Undaunted, Eli stopped at the foot of the great bear’s slope and dropped a deep, formal bow. “Greetings, Gredit, eldest of all bears,” he said solemnly. “I am Eli Monpress, and I come before you to beg a boon for one of your—”
“I know who you are.”
Nico winced at the bear’s voice. It was deep enough to shake the stone below her feet, and full of anger.
Eli glanced up from his bow, and the bear gave him a nasty sneer.
“So,” Gredit rumbled. “The white bitch’s favorite has come to ask a boon from me. This is quite the turn.”
“Not for myself,” Eli said quickly. “I would never dream of troubling you for my own benefit. I’m here on behalf of our dear, mutual friend, Heinricht Slorn.”
The bear’s eyes, black and cloudy silver, narrowed. “And what would Slorn want of a lapdog like you?”
“He hasn’t had the chance to tell me,” Eli said, straightening up. “He’s gone missing.”
The bear made a horrible sound, like a growling cough, and it took Nico a terrifying moment to realize he was laughing.
“Now it comes together,” the bear said, still chuckling. “You want me to tell you where he is.”
“You are the Great Spirit of the northern bears,” Eli said simply. “It
is
within your power.”
“And what would a human know of my power?” the bear said. “We bears have been here as long as the mountains themselves, as long as the winds in the sky. What would you know of that?”
“Nothing at all,” Eli said. “But I’m not here for history. I’m here to learn what I need to know to save a friend. A
mutual
friend, unless I am sadly mistaken.”
Gredit gave him a long look. “We honor Slorn. Of all your kind, he was the only one who used your unnatural power over spirits to help us. But”—the bear growled at Eli’s growing smile—“that gratitude does not extend to you, little favorite.” The bear leaned back on his throne of crumbled boulders. “If you want our help, you’ll first have to prove what you are.”
“But you already know me,” Eli said. “You interrupted me to make that much clear.”
“Oh, I know you,” the bear said. “I’m no blind fool like your lot. But I want to see the proof for myself.” Gredit bared his teeth. “Show me her mark, or get out.”
Eli took a deep, frustrated breath. “Surely there’s another—”
A chorus of deep growls from all over the cave cut him off. Eli looked around with a grimace. “All right,” he said, shaking his head. “Get a good look. I’m only doing this once.”
Eli closed his eyes, and Nico gasped as a tremendous pressure swept over her, making every hair on her body stand on end. She wasn’t alone. All around them, the bears began to shuffle, grumbling and keening. The thief, however, stood perfectly still, feet spread, eyes closed, his face calm and untroubled as the pressure mounted. After a few seconds Nico could barely move, and yet, for some reason, she wasn’t afraid. There was something comforting about the pressure, something warm and familiar. And then she realized what was happening. Eli had opened his spirit. The pressure, the hot feel of familiarity pressing
on her skin; it was Eli’s soul flung wide. Now that she knew what it was, she could almost feel its shape in the air. Eli’s soul filled the room, spreading in all directions, and everywhere it touched, spirits woke.
Even Josef saw it. He stood beside her, blades in hand, watching in amazement as the bears trembled. Trembled, and began to bow. And it wasn’t just the bears. All around them, the world was paying homage. The breeze from the mouth of the cave stilled. The stones rearranged themselves, tilting down and whispering obedience. Everything, from the lichen on the cave roof to the dirt on the floor, bowed down when Eli’s spirit touched it, and though Nico did not understand why, she could feel it too. Deep inside, deeper even than the demonseed, something called for her to show obedience. The urge was so strong that she found her eyes had lowered without her knowing, and try as she might, she could not raise them again.
Of every spirit in the room, only the great bear seemed unaffected. He watched from his throne, his massive head rested on one oversized paw, perfectly still, even as the stone he sat on fought to bow down. Just before the force became unbearable, he raised his head. “Enough.”
Eli’s eyes opened and the pressure vanished. All around the cave, bears pushed back to their feet. A few began to growl, but most stayed silent, their dark eyes fixed on Eli, their haunches lowered reverently.
