***
“There’s only one bed,” I said to Tommy as we walked into our room. “And that thing they’re calling a mattress looks like it’s been steeped in seminal fluid.”
“You know you’re impervious to germs now, right?” Tommy asked, putting down his small saddlebag.
“Doesn’t mean I like them. Who knows, maybe there’s a new vampire super strain out there.”
“How has so much time elapsed and you’re still the same?”
“It’s a talent,” I told him.
“I’m going to make sure that what we need will be available. If I leave you here alone, will you be alright?” Tommy asked with concern.
“I’m not a child.”
“You are to me.”
“Fair enough, I’ll be fine.”
When Tommy left, I sat in a wooden chair in the corner somewhat secure in the knowledge that there shouldn’t be too much microscopic swill swimming around on its surface. Oggie was pacing about; he kept looking at the door. I knew that look; he had to go. It wasn’t usually a problem because he would just wander about until he found a decent clearing and let loose. But now, he was confined and the dog really did like to crap in peace and quiet. So much so, that if he even thought I was looking his way, he’d move behind a tree or bush.
“And so it begins,” I said as I opened the door and we went down the stairs and out into the burgeoning night.
Purpose seemed a little out of sorts with no soft grass in which to take care of his business. I led him down to the tavern, mistakenly thinking there might be some grass down that way. He dropped his offering in a small alleyway. I wondered if there was a city ordinance that required me to pick that up or not. I figured I hadn’t seen anything, so I would go with ignorance of the law. I opened the door to a ramshackle establishment; slightly bummed it wasn’t the double swinging door from the movies.
“We don’t serve them in here,” the bartender said as we walked in.
“It’s alright, the dog will vouch for me,” I said.
“The dog, we don’t allow dogs in here. What are you…stupid?”
“Apparently, but I have money.”
“Let me see it first, and then I’ll decide if he can stay.”
I really should have gotten clarification from Tommy before I flipped the man a gold piece. When his eyes grew to twice their size I knew I had showed too many cards.
“Dog can stay then?” I asked.
He quickly dropped the coin in his pocket. “As long as he doesn’t disturb my other customers.”
“Yeah, wouldn’t want to wake the guy up in the corner.”
“What do you want?”
“My friend here will take the finest bowl of water you have and what the hell, I’ll try this mead stuff,” I told him.
Oggie hopped onto a chair at an old card table and I pulled a chair up next to him. He waited patiently as the man dropped him a bowl then handed me a cloudy mug of what I guess was mead. It looked like oatmeal and smelled as bad. He was heading away.
“No chance you’ve got a nice pilsner or lager hanging out back there do you? Shit, I’d take a stout right now,” I said, lifting the mug up, trying to look through the liquid.
“I don’t know where you’re from and I don’t care. I’ve never heard of those drinks so don’t ask me again,” he answered brusquely.
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” I said as I ate through the top layer.
“I like the dog more than I like you,” he said when he got back behind the bar.
“Most people would probably agree with you.”
He went back to pretending to clean the glasses, but the rag he was using was dirtier than anything he was attempting to clean. I hoped my halfling blood was as strong as Tommy said, or that the mead had some anti-bacterial properties. Although looking at this crap, I bet mushrooms could grow in it.
Maybe it was because I’d gone a hundred and fifty years without a drink, or the mead was particularly strong, but I choked down three of them and I had a decent buzz by the time I pushed back my chair. Well, ‘push back’ isn’t quite right, more like fell over. Hey, it was a cheap piece of plastic lawn furniture. Oggie jumped down nimbly to lick my face as I rolled to get up.
“You should go,” the bartender said with a slight hint of nervousness. I saw him look through a window before he said something. My dulled senses were still able to pick up on it.
“You call someone to way lay me? Take my money perhaps?”
He nervously licked his lips.
“I’m telling you right now if you value any of the people out there you should call them off.”
“Get out,” he said sternly.
“When I’m done with them, I’m coming back here.”
“Get out!” he shouted loud enough to wake his only other customer.
“Oggie,” I said, getting down to the mutt’s level, I grabbed his face. “I hope you don’t think any less of me for what I’m about to do.” His tail was wagging. “And whatever you do don’t get involved.”
I had a slight stumble as I headed for the door, even missed the knob the first time I reached for it. I had no sooner stepped onto the wooden plank-way when I heard the door lock behind me.
“That won’t help you,” I told him as the shades were quickly drawn. “Douchebag,” I mumbled. “Bet you never heard that word before either. I’ll have a few more for you when I get back.” I heard the crack of a bullwhip. I, at first, had mistaken it as a firecracker it was that loud. I turned to see the origin of the sound. A large man with a whip flanked by two good-sized men approached.
“Hello, pardner,” I said. “What are the chances you know someone named Durgan? I guessed I’d always hoped all the true assholes would have died with the rest, apparently this was more than I could hope for.”
He paused but did not speak. Who knows maybe it was beyond his capability. I think he was a little off put that I wasn’t crying for my mama. The whip cracked again, I’ve got to admit, it was impressive. The other two men fanned out, one had a long knife the other a rake.
“You’re kidding right?” I asked. “You brought a rake to a mugging.”
