by Callie Rose
She sniffed again and scuffed at the dusty ground with her bare feet. Then she glanced up at us.
“Come on then.” She lifted a hand, gesturing for us to follow her. “You might be stupid, but even stupid people need to eat. Maybe the mage will talk some sense into you thicky-thick-thickets.”
“She’s insane,” Kai breathed.
“Yeah. So are we though,” Hannah whispered back, a glint of humor flashing in her eyes, although her expression was serious. “But if she tries to feed you eye of newt, find a way to get out of it.”
We followed the woman’s untamable mop of black hair into the bushes, and after walking for several minutes, we found an encampment in the clearing. Tents made of hide had been hastily stitched together over thick branches, and food was cooking over a small fire in the center. A dozen or more underworld beings stopped and stared at us.
“Elena, what have you done?”
An old man with a hunched back stepped forward. His beard was white and long on either side, but appeared to have been singed off in the middle. He regarded us warily.
“’Tisn’t my fault, father, they followed me home.” She wrapped herself around Hannah and began stroking her hair as if it were cat’s fur. “They’re pretty pets. Can’t I keep them?”
A hysterical giggle broke through Hannah’s lips, and she pressed them tightly together, her eyes widening.
“She isn’t a pet, Elena,” I said, gently unwrapping the crazy woman’s arms from around Hannah. The crazy lady seemed harmless enough for now, but I wasn’t about to trust anyone we met down here any farther than I could throw them until they proved themselves worthy of trust. “And we can’t stay. We’re tracking Gavriel’s cyclops.”
“Whatever are you doing that for?” the old man asked grumpily.
“I told them not to, father.” Elena gave another little sniff. “But they’re naughty pets and won’t listen. Let’s tie them up until they’re trained.”
She beamed at us, apparently quite proud of her idea. Xero and I shared an uncomfortable look, and I took a step toward the old man.
“We know what Gavriel is planning. That he wants to take over earth. We aren’t sure there’s anything we can do about it, but since we’re stuck here, we might as well try. Besides, we think he took our friend.”
“Who’s your friend?”
“Michael. The werewolf,” Xero answered.
The old man gave him an exasperated look. “Michael the werewolf? Have you any idea, boy, how many ‘Michael the werewolves’ there are? For fuck’s sake, you may as well have said you’re looking for Mr. Smith, the demon.”
“He lived alone on the other side of that mountain.” Kinston pointed in the direction we’d come from. “He didn’t want to be involved in Gavriel’s army.”
“None of us do.” The old man stepped toward the fire, stirring the pot that was hanging over it with a rough wooden spoon. “Which is why we hide. Many hide alone. A few of us hide together.”
“We used to have carts,” Elena added. “Pretty, pretty carts painted like the earth and sky. I had a feather bed.” She paused, then giggled in her unhinged sort of way. “All the pretty boy demons thought it was so comfortable.”
The old man glared at her for a moment, then sighed resignedly. “Our encampment was destroyed. Deliberately. They tried to kill us too, but we know these lands better than they ever could. Our family has been nomadic for years. It’s the best way to stay out of Gavriel’s sight.”
“You could join us,” Elena said suggestively as she pressed her lithe body up against Kingston’s. “A little fresh meat around here would be positively divine.”
Kingston flushed and shifted away from her. “Erm—thanks. But we can’t stay long.”
She shrugged and turned away, apparently losing all interest in Kingston as she began playing with Kai’s hair.
I resisted the urge to full-body tackle her, although my hackles went up like a dog’s. She was out of her mind, and I honestly pitied her, but I still didn’t like anyone who wasn’t me touching my men.
“Stay and eat,” the old man said gruffly. “If you’re following the cyclops’ tracks, you’ll reach a village before nightfall. When you come across a giant-sized boulder which has been split perfectly down the middle, turn left and keep perfectly straight. You’ll come to a tunnel hidden in the bushes. Don’t break the boughs. Take the tunnel. On the other side, tell them Maori sent you. They’ll let you in and give you a place to sleep for the night.”
