Scavenge
After a day of training, and Lumi’s failed attempts to hunt in the snow, Augustus and Khimi set out into the city. Heavy clouds roll overhead in thick blankets, and though the sun still pokes through the gloom, there are few travelers about the street. The marketplace, or what appears to serve as one, is abandoned. Stalls stand vacant, their wares long since cleared away. Only a single cart remains, positioned before an empty shrine of the Faith, laden with a variety of greens. The shrine itself stands untouched, abandoned by its keepers.
No one approaches them. The residents cower behind the walls of their houses fearfully. Khimi groans, irritated by the scrutiny, and rifles through the cart’s offerings. Augustus stands behind him and watches Khimi with an amused expression. One of the most powerful men in the Desert Cities, eating greens. Laughing, he begins to look through the bundles for suitable fare. Khimi gives him a hint of a smile and shakes his head in confusion, cursing under his breath at the rotten bunches of greens.
Khimi huffs, shaking his head as he curses under his breath at the rotten produce. “We should go to the harbor,” he suggests, not looking up. “I don’t think we’ll be staying here long.”
“Gods, I hope not!” Augustus laughs, “This place gives me the creeps. And let’s be clear, the people here don’t seem to want any help.”
Khimi scratches at the scar on his cheek. “Can’t help them if they won’t open the damn door anyway.”
“Exactly! They don’t want us here at all. These country fools wouldn’t know a gift horse if it kicked them in the mouth—” Augustus grins, nudging Khimi. “Well, gift bull in your case.”
Khimi rolls his eyes and tucks a bundle of greens beneath his arm. “Hilarious,” he mutters. “I’m surprised you’re even standing after training with Ennui.”
Augustus flexes his arm with a wince. The soreness from clashing blades with Ennui still lingers, his shoulder burning as he stretches. “She doesn’t play around. At least I can move. Mido, on the other hand? He said his thighs felt broken.”
“Mido will live,” Khimi replies. “Ennui’s just trying to make sure you both know how to defend yourselves—it’ll do you good.” He scowls as a dark green slime stains his tunic. With a sigh, he tosses the ruined bundle back into the cart.
“We’ll find something else. Maybe there’s a tavern near the docks, or a harbormaster who keeps track of incoming shipments?” Augustus suggests, shoving his own handful of soggy greens back into the cart.
Khimi closes his eyes and wipes his tunic furiously as he begins to walk across the stony marketplace. “This place isn’t worth the effort the gods want to put into it,” he mumbles almost inaudibly.
Augustus skirts from behind the cart and rushes to catch up with Khimi. “Nah, just imagine it!” He says cheerfully as pushes his arm under Khimi’s. “A quaint provincial city, wanted by the northern provinces and guarded by the empire. The residents are all country folks who live simple lives, the Faith dictates the actions of its simple-minded people. All the while, the Lorian Consul sits back and does nothing, growing fat on his pretend power.”
Khimi raises an eyebrow. “And where would we find the consul here?”
“Oh, probably the big house if I had to guess, the one with a gatehouse back near the front of the city… but there were no guards. The gatehouse was empty, and it was chained shut.”
Khimi clicks his tongue and surveys the area. “No one would even speak to us in the taverns… they even ignored Lumi. Who can ignore Lumi?”
“People who don’t want to get into trouble with outsiders.”
“What are you saying?”
With a laugh, Augustus spins around and taps the rapier on his side. “That the people here are scared to talk to us because there is someone or something keeping them from talking to us.”
“I figured as much.” Khimi veers down an alleyway toward the docks. “But other than a pair of eyes, we haven’t seen any vampires.”
“What does a vampire look like?”
Khimi chokes back a laugh. “You’re right. I have no clue, I only know they are undead creatures that come out at night,” he starts in a whisper, cautiously glancing around them as they take another alley down to the docks. “A sailor once told me they were beautiful figures.”
“One thing’s for certain,” Augustus says bravely, pulling the rapier from its impromptu sheath, and snagging it on his belt. “They’re monsters.”
“Monster or not,” Khimi says as he takes the stairs two at a time down until it levels out onto stone cobbles. “I’m not fond of being somewhere no one wants us.”
