Better Off Dead (16 page)

“Grip belaw the guard an’ take hauld ah the pommel.”

“What’s the pommel?” I asked with no ounce of apology. Instead, I held his gaze and narrowed my eyes, while holding my chin higher.

“The boottom ah the sword,” he whispered.

I did as he instructed before facing him with tight, dry lips. “Now what?”

“Usin’ yer left hain, grip the sword tightly wi’ yer ring, middle an’ yer wee finga.”

I figured he meant my pinky. As he examined my grip, he nodded before approaching me again. This time, he yanked on the bottom of my shirt before lifting it. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” I demanded, moving away from him.

He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me toward him again. “As Ah am yer tutor, ye will pay meh the decency ah trustin’ me
h.” Glaring at me until I nodded, he reached for my shirt again and lifted it up to expose my midriff. He swiped his index finger across my waist and settled it right on top of my belly button. I didn’t know if the goose bumps were from the chill in the air or his touch.

“Hauld yer sword sae that the pommel is jist above yer billy bootton,” he said while placing his index finger on my belly button,
apparently in case I forgot where it was. With his stern gaze on me again, he continued. “Ne'er rest the sword oan yer stomach an’ always point the tip atween yer sternum an’ froat.” He tilted the sword so the point was “atween” my sternum and “froat.”

“When strikin’, stab at the sky, bringin’ yer left hain up past yer eye,” he said as he backed up a few paces. Hefting his enormous sword, he enacted what he’d just told me. I was grateful he used body language to show me what he meant, considering half the time I didn’t understand a word he was saying. “Then come doon, usin’ yer reit hain tae guide the blade an’ usin’ yer left hain tae set the force in tae the blade.” He brought his sword down, slicing the air. Then he set it on the ground again and faced me. “The reit hain shoods be yer axis point.”

I didn’t budge in my stance and my fingers were still wrapped around the sword’s grip with the blade awfully close to my “froat.”

“Noow ye try, Besom,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest, ready to judge my every move.

I nodded and tried to remember his instructions. Lifting the sword up past my eye, I came back down, and hoped my right hand did most of the work. Thinking I was rather adept with my move, I eyed Tallis with a large grin. “How was that?”

He shook his head. “Ah’ve seen wee bairns dae better.” The smile dropped right off my face but I wasn’t given any option to respond. “Never min
e that noow though. Noow we foocus oan the fitwork. Put yer left fit behin’ yer reit fit an’ stain oan the ball ah yer left fit.” I tried the fancy footwork and nearly toppled over. “Keep yer balance, lass!” Hitler ordered.

“I’m trying to!” I snapped back at him.

“When ye strike, ye push wif yer left fit, slidin’ yer reit fit oan the ground an’ raise yer sword like this.” Pushing back with his left foot, he slid his right foot along the ground while raising his sword. With no other options, I tried to follow suit, but the incredible weight of the sword, combined with my own wobbly balance didn’t manage to impress Stalin.

He quickly barked the next set of orders, acting them out in perfect harmony. “Noow bring yer left fit back intae position an’ strike!” He stressed the last word and then glared at me when I made no motion to imitate him. “Dinnae stan’ there like a
h stookie!” he railed. I hastily moved my left foot back and lurched out with my sword, managing to demonstrate the perfect face plant. Luckily, the sword fell first and I only ended up with a face full of dirt instead of steel blade.

Tallis offered his hand and I accepted it. Pulling me onto my feet, he wore the expression of disappointment. After fully regaining my balance, he simply shook his head. “Thenk goodness fur yer bonnie face, lass.”

I figured he meant without it, I wouldn’t be worth my weight in feathers. I frowned and dusted myself off before standing up to my full five foot eight inches. “Let me remind you, Mussolini, that this was my first time handling a sword!”

Tallis continued to glare at me, but seconds later, he burst into raucous laughter. He shook his head, hoisting his sword over his shoulder
then did the same with mine. He turned and started for his ramshackle home as the nascent sun began to ascend.

“Mussolini!” he repeated with another loud chuckle and another shake of his head.

“I entered on the deep and savage way.”

—
   
Dante’s
Inferno

Nine

I had no idea where Tallis disappeared for the rest of the day. After seeing him early in the morning, when we returned from our unsuccessful sword lesson, he more or less vanished. I imagined the Grevels had gone with him as they were also nowhere to be found. Tallis had taken both my sword and his, but I spotted four discarded swords behind the cabin so I stayed busy by practicing his instructions on how to grip a sword while wielding it. Although I preferred having privacy while I practiced, Bill insisted on watching me.
And, yes, he more than adequately filled the role of the peanut gallery, as expected.

T
he sun dropped from the sky and night stretched her cloak of darkness, I finished my practicing for the day and headed inside with Bill at my heels. Tallis had left his cabin unlocked so we made ourselves comfortable. After Bill made a roaring fire, I heated up a potful of water. When it was hot enough, I took the pot off the fire and demanded Bill go outside so I could give myself a full body wipe down. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d bathed, but I wasn’t about to go traipsing through the haunted woods in search of a stream or lake to wash in. Nope, it was better to be dirty than dead.

