She Returns From War (8 page)

"I must know why you came here," the woman said. "Why did you visit the woman hunter?"

"To ask for her help," Victoria said in a small voice.

"Why do you seek help?"

"My parents. They died. Monsters killed them. I was told Cora could help me."

"What monsters?"

"I don't know." With each word, Victoria relaxed more. It felt so good to tell this woman the truth. "They were large and black, like shadows. Their eyes were yellow. They scared our horse and drove us into the river."

The woman did not speak for a moment. The silence crawled up Victoria's legs. Had she said something wrong? She was only telling this woman what she wanted to know. If she really meant what she said, she would call off her friend and let her go. Victoria just had to keep cooperating.

"I do not know your monsters," the woman said at last. "Why should the woman hunter? Is there no man in your country who knows?"

"One did. Does. A professor named James. He told me to come find Cora."

At the mention of James, the blue eyes grew bright. Tendrils of fear coiled around Victoria's chest, and her neck ached at the memory of those cruel fingers. She braced herself for another attack, but he remained where he was. Victoria looked back at the woman with new admiration.

"You see?" she said. "He will not hurt you again."

"Thank you," Victoria whispered with a grateful smile.

"So this...professor told you to come to the woman hunter?" the woman asked. Victoria nodded. "What did he tell you of her?"

"She is strong. She kills monsters." Her vision blurred. "But he was wrong. She refused to help me. She doesn't hunt monsters anymore, so she can't help me." She wiped at tears with the back of her hand.

The woman leaned in close. "What did you say? She does not hunt?"

"Not anymore," Victoria said. "She said she stopped. She wants to live in peace. She won't help me." A small sob escaped her lips.

Silence again. Victoria looked up. The red eyes had vanished, but the woman's presence lingered nearby, strong and sinister. The man's blue gaze still floated in the shadows, though it no longer looked her way. Victoria wrapped her arms around herself. The hopelessness of her situation descended like a thick, smothering blanket. She fought against the flood of tears that would, if unleashed, dissolve her into a useless, blubbing mess. Even if she were to die in this place, she would not die weeping.

A sudden breeze swirled through the barn, sending straw fluttering every which way. Victoria's head came up, and her breath caught in her throat.

The two creatures were gone.

Confused, Victoria waited, straining her eyes in the darkness. Seconds passed. The breeze faded away, leaving her in silence. Bracing herself against the wall, she rose on shaky legs. No lights glinted at her from the shadows, no hands reached out to strangle her. Taking a step forward, she paused, listening. Nothing.

Wetting her lips with her tongue, she marshaled her courage. "Hello?" she called, half-cringing. Her voice rang against the walls before fading into the shadows. There was no answer.

Somewhere inside her, a small hope blossomed. She took one step, then another. Her legs stopped shaking. Straw rustled beneath her feet as she began walking faster, her eyes sweeping the empty stalls for any movement. The barn door loomed ahead of her, the great white X painted on it promising an escape from this nightmare.

When Victoria reached the door, she stared up at it for a moment. How had the two creatures managed to leave the barn without opening it? Not that it mattered. Hooking her fingers around an exposed corner, she pulled. The door didn't budge. She pulled again. It swayed slightly in place as the sound of creaking wood drifted down from its runners.

With a grunt of frustration, Victoria shoved in the opposite direction. Metal squealed and groaned as the door shuddered, but it moved. She pushed harder, her toes digging into the rough wood beneath her. Inch by inch, the door slid aside. Fresh air tickled her ankles through the ever-widening gap. The scent of the night sent thrills through her body as the door's momentum started carrying her along. She let herself laugh then, and the stars seemed to share her mirth as they glittered down from their places in the endless sky.

The door reached the end of its rail and jerked to a halt, sending Victoria sprawling. Righting herself, she pulled her dressing gown back down to cover her legs. A patch of moonlight illuminated the straw covering the floor, making the barn's interior far less frightening. Where once had been an abyss of confusion and fear now stood just an old building. Giddy with her newfound freedom, Victoria gave it a quick curtsey before stepping out into the night.

