Conway's Curse (5 page)

Despite
the obvious fear playing across his face, Conway blushed when Tion and Kail came downstairs. “Gee, guys, I’m sorry.”

Tion waved the sentiment away. “Never mind that, what about the woof?”

Conway nodded to a cluster of men sitting around a table near the fireplace. “The big one found a body this morning. He says it was the work of the woof.”

“How does he know that?” Kail demanded.

“Because the man’s face was missing.”

Tion saw Kail shudder and moved to stand closer. “Who was it, Conway?”

“Tildie’s husband, Tick. They’ve been together forever.”

Tion nodded. “Where is she now?”

“Em took her upstairs. She screamed when she heard the news.”

“We heard,” Kail said, and his eyes flashed. “What are they gonna do about it?”

Conway shook his head. “Nothing we can do, except stay out of the forest until the moon is bright again.”

“What do you mean, ‘we’?” Kail snapped. We’re just passing through, remember?”

Tion touched his partner’s arm, sliding his hand against the fine hairs and smoothing them down again. “Kail, he thinks we’re trapped here.”

“Why? We travel during the day and hole up at night. What’s the big deal?” Kail’s voice rose as he shouted.

Conway winced, but he held his gaze steady. “Kail, Tick was alive this morning when Tildie came to open the kitchen. He was milking their cow when she left.”

“But you said… I thought… Marvin….” Kail seemed to deflate as understanding broke the dam of his resolve. “That’s not normal, is it? Normal for a woof, I mean?”

“No, lad.” Marvin came from behind them carrying a tray and pitcher. “In all the months since the woof came to plague us, it only hunted for three dark nights, and never anywhere but in the forest, until now.” He gestured with his tray toward the table, sloshing ale from his pitcher and splashing Kail’s head. “Come sit with us. Maybe you c’n add a bit to the discussion, bein’ magical creatures an’ all.”

Kail snorted. “The Oaf here is more magical than me, and he doesn't even believe it,” he said, mopping the dripping ale from his face and licking his fingers. He followed Marvin and sat down, a small angry sprite dwarfed by large humans. Except that Tion also knew he was a small frightened sprite, and his heart swelled for his partner’s bravery.

“I hope I find somebody like that someday.”

Tion started, shaken from his reverie by Conway’s comment. “Somebody like what?”

“Somebody who looks at me that way you look at him,” Conway said, tipping his head toward Kail.

Tion grinned. “He’s pretty damn special, despite his faults.” He gave Conway a one-armed hug and added, “So are you, you know. You’ll find someone someday, I know it.”

Conway looked down at Tion, his face a mixture of fear, embarrassment, and sadness. “I hope so, Tion. I hope we live that long.”

“It’s the
woof! It’s the woof!”

The discussion around the table fell away to silence when a tow-headed human boy threw open the door of the inn and shouted. Bright sunlight streamed in around him, filling the room as he stood just outside the threshold.

“What are you on about, Aaron?” A beefy man half stood to glare at the boy. “Your papa is gonna tan your hide for telling woof tales again.”

“No, honest, Mr. Fribblehoff! Papa said to come get you, but yer Missus said you were here, and I can’t come in because I’m not old enough.”

Marvin gestured for the boy. “Get on in here, Aaron. We’ll make an exception this time, but if this is another one of your stories….” His fierce scowl gave the implied threat enough weight to make the boy tremble indecisively.

“Honestly! It’s times like this I’m glad we’ve no more childer of our own,” Em said, bustling in from the kitchen and taking the boy’s hand. “Stop beatin’ on him, Marvin. Can’t you see he’s afraid?” She led the boy over to a bench beside the fireplace, snatching a couple of scones and glaring at her husband as she passed the table. “Here now, Aaron. You get yourself on the outside of these and tell us all about it.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Aaron said, shaking his head, “but I have to find the butcher too. Papa wants him to look at something he found.”

“I’m right here, boy.” A skinny fellow stood up from the table. “What does he want me to see?”

“I dunno, sir. Papa found it floating in the mill stream.” Aaron bit into a scone. “I think he’s hoping you could tell what it is,” he said around a mouthful of crumbs.

“And he thinks the woof had something to do with it?”

Aaron nodded, wide-eyed. “I think it’s part of an arm, but Papa yelled at me to get going so I didn’t get a real good look.”

Em gasped, and the butcher blanched. The rest of the men stood up, alarmed.

Kail struggled out from between the forest of bodies. “Are you sure, kid?”

Aaron nodded again, still wide-eyed.

“That settles it, then,” Marvin said. “Em, you go around the square and see if anybody’s missin’. We’ll take Aaron here back home wit’ us.” He looked at Conway. “I can’t ask it of ya, being a guest and all, but I’d be happy to know you’d go with her, make sure she’s safe an’ such.”

Conway glanced at Tion, who nodded. “Of course.” He lifted the heavy frying pan from its peg. “Just in case,” he said.

