Kris's Story

by Trudie Collins

  “One of your biggest successes,” I said smiling at her.

  “She then made a comment about War not actually causing the first world war and I had to admit that actually he did.”

  “Death was just as much to blame,” I said, jumping to my father’s defence.

  “This I have to hear,” Rob said.

  “They had an argument,” I said. “It spilled over into your world with catastrophic results.”

  “Granddad grounded them both,” Ankou added.

  “Death and War were grounded?” Rob asked in disbelief.

  “Yes,” Famine said. “Rachel found that most amusing. Their punishment was cut short when world war 2 broke out as they had work to do.”

  Rob shook his head in amazement. “I can understand Rachel having a hard time taking it all in.”

  “Well I’m off to bed,” Ankou said as he stood up.

  “Your own, I hope,” I said in a warning tone.

  “I have no idea what you mean by that comment,” Ankou replied, but he was smiling as he said it and winked as he left the room.

  “What was that about?” Rob asked.

  “You don’t want to know.”

  Famine also went to bed, leaving Rob and me alone. I took the opportunity to ask him about Rachel. Rob would become curious about all of the questions, but I no longer cared. We stayed up for a long while, talking about anything and everything. By the time we eventually retired I was too tired to visit Death and give him an update and decided to leave it till the morning.

  Dragon

  When I awoke the next morning I headed straight to the kitchen. I could hear Rachel and Rob talking and was about to enter when their topic of conversation made me pause.

  “Yes,” Rob said, though I had no idea what the question had been. “Famine and Ankou both retired early and Kris and I stayed up late, talking. I have greatly misjudged him. He is a pretty cool guy really and is doing his best to help us.”

  I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Well at least I had won over one of them. Pity it was the wrong one.

  “I think Kris has a crush on you,” Rob continued. I heard Rachel choke on whatever she was eating and almost rushed in to see if she needed help.

  ‘What?” she asked as soon as she could breathe again.

  “He asked a lot of questions about you, especially about you and Bill and whether you were really still an item. Also, he couldn’t keep his eyes off you last night, or didn’t you notice?”

  Notice? Of course she hadn’t noticed. She had been too busy staring at Ankou all evening.

  “I’m sure you’re making a mistake,” she said, sounding uncomfortable. I took pity on her and saved her from further conversation on that particular topic by entering the room. I gave no indication that I had overheard anything that had been said, but Rachel looked concerned.

  “Good morning,” I greeted them as I walked to the table and started to cut myself a slice of bread. “Are you ready for whatever challenge my aunt has planned for you?”

  “Of course,” Rob replied. “Any idea what it is?”

  I shook my head. “Sorry, she hasn’t said anything to me.”

  “Well I have already had my bravery and intelligence tested,” Rob continued. “I wonder what can be next.”

  “Let’s hope it isn’t your integrity,” Rachel said as she grinned at him.

  Rob put on the worst attempt at a hurt expression I have ever seen. “Your words wound me,” he said as he theatrically covered his heart with his hands as though he had been stabbed.

  “Someone is in a good mood this morning,” a voice said through the open doorway. I glanced at Rachel, noting that she was slightly flushed, her heart rate had increased and she was holding her breathe. A stab of jealously ran through me again. What I wouldn’t give to have her reacting like that to me. “That will soon change,” Ankou continued as he walked into the room.

  Rob didn’t rise to the bait. Instead he made mundane conversation with me and Ankou until Famine returned. Rachel did not join in. She remained quiet, sipping her coffee and doing her best to avoid looking at Ankou. I was watching her closely and saw the furtive glances she could not stop herself from throwing in his direction. If she thought she was doing a good job keeping her attraction to herself she was greatly mistaken.

  “When can we face our next challenge?” Rob asked the moment Famine entered the kitchen. “I am eager to be on my way as soon as possible.”

