by Hooke, Isaac
He wasn’t entirely sure about that, but he wasn’t about to test his theory.
At least not now.
He sensed motion above him and looking up saw Felipe there, standing on the top of the gate, spying on him. The capuchin wasn’t under his direct control, since Malem still had his will wrapped around the owls on the rooftop; the monkey promptly thrust its hips rapidly back and forth in mock imitation of what it had seen earlier.
Malem grabbed his shirt and threw it at the animal. “Get back in your stall!”
Felipe leaped down, cackling loudly. Malem was ready to transfer his will from one of the owls to the monkey if Felipe didn’t obey, but the animal remained in the stall.
When Felipe finally stopped laughing, Gwen spoke into the silence.
“What was that you were saying about controlling more animals?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Because of you, I can control six animals at once, instead of two. I have extra slots in my mind.”
“That’s what you were doing with the horses.” She pursed her lips. “So I’ve upgraded you. Sort of.”
“That’s exactly what you’ve done,” he said.
“Six slots,” she said. “And I’m the seventh. Except I count as a permanent slot.”
“Yes. Now I just have to find other willing monster girls like yourself to get more upgrades.”
“Ha,” she said.
“It might not be your monster nature, either,” he said. “It could be magic users, too. I sensed Abigail, for example, before she shut me out. She’s the only other human beside you who I’ve ever detected with my beast sense like that.”
“So basically you’re saying you want to sleep with her, too…”
“Solely for the purposes of research, of course,” he said wryly.
She laughed and punched him in the upper arm. “Research, my ass. Well, don’t expect me to help you with that. If you want to sleep with her, go ahead, but I’m staying out of it.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said.
“Six slots now, because of me…” She exhaled, as if she wasn’t quite sure what to think about that. “Why are you so different from other Breakers?”
He sighed. “It probably has something to do with the Darkness that hunts me.”
“The Darkness?” she said.
He nodded. “It’s what I call the night, when it comes for me.”
“When the bandit woman spoke of a dark demon stalking you, she wasn’t a raving lunatic after all, then…”
“No.”
She was quiet for a moment. “So if I’m linked to you…”
“You’re safe from it,” he said quickly. “As long as you’re not around when it comes for me. The Darkness has never touched my animals, unless they got in the way.”
“Is that all I am to you, just another one of your animals?”
“I was speaking generally,” he said.
“And how long do we have until this Darkness comes again?”
“At least a week, I’d say,” he told her. “Give or take a few days.”
“A week,” she said. “So this happens to you four times a month?”
“It varies,” he said. “Sometimes less. It’s my curse. I’ve been running from it my entire life.”
“Maybe you should face it, instead of running,” she said. “We all have to face our demons, someday.”
He smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. You can’t face this thing. You can only run. It destroys everything in its path. Gold. Armor. Flesh. When it touches you, it rips everything that is living away from you, and sucks you down into the abyss.”
“I wish you’d told me all this before I hooked up with you.”
“Would it have changed anything?”
She paused. “Well, I probably wouldn’t have slept with you, at the very least. Then again, my choice in men has never really been what you’d call ideal.”
He held out a hand. “Can I have my dagger back?”
“Sure.” She handed the small sheath to him, and he tied it around his ankle.
She began to dress.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Back to the room.” She slid on her panties, her breasts dangling enticingly in front of her.
“I thought you couldn’t sleep with all that racket?”
“Ah, eventually I’ll go under,” she said. “I’d rather sleep up there, than here. Your little story about the Darkness has me spooked.”
“It won’t be coming tonight…” he said.
“Even so, I think I’d rather have a soft bed underneath me, than a hard floor. Sorry, Breaker.”
She slipped on the robe, pulled the hood low, and left through the common room exit.
He donned his clothes as well, but he was too excited to sleep. He experimented, reaching out into the darkness and taking over different night rodents nearby. Controlling the smaller animals was less draining that the horses, he noted, but he still had a cap of six, including the owls. He sent a pack of four rats into the common room from the street beyond, and had them silently climb the counter. The old woman on night duty shrieked loudly, and then produced a broom; he had the rats scatter at that point, but he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.
He released the smaller animals, leaving the two owls in place.
He could sense Gwen in the room above him, tossing restlessly. He didn’t have to worry about his hold on her loosening—the vise of his will stayed firm around her without any effort. The only time that vise fought him was when he tried to seize control.
He didn’t think he would be doing that very often, if at all. Like he had told her, she was a person, not an animal. There had to be some limits.
He did have one thought. Now that Gwen had upgraded him, could he also control monsters, too? Or was he still limited to animals?
He knew he’d have to try when the first opportunity presented itself.
Where are a few attacking oraks when you need them?
He reached out with his mind, searching, but there were only animals in the city, of course.
With a sigh, he finally tried to sleep. It took a while but eventually he found a fitful rest.
He dreamed of a battle where oraks and dragons fought at his side. He conquered the field, and retreated to sit on a throne made of dire wolf bones. Scantily-clad monster women served him wine from gold chalices.
He awoke with a beaming smile.
