Devil

by Chris Underwood

  And now I wasn’t sure I’d be able to repay the favor.

  A pair of redcaps threw open a large set of double doors. Likho strode through, leading us into the hall. He raised his staff and thumped it against the floor.

  “Lord,” Likho said. “We have captured the intruders.”

  A round, aged goblin blinked and looked down from his throne.

  Khataz didn’t look like much of a lord. He was haggard, sickly. As the redcaps herded us into the small but well-lit hall, the Lord of the Deep hunched his shoulders and squinted at us.

  “Eh? Who? Let me look at them.” He gripped the arms of the throne to push himself shakily to his feet. Beside him were the only other occupants of the room: two more pike-armed redcaps standing guard in the shadows of the columns that flanked the room.

  “They’re insurgents, Lord,” Likho said. “Here to destroy us.”

  “Insurgents,” I muttered. “That’s a new one.”

  The butt of a spear slammed into my back. I dropped to my knees, gasping for breath.

  “Insurgents?” Khataz trembled, and clutched at his throat as if he were under attack. His eyes darted about wildly. “Here?”

  “Don’t fear, Lord.” Likho glided smoothly over to Khataz and put a hand on the goblin’s shoulder. “You’re safe now.”

  At the sorcerer’s touch, Khataz’s eyes glazed over. His trembling slowed, and he nodded. “Yes. Yes. I’m safe. Thank you.”

  Maybe the rumors we’d heard weren’t so far off after all. Likho was clearly using some kind of sorcery on Khataz, keeping the Lord of the Deep docile.

  I’d never met Khataz before, but he’d always had a reputation for his fiery temper and swift—if reckless—decision-making. This goblin here, though, was a scared puppy, not a ruler.

  “Lord!” Rodetk called out. “It’s me. It’s Rodetk.”

  Khataz blinked and squinted like he was having trouble seeing. “Rodetk. I know that name.”

  “I was a lieutenant in the Guard, remember? I’m here to—”

  Likho moved a finger and one of the redcaps kicked Rodetk in the back of the head. The goblin slumped face-down on the floor with a grunt.

  “Silence!” Likho snapped, his calm facade breaking for a moment. “Traitors don’t deserve to speak.”

  The sorcerer took a few deep breaths, his composure returning. Khataz opened his mouth, but Likho touched his shoulder and the Lord of the Deep went slack-jawed again.

  “Your lieutenant has betrayed you, Lord,” Likho said. “He brought a witch into the mountain. Doubtless the same witch that’s been plaguing us. He and his lackeys are here to work dark magics against us.”

  The sorcerer gestured to Lilian as he spoke. Judging by the look on her face, she didn’t like being called my lackey. I thought it had a certain ring to it.

  Khataz’s eyelids fluttered. “A witch?” he groaned. “No, no, no.”

  Likho muttered soothing words in his Lord’s ear, then snapped his one-eyed gaze back to me.

  “Confess, witch,” the sorcerer said. “Tell us how you plan to destroy us.”

  “I’m no witch,” I said. “I’m a cunning man.”

  “You’re a witch! Don’t think I haven’t noticed the shifts in the whispers of the Earth. I have sensed the darkness building. You seek to curse us all.”

  I blinked. “You’re the one working curses, goblin.”

  “I am the protector of this city!” Anger bubbled through his facade again. He stalked toward me, finger outstretched, animal bones rattling about his neck. “You send your minions against us, you work to destroy us, but it is you who will be destroyed!”

  “Minions? Do you see any minions here?” I looked past the sorcerer at Khataz, who swayed drunkenly on his feet. “Lord, listen to me. I’m not here to harm you, or this city. I’m here to track down a missing human child and prevent a curse. Your sorcerer—”

  “No more lies!” Likho screeched, and the electric lights wired to the ceiling flickered and dimmed. Even a few of the redcaps shifted uneasily. “Several days ago you sent your familiar to abduct one of the little ones. But that wasn’t enough, was it? You had to come and abduct them all. You send blind beasts to haunt the hillside and savage our men. But I will not let you curse us all, witch! Your plans have failed!”

  He sprayed saliva as he shouted. I had to lean back to avoid being rained on. This rage and paranoia didn’t seem to suit the sorcerer.