Outside, a scene of quiet desolation awaited her. Wooden fences extended from the walls of the barn to frame a large yard. A wind pump stood at the far end of the enclosure, groaning at the occasional breath of wind. Some distance away, a large house sat on top of a small rise. Victoria's hopes rose when she saw it, and she began walking.

The ground was rough, covered with rocks and short, scrubby plants that poked and scratched at her bare feet. She picked her way across the yard, doing her best to avoid the worst of them. The moonlight helped, but she still put her weight down a few times only to wince and pull her foot back. Her feet ached worse with every misstep. By the time she reached the house, she fully understood why all the locals wore thick leather boots.

The house's windows were dark, but she stepped up to the door and knocked anyway. No answer. She knocked again, calling out for help. The house remained dark, wrapped in a brooding silence.

Uneasiness crept back into Victoria's stomach as she stood on the porch. She felt exposed. Her back was to the barn and the expanse of desert beyond it. Those people or creatures or whatever they were could still be out there, watching her. In the barn, they had disappeared in a gust of wind. They might be able to return the same way. She glanced over her shoulder. Nothing moved behind her, but that didn't mean she was safe. With those things out there somewhere, she was never safe.

Victoria's nerves finally overwhelmed her good manners, and she tried the doorknob. Finding it unlocked, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. The air was just as cold inside even though none of the windows were open. She called out again, her voice ringing in the absolute stillness, but nothing stirred. Spirits sinking, she began exploring the house.

"They are not at home."

Victoria's heart stopped. Her head snapped around. Red eyes gleamed at her.

Without thinking, Victoria sprinted across the room and up the narrow staircase. Darkness enveloped her. At the top, she found a hallway with doors in both walls. Choosing the door on the right, she slammed her body into it. Wood cracked, and the door fell open. A bedroom. She dashed to the sole window and tried to open it. It was sealed. She would have to break it. Something in the room, a chair or a lamp, could do it. She turned from the window to search.

A face looked back at her.

Victoria screamed, jumping backward into the wall. Something was crouched on the bed. It had a human shape, but the face was horribly misshapen. Teeth erupted from its mouth in jagged clumps, mashing together in a tangled mass that poked through the remains of a beard. One eye was missing, torn out by whatever carved the gash that ran from the monster's right temple to its left cheek; the remaining eye regarded her with feral hunger as its teeth clicked together.

The creature placed a hand on the bedpost, edging closer to her. She pressed herself against the wall. Tearing her eyes from the horror, she glanced to her right. The door hung on its hinges at an odd angle, damaged by her violent entrance, but it was still open.

A hiss of air whistled through crooked teeth. Victoria kept the monstrosity in sight as she worked her way toward the door. Its eye watched her progress with a predator's interest, but the creature didn't lunge for her. Instead, it crawled down onto the floor, keeping pace with her. Remains of a shirt and trousers hung from its bones. Powerful legs coiled beneath it, ready to spring.

Another hiss broke Victoria's nerve, and she ran. Her bare feet carried her back into the hall and down the stairs. She could hear the thumping of the creature's limbs on the floor. Reaching the lower level, she risked a quick glance over her shoulder. A grey shape loped along only a few paces behind her. Fresh terror gave her a boost of speed, and she careened through the open front door into the night.

Rocks jabbed at her feet, but she didn't feel them. Small cacti scratched her exposed ankles, but she didn't care. Her lungs burned, her eyes watered, but she kept going. All that mattered was outrunning the thing behind her. She could see the barn ahead of her. Maybe she could hide in there, or find something to fight with, a pitchfork or a shovel. Anything was better than facing it down with nothing but her dressing gown and overcoat.

The barn was close now. Victoria put all her energy into one last sprint. Head down, she rounded the corner and collided with the strange man.

