by Ijaz, Usman
Alexis turned slightly as he ran on, and raised his right gun and aimed it at one of the beasts leaping from tree to tree. He grimaced at the pain in his shoulder as he squeezed the trigger. The bullet struck the beast as it was in mid-air and it fell to the ground with a heavy thud, where it lay twitching. Alexis stopped then and turned around, breathing heavily. He raised both guns and fired at the oncoming beasts until both chambers were empty. Every bullet that he fired in turn sent bullets of pain shooting out from the wound in his shoulder. It did not seem to matter how many of the creatures he shot down, others rushed on heedless of their fallen comrades. His main targets were the archers and those at the forefront, and he succeeded in reducing their numbers to a great extent, but many were saved by the coverage provided by the woods and they came on.
Close to his limits and fearing he would fall from exhaustion and pain at any moment, his guns spent, Alexis turned and ran. Above them, the day’s early light was still breaking across the sky.
Alexis holstered his right gun and opened the chamber to his left gun. He reached into the pouch at his side and came out with a handful of bullets. He thumbed these into the slots in the chamber, ignoring the burns the hot chamber inflicted upon his fingers, and stuffed the rest in his coat pocket. He holstered the loaded gun and did the same for the other until he had both guns ready.
An arrow struck a tree besides him, and as he turned around to put a bullet through the archer’s head, another one struck the haversack. If not for the sack, the arrow would have put an end to him; as it was, he lurched forward and nearly fell to the ground. Once he’d regained his footing, he shot the archer and two more that seemed to have closed the gap, and ran on. Somewhere up ahead, he thought he could hear the sound of rushing water.
5
The beasts quickly began to close the gap between them, and the three could do nothing but know they had given it their all. It was when they were all sure that they would be run down and killed that they broke cover from the woods and came out onto the embankment of a small river. The river rushed by some ten feet below them, and was half the size of the Rye.
“What now?” Connor asked, his voice on the edge of hysteria.
Alexis looked at the river, and then behind them. Through the foliage he could see the distant shapes running towards them. They had come to a dead end, and he didn’t know what to do.
At last he settled on a clear solution.
“You two swim to the other side. I’ll hold them--”
“No!” Connor cried immediately.
“Connor, it’s the only way!” Alexis told him. “I don’t--”
“You can’t,” said Connor. “We won’t--”
“What’s that?” Adrian asked, looking towards a bend in the river.
Alexis turned to look towards where he pointed, and to his amazement saw the glint of metal on the water. A merchant ship came around the bend in the river, steam rising slowly from one smokestack, sails half-raised, sun shining off the iron hull. He acted quickly and fired one gun into the air. There appeared to be no need for it, however; the crew of the ship was looking at them in wonder.
“Jump into the river!” Alexis told the boys. “Swim to the ship.”
“What about you?” the two asked in unison.
“I’ll hold off the beasts.”
“You can’t!” Adrian protested.
“No, you should come with us!” Connor said.
“We would be open targets in the river,” Alexis explained, glancing behind them at the woods. “You two go!”
“Alexis--” the two boys began.
“No! Go now. I’ll hold off the beasts until you make it to the ship, then I’ll reach you,” Alexis told them. “If we don’t meet, then head to Gale and search out a man named Galen Marshal, tell him of what happened, and tell him to send word to Grandal.”
“But--” Adrian began, and Alexis cut him off.
“No more talk, Adrian! The ship will pass if you don’t hurry, and we will all die. But we’ll die quick deaths, unlike your family if you don’t reach the Source. Now go!”
The boys looked at him, and in their eyes Alexis saw worry coupled with fear of being left alone. Then they turned and leapt into the river at his urging. Alexis looked at the ship, and judged that the boys had plenty of time to swim out to it.
Arrows hailed past him, reminding him of his situation, and he whipped his right gun around in a smooth arc. He emptied the chamber at the oncoming tribe.
He looked towards Adrian and Connor as they reached the ship. The crew had thrown over lines and were helping the boys aboard. He turned around, and took a firm stance.
The tribe of creatures rushed through the woods towards him like a breaking wave. Alexis had time to reload his guns one last time, ignoring the arrows that flew past, incredibly missing him, and then the real carnage began.
The guns roared in his hands, and every bullet he shot found its mark. The tribe, which had started with their numbers close to fifty, he guessed, had now been reduced to twenty or so. From the corner of his eyes he watched the ship sail down the river, and he began to run after it along the embankment.
The tribe burst through the woods, howling and snarling, and chased after the Legionnaire along the river.
6
The tribe was cutting him off, Alexis realized. They were spread out, and many of them came out of the woods before him, blocking his path. He made his way past them with the aid of his guns, running after the ship. One of the beasts rushed out from the woods and tackled him to the ground. They rolled over, and in the momentum of the charge Alexis pushed the beast off him and into the river. He made his way to his feet, teeth clenched together at the pain that was flaring up in his shoulder, and was struck with such force from behind that he was sent sailing forward. He crashed to the ground and lost one of his guns. He watched it bounce away.
