Wizard Unleashed Page 14

  "Stop that," I said. "Why do you want to go with me?"

  She morphed from female to male, her already small breasts flattening out and hips narrowing. "Perhaps you find me more to your liking?" He turned slightly and suggestively ran his hand up the back of his bottom and along the thick part of his tail.

  "It is certainly less distracting," I said, ignoring the clumsy attempt at seduction. "But you didn't answer my question."

  "Gah. Fannie is all talk," she said.

  "Fannie? As in the succubus, Fannie?"

  "She said humans will do anything for sex," he said. "Wait, you know Fannie? That's why you don't want me. You are already in Fannie’s thrall." She morphed back to her original state and adopted a pouty, annoyed look.

  "Only that once," I said. "And I didn't find her to be my particular cup of tea."

  This got the demon's attention. "You're the one who resisted Fannie and now you have battled Smaragdinus. Please Felix, take me with you. I'll show you where your friend is. I promise."

  "You don't get it," I said. "There's no way I'm taking a demon - or demon-kind - back to my world. The last demon I ran into killed hundreds of people. I wouldn't do that."

  "Not all of us need to kill," she said, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice. "You'd be my master. I'd have to do what you said."

  "Look. It's almost completely dark. Aren't we in danger, standing out in the open?"

  "You defeated Smaragdinus," she said. "Nothing can hurt you."

  "Flick. I am tired and I do not wish to fight anyone this evening," I said. "What I want to do is get some rest, perhaps food and water if that's possible, and then I want to figure out where my friend was taken. Fighting that dragon was hard on me."

  "You should not share your weakness with me," Flick said. "I am not your friend and I will take advantage of it."

  "I don’t believe I have the entire story just yet," I replied. "I will entertain your offer if you find shelter, food and water. Otherwise, I am going into that shack and settling in for the night."

  "You are not what I expect from a wizard," she said. "Why do you not compel me to do as you say? I have offered my servitude to you. Once you accept it, you could do as you wish."

  "But then I would be compelled to bring you back to my world," I said.

  "I am young, my teeth are not sharp." She bared her teeth, which looked like they were indeed very sharp. "I have no holdings, nor do I know much of the histories of the worlds. I pose no danger. Why will you not accept this deal?"

  "It is common human knowledge that deals with demons are never to the human's advantage," I said. "I have proven this to myself and it is a mistake I have no intention of repeating."

  "Follow me," she said. "I will prove to you that demon-kind are trustworthy."

  Back and forth. Back and forth. I was weary of this. "You have no idea how ridiculous that sounds. In my world, the very word demon is synonymous with evil."

  "This is because only powerful demons are able to find their way into your world." Without checking to see if I was following, she walked down into the gully on a perpendicular route away from the stone cottage.

  "Augendae." I incanted the sensory enchantment I'd worked up the previous year and gasped at the clarity of the world around me. The spell turned the darkness of the rapidly falling night into the equivalent of morning dawn. The red-hues of Kaelstan turned blue.

  "Where are we going?" I asked as I caught up with her. "Why aren't we going back to the cottage?"

  "You must speak more quietly," she whispered as she continued down the hill. "You are in Kaelstan. Not all is at it seems. That cottage is home to those that would be better left alone, although perhaps not for a wizard that battles dragons."

  "What is in the cottage? I saw nothing."

  "Flesh eaters," she said, smiling toothily. I wasn't entirely certain that she found the idea as repugnant as did I. "They sleep during daylight and prey on those who would rest in their lair. It's an old trick, but you'd be surprised at how many fall for it."

  "Even demons?" I asked.

  "No. But not everything on Kaelstan is a demon."

  "Like?"

  "We will talk when we have shelter." The pointed end of her tail pressed lightly on my lips. The skin on the tail's point was warm and soft. It was a startlingly intimate move that caught me off guard. Without warning she started down the hill. For no other reason than I had no idea what else to do, I followed.