Augustus’ expression becomes dour as he swings the blade absently. “Well, maybe if we slay a few, they will look at us in a different light? Yeah?”
“Sure,” Khimi says, trying to sound confident as he looks up at the furled sails of the vessels. “But judging from their silence, I have a feeling the problems here are much deeper than we know.”
They walk along the docks, the cobbles make their way to the wide wooden planks of the docks. The few sailors among the vessels are bundled up in thick furs or woolen jackets. Augustus calls out to them, hoping to gain some sort of response. The quiet figures only stare in reply, their hands and bodies moving in an almost methodical way. The building they had used on their first night in Cochon is open, the door wide as snowdrifts had piled in the entryway.
“Tell me something,” Augustus says suddenly as they walk past the building. “What do you think Lumi can do in a place like this… ? Do you think that something like that is even possible? That he could free this city of whatever these monsters are?”
Khimi stops mid-stride and looks up to the rays of sun peeking through the gloom. His breath forms before him in the cold. “If there is anyone in this realm who is capable of doing anything like that. Someone who can change the minds of the masses… it’s Lumi.”
“Do you truly think so? He’s just… young and—”
“Some of the greatest saints throughout the history of Talmus were young when the gods chose them,” Khimi interrupts quickly. “I won’t ask you for much, Augustus. I think fondly of you but don’t question Lumi.”
“I-I didn’t mean t-to,” Augustus stammers as he steps away from Khimi, feeling the intensity in his words. “I just mean he has a lot to learn and he doesn’t even really see–”
Khimi’s jaw clenches. “It’s best if we change the subject,” he suggests under his breath, his gaze returning to Augustus.
“You and Ennui both, huh?” Augustus snips under his breath.
“What?”
“It’s nothing, it’s just both of you are so fiercely protective of him,” Augustus whispers as he hurries ahead of Khimi. “I want to know why.”
Khimi sighs and brushes his fingers through his hair. “You’ll see… in time, I am sure. Everyone warms up to Lumi.”
Augustus glances back at Khimi. “I mean… I understand you. You’re sleeping with him. But Ennui? How much are you paying her to defend him like that?”
“Nothing.” Khimi gives a nonchalant shrug. “Initially, I paid her and offered her a place to stay in the estate. But I haven’t had to pay her since, nor has she asked. Certainly, she can grow wealthy just by association.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Augustus admits as he steps onto the end of the pier.
The building at the opposite end stands stories taller than the others around, the wooden structure remains unlit. A veil of snow clings to the wooden roof. The wooden walls are shattered in parts and the windows are broken in. A sign along the dock written in Talman designates the building as the harbormaster’s quarters. The water beneath the pier is still like a reflective mirror. The sailors along the vessels stop and look up at them with chilling glares. Khimi eyes him curiously as he steps ahead and pushes against the door.
“It’s true,’ Khimi mutters under his breath. “I promised I would employ her, but she hasn’t asked for a single payment. I mean I give her coin here and there… but she hasn’t asked for anything.”
“Ennui?” Augustus questions and places his hand on the hilt of the rapier. He takes a final look at the harbor, cold and gray as he shoves his way into the room behind Khimi. “She’s too mean to work for free—”
The stench of rot hits him, faint at first and then stronger. The room is small, the walls covered in netting and rope. A table by the window is littered with fisherman’s hooks and an assortment of baubles. A hatch in the floor opens to the water below. A small bed beneath the nets hosts a mess of sheets and blankets. Fish carcasses and guts surround the hatch, their putrid scent wafting toward them.
“Wow,” Augustus drawls. “The harbormaster is a slob.” He spins about the room, inspecting the mess.
Khimi manages to chuckle before he trudges through the room, picking at the hooks and assorted items on the desk. “How does this city even function…”
“Maybe all the normal people already left,” Augustus whispers, withdrawing his rapier and tapping it against the mattress. “Do you think all the cities up here are like this?”
“I doubt it,” Khimi whispers back. “I think we would have heard if the north was like this…”
“Yeah, but how many people do you know from the north?”
