Duck, Duck, Noose

by Sara C. Roethle

  My mouth went dry. When I was able to speak, I questioned, “And you got all of this from Silver saying I tasted like death?”

  He shrugged, seeming somewhat abashed. “First, there was your becoming one with the key. In all the years I chased after the charm, never once did it meld with its holder. Then, you did the same with the Morrigan. Within the bonds of our physical forms and reality, it didn’t make sense. These were no temporary possessions. You all existed in the same form at once, sharing control. Your energies melded. When Silver said you tasted only of death and earth, it finally made sense. You are pure energy in mortal form, just as the key was pure energy placed inside of an object, and the Norns are pure energy inside their odd, mortal forms. Those energies can meld together should they choose, because they are not barred by the restraints that hold the rest of us in place.”

  I shook my head over and over. None of it made sense. I was just like everyone else.

  “Madeline,” he continued. “I think you never knew your parents, because perhaps you never had any. I think you were created in the same way the key was.”

  The SUV came to a screeching halt as a deer darted across the highway, throwing us all slightly forward.

  “Sorry,” Frode mumbled.

  The deer bounded out of sight and we regained momentum, just as all our minds seemed to catch back up to the moment at once.

  “That’s impossible,” Faas argued. “She’s an executioner. She is one of the Vaettir.”

  Before anyone else could argue, Marcos stated, “He’s right.”

  We all turned to him.

  “Mikael is right,” he clarified. “I do not know about your parents. I suspect you were born as a normal Vaettir child, but it’s as I’ve already told you. You are a vessel for energies as old as time itself. It is why my goddess has bade me follow you.”

  I licked my lips as I tried to choose my words. “But Hecate is the same as the Morrigan. Wouldn’t that make me like you?”

  He shook his head, showing no signs of being upset that I’d just revealed his secret. “I told you, Hecate and the Morrigan were different women, with the same associations. Hecate was created as a goddess, the Morrigan as something else entirely. Your existence did not make sense to us. The Vaettir were created by the Norns in the image of the old gods, but the Norns did not create anyone to embody the Morrigan’s energy.”

  I felt like I was going to throw up. “I need to talk to the Norn.”

  Marcos chuckled. “She will have little to tell you. They do not understand your existence either, because they do not fully understand their own.”

  “This is all beside the point,” Mikael cut in.

  I turned wide eyes to him. “Beside what point? We’re talking about the idea that I might not have even been born like a normal person.”

  He smiled to soften the blow his words had dealt me. “And as important as that may be,” he continued, “my point now is that I do not think Marcos is any match for you. I do not think we have to fear giving him power. And,” he continued before I could interrupt, “it brings about another interesting idea. If the key never melded with one of its former carriers because they were not like you, then what has happened now that it’s been placed inside Estus? When the Morrigan was inside you, your energies melded, but when she was within Sophie, it was a possession where Sophie was entirely taken over.”

  I had to swallow a few times to get enough saliva in my mouth to speak. “You’re saying that the key might have possessed Estus, just like the Morrigan did with Sophie. They can’t share the space.”

  Mikael nodded sharply. “It’s only a theory, but if the key has taken full control, we are no longer dealing with Estus. We are dealing with chaos itself.”

  The SUV came to a stop again, and we all peered forward to see why. We were in the middle of a one lane, scenic highway, bordered on both sides by massive redwoods. Two of the other SUVs were stopped in front of us, then one behind. For a moment I thought maybe the lead driver had just stopped for another deer, or some other animal, then I saw them.

  I knew instantly they were Vaettir by the predatory way they walked, slowly surrounding all the vehicles. As if realizing these were not friendly forces, the lead vehicle slammed on the gas. A man dressed in jeans and a biker jacket went flying up over the roof of the SUV, only to hit the next one as it careened after the first. Frode had just started to push on the gas, when both SUVs came to another halt. The short distance we’d traveled revealed a roadblock composed of a massive pick up truck and another SUV.

  “Do we turn around?” Frode asked as the new arrivals neared our vehicle.

