Page 21 of Enchantment of Silver and Sea
That was still closer than I had hoped. I studied the map some more. “So this isn’t really a map…but more of a sketch. A true-to-life sketch of the front of their lair.”
“Correct.”
“And you said ‘raid,’ so…you’re not necessarily trying to kill them this time. You just need something from their stash. Weapons?”
Nya shook her head as if in defeat. “You know what? Sure. We need their weapons. You obviously know too much about all these creatures for us to try to conceal what we’re after.”
I did know too much about a lot of things. But especially about cave devils. The first time I had to read up on them for a basement-level assignment, the cave devils replaced the humans in my recurring nightmares, making for an especially horrific night’s sleep.
It was easy to see why my brain would do such a thing. The cave devils were interchangeable with the human monsters of my memories.
I crossed one arm over my chest and rested my other elbow on it, pressing a finger to my lips. I ran through different scenarios of how this could play out. The scenarios that were the most realistic were all ones that I disliked.
“Cave devils are horrible,” I murmured. “We have an account from one of our citizens from around thirty years ago. And accounts from cities that The Council maintains limited communication with.”
There were a few other cities besides Cyllene that were still holding on Post-Awakening. But they were few and far between. Beyond the fact that they were out there, and The Council oversaw some minor trade and knowledge exchange with them, I couldn’t have said what they were like or how they compared to Cyllene.
“Cave devils are carnivores, yes…just like the marsh wolves. But they engage in surplus killing, which means they don’t just kill for food. They actually seem to take pleasure in ripping people apart. Disemboweling them. Tearing their heads off. Atrocities that are practically beyond description. And then they just leave the body to rot. But sometimes they take all the belongings that the person left behind—armor, weapons, food, any other trinkets—and add them to their stash of treasures.”
I thought back to the descriptions I had read of muscled, beast-like beings that were nine and ten feet tall. With jagged teeth and nails just sharp enough to tear into someone, but just dull enough that it wouldn’t be quick. The sound of their roar alone was enough to make one explorer lose hearing in his left ear. At least he had lived to tell the tale, though.
Shuddering at the thought, I added, “Some say that they embody true evil.”
“We know.” Kieran’s footsteps padded behind me. I felt his body heat as he looked over my shoulder. “We don’t have a choice. We need their weapons.”
“Why?” I demanded. The thought of he and Nya going up against cave devils made me want to vomit.
“We already told you,” Nya said. “Things are different Outside. We’re barely scraping by out there. Our people have been barely scraping by for years, actually. Not once since The Awakening have our people been able to feel confident in their homes, their food supply…their ability to provide for their families.” Her face hardened with determination. “But we have an opportunity to change that now. We have the strongest group we’ve ever had. Mentally, emotionally, and physically. We can do things that haven’t been done before. And provide a better future for generations to come.”
Her words humbled me. But I still couldn’t shake the fear I felt on their behalf.
“And there’s nowhere else that you could get the weapons from?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.
“No.” It was Kieran who replied. “There’s not.”
I sighed.
“Okay. If you’re set on stealing from cave devils, then I guess all I can do is give you my best possible advice on how to pull it off.”
I was angry.
I had given Nya and Kieran every piece of information on cave devils that I could pull from every corner of my mind.
I told them about an explorer from Ymir, to the north of us, who somehow made it in and out of a lair without getting ripped to shreds. It was challenging without her journal in front of me, but I described the sketch she had made of the layout of the lair, what she observed about cave devils’ habits, and how, after hiding under a pile of rotting carcasses—both human and animal—for two terrifying days, she ultimately made her escape.
I told them about the brief account from a group of hunters to the west, near Pyxis, who were unknowingly pursuing the same herd of deer as three cave devils. When the groups encountered one another in a clearing, one hunter found that the beasts were wary of his flamethrower. At this, Kieran remarked dryly that it sure would be convenient to have access to a flamethrower.
I gave Nya and Kieran any and all details that I could recall, no matter how insignificant. We talked into the early hours of the morning.
When the sky began to take on that purplish glow that indicated sunrise was soon to come, they thanked me for themeal and for my help. Then they left as unceremoniously as they had the last time.
Once again, I tried to watch their departure through the glass. And once again, they disappeared as if into thin air, leaving me staring at nothing but the sleeping buildings below.
And that was when the anger began to set in.
I was angry at Kieran for distracting me once again with flirting, before I could ask more questions about his family. Who were they? Were they truly a danger to humans? How did his mother and father meet? And what happened to the two of them? Were they still alive? Or was he like me? Alone in the world.
I was angry at both Kieran and Nya for still refusing to tell me why they had sought me out.
