27
While Adian and I left through the south gate at speed, I slowed him down as soon as we were out of sight from the walls. We continued moving at a good clip, but the hill area wasn’t that far away.
"If she can control the zombies, doesn’t that suggest an army is waiting for us?" Adian asked.
From the rear, another approached, Dorian the Gray caught up, and answered, "I sure hope so. Hate to think I came along just to snap one neck and go home."
"Word travels fast," I mentioned.
"It does for those who know where to listen, yes," Dorian agreed. "I caught enough of the pig story to put that together. Was that your idea?"
"No," I said, with a grin. "All the queen’s."
"No kidding. Genius really. Pure genius." He looked secretly proud for a moment. "I had a great deal of respect for her mother, she was certainly a warrior queen. She led, and we followed. We would have followed her to hell if she asked, and in the end, I guess we did. But her daughter is a thinker. I see a good future ahead of us. Fighting zombies with pigs, at no risk to humans — pure genius."
"Adding in the research value of possible infections from the zombies — that was genius," Adian said.
"What’s this?" Dorian asked.
Adian explained it all to the elder shifter, who looked dumbfounded. "Will that actually be helpful? Pig’s blood?"
Adian shrugged. "I don’t see why not. She pointed out that heart transplants before the Fall, used pig’s hearts. Something of use is possible."
"I’ll be struck," Dorian said, his utterance gruff and amused. "Well, you’re right there lad. That there is the genius. Maximum gain for the risk. Forward thinking. I believe we have interesting years ahead."
"Now back to this queen and her army," Adian said.
"I’ve been giving that some thought," I answered. "She has clean control over some but not all. It must be taxing, even if she is connected through something like a hive-mind with these creatures. With what we’ve seen that’s not out of the list of possible things."
"You mean, like she thinks and they hear her?" Adian said. "That’s a bit sci-fi don’t you think?"
"Adian, you’re a were-tiger," I pointed out.
"So?"
I shrugged. "Well, she must have some kind of communication with them at distance. I believe it is limited however. Whether scent or vibration like ants or bees or other hive-mind organisms, there is something there. We can’t ignore that."
"Why limited?" Dorian asked.
I described to him the phantom I followed a week ago. How it was clear that it could see, but didn’t seem to be able to hear. "I think she can control one or three giving them fine motor skills and guide them. But not the army. She can raise the army and give general commands, but those we fought last night were not using fine motor skills."
"Not at all. Body weight and numbers," Dorian agreed. "Not saying that wasn’t effective. And I would like to point out that’s likely what we’re running toward — without the walls or the guard in sight."
The hill was in sight now, so I slowed us down to a halt. "We need to attack after the pigs are active."
"Makes sense," Dorian said. "I can see a lot of areas where there’s been fresh digging on that hill."
"I have zombie in my nose," Adian said. "I don’t like it."
Dorian studied the hill further. "It makes sense that if she has some zombies that are stronger than others, she would have them close, not in the field."
"Look across the meadow, in the woods. Puppets on strings," Adian said.
"We’re not far from the shoreline here," Dorian said. "If we can’t get up that hill fast enough, it won’t matter what she has. She’ll bug out for her ship, right?"
The two of them fell silent. It wasn’t that what they pointed out wasn’t important, I just didn’t have answers. Their observations were accurate. Annoyingly accurate. And each built the wall between me and the top of that hill, higher.
Then a thought crossed my mind. "Mother may I," I whispered.
"What’s this then?" Dorian asked.
I gave him a serious expression. “She wants tribute, but gave no instructions. We need instructions on where to bring it, and by which route, right?"
"I didn’t hear the message," Dorian admitted.
"Yes," Adian said, "and she used that phrase a couple of times."
"It’s from a human game," I explained. "A child’s game, passed down from one generation to the next, seeming without end," I told him. "I don’t know the game, but I’ve heard children chant the words."
"So, what are you saying here?" Dorian asked. "You just want to step out there into the light, and say, mother may I climb your hill? Just like that?"