He struggled to make it to his feet, and looked to his right in time to see a large leg come crashing into his ribs. He was thrown aside and went rolling in the dirt. His sides ached, worse than they had before, and the arrowhead in his shoulder announced itself with equal vigor. He made it to his knees, one hand clasped to his ribs, and looked up. Standing over him was one of the large creatures, looking down at him with something very much like disdain and pride in its black eyes. Behind this one Alexis could see the rest catching up, fervent eyes locked on him.
He raised the gun he had managed to hold on to, and found his arm gripped in a vice. The beast began to tighten its grip, and Alexis screamed aloud. He punched the creature in the ribs with his free hand but it was like hitting solid rock. With its other hand the beast grabbed him around the throat, large fingernails like talons digging painfully into his flesh. The creature sneered at him, its breath hot and rancid, and tightened its grip. Alexis moaned aloud, and his free hand slipped beneath his coat.
He did not think he could escape the tribe now, but he did not plan on being an easy prey. He brought his knife out and buried it in the creature’s neck. The beast screamed and let go of him. Alexis’s squeezed the trigger and the beast’s head disintegrated in a mess of bone and blood and brains.
He fell to the ground, his body screaming for a rest from the pain. Three more of the creatures set upon him, all of them salivating at the mouths. Alexis’s gun bellowed three times, and the beasts fell to the ground. He crawled to his other gun, and then began the arduous job of making it to his feet.
Two more of the creatures rushed at him, ahead of the rest, and Alexis raised his guns and fired. He killed one of the beasts, and then his guns were spent. With his guns empty, and still a dozen or so of the beasts chasing after him, he knew that he was on his own. He watched the ship near the bend in the river up ahead, and knew it for his only chance. He began to run once more. Another arrow struck the pack, and this time he did fall to the ground.
He made it to one knee with agonizing effort, and could hear the tribe closing in the last few feet between them. He looke
d up ahead and saw how close he was to the bend. He holstered his guns and lurched to his feet. He then took the haversack off and threw it into the face of the beast closest to him. It was not much, but he hoped it would prove to be enough.
He ran on, free of the sack’s weight, but prone to the arrows that flew past him. His breath came out labored and sweat matted his hair. The wound in his shoulder pulsed with the beat of his heart, and every movement of his left arm made him want to howl. He was aware of the harsh panting of the beasts behind him, could almost feel their hot breath on his neck. He glanced over his shoulder to see the closest ones three feet behind him. In another moment they would run him down and rip him apart.
Alexis ran towards the bend with as much force as he could muster. As he neared it, he could feel the breath of the beast behind him, and in that moment he knew he was going to die. Then a loud crack broke through the air, and the beast behind him fell. Alexis ran at the bend and leapt, arms and legs flailing.
He landed on the deck of the cargo ship and went sprawling, his guns sliding across the deck. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw the hazy image of a large man with a rifle leveled towards the creatures that stood at the embankment.
His body was in pain, and his lungs felt about ready to explode, but one thought made it through his head clearly. Safe.
The ship sailed down the river, followed by the furious howls of what remained of the strangest tribe he had ever seen.
Chapter 16
Down The River
1
Alexis hit the deck and went sprawling. Adrian and Connor rushed to his side.
“ Alexis! Are you all right?” Adrian asked.
“Alexis?” Connor said, but the Legionnaire simply lay there, prone and still.
The large man came over to them, resting the rifle on his shoulder. “Now, do you mind telling me just who you lads are?” His gut spanned before him, barely covered by a short plain vest. His head was layered with a thin grove of light-brown hair, and his round face looked down on them, waiting. He was dressed in baggy trousers and was barefoot, as was the rest of the crew.
Adrian looked from the large man to Connor. He didn’t know what he could possibly tell the man, but he knew that it could only be a small measure of the truth.
“Well?” the large man asked, frowning.
“We’re ... we’re lost,” he stammered.
“Lost. Those woods run pretty deep, lad, how did you ever end up inside them?” Most of the crew gathered around them curiously. Some still looked back the way they had come as if not believing what they had seen.
“We ... we we’re running,” Adrian told the man, and then to change the subject, “Please, you have to help him.”
The man frowned and Adrian suspected he knew that he was not being given the whole truth. The large man’s eyes went to Alexis and he whistled softly through his teeth.
“This one looks like he got the bad end of a tavern brawl, or perhaps worse judging from those monstrosities behind us,” he remarked. His gaze lifted to Adrian and Connor again. “I don‘t think you realize how lucky you are. Reason no other ship travels this fork of the river is ‘cause it`s too treacherous. Only time I come down this way is when I’m running late and left with no other choice. Lucky as hell, you are. Well, then I would say it’s a good thing we found you, wouldn’t you fellows? Here, Pacha, put the rifle back in my cabin.” The man he spoke to came and took the rifle away. “Well, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Matin Lavos, captain of the Sea Spirit, the finest steamship ever built.”
He knelt beside Alexis and rolled him over onto his back, studying him closely.
“I’m Adrian Moor.”
“Connor Moor. Is he all right?”
