7. Wild Ride (KoS)

“Which way do we go?” Yvon asked, leaning against the window.

Forest flashed by outside the carriage’s narrow windows. Thick and gnarled unlike the well-kept forest inside the walls, it had seen little human intervention in the centuries it stood. Brambles snarled below, tangling around young trees and lush undergrowth. Heavy, hairy vines crawled up older trees. Broken branches and half-fallen trees leaned against live ones, held up by their living compatriots. Here and there, rotting tree trunks laid along the side of the path, moved out of the way.

A rat big enough to reach Yvon’s waist peered out of the shadows at him. He stared, wide-eyed, and it stared back, beady eyes blinking with calculating emotion.

Flicking its snakelike tail, the dire rat whirled and vanished into the forest, kicking up leaves as it fled.

“You mean, toward the wilds or toward the capitol region?” Luc asked, glancing over his shoulder. Yvon stared back, dark eyes wild, his hair blown back from his forehead. “Toward the wilds, obviously.”

“No. Hear me out: we should go toward the capitol. Toward civilization and other towns.”

Luc frowned. “Why? We’ll get caught.”

Yvon lifted his finger in a familiar gesture. “I have two points. One: everyone will expect us to hide out in the wilds.”

“Right, right, because the wilds are where people vanish into. It’s where all the bandit troupes live, and where all the outlaws run to because it’s a good place to hide out. No one’s going to risk the monsters for a few idiots like us.”

Yvon shook his head. “Bandit troupes. Troupes can set up keeps, watches, patrols. Troupes can fight off monsters. Outlaws only go there temporarily, and often get eaten. Which leads me to my second point. We aren’t equipped for the wilds. We don’t have armor or food. We barely have shelter or weapons. Even if we go to the wilds now, we’ll have to emerge sooner or later, and all the worse off for having spent days, weeks, months in the wilds… assuming we’re still alive. Think about it, Luc. Is it easier to blend into a town as a well-dressed young lad in search of work, or as an exhausted, starved, unshaved, filthy bandit lurking out of the wilds?”

Luc frowned. “Huh.”

Yvon flicked his shoulder. “See? Didn’t think of that, did you?”

Instinctively, Luc recoiled. He grabbed the fabric of his shirt and examined his shoulder.

Shock passed over Yvon’s face, chased by self-disgust, then horror. He retracted his hand through the carriage window and hid it out of sight.

No black blot. Nothing ate at Luc’s shirt.

Luc sighed. He gave his friend an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Yvon. I just—after earlier today, I—”

Yvon forced a smile. “No, no, of course you should be cautious. I can kill with a touch, and I have no idea how to control my powers. I’m a walking hazard. You were right to pull away.”

For a few moments, the only sound in the carriage was the rattle of wheels against hard ground.

Yvon sighed, a sound that rolled up from deep within himself. “Maybe I should just d—”

“No,” Luc interrupted fiercely. “Other mages learn to control their magic. Surely you can, too.”

“It’s a bit harder when failure means the death of your friend, as opposed to, I don’t know, a stray rock, an errant burst of flowers,” Yvon grumbled under his breath, but still, his shoulders unwound.

Luc smiled. “We’ll figure this out. You and me. Somehow. It’s not as if you suddenly want to kill all life on the continent or anything, right?”

“Don’t be absurd,” Yvon said, crossing his arms.

“You’re the exact same as any other newly awakened mage, then. It’ll be tough, like Andre said, but if the other awakened can figure out their magic, so can we. If we find a nice secluded clearing, especially outside the walls, you should be able to practice without worry.”

Yvon sat back, thinking. “Right. And we’ll need books. Instruction manuals. In short, a library.”

“You think we’ll find books on death magic?” Luc asked disbelievingly.

“That would be nice, but no. I more expect to find general books on magic. Even specialized books for other bloodlines could help. The particular details related to specific magics and conversing with a particular god won’t be worthwhile, but I should be able to extrapolate some general steps from the early parts of the book.”

