Give the Devil His Due

by Blackwell, Rob

  “Is he always this creepy?” he asked Kate.

  Quinn mounted his horse in one effortless and smooth motion, and it reared up as the troops cheered again. He shot forward to find the scouts.

  The Headless Horseman was riding again.

  *****

  The Horseman rode into view to find sluagh wreaking havoc on a small cluster of twenty soldiers. His men were trying desperately to get into some kind of formation, only to have the creatures dart from the sky and tear into them. He watched as one sluagh flew down and grabbed a hapless soldier with his claws, taking him back into the sky. The man was tossed high into the air and screamed as he plummeted back to the ground.

  The Horseman drew his sword and rode directly into the fray, slicing through a sluagh headed for one soldier.

  Form up and retreat, his voice boomed in their heads.

  The flock of sluagh changed course and concentrated on the Horseman, dive-bombing him in an attempt to knock him out of the saddle. But he was too fast. As three sluagh attacked from different angles, the Horseman cut one in half, pivoted slightly to stab another, and then sliced the claw off a third.

  Its bird-like face screeched at him, its remaining claw trying to rake into his flesh. But the Horseman grabbed its wing and tossed it in the air before skewering it on his sword.

  In a few minutes, the number of sluagh declined significantly. What had started as more than two dozen was reduced to only a handful. The soldiers had finally recovered and were firing in short bursts. The Horseman dispatched two more sluagh before the remaining two took flight and fled.

  The Horseman rode in pursuit, galloping across the valley as the final sluagh disappeared over the crest of a hill. He pounded through the red grass, rode up the slope in front of him and then stopped abruptly.

  A castle stood in the distance at the edge of a cliff by the ocean, towering over the wide-open landscape before it. It was a massive, daunting stone structure that Quinn had seen once before in a dream. At that time, it had been a ruin. Now, however, it stood in all its glory, a Gothic castle with high spires and thick walls. A long valley lay below it, flanked on either side by hills and a thick forest.

  That wasn’t what caught his attention, however.

  On the plain below him, rows of creatures were all arranged in careful formation and facing his direction. He saw all manner of mythical beings, some he recognized and many he didn’t. He saw creatures that were half-goat and half-man; small, hairy beasts with ugly faces; and an array of animals that had the heads of snakes and the bodies of leopards.

  There were many more, far more than he could count. In the end, though, counting was useless. They would either win or they wouldn’t.

  As one, the massive army before him shouted, a roar that shook the earth and sounded like a gigantic thunderclap. In response, the Headless Horseman sheathed his sword and reared up. In his hand appeared a single, flaming pumpkin, which he launched into the air in front of the enemy.

  It wasn’t much, but it didn’t have to be.

  As the Horseman turned to return to his own troops, he knew a message had been sent.

  The war had begun.

  Chapter 40

  The Headless Horseman galloped across the hills, racing back to find his six companions gathered in conference under some trees.

  Their army was already in battle lines, spread out among units of Civil War soldiers, warriors from other eras, and a dark mass of spiders spaced carefully apart in perfect formation. He saw equipment too, including artillery at the back, and even a few more modern pieces that must have come from Carman’s troops after they surrendered. The troops were awaiting orders.

  The Horseman jumped off his steed before it had even stopped moving. He landed just feet away from Janus, who stumbled backwards.

  “Nice dismount, mate,” he said, but he still looked anxious.

  The Horseman said nothing, but joined their small circle.

  The plan in motion? Quinn asked Kate in his mind.

  I’ve laid out a strategy, she replied. I hope your gut is right. If it’s not, it’s going to cost us precious resources.

  Sanheim has superior numbers, Quinn thought. We have no tactical or geographic advantage. He knows the terrain and we don’t. Thanks to Janus’ map, I see exactly one option — and we don’t dare spell out that option for everyone here to see.

  Kate nodded.

