Page 21 of Kingdom of Ashes & Bone
Hands reached for me as I fell twenty feet, my fall broken by a multitude of writhing bodies. The moment their clammy skin came in contact with mine, they went feral, biting and scratching and trampling each other in their fervor to get to me. The thick crowd worked to my advantage—they attacked each other while I crawled underneath them, dragging myself into a dark corner and hoping I could act quickly enough to avoid getting my bones chewed. I threw my two satchels to the ground and dug in furiously, searching for the flint, striker, and charcoal shavings.
Perhaps it was the adrenaline making me hit the objects together with more force than necessary, or just luck, but after two strikes the sparks caught on the charcoal. Fumbling with one hand, I grabbed the dried grass and wrapped it lovingly around the tiny ember as my hands shook, breathing softly into it as Shava had done. The grass had barely burst into flame before I yanked the torch out and ripped the cloth cover off, stuffing it back into my satchel in case I needed something else to burn later.
I lifted the small flames to the torch, squinting as the torch burst into bright light. The squeals and screams of the demons became more frantic, the sound of claws scurrying away ringing all around me as they fled from the fire.
Good.
Now how long would it last?
Resolving to think about that another time, I took a moment to breathe and study my surroundings. This pit was large, but nothing like the cavern Zariah and I had explored. Tunnels led off in several directions, so at least the demons weren’t trapped down here in a pit. It made me feel a bit better. The bones that crunched underneath my feet, however? They definitely didn’t.
Would Shava realize she could open the doors and come charging after me?
No,I realized quickly. Zephyr had told her she couldn’t, so I doubted she’d try.She was probably too busy fussing over his broken nails and mussed hair,I thought wryly.
Speaking of the demons, a few hadn’t fled with the rest but simply stayed out of reach and gave me a healthy berth as they watched me with black, beady eyes. Since they weren’t about to immediately chew me down to my bones, I took a moment to have a proper look.
Their skin was nothing but ash and charred, black crisps. Their eyes were just as black, their shining reflections in my torch the only reason I could see them at all. They wore decomposing scraps of whatever Noble clothing they’d had on when they’d turned. Gold threads hung frayed from old tunics, and precious gems hung haphazardly from their once rich dresses and adornments.
There was likely a fortune large enough to feed the entire mud district down here in the darkness. A few weeks ago, it would have made me angry; now it simply made me sad.
The demons ranged from emaciated to freshly turned. Two were gaunt with hollow cheeks and sharp bones poking out, while three others still had the plumpness of their old bodies, indicating they’d been thrown down here recently. Despite their lack of aggression, there didn’t seem to be anything lurking behind their eyes. They all reminded me of mindless animals, shrinking in fear as I thrust my torch out at them for a closer look.
Except for one.
The gold necklace around its charred chest shone and mocked me from the darkness. It was the demon. The one who’d killed my friend. Its frame didn’t have the same, dirty look as the others, indicating it was fresh. The demon in question didn’t shy away from my fire or act skittish. Rather, there was a keen, unnerving intelligence in its eyes as it looked at me.
“You killed Oleria,” I accused, wanting desperately to be angry at the demon, but the rage wouldn’t come. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t this Noble’s fault. I knew it had no choice, yet it’d been Oleria’s choice to stay in this madhouse knowing the risks.
The demon shuffled forward, crouched awkwardly with its head bowed. I stood my ground, holding my breath. It whined, a grating, harsh sound that carried the sorrow of the kingdom in its tone. Something soft met my hand, the one not holding my torch. I glanced down as the demon shoved a small scrap of cloth between my fingers. Holding it up to my face, my throat tightened.
It was a length of gauze; the same gauze that had been wrapped around Oleria’s burned hand.
An angry retort bubbled in my chest and my fist raised on its own volition to strike out. The demon made another pitiful noise and bowed its head, baring its neck to me, as if accepting whatever blow I would deal out.
Almost as if … it wassorry.
My next breath was stolen from my lungs as the implications hit me. These weren’t mindless beasts or dark creatures who needed to be put down like rabid dogs.
Not yet.
I eyed them all again. The emaciated, hungry ones were the ones acting like feral creatures, fleeing in fear at my fire and yet unable to completely run away, driven by their hunger to stay near me in case I dropped dead. The ones gathered closer to me with unnerving sentience were full-bodied and fleshed out; fresh. Was it because they had been newly turned or because they were newlyfed?
“Can you understand me?” I asked it softly, holding the bloodstained scrap of fabric close to my chest. The demon lifted its head cautiously, then gave a quick nod and shuffled forward, leaning its big, ashy head into my side and nuzzling it like a chastened dog.
This was weird, disturbing, and it changed everything.
What if they only were rabid at first as they changed? Or crazed only because they were down here slowly starving?
The thought made me ill … poor Oleria! But there was nothing I could do to help her now.
I might be able to help everyone else, though. Including the demons.
My body itched and vibrated, no doubt due to the close proximity of some magick, just like it had when Zariah and I had visited the caves.
Urgh, Zariah and Zion. I didn’t want to think about them now. There was too much between us, unspoken and spoken.
“Have you explored these tunnels at all? Do they lead somewhere?” I asked.