“I don’t remember seeing books on magic in the schoolhouse or the Institute,” Luc said, frowning.

Yvon nodded. “Books like that will only be in a noble’s collection.”

“Dammit. We should’ve poked around in the Duke’s library before we left…” Luc muttered.

“Too risky. Besides, we didn’t have time. The Duke would’ve caught us if he saw us, and the whole town was after us. Better if we sneak into a lesser noble’s library. Someone slightly less powerful than the Duke of Terre, ideally,” Yvon said, nodding to himself.

“We’re going to steal from mages?” Luc asked.

“Do you have a better idea?” Yvon replied.

Luc took a deep breath and let it out, slowly. “Damn. I never thought I’d end up here.”

“What, you didn’t foresee rescuing an acolyte of a dark god and fleeing across the countryside in a stolen ironclad carriage, only to break into yet another noble’s house to steal books for said dark god acolyte?” Yvon asked, chuckling.

“I must say, somehow… didn’t see that coming,” Luc replied. He laughed aloud, shaking his head. “Right into adventure! Here I thought I’d have to work my way up the ranks in the town guard before I faced excitement like this. But instead, adventure is delivered to my front door.”

Yvon shook his head. “You’re a madman.”

“A madman who’s saving your life,” Luc returned. “And besides, they all call Duke Jerome the Mad Duke, don’t they? I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Fair enough,” Yvon replied, shrugging.

KA-BAM!

The carriage jolted, thrown up on two wheels. Yvon fell against the wall as the world tilted around him. The ground was suddenly much closer, sticks and logs jutting for his eyes. He pushed against the wall, heart racing. The horses screamed, kicking wildly.

“What’s going on? I can’t see anything!” Luc shouted.

Yvon whirled toward the other window. A wall of muscle coated in shaggy dark brown fur raced at the slit, blocking out the forest beyond. “Brace for impact!”

“Brace how?”

KA-BAM!

Thrown against the wall again, Yvon struggled upright, bracing his feet in the corner. He pushed himself off the wall and reached out for the opposite window, fingers straining. Black dripped from his hand. His hand swung through the air, inches from the window.

A little closer! Just a little closer! Yvon grit his teeth and pushed with his legs. His fingers brushed the tip of the creature’s fur.

The clump of fur blackened and fell off harmlessly. The creature pulled away.

With a heavy thump, the carriage settled onto four wheels again. The horses raced off, snorting, terrified into silence.

“Yvon, what’s attacking us?” Luc shouted.

“I don’t know, I don’t—” Yvon ran across the carriage to the opposite slit.

Button-black eyes. A broad, wet black nose. A round face and a stubby muzzle, yellowed fangs peeking from beneath flappy black lips. Rounded ears.

The bear met his eyes and growled viciously. It ran alongside the carriage, easily keeping up with long, loping strides. As he watched, it drew back and readied to shoulder-check the carriage once again.

“A bear!” Yvon called.

“A bear? What the—”

The carriage slammed to the side again. Thrown across the space, Yvon slammed into the wall with a heavy thunk. “Ow!”

“Yvon! Are you okay?”

“Fine enough,” Yvon grumbled. He climbed back upright, rubbing the back of his head. “Stop the carriage, stop the carriage! The axels aren’t going to survive this. We need to stand and fight!”

“Stand and fight? This, from Yvon?” Luc mocked.

“I’m an acolyte of the death god. All I need is one touch!” Yvon replied, lifting his hands.

“One touch? Why haven’t you already?” Luc asked.

Yvon grimaced. “It’s a bit complicated… but listen, stop the carriage! We can’t outrun it. We’ll run the horses to death like this, or our carriage will be bashed to death. Either of those is a death sentence. The nearest town is still a day’s ride away. We need a place to rest the night. If we don’t have the carriage, we might as well give up.”

Luc hesitated. At last, he shook his head. “As soon as I stop the carriage, be prepared to jump out. We need to direct the fight away from the carriage and the horses, or this will be for naught. I’ll distract it, while you sneak up and land the killing blow.”