“Thank you,” Kai said with a slight bow. “But why would you give us such sensitive information?”
Elena was rubbing up on Jayce now, purring like a kitten. Maori gestured at her. “She’s an idiot, but her intuition is flawless. She trusts you. Now sit, eat, and be on your way with good tidings. Do you have all you need? Weapons? Magic? Food?”
I blinked at him. The more time I spent in the underworld, the more I realized what a place of harsh contrasts it was. So many of the people and creatures here would kill you painfully and enjoy doing it. But some of them were the complete opposite. They would offer hospitality and help to a group of strangers, would offer food when they barely had enough for themselves, and do it with no expectation of a favor in return.
How can such goodness exist alongside such evil?
“Thank you,” I said gratefully, dipping my chin in a nod.
We stayed for an hour and left with everything we could possibly need. We had a few things left from Michael’s stash, but it was nice to be weighed down with supplies again. Setting out on a short journey loaded down with dried fruits and water skins gave me hope that this trip would go more smoothly than our others had.
“But, my puppies!” Elena watched us go, her eyes big and watery. “Goodbye, puppies! Come back soon!”
“She’s talking about you.” Xero grinned at Jayce and nudged him playfully.
“She said puppies, not puppy. Plural.”
“Yeah, but you’re the only dog around here.” Kingston smirked at Jayce. “Look who has a new girlfriend!”
Jayce shot an embarrassed look at me, and I laughed. “I’ll send you a straight-jacket as a wedding present.”
“Oh, shut up.” Jayce kicked the dirt with an exaggerated scowl. “It’s not my fault I’m irresistible.”
I sidled up to him and kissed his cheek. “Oh, puppy! Come play with me, then I’ll tie you up. For training of cour—oh!”
Jayce swept me off my feet and slung me over his shoulder. “Sorry, guys, you’re gonna have to adventure alone. Piper and I have ropes to find.” He turned on his heel and started walking back the way we’d come.
“I was kidding! Jayce! Put me down!” I was trying to yell at him, but I was laughing too hard to catch enough breath to make it threatening.
He dumped me on my feet and grinned at me. “Didja learn something?”
“Yeah, I learned that sex jokes turn you into a cave man.” I straightened my shirt and shook my head at him. “Quit playing around, the cyclops are getting away.”
“Ah, they’re too far ahead to catch anyway,” he said. “Besides, we have more people to meet. You know, I’m starting to think that there are as many pacifists in the underworld as there are on earth. Maybe even more. I kinda like it.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
I didn’t tell him that I’d just had the same thought. It was like the guys and I shared a brain sometimes—a thought that freaked me out less and less these days.
He kissed me again, lingering in it for a moment before we started walking again.
“Look at those trees,” Kai said suddenly, pointing to a line of fan-shaped trees all tipped in brilliant purple.
“Oh, they’re gorgeous! And half of them are ruined.” Hannah frowned at the piles of downed trees which had apparently been in the army’s way. “This place really could be beautiful if they weren’t ruining it.”
“It’s even better from the sky,” Kingston said, almost dreamily. “Once you get used to
the colors, it just looks like a painting. Great big stretches of startling wilderness pock-marked by Gavriel’s stank.”
“It’s definitely better than I thought it would be,” Hannah said. “I kind of figured it would be all lava and caves and swamps and scary-looking birds.”
“Oh, there’s plenty of that too.” I gestured at the five harpies circling far overhead. “Exhibit A.”
“Yeah, but it’s not like they’re attacking.” Jayce squinted as he stared up at them. “They’re just living their lives, doing their harpy thing. I wonder why Gavriel hasn’t recruited them yet.”
“They’re small, for one. And there’s a ton of them. They’re more animal than anything else, probably hard to train and harder to control. They’re like hawks. But not as smart. More like—extra violent seagulls.” Hannah shrugged. “At least that would be my reason for not recruiting those specific ones.”
