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CHAPTER 2

Dark Deals

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SILENCE HIT THE CAFE. The children all stopped babbling at once. Even Dr Qwan stopped mid-bite into a mystery steam bun.

Wolflock held his features in place as he saw the child was looking at him for a reaction.

Was this a prank? What were they playing at? Mentioning demons was serious business. It wasn’t something a young child should have been aware of, let alone be throwing around like the name of a local bully.

“What do you mean, demon?” he asked.

“I said what I said, didn’t I? Don’t make me say it again. That’s what summons it. All you’ve gots to do is to say its name, right? Then it comes out of the darkness to steal little kids.”

The children on the carpet all gasped in fright, shirking away from their leader. Wolflock thought it was ironic that this child didn’t think they were part of the “little” children.

“But they are a functioning form of transportation, are they not?” he asked, wondering if this was just local folklore or a misunderstood hermit. The likelihood of a true demon living this close to town was inconceivable.

“I’ve given you directions. Don’t ask me nothing more about it!”

Wolflock couldn’t quite tell if him not showing any concern about the possibility of the driver being a demon had upset the child more, but they huffed and moved towards the carpet to be with their friends. As they turned, he asked one final question.

“How do you know about this?”

The child looked back over their shoulder. Their face was still pale from having to divulge the information in the first place. “I hear things, don’t I? All of them people who don’t want the guard seeing their business. It all starts at the docks and strings through town like dog slobber. All the ones who have mean business to do, they all ask for... Khra.”

As they spoke, Wolflock got to his feet, collecting his things.

“Mothy, it looks like we may have our driver. Let’s go.”

Mothy had already started collecting steam buns in a large cloth and tucked them safely in the top of his bag. Dr Qwan also got to his feet.

“I best show you boys the way to the gate. This food always leaves me in a mental food coma if I eat too much, and this is a good time to stop.”

The café owner yelled across the counter in his Xiayahn dialect as they departed.

“When do I not pay my bill?” Dr Qwan answered in common Puinteylien.

The three of them continued leaving as the café owner began clearly listing things in their native language. Wolflock had left a few deimas on the table to stop Mothy from trying to pay.

As they headed along the Northern roads to the gate, Wolflock asked Dr Qwan, “Do you know anything about this mysterious Khra? Are the rumours the children presented to us true?”

Dr Qwan pursed his lips in thought. “There might be. I’ve never needed their services. Charmainette and I prefer to go on foot. Or I borrow my brother’s transport. I save up all my long-distance doings until he comes to visit.”

The only folk they saw at the fifteen feet high walls were the two guards playing cards under the walkway above the open portcullis. The guards paid them very little heed, only nodding as they passed.

Before they passed through, all of them jumped at the sound of a bear roaring behind them in the town. They turned to see not a bear, but Charmainette, charging at them, her wild red hair tied in a tight bun.

“WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?” She wielded her doctor’s bag with a fury that would knock over forests. “YOU SAID YOU WOULD WORK TODAY! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, my love,” Dr Qwan beamed, trying to embrace his wife. “Our guests missed their carriage and I’ve been helping them find a new way to get to Mystentine. Far be it from me to stop such promising students from pursuing their studies.”

“Far be it from you to cancel all your patients at the last minute to go eat alley food!”

“It was just a little snack, my dove. These boys are skin and bone. I was just going to send them on their way and be right back.”

“Oh, no you won’t! Get back to the clinic now!”

“I need to show them how to get to-”

“Have you been given directions to where you need to go?” Charmainette cut across her husband, addressing the boys directly.

Wolflock nodded. “Yes. We can find the way.”

“Good! Thank you for all you have done in Creast, but my husband is needed and, if he’s given a minute, he’ll take a day. I haven’t had a day off in a month and you are taking all my patients for the next week.” She linked arms with Dr Qwan and began dragging him away.

“Ah! Torch to my soul. I am enchanted by your passion. I love the way you fill my day with fireworks. Good luck, boys. I must soothe the blaze of an overworked woman. Merry part.”

Mothy elbowed Wolflock in the arm as he protested.

“We’ll be fine. Merry part and merry meet again!” He then turned to Wolflock. “I’m sure a bright appraising investigator such as yourself doesn’t need any help finding a shady carriage driver with the instructions that kid gave us.”

The doctor gave a cheerful wave back at them and left them in silence with the two guards. The four of them made eye contact, shrugged, and went back to their business.

Outside the gate, the boys turned so the outer wall stayed on their right and the woodlands to their left. The wide field of brown grass and scattered mounds of snow marked their path. It remained clear of any trees and bushes, making their walk an easy one. Mothy waved to the occasional guard walking along the Creast town wall and kicked mounds of snow to see them scatter. He stopped kicking the mounds,though, when he saw a rabbit run under one, realising they might be dens for the wild creatures. But Wolflock’s focus couldn’t be broken from the task at hand, even for the allure of laughing with Mothy.