  At the bottom of the gully, we turned away from the mountains where I had caught my last look of the dragon as it flew away with Missy. There was a trail I hadn't seen from above. It wound around parallel with the brick road Missy and I had followed when we’d first appeared in Kaelstan.

  After a few minutes, my eyes caught movement. Dark shapes appeared above us. I pulled Flick into the hillside, the ridge of the gully momentarily blocking the sight line between us and the figures. Her cat eyes asked for a reason and I pointed up the hill. She nodded understanding and we sat for several minutes, listening.

  "We go," she finally said after twenty minutes. "We should make haste. They may have scented you."

  While Flick was small, she had no difficulty picking up the pace. I was grateful for my enhanced vision as I made my way along the rocky path. Several times I thought I heard the scrape of a heel or the clatter of loose rocks, but when I turned, I saw nothing.

  "We're being followed," I whispered, when a rock the size of my fist rolled onto the path ten yards ahead.

  "It is the flesh-eaters. They must be hungry to have followed us this far," she said. "They will not follow us into the plains if we can make it."

  "Get behind me," I said. "They're here."

  I heard something big fall to the ground behind us, just as two hideous figures stumbled onto the path in front. The shambling demons Flick referred to as flesh-eaters were difficult to look at; their faces grotesque masks of saggy skin.

  Flick pulled a short-bladed, three-edged knife from a scabbard beneath the waistband of her shorts. "Felix, they are not dull-witted and they are quick. Their bite paralyzes most creatures of Kaelstan other than demon-kind. Dispatch them quickly," Flick said.

  "Run, Flick. There’s no reason for you to get hurt."

  "I may yet," she said and pressed her back into my own.

  Without further warning, the three converged. They ran with a peculiar gait; their thin, over-long arms propelling them forward as the shorter back legs hopped to keep up. The approach reminded me of a charging ape.

  "Scutum." I projected my shield into the path of the closest flesh-eater, angling it to the side. The beast's momentum sent it careening into one of the cedar-like trees along the widening path.

  The second demon was coming in with too much speed and I hadn't given myself enough time to cast a second spell. There was no joy in the demon's saggy face as its maw opened, showing razor sharp teeth. With one last hop on its deformed knuckles, the beast sailed across the last few feet between us.

  Protectively, I raised my arm and met the creature’s mouth. The demon clamped its jaw around my forearm and gave it a feral shake, much like a dog does when tugging on a rope.

  Aside from being viciously yanked around, I felt no pain. I wasn’t happy at the spread of the stone spell along my arm, but I have to admit it came in handy. The demon's growls were accompanied by metallic sounds as its teeth pinged against stone. It soon let go and rolled to the side, not finding the flesh it anticipated.

  The good news was, both of my attackers were now on my left side, the first having finally extricated itself from the spiny quills of the surrounding plant life. Unfortunately, I hadn’t weakened or slowed either one of them. I didn’t have time to muster a spell, so I threw up my shield and stepped into their attack.

  I caught sight of Flick dancing around the third flesh-eater. She moved gracefully, leaping and dodging as her attacker swung, bit, and generally attempted to rip her apart. I was impressed with how she utilized her tail to
grasp the demon and use its body to change her own trajectory, making her location at any given moment unpredictable.

  For a split second, I considered running off down the trail, dragging my two attackers away. Given the demons’ speed, flight wasn’t a real option. With my shield arm, I pushed the stumbling demons off the side of the path. While I hadn't bought myself much time, it was enough to try a spell.

  "Adoloret." I stretched my hand toward the closest demon as it charged back up the slope. I'd expended much of my energy on the dragon, but I wasn't about to pull any dark energy from Kaelstan; I wasn’t sure I would survive. The gout of fire was weaker than I would have liked, but it was right on target. It splashed into the flesh-eater's face, the result immediate and horrifying. The demon's skin caught fire and it howled pitifully, raising grotesque hands to swipe at the flames.

  A heavy impact on my shield surprised me. I'd been engrossed in watching the burning demon for a second too long. I stumbled on a rock and fell to the path, rolling. I'd thrown my shield arm out to break my fall and that proved to be a critical mistake. It was all I could do to pull my legs up in defense as the flesh-eater threw itself onto my body. The demon, sensing an opportunity, raked at my exposed stomach with its hind feet. I kicked and grabbed at its face with my left hand as I released the shield.