“How do you know so much about all this?” Xero asked.
“Because I actually pay attention in school,” she said pertly, and I grinned.
Yeah, girl. You be proud of your nerdiness.
“I mean, I do too, I just don’t retain it like you do,” I said, nudging her shoulder and grinning at her. Then I turned to the fire demon just ahead of us. “But, Xero, you lived here. I’m surprised you didn’t know all this already.”
“I wish I knew more,” he admitted. “But I was kind of distracted by, y’know, torture and espionage.”
My stomach clenched. He’d promised me he was okay, and I could see the Xero I knew when I looked in his eyes. He hadn’t been lost to the darkness. But it was still inside me, in the form of pain if not rage. He’d been hurt by this place, by the evil motherfucker who ruled this place, and every time I thought about that, I wanted to cry.
“Fair enough.” I reached for his hand, sliding my fingers between his. He gave me a small smile, as if the contact between us boosted him just like it did me—even though I knew it didn’t work that way. Not magically, at least.
We walked for a few more minutes in silence, and then my footsteps slowed.
“Hey, look.” I pointed. “Does that boulder look giant-sized to you?”
Chapter Fourteen
Maori’s estimate had been right on the money. The sun was just beginning to sink low on the horizon when we reached the boulder. Kingston had a passing interest in the boulder itself, but Jayce was utterly fascinated.
“Look! It must have been split by lightning. No, seriously, look at this! It’s got black marks all in it, the same pattern as lightning and everything. Look at all those little crystals!”
That got Kingston’s attention. He peered more closely at the glittering gems that had formed along the charred lines. Then he leaned forward and licked one.
“Diamonds,” he said. “Magic diamonds. We should take some.”
“Don’t you dare.” I shook my head. “Gavriel wants to kill us, and the Custodians hate us. The last thing we need is to have the locals pissed at us too.”
Kingston pouted, his dragon nature rebelling at the idea of leaving treasure behind, but he didn’t press the issue.
We took the sharp left and wove through the bushes, careful not to break any boughs or leave too much of a beaten path in our wake. The fallen who lived here had clearly gone to some trouble to stay hidden. Messing that up for them would have dire consequences.
I winced, remembering Michael’s place. No matter what the guys said, I still felt responsible for that.
The tunnel was narrow and low, but we squeezed through single-file. Xero walked in front with me immediately behind him. When he suddenly stopped short, I ran into his back, causing a chain reaction all the way back to Kai, who was bringing up the rear.
“What’s the matter?” I whispered.
“Metal bars. A gate or something.” He raised his voice slightly, calling out into the space ahead of us. “Maori sent us.”
“For what purpose?” a voice called back after a moment.
“Rest and provisions. We’re tracking Gavriel’s army.”
“Why?”
“Sabotage.”
“Ooh, good answer.”
And an exciting one, apparently. Honestly, I hadn’t put much thought into our decision to track Gavriel’s army. It was just the thing to do at the time—I’d been pissed as hell about Michael being killed, and I’d wanted to do something to make up for bringing Gavriel’s wrath down on him. But the more people questioned us, the more I wanted a strong answer to give. To fuck shit up just didn’t seem detailed enough for an action plan.
Metal screeched somewhere ahead, and Xero moved forward again.
I had to stop and blink for a moment when I saw where we were. It was a whole town. A little rustic, a little medieval maybe, but it was a fully functional town complete with stone buildings and a tiny marketplace.
“Whoa,” Kingston said. He turned to the gatekeeper, a little gnome with a nose almost as long as he was tall. “How many people live here?”
“Not many. Less than a hundred, now. Used to be more before people got it through their thick skulls that popping down the lane to call on the neighbors was a bad idea.”
“Are there lots of towns like this?” I asked him.
He looked at me like I was stupid. “How should I know? There used to be. I won’t be the one to check now, no, I won’t. If Gavriel catches you out there, he’ll put you to work or kill you. Them’s the only options.”
