Page 34 of The Great Pursuit
“What was it like?” Konor asked him.
Paxton looked into the man’s wondering eyes for a moment before he realized what he was asking about: the man he’d supposedly killed. Konor’s keenness made Paxton uncomfortable.
“Taking a life is no small thing,” Paxton muttered.
“It seemed simple enough when you did it.”
Curses.Paxton gritted his teeth. “He was not a good man. It was . . . necessary, but it brought me no joy, if that’s what you’re asking.”
At this, Konor seemed disappointed. “There were lots of men like him in my town. I never did anything wrong, and they still looked at me like I was scum, especially this one man, the town’s messenger, Davito. He had to pass my house every day, and every day he spit on my door. When I heard about Rozaria, and found out things were changing, I knew I had to find her. But first”—he held up his lined fingernails, a frightening smile on his face—“I killed Davito’s cow and goat.” Konor let out a chilling laugh.
Paxton had to turn away from the man. “I’m sorry to hear you were treated that way.” And even more sorry to hear he’d reacted to hatred with more hatred.
“Everything is going to be okay now,” Konor said wistfully.
Rozaria emerged from her tent, and Konor jumped to his feet. Paxton was slower to rise, but her eyes found him straightaway and she made her way over to him.
“I’d like to show you something.” She looked from him to Konor. “Both of you. Come.”
They followed, and Paxton realized she was leading them to the building where they’d held the prisoner. She spoke over her shoulder as she walked.
“At each camp I have a place where I work on my creations. Two were sturdy enough to be transported from ourlast camp, though I’m not certain one will make it.”
“You mean your monsters?” Konor asked with a thrill.
Rozaria nodded, fondness in her voice. “My beastlings.”
Paxton’s stomach turned to a heavy, plunging stone within him as he remembered the unnatural creature he’d fought in his homeland. He did not want to go into that building—to see her at work—to witness magic being used in ways that were not good for anyone. But he held his tongue and followed. One of her guards stood at the door. When he opened it for them, Paxton nearly doubled over.
The stench. He’d come across carcasses in the wild, half-eaten by vultures, so he recognized the smell of death. But this was concentrated and unfiltered. Even Konor covered his nose with his arm. Rozaria grinned.
“That is the smell of years’ worth of hard-won conquests. Let yourself become one with it.”
No, thank you.
Konor dropped his hand, but his face was still pinched. They followed her into a dim room where she lit a torch with her fingers, then used it to light others along the wall. Paxton could not believe his eyes. He and Konor stood there, gaping at the giant, elongated room with iron cages holding young animals and older ones that appeared pregnant, all sitting in their own excrement.
Rozaria clucked her tongue. “I am glad to have new people at camp. I shall get Chun’s daughter and nephews to clean these cages.”
Paxton eyed the animals: chimpanzee, ocelot, jaguar, panther, and leopard. There were also giant lizards that he had no name for, and smaller cages with predatory birds and enormous spiders. At the end in the largest cage was something large and black, with thick, curved tusks.
“What’s that one?”
“That is a cape buffalo. Very strong. They have quite a temper when roused. But they are not fast runners. This one will deliver soon, and I will fuse the babe with the panther’s body.”
Konor’s mouth made an O of wonder. Paxton was caught between morbid curiosity about how any of this was possible and an urge to set all the animals free and burn the building to the ground.
She led them around a corner into a smaller room with more cages.
“These are my newest.”
A small furry ball the size of a lap dog uncurled itself in an upper cage, blinking large black eyes in a lion cub face. It flopped onto its belly and sat up, appearing to have the body of a black bear with overgrown paws and claws. Rozaria shook her head as she peered at it. She grabbed a stick and poked through the bars, shouting a command in Kalorian.
The cub immediately pounced on it, grabbing it in its paws and rolling onto its back as it playfully licked the stick. Konor laughed, but Rozaria sneered, shutting him up.
“This one shows no inclination toward attack,” she said. “Ishould have known better than to take the newborn cub of a traveling gypsy’s tame bear. Worthless.” She nudged it harder with the stick, jabbing its tough belly, and the cub yelped, pressing against the back of the cage and giving her the saddest look. Paxton had to keep himself from pushing her away from the thing. Rozaria sighed and dropped the stick.
“He’ll be a waste of food. If he can’t get his act together I’ll get rid of him.”