“Oh, this ain’t no mugging, pardner,” the man with the whip snarled. “This is a good old-fashioned murder.”
“Well, I don’t know what jury is going to consider this a murder, it’s merely self-defense on my part,” I told him.
“What’s he talking about Clyde?” the one with the knife asked.
“Shut up and gut him,” Clyde told the knife wielder.
“There’s no harm yet. I suggest you go back home to your butchering duties,” I told the man as he approached. He hesitated, and then kept coming. “Fine, have it your way.” I sat down on the small boardwalk, my legs out in front of me on the hard dirt-packed roadway. I patted Oggie’s massive head as he sat next to me.
“What are you doing?” the man asked.
“What’s your name?” I asked as he halved the distance.
“Lionel.”
“What are you two doing? Get a room!” Clyde shouted.
“Lionel, got a wife? Kids maybe?” His head bobbed as I asked the question. “I will kill you if you come closer. Do you believe me?” I asked, looking over at him menacingly.
“I do,” he gulped.
“Here’s a gold coin.” I flipped him one out of the bag. His eyes grew bigger than the barkeeps. “I would imagine that will keep you and your family in whatever passes for food in this time for a long while. Now get the fuck out of here.” He looked over once at Clyde and bolted.
“I knew you were yellow!” Clyde shouted to his back.
“All these years and they still use that crappy insult. Funny.”
“You going to try and buy my balls too, funny man?” Clyde asked.
“I don’t have a small enough coin for that,” I told him. “Odds are you’re too stupid and greedy to take what I’d offered anyway.”
“Why settle whe
n I can have it all.”
“Screw this,” Rake man said, tossing his rake to the side and following Lionel into the night. The rake must have been worth something to him though because he skulked back quietly and retrieved it before once again heading to parts unknown.
“Not like I needed them anyway, and now I don’t have to share,” Clyde said as he approached, the whip snapping not more than an inch from the toe of my boot. “Hand over the bag, or the next one takes out your eye, and then I’m going to cut up your dog and eat him for Moon-day dinner.”
“Oh, Clyde, why are there always men like you? Why can’t we evolve past this? Well, you know what? I’m going to do my part to end your lineage. There will always be assholes, you’re proof in the pudding, but you’ll never be one again. You crossed the line bringing my dog into this.”
His whip was already in motion as I got up. I noted it would have struck my head had I not. I snagged the leather before it had a chance to crack; I was at his side in an instant.
“How’d you do that?” he asked, his mind trying to race and catch up to the events.
“You see, Clyde, if you’re going to pick a fight…you really should make sure your opponent isn’t a bigger asshole than you are.” I gripped his throat in my hand. He fell to his knees as I forced his airway closed, blood began to spill around my fingers as they dug in.
“You there!” an authoritative voice rang out. “Stop what you’re doing, I’m Judge Rory.”
“Impeccable timing, Judge,” I sneered. “Did you wait until the tables were turned before you made yourself known? Maybe you even had a stake in good Clyde’s venture here?”
“Unhand him now and you won’t swing,” he said.
“I walk away or he dies.”
“This is an assault, you’re going to jail.”
“Three men sent by your purveyor of shitty beverages meant to strip me of my money and my life. I am merely teaching the one stupid enough to stay, a lesson,” I said. Clyde was clawing at my hand trying to find a way to get air into his lungs.
“I know Clyde’s an ass. He’s married to my sister, but family is family.”
“You of all people should know then. Hell, I’m doing you a favor.”
“Perhaps, but I can’t have a stranger come into my town and cause trouble.”
“I walk, Judge, or he dies and then I walk, the choice is yours,” I said, gripping even tighter. Blood was beginning to drop to the ground. Oggie growled as the Judge reached for something is his pocket.
He showed Oggie the handkerchief as he wiped his brow. He took a little longer than was necessary to answer. My guess is he knew Clyde had it coming and maybe this was a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget.
“You leaving tomorrow?” he asked.
“I am,” I told him.
“Coming back?”
“Highly unlikely,” I answered truthfully.
“We have a deal then, let him go and you can leave.”
I loosened my grip and pushed Clyde backwards into the dirt. I leaned down close. “You ever threaten my dog again; I will rip the throats from everyone and everything you love. Then I’ll let Oggie finish off what I started. Capisce?”
Pretty sure he didn’t know what understand meant in Italian, but he understood the context of the words. He was sucking wet breaths through his tortured windpipe. His face turned back from its angry purple into a more savory beet red.
I tipped my head to the Judge and walked off.
“Get your ass up,” I heard the Judge say to Clyde. From the sound of it, he may have even kicked him in the ass.
“How long you been watching?” I asked Tommy as I walked down the street.
“Long enough to realize I can’t leave you alone,” he told me as he fell into step.
“Find what you were looking for?” I asked.
He nodded.
We walked to the hotel. “Mead sucks,” I told him as I opened the door.
As Oggie and Tommy got on the bed I opted for the uncomfortable chair. Didn’t matter much, I didn’t sleep.
The sun had no sooner spilled into the window than we were on the move.
“Thanks for your hospitality,” I told the man that had checked us in. I flipped him the finger, he semi-waved back with a look of confusion on his face.