  Because they’re not his emotions , I realized. Khataz’s paranoia was seeping through their connection, corrupting the sorcerer. Likho had absorbed some of the Lord’s fears into himself.

  The sorcerer spun and gestured to a pair of redcaps. “Show them. Bring in the creature. The witch will see his failure.”

  One of the redcaps hesitated. “Sorcerer, it could be dangerous—”

  “Bring it!”

  The redcaps stiffened. “Yes, sorcerer.” His voice slurred like Khataz’s. I got the feeling Likho was using his magic to influence the redcaps’ minds as well. He had created them, after all.

  The two redcaps disappeared through a side door. As soon as they were gone, Likho glared at me and paced away. His face twisted, like he was trying to get control of himself.

  I shot Lilian a look. I saw my own confusion mirrored in her eyes. This wasn’t playing out like I’d thought it would.

  A few hours ago, things had made sense. Likho had seemed the obvious suspect. I figured he’d snatched Brandon Mills’ baby and was using the boy to manipulate Mills. He was gathering the ingredients for a powerful curse that could wreak havoc upon its target.

  And our course of action had been simple as well. All we had to do was prove the sorcerer was responsible, then figure out what his plan was and put a stop to it. Maybe give him a few extra kicks to pay him back for what he’d made Brandon Mills do to me.

  But now things were sliding out of focus. Likho was powerful, sure—turning goblins into redcaps was no easy feat, and neither was manipulating the mind of someone like Khataz. But it was clearly straining him. Was he really capable of working a curse as powerful as the one we were imagining?

  And what was all this rambling about minions and familiars? I wasn’t strong enough to command a familiar. That was high-level magic.

  Maybe the sorcerer was just trying to confuse us. Cover his tracks, perhaps. But I couldn’t figure out why he’d bother. He had us. We were already as good as dead.

  Rodetk was only just picking himself back up off the floor. He planted his hands and pushed himself to his knees. There was blood matted in his stringy black hair.

  “Hey,” I muttered. “You all right?”

  He spat a glob of blood on the floor and gave me a grin. His teeth were stained red. “Didn’t think you cared.”

  “Who says I do?”

  “Quiet!” Likho snarled.

  Rodetk ignored the sorcerer. “You’re not going to talk your way out of this, Turner. I think you know that.”

  Something about the way he said it gave me pause. I opened my mouth, but Likho swooped in again, his cloak streaming behind him.

  “I told you to be quiet! You will answer my questions, witch, and otherwise you will keep silent!”

  I smiled up at him, my mouth clamped firmly closed.

  From outside the chamber came a deep growl that rumbled through my chest. It was a sound to awaken primal fears. Beside me, Lilian breathed, “Oh, shit.”

  She’d cottoned on before me, clearly, but I didn’t have to wait long to find out for myself. The door swung open. And a new terror entered the room.

  The beast was closer to the size of a bear than a wolf. It stalked into the room on all fours, black fur hanging limp and matted from bulging muscles. The creature’s lips were peeled back, revealing teeth that looked like long splinters of bone.

  But this was no mere beast. There was something intelligent about the noises it made, the way it moved. Something unnatural. I felt like it was staring right through me, despite the fact t
hat its eye sockets were empty. They dripped blood endlessly down the side of its snout.

  “Our roggenwolf,” Lilian whispered.

  I just nodded.

  The beast was so menacing I almost didn’t notice the iron muzzle that covered its snout, keeping it from fully opening its jaws. A silver-wrought collar was secured around its neck, and a second harness had been fashioned from ropes and leather to go around its body. The two redcaps accompanied the roggenwolf, keeping the beast at a distance with long poles attached to the beast’s collar and body harness. The roggenwolf growled and twisted about in frustration, trying to snap at the redcaps through the muzzle.

  “God,” Lilian said. “What have they done to it?”

  She wasn’t just talking about the beast’s missing eyes. Wounds gaped on the roggenwolf’s flank and shoulders, oozing blood. They looked fresher than the gouged-out eyes. The goblins obviously hadn’t had an easy time capturing the roggenwolf.

  “You see, witch?” Likho said. “We’ve captured your monster.”

