Sixty

I woke up with Skella’s face inches from my own.

“Wake up,” she said, smacking me again. She was pouring something over my shoulder out of a small glass phial, but I couldn’t tell what it was. It smelled heavily of urine and roses. Not the most pleasant combination.

“Take the book,” she said, pointing to my left. “I can’t touch it.”

I glanced down at her as my head began to clear. I definitely wasn’t one hundred percent, but I wasn’t going to fall over again. Not yet, anyhow.

She pulled my shoulder and cried out as she did it. I glanced down and saw that her hands were burned badly.

“Book doesn’t like me,” she said, wincing.

“Doesn’t like anyone,” I grunted, forcing myself to my hands and knees, aware of the sound of carnage in the main hall. I had to get up, had to get the book and Gram. I didn’t want to face whatever was making that noise, but I couldn’t leave Bub and Jimmy out there alone.

The second I touched the book, flame rushed over me and through me, entering my mouth, nose, eyes, and every single wound on my body from the slightest scratch to the gaping hole in my back from the millipede.

I lost conscious for a while, not sure how long, but I battered myself pretty good as the power surged through me. I think the only thing that stopped it was Skella slid Gram toward me, shoving her against my outstretched hand.

As soon as the sword made contact with my hand, I grasped it convulsively, and the power overload dialed it back several notches. My hair hurt, the soles of my feet hurt, hell, my fingernails hurt, but I was alive and the power of the book had burned the worst of the poison out of me.

Unfortunately, it also burned off all my body hair. At least what I could feel and smell without disrobing. Things were uncomfortable everywhere. I didn’t want to check anywhere else. But I had a bad feeling.

I sat there smoking, trying to get my mouth to work when a giant of a man came barreling down the hall toward us. Skella screamed and flung herself aside, but the bull-headed man didn’t even try to accost us. One of his huge horns had been ripped off, and there were long gouges down his left side. He whimpered as he passed us, limping into the shadows.

The eaters would finish him. They didn’t take sides, really.

Skella helped me up and I leaned against the wall, getting my sea legs.

“What about you?” I asked. “Any healing potions in that kit for you?”

She shook her head. “No healing potions, period. This isn’t a game.”

“So, what did you do to me, then?”

She looked at me and shrugged. “Think of it as smelling salts for your spirit.”

That wasn’t strange.

Another roar echoed out of the main hall, so I started shuffling my way forward, Gram held tight in my left hand and the book in my right.

“Come on, then,” I said, not looking back. “Don’t dawdle back here without me.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Skella said, edging past me to glance out into the main battle.

She stood mouth agape when I caught up with her.

There in the middle of the courtyard a battle was happening between a dozen or so monster men and a bear the size of a small house. She was wounded with a dozen spears and axe strokes, but the dead around her rose in heaps.

“Where’s Jim?” I asked Skella who pointed to the right hall toward the glowing light we only assumed was Katie. He was down, his sword broken, and his helmet smashed on the ground beside him.

Bub still lay in the middle, at the bear’s feet, unmoving. He wasn’t dead. He’d just reappear again later. He just needed to melt like he always did. I knew he would. I brought my hand to my throat and tried to grab the amulet with the same hand I held Gram in. Did it feel any different? Was it cold? That damned kobold better survive.

“Check on Jimmy,” I said, feeling more of my strength creeping into my veins.

Skella nodded and careened around the right side of the battle, well out of the way of the bear’s brutal attacks.

Okay the bear was on our side. That was good to know.

But she was not going to survive without help. I went to the left, away from the glowing light, toward shadow. I sensed more than saw the shades gathering along the periphery, waiting their opportunity to feed on the fallen.

“Not today,” I said, holding the book up and waving it toward them. The shadows fell back, but they didn’t leave.

The monster men were dwindling, but were in a good defensive position, keeping the bear back with spears. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t realize I was still in the fight.

I rushed forward, swinging the book in one hand, and Gram in the other. Green and purple light arced through the bad guys like chain lightning as Gram cut a swath through them, totally destroying their flank.

The bear took advantage of their sudden confusion and took down the biggest of the bull men, shredding his face and chest with her foot long claws. After that, the remaining enemy turned and fled, dropping their weapons and not looking back.

The bear dropped onto all fours and galumphed after them for a few paces.

“Wait,” I called after her. “Too risky.”

The bear paused, looked back at me and snorted once before turning back and ambling into the room. It walked to Jimmy, sniffed him from head to toe, and dragged its long tongue over his face.