Tommy smiled and softly told me that the gesture hadn’t made the leap into the future.
“You’re kidding?” I asked astonished.
He shook his head.
“The most universal, beloved way to tell someone to go fuck themselves and no one in this time knows it?” I turned and flipped the man with both middle fingers. He again waved then mimicked my gesture, still shaking his head in confusion. “I might like it here after all,” I told Tommy as I clapped his back.
We picked up a fair amount of supplies from the general store-slash-hardware-slash-feed store. I looked up at a wicked looking hand axe; it was polished to a high sheen.
“The steel is from the Ago Age,” The owner said, bringing it down to show me. It took a moment to realize that the ‘Ago Age’ was my age. “The wood was all rotten, so I made that handle myself, put some carvings in it to make it special. I ran my finger along the wolf’s head he had engraved.
“How much?” I asked him.
“Pardon, sir, I hadn’t meant to sell it. I just wanted to use it as a display piece.”
“Seems a shame to have such a wonderful piece, rust and dull without ever being used,” I said as I reached for my bag.
“Even so, finding things in this good of condition is becoming exceedingly rare.”
I couldn’t tell if he was trying to drive up the price or convince me he wasn’t selling. “What’s it worth?” I asked as I held open my free hand with three gleaming gold coins shining back at him.
“In honesty, my friend, not even one of those,” he said, never picking one up.
“I’ll give you all three.”
He stepped back. “Do you mean to rob and kill me?”
“I’m trying to make a deal.”
“Sir, you could almost buy everything in here for that price.”
“Listen, odds are I won’t live long enough to use all my money. Put it to good use; buy your wife that dress she’s been looking at.”
“How did you know?”
“Women are women. Deal?” I asked placing the coins on the countertop.
“It’s a deal only if you decide that tomorrow when you realize you overspent, that you just merely need to ask for the money back and I will do so.”
“I’m a lot of things, some good some bad, but if we strike this deal be secure in the knowledge I will be exceedingly happy and will never come back for the coins.” He seemed to feel better when we shook hands. “Incredible craftsmanship,” I said as I peered at the carvings heading out the door.
“What took you so long?” Tommy asked from his perch on the cart.
“New toy,” I told him as I climbed aboard and handed it to him.
“Wolf,” he said, looking at the carving.
“Seemed appropriate don’t you think?”
He snapped the reins and the horses started forward. The Judge tipped his hat as we sauntered by. I thought about giving him the finger, too; not because of the man, but rather the badge. What can I say? I have a real issue with authority. But, even though he might not know what the finger meant he would understand the intent. Something about cops, they just knew. Maybe because they always expected the worst out of people; I, instead, nodded slightly at him.
“Here, I got you this,” Tommy said, reaching into a bag next to him.
“A black cowboy hat? How friggin’ sweet! Did it come with a gun by any chance?” I asked as I donned it. I crooked it to the side. “Do I look like a gangster?”
“You look like a drunkard.”
I straightened it out. “Thank you for this,” I told him.
“I figured you’d like it.”
Oggie was snoring contentedly as we rode
out of Robert’s Land. All in all, I think it went excessively well. I didn’t die, I didn’t kill anyone, and I wasn’t in jail. Might damn near be a record for me.
“Want to drive?” Tommy asked.
“I don’t have my license.”
“Just keep it under eight miles per hour and we’ll be fine.”
“What’s the matter?” I asked him.
“I think your friend is following us.”
“Once an idiot, always an idiot.”
“We’ll wait for tonight when he intends to strike. We’ll be far enough from the town and then we can drink.”
“You mean you. Right?”
“We need to,” he stressed. “We can live off animals just fine, but you’ll be stronger taking human blood.”
“I...I don’t think I can, Tommy. First off, the idea of placing my lips and teeth on any part of that vermin gives me the chills.”
“I wouldn’t tell you to do it if it wasn’t important. The Lycan are strong and fast, we need to be stronger and faster.”
“I’d rather eat ham,” I told him, referring to my legendary dislike for the cured meat.
“You haven’t gotten over that?” he asked, turning towards me. I shrugged.
“Tommy, why don’t we just keep going? He won’t be able to keep up when we don’t stop for the night.”
“You said it yourself last night; we’d be doing the world a favor.”
“Yeah, but that was a hot-blooded response, this is so cold and calculated.”
“Would it help if I told you that, if he stays alive, he will cause great harm to that small boy we saw coming into town?”
“It would. Would it be true?” I asked.
He didn’t respond to the question. “We’ll stop here for the night,” he said as we pulled into a small clearing. A circle of oaks had been hewn, and a thick plush carpet of moss had taken up residency. Lord knew it was going to be more comfortable than the night’s previous chair and cleaner than the mattress.
“I wonder what purpose this was done for?” I asked as I walked around the perimeter.
Tommy was not his jovial self as he, once again, ignored or declined to answer my query.
“I’ll take first watch. Clyde is not smart enough to be patient and wait until we’re deep asleep. He’ll attack as soon as it’s dark enough.”
I saw hints and bits of Eliza, his evil sister, in Tommy as he spoke of eating this man. Although that wasn’t completely fair, Eliza would have said it with a smile, Tommy was all clinical.