  “Whenever you are ready,” she replied. “Your next task is simple. I want you to rid me of a troublesome dragon.” Ankou and I glanced at each other, both thinking the same thing; Rachel is going to freak out.

  “You mean drive it off?” she asked in a worried voice. We both had to turn away so as not to show that we were grinning.

  “No,” Famine said, smiling sweetly. “I want you to kill it.”

  “A Dragon? As in a huge, flying, fire-breathing lizard?” Rob asked.

  “Of course not,” Famine replied. I looked at Rachel and saw her visibly relax. “Only the golden coloured ones breath fire. This one is green. It spits acid.” She tensed again. Watching Rachel’s reactions was very entertaining. I wasn’t the only one watching her. Ankou also had his eyes fixed on her and seemed as amused as I was.

  “So where do I find this oversized iguana with wings?” Rob asked. “And what weapons are we allowed?”

  “You can borrow my sword,” I said, doing my best not to laugh. “After all, you did such a good job with it last time.”

  Ankou looked at me quizzically. “Don’t ask,” Rachel said before I had chance to describe Rob’s attempt at attacking an ogre.

  “Fine,” Rob said, ignoring my snigger. “What about Rachel?”

  “She can have mine,” Ankou volunteered. He looked at her doubtfully. “Have you ever used a sword?”

  She shook her head. “Got a gun instead?” she asked. I stared at her in surprise.

  Ankou laughed. “Go outside and I will grab my weapon then give you a few tips.”

  Famine led Rob and Rachel out into the garden, leaving me and Ankou alone.

  “I bet that is the first time you’ve said a sentence like that and have actually been referring to your sword.” I grinned at him.

  He grinned back. “You’re probably right.”

  I then turned serious. “Look, about Rachel. Don’t−”

  “Don’t what?” Ankou interrupted.

  Unable to articulate what I wanted to say, I said, “Just don’t. Alright.” Ankou would know exactly what I meant and I was disappointed when he didn’t reply. I sighed in resignation, made my sword materialise in my hand, then left the cottage. I had done all I could to keep my cousin away from Rachel and it had been a complete and utter waste of time. All I could do now was watch the disaster unfold.

  Ankou followed me out, walked up to Rachel and handed over his sword. I hate to admit it, but it is a very nice sword with an ornate ivory handle and hieroglyphs down the blade. Rachel looked very uncomfortable trying to wield it.

  “Hold it out in front of you,” Ankou said. I handed my sword to Rob, who instantly obeyed the order. “Slowly move it up and down, get to know its weight and how it moves.”

  For half an hour or more we worked on how to thrust and parry until they complained that their arms were aching. At one point Ankou stood behind Rachel with his arms around her, positioning her hands correctly on his sword. There was absolutely no need for him to do it and I wasn’t sure if he was trying to get a reaction out of Rachel or me. I gave him a dark look, but didn’t say anything. That conversation could wait until later.

  “That’s good enough,” Ankou said and Rachel breathed a sigh of relief, letting the sword drop to the ground.

  “There is a small mountain about 4 hours walk from here,” Famine told them. “The dragon lives in a cave at its base. You are to go there, kill it and return with the evidence. Its head. Its tail. Whatever you like.”

  “What happens if it isn’t at home?�
�� Rachel asked.

  “You wait.” Her face showed that that wasn’t the answer she had been hoping for.

  “Will there be other dragons there?” she asked nervously.

  “There may be,” Famine said. “If it is not alone, you will need to kill all of the dragons that are present.”

  “Fine,” Rob said as though killing a dragon was all in a day’s work for him. He started to walk off in the direction Famine had indicated, but Rachel called to him to wait.

  “Can we take your bag?” she asked me. I looked at her in puzzlement, not understanding why she would want my bag.

  “Why?”

  “It gives you whatever you need. If we need more weapons, with your bag they will be easily obtainable,” she replied. Given that until recently she had not known that I was a demi-god, I suppose it was a logical thing to think.