  I looked at him. “You’re a special kind of stupid, aren’t you?”

  The sorcerer gestured and the two redcaps urged the beast over to us. It obviously didn’t like being pushed around like this, but it went along with it. When it stood less than three feet away, it fixed me with an eyeless stare and growled. Its breath smelled of sulfur.

  “Now, witch, you will answer my questions,” Likho said. “Or you, your lackey, and this traitor will be fed to the animal one by one.”

  The roggenwolf strained against its bonds, sniffing the three of us. Rodetk edged back when it snarled at him, but Lilian remained calm and still. As it turned to her, growling, I saw her mouth moving slightly with near-silent whispers. The roggenwolf’s growls got a little quieter.

  Somehow, I didn’t think Lilian was going to be able to save our asses playing roggenwolf whisperer.

  “Who are you working with?” the sorcerer asked me. “I can see into your soul. You’re not strong enough to work a curse on this scale. Who aids you?”

  “I’m not working any curses,” I said. “I’m trying to stop one.”

  “Liar,” Likho hissed. “Stop lying!”

  “Where’s the changeling, sorcerer? Where’s Michael Mills? What have you done with him?”

  “Quiet!” He thumped his staff on the floor and the roggenwolf snapped its jaws in anger behind its muzzle.

  The sound seemed to draw Khataz out of his stupor. He blinked a few times and looked around, his gaze settling on the roggenwolf.

  “Sorcerer!” he said. “Why is there a beast in my chamber?”

  “No need to fear, Lord,” Likho said. “Your soldiers captured it, remember?”

  “They did?”

  “It has been haunting the mountain for days. Sent by the witch.” Likho turned back, considered us for a moment, then pointed a finger at Rodetk. “Let the traitor be the first to die. That should loosen the witch’s tongue.”

  “Wait a second,” I said. “What are you—?”

  Something struck the back of my head and I nearly hit the ground. When I could see again, I looked up and saw that Rodetk’s eyes were wide with fear.

  A redcap came forward, warily approaching the growling roggenwolf, and began to undo the muzzle.

  My mind spun. The sorcerer seemed as scared of this curse as we were. Was I wrong? Was someone other than Likho really responsible for all that had happened?

  But if he wasn’t working it, then who was?

  Likho stood before Rodetk, sneering. “Any last words before I feed your traitorous tongue to the blind beast?”

  “You’re the traitor, sorcerer,” Rodetk spat, his eyes fixed on the roggenwolf. “You were brought here to protect the city against the witch in the shadows. But all you’ve done is whisper poison in the Lord’s ear and create these…these abominations!” He pointed at the redcaps.

  “Be calm,” Lilian hissed. “You’re angering the roggenwolf. Don’t move. Don’t make eye contact with it.”

  But Rodetk wasn’t listening. The redcap pulled the muzzle from the beast’s snout, nearly losing a finger to the creature’s teeth.

  The blind roggenwolf snapped its jaws at the air, growling with rage. Rodetk tried to shuffle back, but the redcaps behind him held him in place.

  Lilian returned to her whispering, trying to placate the roggenwolf. I watched, helpless, trying to think.

  “Sorcerer,” I said. “Listen to me. You’re right, someone out there is working some dark magic. But it’s not me. And if it’s not you, we need to figure out who’s responsible.”

  Likho ignored me. His attention was fixed on the roggenwolf. It seemed like Lilian’s whisperings were working. The beast was beginning to calm.

  With a snarl, the sorcerer jabbed his staff at one of the creature’s open wounds. The beast howled with pain and snapped its jaws closed inches from Rodetk’s nose.

  “Wait!” Rodetk said. “Wait! Storykeeper! Tell the Lord in the Deep what I said to you. Tell him why I’m here.”

  At Rodetk’s shout, the storykeeper jumped. She’d been so quiet I’d nearly forgotten she was here, which I guess had been her goal. She was clinging to one of the columns in the corner, shaking.

  “Tell them!” Rodetk shouted as the roggenwolf strained for him.

  She licked her lips and bobbed her head, nearly losing her glasses in the process. “He…he said he was fulfilling the orders the Lord of the Deep gave him. He said he was bringing you the witch in the shadows.”