“Wow, he’s not even that smart,” I told Tommy as I saw Clyde running from tree to tree closing in. A cat wearing a cowbell would be less conspicuous. “Tommy, this is worse than taking candy from a baby, at least the baby has a mother to protect it.
“It must be done,” Tommy said, leaving our small encampment. I heard a slight commotion about fifty yards off and then Tommy was back, a struggling Clyde in his iron clutches.
“What are you two?” he begged.
“Unfortunately, the last thing you’ll ever see,” I told him.
Tommy tilted the man’s head to the side and began to drink quickly. The man’s eyes began to close as if he were in a trance. “Get in here,” Tommy said, pulling his fangs from the man. A droplet of blood formed in each hole, then they quickly coagulated.
“I can’t, Tommy.”
“Suit yourself,” he said as he drank his fill. I won’t lie, my pulse quickened as I watched him eat. A large part of me wanted to join in the festivities. Granted, the part of me that wanted to feed was in the minority, but it was still a significant portion.
Tommy threw the man over his shoulder and headed over to the cart. I was curious to see what he was doing and I followed. He grabbed a shovel, found an area that wouldn’t be too root tangled and dug a hole. It wasn’t any shallow grave either, it was a good six feet down. He tenderly laid the body down, filled in the gravesite and even mumbled a small prayer. I’d never seen a lion pray after eating a gazelle. I’ll admit I was pretty confused.
“What...what was that all about?” I asked him later as we sat around our small campfire.
“I prayed for his quick return to where his soul was forged and asked forgiveness for those transgressions he had committed during life.”
“Do you have that kind of pull...up there?” I asked, wondering if he could do the same for me.
“Doubtful, but it can’t hurt to try.” And with that statement, we were done.
Oggie had been patrolling the woods and came back with a fat rabbit, he dropped it next to me, I drained it dry and then put it on a small spit. When it was done to his liking I stripped the meager meat from it and let him eat. He rested his head in my lap as I sat there through the night.
I had a hard time getting the image of Tommy killing Clyde out of my mind, and it was with that thought we started our next day. The day was dark and dreary; it looked like a storm was brewing both inside and out.
I don’t know how long we were traveling, the rhythmic rocking of the cart had me slightly in a trance, and the day was too dark to follow the progression of the sun. I was yanked from my mind when I saw the black-cloaked figure of a person sitting astride an extremely large black horse up ahead. My heart skipped as I tried to peer through the gloom.
“Eliza?” I asked with a start. I began to arise. She was back! The desire to turn around and haul ass was prevalent.
“Hello, Azile!” Tommy shouted, waving towards her.
She pulled her cloak back; even as I was seeing the woman’s face I had a hard time reconciling it. My mind had superimposed Eliza’s beautifully stark features atop Azile’s softer ones. Not to say that Azile wasn’t beautiful, just in a different way from Eliza. Our cart had just pulled up to her, and I was still trying to regain control of my emotions. When I got close, I realized the black of her cloak was actually a deep red made even darker by the muted light of the day.
“Hello, Tomas,” Azile said warmly. “Michael.” She nodded, smiling at me.
“Hello, Azile,” I said.
“I had my doubts whether you’d come or not. Tomas was relatively sure, I wasn’t convinced. I’d visited you a few times over the years; you grew more despondent each season.”
“I never knew,” I told her.
“Purpose!” she said happily as she alit from her horse. The dog that had grown to near pony proportions charged her, tongue lolling, tail wagging. He jumped into her arms. She caught him and twirled him around as if he were still a pup.
“Everybody know my dog before me?” I asked, slightly jealous.
Azile kissed Oggie’s muzzle and gently placed him back on the ground. He nudged up against her leg.
“You didn’t know because I didn’t want you to, Michael.” Azile said, referring back to my prior statement. “It was difficult for me to see you so morose.”
“Just imagine my discomfort,” I told her. “You should have said hello.”
“Would it have helped?” she asked, coming towards me.
“No.” I let my head drop a little. She placed her hand tenderly on my cheek, much like someone I had loved over a millennia ago used to.
I shied away from the intimate contact.
“I’m sorry,” she said, quickly retracting her hand. “It’s just so good to see you.” She turned towards Tommy. “Did you get everything?”
“It’s been difficult…but yes.” He removed a blanket from the back of the cart, a gleaming pile of metal shone back.
“Holy shit, is that silver?” I asked, going over towards him. There were trinkets, coins, serving plates, and even some swords. When Tommy nodded, I asked. “This really works on werewolves?”
“It won’t kill them outright,” Azile said, “but it inflicts more damage than normal steel or lead. Every town we go to I will instruct them to glaze all the tips of their weapons with it.”
“We could all retire comfortably with this much treasure,” I said, looking at the large box nearly ov
erflowing with the booty.
“I wish that could be the case, but the fates have determined another path for us,” Azile said with a faraway stare.
“Who, exactly, are the fates, because I’ve got a couple of choice words for them.”
“Ah, there is more of the Michael I knew,” Azile said, smiling at me.
“What makes you think these towns are going to do anything but keep the silver you give them?” I asked.
“You’ll have to watch them cover their weapons.” She smiled back.
