A Different Kind of Deadly

by Nicole Martinsen

  I shrank into the chair, swishing the liquid in my cup. Questions roared across the seats below, demanding to know who Diana's Contractor was.

  Our host arched his brow at my obvious signal.

  "My, my... I figured it was one of you two," he smirked. "I wonder how it is you've caught her? Lady Galatea is a legend in our bleak little halls."

  I wanted to ask what kind of legend he was talking about, but was smart enough to realize I'd given up too much already.

  "You could say she caught me." I thought of all the times she'd picked me up and saved me from making a fool of myself. "Over and over again."

  Leo snorted, "That's one way of putting it."

  "In our other corner," the giant continued once the excitement died down, "we have Formos!"

  "Formos?" I wondered.

  "A minotaur," said our host. "Quite rare, but a fan favorite. Most bets are stacked in his favor this evening as Lady Galatea is unproven these days. Not for long, I imagine."

  There was a confidence in his words that I wished I felt.

  Chains rattled as the gates opened on either side of the pit. I spotted Diana immediately, her pale skin like an opal in soot. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, and her chest was covered by a metal cuirass, both ancient and heavy.

  Opposite her was Formos, a beast at nearly twice her height. His cloven hooves shook the dry earth beneath his weight. Impossibly large muscles strained beneath his leathery skin. Even his tail flicked around like an angry rattle snake, prepared to whip an unlucky bystander into submission.

  Leo, who had been so certain of a Doll's power, paled at the sight of this match up. He avoided my gaze, as though trying to hide some truth in his eyes.

  This did nothing to reassure me.

  The announcer stepped back, climbing up to a flat platform above the fighting area. The combatants approached one another.

  The undead minotaur, Formos, cast Diana a bloodthirsty grin.

  Diana yawned.

  "Fighters... BEGIN!"

  No sooner than he'd said it, Diana disappeared. Everyone, myself included, gripped the edge of the railing and leaned forward. No one was more baffled than Formos, who started stomping about wildly.

  Diana didn't magically poof out of existence.

  She'd instantly run between his legs.

  Some members of the crowd caught onto the same fact, and began screaming at Formos, who looked down in time to see her slide out from under him.

  Diana latched onto his tail, and Formos began to flick it wildly. Her body thrashed against the floor, and I felt a dull version of every impact, making me feel sore and ill.

  Then, when his tail lashed up, Diana released it, flying nearly fifteen feet into the air. Formos readied his hands, prepared to crush her once she came within range.

  Once she was close enough, and the minotaur's hands came together for their deadly clap, she did something only a Doll could do... and spun her joints in midair.

  The portion of her that would have been smashed suddenly twisted in a way that would leave a normal human broken. Then, with her ridiculous strength, she used her momentum to grab hold of the minotaur by one of his horns.

  His neck twisted so hard as she dropped that it made a full revolution, sitting backwards on his broad shoulders. Blood sprayed everywhere, coating Diana's porcelain features in scarlet rivulets.

  She hopped off the body. It fell shortly thereafter. The crowd was silent.

  And then someone clapped.

  That cheer turned into a sound as mighty as a thunderstorm. The seats shook with a furor of excitement. I felt my heart hammer wildly in my chest, unable to believe my eyes.

  "Spectacular, isn't she?"

  Leo and I turned around. Our host remained as calm as always, but there was something different about him now... palpably sinister.

  "It's practically cheating," he continued. "A Doll can blaze right through the roster. Unless... well, you'll see shortly."

  The announcer came forward once the cheering ceased.

  His expression was slightly concerned as he read the next name off his list.

  "Thanks to the generous contributions by Lord Koronos, the Lady Galatea's next match is the Lord's Steward!"

  The crowd didn't know how to take this. Apart from some enthusiastic shouts, a number of them looked at the viewing box, where this Lord Koronos smiled like a fat cat with a feather sticking out of his mouth.

  The gate rattled open. Out stepped a man. He was neither scraggly, nor was he muscular. His physique was lean, and appeared like sculpted marble. The wide sleeves exposed his shoulders. My breath caught in my throat.

