Page 148 of A Crown of Lies

Forty-Four

Katyrsquintedintothedying light. The sun had already set, but there might still be enough light in the sky to make it another mile or two. He’d passed into Greymark’s borders an hour ago, and he wasn’t sure how far away the castle was. The signposts that remained seemed to have been defaced or damaged.

In fact, every crossroads he passed showed signs of battles. The ground at some showed scorch marks, and a few had corpses nailed to the posts, their bones already picked clean.

The one they’d just arrived at was the strangest of all. Someone seemed to have set up a shrine near the burnt signpost. Withered flowers twitched in the light breeze. A worn cloth doll sat beside a tiny wooden horse.

Aleks squirmed in the bundle pressed to his chest, fussing just enough to tell Kat he’d be crying soon. With dark approaching, perhaps they were better off making camp there and getting their bearings in the morning.

“Don’t fret, little one,” Kat said, patting the baby’s back. He’d learned quickly that was one of the best ways to soothe him. “This time tomorrow, we’ll be in the comfort of Greymark Castle, stretched out in front of a pleasant fire. We’ll find you a wet nurse and you’ll get a proper meal. But I’m afraid tonight it’s the last of the goat’s milk.”

Kat dismounted and led the horse over to the damaged post, tying it in place so it wouldn’t wander. Then he sat down at the edge of the crossroads and started his usual preparations, laying Aleks out on a blanket.

He’d been stopping to gather bits of wood whenever he saw them, shoving them into the bag so he could start a fire. He dumped the sticks out and arranged them. He snapped his fingers and sent a quick blast of fire into them, lighting them.

Aleks made a sound Kat had never heard before. Kat tilted his head, looking at the baby. Was he… smiling?

Just to test his theory, Kat snapped his fingers again, sprouting a little more fire.

The baby squealed with delight, kicking wildly.

Kat couldn’t help but grin back. “Do you like that? A little trick I picked up. Most people cast fire from their palms, but I could never be as precise as I wanted that way. The spell was powerful, sure, but fire untamed is dangerous to everyone. That’s how you get friendly fire. So, for little fires like this one, a snap makes more sense.”

Aleks smiled.

I’m explaining magic to an infant, Kat thought.What’s wrong with me? He can’t understand a word of it. Yet it was nice to have someone to talk to. He couldn’t imagine being out there in that wild landscape all alone, especially at night.

Kat sighed as he picked Aleks up. “I miss Isaac. I know it’s only been two days, but it’s the longest we’ve been apart since we married, and I had to leave him in that terrible place. If he were here, you’d love him. He’s got a nice muscular chest to lie on. Pectorals like meaty pillows. You’d be in heaven.” He sighed again and shook his head. “When you grow up, do yourself a favor. Don’t fall for beautiful men. They get you into all sorts of mad trouble.”

He fed Aleks his meal, changed him and settled in with the cloak and all the blankets over them. It was going to be a cold night, and he didn’t have enough wood to keep the fire going through it, but Isaac had packed more than enough blankets.

Aleks settled in, falling asleep quickly in Kat’s arms. When he wasn’t screaming, he was a delightful baby. Quiet most of the time, and he didn’t smell as bad as most babies Kat had been around. Actually, Kat thought he smelled like sunshine. It was a silly notion, since sunshine didn’t have a smell, but no other description seemed to fit.

It’s almost too bad he’ll have to find another home, Kat thought, rocking him gently.If we ever decide to raise a child, I hope he’s as good natured and sweet as Aleks.

But Kat wasn’t ready, and such a sweet baby needed the right people to look after him. Good people. Strong people. People who could give him everything in the world.

Kat yawned and forced his eyes back open. He hadn’t slept the night before, and barely slept the night before that. It was too risky being out in the open. Predators might come by and see Aleks as food. He had to be vigilant. He had to stay awake.

He fought until it was full dark, and the light of the fire grew dim. Aleks had been sleeping for a while and Kat had him bound loosely against his chest.

Maybe just a few hours, Kat thought.So I can protect him better tomorrow.He stretched out, carefully moving Aleks to the ground next to him, and draped the blankets and an arm over the baby to protect him from rolling away.

He dreamt of Isaac and their house back in Brucia, which he normally would have counted as a pleasant dream. Except this time, it was on fire. Kat rushed from room to room, always a step behind Isaac, who was searching for Tom Whiteshanks. Katyr kept trying to get Isaac to leave, assuring him the cat would be fine on his own, but poor Isaac was beside himself. Sometimes, Kat worried Isaac loved Tom more than him. Tom certainly cared little for Katyr.

He called to Isaac as he raced up the burning staircase, but the knight wouldn’t listen. Kat chased after him, only to run into an invisible wall halfway up. Stunned, he took a step back and reached out, feeling it there, but being unable to perceive it with any of his other senses. Isaac had passed right through. Why couldn’t he?

“Isaac?” He lifted his eyes to where Isaac stood at the top of the stairs, his feline companion in his arms. The house rumbled and burning timbers fell. “Isaac! ISAAC!” Kat pounded against the invisible barrier. He threw every spell he knew at it and still it would not come down.

Katyr’s eyes snapped open, his chest tight.

No, his chest was more than just tight. There was a heavy weight sitting on it, and a creature staring down at him. The creature was the color of putrid rot, though it smelled of burning leaves. It was roughly the shape of a dog, but larger than any hound he’d ever seen, save for perhaps Brick. Black fins curved back from its front legs and along its bony spine. Black feathers sprouted around its neck. It had a long, horse-like snout, but its bottom jaw jutted forward, allowing its razor-sharp bottom teeth to show. Large red eyes gleamed in the moonlight. Both of its front paws were resting on his chest, a long proboscis-like tongue extended down, down…

Oh, gods above and below, that tongue was wriggling down Katyr’s throat!

Kat gagged and shifted, trying to throw the creature off him, but it wouldn’t budge. He lifted an arm and threw a punch at the creature’s misshapen face, but the monster’s body seemed to shimmer, and his fist passed right through. The wriggling tongue retracted, and the monster growled as Kat fought to get a good breath. He wanted to vomit, but there was no time. With a snarl, he shoved his hands forward, but this time, he added a fire spell.

The creature let out a screech as the fire singed its skin and it leapt back, letting Kat up. Its skin shimmered again as it tried the same trick to get away from the fire it’d done with his fist, but it didn’t work. The magic clung to its form.

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