“Quite a few,” Khimi says, ascending the stairs. “Mamir is from the north. As are many mercenaries I’ve met. Most of them seemed fairly normal, to me at least.
Augustus scoffs and follows, the wooden stairs creaking underfoot. On the second floor, pale light filters through a rectangular window that looks over the harbor. On the floor, beside a small built-in bed, is a desiccated corpse, slumped over. The man wears a gray woolen jacket, thick and with matching trousers. His gray hair looks thin against the skin pulled tight across his skull. A small cudgel rests in his hands. Poor man couldn’t even defend himself.
Khimi squats beside the harbormaster, examining him. “He’s been dead for a while. Unless this is something magickal, he’s been dead for a very long while.”
“Magick?” Augustus asks and kneels beside the Khimi. “His jacket looks rather fetching though…”
“Going to take a dead man’s coat?”
Augustus purses his lips and laughs as he begins to pull the man’s arms through the sleeves. “Why not? Doubt he’ll be using it anymore.”
Khimi breathes a long sigh and nods. “Suppose you’re not wrong.”
Pulling and tugging at the jacket, Augustus manages to free it from the harbormaster and drapes it over his arm. He pushes himself to his feet and takes a look out the window as Khimi continues to scour the dead man’s body and belongings. The sailors on the vessels stare up at him and his body trembles. The hells are they staring at us for?
“Is there a ship log or anything?”
Khimi looks up as he turns out the dead man’s pockets. “How about you take a look?” He raises a brow at Augustus. “What’re you even doing?”
“Looking at all the weirdos staring up here from the docks,” Augustus mumbles and places his hand on the hilt of his rapier. “I’m getting an uncomfortable feeling.”
Khimi stands and looks out the window. “Yeah, it’s certainly not normal,” he whispers. “But I have felt uncomfortable since we knocked on that first door. I knew this place would be messed up when we heard about it in Hermon’s Well and saw all the carts heading south.”
Augustus shrugs. “No one has come after us yet. None of them have—oh, the ship logs.” He steps to the desk, flipping through the book. He pauses. “Khimi,” he whispers.
“Hmm?” Khimi sounds as he glances up from counting out a small handful of coins. “What is it?”
“The logs stopped nearly two months ago. There is no record of any new ship coming into the harbor,” Augustus whispers as he pours through the pages for answers. “Can you see the names on those ships?”
Khimi peers out of the window and glances down at the vessels. “Flora and Vesta are the only two that I see. Along the bow of those two, the closest two.”
Augustus tears through the pages and finds the names. Their entry into the harbor had been one of the last few entries written in the harbormaster’s log. “They haven’t even left the harbor.”
A cold smile crosses Khimi’s lips as he looks down at the sailors glaring up at them, a sudden understanding in his eyes. “They’re all with them then.”
“What do you mean?!” Augustus rushes to the window.
“Servants. Thralls,” Khimi mutters, “they are working for the vampires. At least that is the only thing that makes sense to me. Why wouldn’t they leave port?”
“Why would anyone stay in this place?!” Augustus hisses.
Khimi places his hand on Augustus’ shoulder. “We should return.”
“Not everyone in this place can be servants? Surely, there must be some people who have their freedom here.”
“We’ll have to see. We can check that tavern, then hurry to the manor. Guess we’ll eatting rotten greens,” Khimi replies as he fidgets with the cudgel.
The deckhands and sailors slowly begin to move and sway about the deck of the ships. Khimi holds his gaze over them and scowls as they look up at him once again. There is anger in his expression, and Augustus struggles to find the words to ease his nerves.
Augustus grimaces and turns to the stairs, taking them two at a time, as Khimi follows behind. “You’re right. Let’s check the tavern and then rush back. We need to be about it quickly. Ennui said to be back before sundown.”
Khimi slams the door to the building shut behind them and shudders at the frigid air as he carefully surveys around them. What were we thinking… Ennui and them can see in the dark. Augustus follows Khimi’s guidance and begins to look around with him. The tavern they had seen the other night has a thin plume of smoke rising from its chimney, and light shines through the single visible window.
“We can check to see if they have anything for trade, meat or otherwise, and then we can get out,” Augustus suggests as he points to the building.
