The Legend Of Black Eyes 157 The Butcher Of Sosalk – Part 9

The bell rang in the city once more. I looked at the poor old man, drowning in his own blood. I didn't know who dealt the finis.h.i.+ng blow. Was it me? Or was it one of the guards? He got caught in the crossfire and died a most agonizing death. His throat was cut open. His guts spilled on the wet ground. His mouth was open, and his eyes expressed the last thing he thought of: fear.

I left the square and headed north, toward the woods. My plan got screwed the moment I picked up that cursed jewel. Why did I have to go and make a deal with demons? I could have simply put it back where it belonged and found a different way of exposing the mayor. As much as I hated to admit it, Eva was right. I was naïve, stupid to a fault.

I ran outside the village and reached the northern forest. I extended my senses all around me, trying to pinpoint Jenkins's location. Seven demons remained in the dark jewel, all summoned and imprisoned by the tanner. I wondered how such a coward could imprison seven otherworldly creatures. I didn't have time to dwell on this however.

I picked up a faint sense of Jenkins's aura, somewhere northwest. I ran toward it. I sensed two more presences beside the tanner. That must have been his wife and kid. From what I gathered from the demons, the tanner's wife had some fight in her too. I had to remain careful, and play my part.

The sun was quickly drifting toward the horizon when I reached a small clearing. The dense forest was turning dark. I could sense Jenkins a few miles ahead. His presence was stronger now. I stopped at the clearing and took the jewel out. My hand shook slightly. I was about to summon seven demons to join me. I couldn't conceal my fear anymore.

I knew they wanted Jenkins, but what if they decided to kill me first as soon as I got them out of prison? What if the rules didn't apply as I a.s.sumed? I've been a.s.suming too much about them, and that was my biggest mistake. I was in way over my head.

"What the h.e.l.l have you done?" A familiar voice reached me from behind a tree.

"Nag!" I exclaimed. "Thank the G.o.ds you're alright."

"I heard guards scream something about calamity in the village. I knew something went terribly wrong. I didn't think it was that terrible."

He was looking at the jewel I held in my hand. The goat headed demon snarled loudly.

"Where's Osgar?" I asked.

"He's getting horses ready," Nag answered. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"Fulfilling a promise," I said. "That mayor, he used children as a sacrifice. He used them to pay demons for obedience and information."

"Why is that our problem?" Nag asked. "I never thought you'd go out of your way to help others."

"They're orphans, Nag," I said. Reproach was clear in the tone of his voice. Automatic defense was on mine. "They have n.o.body to help them. What was I supposed to do? Leave them be?"

"People die all the time," Nag said. "If not these children, others will die somewhere else in this wide and cruel world. Do you think you can save them all?"

"It's not that…" I said. "I was there. I could do something about it, and I decided I would."

"By making deals with demons?" Nag said. The reprimand in his voice cut deep. I was feeling guilty already, I didn't need the Sebyan prophet to make things worse for me.

"It was the only way to set them free," I said, aware I sounded apologetic, guilty. "They'll never bother them again."

"They'll feed on other children, innocent people too," Nag said. "What do you even know of making deals with demons?"

I was about to say something when we heard a twig snap in the distance. Nag hurried next to me.

"We're surrounded," he said.

"By whom?" I asked. "I can't sense anything." Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"Demons are good at hiding their presence," Nag said. "They made that noise on purpose."

"Hurry up!" the goat headed demon's voice boomed inside my head.

"By the G.o.ds Zedd!" Nag yelled at me. "How many are trapped in there?"

"Seven," I said. "Could be more, I don't know if they were telling the truth or not."

"s.h.i.+t!" he swore. "The ones surrounding us aren't here to welcome them, I suppose."

"Your Sebyan friend's right," the goat headed demon said. "They're the king's knights. Let us out, now!"

A strong gale brushed up against my face. The trees around us swayed left and right. Leaves detached from branches and flew all around us. Nag and I looked at the scene, bewildered. Howls, screams, high pitched shrieks, they all filled the eerie forest.

"STALWART!" a shrill voice reached my ears.

s.h.i.+vers ran down my spine. My knees shook and cold sweat ran down the nape of my neck. I recognized that voice. I didn't think I'd recognize it that quickly, but I did. I could never forget that shriek, that scream of desperation, anger, and l.u.s.t for revenge.

"STALWART!" the voice repeated. "I'VE COME FOR YOU! I TOLD YOU I'D HAUNT YOU!"

"What's this?" both Nag and the goat headed demon asked at the same time.

"Trouble," I answered. "Big f.u.c.king trouble!"

A dark cloud surrounded us. I heard the chitinous demon shout some orders into my ears.

"Find Jenkins," he said. "Get my brothers out. We'll hold them off."

Soon after, the dark cloud subsided. Chitin and the furry creatures appeared. "Go!" they shouted at us.

