Blood, Blades and Bacon (Thorns of the Shadow Book 1)

by Matthew Roys

  KT coughed up more blood as a sudden spasm wracked her body. She heard the man rush to her side. He rolled her onto her back then she felt his hands on her stomach. She struggled to open her eyes through the pain but managed on her second attempt.

  A look of surprise flittered across his face as he stared down at KT. It almost seemed like he was frozen in time for a moment until he blinked and visibly shook himself. His face became a blank mask and concentration filled his eyes.

  “Lie still,” he commanded. He sounded shaken but he quickly composed himself. Whether it was his voice or her own pain, she felt impelled to obey. He moved her limbs gently and straightened her body out. “It’s just severe bruising, some internal ruptures. Nothing too bad.” She gave him an incredulous look through the pain. Internal rupture was not good in anyone’s book.

  He dug through one of his many pockets until he pulled out a small blue pill. “Here, swallow this. It’ll ease the pain.”

  Warnings of not accepting tablets from strangers swam through her mind. She had no idea who he was, what his motives were or what the hell was happening. She tried to turn her head away to refuse the pill but a sudden jolt of pain made her cry out. The man sighed then grabbed her head, forced open her mouth and slid the pill between her lips. KT tried to fight but the man kept her firmly pinned down. A few seconds passed. Numbness began to spread across her stomach.

  “You’ll start to feel drowsy now,” he informed her. “I’m going to try and sort you out but I need you to stay awake. Always remember, it's when we don’t feel pain that we’re most vulnerable to death. Do you understand?”

  She nodded, unable to prevent a shiver running through her.

  “What’s your name?” he asked calmly, his tone becoming casual, friendly.

  KT stared up at him. His relaxed posture and soft voice couldn’t disguise his threatening presence. She felt short of breath and afraid but almost against her will the words started to spill out clumsily. “Catherine Redthorn. Katie for short. Just the two letters, K and T. Why use nine letters when two works just fine,” she babbled. She was becoming delirious.

  “That’s good,” he soothed. He pulled her shirt up slightly and placed his palms against her now purple skin. They began to glow faintly with a pale blue light. She watched blearily as the bruised skin seemed to sooth itself, the dark colours fading, becoming paler. The tension inside her gut grew looser, more natural.

  KT’s mind felt clearer by the second. "Who're you?” she asked. “What happened?”

  The man hesitated for a moment. “Like I said, your brother was drawn in by a succubus. She gave you a good beating and took all of his energy before fleeing. Strange but true.” He spoke matter-of-factly, as though this kind of thing happened every day.

  “That’s not right. I’ve read about them. If succubi are real then they're supposed to target people who're asleep.”

  “Try telling her that,” commented the man with a slight grin. KT didn’t look in a joking mood so he returned to a stern look. “Think of it this way: times have changed. When the prey changes, so must the predator. Society is more…open with sexuality now so there is less need for stealth. Hmm, an example of this change is the way she looked. That appearance a few hundred years ago would have been a no go. Men back then preferred the more petite figure while men now like more…exaggerated features. In reality they look more like giant bats than humans. It’s an individual’s perception that gives them a more pleasing form. Are you following?”

  “I-I think so,” KT replied shakily. Her shattered thoughts were quickly rebuilding themselves. “What about my first question?” she pressed, her confidence and strength returning to her.

  He sighed. “The name’s Déaþscúa.”

  “Death-shoo-a?” KT repeated, rolling the strange word across her tongue.

  “Yeah. Lots of funny letters and accents. It’s a long story.” He offered her his hand and she took it.

  With his help KT struggled to her feet. She lifted her shirt to examine the wound but nothing remained other than a large red mark as though she had been slapped. Tentatively she prodded the skin and winced slightly after realising it still felt tender. Her legs shook but she willed herself to stand tall. Subconsciously she took on a fighting stance.

  “How did you do that?”

  “Questions, questions,” the man said agitatedly. “Make yourself useful and help me get your brother back inside. Exposure to this cold won’t help him recover.”

  Each grabbed one of Kai’s arms and hoisted him up. The man took most of his weight as they made their way back toward the lodge. KT checked her watch. 12:15. Lights were still visible within and sounds seeped dully through the walls.

  “You’ll have to take him from here,” Déaþscúa told her. “If anyone sees you just say he drank too much. He’ll wake up sometime late in the day feeling groggy but will otherwise be fine.” He positioned Kai fully onto KT then turned to leave. Without looking back he spoke again. “Some parting advice. Don’t go out again at night. Don’t go out in the day alone. It’s a dangerous world for the unwary, especially at the moment. Stick to that and you’ll be fine.”

  Then he was gone, his shadowy form melding into the darkness between the trees. She stared after him but all evidence of his presence had vanished with him. Stood there beside the lodge, bathed in light and surrounded by the sound of merriment, KT could almost believe it had all been just a strange dream.

  Chapter 2.

  KT barely made it through the front doors before her stomach began to protest the strain of lugging Kai’s unconscious body. She struggled to take a few laboured steps forward then almost doubled over as she felt her muscles cramp.