Up on his seat, the great bear sighed. “I see the mark of the favorite is as powerful as ever. The Shepherdess’s touch is laid strong on you. How strange, then, that she would let such a bright treasure run around loose.”
“I’m no treasure,” Eli said. “I am myself and no other.
Now”—he folded his arms over his chest—“I’ve done as you asked. Tell me where Slorn is.”
The bear laughed. “Your display may have awed my children. They are too young to see past the Shepherdess’s glamors. I, however, am too old to be much impressed with such theatrics. I have seen many favorites, after all.”
“Then why did you make me do it?” Eli’s voice was angrier than Nico had heard it in a long time.
“To get her attention,” the bear answered, growling so low the stone vibrated under their feet. “She may let you run wild through her creation, but I’d bet my fur she’s always got an eye on you. After that display, I know for certain she’s watching very closely. Good. I want her to hear what I have to say.”
He eyed Eli hungrily. “I am the lord of bears, favorite. It is my purpose to protect my children. I feel every creature of my blood as though they were my own flesh, and I protect them with tooth and claw. So it has always been since before the Powers were born. Before the Shepherdess or the Weaver or the Hunter. Yet, look at me.” He ran his paw across his silvered coat. “For the first time since the beginning of creation, I grow old and weak. My sight dims and my claws grow dull. I fear I am dying.” The bear drew a deep breath. “I do not expect a human to understand. Your kind die like flies. But I am no mere flesh creature. Of all Great Spirits, I am one of the oldest. I was created by the Creator to be the guardian of all bears. So long as they thrive, I thrive. Yet here I am, old and weak. What does this mean for my children?”
Eli started to say something, but the bear kept going. “Every year my bears grow smaller, stupider, and weaker,” he growled. “The mountains, our neighbors and friends
since time began, sleep and do not wake while the dark hunger they were assigned to guard sends its seeds into the world unhindered and unchecked.”
Nico swallowed and pulled herself deeper than ever into her coat.
“But I am a Great Spirit,” the bear went on. “I do my duty. All of this I brought to the Lady’s attention again and again, but I never heard a word back from her. For years this went on, and not knowing what to do, we kept living as we always had. Then the darkness took one of my greatest sons.”
All around the room, the bears bowed their heads in sadness. “Gredeth,” they rumbled.
“Yes, Gredeth.” The great bear’s voice was thick with loss. “Greatest bear of his generation. It was Gredeth who found the human wandering in our woods, its soul already half eaten by a seed of the thing that lives below the Dead Mountain.” The bear made a disgusted sound. “Blindness and power are a reckless combination, and putting them together in one creature was the Shepherdess’s greatest folly. The blind human, infected and mad, wandered into our territory, and brave Gredeth did what needed to be done. He fought the monster and won, devouring it so the black seed would not destroy our lands. But his bravery was his undoing. The seed survived the devouring and took root in Gredeth himself.”
The great bear’s good eye grew sad and distant. “I could do nothing,” he rumbled. “I tried. I sent word to the Shepherdess. I threw away my pride. I
begged
, human. Begged her for aid as I have never done before, and received
nothing
. Gredeth continued to decline. The seed ate him until he was only a shell. That was when Slorn
appeared. He was wise for a human, and very knowledgeable about the ways of the demon. We put our trust in him, but Gredeth was too far gone, and in the end, all Slorn managed was to slow the seed’s growth.”
The bear heaved a great sigh. “I was grateful that the human had tried and bade him go with my thanks. But Slorn had not given up. He proposed a radical plan. He would take what was left of Gredeth into himself. Just as he mixed metals, he would meld human and bear spirits into a new soul. I would have forbade it, but Gredeth asked me to change my mind. He wanted to live, proud bear, not die to the hungry dark. With no answer still from the White Lady, I did what I deemed best. I helped Slorn take Gredeth’s soul and body into his own. The result was neither man nor bear, but he was Gredeth just as much as he was Slorn, and my dear son still to this day.”