Bouncing back from the impact, Victoria lost her balance and fell. The man stood over her in an instant, boots planted on either side of her chest. His blue eyes burned down at her. Moonlight lit his face, and she saw his features for the first time. Shaggy hair covered his ears and fell in straight locks across his cheeks. A beard, welltrimmed, framed his lips, brushing up beneath his nose. But for his eyes, he looked like an ordinary man, even handsome. Denim trousers and a roughspun, button-up shirt identified him as a local.

"Howdy, darlin."

Victoria dug her palms into the dirt and shoved backward. Rolling onto her stomach, she pulled her legs under her in an effort to double back the way she came. A glance ahead stopped her cold; the creature from the bedroom crouched on all fours, waiting for her. She rose to her feet and turned to face the man. Her hope of escape was gone, but she refused to cower before him a second time.

A grin spread his lips. "You sure ain't hard on the eyes, you know that?" His blue gaze swept up and down her body. "I always do get randy at the sight of a woman in her bed clothes. Guess part of me is still a man."

His laughter made her skin crawl. "Is that why you kidnapped a helpless woman at night?"

"I reckon that had something to do with it," he said, "though hell knows it ain't the only reason. Fact is, it wasn't even my idea."

"Whose was it?"

"Hers," he said. "She ain't bad, but I never go in for no squaws. Ain't natural, if you follow me. You, now, is perfectly natural. Just the sight of you makes me wish I hadn't been turned."

Despite her resolution, Victoria felt herself shrinking away from him. "What do you mean, turned?"'

"Into what I is. I wasn't born this way, you know."

"What are you?"

"A god." He laughed at her look of disgust. "Ain't that hard to believe, is it? After all, you seen for yourself what I can do. Ain't no ordinary man has my strength and speed. I don't got to eat, I don't never get sick or cold, and I ain't never going to die. If that ain't a god, then I don't know what is."

"Enough of your waste, demon." Startled, Victoria turned. The strange woman stood a few feet away. Black hair cascaded down her shoulders in waves, framing a round, broad-nosed face. Even in the moonlight, her eyes still glimmered like an animal's. Her skin was a grey shadow, darker than Victoria's. Simple hide trousers and a tunic covered her body but left her arms bare.

"Who are you?" Victoria asked.

"What matters, Victoria Dawes, is who I am not." Her face betrayed no hint of emotion as she spoke. "I am not your friend, and I am not your enemy. Return to your country with the woman hunter."

"I already told you," Victoria said, "she won't come with me."

"You must force her, then," the woman said, "for your own good. If you do, I will be your friend. If you do not, I will become your enemy."

Victoria swallowed. She hadn't expected this. "Why do you want me to take her with me?"

"You do not need to know. Know only that you must."

"Just like that?" the man said. "No funning or nothing?"

"Yes," the woman replied. "She can be useful."

A glimmer of hope sparked to life somewhere deep in Victoria's being. "So as long as I take Cora Oglesby with me when I depart, you'll let me go free?"

"What if I says no?" the man asked.

The woman regarded him placidly. "You have no word in this, demon. You will do as I say."

Blue eyes blazing, the man stepped forward. "I ain't about to let no squaw tell me what to do."

"You will," she replied. "You will also take Victoria Dawes back to the white town, and you will not harm her in any way."

They glared at one another, inhuman eyes locked in a battle of will. Victoria could almost see the tension stretching from eye to eye, flickering and flashing in the moonlight. She gave brief thought to the idea of using the opportunity to flee, but a hiss from the creature behind her made her reconsider. Another glance at it made her stomach lurch, and she looked down at her bare toes instead.

The man was the first to break, his eyes blinking as he drew in a breath. His gaze dropped to his boots and he gave a single nod. The Indian woman showed no outward sign of triumph or relief as she turned back to Victoria. "He will take you back to the white town."