  By the look on Diana's face, she was just as shocked as everyone else.

  "Marvin... is that?" Leo started to ask.

  But a hand clasped my shoulder. I glanced back. Once-human fingers were now blazing red, and ended in claws. That sweet smell suddenly faded to something burnt and smoky...

  "This is my Doll, Marvin, Son of Thanos. He's been... dying to meet you," Lord Koronos laughed.

  The Doll stopped and looked at the viewing box. His arm moved so fast that I didn't see what was in it. All I knew was that a moment later I saw a scratch appear on Diana's cheek.

  Oh.

  He threw a stiletto at me.

  Leo rushed to find gauze strips in his supply pouch, but I was too distracted by the burning hatred in the Doll's dark eyes.

  I know them.

  Lord Koronos offered a deep, throaty chuckle, becoming less human by the second. A forked and rough tongue licked at the blood spilling from the cut on my face.

  "What an expression," he cooed. "For a reunion between old friends."

  I finally had a face to attach to the name. I didn't know how, or why, but in my heart I knew.

  Will was back, and his eyes spelled murder.

  14: A Compromising Situation

  Diana studied her newest opponent, a Doll she'd never seen before. But, considering his owner, she wasn't terribly surprised.

  "Lord Koronos?" she spat, her eyes trailing to the viewing box. There was a reason she told Marvin to stay at the Dead Man's Tale; he could hide, but he couldn't blend to save his own life -something that was now in very real danger.

  Koronos had only revealed some of his true form. Diana traced the outline of a menacing hand, and the horns on either side of his head curling in the mockery of a crown.

  "What are you waiting for, dead boy?" His voice, no louder than it would be in polite conversation, echoed in everyone's ears as though he'd screamed at the top of his lungs. "It's impolite to leave a Lady waiting."

  The Doll grudgingly turned to his opponent.

  Diana charged at him.

  He didn't move or make a defensive stance. This Doll waited until she was within striking distance, reached for her outstretched fist, and threw her into the arena wall.

  Diana felt her glass eyes rolling wildly in the back of her head, jarred by the sudden blow. The male Doll closed the distance in an instant; she barely dodged his strike.

  Diana took a moment to see that his arm was now half-burrowed in the blackened dirt. He tore it out as easily as though he was cutting through butter.

  She looked for a weakness to exploit, but he was built with spare joints; finer springs, and he knew how to use them.

  "Damn Koronos," she swore.

  He had made her obsolete.

  "Is Marvin your Contractor?" the Doll asked.

  Diana paused. She saw no reason to lie to him in their present circumstance.

  "He is. Why does it matter?"

  "It matters," said the Doll, "because he killed me. Over, and over, and over, again..." His voice sank into a dangerous growl. "He tore my soul to shreds!"

  Marvin?

  Her Marvin?

  She thought about her cowardly Contractor, how he couldn't even bring himself to kill a frog. Diana squinted at this Doll, but found that she couldn't dismiss his claims.

  "What's your name?"
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  "Will, Lady Galatea." There was grudging respect in the manner he addressed her. "Now forgive me, but I'll have to kill you if I want to complete my revenge."

  Diana's eyes widened as he lunged. She grabbed his arm, flipping over his head.

  "What sort of revenge are you after?"

  "One where he suffers as much as possible."

  "In that case, let me tell you something." She wished she didn't have to reveal this card, but Diana was smart enough to realize she couldn't win this fight without serious intervention. "If you kill me, Marvin dies as well."

  Will stopped readying his next attack. He stared at Diana for a long minute, debating whether or not he could believe her. Finally, the Doll raised his head at Koronos, frowning deeply.

  "Koronos has a lot of nerve."

  "He's a demon; what do you expect?" Diana scoffed.

  Will narrowed his eyes, stepping into the middle of the fighting ground.

  "I forfeit this fight!" he announced, earning outraged screams from the crowd. Diana used this time to glare at her stupid Contractor, who had enough sense left in him to avert his gaze in shame.