Looking over the scene, I said, "We’ll have at best a hundred meters of surprise, if we don’t wake the zombies beneath us reaching the hill. Do you have a better suggestion?"
Dorian shook his head. "I’m not a planner, or a thinker. I just came along for the fun. And possibly the reward at the Temple after. Or at least a good story."
"All good reasons," Adian agreed. "I’m in. What the hell?"
"Then, let’s get started," I said, and walked out on the meadow and toward the hill.
As soon as we were clear of the forest, and could see the hill clearly, it was obvious she was up there, surveying the land.
There were large canopy like umbrellas opened. And her chair could only be called a throne. Reaching near the climb, several zombies moved in the forest line on both sides. It was ridiculous, really. Laughable, even though it wasn’t funny at all.
Looking up, I called out, "Mother may I ascend your hill?"
The zombies quivered, and then one spoke, "Who are you?"
"Fenrir," I said. What would be the point in lying?
"The Wolf of Destruction. What brings you here?" the zombie asked, stepping closer.
"Tribute," I said.
"I see no tribute with you, unless those are supposed to be meals," it said.
"No, just companions. We need to know how you wish these demands to be met, and of course, which roads to use — and which to stay away from." I directed my voice up the hill, not at the zombie. I was certain who I was talking to.
"I don’t think I believe you, Wolf of Destruction," it said.
"I never was, you know. The Wolf of Destruction. It is one of your mistakes. One of your oversights, which allowed us to give you trouble." I pointed out. "And surly, from up there, you can see we have already begun to gather the pigs. The sheep will come soon, but we need directions, and roads. Obviously it wasn’t safe to send humans to ask."
Silence. For a long time nothing came from anywhere. Only the leaves moved from a minor wind. They clattered, apologetically.
After a long time, the zombie moved again. "I do see preparations being made. Good. And I’m curious as to which other mistakes I made. Also, it would be madness to kill me here. The uprising would swamp you. You’d never reach the bottom of this hill again. Ascend, and be quick about it. Much to do."
I had only come to ascend the hill, not to come down again. Looking to my left and right, I saw the same grim answer in my companion's eyes.
We started up at a jog, gaining ground but not exerting any of us. My thighs pumped. We weren’t on the trails. It looked like there were no fresh dig sites between us and the top. To the left and right, grave size mounds appeared. Looking to the umbrellas over her throne, I wondered if burial at this point, was to block them from the sun. Did they sun burn? Something more?
We crossed the half way point and the size of the mounds were something more like tombs than graves. Multiple zombies? Large monsters? Monsters were well known to be in the wastelands. Animals either caught by the zombie strain or the shifter strain. Mutated beasts as large as trucks and homes.
I picked up the pace, and the others matched me. For smart men, we were dumb as shit, if you think about it.
I told Myriana I would let her be my queen, and I knew what I was about when I did. I wondered if she knew what she was about when she sent me here.
Last night, being with her was, without a doubt, the best moment of my life. A bonding I had never felt before. I would like to repeat that time we spent together, but to die now would not be so bad either. Not if I died Myriana. Not as long as that bitch at the top of the hill was dead before I. Which was my mission. My only mission, really.
I looked over my shoulder. “It’s not too late to turn back,” I said to the others, though my sentiment was more targeted to Adian. Myriana could live without me and Dorian the Gray, she’d done so for years and years and years. But Adian? He’d been a part of her life for longer than I’m sure she could remember.
Adian looked offended. He didn’t budge at my words and so I turned around, not pushing the issue.
I picked up the pace, and the others matched me.
The higher I got, the more I questioned things. Honestly, we were idiots. Or maybe I was the only idiot. Dorian was in this for the story, a good enough reason if you ask me. Adian was doing this for his realm. And it wouldn’t be wrong to say the realm belonged to Myriana just as much as it belonged to Adian and Karal and Bryce. Me? I said yes to Myriana because at the moment she asked she was on fire. Brilliant and glowing. Powerful. A true queen. And I, was, for lack of a better word, pussy-whipped.
I picked up the pace, and the others matched me.