Khimi’s attention is set on the vessels beside them, and he does not move as he nods his head. “Right,” he says quietly. “Let’s be quick about it.”
Augustus pulls his arms through the gray woolen jacket as they approach the tavern. The tavern itself is small and unremarkable, built on top of the docks. The planks creak as they step foot into the tavern, their boots knocking loose pebbles and dirt into the water below. A wall of nondescript bottles made of clay and glass are situated on dozens of shelves.
The few patrons in the tavern immediately turn away from them and pause their conversation. The barkeep shakes her head at the two of them and sighs at their approach. She pulls her auburn hair back into a kerchief and glowers.
“Outsiders aren’t supposed to be here,” she mumbles in a gravelly tone. “Ya should go back from where ya came.”
Khimi saunters forward and places his palms over the counter, tucking the cudgel beneath his arm. “We’re wanting to trade. Coin or work for food. Anything.”
The barkeep snickers and leans forward, her light eyes locking onto Khimi’s. “There are some greens in the town center. Courtesy of the consul.”
Augustus pipes up and scoots beside Khimi. With his hand placed beneath his chin, he looks into the woman’s eyes and smiles. “Have you seen the consul anywhere lately?” he asks warmly. “I wanted to request an audience. I’m from the capital.”
“Sorry,” she replies quickly. “The consul won’t be seeing anyone for the foreseeable future.”
Khimi takes out his handful of coins. “You have to have something to eat here, something to trade.”
The woman breathes through her mouth and motions to the shelf behind her. “We’ve got drinks…”
Augustus pushes himself back from the bar and looks at the two other patrons. “Do either of you know how I could get an audience with the consul?”
The two men turn away from them and continue to sip from their chalices. Bundled in woolen jackets and fur-lined caps, they give Augustus a look of pity and hatred.
“Listen,” Khimi begins with another audible sigh. “We need something of substance. Pork or fowl? Anything, even dried meat, would suffice.”
“I’m sorry,” the woman replies. “There hasn’t been meat in weeks and neither of you are wanted here.”
The woman’s eyes flick to the door and back toward them. Her tongue runs along the bow of her lips before she tilts her head up to the loft overhead. Creaking emanates from above as someone begins to descend the stairs. Without a solid source of light other than a few dripping candles and a wood-burning stove, Augustus cannot see the figure approaching. Khimi instinctively turns to the sound and squeezes the hilt of his shamshir. The drumming of his fingers is melodious and filled with tension.
“The consul has abandoned his post,” a silvery voice says, her words clear and pointed.
The figure descending the stairs wears a woolen jacket much like the one Augustus had just donned. Her dark, wavy locks fall beautifully across her cheeks in an almost intentionally disheveled manner. Her pristine white blouse is tucked into high-waisted black trousers. Every bit of her screams danger to Augustus, yet he feels drawn to her. As her black boot lands on the wooden planks of the tavern, she turns and smiles at them. Her emerald eyes glisten against her pale skin. Despite her perfect figure and form, there’s a look about her as if she has been suffering from sickness. The paleness of her lips is almost unnatural, and no color touches her cheeks.
“What do you mean?” Augustus questions, trying to remain confident as his fingers slide to the hilt of his rapier.
“Boy.” She smiles as she tilts her head. “Don’t even think about it.”
Khimi’s chest rises and falls, and Augustus can see the unease on his face. He wants to call out and ask him what to do, but the words that come from Khimi are unexpected.
“Run,” Khimi breathes. The shamshir scrapes from the sheath in an explosion of sparks.
Augustus shields his eyes as fire leaps in front of them in a thin sheet of flames. The barkeep pulls a dagger from the bar and stabs at Khimi from behind. Augustus calls out to Khimi as he pulls his rapier from its sheath.
He grabs Khimi’s arm and pulls him away from the barkeep climbing onto the bar. The two men at the table evacuate their seats and brandish daggers, rushing at them with a flourish of their blades. In the heat of combat, Augustus is lost. The hours spent with Ennui, the years of practicing with his father in Loria—none of it has prepared him for a moment such as this. His actions feel heavy, and his swings do nothing to stave off the attacks. The pale-skinned woman stands at the base of the stairs, her hand resting on the railing as she watches with an amused twinkle in her eyes.
