The Gift of Volkeye (43 page)

Zynathian heard the last name and nearly choked. He’d known since the moment he’d laid eyes on him, for this man favoured Drakys far too much to not have been related!

“S’posed to have inherited his father’s money as a boy when he died. Rumour is that the luxurious castle he lives in ain’t enough for ‘em…he wants the entire world to kneel at his feet, he does! They say he has his way with women whenever and however he pleases…kills at will, takes what he wants and discards his employees as if they were rags…or so I’ve heard. But me don’t buy that crap. It sounds like a bit of urban legend ta’ me. Ain’t nobody that could take himself that damn serious,” Maugrimm mocked. However, he now wondered, as right before his very eyes he saw a man fighting for his life in defense of his wife.

“Don’t be so sure, Maugrimm. I complained about him to the market manager, and he insisted that I pursue the issue no further, as this
Phyllamon
, I think he’s called, apparently has the head of the local authorities in his pocket—a bloke, named ‘Vlajdimir.’ Word around here is that this is uncharted land that we’re on right now. No one owns it, and yet this Phyllamon has the nerve to ask Nigel, our manager, to pay rent for our three-month stay here…a nefarious price at that! Nigel tried to fight it, but Phyllamon came back the next day with all his cronies.”

Zynathian was more aghast with each detail of Ya Minj’s story, looking upon Phyllamon with utter disgust. He knew then that one day he’d probably have to kill him, just like his father. He listened intently as Ya Minj continued her tale.

“I suspect they did things with Nigel’s daughter, Reena, as I haven’t seen her around, and the market doctor has been visiting their tent several times daily. No one knows her condition, but most of us think it’s grave, because Nigel is defensive about questions regarding her. Also, he’s become a recluse as of late…day by day, he looks like he’s ever closer to taking a razor to his wrists!”

“What?! Where is this girl, I must see to her!” Zynathian said, his face boiling red with fury. Ya Minj got the desired reaction from him. Knowing that she was soon to leave the market life behind forever, she thought that she might do some good first.

“I’ll take you to her,” she said.

“Wait a minute!” Maugrimm bellowed, taking an instant hatred for Phyllamon just as Zynathian had. “How old is this girl?”

“Twelve.”

“WHAT?!” Maugrimm’s nostrils flared as he looked at all the people reveling with joy at the hideous spectacle. Though he was typically and easygoing type, the injustice provoked him. Maugrimm barged forward, going to the man’s aid. Zynathian followed.

Meanwhile, Anup (the husband), was trying to hold back as long as he could, as he didn’t want to kill anyone. However, he was a born fighter and retired military officer and would do exactly that if it came to it. Anup came down on one of the striped thing’s kneecaps. The beast lay howling.

Seeing this, the other raced in and grabbed Anup’s throat. Even though these two could be hurt as easily as humans, they still had twice a man’s physical strength. Anup’s eyes bulged as his black skin turned purple with the veins pulsing at his temples. The beast was squeezing the life from him. This was it. Kill, or be killed.
As Anup reached for his gun at his waist, he heard his wife intervene.

There was a jarring noise, and then heat whizzed by Anup’s face. The next thing he knew,
a cavity opened in the midsection of his adversary. The beast let go of him and staggered on its feet, but then Anup leapt up and put an elbow in its temple, sending him to the ground.

The market shoppers
had now begun to run wildly in all directions, trying to escape the killer, who was brandishing a magnificent, oak-handled laser pistol. Zynathian and Maugrimm were slowed by all the action. They stood in place, watching the madhouse around them. Zynathian thought to run to the man’s wife; afraid she might be trampled to death in all of the chaos. However, he was shocked to find that she could take care of herself—the gunshot had been hers!

