Soulcatcher
hastened along the bank of a creek that was almost as still and
deep as a canal, looking for a way to cross. She had miscalculated
when she had chosen to cut across these moors and downs to reach
the shabby stronghold at Nijha. Clinging to the road would have
meant a longer walk but there would have been bridges for times
like these.
When she encountered obstacles of this sort she had no choice
but to guess which way to turn. She did not know the country. She
was blind. There were no bats or owls to send scouting. There were
no shadows tonight. She had sent all those to safety, along with
her crows. She knew she was capable of dealing with the hobgoblins
following her around.
Something rose from the water behind her. It had a shape like a
horse. A voice whispered in her ear, telling her to come and ride.
She barely glanced at it, and then only in total scorn. These
things might be smarter than shadows but they could not be by much.
How stupid did they think she was? She did not have to be familiar
with the folklore of Hsien to understand that the water horse would
drag her under.
She ignored the monster, not knowing it was an afanc, actually
of centaur shape rather than equine. A half hour later she ignored
one of its cousins, which took the semblance of a giant beaver.
Then there was one resembling a crocodile, though this creek was
four hundred miles from anywhere warm enough to support those giant
reptiles. They all whispered to her. Some of them even knew her
true name.
She found a plank footbridge evidently put in place by the
seldom-seen, horse-stealing natives of these highlands. As she
started across, something whispered to her from underneath. She did
not understand its words but their menace was plain enough.
“You don’t want me crossing, come up and do
something about it.” The voice she chose was that of a small
child who was severely annoyed, but not frightened.
Something came up. It was huge and dark and ugly. In spots it
glowed with a leprous inner light. It had way too many teeth. They
stuck out of its mouth at all angles. It would have trouble when it
came time to eat.
All those teeth and fangs snapped open as the monster prepared
to lunge.
Soulcatcher’s gloved right hand drifted forward. A spray
of sparkling dust floated onward to meet the evil spirit.
It screamed.
Soulcatcher leapt off the bridge an instant before it shattered
to kindling. She backed away, watched the fiend thrash and melt.
From behind her mask came a soft wee sound like a little
girl’s skip-rope song, with a refrain that went, “It
was fun to watch you die.”
Soulcatcher
hastened along the bank of a creek that was almost as still and
deep as a canal, looking for a way to cross. She had miscalculated
when she had chosen to cut across these moors and downs to reach
the shabby stronghold at Nijha. Clinging to the road would have
meant a longer walk but there would have been bridges for times
like these.
When she encountered obstacles of this sort she had no choice
but to guess which way to turn. She did not know the country. She
was blind. There were no bats or owls to send scouting. There were
no shadows tonight. She had sent all those to safety, along with
her crows. She knew she was capable of dealing with the hobgoblins
following her around.
Something rose from the water behind her. It had a shape like a
horse. A voice whispered in her ear, telling her to come and ride.
She barely glanced at it, and then only in total scorn. These
things might be smarter than shadows but they could not be by much.
How stupid did they think she was? She did not have to be familiar
with the folklore of Hsien to understand that the water horse would
drag her under.
She ignored the monster, not knowing it was an afanc, actually
of centaur shape rather than equine. A half hour later she ignored
one of its cousins, which took the semblance of a giant beaver.
Then there was one resembling a crocodile, though this creek was
four hundred miles from anywhere warm enough to support those giant
reptiles. They all whispered to her. Some of them even knew her
true name.
She found a plank footbridge evidently put in place by the
seldom-seen, horse-stealing natives of these highlands. As she
started across, something whispered to her from underneath. She did
not understand its words but their menace was plain enough.
“You don’t want me crossing, come up and do
something about it.” The voice she chose was that of a small
child who was severely annoyed, but not frightened.
Something came up. It was huge and dark and ugly. In spots it
glowed with a leprous inner light. It had way too many teeth. They
stuck out of its mouth at all angles. It would have trouble when it
came time to eat.
All those teeth and fangs snapped open as the monster prepared
to lunge.
Soulcatcher’s gloved right hand drifted forward. A spray
of sparkling dust floated onward to meet the evil spirit.
It screamed.
Soulcatcher leapt off the bridge an instant before it shattered
to kindling. She backed away, watched the fiend thrash and melt.
From behind her mask came a soft wee sound like a little
girl’s skip-rope song, with a refrain that went, “It
was fun to watch you die.”