Khimi backs away from the bar and urges Augustus behind him. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“I can’t leave you.”
The barkeep jabs at Khimi, and he grabs hold of her wrist. A smoldering red heat forms around his hand as she lets out a horrifying scream. He does not let go as she drops the dagger; instead, he grips tighter, his face pinching as the scent of sizzling flesh fills the air.
“S-should I stab her?” Augustus questions uncomfortably from behind as he comes forward with the rapier.
Khimi ignores the question and tosses her against the wall with a crack. The woman does not stir, but Khimi lunges forward at the other two assailants. H-he just killed that woman…
The shamshir roars with flames, and Khimi hurries to them, unconcerned about his assailants’ reach. The embers fly above their heads as Khimi swings. Augustus moves about the room and readies himself but can not take his eyes from the woman’s corpse. Her tongue lolls from her mouth and her head appears to be twisted in an almost unnatural way. Fucking hells. The swishing flames of Khimi’s burning shamshir bring him back to their struggles. The two men attempt to pincer Khimi and Augustus finally finds an opening. He pushes past Khimi and lunges with the rapier in his hand, the tip of the pointed blade crests just over the man’s chest and cuts through the woolen garb. He staggers backward and readies himself.
Augustus’ heart pounds in his ears as he notices the second assailant coming at him from the corner of his eye. Too far to disengage and knowing he is too slow to prevent the man’s dagger, he turns his body, preparing for the blade. He closes his eyes—a warm, hot mist blows across his skin. The blade never comes. A loud thump on the planks, and Augustus opens his eyes to see an armless assailant grabbing at the stump where his arm had just been. Khimi’s flaming blade courses with a bloody glow as he turns his attention to the pale woman.
“Khimi… we should go.”
Khimi’s eyes do not move from the pale figure. “Augustus, burn this place. Ennui can see it from the manor.”
“K-Khimi,” Augustus breathes. Not wanting to admit how tired and sore he feels, he nods and scurries behind the bar. Bottle after bottle hits the ground as Khimi holds the flaming blade at the ready. “We should go,” he grumbles as more glass shatters across the floor.
The man remaining forces his way along the edge of the tavern and begins to make his way towards the door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” The woman asks. Her words are thick, warm honey.
The man stops in the door frame, his body goes rigid as he straightens his posture. “I-I… I don’t want—” his words are cut short as Khimi’s shamshir cuts through the sable fur.
Khimi… he was fleeing.
The woman steps forward and begins to chuckle, her fingers brush against the line of his lips. “It’s interesting… how such a willing thrall can just turn on you like that.”
“He was still under your curse, wasn’t he? Geas? Compulsion? What is it?” Khimi asks, his harsh voice edges on a tremble.
She shrugs, “If he was under a spell, why did you kill him? Is your first course of action to kill that which you don’t understand? Or are you such a simple-minded creature that it is your only course of action?” Her question is biting and seems to press at Khimi.
Khimi’s brow pinches before his expression calms and a smug smile forms, “That’s right. I’m just a simple-minded creature,” he whispers, the embers from his blade lick at the ceiling.
Augustus grabs the candle and begins to lower to the broken bottles at the back of the bar. Several of the spirits he had broken reeked of the highly distilled dwarven swill. Before the flame even touches the liquid, it erupts and runs along the bar and over the broken jars and bottles. Augustus staggers backward and turns back to Khimi. The conversation between Khimi and the woman had become lost to him under the intense roar of the flames.
“Khimi!” Augustus calls, “We should flee!”
Khimi does not move, both he and the woman glare at one another through a veil of embers. “Augustus, go back to the manor.”
Augustus tries to sound hopeful, laughing anxiously. “If I leave you, Lumi is gonna gut me.”
“It’s better for Lumi like this,” Khimi says with a glance out of the corner of his eye.