14
Malem waited outside The Rutting Cat with Bounder, Felipe and Neeme. The blankets continued to conceal the iguanid from passersby, while the monkey hung casually from the exposed saddlebags. Malem wore his robe with the hood low.
Gwen and Abigail joined him, also wearing their robes, and the party made its way toward the northern side of the city on foot. He had released his hold on the owls, returning it to Bounder and Felipe after awakening. But he experimented with binding various urban birds while keeping the other two animals under his will.
As usual, he allowed Felipe to roam on its own at times so that the little monkey could free caged animals behind him along the way.
“Stop here,” Abigail said next to a corral.
Malem glanced at her. “Buying a horse?”
“That’s right,” she said. “I have a deed from the king.”
“Save it,” Malem said.
“What?” she said. “Why?”
“Trust me. I’ll get you one.” He spotted Felipe in place atop a nearby roof, ready to climb down and open the entrance gate.
“I don’t want to steal,” she said.
“It’s not stealing when you’re setting the animal free,” he said.
She acquiesced, and they continued. Felipe returned a moment later, giving Malem a sly grin before pulling itself into the saddle.
Ahead, the city gates were unlocked and thrown back, the northern road beyond still open to travelers and commerce. The party passed through without issue and into t
he throng of travelers that trafficked the Midweald road on the other side. He did notice the beefed up military presence, with several soldiers standing guard at different points along the route. Probably a good thing, with oraks afoot. But the fact that the road remained opened told Malem that no oraks had yet been spotted on this side of the river.
The forest had been cut away immediately outside the Northern Redbridge limits, making way for the lean-tos of the slums. Most were erected against the city walls, though there were several freestanding huts next to them.
“If war comes here, those homes will be the first to fall,” Abigail commented.
“Like in any war, the poor are the first to suffer,” Gwen said.
The slums faded as the trees reigned supreme once more, and the party continued on its way.
The traffic thinned out, with most of the caravans and people on horseback trotting ahead, leaving only those few on foot. Soldiers continued to trot past on horseback in both directions; they paid the party little heed.
“Well, where’s my horse?” Abigail asked.
“It’s coming,” he replied.
There was no reason to remain on foot themselves; the party was readily visible to any eyes in the forest now that the traffic had diminished, and they might need the speed their beasts provided.
So Malem, keeping his robes, mounted Bounder with Abigail, while Gwen rode Neeme. The press of Abigail behind him was no longer as enticing as it once had been, and he couldn’t help the furtive glances he sent Gwen’s way, nor the dirty thoughts that formed in his head whenever he saw her. He sent some of those thoughts along to her, and although she didn’t look at him, he felt her blush.
He was distracted by the tugging at his jacket and robe combination as Felipe assumed his customary position on Malem’s shoulder.
“There you are,” a familiar voice said from behind and to his left. The voice startled him slightly, and brought his distracted mind back to the present.
A horse and rider came alongside him.
Xaxia in her leather corset. She was wearing leggings that looked more like slip-on stockings than anything else, with a garter belt to boot.
He chuckled softly. “I’ll never be rid of you, will I?”
“Nope.”
“Who’s this?” Abigail asked. He could hear the condescension in her voice.
“No one of any concern to you,” Xaxia said, rather haughtily.
“Hmph!” Abigail said. She shifted in the saddle behind him, and Malem knew she was looking away.
“I like your outfit,” he commented.
He felt a weak punch in his side, and had to suppress a smile. Ah, Abigail.
“Thank you,” Xaxia said. “I use it to entice males of certain proclivities. As well as some females. When they see me alone, traveling through the woods, they see an easy target.” She caressed the hilt of the sword at her waist. “But it’s only after they attack that they learn I’m far from easy.” She smiled brightly. “I usually end each day with fifty extra drachmae in my pocket. And I’m already accounting for the drachmae I have to spend to clean the blood from my outfit.”
“Good for you.” He looked at her and smiled from underneath his hood. “So, how went the assassination mission?”
She shrugged. “Good.”
“Do I want to know what happened to the fat merchant you were working for?”
“Depends.” She smiled widely. “I completed the job, and when he paid me, I robbed him of everything he had while he slept.”
He chuckled. “Whoever coined the term moral turpitude had you in mind.”
Xaxia smiled widely. “Thank you.”
A rider less horse came trotting up alongside the party. It wore a saddle.
“How strange,” Xaxia said. “Then again, maybe not so strange around you, Breaker.”
“Right on cue.” Malem commanded Bounder to halt and then kneel.
Abigail dismounted, but before she could pull herself into the saddle of her new horse, Gwen pulled up to the animal and gave it an appraising look. She leaned forward, examining its back, and riding around to the front to study the head.
“A well-balanced horse,” Gwen said. “The neck, shoulder and back are equal length, and the topline is shorter than the underline. Hip and wither height are the same. The eyes are a third of the distance from the poll to the nostrils. Great conformation. A very fine specimen of horseflesh! I’m almost tempted to give up Neeme. You can’t fool a farmer with a foal.”