  It turns out flesh-eating demons smell just as one might expect. I gagged at the rotting stench venting from its maw as it drew close. "One word," I quipped. "Mouthwash." Jamming my stone hand into its open mouth, I grabbed the loosely hanging flesh at the back of its throat. I know what you're thinking – gross – but I had a limited number of options. As it turned out, that wasn’t the worst thing to happen to me that night.

  With my hand still in the demon's maw, I twisted, using kinetic manipulation. My idea was to strangle the beast. Turns out, I didn't have a great understanding of demon physiology and strangling wasn't on the menu. Unfortunately, I did succeed in hitting its gag reflex. Apparently, having a wizard's stone arm in your throat isn't that big of a deal to these guys, but start messing with their innards and you cross a line. The flesh-eater pulled back suddenly, attempting to dislodge my hand. A splash of chunky, black, viscous fluid erupted. With full disclosure, I’ll admit I wasn't fast enough to entirely close my mouth.

  I'd been in enough fights as a kid to know one important fact: ignore an advantage against a superior opponent and you get a quick trip to the nurse's office. The flesh-eater was momentarily stunned by its own involuntary gagging. With my hand only inches from its face, I used the remainder of my energy and cast a second fireball into its open mouth. I'm pleased to report that wizard's fire is not deterred by demon sputum. Concern flickered through the demon's eyes as the fireball contacted the back of its throat.

  I scrabbled on my elbows from beneath the demon as it choked on my fireball. I was quickly running out of energy and feared I might have to draw on Kaelstan's energy if I didn't wrap this up soon. I scanned the scene as I stood. We were down two flesh-eaters; Mr. Flame-to-the-face was nowhere to be seen, Mr. Fire-in-the-hole was thrashing around on the ground, and Flick was still dancing with the third. The fight didn’t seem to be going all that well for her. On her back, she bore several long gashes which oozed dark fluid.

  "Shit!" I said, mostly to myself, as I barreled down the path toward the combat. I really should have been running away. Flick was a demon-kind and part of me struggled with helping her. Weren’t we supposed to want all demons destroyed? The fact that she'd stuck around, however, had probably saved my life. I'd barely survived two flesh-eaters and a third would have most likely tipped the scales.

  I rushed forward, ignoring the actual combat and focusing on sneaking up behind the beast. I hoped Flick saw me coming and would keep the flesh-eater turned toward her. I never claimed to be a martial arts expert nor did I move at supersonic speed like Flick; I was basically a blunt object at this point. If the demon saw me approach, it wasn't obvious. I let out an involuntary scream as I brought my stone arm down with as much force as I could muster onto the demon's head.

  Mid-swing, my eyes caught Flick's and the demon turned into my strike. Flick, though surprised, nimbly dodged away as my clenched fist smashed into the flesh-eater's cheek. There was a sickening sound as bone broke and skin split beneath my hand. With the grace of a ballet dancer, Flick darted forward and stabbed the tri-edged blade into the demon's exposed neck, burying it completely. Just as quickly, she removed the blade and jumped back. The flesh-eater fell to the ground in a heap.

  "Why did you not run?" Flick asked as she shook the blood from her dagger and slid it back into the scabbard.

  "You are hurt, Flick," I said, ignoring her question. The truth was, I'd considered running and wasn't proud of it. "We need to bind your wounds or they’ll become infected."

  She unfastened the vest and twisted to inspect the wide cuts. "Flesh-eater ruined my vest. Would that I could kill them again for that alone."

  I rolled the dead flesh-eater over. There was no way I could use its filthy black linen robe as a bandage. Rummaging through its clothing I found nothing useful, aside from a handful of coins. I pocketed the coins and removed my t-shirt.

  "What are you doing?" Flick asked, still looking at her ruined vest.

  I did my best to ignore her nakedness as I folded the t-shirt, but I’m sure my face was red.