  “Everyone up to speed?” she asked out loud. “Parker has the left flank, Elyssa has the right. Buzz commands the center. I’ll send messengers if I need to, but otherwise listen for a voice in your head. If I can, I’ll use that. Shout for me in your mind if you need help and we can try to reinforce you.”

  “What about Carol?” Janus asked.

  “We’ve dispatched a messenger to meet her,” Kate said, looking at Clinton, who nodded. “She’ll know where to find us.”

  “Is she coming here?” Janus asked.

  “Yes,” Kate said. “Here is where we make our stand. It’s all or nothing.”

  “I don’t think that’s wise,” Elyssa said. “If we lose here…”

  “We don’t have much choice,” Kate said, but she looked carefully at the group as she said it. “It’s time. Gather your troops. We move out in five.”

  Elyssa and Buzz nodded, and Parker bowed low. All three departed.

  “I don’t have any troops,” Janus said, a little wistfully.

  “You have a very valuable role,” Kate said.

  “You keep saying that, but you haven’t told me what it is,” Janus said.

  “I need you to stay near the command tent. We’ll set up near the crest of that hill, where Quinn just rode from,” she said and pointed ahead. “You should have a good view of the battlefield.”

  “So my ‘valuable role’ is to watch the fight?” Janus asked.

  “We want you to use whatever abilities you have to really see what’s going on,” Kate said. “You knew what path to take, we’re hoping you can use those instincts to see how the battle is proceeding. I want constant messages from you on what’s happening and where. We won’t be able to see everything.”

  “And if my powers don’t extend that far?” Janus said. “What if you’re wrong?”

  “Then you get an exciting view of the battle and try not to get killed,” Kate said. “But if it works, your knowledge will be invaluable. Think of it this way — you’re a photographer. Imagine you have a camera and can take photos of what’s going on. Given your track record, you may even be able to anticipate what will happen.”

  “Oh,” Janus said, looking pale. “When you put it that way, maybe I could just stand around after all.”

  “No such luck,” Kate said. “You’re a key player. Just do what you can.”

  Janus turned from Kate to the Headless Horseman, who seemed to be “looking” at him.

  “Okay,” he said. “Look, I…”

  Janus seemed like he wanted to say something, but stopped.

  “Yes?” Kate looked at him carefully.

  “Nothing,” he said. “I just wanted to say good luck. I’ll help you however I can.”

  “Great,” Kate said. “Stay here. I’m going to take a last tour of the army. Quinn, you mind accompanying me?”

  Kate and the Horseman walked away, leaving Janus standing by himself. As they walked, Buzz approached Kate and talked to her in a low voice.

  “You’re sure about your Plan B?” he asked. “Once I give the go-ahead, it’ll be hard to get them back. And Kate, that’s a large chunk of the force you’re dispatching.”

  Kate nodded.

  “If we’re going to do this, we can’t go halfway,” she said. “You still think it can work?”

  Buzz grinned.

  “It’s an insane plan,” he said. “I love it.”

  “And those troops are okay with potentially changing forms?” Kate asked.

  “No one objected,” Buzz said. “I think after watching the spiders, many are anxious to try out somethi
ng new.”

  “Okay, then make it happen,” Kate said. “Just keep those forces behind when we ride out, but don’t make it obvious that’s what you’re doing. I gather Clinton has volunteered to be in charge.”

  “He has,” Buzz said. “I thought about it myself. It fits my nature. But if it’s all the same, I’d rather fight here.”

  “Works for me,” Kate said and smiled.

  “You ready to move?” Buzz said. “I can give the signal.”

  “In a minute,” Kate said. “I want to speak to them first.”

  Kate strolled to the center of the hill and changed form, disappearing in a flash of bright light and reappearing as the banshee. The Headless Horseman stood next to her.

  “You have come for different reasons,” Kate shouted in a loud voice, and the force of her words echoed in the troops’ minds as well. “Some to escape, some for a second chance. But whatever your cause, it is ours now. We have been told that our goal is impossible, that the Lord Sanheim ‘rules forever.’ But nothing is certain. He has tried to stop us at every turn and failed. He will fail again. Today. When this battle is over, we will remake this world. Many of you have come here thinking this is hell. It is not. This world is what we make it. When we are done here today, we will build something new, something amazing. And when we are done, heaven will envy us.”