She aimed the weapon at Phyllamon. Its shiny chrome body mirrored a sea of injured people, trampling each other. The woman’s arm was steady and calm, despite her surroundings. Zynathian was astounded at such poise from a pregnant woman! He was aware of her condition by the maternity clothing and the slight rounding of her midsection, indicating that she was about three or four months along. Though it would pain him later to recall such a thing entering his mind at this chaotic time, Zynathian couldn’t help but notice her striking features. She was a racially mixed black woman with skin as smooth as the fairest marble, though her pleasant visage was currently marred by a scowl of fury. Zynathian hoped that she’d blow Phyllamon’s head off before she made away, sparing him the task in the future.

Phyllamon was rigid, murmuring something to his bodyguards. Zynathian guessed that he must’ve been telling them not to move, as the man and his wife had proven that they were not to be played with. The couple slowly backed away, laser pistols still aimed ahead. Anup took hold of his wife’s hand and suddenly disappeared into the crowd.

Well, that’s over with…I’ll deal with you later, Phyllamon!
Zynathian thought. He ran back to Ya Minj’s side. It was time to seek out the little girl, Reena.

Maugrimm, however, had a one track mind when it came to certain things, and as far as he was concerned, he still had unfinished business. Never one to ask questions whenever he saw such injustice, he felt not a shred of guilt as his steps became a slight jog, and he delivered a running punch into the face of Phyllamon’s smallest underling. Its body spun backwards in two complete circles before it demolished a nearby display of pottery, crushing the table, pots, and pans.

When Maugrimm turned around, he found the other four had begun to circle him. He quickly noted that they were nearly as broad and muscular as he.

This here is gonna’ be a serious fight!
Maugrimm thought.

“Destroy him!” Phyllamon ordered.

They pounced Maugrimm. The five monstrosities wove themselves in a web of leather tents as they frolicked around the dirt ground. People had gone even crazier, trying to evade the rolling mountain of flesh and muscle. One now had Maugrimm from behind, locking his arms, whilst its comrades pummeled his midsection. After taking several of these blows (from which Maugrimm spat up blood), he heaved all his weight on the creature behind and impaled it with his back-spikes. He then got up and snatched the creature from off his bloodstained back and swung him with all his might. With a single blow, Maugrimm knocked another before him dead. Its neck was broken as the other beast’s heel caught him in the back of the head.

Mawg grit his teeth at the remaining two, who stood in an offensive stance, unfazed by their depleted number. As a tiny drop of blood fell from his mouth, he couldn’t help but crack a slight smile at them, impressed by their physical competence with the
Art of Scrapping
, as he called it. Eager to see what else they had in store, he addressed them.

“Come on, you ball-jugglin’ Nancy boys…bring it!”

He raised his fists, and the battle ensued. Maugrimm caught one punch in the jaw and another in his side, but landed his own blow square in the chest of the one before him. The creature lost his wind, staggering backwards, and Maugrimm took advantage. Ignoring the fact that he was being bludgeoned from behind, he rushed forward and rammed the point of his elbow into the beast’s face as hard as he could. The bones crushed and made a slightly concave indentation in his face. The creature fell backward with blood seeping heavily from the wound. He was no more.

Maugrimm whirled around and saw that the other had found himself a weapon. A sharp metal post (used as a support for one of the tents they had demolished) was coming straight for him. With agility that seemed quite unnatural for a creature his size, Maugrimm quickly parried with his forearm and caught the spear in the middle, yanking it away from the beast. It went somersaulting into the distance.

Disappointed, as he thought it would’ve been more of a fight, Maugrimm went over and impaled the creature. The beast attempted to pull the spear out of its stomach, but the gesture was pointless, as Maugrimm had secured him firmly to the ground, ramming the post in three feet deep. Just before he died, the creature noticed that the very first of them (he that Maugrimm knocked into the pottery table) was coming to. Maugrimm noticed as well, and he would’ve let him be did he not just have a vision of the young raped girl, Reena.

Maugrimm went to the beast and lifted him overhead, carrying him to the tent spike. He then looked down into the near-lifeless eyes of the impaled creature.

“Brought ya’ sum’ company,” he said, stabbing the other through the back.