“Dude, I’m tired of being
a soap dodger,” Bill said after I opened the door and allowed him back inside again. With a frown, he reached for the pot of hot water I’d heated up for him. Without saying anything, I offered him an understanding smile, handing him a two-foot wad of muslin I’d found wedged in the corner of the house. I’d used the other half to wash and dry myself. Bill reluctantly accepted the piece of material with a frown, but opened the front door of the cabin, and closed it behind him.

A few minutes later, the door opened again and I was about to reprimand Bill for not washing himself thoroughly enough when I recognized Tallis. Glancing at me as I sat on the floor in front of the fire, he merely nodded quickly in greeting. I knew better than to ask him where he
’d been all day. Instead, I watched him deposit a large sack he was carrying onto the ground.

“Whaur is th
’ angel?” he asked.

I inclined my head to the door. “He’s in the back, washing up.”

Tallis nodded. “We leave tonight.”

My eyes widened involuntarily. “We leave for where tonight?”

“Tae the river,” he answered, walking to the far corner of the small room, where he shifted the table to the side, along with the makeshift chair. He leaned down and opened the top of a roughly hewn pine box that resided just below the table. He fished inside it until he procured a small sack. Shaking the sack, the sound of coins jingled through the velvety material. Then he looked over his shoulder at me. “Donnae fink tae steal frae meh.”

“Really?” I asked angrily, shaking my head as I wondered if it was even possible for Tallis Black to be any more disagreeable. “As if I would steal from you!”

Without another word, he turned back to sorting through the box as I stood up and started for the door. I was already fed up with him even though we’d only been in one another’s company for a matter of minutes.

“Lass, Ah didnae mean tae offend ye.”

I paused, but kept my hand on the doorknob. “Well, whether you meant to or not, you’re really getting good at it.”

“Ah dinnae belie
f ye woods steal frae me.”

I figured that was as close to an apology as I would get. And the truth was that I was more than curious about the river we were bound for. It was better to focus on Tallis’s plan moving forward. Yep, g
etting offended wouldn’t help anybody. “What river are you talking about?”

I couldn’t help my eyes as they fell from his head to… his forearms. As soon as I focused on them, I felt my jaw drop open accordingly. He had two serious gashes on both of his arms. The wounds started at his wrists and extended all the way to his elbows. It looked like he’d slit his entire forearms open. There wasn’t any blood, but the flesh was filleted, the gashes maybe a quarter of an inch wide. They were an angry red, and beyond swollen. After witnessing his rapid healing abilities, I didn’t know why these wounds hadn’t already mended themselves.

He noticed me noticing him and frowned at me. I lifted my eyes from his shredded forearms to his face, and watched him narrow his gaze. His expression said in no uncertain terms that he didn’t appreciate prying guests. So I didn’t pry. If he wanted to flog and cut himself, then so be it. That was his business.

“The river Styx,” he offered, in response to my question.

“What?” I asked in shock. “You mean, we’re going to the Underground City… now?”

He nodded as he reached inside the pine box and produced three small daggers. Each one was faded with weathered wooden handles and uneven steel blades that looked hand-chiseled. He put them on the floor beside the sack of what I assumed were coins. “We hae waited lang enaw an’ noo we will mek oor moove.”

“But, but I’m not ready!” I almost screamed as my heart plummeted to my feet. If we went to the Underground now, I was as good as dead. There was no way I could defend myself. “You saw how poorly I used my sword! There’s no way I’m ready yet!”

“Ah received a
h sign that said we moost leave noo,” Tallis said, ignoring my outburst.

“Maybe you didn’t hear me,” I started stiffly. “If I go to the Underground City now, I will die!”

But Tallis didn’t seem overly concerned or concerned at all. Instead, he continued to search through the pine box for God only knew what. “Ah hae taken caur ah it.”

“Taken care of what?” I railed back at him, my heart hammering so hard, I wondered if I was having a heart attack.

“Ever’thin’,” he answered succinctly, placing a handful of what appeared to be fishing hooks beside the daggers.

I was so angry and scared, my hands were shaking. “Look, I know you don’t give a damn about me,” I started, but as soon as the words left my mouth, the anger fueling them dissolved. Instead, I became consumed by an inordinate sense of despondency and terror.

My words finally sparked some interest in him because he stopped rifling through the box and turned to face me, flattering me with his full attention. “I know you don’t care if I live or die,” I continued. “I know I mean nothing to you, and am more of a hindrance than anything else.” My voice wavered as tears flooded my eyes. “But you also don’t understand what I’ve been through and how hard I want to succeed.” I closed my eyes and fisted my hands, digging my nails into my palms to stop myself from crying in front of him. “I have to succeed.” After regaining my composure, I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. “I don’t want to go to Shade.” The mere thought of one hundred years in limbo had my whole stomach turning on itself. “If there is any humanity left in you at all, please don’t make me do this, not yet … not until I’m fully prepared.”