  There was a roar of cheers from the men, while the spiders lifted a single leg in the air and shook it, apparently their public sign of approval. Kate heard howls from the back of the line and smiled. She gave a signal and turned forward. The massive army followed behind her.

  *****

  The battle was upon them as soon as the Headless Horseman and banshee crested the hill.

  A ball of fire ripped through the air toward them, launched from creatures that looked like small walking trees. They stomped forward on legs like trunks, waving their wooden arms, with branches growing out of all sides of them. They weren’t particularly tall or imposing, but when they opened their mouths, they spat fire. Caorthannach, Janus thought when he saw them, though he didn’t know how he knew the name.

  The fire landed at the Horseman’s feet, clearly intended only as a warning shot. As soon as Kate and Quinn’s army crested the hill behind them, however, the caorthannach launched a blistering wave of heat toward them. Before their army even had a chance to defend itself, the balls of flame landed in their midst, hitting man and spider alike. The soldiers kept their cool, however, reacting the same way they would to an artillery blast.

  The Horseman didn’t wait for the caorthannach to fire another salvo, but galloped directly at their lines. Fire fell like rain around him, but his horse expertly weaved around the blasts. The Horseman lobbed his own ball of heat into their midst, a flaming pumpkin that hit a caorthannach directly in the chest and lit it on fire.

  That spark spread to a few others and the nice, neat battle lines rapidly started to dissolve.

  Janus watched from the top of the hill, out of the way of the main battle, and tried to keep track of what was happening. From his vantage point, he saw several events spool out almost simultaneously.

  The Horseman pulled out his sword and began charging the caorthannach line, only to find that their bark worked as a natural armor. Meanwhile, the spiders moved out to confront a horde of ugly, short monsters moving like demented apes across the field. The creatures with snake heads and leopard bodies looked to the sky and hissed, a sound that filled the valley and seemed to multiply their numbers. They leapt forward directly toward Buzz’s main line. Soldiers aimed their guns, the first line kneeling down as Buzz prepared to give a signal. As they took aim, the banshee strode confidently onto the field, her sword and shield in hand. In that moment, she looked less like a demon and more like an avenging angel.

  My God, Janus thought as he watched. He had seen war movies, but nothing had prepared him for this. It was simply too chaotic to take in everything that was happening. Too much was occurring at once.

  He tried to think of the mental camera Kate had mentioned and concentrated on taking snapshots.

  *****

  The Horseman sliced at the front caorthannach, attempting to cut through several of them as his horse lunged through their line. But the blade inflicted only minimal damage, usually bouncing off the bark. The caorthannach in the rear spat more fire in his direction, unconcerned with hitting their own troops. The blasts nearly caught the Horseman. Janus watched as he dodged out of the way just in time and the fire hit a caorthannach nearby, the flames quickly consuming its branches.

  The Horseman wheeled around and sheathed his sword, riding a short distance away from the caorthannach line. At first, Janus thought he was retreating, and even the caorthannach started to turn their attention to Buzz’s line of troops, which were now entangled with the snake-leopard beasts.

  They’re mortlats, Janus realized suddenly, still unsure how he had this information. He was beginning to think Quinn’s theory of his role was correct. He opened doorways and saw paths. Personally, he would have preferred a different superpower, like laser-beam eyes or the ability to fly, but he supposed he had to work with what he had.

  Instead of riding away, however, the Headless Horseman turned back with a flaming pumpkin in his hand. Janus had never seen Quinn in action before, and he was both amazed and a little scared. The Horseman launched pumpkin after pumpkin, firing them as if they were grenades. He was, quite literally, fighting fire with fire. The caorthannach turned almost all their attention back to the Horseman, whose horse weaved through the fire blasts so gracefully it might have been dancing.