  “Just as I promised!” Rodetk pointed at me. “This isn’t just any witch. This is the Natiz-Tuk. This is the witch in the shadows. And I have brought him to you.”

  29

  I stared at Rodetk, not believing what I was hearing.

  Likho raised a hand. The redcaps pulled back the roggenwolf a couple of feet, and Rodetk sighed with relief.

  “I never turned my back on the city,” Rodetk said. “I’m no traitor!”

  “Speak,” the sorcerer snapped. “What do you know?”

  Rodetk glanced at me, swallowing. “I’ve been working for his master for a year. All the while gathering information on the witch. I know his powers, his weaknesses. This was the chance I needed to bring him back to the Mines and uncover his true plans. I led him into your hands.”

  I gaped. I’d been right all along. It was a trap.

  “You little shit,” I growled. “I should’ve let that redcap kill you! I should’ve killed you myself!”

  I lurched for him, but the redcap behind me grabbed me and held me still. My sudden movement set the roggenwolf growling again, but Lilian continued to murmur soothingly to it.

  “You’re right,” Rodetk said to Likho. “The witch and his master are planning something. And not just them. They’ve been holding secret meetings with the vampires. The ghouls as well, and others. They’re gathering their strength.”

  Likho leaned forward, eager. “For what?”

  “To bring the Mines under their sway,” Rodetk said.

  “What?” I said. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Likho spun and cracked me across the face with his staff. I saw stars.

  “If he speaks again, kill him,” Likho said to the redcap behind me.

  “The witch knew he had to take the redcaps out of the equation,” Rodetk continued, speaking quickly now. “That was why he was taking the little ones. He planned to use their blood for his own purposes. And he intends to poison you.”

  I opened my mouth, fighting through the pain in my skull, but the sharp steel pressed against the back of my neck made me reconsider.

  What was Rodetk talking about? Was he just trying to save his own skin however he could?

  Rodetk met my eyes. “He carries a flask of poison. I can show you. I can prove it.”

  Licking his lips, Likho nodded. “Slowly.” He gestured to one of the redcaps. “Watch him.”

  With one eye on the roggenwolf, Rodetk slowly rose. He held his hands out,
showing he was unarmed, and edged over to me. The roggenwolf growled as the goblin passed, but Lilian increased the intensity of her whispers, and the beast remained still.

  Khataz seemed to be growing more alert again. He shook his head, like he was trying to clear the spider webs from his mind. He started forward to see what was going on. But his redcap guards intercepted him, gently but firmly directing him back to his throne.

  “What’s happening?” Khataz said to the redcaps. “Isn’t that man part of the Guard?”

  Likho spoke distractedly over his shoulder. “Just a security matter, Lord. It’ll be dealt with soon.”

  Rodetk crouched down in front of me. He held my gaze as he reached into a pocket sewn into the inner lining of my coat. He turned back slowly, showing Likho the silver flask he’d taken from me.

  “It’s poison,” Rodetk said. “Designed to burn the victim alive from the inside out. I watched his master brew it for him.”

  I looked at the flask, then at Rodetk, catching on at last. I swallowed.

  The goblin was mad. But what choice did we have?

  “He’s lying,” I said. “It’s just whiskey.”

  “Is that so?” Likho said. He nodded at the redcap behind me. “Smell it.”

  Rodetk unscrewed the cap and held it steady as the redcap leaned in. Even from here I could smell the sharp stink of it. The redcap reared back.

  “It’s not whiskey,” he hissed.

  “Like you would know,” I said. “You were made in a fucking bathtub.”

  The redcap bared his teeth, but said nothing.

  Likho smiled. “Don’t worry, witch. I believe you. In fact, you look like you could use a drink.”

  He gestured with his fingers, and suddenly the redcap had me in a headlock. I jerked and twisted, but the redcap only gripped me tighter. The stink of his blood-tainted skin was overwhelming.

  “Rodetk,” the sorcerer said. “You say you’re not a traitor? Prove it to your Lord. Give this witch a taste of his own medicine.”

  Rodetk swallowed, nodded, and turned to me. He raised the flask. “Drink up, witch.”

  He shoved the flask’s opening into my mouth so hard it cracked against my teeth. Foul, bitter liquid filled my mouth.