  Koronos smiled, for he knew that the only way to get Marvin back was for her to see him. Diana balled her hands into fists, trembling at her sides with rage.

  Maybe this was a good thing after all.

  She'd finally get the opportunity to put Koronos where he belongs.

  Hell.

  15: A Devil's Deal

  Koronos backed away to allow Leo to tend to the cut on my cheek. It was blistering.

  It led me to believe that his tongue was poisonous, or at least corrosive. I felt Leo's fingers shaking as he muttered words to stop the scabbing. It made me realize just how big of a blunder I'd made; magic was only to be used in special circumstances. The saliva of Lord Koronos was necrotizing my flesh.

  "Do forgive me for this turn of events, Marvin," Koronos said, back to a human sounding voice. "I was willing to go to extremes to make Lady Galatea's acquaintance."

  "Well you've made it!"

  I spun around, swallowing my tongue in the process. Diana's normally impassive face simmered with fury. If looks could kill, Koronos would've been dead a dozen times over.

  "How dare you?" She stomped over to him; I watched the floor crack beneath her angry steps. "Liar! Cheat! Murderer!"

  More shocking than the speed of the swing she took at Koronos was how easily he caught her wrist -yawning at this expected play.

  Diana's pink eyes rimmed with crimson, outraged.

  "Come, Lady Galatea; as much as I adore these compliments, I'm afraid I can't take all the credit. After all..." His eyes turned into slits, as green and glowing as the acid pools in the Moor of Souls. "It's your doing that led to my game with Inval."

  Whatever significance that sentence held, it was profound. From rage to guilt, Diana looked inward. For a moment, I thought she was ready to crumble on herself.

  "It was a mistake," she whispered. "I told him not to concern himself."

  "Oh?" Koronos arched his brow, flicking his serpentine eyes in my direction. "It would seem there is a pattern, then. Come to think of it, Marvin bears quite the strong semblance to our departed friend."

  "He was no friend of yours!" Diana shrieked.

  "Semantics, dear Lady." Koronos paused, looking through the arch leading to the viewing box. "And Will, I'll not have you harming my guests. Vendettas are to be settled on your own time."

  The raggedy Doll shivered with repressed blood-lust, shooting me such an evil look that I would've pissed myself had I anything to drink earlier.

  He was vaguely familiar

  I can admit that now. His strawberry blonde hair reminded me of the light that came from the attic in Nethermount.

  We played there, once. The fleeting image of me messing with his sun-drenched hair came to mind. We were children, and friends.

  And I killed him.

  Leo grabbed me by the arm; one look at him told me that he was the only one sane enough to be truly frightened. I offered him a reassuring nudge, but the truth was that I had no idea how any of us were going to get out of this in one piece.

  "Have a seat, Lady Galatea," Koronos suggested. "It would seem that the boys are confused by all this. Don't tell me that you've been keeping this story to yourself all these years?"

  "It was mine to keep," she objected, and remained standing in defiance. Leo and I decided that we weren't as brave, so we sat back down. I made certain to sit as far away from Will as possible.

  Koronos swept his purple vestments before him like a fan, smiling in his terrifyingly perfect way.

  "My Lady... this is a tale too good not to tell; it may be yours to keep, but as I've also played a part, it is mine to share." We shrank as he looked at us. "If Lady Galatea is your Doll, you must know that Inval had left to the East to find a cure for her... condition, yes?"

  According to Diana, she had a weak constitution, and contracted a fatal illness. I couldn't imagine her being anything other than strong and stubborn, but I nodded because I had no other choice.

  Koronos paced as he told us his side of events.

  "She was his protégé, you see. Bright, impudent; smitten with her master."

  I glanced at Diana to see that her eyes were faced towards the floor.

  "She made a habit of venturing through the Moor, studying undead in their untamed habitat, one can say; collecting minerals that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world for the sake of Inval's studies -such devotion!"

  He stopped in his tracks, a nostalgic gleam in his eyes.

  "She amused me, and I trailed her in the guise of a basilisk. Our Lady Galatea was so naive then," he chuckled. "She insisted that there was nothing her precious Inval couldn't cure! Oh, but I begged to differ."