The howls beyond the trees intensified. We heard horses neigh, and the sound of multiple hooves. .h.i.tting the ground.

"They're coming!" Chitin said. "Find Jenkins, now! Or we're all dead!"

I pulled Nag and ran toward the tanner.

"What the f.u.c.k did you pull us into Zedd?" Nag asked. I appreciated that he still called me by my fake name.

"I don't know," I said. "All I know is that we need to get that tanner who almost got us killed. We'll deliver him to the demons, then we're out of here."

"One thing's sure with you Zedd," Nag said. "Life's never dull!"

I laughed. "If you can call this life," I said.

"We're getting closer," Nag said. "He's not alone."

"It's his wife and kid," I said.

We stopped right before the entrance to a cave, a small hole cut inside a large boulder. The rock was covered in thorns and vines. You wouldn't even look at it twice if you were walking by the forest. No wonder the mayor's guards didn't find him. Jenkins was holed up inside, along with his wife and kids.

The forest had grown even darker. The wind that brushed up against my face was colder. It cut like sharp razors against my cheekbones and ears. It carried howls and deafening shrieks with it. The king's knights must have reached the demons. We didn't have much time.

"s.h.i.+t…They won't make it out of here alive."

"Are you thinking about saving people now?" I asked.

"The kid surely didn't do anything wrong," Nag said.

"That's the same thinking that led me here, Nag," I said. "I don't suppose we can walk right in, can we?"

"He's put up defenses against the rocks," Nag said. "See there?"

He pointed at the boulder by the entrance. There was an inverted five pointed star to the right. Each point was joined to the others by a circle drawn in blood. Jenkins had drawn different runes on each triangle of the star. In the pentagon in the middle, a lion was poorly drawn, holding a carca.s.s in its paws.

"And there," Nag went on.

On the rock to our left, there was an eight pointed star. Each diamond that const.i.tuted it had a different color, as well as its own energy reading. Jenkins knew what he was doing.

"Just let us out," the goat headed demon said. "Leave this place, we'll find you if we survive this."

"What?" I asked. "Am I supposed to take your word for it?"

"Or you can stay here," the goat headed demon said. "You'll die a most painful death. I'll stay in captivity, but I'll be released in a couple centuries. This is a fight you can't win, Myles Stalwart. Get us out, and leave."

"What are they saying?" Nag asked.

"They're asking me to let them out," I said. "They want to fight the tanner by themselves."

"They can't," Nag said. "Those symbols are clearly traps. That tanner knows a lot more than simple magic. He practices witchcraft. That's probably how he managed to imprison so many demons. If Jenkins survives this, he'll come after you too. You can be sure of it."

"That is most certainly true," Jenkins's voice reached us from behind the vines. "Why don't you hand that jewel over to me. Whatever deal you've made with them, I can offer you the same, and even more."

My heart beat against my ears. I could feel my face fl.u.s.ter, my cheekbones heat up. I thought of the children the tanner and Cristoph kept in the mansion.

"How many children have you sacrificed to these demons?" I asked.

"For every ritual, a blood sacrifice is necessary," Jenkins said. "I didn't make the rules. I just follow them."

"You didn't answer the question," I said.

"How is that important?" Nag hissed at me. "Let's get this done, and leave."

"I'm not leaving," I said. "It's not just about saving those children. I hate sc.u.mbags like him."

"Sc.u.mbags?" Jenkins said. "You run around, killing whoever wronged you. How is that any different from what I do?"

"Does your wife know about the countless souls you sacrificed?" I asked.

"What if she does?" Jenkins asked back. "She gets a wonderful, peaceful life thanks to that. Why would she complain?"

"And your kid?" I asked. "What would he think if he knew his daddy killed children his age to put food on the table?"

"You keep him away from this!" he screamed.

"Why don't you get out here," I said. "Show us your face. Let's talk it out like real men."

"I'm not stupid," Jenkins said. "Why do you think the king has sent his knights after the demons you released?"

"Is there a way to break the protections he's drawn?" I whispered to Nag.

"It would take time," he said. "We'd be dead before I manage anything."

"The Sebyan's right," the goat headed demon said. "Just let us out. We'll find our own way to kill that son of a b.i.t.c.h."

"And murder his wife and kid in the process," I said. "Not under my watch."

"What's up with you and this false sense of justice?" the goat headed demon asked. "People die, deal with it."

"You know who I am," I said. "My family, mainly my grandfather, caused ruin to many others. He even ruined our family, his own son's. I won't let that happen to an innocent kid who hasn't even experienced life as it is."

"You've got big issues Stalwart," the goat headed demon said. "Dying's a mercy for this kid now. He'll grow up as messed up as you, or even worse. Do him a favor, let us out."

"STALWART!" the shrill voice reached me again from a close distance. "YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY THIS TIME!"