Something about the way in which Khimi looks at him makes him feel nervous, almost as if Khimi has already resigned in defeat. Augustus’ hand trembles over his rapier and he steels himself. He had seen bandits and marauders with Eustes, he had seen travelers who had suffered from the cruelty of others.
“No!” Augustus shouts and steps forward, the trembling of his hand stopping as he faces the woman before Khimi.
“You’re out of your depth,” Khimi mutters out of the corner of his mouth.
Augustus sighs and takes a step forward, “So what is it… you get to control the whole town?” He asks, pointing the rapier at the woman before him.
“Well,” she whispers, “not just me. My brethren all see to it that the populace stays in check. Had the Lorian Consul not been such a pushover,” she says with a click of her tongue, “This would have been so much harder.”
“Brethren? How many of you are there?” Augustus questions and clenches his jaw anxiously.
She chuckles as she takes a step forward, her black boots creaking over the planks ominously. “I don’t really care to talk to my food,” she says coldly.
“Then tell me,” Khimi whispers, lowering his weapon gently.
Her lips curl into a cruel smirk. “What makes you think you’re not food?”
“You would have already killed me,” Khimi responds sharply. “Why even keep talking when you could have ended this already?”
“Because you are unique,” she says, giving Khimi a wink. “I can smell it on you. You’re a man who knows what he wants, aren’t you?”
Khimi chuckles under his breath. “Oh, it only took me a half my years to know what I want.”
“I’ve always wanted a tall, dark, and handsome paramour.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Augustus barks. “She’s… she’s doing what she did to the others.”
Khimi shakes his head as he continues to laugh. “I’ve already got a paramour, and I’d rather not be anyone else’s.”
“Pity. A pet then,” she laughs as she takes a step forward. “Pets are just as good.”
Augustus rushes forward, swinging his blade overhead. A swirling mist surrounds the woman, and she vanishes in a blink as Augustus’ sword passes through where she had just stood. The blade smashes into the wood and lodges between the planks. Augustus swings back around to Khimi as the mist appears behind him, the fire from the bar rages on, billowing smoke across the ceiling. Her appearance is as sudden as her disappearance had been and within that brief moment, her fangs press into the flesh above Khimi’s collar. Khimi’s elbows ram against her side as he fights against her with a pained expression. A red stream gushes from his neck, her teeth delving deeper into his flesh.
Augustus swings at the woman, her back catching the sharp edge as she clings onto Khimi, her nails ripping through the fabric of his jacket. Augustus shouts as the rapier slashes through her blouse and draws blood through the pristine white cloth. Khimi takes hold of her lengthy hair and pulls with all of his might, hauling her over his shoulder and onto the floor in front of him. The burning shamshir plunges into her abdomen, and she cackles with a furious smile. This… is a vampire. Augustus’ hand shakes as he forces himself to hold the blade with both hands.
The shamshir glows like heated metal, flames course over the woman as Khimi glares down at her with intense focus. The flames consume the woman, engulfing her before they fade.
Augustus pulls at Khimi’s arm, pulling him from over the charred woman. They stagger backward near the front of the tavern as flames collect along the ceiling, scarring the wood with a black char. The wood hisses as the heat pushes any moisture from it.
“Khimi!” Augustus shouts, grabbing his arm and pulling him from the building. “We’ve got to go!”
Khimi slowly steps back, staring down at the charred woman. “Alright,” he mutters under his breath. “She—”
The woman sits up, her brilliant bloody smile shows from beneath her charred features. Gods help us. Khimi pulls against him and readies himself, one hand held to his bleeding neck.
The woman’s charred lips move slowly before her tongue runs over the cracked bits. “You can run along now.” Her voice a biting taunt. “I’ve already got what I wanted—a taste.”
“What did you do?!” Khimi shouts, the flames along his shamshir burn with heated fury.
Her laughter touches Augustus, a sound so uncomfortable, he shifts to look away. “Live and find out,” she says calmly, “I always wanted my own pet.”
“Pet?”
“A beautiful pet,” she chuckles, her fingers peeling away a strip of black flesh, revealing the red meat beneath. “Unique… tasteful. I’ve never had anything quite like you.”