  She scanned the room with teary eyes. Most of the people left in the hall were beyond the point of being useful. Some were slumped in chairs while others swayed where they stood while speaking overly loud. Most were too old to do any heavy lifting anyway.

  One woman stood apart from the others though with a book held open in one hand and a glass of red wine in the other. She had neat blonde hair that rested atop her shoulders and wore a smart yet stylish skirt and blouse. Slender glasses covered icy blue eyes. She was tall for a woman, even when wearing sensible shoes as she did now.

  KT waved at her until she caught the woman’s attention. Her gaze passed over KT’s dirty clothes then settled on Kai. She closed her eyes as though to compose herself then made her way over to the twins.

  “What has he done this time?” the woman asked.

  “Mum, it isn’t what it looks like,” KT began. The woman cut her off.

  “Really? Because it looks like Kai has got blackout drunk again. Just once I would like to spend time as a family without him showing us up.”

  KT hesitated. This argument had been going on for a long time now, and for once, Kai didn’t deserve the blame. At the same time though, telling her mother the truth was a fruitless venture. She would never believe that Kai had almost been killed by a mythical demon. She still wasn’t sure if she believed it herself.

  “Maybe his drink was spiked,” she tried.

  “Or maybe his sense of moderation is hidden in the same part of his head as his responsibility and respect.” She closed her eyes again and when they opened she spoke with a softer voice. “Let’s get him into his room. There’s no point berating deaf ears.”

  Between them the two women managed to drag Kai up the stairs. KT did her best to cover up how much pain she was in, all the while looking at the remaining guests for any signs that they were not what they appeared. Nobody seemed out of place.

  They managed to reach Kai’s room and dumped him on the bed. His breathing was shallow and his skin looked pale. The strange man had said that he should wake up fine but KT had no idea if she could trust his word.

  Their mother was already at the door. She turned back to KT, her face shrouded in shadows so that the younger woman couldn’t quite make out her expression.

  “Try to talk some sens
e into him. You’re the only person who he listens to anymore. He could do so much but he chooses to waste his potential. Being here should put that into perspective for him. Poor Ava was a rising star and was taken far too early. She died with so much left to give while Mordekai lives just to get drunk and womanise. Try to make him understand that life is too short to squander.” She was gone before KT could answer.

  She stayed at Kai’s side for a while. Her head span but curiosity played on her mind more than fear. She had seen something that potentially shattered her very perception of the world. She wanted to know more. Her heart screamed out that life must be more than growing old, getting a job, having a family and then dying. She needed more. She had always been the type of child who had questioned everything. It had been people telling her that curiosity killed the cat that made her take on the nickname KT rather than her childhood name of Kat.

  The scene in the forest was on loop in her head. What could she have done differently? Just how bad could things have gone? Before she knew it she was running through a nightmare forest being chased by the succubus. Being chased yet also chasing after a sphere of light that whispered promises of purpose and power across the void between them. Whenever she closed the gap it was a reflection of her own face that stared back at her from the orb.

  She awoke with a jerk. The room was still dark. She stretched and winced as her stomach tightened. It didn’t feel as bad anymore.

  Kai looked much the same as before but it seemed that his breathing had steadied. Finally feeling content that he was safe, KT stood and left his room. She wandered through the now empty corridors, her feet guiding her towards the room where she had spent most of her time on their previous visits to the lodge.

  Her aunt, Susan Peterson, was an old-fashioned woman and her lodge reflected this. Aife’s Lodge had a large room that was packed tight with all manner of old books. It felt more like a symbol of status than a love of knowledge but KT didn’t care.

  The smell of dust and old paper washed over her as she opened the door to the library. Clustered shelves lined every wall while free-standing shelves formed a labyrinth of pathways through the books. Most were cheap volumes that bore titles dull enough to put off any potential reader but KT remembered finding a few novels tucked away amongst the history books and manuals.

  It took her a while but she finally found what she was looking for. It was a tatty book in a faux leather cover with the word ‘Myth’ embossed in gold upon the front. She opened it up and was greeted by a roughly sketched dragon that looked too much like a cow to be as fearsome as the description implied.

  She flicked through the pages until she found a small section titled ‘Succubi’. This time there was a cramped image of a beautiful, long haired woman with a lithe, small breasted body dressed in medieval style clothing. She wore it in an alluring manner that revealed hints of pale flesh. The only thing that set the image apart from a normal woman was the pure black eyes and leathery, batlike wings. It looked startlingly similar to the monster they had fought. The conflicting body images also fit with what Déaþscúa had told her. She read the scrawled writing that accompanied the image.

  The Succubi are a form of demon that prey off of the sexual energies of mortal males. Like their male counterpart, the Incubi, they drain this energy through engaging in intercourse with their victims as they sleep. They take the form of attractive women but elements of their demonic nature are usually visible such as dark eyes, fangs, wings or serpentine tails. While usually non-violent, they are known to attack when threatened. The Succubi are in possession of increased strength and can withstand great amounts of damage. Reports of the creatures have diminished in recent decades but changes in society could easily cover up their dark activities.