  “You haven’t told her, have you?” Ankou asked me. I dropped my head. I really didn’t want to tell Rachel that I had powers she couldn’t even imagine. I was saved from doing so by Ankou.

  “Rachel,” he continued. “Kris is the grandson of Hades, a god. Do you really think that it is the bag that is magical?” Could he possibly have said it in a worse way?

  Rachel then surprised me with her next question. “So you’re coming with us, right?”

  “I can’t. It’s against the rules.” Somehow I managed to hide the feeling of joy that I felt; she still trusted me enough to want me with her.

  “Let’s go,” Rob said and Rachel reluctantly followed him out of the garden.

  “Good luck,” Ankou called after them. Rachel turned to smile at him and he waved. I just watched them depart, my face betraying none of the emotional turmoil I was going through.

  Once they were out of sight I turned to Ankou. “Was that really necessary?”

  Ankou knew exactly what I was talking about and grinned. “Of course not. It was fun though. You could probably hear her pulse racing from where you were standing.”

  I started to tell him exactly what I thought of him, but stopped myself, knowing I would regret it if I actually voiced what I was thinking. Also, I have never used that sort of language in front of my aunt and didn’t wish to do so now. I needed to put some distance between Ankou and myself before I hit him. “I’m going to give your father an update,” I said and vanished.

  Death could tell how irritated I was as soon as I arrived. “What have they done to annoy you now?” he asked.

  “It’s not them,” I spat out. “It’s your bloody son.” Then I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “Sorry,” I said in a softer tone. “That was uncalled for.”

  “Knowing Ankou, I well believe it was very much called for. Want to tell me what he has done now?” Death sounded tired. Or fed up with hearing about his son’s many faults.

  “No.” I tried to smile. “It’s my problem, not yours.”

  “So what is the latest on our visitors? Have they killed the dragon yet?”

  “They just left. It will take them a while to get there, so I don’t expect to hear anything for a few hours.”

  Death looked at me in surprise. “You made them walk? That seems a bit unfair. Couldn’t you have transported them a bit closer? They are probably getting more and more scared the nearer they get. It would have been kinder to have dropped them at the cave entrance before their terror managed to build up too much.”

  I shook my head. “They have only just found out who I really am. I forgot to warn Fam and she let it slip. Rachel didn’t handle it very well. Knowing that I have the ability to transport her anywhere I wish would only make things worse. Besides, the walk will do them good.” ‘At least it will give Rachel time to get her libido under control,’ I thought bitterly. “Also,” I continued, “you banned me from transporting them, remember.”

  “You couldn’t have kept your identity secret forever,” Death told me sympathetically.

  “I know, but a little while longer would have been nice.”

  “If you have a few hours to spare, what are you planning on doing? Are you staying to lunch?”

  Again I shook my head. “No, I thought I would go and spy on them. Rob has borrowed my sword again and after his wonderful performance with it last time I would like to be around in case he accidently injures himself or Rachel again.”

  Death grinned at me. “That is probably a very good idea. Come back sometime tonight and let me know how they got on.”

  I promised I would and disappeared again. Instead of going to find Rob and Rachel I went to see my grandfather.

  “This is a nice surprise,” he said as I materialised in front of him. “I thought you were busy being guide still.”

  “I am, which is actually why I am here. Rob and Rachel are off to slay a dragon and I want to keep an eye on them. Can I borrow your helmet of invisibility?”

  “No problem,” grandfather replied. “You know where it is. Just promise me one thing; don’t let your cousin know you have it. If he ever gets his hands on it there is no telling what he will do.”

  I grinned. I knew exactly what Ankou would do. “Don’t worry. I’m not that stupid.”

  I left the room and headed to the underground vault. Other than my grandmother, I am the only one that grandfather has entrusted with the combination. I took the helmet, placed it on my head and disappeared once more.

  Sensing where they were, I materialised not far from them. I could hear them discussing battle plans and they seemed in reasonable spirits, so I vanished once more, heading to the dragon’s cave.