“Wonderful, what now? Do we just find some werewolves and start hacking away?” I asked.
“First, I believe we should find some shelter. Rain and wind may not affect either of you too much, but I can’t stand it, and holding it off is beginning to wear on my reserves.”
“You have power over weather?” I asked in awe.
“There is a reason your brother’s house has not yet crumbled in on itself from crushing snow.”
“I just thought I’d been lucky…or unlucky really.”
She snorted slightly. “Come. There is an old house up ahead that I used last night. It should be suitable for this evening as well.”
The ‘old house’ was in fairly good condition considering its age. It was a log cabin style kit home; from the outside it appeared to be roughhewn from large logs inside it looked more like a ski chalet.
“Had I known how long I was going to exile myself, I would have chosen a place like this,” I said as I looked at the grand staircase. Candles were blazing in nearly every corner making the house much brighter than outside. “Not very safe leaving these on while you were out.”
“They were being tended,” Azile said.
“Our fifth traveling companion?” I asked Tommy.
I nearly fell over Oggie trying to get out of the house when a scaled animal came strolling out from a side hallway. It walked on four legs, after that, any familiarity to any living animal was gone. It was red and covered in the aforementioned scales. Its head, which was triangular shaped, had small horned protrusions arising from it. Large reptilian eyes blinked at me, its leathery wings seated high on its back flapped once or twice.
“What the fuck is that?” I asked Tommy, using his shoulder to prop myself up.
“Sebastian, what are you doing?” Azile said, approaching what I could only call a mini dragon.
“It’s her familiar,” Tommy said, dropping his pack onto the ground and striding into the house as if that explained everything.
The thing flickered once, the scales seemed to melt away, replaced with fur. The wings folded and retreated into themselves, and the angular head took on a roundish shape, whiskers poked out.
“A cat? It’s a fucking cat? I would have rather had the dragon,” I said.
Sebastian hissed at me. “Oh look at you, Mike, making new friends wherever you go,” Azile said, spreading her arms to catch the cat as it leaped onto her. You’re going to hurt his feelings.”
I wanted to tell her I really didn’t care about his feelings; his distant relatives had taken the life of my best friend and nearly my own as I had tried to destroy them. We would always be on shaky ground.
“What’s with the dragon thing?” I asked, pointing at the Gatekeeper to the Underworld.
“He likes to pretend. Sometimes he’s a dragon, sometimes a lion, and whatever else he feels like turning into,” she said, stroking his fur. He was purring contentedly whilst also mean-mugging me. If the cat could have somehow stayed in contact with her petting and slashed a claw across my face, I’m pretty convinced he would have.
“Wonderful…a shape-shifting cat. Any chance he could turn into a cheeseburger?” I asked, giving him the same stare back. He didn’t seem like he gave a shit. Go figure.
“I think it is time you made peace with cats,” Azile said as she absently stroked the cat’s back.
“Let’s give it a few more centuries and see what that brings us,” I told her. “Speaking of which, how is it that you’re still with us?” I asked, not realizing how callous my question was until I saw her expression change. “No, no I didn’t mean it that way,” I backpedaled.
“Same Mike…same womanly charm.” Tommy laughed, heading upstairs. Azile shared in his merriment.
“You guys use this place often?” I asked of his familiarity.
“It’s one of many way-stations we have across the land,” Azile said.
“And with Azile’s concealment spells, most stay hidden from prying eyes,” Tommy said as he reached the top of the stairway and headed right.
“Most?” I asked.
“There are others with power that can see beyond it, including some of the Lycan.”
“Wonderful,” I answered her. “Is that going to be a problem here?”
“No, not yet anyway.”
“Please don’t get me wrong, Azile, I’m more than thrilled to see someone from the past, but how? And you still look so young.”
“Would you rather I look like this?” she asked sweeping her hand across her face. She instantly transformed into an old woman. A large hooked nose peeked out from the deep folds of skin that created crevices in her face. A wart the size of a rat’s nose was nearly lost in a forest of thick coarse facial hair.
I took in a sharp intake of air.
“Relax.” She smiled, her more customary face coming through.
“Which one’s real?”
“Touch me.” She leaned in towards me.
I tentatively reached out with my hand and touched her face. It was as soft and smooth as any young woman’s face should be. I pulled back quickly. “I’m sorry,” I told her.
“For what?” She asked smiling, I think she knew why.
“You’re nearly half my age.”
“Michael Talbot, I am a hundred and seventy-three years old, there are not many beings that can claim I am half their age.”
“You know what I meant,” I said with embarrassment.
“How about this?” she asked once again running her hand past her face.
I staggered. “T-Tracy?” I cried. “I-I’ve almost forgotten what you looked like.” I was sobbing now. “Please, no more.” I put my arm up and out to block her from view.
“I’m so sorry, Mike. I just thought you might be more comfortable if I looked like her.”
Her words were lost as I stumbled out of the house. Fat tears fell from my eyes as my steps faltered. I don’t know how far I traveled, but when I looked up I could no longer see the house. I don’t know if that was because of Azile’s spell or if I had just wandered that far away. I could hear Oggie barking in the distance. Right now I wasn’t sure if I even wanted his company.