Khimi tightens the grip on his neck, the crimson blood pouring from beneath his fingers. He grits his teeth. “Shame. I have no interest in being anyone’s pet.”
“Run along, pet. You’ll come and find me soon enough. Maybe after you slaughter your friends.” She clicks her tongue, “they always come back after they’re wracked with guilt.”
“Fuck—”
Augustus pulls at Khimi’s sleeve. “We don’t have time!” he shouts as he looks across the pier. Dozens of eyes reflect the light of the growing bonfire they’ve created. The sun’s final evening moments begin to glimmer and vanish behind the distant horizon. “You’re hurt. We need to get back!”
“I’m fine—”
“Stop!” Augustus calls, pulling Khimi by the arm through the doorway. “Think about Lumi!” he shouts, wanting him to see reason.
Khimi glances out the door, noticing the encroaching eyes. “Tch, you’re right,” he whispers and turns, rushing behind Augustus.
“Do you have a death wish?” Augustus pants as they take the stairs. “What’s wrong with you?!”
Khimi’s shamshir blazes before them, his eyes set ahead in the distance, his hand still pressed to his neck. “No,” he breathes as he reaches the top of the stairs. “I don’t intend to let someone like that—” He pauses, looking down the stairs.
Endless pairs of eyes reflect light up to them from unseen bodies. Augustus nearly drops his rapier as dread washes through him like a wave. This place.
“I can’t let someone like that near Lumi,” Khimi finishes, staring down at the monstrous eyes glaring back at them.
Augustus steps backwards, the color drains from his already pale features. “I don’t know i-if we have a choice.”
Khimi grabs Augustus’ arm and pulls him along, running as fast as he can. “Hold on.” He begins to whisper something under his breath.
An explosive light blinds Augustus’ vision, he can’t tell how far forward they have moved, but the distance from where they are and where they were moments before feels immense. His feet struggle to carry him as another burst of light blinds him and an explosive boom echoes around them. He stumbles and forces himself back up as Khimi urges him forward. The light from the shamshir begins to fade, along with the color and heat in Khimi’s cheeks.
“Khimi!”
The final embers spark from the shamshir and Khimi releases a labored breath. Augustus attempts to support Khimi as they awkwardly push up the snowy cobbles, the forest pathway just beyond the hill. I can’t look back. Don’t look back. The weight of the world seems to press down on Augustus with each step, the blade is heavy in his hand as he feels the warm wet blood dripping along Khimi’s back and over his arm. Ennui had to have heard that noise. The darkness encroaches around them. The light along the horizon fades at the edge of the forest.
“Augustus,” Khimi breathes, his head hanging forward. His breathing is more labored now. “Go get Ennui,” he says, clapping him on the back.
The shadows press in on him, the hundreds of eyes glaring with a starving hunger. Augustus’ arms are sore, his body screaming in anguish. The hours of ruthless training with Ennui had taken their toll. Khimi is heavy against him, so heavy, and his strength continues to weaken with the rampant loss of blood. He’s fading fast. Augustus had never learned to use healing magick, rather he couldn’t. The magick he had been able to draw from Mido was weak and at this moment, he requires so much more than Mido can offer.
“No,” Augustus grunts. He forces himself forward through the snow, one step after the next. Khimi’s knees begin to buckle beneath him. “We’re not far now,” he growls, tasting his own lie. “Lumi’s going to be waiting for you!”
“A-Augustus,” Khimi grunts as his speech begins to fade. “Protect—” The words leave his lips in a gasp.
The giant of a man falls forward in the snow, and Augustus stumbles beside him. Scrambling through the snow, Augustus lifts Khimi’s head and looks into his eyes.
“Y-you can’t die,” Augustus mutters. The darkness curls around them, unrelenting. “I’m scared. I’m scared, Khimi.”
The rapier falls to his side. A hundred eyes and a hundred more stare at them through the trees, and though he cannot see them, he knows they’re there. Like needles pressing against his skin. Be brave, Augustus. He forces himself to his feet and picks up the rapier. Through the darkness, Augustus swings, and swings again and again. He ignores the pain shooting through his arms and shoulders. With every bit of breath, he releases a scream that breaks over the forest.