  The Horseman’s pumpkins started inflicting a heavy toll on the caorthannach. They never touched him, but each pumpkin he lobbed found its exact target. There were hundreds of caorthannach, but the Horseman was keeping nearly all of them busy. Janus watched as he plunged once again into their midst, using his momentum to knock many of them over. Some tried to fire at him from point blank range, but he was too quick, riding through them with speed and force. The problem was sheer numbers. No matter how many pumpkins the Horseman launched, it wasn’t making a significant enough dent to destroy them. As he rode through to the rear troops, Janus could see the front line turn their attention back to Buzz’s soldiers, who had no real defense against the fire bombs they launched. The Horseman began attacking the back of the line, but the caorthannach had gotten wise to his game. He wouldn’t work as a distraction anymore.

  Janus watched in horror as the front line launched another assault. But he saw a cannon blast explode in their midst, obliterating the caorthannach that were standing there and sending wood and twigs flying in all directions. Janus looked at the hill to see Buzz’s artillery finally set up, with the cannons belching back their own fire.

  The logistics of it all eluded him. How could Quinn produce pumpkin after pumpkin from thin air? Why could Janus only make a flashlight, yet somehow Kate’s army was equipped with artillery and guns? He remembered something Quinn had told him — that in death ghosts often clung to what they knew well in life. It didn’t seem to matter whether it was complicated or not. They may not be ghosts anymore, but they could still conjure up a cannon because it was an extension of who they were.

  If that was true, there was one item Janus needed. This mental camera wasn’t cutting it. He closed his eyes, concentrated and felt success immediately. He opened his eyes to find himself holding his own old black camera, just the way he’d left it, complete with scratch marks and scuffs from when he had dropped it.

  With a smile on his face, he lifted it up, aimed it at the battlefield and starting taking pictures. The Horseman was now obscured by smoke from the cannon blasts and burning grass where the pumpkins and caorthannach had started fires.

  He zoomed out and turned his attention to another part of the battlefield.

  *****

  Janus could identify Parker almost immediately. All the spiders seemed alike — they were black, hairy and without many distinctive marks. B
ut Janus could see that Parker had a slightly different coloring to him. When he zoomed in with his camera, snapping away, he noticed that Parker’s legs had patches of bright red.

  He smiled in spite of himself. Parker had obviously added the red for impact, effectively serving as epaulettes. The enemy probably wouldn’t notice anything, but Janus realized it helped Parker stand out to his own troops. The coloring was a kind of uniform, making it clear he was their general.

  Janus watched the spiders battling small, hairy beasts with pig-like noses and simian features. After focusing on them, the name came to him immediately, trowes, a mythical creature from Scotland. They moved on their knuckles, pushing themselves forward. While their bodies were small, their arms and hands were disproportionately huge, possibly as a result of sheer muscle. The creatures didn’t just use their arms for movement, but also as giant clubs. Janus watched one leap across the battlefield and swing a beefy arm against a spider, smashing into its more vulnerable human torso. The blow caught the spider unprepared, landing directly on its back. The spider collapsed and Janus saw its legs shake for a few seconds before going still.

  Elsewhere, the spiders were holding their own, shooting webs at the trowes as they came close, making them stumble and fall into the dirt. Janus snapped a photo as a spider practically pounced onto a fallen trowe, jamming a single, black leg through the creature’s head.

  The battle formations on both sides had all but vanished, as they fought hand to hand. Janus saw one spider squaring off against a larger trowe, keeping its legs in the air as it shot webs at the trowe. He watched as another trowe moved quickly behind the spider’s position.

  “No!” Janus shouted, but the creatures couldn’t hear him. As he watched, the second trowe slammed its arm into the spider. It wasn’t a crippling blow, but it caught the spider off guard, forcing it to turn its attention away from the first attacking trowe. That one then landed a solid blow on the spider’s torso. Janus watched helplessly as the two trowes beat the spider to death.