“Well, I believe he’s still alive.” The captain turned to the men looking on and began shouting out orders. “All right, you damned louts, lend a hand and get the man beneath decks! And I believe he had guns on him, they better turn up; if one of you lot filches them I’ll throw you overboard and drag you back to port!”
His words seemed to break the gathered crew from their trance and they rushed forward to help carry Alexis bellow.
Lavos stood and turned towards Adrian and Connor. “Don’t worry, lads, we have a fine doctor on the Spirit, he should be able to help your friend.”
“Thank you,” Adrian said. “We... we have no method of paying you ... but I’m sure that once our friend regains his health, he’ll be able to arrange it.”
“Forget about payment,” Lavos said. “What I would like, however, is to know what happened in those woods, and just what in God’s name those beasts were.” He stared back up the river, a frown creasing his features. He turned back to face them. “Hmm, I suppose you need a room to stay in, the deck’s no fit sleeping place for young boys. Follow me.”
Adrian and Connor followed the captain quietly below decks, shying away from the curious gazes of the crew. Adrian knew the captain still had questions for them, he didn’t seem a man to simply drop a matter and let it go, but he wasn’t sure what answers they could give him. He wished Alexis would wake up soon.
The room they were shown to was small with two folding cots attached to the walls. Everything else was nailed down. The deck beneath their feet swayed with the ships progress down the river, making them teeter and totter.
“Your friend is down the hall, if those half-wits put him in the right room,” the captain said.
“Thank you, captain,” Adrian said. “I ... I think we will stay in here for now.”
Lavos watched them for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it then and left the room.
“Why didn’t we tell him about what happened?” Connor asked once they were alone.
“Because we don’t know if we can trust him. I’m beginning to wonder if we can trust anyone,” Adrian said. He went and sat down on one of the cots.
“What about Alexis, do you think he will be all right?” Connor asked.
“I don’t know,” Adrian said. “I hope so.”
Connor walked over to the other cot and lay down. “What were those creatures in the woods?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t think I want to know.”
The two had not been alone for more than a few moments when the door burst open and a crewman poked his head inside.
“The captain says to let you know that Nemoy’s working on your friend.”
The two stood and followed the crewman down the hall.
2
The room that Alexis was being kept in was small enough to seem crowded with only five people. Captain Lavos was there, and so was a tall man that was kneeling beside Alexis’s bed. Adrian and Connor stood aside and watched as the doctor, who looked like any of the other crewmen, worked on Alexis. A small, round window gave the room a dim light. Alexis lay on the bed, his face beaded with sweat and his hair coated to his forehead. He was stripped to the waist and sweat seemed to cover the rest of his body as well. Adrian was glad to see that his leather gloves still adorned his hands. He didn’t know why he didn’t tell the Captain that Alexis was a Legionnaire, only that some part of his mind told him to keep it secret. Who can we trust?
“This arrow’s gone real deep in him,” remarked the tall man.
“Can you get it out, Nemoy?” Lavos asked.
“I can try.”
Adrian moved closer to the cot. He watched as Nemoy brought out a small pair of tongs. He averted his gaze as it fell on Alexis’s wound. Dried blood covered one side of the Legionnaire’s torso, and the flesh around the wound was swollen a dark red and appeared agitated. But he couldn’t help but watch on as Nemoy grabbed the broken haft of the arrow with the tongs, and then began to draw it out slowly. Alexis’s eyes rolled behind his lids, and a soft, painful moan escaped his lips. Adrian winced as the arrowhead left his body with a wet sound, and fresh blood immediately began to seep out.
“Well, that part of it is done,” Nemoy said, holding the smal
l arrowhead before his eyes. “Now I must stitch the wound close.”
“All right,” Lavos said. He turned to Adrian and Connor. “You may not want to see this, lads. It’s not a pretty sight.”
Adrian thought he spoke the truth. He and Connor gave Alexis one last look, and then left the room, followed by the captain. They stood in the hallway, looking at the closed door.
“You lads want something to eat?” The captain asked.
“I’m not hungry,” Adrian said. “I think I will stay in our room.”
“I don’t feel like eating, either” said Connor.
“All right, if you want something, let one of the crew know.”
The two boys told him that they would, and then went back to their own room. They lay down on their cots, both exhausted, and with the gentle sway of the ship they both soon fell asleep.
3
Matin Lavos was in his quarters, sitting behind his desk and going through the paperwork for the cargo that he carried, when a knock came at the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened and in strode Joni, a thin sailor with a grizzled beard. In his hands were two large, hard-caliber revolvers. He carried them as if they were holistic artifacts.
“You said to find the guns, Captain,” Joni said, and lay the guns on Lavos’s desk.
“Where did you find these, Joni?” Lavos asked, putting aside the paperwork. “I’ve had Glib and Haram looking for them all morning.”
“They were under the nets, Captain,” Joni said.
Lavos reached across the table and picked up the heavy guns, he turned them over in his hands, looking at them, and his eyes grew wide. “These are no ordinary guns,” he whispered.