And now at full run we reached the top of the hill, Adian shifted, Dorian howled out a war cry and I sprang at the zombie queen. What happened next, was not something I could have anticipated.
I missed.
As quick as I could manage, I was back on my feet, but she was no longer open for the taking.
The earth exploded and monsters, indescribable, with tusks and great maws charged. The things that gathered around us were unlike anything I’d ever seen. They had more eyes than I could count, their limbs were thick and the lumps on them were the size of boulders.
I grabbed one by the ear and throat, spinning, summing up all my strength and sent it tumbling down the hill.
"Follow it down!" I called and leapt to do the same.
The monstrosity rolled out of control from its own obese size, crushing others trying to rise to the surface. These things weren’t fast and it became apparent to me that the best course of action was to tackle them together. Draw them out far enough, then take them down one at a time.
Dorian was bigger than I thought was possible. Adian was quicker than I’d ever seen him. We had this!
Together we tore the creature limb for limb, jumping to the next once we were sure it wasn’t capable of rising again.
There was nothing small to be tackled, which might have been a deficit in Queen May’s plan. The smaller ones sneak up on you. These things, once out in the open, you can spot them from a mile away. Huge as they were, that didn’t stop Adian from getting trapped in one of their paws. I saw red. Honest to the goddess, it’s all I saw. I wouldn’t be lying if I said that I fought for Adian harder than I fought for my own life when I was almost buried in the earth.
My muscles tensed and my teeth went rampant on whatever it is I found. I clawed my way through that creature like nothing else. Then, out of nowhere, one of its other hands lunged forward and slapped me about a hundred meters back.
The wicked bitch laughed, hysterically, like the mad woman she was. And this did nothing but add more venom to the anger that ran through my veins. I perched back, just for a second and set my eyes on Adian, dangling from the creatures hands. With all my speed I charged at the monster, coming out on the other side. When I looked back, Adian was free, and a hole the shape of my body was to be seen in the monster. The thing fell and when its body hit the ground, the earth shook so hard the umbrellas toppled over.
One more creature and we’d be done. This one wasn’t twice the size of the last, but it was close to it.
“Take that bitch out,” Adian growled at me.
I almost hesitated. Not because I didn’t like being ordered around, but because I wasn’t sure he and Dorian could handle the last monster on their own. We were not going to come out of this thing a failure. And most importantly, we were not going to die.
I was in the middle of ignoring Adian’s command when I saw Queen May making a run for it.
“Not today,” I growled and changed my direction.
"Madness!" she screamed, backing up as far as she could go. But I knew she knew this was the end.
Adian and Dorian weren’t wasting time on the last monster. They were still ripping the thing to shreds, despite the fact that I wasn’t sure it even lived anymore.
Queen May mumbled something. Or perhaps whispered, was the better word. I didn’t think much of it, people of all walks of life like to say a prayer before they meet their maker.
“Mother, may I,” I said, venturing closer. My claws found her throat. Slowly, I tore her open, enjoying every minute of it. Then, still taking my time, I made sure she was dead and that her skull was crushed.
When I turned back around, I saw what must have been the result of May’s last whisper. Creatures small and larger were streaming in, coming toward us. We were outnumbered. So outnumbered that fighting would have been suicide. Taking down the queen was a win, I decided. Without a master, all these things would still find their own way to the grave. That’s not even taking into consideration that the boars are ready to have them for breakfast.
Yes, I was prepared to die for Myriana, but that definitely wasn’t Plan A. She asked me to kill the bitch. Ding! Dong! The bitch is dead. Duty done.
Glancing behind me, I called out, "I think we can out distance them and get to the walls."
"Aye!" Dorian called back. "What then?"
"So we just leave? Job well done, all home for a bath?" Adian asked, sounding chagrined.
"Do you think we can take on all of these by ourselves?" I asked.
"Well," Adian called, looking back over his shoulder at the rising earth and forms. "Maybe not all of them."
"The head is off the viper. Let’s get home and do what we can with the mess." I hit the bottom of the hill and ran, without waiting for reply. We were fortunate as it was. Don’t push fortune, she doesn’t like it.