  “Hi Campe,” I said as I removed the helmet.

  “I wish you wouldn’t do that,” the dragon snarled at me. “You scared the life out of me.”

  I smiled at her. “They are on their way. Are you ready?”

  “Of course,” she replied. “I’m quite looking forward to this. It’s going to be fun.”

  “I borrowed grandad’s helmet so I will be around in case there is any trouble.”

  Campe laughed. “I think I can handle two little humans. If they don’t behave, I can always eat them.”

  I gave her a pained look. “I quite like this girl, so I would rather you didn’t.”

  “Really,” the dragon said, suddenly interested. “Anything going on?”

  “No and I would appreciate you not saying anything to her.”

  If her jaws would have allowed her, I’m sure she would have grinned.

  “I’m going back to the cottage for an hour or so. Rob and Rachel will be a while yet. I’ll be back before they get here.”

  I placed the helmet on a rock, not wanting to take it with me in case Ankou was still around. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found that he had gone to see Pestilence.

  “In some respects those two are too much alike,” Fam said when she told me where my cousin had gone. “They both need to grow up.” I didn’t argue.

  Despite having the power to create anything she wants out of thin air, Famine insists on doing the cooking and all of the food preparation manually. As a result there were a couple chickens on the kitchen table and I volunteered to pluck them for her while she peeled vegetables.

  As soon as they were fully de-feathered I washed my hands, then returned to Campe’s cave, retrieved the helmet and went in search of Rob and Rachel once more. They were making good progress and would soon be in sight of the cave entrance.

  I followed them closely, but not close enough that I could eavesdrop on their conversation. They could not see me, so they had no idea I was there and it felt wrong to be listening in on what they were saying.

  They easily found the cave, but paused at the entrance. I smiled when I saw Rob take Rachel’s hand and lead her inside. I am beginning to understand how deep the relationship between the two really is. I am also beginning to realise that there would never be anything more than friendship between them, which meant I only had Ankou to compete with for her affections while she was still in the underworld. Not that it really mattered. What differenc
e would it make if there were hundreds of men interested in her when she was already attracted to Ankou? What chance would I ever have?

  Forcing my mind away from the maudlin path down which it was going, I willed myself inside the cave. “They are here,” I whispered to Campe, who laid down and pretended to be asleep.

  Her body emitted a faint greenish glow, providing just enough light to illuminate the cave so that torches were not needed. I placed myself at the far end of the cave, well away from both the dragon and the entrance, and watched the proceedings. Campe started to emit a deep whistling noise which was so obviously fake that I had to smile.

  “Is it snoring?” I heard Rachel whisper.

  “I think so,” Rob replied. “I guess we got lucky.”

  Hearing them approach, the dragon rolled over, exposing her chest. I shook my head. Talk about overacting. She might as well have painted an arrow on her skin saying ‘stab me here’.

  Rob drew his sword, but before he could move any closer Rachel grabbed his arm. “Wait,” she said, cocking her head as though listening to something. It was only then that I realised that Campe’s snoring had had the added effect of masking the pitiful cries of her young, which were in their nest just the other side of her. She had deliberately reduced her volume so that Rob and Rachel could hear them once they were close enough.

  Rob confirmed he could hear it too and Rachel signalled for him to remain where he was while she investigated.

  It was very dark at the back of the cave, so at exactly the right moment Campe rolled over, shedding her faint light on Rachel, who froze. I repositioned myself so I could see her and found her staring at the dragon and looking like she was too scared to even breathe.

  Rob moved around Campe’s body to join her and she plucked up the courage to look around her. As soon as her eyes fell on the baby dragons she gasped.

  I followed her gaze. I have always thought that young dragons are ugly little things, not that I would ever voice my opinion in front of Campe, and these ones appeared to be especially weak and feeble, but I know that appearances can be deceiving.