He stared at me for a few seconds with those hollow eyes as I continued resisting the urge to cry. Whatever happened, I didn’t want to show any more weakness than I already had.

There was no expression on his face at all. “As Ah said, Ah hae taken caur ah it.”

I wasn’t prepared for what I did next. My body must have been on autopilot because I didn’t even think about my actions before executing them. I launched myself at him and grabbed his upper arm. He shot to his feet, but I didn’t release him. Instead, I stared up into his face as tears began bleeding down my cheeks. They were not tears of sadness, however, they were tears of outrage. “You cold bastard!” I screamed at him. “I’m not ready to go! I won’t go!”

“Ye will be safe,” he growled, between clenched teeth.

“Safe?!” I yelled at him, shaking my head at the absurdity of it. “How can I be safe if I can’t protect myself?!”

His eyes were angrier than I’d ever seen them. Shoving me away from him, he pushed me so hard, I nearly fell over. I had to support myself on the wall. Before I could respond, he held his forearms out to me, yelling, “Ah ensured yer safety wif mah ain bluid!”

I was speechless for a few seconds as my eyes returned to the gashes down his forearms. Completely bewildered, I stared into the void of his eyes. “I don’t understand,” I
admitted softly, hot tears still rolling down my cheeks.

He dropped his arms and returned to the pine box, kneeling down again,
and refusing to look at me. “Ah bathed yer sword in mah bluid.”

“Why?” I whispered. I suddenly had the urge to reach out to him and apologize, but I knew better. He was like a feral animal.

“’Twas the oonly way ta ensure yer safety.”

“How would that,” I started.

“Druid magic,” he interrupted. Before I could further interrogate him, the door opened to reveal Bill in the entryway. His mouth was open as if he wanted to say something, but when his eyes settled on me, his eyebrows knitted in the middle and an angry grimace captured his entire face.

“Why is she cryin’, you son of a bitch?” he yelled at Tallis. Tallis immediately stood up and glared at the much smaller man. “What did you do to her, dammit?” demanded the angel.

“Naethin’.”

“Nothing, Bill,” I said, holding my hands up in submission. “It’s okay. He didn’t do anything to me.”

“Then why are you crying?” Bill asked, his anger still evident as he continued spearing Tallis with his glare.

“It’s a long story,” I answered as another round of tears fell from my eyes. I must have been experiencing an emotional breakdown after enduring so much in the last … I didn’t even know how long. When Bill threw his arms around me, I realized how much I needed the consolation, and dropped my head on his
shoulder.

“Listen to me good, Black,” Bill started, anger tainting e
ach word. “You ever make her cry again an’ you’ll have me ta deal with! Capiche?”

“Aye,” Tallis said in a monotone.

It wasn’t much of a threat, especially since Tallis could grind Bill into mincemeat in two seconds flat, but I appreciated his intentions all the same. “Thank you,” I whispered as he nodded and held me tighter, even leaving a kiss on the top of my head.

“No one messes with my nerdlet.”

***

We trudged through the snow in complete silence. Tallis led the way, with Bill and me two paces behind him. As I’d expected, the forest floor swallowed our tracks as soon as we lifted our feet.

I found my attention settling on Tallis’s broad back as I watched him carve the way through the forest. He wove this way and that, back and forth through the endless trees. The reflection of moonlight on his black hair made it look so glossy, it almost seemed liquid. For once, he wore more than just a kilt—a black T-shirt and boots. The boots looked like he’d turned an animal pelt inside out and stitched it into the shape of two socks.

The large sack he’d brought with him into the cabin was now securely fastened to his back, looking like the ancient relative of the backpack, and it was full to the brim. Above that, he’d fastened a silver, oval shield that was really quite beautiful. The moonlight made the raised circles and diamond patterns stand out until they almost looked like jewels. Both my sword and his were in their scabbards, strapped across his chest. The gashes in his forearms were still visible although the cuts seemed a little less crimson than before, and his flesh didn’t look quite as swollen. I still didn’t know why he’d made himself bleed, or what his blood on my sword meant. How could bathing my sword in his blood protect me in the Underground? I chalked it up as one of those mysteries which might never be solved. I only hoped that whatever lengths he’d gone to wouldn’t be for naught.

As our footsteps brought us ever closer to the Underground City, my nerves were more than present and accounted for. My heart beat frantically and a solid lump of angst was rapidly forming in the pit of my stomach. I assumed Bill felt the same thing because he was strangely quiet for once. The only sounds were our footfalls crunching on the snow.

“Wait!
” I blurted, my heart lurching into my throat as I came to an abrupt halt. Bill faced me curiously, but Tallis never broke pace. I looked at Bill, my eyes wide. “I forgot the book!” I admitted, aghast. “I forgot Dante’s
Inferno
in the car!”