“Maybe I should just keep going,” I said aloud. I caught a glimmer of something bounding through the woods. Oggie had sniffed me out and was even now coming at a full tilt. I could outdistance him and be away from all of them. I stood my ground as he leaped, placing his paws on my chest. He drove me to the ground and licked the salt from my tears.
“Yeah, that was a stupid idea,” I told him as I wrestled his head.
Azile was standing at a tree not more than five feet away. She must have been at the head of her craft class. “I’m sorry, Michael. I won’t do that again.”
I nodded. Oggie grabbed my arm and helped me to my feet.
We walked back to the house. At first it was an uneasy silence and then it became a comfortable quiet. Sounds roughly the same, but what can I say, it’s how I felt. Oggie would wander off and come back. He sounded like a bear in some of the thicker underbrush.
“Was Purpose, your idea?” I asked her when we got to the door.
“Tommy’s. We had discussed how we could get you to this point. He came up with a dog. I had a different idea.”
“What was it?” I asked curiously.
“It’s a pity you’re as handsome as you are and not the brains to match. Good night, Michael Talbot.” She lightly touched my face and went into the house, disappearing
down the hallway from which the dragon cat had originally emerged from.
I waited for Oggie to come bounding into the house, I shut the door behind him; it finally dawned on me what in the hell Azile was talking about. “Oh,” I said, and then I may have blushed, tough to tell without actually looking in a mirror.
I went upstairs and found a room that seemed to be to my liking. Oggie hopped up on the bed, his tail wagging. I shut the door and joined him. Thoughts of my beloved dominated my night. I hung onto that momentary image Azile had given me. I focused on every detail, trying my best to burn it into the folds of my mind. I’m not ashamed to admit, a good deal of that time was spent with a pillow over my mouth muffling my sobs. I bet at some point during the night my face was probably puffed out enough to look like I had been on the losing end of a prizefight. If that was the case I was going to imagine it was at the fists of Iron Mike Tyson when he was in his prime. If you’re going to get your ass handed to you, might as well be from the best.
How pissed off could Chuck Norris really be having lost to possibly the greatest fighter of all time, Bruce Lee? Gotta love me some random thoughts. By the time I got up, Oggie was no longer in the room. I wasn’t sure when that had happened since I didn’t really remember falling asleep, and last time I checked, he couldn’t open doors. Tommy and Azile were sitting at a small table, Azile stood as I approached.
“You get stung by a bee?” she asked as she touched my apparently still puffed up face.
“Allergies,” I told her.
Tommy looked over at me.
“Fine, sand in my eye,” I told him. I couldn’t pull out the standard ‘I sat on my keys’ without a car.
“Where’s Oggie?” I asked.
“He’s rounding himself up some breakfast, I would imagine,” Azile said. “Speaking of which…Tommy tells me you did not feed.”
“I ate,” I told her defiantly.
“Not properly,” she chastised me. “Make no mistake, Michael, we will soon be at a war we may not win. You are not preparing for this correctly.”
“By not eating people? How would that possibly be helping the human race by eating them?”
“It is the sacrifice of the one for the lives of the many,” she replied.
“I’ve always hated that argument, Azile. That one you speak so casually of is special to someone. How do I go back and tell that person’s mother or wife or children that they gave their lives up in a noble cause?”
“And what of those men you killed in the zombie war, did they not have a special someone somewhere?” she retorted.
“That was different. It was a war.” I didn’t know if I was winning the argument or burying myself, but considering I was talking to a woman, odds were I was on the short end; you know, the part that’s been swirling around in the shit.
“Michael, these people would willingly give themselves to you if they knew the devastation that was going to be wrought on everything and everybody they love. The Lycan are not human and never were. They do not have human emotions, they kill without impunity or value. They will lay waste to a village merely because they can.”
“They weren’t human? They weren’t infected like zombies or vampires?” I don’t know why that was so important to me, but it was.
“Never. The only reason man has become the dominant species on the planet is his relatively quick reproductive cycle. Lycan mate once every five years.”
“No wonder they’re so pissed off,” I said.
Tommy snorted.
“So they have marriage, too?” I asked.
“Michael, this is serious!” Azile fairly demanded.
“Sorry, every five years, that’s a long time to keep the pipes backed up,” I told her.
“How is it that you’re our best chance at victory?” She asked.
“Hey, you said that, not me,” I told her. “If I had it my way, me and the Ogster would have stayed up in Maine.” He came over and licked my hand when I mentioned his name. I noticed that he had to bow his head to do so. The dog was growing in leaps and bounds.
“Michael, they will destroy all of mankind, eating and enslaving as they go. The Lycan clans are uniting under one leader, and when they decide how they will divide the world up, it will be too late.”
“Azile, maybe it’s their time. Since the beginning of time some species rule for a while and then yield to another after some cataclysmic event. Humans had a decent run, considering we got too smart for our own good. Too many brains, not enough morality. I don’t see the Lycan being any better or any worse.”
“Would you have said those same words if your family were alive, Michael? Would you not fight for all you and they were worth?”
I wanted to rant at her that she wasn’t being fair.
“Don’t other men with families deserve the right to raise and protect their families as best they can, men like you?” she continued.