As they drew closer to the bay, they approached a large hill dividing them from the water.

“This must be part of the back of Jaxarna’s mine. It may run for a good mile or so along the bay,” Wolflock said, more to himself than to Mothy.

“I hope it does, and I hope it’s filled with all the treasures her and Girid need,” Mothy responded with a grin.

Wolflock saw his smile didn’t reach his eyes as he looked up the hill. It was a long hike. “Don’t worry. We’re not going that way. See over there, by the treeline? There’re mounds of snow that are kicked over like yours. Someone has been walking through there. Our path goes down that forest path, not up the hill.”

“Oh, thank goodness!”

They trekked along the wide dirt road into the trees. Wolflock’s ear pricked as the noise of bugs and birds soon fell silent. The trees and hill protected the rich forest from the icy winds blowing off the bay, and, yet, there seemed to be no life. No rabbit or fox. Nothing.

It sent a chill through Wolflock’s spine. Not even an insect. The branches of the tall pines loomed over them with their snow ladened branches diminishing the sunlight. The woods grew dark around them and, although he hummed a cheerful tune, Mothy walked close enough to bump into Wolflock’s arm.

“I don’t think I like this, Lockie.”

Wolflock pressed on.

“Can’t we just wait til next week? I’m sure we’ll get a lovely carriage. I can learn at Dr Qwan’s clinic, and you can watch the people on the dock and learn about them. You like that, right?”

His steps slowed. They’d been walking for a long time. Had they missed a fork in the road? The child had told him to turn to the bay, right?

“Do you want to work in a temple for the next four months or more?” he shot a cold look at his friend.

“I really don’t care either way. I would just like to be able to keep working at all. No point getting to Mystentine if it’s in a coffin.”

Wolflock huffed, but his footsteps slowed.

“Just a bit further. I think I can make out fresh carriage tracks. Let’s make it to that big birch tree, and then we’ll see if we can find anything.”

They walked in a palpable silence. Every step made the hair on the back of their necks prickle and, even without saying it, they felt as if something was watching them. The moment they reached the birch tree, Mothy sprang around to walk back.

“We made it. No one’s here. Let’s go.”

As Mothy spoke Wolflock could have sworn he heard something. He gripped Mothy’s arm and froze. Then he heard it again. A thick crunching, grinding noise. His eyes slid to his right and  saw it; a clearing against the hill that was only sixty feet away and a large black carriage. Without a word, he stepped down the path to the clearing.

Throughout the clearing lay disorganised broken pieces of debris, as well as old bric-à-brac and disused carriage repair tools. Amongst them, he couldn’t see any footprints or shoe prints, but he could see the deep intents of hooves that came to a point. He turned to Mothy to show him, but that sense of someone watching caught the words in his throat. Wolflock knelt to run his hand over old hammers, lathes, and a sanding block. The tools had strange patterns of damage to the wooden handles; a deep indent that had caused splintering in the wood where a large hand would have gripped at the pinkie and index fingers. The tins of polish were spilled over the ground, staining the leaves black. The old, empty tins were dented, and one looked as if a bear had torn it open. But, that wasn’t the only odd thing about the rubbish left in the clearing.

The water and food troughs for the horses were bone dry. Wolflock touched the old pine wood, greyed and splitting from age, and found holes in the bottom from where the troughs were in much need of repair.

The carriage itself had an odd hitching system. Normally, belts would go around the horse and fasten to the carriage shaft. The only pieces present were the collar and a rigid half saddle strap. This contraption seemed to allow the horse to have full autonomy to decide if it wanted the harness on or not, which was dangerous, because, if it became spooked, it would free itself and leave the carriage in danger. Besides all that, a carriage this size should have had space for at least four horses to move it. Wolflock could only see it was equipped with one place for a horse. The collar suggested it was a very large horse, but still not enough to pull the full weight of such a large vehicle.

Besides the odd mechanics of the carriage, it was in terrible condition. The black paint was peeled all over it and he couldn’t see through the windows because of the frosting of grime over them. The only things that seemed to be in fair condition were the wheels. Old, and made from expert artisans, they had recently been oiled and checked for defects, as he could tell by their shine.

The crunching noise grew louder, startling him from his thoughts.

“Ahem. Merry meet?” he called out.

Mothy attacked him with a flurry of slaps along his arm, shushing him. “Can’t you smell that?” he breathed, turning pale.

Wolflock sniffed the air and took a step closer to the cave backed into the hillside, curtained with the roots and dangling branches of a snow willow above it. An acrid smell of iron and salt emanated from the cave.

“It’s blood,” Mothy mouthed.

