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The
morning came: gray, dull and chilly.
Something howled again, but farther away. I thought it had lost us.
I didn't like this place much. Edmond sneezed and snuffled, but Davis took
care of him. I thought our healer was
looking bothered, though. He looked at
the city with despair hardly hidden for a moment. I was sorry we had dragged him inhere with
us. The Surfer Dude needed to get back
to his motorcycle.
We
had a little food, warmed up by magic, which helped. Maggie tested the compass. We were still heading in the right
direction. I even found a kind of
working bathroom in a partly destroyed building. Water even ran from a sort of shower. Cold, but it was good to wash my hair out a
little. We could have done as well with
magic, but I realized that this made me feel normal again.
By
the time I came out, we had company. The
woman from the night before and a few of her friends were standing a little
ways off, watching us. They all wore
dark clothing that blended into the dusty walls and fallen rocks.
No
one was shaking their spears. Davis was
carrying Edmond. I figured we were safe
enough.
"Where
is your big friend?" I asked, looking at their leader.
She
made a slight sound of amusement which was better than the night before. "Smart, you."
"Thank
you," I said, though I suspected smart might not be the best compliment
she could give to someone. The quick
flash of a smile told me I was probably right.
She
looked human enough. They all did though they tended to hunch over and slink a
lot. They did not look up at the
sky. I purposely did and noted how they
flinched. Maybe it was a case where they
thought if they took no notice of the city hanging over them, they would be
ignored in turn.
And
maybe, I thought, that made the group of us dangerous in an entirely different
way than I had considered. We were,
clearly, drawing the attention of others.
"We
want to travel away from here as quickly as possible," he said. "We do not wish to cause you any more
trouble than we have. We are looking for
. . ." He stopped trying to find a
way to explain it.
"Looking
for the door," the woman said.
"The one through which go
people and never return. Know where it leads, you?"
I
looked at Maggie because I wasn't certain of the answer. She stepped forward and gave a bow of her
head. "If we are right, it leads
back to the place where we were before this.
We might, however, simply end up somewhere else entirely."
"Was
this other place. . . . " She stopped and glanced at the others around
her. There was a little whisper of
sound, like a moment of hope. "Was
it a good place?"
"Not
perfect, but better than here," I said.
I understood what she was asking and being a Protector, I knew I had to
help. "You want to leave."
Maggie
gave him a startled look. She hadn't
caught on yet, but then she was probably more worried about what might be going
to attack us at any moment.
"Want
better place, we. Safe place, away from
they who watch."
"You
are welcome to come with us, but we cannot say we are going to anywhere
better."
"Worse
than this?" she said.
I
looked around at the desolation, noticed the stench in the air again, and
thought about that city hanging over head.
"I doubt it could be worse," I admitted.
I
looked finally at the other two. They were both nodding agreement, though
Edmond, in Maggie's arms, glared a bit.
"Are you going to try and eat me?" he asked.
"No,
little one. Hardly make a meal for one,
you."
Edmond
was the one who laughed --
And
something flew overhead.
"Down! Hide!"
We obeyed, taking cover by walls and in the
shadows. I tried to see what might be up
there. Davis, beside me, scowled upwards and gave a nod. "Griffin would be my guess. Better than a gargoyle but not something we
want to deal with, my friend."
"They
hunt we," a young man said nearby.
"Kill we. Hunters for the
city."
"Why
do they hunt you?" I asked.
"Take
our magic, they. Hoard it, fuel for the
city."
I was
starting to dislike this place more and more.
The griffin flew on by but we waited and watched as it circled back
twice more.
"Go
now, we," the woman said and gave a whistle. "Go now, start journey. Long, long ways go we, through perilous
areas." She stopped and looked at
me again. "You take us, go we,
other place."
"I
will do my best to see you to somewhere safe," I promised. A dangerous sort of promise, I supposed --
but maybe not. It made allies of a group
who had already survived in this horrible place. We had guides and extra guards, and in return
I might give them a better life. This
seemed a good working arrangement.
As
long as I trusted them.
People
were coming out from behind walls, most of them carrying packs and some with
small children. So they had expected to
go -- or maybe not. Looking at them, I
realized that they always moved this way, with everything they owned in hand.
Edmond
was not looking very happy but I soon realized why. The creature we had faced
was moving up to stand with the others.
Whatever it was, he gave a bow of his head in our direction.
"I
have protected them as best I can," it grumbled. "I will protect them still until they
are safe."
I had
the feeling he didn't trust me and my companions.
This
was going to be a long, dangerous journey.
Time to get started.
To Be Continued
991 Words
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