The bear’s voice faded to a low rumble as the story ended, and the cave fell silent. In the stillness, Eli stepped forward. “If that’s how you feel,” he said softly, “help me help him. Tell me where he is.”
The great bear’s glare grew cold as iced stone. “I will help you on one condition. You, the favorite, must call Benehime down. The great Shepherdess was deaf to my begging. Now let’s see if her deafness extends to you. Call her and ask, favorite, why, if she is guardian of all spirits, does she not kill the thing under the mountain? Why does she allow her world to stagnate unattended while she wastes her time with favorites? Why did she create humans and give them power over every true spirit, yet make them so blind they can do nothing but fight and enslave the world around them?”
With a great creaking of bones, the lord of bears stood
up, towering over them. “Bring her down to finally answer for her negligence!” he roared. “I will not cower before her as all the others do! Call her down, favorite! Bring her before me and I will make her answer!”
His booming voice rang through the cave, and all the bears began to cower. Nico felt like cowering as well. She could feel the ancient Great Spirit’s anger in her bones. Yet Eli did not step back. He just stood there, looking the raging bear straight in the face as he spoke one word.
“No.”
The great bear’s snarl shook the stone, but Eli did not move.
“I am no one’s dog,” Eli said. “I’m the greatest thief in the world. Benehime may call me her favorite, but that was her choice. My life is my own, not hers, and not yours. I sympathize with your plight, I really do, and I hope you get the chance to call her out for every spirit she’s ignored. But you’ll have to find someone else to tempt her down because I won’t ask her for anything ever again.”
The bear sat down again with a great crash. “Then find Slorn yourself.”
“Come on,” Eli said, a little more desperately. “You just said Slorn was like your son. How—”
“He is my son, as much as any bear,” Gredit growled. “If he wished for my help, he would have asked for it, not sent you. But no message have I received, no cry for aid. You are the one asking, not Slorn, so you must pay the price.” He tilted his enormous head. “I will tell you that Slorn is far from here. If he’s in as much danger as you seem to think, he will certainly die before you can find him on your own. I’m your only chance.”
“Surely we can come to some other arrangement,”
Eli said. “I have many other talents besides being the favorite.”
The great bear tossed his head. “This is not a negotiation, human. The only reason you are still alive right now is because you are the favorite.”
Eli took another step forward. “But—”
“Call down the White Lady or get out.”
Nico shrank back at the menace in Gredit’s voice. All through the cave, bears were growling through clenched teeth. The open menace was clear enough that even spirit-deaf Josef went for his sword, but Eli’s hand stopped him before he could draw.
“It seems we are at an impasse,” Eli said, stepping back again. “Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Bear, but your price is too rich for my blood. We’ll find Slorn on our own.”
“So you say.” The great bear was grinning now. “But you’ll be back. I’m your only path to saving Slorn, and you don’t seem like a human who takes failure on the chin.” The other bears laughed at that, which only made Gredit grin wider. “See you soon, favorite of the Shepherdess.”
Eli gave him a polite smile and a half bow before turning on his heel and marching toward the cave mouth. Josef and Nico fell in behind him, keeping right on his heels as the sound of laughing bears followed them out into the sunlight.
Eli marched down the valley, fists clenched. When he reached the bottom, he jumped over the stream and started up the other side, climbing with a singleness of focus that was hard to keep up with. Nico was covered in sweat by the time they cleared the valley’s edge, and even Josef was breathing hard. Eli took no notice. He simply
flung himself down on a sunny bit of crumbled stone and glared as hard as he could down the valley at the cave now hidden by thick trees.
“Stupid, presumptuous, stubborn bears.”
Josef crossed his arms over his chest. “You want to translate all that growling for me so I know what you’re talking about?”
“Oh”—Eli flung his hands out in frustration—“spirit politics. He knows where Slorn is, but he won’t tell me unless I do something I swore never to do again.”
“ Uh-huh.” Josef scowled down at him. “And what is that?”
“Something I’m not going to talk about,” Eli said. “My plan didn’t work out, all right? Let’s just leave it at that.”