  “Not going to happen,” Silver replied.

  I glanced behind us to see several more vehicles had moved to block our retreat.

  My heart raced. I waited for someone else in the vehicle to decide what to do. If chaos really had taken charge, we were about to get a taste of it.

  11

  Mikael quickly undid my seatbelt, which I appreciated since I’d entirely forgotten about it. Some of the Vaettir who’d stopped us came to stand on either side of our vehicle. A man and a woman stood on the left, near the passenger door, and four more women on the side with the sliding door that admitted passengers to the back rows of seats. I vaguely recognized a few of them from my time spent in Estus’ Salr.

  “They’re Estus’ people,” I whispered, stating the obvious.

  Mikael removed the knife sheathed at my left hip and placed it in my hand. “As soon as we clear a path, run,” he explained quietly. He turned to glance at everyone else in the vehicle. “Faas and Frode, stay with Madeline. Everyone else make sure she has a clear line of escape into the woods.”

  “What about those in the other vehicles?” I asked in a panic, thinking of Tabitha, Kira, and everyone else I didn’t want to get hurt.

  “They’ll follow our lead,” Mikael replied.

  Before I could answer, Aila threw open the passenger door and leapt out feet first, fast enough to completely trample the woman closest to her.

  I slung my purse across my shoulders and crouched, ready to propel myself out of the vehicle as everyone exploded into motion.

  Faas slid open the passenger door. One of the other women lunged for him. He lifted a hand toward her and she slid to the ground, either unconscious or dead as he drained her energy away, then used it to blast back the other two women. Once the way was momentarily clear, he grabbed my free hand and pulled me out of the vehicle. Everyone flooded out behind us.

  I tried to look back, but almost fell as Faas forcefully dragged me forward, blasting away any that attempted to hinder us.

  “Run, Madeline,” he demanded, his voice a harsh pant.

  Realizing I’d help everyone more by running away, I matched Faas’ pace, with a tight grip on my blade. We made for the tree line. Another man leapt forward to bar our way. I instinctively slashed at him with the knife. He evaded my swipe, then Frode appeared beside us.

  Tiny shards of ice splashed my face harmlessly as a pale blue, shimmery stream shot forth from Frode’s open hand to the man who’d blocked our way. He fell screaming as his chest became encased in ice.

  I blinked in shock at Frode for about two seconds, then Faas tugged me forward again.

  The three of us ran, leaving the sounds of fighting behind. My purse thunked annoyingly at my hip with every stride, while I held the knife out in front of me, terrified I’d fall and stab myself, but not willing to give it up.

  A million thoughts raced through my mind as we leapt over fallen logs and scrambled through the underbrush. Neither Faas nor I were very fast, but Frode couldn’t very well carry both of us, so we stuck to our human pace.

  Eventually my lungs began to burn, and sweat dripped into my eyes despite the cold, but I pushed onward. Some of the Vaettir could track by scent, so we wanted to quickly gain as much distance as possible.

  I stumbled, sending pain shooting up through my knee, then almost immediately stumbled again, the
n stopped trying to run. Faas and Frode halted on either side of me as I tried to catch my breath. I took a second to slip the knife in my hand back into its sheath, then took a spinning glance at the woods around us. Everything was still, but that meant little. We could be attacked at any moment.

  Faas looked a question at me, and I nodded. I hadn’t quite caught my breath, but we needed to keep moving. The three of us turned as one, then continued to run, though my legs protested every step.

  We ran far enough that I was staggering with every step. Faas and Frode continued forward effortlessly. Given our human-like frailty, Faas should have been as tired as I, but he also worked hard to stay in shape in an attempt to keep up with the more physically skilled members of the clan, like Frode. I was out of shape, and it showed.

  Unable to go on any longer, I halted, then hunched over with my hands on my knees as I tried to regain my breath. Faas and Frode flanked me, looking around in all directions for either signs of pursuit, or signs that anyone on our side had made it out alive.