The beast stared with disbelief as he saw his body sliding down the steel spear, smearing it with blood. He marked Maugrimm with furious eyes as he touched down, feeling his comrade’s lifeless body beneath him. Wheezing and choking on blood, he struggled to free himself.

“Oh no ya’ don’t, matey!”

Maugrimm bent the spear, stabbing the other end into the earth, forming an awkward ‘U’ shape. Though he didn’t laugh at what he’d done, the view was quite comical, Mawg thought. It seemed as if these two had met their end playing a dangerous game of
“Horseshoe,” mortally wounded by a shoe gone wrong!

He looked around at the horrified people, gazing at him:
the killer beast, that’d gone mad and started impaling people!
Paying it no mind, he focused his attention on Phyllamon, who’d just escaped though a long slit in the side of the market tent.

“Ah, ya’ little cowardly shit! You ain’t gettin’ away!”

Maugrimm took off running.

3

“Oh no,” Zynathian whispered in horror as he looked down at a ghastly pale little girl.

Her face was sweaty, and the rest of her skin had a cold and sticky feel to it, which was a terrible sign.
My god, this is what a dead person feels like!
he thought, observing the girl’s violent shiver. He knew she didn’t have long.

“How long has she been this way?” Zynathian asked the rudimentary physician.

“For over a week. However, her situation worsened within the last couple of days…that’s when the shiver started.” He sunk his head in remorse. “I don’t know what it means.”

“It
means
she’s dying!” Zynathian roared.

“So what can I do?”

“Nothing…I’ll handle this,” Zynathian said, looking to the girl’s father. “Nigel, right? …I need you to let me take her home.”

“Then I go as well,” Nigel answered with tears spilling down his face.”

“Of course…but, on your honour, I need you to swear that you’ll keep me and all that you witness a secret,” Zynathian said.

“You have my word…just save her. Reena is all I have.”

Zynathian turned a knob on a nearby oil lamp, resting next to Reena’s mattress. Now that he had more light, he wanted to see the extent of the damage. Though he knew time was of the essence, Zynathian kept his manners.

“Reena…I need to examine your body. I assure you I’m not here to violate you, but I must know what I’m dealing with, dear,” he whispered.

Though she appeared to not be coherent at all, Zynathian noticed a slight flutter in her eyes, knowing that he’d been granted permission. Again, he was taken with fury as he pulled back the blanket covering her. Zynathian growled at what he saw.

My god…she’s been split open!
he thought, as he viewed Reena’s genitalia. There were long jagged rips around the opening, giving the impression that a bomb had gone off within.
No human penis is capable of such damage! It had to be…

He gasped in anger, knowing. As he caught the odour of Reena’s infected wounds, he thought of Phyllamon’s minions. Zynathian turned to face Ya Minj with his eyes in murderous squints.

“I hope Maugrimm kills them!” he said to his crying fiancé, who was standing off to the side, silenced by the horrors before her.

Zynathian threw the blanket back over Reena and scooped her up. “We leave now. There’s no time to pack…take only the most important things.”

“Understood,” Nigel said and then added, “I need nothing but the clothes on my back, but if you need my assistance, Ya Minj, your wish is my command. I am in debt to you for being concerned for my daughter.”

“I appreciate it, Nigel. Run to my tent, and you’ll see a strange metal…
person
…resting beneath my blankets. Her name is ‘Marcia.’ Tell her that, on my order, she is to come with you. She’ll know that you’re sincere, for only I could’ve told you her name. Grab my winter coat, and wrap her in it so that no one sees. Don’t bother with anything else, just hurry back!”

Puzzled, Nigel put
his confusion aside and rushed from the tent. Moments later he rejoined Ya Minj and Zynathian, carrying an expression of utter bewilderment.

“I know…she’s amazing isn’t she?” Ya Minj said.

“And she talks!” Nigel said, staring down at the bulky winter coat in his arms.

A soft voice came from within. “Mistress, are we leaving this place?”

“We’re leaving for good, but I need you to keep your voice down until we’re on route to Zynathian’s house.”