Yvon nodded, kneading his hands. He glanced down at himself, at his slender arms and pale skin, and found himself wishing he’d followed his friend to the dueling grounds to beat sword lessons out of whoever he could find. I just have to touch it. One touch, and this is all over.

His hands shook, dry as bone. The black liquid refused to well up.

“Come on! Come on, go! Start, magic!” Yvon whispered, clenching his fists. Nothing happened.

Frustrated, he furrowed his brows. What do I do? He thought back to the first time he’d summoned magic, when it came so easily he couldn’t stop it. What happened then? Fear. Weapons, pointed in his direction. Black goo sliding off his clothes harmlessly, only to eat at the plant life beneath his feet. Luc’s back, his arm, outstretched.

Panic? I’m panicking now, but—

Before that. Before Luc jumped to his defense. Before the weapons. Before the black goo.

The snap of a string. A crack.

Yvon’s eyes widened. His breath caught. The god of death. Of course.

But… can I? Should I? I—

“Now!” Luc shouted. He reined in the horses, and the carriage slowed with a jolt. Metal clanged as Luc threw the door open and leaped out.

No more time to think. Yvon jumped out into the forest.

The bear growled at them, standing up on its hind legs. Barely ten feet behind where the carriage halted, it leaned forward, sniffing the air. It stood to the right of the path, near the forest, but showed no fear at the sight of them.

Luc drew his sword and stepped forward. His legs shook, and under the tan, he went pale, but he grit his teeth and stood strong. “Monster!”

Yvon fell back, to the opposite side of the narrow path. Barely wide enough for two armored carriages to pass, the path was made of tough earth long pitted by the passage of carriages. Beyond the edge of the path, the forest tangle rose up like a wall. Yvon stepped toward it, but the closer he got, the thicker the brambles appeared. There’s no way through that. No fast way, anyways.

The bear watched him, dark eyes flitting between him and Luc. It grumbled, low in its throat, baring yellowed fangs.

“It wants the food in our carriage,” Luc said, staring the bear down.

“Huh?” Yvon asked.

Luc nodded. Looming over him, the bear leaned toward them again, sniffing. This time, paying closer attention to the bear, Yvon noticed it lean toward the open door he’d jumped out of.

“We have food in our carriage?” Yvon asked.

“Apparently. We could try tossing some out.”

Yvon shook his head. “That’ll only encourage it to follow us. There’s no saying it won’t try to break into the carriage proper tonight if we don’t take care of it now.”

“Then there’s no other option. I’m counting on you, Yvon.” Luc raised his sword again. He took a deep breath and steadied his hands, then raced at the bear.

Roaring, the bear thumped back down on all fours and bit at Luc. Luc dashed back, his attack only a feint. The bear turned, taking half a step to follow him.

Yvon edged around behind it. He rubbed his hands together, trying to call the magic back to the surface. You can do it. Come on. Without anything else.

The bear whirled toward Yvon. It charged at him. Hundreds of pounds of fur and muscle pounded at Yvon. He froze, eyes wide. Bears. I should… make myself large and… no, too late. G…go for the eyes? I—

“Yvon! Get out of the way!”

Yvon threw himself out of the way. His shoulder struck the dust. He rolled and came up on his knees.

The bear charged past, then whirled and rounded on Yvon, faster than something so heavy should be able to move. Eyes wide, Yvon staggered back.

A horrible screaming roar. The bear fell forward, teeth bared, panting in pain. It lashed at Yvon blindly with its paw. Blunt claws tore at Yvon’s shirt, and he flew backward, thrown by the bear’s might. Yvon tumbled over the road, shoulders and hips knocking against the ruts.

His head spun. He laid limp, black hair falling in his eyes.

Down the path, Luc dueled the bear. He ducked a heavy blow and barely backstepped a lunge. As the bear overreached, he slashed with his sword. The bear’s fur absorbed most of the blow. Only a shallow gash ran up the bear’s forepaw. It howled in pain and charged at Luc, jaws snapping. Luc fell back toward the forest.