“I beg your pardon, Driver Khra. We were hoping to employ your services.” The anxiety of not getting to Mystentine in time to reach the university overpowered the instinct to run as he called out again. The crunching stopped and an enormous creature shuffled around in the darkness. “You came highly recommended, and we need to get to Mystentine city with all due urgency.”

Laboured breathing was the only response.

“I don’t mind being a few hours late to Mystentine, but, if we have to wait any longer, we’re going to be too late to get to the university. I have plenty of deimas for when the job is done. What say you?” Wolflock tapped his foot irritably. Being so spooked made him mad. Even more so since the stranger wouldn’t reveal themselves.

“Payment... up front...” wheezed a voice that sounded both shrill and throaty at the same time. Wolflock jerked back. It sounded so familiar, yet like fresh snapping icicles.

“Uh... What is your price for a one-way trip to Mystentine?”

The creature came closer to the roots, its rapid pants breathing a putrid meat smell through the veil. “The lion... the butcher’s... daughter... hunted this morning.” An unearthly voice grunted in low tones, snorting and panting.

“That’s it? And you can get us to Mystentine before the end of the month? We’ll need at least two or three days to climb the mountain.”

“What day is it?” the voice rumbled low.

“There was a full moon last night, so it must be the sixteenth of Nibit’ling Ickst. We need to get to Mystentine by the morning of the twenty-sixth. That’s ten days.” Wolflock waved his fingers as the math shot like lightning through his mind.

“Five... days...”

“You can get us there in seven days?” He blinked. No horse could move that fast, let alone while pulling a carriage of that size alone.

“Five... days...” the voice repeated with another shrill note at the end of its words.

Wolflock had never heard a voice quite like it. Not that he could remember, at least. Curiosity itched at him, and he stepped closer to the roots, looking up into the darkness. He heard the creature suck in and hold its breath as if it were savouring the smell of him. Wolflock felt his body quiver uncontrollably as the urge to run as fast as he could filled his body. A thick breath filled with rot and iron washed over him. The angle it came from pushed his hair down. Whatever the creature was, it stood at least seven feet tall and two blood-red eyes stared unblinkingly down at him, obscured by clumps of greasy, tangled hair.

“Are you Khra?”

The red eyed being above him drew another long breath and held it.

“Yes,” they hissed a slow answer.

Wolflock heard that odd shrill note in their deep throaty voice and again he thought he’d heard it somewhere else. He stepped a little closer. He could tell Khra wasn’t human. That much was obvious. But morbid fascination mixed with fear pushed him to solve the mystery of what this thing was.

“If that’s all,” Mothy squeaked as he grabbed Wolflock’s arm and pulled him back, “we’ll be heading off to get your payment. If we aren’t back, well... It just wasn’t meant to be then, aye? Merry part!”

Wolflock’s piercing blue eyes watched the red ones disappear behind the veil as Mothy jogged them away. He didn’t let go of his friend’s arm or let up their speed until they were back in the clearing with the walls of Creast in view.

Neither of them realised how tightly they had been gripping one another’s arm until they let go and a rush of pins and needles flooded them. Wolflock stared with wide eyes, feeling the pieces around the cave coming together in a new mental web, but the fear coursing through him refused to let them stick.

Mothy bent forward, panting with his hands on his thighs. “Shall we... try another demon carriage service... or is this one to your liking?”

“Have you ever seen a demon before?” Wolflock asked, catching his breath against a large boulder embedded in the field.

His friend shook his head, wiping his sweaty blonde hair from his forehead. “No. I saw someone nearly become one once, I think. Hazzim and I frequented the temple of fortune for business blessings and advice. Someone came in really sick once. I mean... It looked like their family had brought them in. Apparently, it’s common for people suffering from greed to need the temple to help them. They seemed out of their mind. Screaming and shouting and snatching at anything shiny.”

“That doesn’t sound like what we just saw.”

“You felt it though, right? It was sniffing you the same way I sniff for pie.”

Wolflock pinched his chin between his thumb and index finger as they walked back into Creast. “I did. It seemed... hungry. And it was tall.”

“I saw you look up. How tall?”

“Maybe seven feet? Maybe more.”

“Seven feet? Seven feet! Lockie, we can’t. Please tell me you have another plan. Can’t we speak to Vanmoinen about using his elk? Or, what if we just wait? I’m sure working at the temples can’t be that boring. It has to be better than being done away with by a monster... and you have that look in your eyes again.”

Mothy’s arms dropped, already defeated.

“Can you blame me? Solving a common folklore mystery with the promise of getting to Mystentine three days in advance with a carriage overflowing with dark and mysterious clues! Doesn’t that sound like a much better trip than playing a hundred rounds of cards or toc-tic-tac all day?” Wolflock rubbed his hands together before taking off at a run. “Come now, Mothy, my friend. We haven’t got all day.”

As they drew closer to the gate, Mothy eyed him sourly. “You really are a magnet for trouble.”