  She sat down on an overstuffed reading chair and read through the entry a few more times. It all seemed to fit with what Déaþscúa had told her. KT wanted to believe what she thought she had seen but every bit of logic in her screamed that she had to be wrong. There was only one way to know for sure if it had all been real.

  KT left the library and traversed the corridors as she made her way toward the front door. Her stomach was starting to settle now but gave off a pang at the thought of leaving the safety of the lodge. There was a very real threat of danger out there now but she was not about to let fear stand in the way of magic. Magic!

  Other girls had wanted to be princesses while boys had aspired to be footballers. KT had always found inspiration in the adventures of Alice in her Wonderland, Eowyn fighting orcs amongst the men of the Rohirrim army and Sigourney Weaver battling against terrifying Xenomorphs. All of her life she had been the oddball. The weirdo who believed in fairies and had spent countless hours reading books on myths and witchcraft in the hopes that she could be special. On reflection, perhaps watching Alien every night at bedtime when she was six had not been the best for her mental state. Remembering her mother’s explosion when she had found out was one of KT’s earliest memories.

  But then she had matured, grown out of idle fantasies to make her way through the real world, only for that to fail just as spectacularly. This was her chance. It didn’t stop her from approaching the fireplace first to arm herself with a poker. With the iron rod in one hand and her phone in the other she opened the main door.

  She stepped out into the frozen forest, thickening snowfall obscuring her view, and retraced her steps until she found the spot where the battle had taken place. The dirt was scuffed and the tree she had hit was missing some bark but little else seemed out of place. A growing layer of fresh snow made seeing anything difficult, especially in the early morning dark. A harsh chill was in the air that she could not shake as she moved around the area, searching for any sign of the blood that had been spilt. It was as if it had all simply dissolved into nothing.

  After minutes of searching without success, KT was close to giving up until the sun rose. Maybe she really had dreamt it all. As she moved to return to the lodge empty handed, something glimmered in her peripheral vision as the light of her phone patrolled the treeline, causing her to turn back to the tree where the man had first appeared. If she held her head at just the right angle she could glimpse a sparkle of metal amongst the undergrowth. She rushed over to investigate the ground, fishing out a bullet cartridge from underneath an arced root.

  Her limited knowledge on guns told her that this was not from any traditional hunting rounds. The strange, flowing patterns that were engraved upon it were too intricate to be used by any sort of hunter she knew of. Its location couldn’t be a mere coincidence. It had to belong to the man, Déaþscúa.

  KT fought down waves of excitement as she made her way back to the lodge. As quietly as possible, she re-entered the building, the cartridge clenched in her hand as though if she were to let it go then it too would disappear.

  She rushed back into the library, almost throwing herself into the chair as she grabbed the book. The cartridge proved that Déaþscúa really had been there and did have a gun that he fired at something. That man was the key to understanding what had happened. He looked human but could heal wounds and moved with unnatural speed. The book had entries for all manner of wizards, mages and gifted humans but without more information there was no chance of narrowing down exactly what he could have been.

  KT closed the book and was about to stand when a hand touched her shoulder. She jumped and tried to turn around at the same time, resulting in an undignified tumble from the chair.

  “I’m sorry, Catherine. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  KT looked up to see the face of her Aunt Susan looming above her. Susan Peterson was a decade older than KT’s parents and those years showed on her hard face and in her grey hair. She was tall and had the same imposing presence as KT’s mother despite being her father’s sister. Her clothes were prim and faint lines marked her boney face. Tired eyes stared down at KT. They always looked close to tears when KT saw her.

  “Hi, Aunt Susan,” KT said as she picked herse
lf up from the floor. “I didn’t expect anyone to be up yet.”

  “I am usually up early,” her aunt said absently. “Though it is later than you might think. Winters here are dark well into the morning. You get used to it. Couldn’t you sleep?”

  KT shook her head. She had never been sure how to talk to the woman. How did you speak to a rich relative who had lost her husband and only child and now lived alone in the middle of nowhere? Especially when it was constantly pointed out how similar KT looked to that dead child? It always left her feeling uncomfortable.

  An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment until Susan spoke again. “Do you know why I asked you to come here?”

  KT shook her head again. She tried desperately to think of an excuse to leave the woman but couldn’t find anything that wouldn’t be rude. The discovery of supernatural demons was slightly more important than a lonely old woman. KT instantly felt a pang of guilt for the thought.

  “No, I didn’t think that your parents would tell you. Tara likes to keep her cards close to her chest. You may as well know now. I intend to move away from here to downsize somewhere a little warmer. I tried to keep myself occupied by turning the house into a hotel but it never really filled the void. Too many memories you see. Did you know that it was Ava who named the lodge?”

  KT made what she hoped came across as a soothing smile. She knew next to nothing about her cousin beyond what she looked like and that she had been in the police. Unsurprisingly, nobody really wanted to talk about the dead woman. It reminded people how fragile life really was.

  Susan continued. “I am leaving the lodge to your father. It’s up to him, or more likely your mother, if he wants to keep it or sell it on.” She paused to steady her breath. “I could never bring myself to clear out Ava’s things. I still don’t think that I can. I can’t take them with me so I want to leave them to you. She wasn’t much older than you when she died so maybe you will find a use for some of it.”