  My thoughts instantly turned to Mikael. We’d been outnumbered by Estus’ people, but he hadn’t survived over a thousand years by sheer wits alone. He was a warrior with lifetimes of experience. He had to be okay, or so I kept telling myself.

  Just as I was finally able to catch my breath and stand straight, the sound of several pairs of feet came crashing toward us. I put my hand on one of the knives at my belt, then Tallie and Alejandro appeared. Instantly spotting us, Tallie changed her direction and made a beeline our way, Alejandro hot on her heels.

  “Where is everyone else?” I demanded as they reached us.

  Tallie pushed slightly sweaty black hair away from her face. Her dark eyes held worry, like she was a puppy ready to get kicked. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Mikael ordered us to find you to make sure you’d escaped. We should keep moving.”

  “But—” I began.

  “She’s right,” Faas interrupted. “Madeline, if something happens to you, all hope is lost. We cannot stand up against the key without you.”

  “Well, shit,” I grumbled, knowing he was right.

  “Let’s go,” he prompted. “Mikael will be fine. Few would hold any chance of standing against him.”

  I nodded at his assurance, then began walking, unable to force my legs to run.

  Alejandro fell into step beside me, grumbling, “Of course they had to choose the middle of the woods to attack. They couldn’t have forced our escape somewhere near a city . . . ”

  Not picking up on his sarcasm, Frode explained, “This attack was well planned. If there are trackers amongst them, they’ll be on our trail by now. I don’t know these woods, but it would stand to reason that civilization is quite far off.”

  “So we just keep walking, not knowing where we’re going?” I questioned.

  Frode nodded sharply. “Either that, or we loop back around in an attempt to catch those who may be hunting us. Though in doing so, we’d be taking a greater risk.”

  “I vote for that,” I said instantly.

  I halted suddenly, noticing someone casually leaning against a tree ahead of us. His white hair shielded his face, though I imagined it held a smug smile.

  “How the hell did you get ahead of us?” I forced my steps toward Marcos.

  He shrugged, then pushed away from the tree to meet us halfway.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Tallie had maneuvered herself behind me, as if I would protect her from Marcos.

  Faas glared at Marcos, but stated, “We need to keep moving. Our previous plan still applies. If we can find the nearest graveyard, we’ll be relatively safe with the banshees back at full power.”

  I nodded, knowing he was right, but hating the idea of leaving everyone else behind. Should worst come to worst, I knew where Estus’ Salr was. With our power recharged, we could attempt to rescue Alaric, Sophie, and whomever else might now be held prisoner, on our own. Marcos and Faas were both formidable when they were at full power. Frode and Alejandro made good muscle. I was yet to witness Alejandro’s powers, but he was descended from Xolotl, the Aztec god of thunder, so I had a feeling he could be pretty scary if need be. Tallie was more useful as a tracker, but who knew when turning into a wolf might come in handy?

  “Let’s go,” I sighed finally, regretting it as soon as I’d said it.

  We all began walking with Marcos leading the way. I had no idea where he was going, but any direction was good, as long as it took us farther from the ambush site. Dry pine needles and loose branches crunched underneath our boots, sounding ear-shatteringly loud in the quiet forest. I kept waiting for someone to pop out and attack us, but the attack never came.

  As the hours dwindled on and night fell, I increasingly regretted our decision to move on without the others. We would have to stop and rest at some point, but we had no food or bedding. I hated to imagine what the cold, stinging air would feel like without the added heat of movement. Even worse, I felt uncomfortable sleeping at all with my current company.

  I trusted Faas, and to an extent I trusted Frode, since Mikael had entrusted him with my care. I really didn’t think Tallie would try to harm me, and Alejandro had become something that almost resembled a friend, but, and this was a really big but, I didn’t trust any of them not to hand me over if their lives depended on it. If Estus’ people found us, and it was either sacrifice Madeline or you’re all dead meat, I was toast. Without my banshees or some fresh corpses to release, I couldn’t even defend myself should such a situation occur.