As the men clustered and filed out the door, Marvin turned to Kail. “You two coming? Bein’ magical and all, I mean?”

Kail scowled. “You keep saying that, don’t you.” He turned to find his partner standing behind him. “Tee?”

“Behind you all the way, lad. Let’s go.”

Kail nodded and followed Marvin out the door. Tion paused at the door long enough to look at Conway. “Keep the missus safe, Conway. I’m counting on you.”

Conway straightened his shoulders and hefted the skillet. “I’m on it.”

“Good man.” Tion ran to catch up with Kail.

Tion
winced at the sound of a bare hand paddling boy butt as he and Kail exited the small dooryard of the Miller’s cottage and followed Marvin and the village men along the path leading to the square.

“Stupid kid,” Kail muttered. “That was no arm.”

“Obviously,” Tion replied, unaccountably irritated by his partner’s callousness. “But don’t you think that at a glance an imaginative boy might see it that way?”

Kail chuckled. “Sounds like his father’ll take care of his imagination.” Aaron’s wails were still clearly audible. “Kids,” he added, shaking his head.

Tion punched Kail’s arm, not lightly.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“For being an insensitive jerk!” Tion said.

“Me? I’m just minding my own business, walking along, and all of a sudden you slug me. Where’s your sensitivity, mister?”

Martin looked back over his shoulder at the bickering sprites. “Do I have to separate you two?”

Whatever reply the sprites might have made was overwhelmed by a loud crashing through the underbrush, followed by very human shouts of fear and pain. The villagers scattered like quail as something huge and hairy charged through them, knocking men aside with left and right swipes of its head as it thundered across the path. The limp body of a man Tion identified as the tanner flew through the air and landed on Kail, crushing him to the ground as easily as he might have crushed a flower.

“Kail!” Tion shouted, running to his partner’s side. “Kail, get up!” He tugged at the sprite’s arm, then gave up and began pushing at the dead weight of the human instead, trying to roll the body over. Kail groaned, and the sound was lost amidst the dwindling shouts and screams as the villagers scattered through the trees, every man for himself.

Tion pushed the tanner’s body over and bent to pull Kail to his feet. “Get up, Kail,” he hissed. “We have to get out of here!” As he straightened, drawing Kail to his feet, he saw the woof clearly for the first time.

It had stopped chasing villagers and stood in the middle of the path, swinging its head from side to side as though satisfied with the carnage it had caused. Huge shoulders dwarfed small hindquarters and supported a head easily as large as the sprites. Croggled teeth dripped foam and blood, and its elongated snout sniffed the air. Dank, shaggy fur swung as it turned in a slow circle, and Tion watched, horrified, as it carelessly flipped one of the village men over onto his back. The man’s single scream was cut off as the woof casually opened its mouth and bit his face off.

“Oh shit.” Kail’s voice was lifeless and defeated as he clutched at Tion. “I guess that really was an arm after all. Stupid kid.”

Tion nodded wordlessly, unable to tear his eyes away as the beast lifted its muzzle and howled at the sky. It lowered its head and licked the blood from its chops, and Tion clearly saw its hackles raise as it sniffed the air again. Slowly it turned its great head and stared directly at him. Malevolent red fire dripped from the woof’s eyes as it advanced on the sprites. Tiny licks of flame flared and died where the drips struck the ground. Tion saw the muscles of its shoulders flex and tighten as the woof paused and crouched, getting ready to pounce.

“I love you, Kail,” Tion said just as the beast sprang frighteningly high into the air. He pushed Kail away, hard, scant seconds before the animal could crash down upon them both.

“
Hold!
”

The word was impossibly loud, and Tion clapped his hands over his ears to block out the sound. Only then did he realize he
could
clap his hands over his ears, and he opened his eyes cautiously, more than a little surprised he wasn’t seeing the world from the inside of a ravening woof.

“By the gods, boy, get your ass in gear! I can’t hold this fecking thing much longer!”

Startled, Tion turned to see a ragged-looking man holding his hands out before him. Blue light speared out from his palms and coalesced to a point above his head. He looked up to see the woof, caught as if frozen in blue ice directly above him. A single drop of malevolent red fire splashed his shoulder, and he yelped and ran.

“Tion!” Kail cried out, and Tion pivoted toward the sound of his voice. He crouched beside Kail, and together they watched as the man raised his hands, sweat pouring from his face in rivers, and the huge woof rose higher into the air. Sharply, the man dropped his arms, and the woof followed. The icy blue light shattered as the woof crashed headfirst into the ground. Its rigid body sagged bonelessly, and the red fire in its eyes extinguished.

The man staggered, recovered his footing, and turned to the sprites as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “Come on, boys. It won’t be dazed for long.” He moved stiffly toward the sprites and held out his hand. “We have to be long gone before it wakes.”