“Seems like a great way to run through your whole population in a single generation,” Hannah said with a scowl. “How does he expect his numbers to maintain if he doesn’t give his people ample opportunities to multiply?”
“That’s a whole lotta words for ‘when do soldiers fuck.’” I smirked at her, and she blushed. “But it’s a good question. What’s his long game?” I directed the question at the gnome.
“What do I look like, a tour guide?” He scowled. “How should I know?”
“You have to hear rumors.”
“Fine, fine, maybe I do. Rumor is earth is full of fresh meat ripe for the turning. Good enough for you?”
“Still short-sighted,” Hannah muttered.
“Go find Jemma,” the gnome said, waving us off. “She knows things.”
I took a step forward, then turned around. “Where will I find her?”
“Wherever she is,” the gnome snapped. He lifted his gaze to the sky. “Fuck’s sake, they do think I’m a tour guide.”
I looked at the others and shrugged. No one here seemed inclined to attack us, so I supposed we didn’t actually need a guide—or an escort, more like. Keeping together in a tight group, we made our way into the center of town. People, going about their lives, offered us the occasional curious glance or smile, but we didn’t seem to be making waves here the way we had in other places.
“Must be some kind of safe haven,” Kai said thoughtfully. “How are we supposed to find this Jemma person?”
“I don’t know. I guess we could ask someone.” Jayce scrubbed at his chin, glancing around.
“They all look busy,” Hannah said anxiously. “I don’t want to bother them.”
“Look, there’s someone. Let’s go ask him.” Kingston pointed at a man who sat by the well in the center of the small town square with his back to us. He didn’t seem to be doing much of anything. He wore a cloak which hid his head, but his furry elbows were visible.
Hannah chewed her lip. “I don’t know—maybe he’s meditating or something, I wouldn’t want to disturb him.”
I gave her a look. “Are you honestly more afraid of social awkwardness than you are of actual battle?”
She shrugged. “I don’t like strangers.”
“You liked me when I was a stranger.”
“It’s hard not to like someone who’s running around wielding banana slippers,” she said with a sly grin.
I laughed. God, my life had changed so much since my beating up a cheating boyfriend with banana slippers days. Some parts
of it had gotten way worse—like the whole being banished to the underworld thing. But when I looked around at the five people surrounding me in a tight knot, it was hard to regret anything that’d led me to this moment.
“I’ll do the talking then,” I promised her. “Come on.”
They all followed me toward the man. I tapped his shoulder. “Excuse me, we were wondering if you could tell us where to find—oh my God, Michael?”
The man had turned around and let his cloak drop, revealing a tired, grim-looking werewolf.
He blinked at us, seeming almost as stunned as we were. Then his gaze flitted over all of us, taking in the new member of our group.
“You found him. You got what you came for,” he said, jerking his chin toward Xero. “Thought y’all made it out of here.”
“We thought so too,” Kai grumbled. “But apparently there are rules.”
Michael nodded, understanding filling his wolfish features. “Fuckin’ Custodians. Pardon my French, ladies. Y’all picked up another one.” He peered at Hannah curiously. “Smart one too. How’d they talk you into comin’, sweetheart?”
She smiled. “They’re just doing the right thing. So I figured I would too.”
“And what thing would that be this time? Y’all got your boy back. What other grand plans you got?”
“We’re tracking Gavriel,” I told him. “We saw what he did to your house.” My throat tightened a bit, but I swallowed down my emotions. The werewolf didn’t seem like the type to be big on tearful reunions, and honestly, neither was I. “They destroyed it. I… I thought you were dead. I’m glad to see I was wrong.”
“Barely.” Sparks flashed in his dark eyes. “I heard ’em comin’. Gavriel’s army, tearing across the land. Saw that they were gonna pass me by a mile, but I kept a lookout anyway. When they started turning, I knew.” He ground his teeth, and his fists clenched and unclenched. “I made it out alive. Came here lookin’ for a witch I once knew. We had big plans together once.” He huffed a breath. “We were as idealistic as you pups once.”