He has the upper hand in agility, but the bear is faster and stronger. If this drags on much longer, Luc is doomed.

Yvon hauled himself upright slowly and shook his head, blinking his eyes to clear his vision. He patted the road around him. Something. Anything.

An ant crawled onto his palm. The tiny red thing hauled back its head and bit him.

Yvon jumped up, cupping the fire ant in his hand. He ran at the bear.

The bear’s ears perked. It whipped around and lunged at him, yellowed fangs bared.

“Yvon!” Luc leaped at the bear, his face pale. The white sword flashed at the bear’s back, but deflected off its thick fur.

Closing his hand, Yvon crushed the ant. He reached out to meet the bear’s muzzle as it bit at him.

Black acid dripped from his palms as they closed around the bear’s muzzle. The bear kept lunging, fangs arcing for his neck.

“Yvon!” Luc screamed, terrified. He slashed desperately at the bear’s back, cutting again and again. The bear fell onto Yvon and bore him to the ground, pinning him to the path.

Luc grabbed at the bear’s neck, trying to pull it back. “Yvon, Yvon!”

“Help, it’s heavy! The weight is crushing me!” Yvon shouted back.

Luc blinked. “You’re alive?”

“I’m fine! It worked, I killed it!” Yvon replied.

Luc paused. He looked at the bear. Blood ran slowly from the gashes he’d inflicted on its back, leaking blood, not gushing. The bear laid still, paws limp, ears drooping.

“You did it? Yvon, congrats!” Luc sheathed his sword and pushed at the bear, trying to roll it off Yvon.

From underneath, Yvon shoved at the bear as well. Between the two of them, they managed to heft the beast off him. He groaned as he climbed to his feet, brushing down his clothes. “Ugh. That thing was heavy.”

Luc reached out to slap Yvon on the shoulder, but deflected his friendly blow at the last second into an awkward head-scratch instead. “Yvon, did you figure out your magic?”

“In… a way,” Yvon admitted reluctantly. He rubbed at the ant bite on his palm. The god of death. Must I kill to use my magic?

Do all mages have to give tribute to their god to use magic? Surely not. There must be something, something else…

And then he scoffed at himself. Yvon shook his head, chuckling aloud. Kill, to use death magic? Am I quailing at killing with my own hands before I’m allowed to kill with my bloodline’s magic?

Luc leaned in close, brows furrowed. “Yvon?”

“I’m fine. I’m—let’s go before another monster shows up,” Yvon said. “A real monster. Something scarier than a bear.”

In the near distance, something roared, a deeper roar that rattled the branches in the trees and shuddered through the boys’ souls.

“Let’s go,” Luc agreed. He turned and ran for the cab.

Yvon nodded at Luc’s back and sprinted for the carriage. He yanked the door shut behind him as Luc drove the horses back into motion. As they rode off, Yvon leaned to the rear window and peered out, watching the lump of the bear corpse where it laid on the path.

From out of the darkness of the tangled forest, a long, spindly arm reached out, all the way across the path. Mangy black fur draped from the arm, long and tangled. A six-fingered hand wrapped around the slumped bear and lifted the corpse as easily as Yvon might lift a rabbit, vanishing the bear into the depths of the forest.

Yvon swallowed.

“Everything alright back there?” Luc asked.

“Fine. It’s fine,” Yvon said. He peered into the forest, trying to make out the shape of the creature that took the bear.

The trees trembled. The undergrowth shook. Then nothing. Stillness. Not even a shadow.

Yvon shivered, running his hands over his arms. To think, Le-Voux got all up in arms over the awakening of the bloodline of the death god. There’s much worse than me in these forests.

Luc shifted, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced back. “Should we ride through the night? We’ll make it to the next town by daybreak that way.”

“Yes. Let’s,” Yvon replied, a little too quickly.

If Luc noticed, he didn’t comment. He snapped the reins, and the horses sped up just a little. They rode on through the forest.