  Koronos wagged a finger in the air, suddenly thick with resentment emanating from the Dolls present.

  "I bit our fair Lady, and she contracted that pesky little condition." His mouth crinkled at the corners as he grinned. His teeth seemed... sharper somehow. "While she was bed-ridden in Nethermount, Inval had the idea to come to the Moor. A logical step. After all, one often finds cures in the place of contraction. Inval succeeded... he found me."

  A dark shadow loomed across Diana's face. I recognized it as pain, the kind of pain that lurked so deep that it could consume a person. I lost my interest in this story. It wasn't my place to hear it.

  But of course, I was too much of a coward to say so.

  "I told Inval the truth-"

  "Liar!" Diana burst out.

  Koronos pressed a hand against his chest, feigning ignorance. "Liar? Me? No... I told the truth, Lady Galatea... just not the whole of it. I told Inval he needed power to undo what ailed you, more than he had at his disposal. Anyone with a hint of magical ability knew that there was great energy in the East. Brilliant as he was, Inval was too stupid to think that I had the power he needed as an alternative."

  Koronos covered his mouth. His shoulders shook with silent laughter.

  "I taught him how to form a Doll Contract... to preserve his prized pupil. What I forgot to mention was that the change was a permanent one. He traveled to the East for nothing after damning Lady Galatea to her present state. How cruel of him, to leave her all alone -don't you think?"

  Leo had the strength to look at Koronos, who revealed himself for who he was; a demon of similar stature to the minotaur we saw in the fighting pit below. In place of hooves, he had freakishly long feet, with curling nails boring holes into the ground. Toxic boils coated the surface of his brown carapace. The rest of him was pure muscle, whose tendons rippled beneath his too-tight skin. I felt my blood freezing in my veins.

  "Why did you do it?" Leo asked.

  "I'm afraid I don't understand the question, boy."

  The Son of Soma motioned to Diana, who seemed lifeless in her part of the room.

  "What did Diana do to you? Why did she deserve this?"

  I wasn't sure whether Koron
os laughed, sighed, or did both at the same time.

  His voice rumbled for a few seconds before he replied.

  "I'm a devil, child. I did it for the same reason the sun rises in the day, or the moon beckons the tides -it is the way of things. I was bored. She was an opportunity. It's as simple as that."

  "But..." I spoke before I even realized it was me. "If you say you can't undo it then does that mean..."

  Leo's explanation was that Doll creation was like a soul transfer. I thought a body had to be built, but if Koronos was telling the truth...

  "You turn a living, human body, into a Doll? It's not soul transfer, it's transmutation?"

  Koronos smiled slowly. His teeth took up nearly half his face.

  "So clever! Yes, young necromancer."

  "So there's no way Diana can turn back to a normal human?" I asked. "Ever?"

  "Not that I'm aware of." Koronos shrugged.

  "But there has to be."

  "Why does it matter to you?"

  "Because everyone deserves a chance at life!" I had no idea where this strength had come from, but I was certain that I was about to get myself killed. "A second chance," I amended. "If not to live, then to make things right."

  Rather than bite my head off, as I'd anticipated, Koronos made a pensive sound, surveying me.

  "I'll tell you what, Son of Thanos. If you manage a way to turn Diana back into her human form, then I'll be your loyal servant till the end of your days."

  Diana reached for me. "Marvin, don't!"

  "Deal."

  A searing pain burned my arm. I quickly pulled up the sleeve to find a brand.

  It was two snakes eating the others' tail. Ouroboros; the symbol for eternity.

  Part Two: Ties That Bind

  A curious thing happened today; a girl-child was sacrificed to the Pit.

  Her skin was the color of the underbelly of a fish; her eyes, like roses, bloomed to life.

  It's a rare form of albinism, to be sure -I'd only read about it once or twice. It dawned on me, with a measure of understanding, that she was an outcast among her nomadic people. The sun-touched tribes of the Howling Desert, known for their tan physiques and mighty builds... this frail child was no doubt a pariah among them.