“What?” Abigail asked.
“A rustic expression. It means we know our horses.”
Abigail mounted her new horse.
Xaxia lingered the whole time, watching with amusement.
“So, are you coming with us or what?” Malem said to the bandit.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Xaxia told him.
“What?” Abigail said from her new mount. “You’re not actually inviting her along, are you?”
“We could use the extra sword arm,” he told her. “Besides, I like how she riles you up.”
“I’m not paying her a single drachma!” Abigail said.
“You can use the money he saved on your mount to pay me,” Xaxia commented.
Abigail merely scowled at her.
Xaxia laughed. “Oh, I think getting under your skin will be payment enough.”
“You’re really coming?” he asked her.
She gave him an amused look. “Honestly, with the demon of the night I witnessed hunting you? No thanks. Though I have to admit, I’m impressed that you convinced these two to let you tag along.”
“The Darkness won’t come for a while,” he told her. “You’ll be safe.”
“How long is a while?” Xaxia pressed.
“A few days,” he said.
“A few days!” she scoffed.
“Yes,” he said, ignoring her tone.
“Wait, demon of the night?” Abigail turned toward him. “What’s she talking about?”
“Oh, he hasn’t told you?” Xaxia said. She glanced at Gwen. “And how about you?”
“He’s spoken of it, in cryptic terms,” Gwen admitted.
Abigail frowned and spun on him. “Why have you never brought this up with me? If a demon hunts you, don’t you think it would be important to let me know?”
Malem shrugged helplessly. “It’s just a small thing. It visits very rarely. Once a week or so.”
“Once a week!” Abigail said. “I’d hardly call that rare.”
“Sometimes two weeks,” he said sheepishly. “Or longer.”
Abigail shook her head. “Perhaps I was wrong to hire you as my protector.”
He straightened his back. “As I told the bandit, you’ll be safe. I wouldn’t lead you into danger. If the Darkness comes, I won’t let it touch any of you.”
Xaxia gave him a sly look, then smiled maliciously as she spun on Abigail. “This Darkness of his is a terror of the underworld unlike any you will ever behold. Relentless. Unstoppable. Hungry. The very night comes alive, tears through trees, rips up the Earth, and destroys everything in its path in its tireless pursuit of the one object it desires more than anything in the world. Him.”
Abigail was silent for several moments. Then: “Why does it want you?”
He sighed, hesitating. Finally: “Revenge.”
“Revenge?” she asked.
He shook his head, glancing at his sandals. “Not now. I’m not in the mood to recall that fateful day.”
“Then why should I let you ride with me?” Abigail asked.
He looked the fire mage firmly in the eye. “I promise you no harm will come to you while you travel with me. I can sense when the Darkness is coming so I can make sure I’m well away from you before it arrives.” That wasn’t true all the time, but he decided it was best not to mention that for now. He was confident the women would come to no harm if the Darkness arrived early and without warning, because he would sacrifice himself so they could get away, if need be. “In fact,
when we reach our destination, I plan to part ways immediately. I’ll return to the woods alone and wait for it to come for me. You’ll never see me again.”
Gwen gave him a look that read: “What about me?”
He ignored that look. There was time enough to decide what he’d do about Gwen later.
Abigail nodded slowly. It was her way of telling him she trusted him. At least that was how he interpreted the nod.
“Where do you ride?” Xaxia asked.
Malem glanced at Abigail, who shook her head.
Xaxia shrugged. “I’m going the same way. I suppose I could accompany you for a little while. It should be... entertaining.”
Abigail rounded on Malem. “I won’t have the likes of her accompanying us! She’s an assassin! An admitted murderer and bandit! This is not the companion you want at your side on the road. She could lead us into a den of highwaymen! I’m surprised you’d ever associate with such a trollop!”
Xaxia’s eyes glinted with amusement as she told her: “Speaking of which, did he mention we slept together?”
Abigail gaped at her, and then she shot a glare Malem’s way. “You sleep with anything that moves! Disgusting!” She spurred her new horse to a gallop, leaving him in the dust.
“I suppose it’s settled then,” Malem told Xaxia. “You’re in. Come on then, we can’t let her believe she’s the one in charge.”
Xaxia laughed, while Gwen merely shook her head.
15
Malem spurred Bounder forward, leaving the pair behind. Though Abigail was whipping her horse for all it was worth, he soon pulled up beside her. He waited until she looked his way and then waved, wearing a purposely goofy smile on his face.
Apparently that smile was a little more mocking than he intended, because it made Abigail only angrier, and she spurred her horse harder.
He sighed, shaking his head, and increased Bounder’s pace. The lizard’s more muscular frame, combined with its longer legs, allowed Bounder to easily gain ground on the horse, and Malem smiled as he pulled in front of Abigail and took the lead.
The high speeds didn’t last, of course. Within a few minutes they were back to their ordinary trot. Abigail’s new mount was panting severely, while Bounder fared little better, its breathing ragged even with its iguanid endurance. Xaxia and Gwen took their time catching up, not pushing their horses as hard to spare the animals from hardship.