“To be fair,” Tommy interjected, “there really aren’t too many men like Mike.”
“Thanks…I think,” I told him.
“No problem.” He smiled at me; I noticed some red jelly gooped around his gums. I didn’t ask.
“Would you like to see what you’re up against?” she asked.
“Not really,” I told her, being honest.
“Tommy, let’s gather our things and get ready to travel,” she said curtly to him.
“What about me?” I asked.
“What about you?” she asked, turning back around. “You made yourself clear in your intentions.”
Had I? I thought. I guess I did; sometimes being argumentative can cause problems. “I promised the Judge in Robert’s Land I wouldn’t go back through town.”
“You’ve already broken one promise…what’s another?” she asked.
“What promise did I break?” I asked Tommy quietly.
“Your bond with mankind,” he answered sincerely.
“Did you learn the guilt trip shit from Tracy? Because she was a master of it. Or is it just an inherent thing in the female species?”
“Do not hold me responsible for pointing out your conscience,” she told me.
“Dammit all. Fine, Oggie and I will go a little farther with you…but no promises.”
“As you will,” Azile said as she went back to the house.
“I think she’s smitten with you,” Tommy said, backhanding my shoulder.
“Smitten? Are you kidding me? Just because it looks like the 1800s doesn’t mean we need to talk like it,” I told him, as he smiled at me, I heard something rustle in his pocket that sounded suspiciously like a foil packet; again I didn’t ask.
I walked next to the wagon. Truth be told, my ass was hurting from the lack of cushioning and shocks. Oggie had no such compunction; he was sitting next to Tommy on the wooden plank bench. Tongue hanging out, he looked as happy as a witch in an apothecary store. I wanted to keep the analogy relative.
“Comfortable up there, you lug?” I stroked his paw. He looked over, a long string of drool dropped on my arm. “Nice,” I told him. His tail thumped.
It was a long day, sometimes I got up on the cart, but for the most part I walked, it was nice to stretch my legs and enjoy the day. Dusk was beginning when Azile had us stop. I figured we had another half hour of light. We could have kept going, and I didn’t see a particularly good spot to set up shop, but it looked like she was the boss of this little expedition so we stopped.
“You ready?” She asked, as she got down off her horse. She produced a lantern from the back of Tommy’s cart and with a one-word incantation we had light.
“Cavemen would have loved you,” I told her as we followed her into the woods on the right side of the path.
The sun had just about set when we finally got to where we were going.
“Help me,” I heard a weak voice utter.
“Who was that?” I asked looking around.
Azile strode a couple of paces further to a large iron cage, made with columns and cross sect
ions as thick as a man’s leg.
“What the fuck you got in there, elephants?” I asked as I approached.
“Please help me, sir,” an ancient man asked. He was huddled in the far corner of the cage, shying away from Azile’s lantern.
“How did you know he was here?” I asked her.
“I put him there,” she replied calmly.
“He’s almost as old as I am, Azile. What the hell are you doing?” Then it dawned on me. “Oh…I get it. Old guy, probably has no family no one will miss him. I told you I AM NOT going to sustain from humans!” I was bellowing.
“Oh, he has plenty of family. When he grew too weak to keep up with them, they abandoned him. I found him.”
“And then stuck him in a cage? What happened to the Azile I knew?” I asked.
She went to the large lock. “If you can kill him,” she said, talking to the old man and then pointing at me, “I will set you free to roam the wilds as you please.”
“You speak the words of the Moon, Spirit Woman?” he asked her.
“I do.” She nodded.
What happened next is almost beyond description. As she removed the lock, the man began to transform. I don’t know if it was a trick of the light, but he seemed to double in size. Silver hair sprouted from every part of him. His mouth elongated, as did his arms, legs, hands, and more importantly, claws. A snarl pulled his lips back to reveal fangs a Saber-toothed tiger would have been proud to display. He stood on two legs but that was now the only thing he had in common with man. Tommy moved away, he grabbed Oggie who was barking wildly. The old man-slash-wolf-thing lunged at me, a backhand from its right hand/paw sent me sprawling, and I found myself sliding on a bed of wet leaves, moss, and broken branches.
“What the fuck?” I asked, trying to shake the cobwebs from my head. The thing was already in the air. I turned to my right and his claw cut a swath in the forest floor. The same leaves I had taken a joy ride on most likely saved my life as the beast slid away from me, giving me time to regroup.
It wasn’t long – not by any stretch of the imagination – but at least I was able to get up on my own two feet. I was aware of the penetrating stare Azile was giving me and the look of hope and sadness on Tommy’s face; he was fighting savagely trying to keep Oggie out of this fray, I sincerely hoped he succeeded.
I ducked as a massive paw swiped above my head, pain flared from my crown as at least one claw had found purchase, blood began to flow freely from the wound. As it encircled my face. I must have looked savage as I flashed my canines. The Yeti before me didn’t give a shit as he plunged in trying to get his snout wrapped around my neck, which wouldn’t have so much been a bite as it would have been a beheading. My arms corded as I tried to keep him at bay. His mouth was opening and snapping shut with a loud cracking sound. Drool puddled on my chest as I fought desperately and seemingly on the losing end to keep him away. I felt his hot nose press up against my carotid artery.