  "I don't think we can use the flesh-eater's clothing. It can't be clean. Turn around."

  Once again, she raised her hairless eyebrows questioningly, but turned all the same. I gasped as I inspected her back, which was covered in poorly healed lacerations. I pressed the folded t-shirt against her wounds, staunching the flow of dark blood that ran down her narrow back.

  "Now the vest," I said, holding my hand out.

  She handed it to me. It was the only thing we had to hold my makeshift bandage in place, so I wrapped it around her. She slid her narrow arms through and pulled the leather tight as she re-buttoned it.

  "Fannie was not wrong about you," she said. "You are interested in me. Why do you not act on this?"

  "I have a commitment to someone," I said. "It is important to me."

  Flick's skin shimmered as she shifted from her female to male form. It was surprising how subtle the difference really was. Her chest flattened out and thickened, hips tipped in and face broadened. "It makes no matter to me." His voice remained the same.

  "Seriously, if you keep your clothing on, your form does not matter to me," I said.

  "I felt you would be more likely to help me if I was female. But I find I am less interested in deceiving you."

  "There are coins on the flesh-eaters," I said. I wasn't completely sure what to think of Flick. All the programming I'd had about demons had been tipped on its side. Flick was out for himself, but he was also startlingly honest about it.

  "Put on the flesh-eater's robes. Your clothing will attract attention."

  Chapter 14

  Master

  "How long will it take to get to where my friend was taken?" I asked Flick as we walked.

  "It is several days walk," he said "Let me count the coins you collected."

  I handed the coins to him.

  "You trust too easily," he said. "You should have handed me a third of them as I only dispatched one of the flesh-eaters. Now that I have them all, I might run. There are many who would do this."

  "I don't know where we're going or even what value these coins have," I said. "I don't really know what to think about demon-kind, but you are different from the other demons I've met."

  "Different how?"

  "I suppose at the front of the list is the fact that you aren't trying to enslave or kill me," I said.

  "I am not powerful enough to do that."

  "Would you if you could?"

  "Of course. If I had a powerful wizard at my command, I would be safe," he said.

  "Wouldn't you rather have a wizard as your friend?"

  "Friends are a source of weakness." H
is voice trailed off and it didn't take a lot of imagination to believe he was replaying something horrific in his head.

  "If not for my friends, I would have been dead many times over," I said. "I consider my family and friends to be my greatest strength."

  "It is not so among the demon-kind of Kaelstan."

  We walked in silence, allowing me time to consider just how badly I smelled. Apparently, the flesh-eater's robe had never seen the laundry. It was stiff in odd locations and there were a multitude of stains that I was sure I didn't want to know the genesis of. Even worse, an occasional breeze found its way up under the hem and funneled reek up to my sensitive nose.

  "What do you call your city?" We'd topped a hillock and a metropolitan area spread out a few miles ahead. It looked more familiar than I would have expected with rectangular buildings, lighted streets and even a bridge that crossed a river on the opposite side of the city. I didn't have a lot of experience estimating population centers, but I felt it was a good guess that there were tens of thousands of occupants.

  "Tinder Haut. Pull the hood over your head. We will not have trouble at this hour of night," he said. "I will help you get a room at the Brown Bottle and then I must return to my master."

  "Your master?"

  "Yes. It sends me out to forage. I am not strong, but I am fast. It will be pleased that I return with coin," he said.

  "Is he the one who marked your back?" I asked.

  "You should not concern yourself with those scars," he said. "It is a master's duty to discipline its charges and my master does not like to ignore its duty."

  It was not difficult to pick up on the sadness in Flick's statement.

  "I thought you wanted me to be your master and take you with me," I said.

  "I do."

  "Wouldn’t your master find this upsetting?"

  "You will kill my master," he said matter-of-factly. "And I will show you where your friend was taken. It is a simple matter for one who has defeated a dragon and three flesh eaters in a single day."

  "I am tired and in need of food and drink, Flick," I said. "I also don't kill if I can avoid it."