“Eww,” Skella said, sliding back away from the bear. “That’s gross.”

Jimmy spluttered and sat up, holding his head.

“Not dead I see,” he groaned, reaching for his dented helm and placing it back on his head. It mostly fit.

“The bear was unexpected,” I said, kneeling beside him, looking into his face.

The teddy bear that he’d had strapped to his arm was gone. Right, of course. Too obvious.

“Probably kept me from getting my brains totally smashed in,” Jimmy said, struggling to stand up. Skella helped him and he got unsteadily to his feet.

“When the new squad arrived, I knew we were screwed. Just as that big bastard showed up,” he pointed at a huge man, eight feet tall with the head of a rhino, “I went down. The bear was getting big fast, and totally threw me off balance. Kept my brains inside the helmet and my head.”

The bear snuffled Skella then began to walk down the hallway to the glowing white light.

“Where’s the Bowler Hat Man?” I asked.

Skella shrugged and looked after the bear. “If he’s that way, the bear will get him.”

“I’d rather not risk it,” I said, following the bear. “Jimmy, can you bring Bub? I don’t want to leave him here for the feeders.”

I didn’t look back. If Katie was ahead, I needed to find her, needed to know.

The Sideways is a really strange place. There was no way that damn bear could’ve fit inside the school, but when I got to the next classroom she’d pressed herself into the room and curled up next to a glowing white rabbit.

There was no sign of the Bowler Hat Man.

Skella stopped in the doorway, allowing Jim to bring Bub into the room and lay his motionless form beside the bear.

“Close the door,” I said, motioning for Skella to come into the room.

“Is this her,” Jimmy asked, shock and pain painting his features.

“I think so,” I said, pointing to the bear. “She’s pretty bent on protecting that rabbit.” I knelt and reached toward the bunny. The book flared, a green aura spreading from me to the bear, then to Jimmy.

He squawked, desperately pulling his mother’s scarf off his neck and flinging it at me. His hands and neck were burned, but he’d live.

“Yeah, okay.” I knew what to do.

I sheathed Gram, set the book on the ground, reached over, and picked up the bunny.

The bear snorted, swinging her huge damned head toward me and sniffed once, then lay back down, licking the wounds on her paws and arms.

The rabbit slept, nestled in my lap.

I took the scarf and wrapped it around the bunny, stroking its long ears.

“Katie, love,” I said.

The rabbit stirred, but did not react in any other way. It slept on.

“You sure that’s her?” Jimmy asked again, confused.

“Let’s get her out of here,” I said, grabbing the book and shoving it in my saddlebags. Then I picked up the rabbit, cradling it like a baby against my chest. I stood up and paused as the room swam. Maybe I wasn’t doing so well myself.

“Sooner the better,” I muttered. I was flagging. Maybe the poison wasn’t as burned out as I thought.

The bear stood and snorted, so Skella pulled the door open and stepped back.

I don’t know why I didn’t react sooner. Hell, I don’t think I’d ever get the image out of my head.

The Bowler Hat Man stood on the other side of the door, leering, his hat cocked to the side as he swung both axes forward.

“Watch out,” Jimmy said, stepping forward, pushing Skella out of the way.

The two axes flashed. One caught Jimmy in the face, the second in his chest.

It was brutal and sudden, so sudden I reacted on instinct. I shoved the rabbit into Skella’s hands and pulled Gram free. Jimmy fell to his knees first, wrenching one axe from the bastard’s hand, and fell forward with a clatter of armor and axe handle.

“No!” I shouted as I stepped forward, stabbing forward, catching the Bowler Hat Man in the throat. The cartilage in his neck parted like cutting whipped cream, and the grin on his face faded to a look of shock and surprise.

I stepped around Jimmy, drew Gram back and hacked at the man, catching him in the arm as he dropped the axe and brought his hands to his throat. I hit him over and over, smashing his body and carving away great bloody globs of flesh. I was out of my mind, far beyond the berserker. I had no thought, no feelings, just hacked and hacked until my arm grew tired and I could no longer lift Gram.

“He’s gone,” Skella croaked.

I glanced at her, my eyes coming back into focus. She and the rabbit were covered in gore. The door, the walls and the hallway were covered in it.

I stepped out, making sure that there were no other monsters, ready to kill and kill and kill.

When I turned back, Skella was on her knees at Jimmy’s side. She was struggling to flip him onto his back with only one arm and not succeeding.

“Here, let me,” I said, laying Gram on the ground at my feet. “Just keep Katie safe.”