  It would be better if we managed to reach a town or city, I thought, as we stumbled along in the dark. I’d had the wherewithal to sling my purse across my shoulders when we ran, and it bounced around against my hip now irritatingly. I had cash, my fake IDs, a tube of chapstick, and . . . my jaw dropped. I had a purse full of snacks and I’d only just realized it. I also had a phone. I could try calling Mikael.

  As if sensing the nearby presence of snacks, Tallie’s stomach growled loudly.

  I stopped walking and unzipped my bag. Tallie and Faas stopped instantly beside me, but Marcos, Alejandro, and Frode all walked a few more steps before realizing we’d halted.

  I produced a granola bar and handed it to Tallie. Then pulled out trail mix, dried apricots, and a package of slightly smushed, miniature chocolate donuts.

  “Gee mom, why didn’t you tell us you brought snacks,” Alejandro quipped as he came to stand before me.

  I held out the trail mix to him. He could have the apricots too if he wanted, but the donuts were mine.

  A branch breaking somewhere behind me caught my attention. We all turned to see a small figure limping toward us. I shoved the donuts back into my purse and placed a hand over my knife. A few near-silent moments later, the moonlight revealed Maya. She leaned heavily on her right leg, as if the left had been badly injured. I knew it must have been a severe break or muscle tear, because Maya didn’t feel pain. A twisted ankle or knee wouldn’t cause her to limp as badly as she was.

  “No offense, but you’re probably the last person I wanted to see.”

  She smiled, coming to stand in front of me. “None taken. Personally, I’m just glad to be alive right now. I can handle being unwanted.”

  “What happened?” I demanded.

  She’d obviously seen more of the fight than any of us, so maybe she knew where Mikael and the others were, or if they were even still alive.

  “Estus’ people were there to take us prisoner, not kill us,” she explained, “though they weren’t going gently about it. I took off while the fighting was still going on. Some on our side had been incapacitated, many on Estus’ side had been killed. I didn’t hang around to see how it all ended.”

  “Mikael?” I pressed.

  She smirked. “Last I saw, he was decapitating a man. Didn’t seem like he planned to leave until the fight was over.”

  I cursed quietly under my breath. If Mikael had stayed for the entire fight, he was either dead, taken prisoner, o
r he was looking for us. I prayed the latter was the case, but if it was, he should have found us by now. He could run without tiring many more miles than we’d walked. Of course, I had no idea about his tracking skills. Perhaps he was just lost in the woods like the rest of us.

  Once again remembering my phone, I retrieved it from my purse and fumbled for the button to turn it on. Mikael had given it to me after I’d been stolen away by the Morrigan, but I hadn’t had a chance to use it since, so I wasn’t quite comfortable with all of its functions. Most Vaettir weren’t into technology, but Mikael was an exception. He had a phone, and so did Aila, though I didn’t have her number, only Mikael’s.

  The screen lit up to reveal I had no service. I groaned and held down the power button until the phone shut back off.

  “Let’s go,” I sighed, pulling my donuts back out of my purse and replacing them with the phone.

  “Where’s my snack?” Frode protested.

  I took a moment to toss him the apricots, then kept walking. “Be nice and share,” I chided when he shoved half the bag of apricots in his mouth at once.

  “This is the worst camping trip ever,” he whined.

  “You’re all crazy,” I heard Tallie mutter under her breath, her mouth full of granola bar.

  I wasn’t about to argue with her.

  The Morrigan, Alaric, and Sophie had walked through the night, though Alaric barely felt tired. His focus was only on their end goal, not on food or rest. Sophie was a different story.

  “I’m starving,” she groaned.

  Alaric glared at her. “Feel free to scamper off and catch a deer.”

  She made a look like she tasted something sour. “There’s no need to be rude, Grumpy Gus.”

  He sighed. He knew taking his frustration out on Sophie would do little good, but it was difficult to hold back. It was her fault he’d been separated from Madeline, even if she’d had no way to foresee Estus sending them into the past.