“Azile?” Tommy begged.
She did not reply. Her eyes burned fiercely at me, this I could tell as I craned my head trying to pull away. His arms had wrapped around me in a cruel embrace, the power that he used could have crushed a Yugo. Although, to be fair, they’re mostly made of tin cans. I was going to lose, of that I was sure; the animal was easily twice my strength and it had a primeval nature I could not match. When the beast/man-animal realized its initial attempts to tear my neck open were being thwarted, he picked me up and savagely threw me to the ground. Everything in me rattled. I was convinced he had realigned my internal organs.
“Azile, this has gone on far enough,” Tommy said, taking a step forward.
“Do not break your Moon word,” the animal snarled.
Of all the effed up things going on right now, hearing Bigfoot talk was one of the weirdest.
“No, Tommy, this is the destiny Michael has chosen for himself. He wants to die, how many times does he need to tell you that before you believe it? Pity he won’t see his family again,” she said as she walked away and back towards the roadway.
The animal picked me up by the neck as I weakly tried to keep this from happening. He redoubled his efforts when he realized his pardon was not going to be recanted. Use his size to your advantage, entered into my mind. I’d like to think I thought of it, but I was in too much of a panic. Wanting to die and actually having it thrust into your face are two vastly different things. How was I going to use his size to my advantage? That was like saying use the speed of the bullet heading in your direction to your favor. How does one go about that?
“Tommy, come!” Azile beckoned.
Oggie was howling as Tommy dragged him away. It was that mournful cry more than anything that spurned me on. I was thankful the monster hadn’t lifted me off the ground as I hooked my right leg behind his. I was able to push his muzzle far enough away to swing my shoulders and get some thrust as I tripped him up over my leg. We went down, with me landing on his chest. He momentarily ‘oomphed’ as my weight knocked the wind out of him. My blood was dripping on his face as I wrapped my hands around his neck. I tried to press my hands into his flesh, but it was like trying to puncture wood. He was yelling as I dug in deeper, small welts of blood began to well up around my fingers. This wasn’t going to work; he was kicking around and would eventually be able to turn his head enough to chomp right through my forearm.
His left hand shot out and rocked me hard. I began to see stars – and not of the celestial type. My moments on this plane were numbered. I released his neck with both of my hands and pushed up on the bottom of his chin, and with all the speed my condition afforded, I leaned down and ripped out his vulnerable Adam’s apple. Even as the animal gurgled and drowned in its own blood, it flung me a good ten feet in the air. I landed hard on my side, breaking a rib against a small rock outcropping.
He stood much faster than I was able to. His right paw went to his neck and then he pulled the claw up to his face to see the thick coating of blood. He raised his mouth and tried to howl, what came out was more of a wet wailing. He fell to his knees as blood began to pool in front of him. He never stopped glaring at me as the collection of liquid grew in size. His gaze never wavering until he fell, face forward, I knew he was dead. Pretty sure Lycans didn’t know the word ‘quit.’ I stayed long after his heart ceased beating his life-fluid onto the soil. Long after the blood soaked into the ground, long after the moon made its journey across the sky, I stood over its body, vaguely wondering if it would revert to the form of the old man. It never did.
The sun was, once again, making its dispassionate race across the sky when I heard the approach of feet or rather paws. Oggie had finally been released and had come to find me. He alternated between whining and growling as he approached. I was still, my back to him. My rib had mostly healed, but I was still in a great deal of pain from the beating I had taken.
“It’s alright, Oggie,” I managed to get out as I turned. The pain of just that maneuver was almost a little more than I could bear. Oggie came over and sniffed at the dead Lycan, whined once, and then nuzzled his head into my leg where I gladly pet it in spite of the pain it caused me to move.
“What do you want to do, boy?” I asked, getting down on one knee so I could be face-to-face with him. Oggie placed his head on my shoulder and growled softly. “You want to fight? I’m not convinced, pup. I couldn’t imagine anything happening to you,” I told him.
He pulled back and licked at the blood, in hopes to clean me up, much like a mother will do to a child before they meet company. “Can you help me back up?” I asked him. He stood still as I placed my hand on his shoulder and stood with a grunt. I felt more like the old man in the cage than myself.
And now, how did I deal with the betrayal – because that’s what it felt like. Azile had quite literally left me to the wolves and without so much as a warning. I was beyond pissed off, ancient witch or not, I was going to give her a piece of my mind. I would have stomped through the woods but anything more than soft s
teps hurt. When I came back out onto the path, they were gone. They must have left during the night. Oggie had been tied to a tree with a rope thick enough to tow a truck. It must have taken him this long to chew through it as I picked up the frayed end. My bag of money plus my axe was sitting by the base of the tree. The latter would have been nice to have last night, didn’t think I was going to need it surrounded by friends. Lesson learned.
“That’s just wonderful,” I said as I looked at the path.
Fifty percent of me wanted to go home – if that’s what I could even call it. Another fifty percent of me wanted to know what was on the other side of this quest. Then just the minutest part, probably the weight of a fly shit tipped the scales, I wanted to confront Azile with what she had done. With that happy thought, I slowly followed Tommy’s wagon wheels westward.