Page 8 of Buzz Kill (Smoke & Mirrors Tavern #7)

Chapter eight

ALWIN

I remained awake most of the night. Being surrounded by predators left me hyperaware, despite the shelter’s protection. Declan on the other hand, drifted off more easily and soundly than ever. Now that he was out of reach of the epiales demon, he was no longer plagued by his memories. Though it was a little ironic that he slept so much better in a strange world surrounded by literal demons.

“It’s your fault, anyway. You spent the past few nights playing hero and now it feels like nothing will hurt me when I’m in your arms.”

The words Declan said the day before came back to me and I couldn’t help but look down at the man in my arms. He’d barely stirred all night other than to drape himself over me, at one point shoving his leg between mine and wrapping an arm around me to ensure I wasn’t going anywhere. His cheek had been pressed to my chest, but he’d inched up in his sleep and now his face was half buried in my neck, his warm breath tickling my collarbone and his soft hair brushing my chin. My sword was digging into my back uncomfortably, and yet, I did nothing to rectify the situation, unreasonably afraid of waking him.

The only person who’d ever gotten to me the way Declan did was Aiden, and I wasn’t sure what it meant. If anyone else had latched on to me for warmth the way he did, I would have removed them and pulled another blanket from my pack. Not only was it inappropriate, it put me at a tactical disadvantage while we were surrounded by enemies. The shelter concealed our presence, but it was still little more than a tent. If something broke one of the anchors and got inside, I needed to be able to defend us. Being tangled up by another person and their blanket would only delay my reaction time. So why did I allow it?

By the time the bitter cold began to let up and the creatures outside the tent retreated, I still hadn’t come up with any answers for my own behavior. But with the threats gone, the weight of the last few days caught up to me and I drifted off to sleep.

“Gah! What the hell is that?”

Declan’s shout jolted me awake and I had my sword drawn before I even noticed the small creature scurrying out between two anchor points of the tent. I yanked an anchor loose and dashed out after it, chasing it around the boulder and into the opening on the other side.

Declan chased after us, but I barely spared him a glance as I ran into the cavern.

“Get back to the shelter!”

“No, Al wait!”

A subtle shimmer glinted beneath my feet as some kind of magic that hadn’t been detectable a moment before activated.

“Shit, don’t move!”

Declan dropped to his knees and slapped his hand against the ground. The spell stuttered and died and the glowing eyes in the dark recess of the cave widened in shock. Wasting no time, I rushed forward and snatched the creature by the neck, pressing it against the rock and aiming my sword at its head.

Declan wrapped both hands around my arm, though I’d already paused when I got a better look at the demon.

“Wait!” he panted.

The creature’s panicked eyes darted between Declan and myself, his clawed fingers digging at my hands as he attempted to free himself.

“Stop, stop, stop,” Declan repeated as he pulled the creature’s claws off my hand and my hand off his neck at the same time. “I panicked when I woke up to him hovering over my face, but look at him, he’s just a kid.”

The demon’s skin was the reddish-brown color of clay, and his eyes were nearly the same color. Darker, almost black markings peeked out beneath his tattered clothing on his shoulders and upper arms and two small horns peaked through his messy black hair on either side of his head. I couldn’t guess what type of demon this was, but I was certain I’d never encountered his kind before. Which meant I couldn’t be sure what to expect from him.

The creature dropped to the ground when I was no longer holding him against the rock and Declan kneeled in front of him. He pulled something from his breast pocket and handed it to the demon.

“Is this what you were after?”

My eyes fell to the bundle at its feet. The prize the demon child made off with was the blanket Declan must have kicked off when the heat returned. The small demon eyed the half-eaten nutrient bar in Declan’s hand with unconcealed want.

“Go on, you can have it.”

“Why didn’t you eat that yesterday?” I asked.

“I wasn’t sure how much food we had, so I held on to it. It’s fine. Look at him, he needs it more than I do.”

The creature finally snatched away the bar and stuffed it in his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise and he covered his mouth with one clawed hand like he was worried we’d change our mind and pry it from between his teeth.

Declan picked up the blanket and handed it over as well. “Looks like you’re going to have to keep me warm until we get out of here, Al.”

I was surprised to see Declan taking pity on the creature, but I offered no objection. He stood and returned to my side.

“Did you notice his leg?” he murmured.

I gave a single nod in confirmation. “He was attacked by something.”

There were deep bite marks on his right leg, likely the work of the creatures that came out at night.

“He probably can’t hunt for food right now with that injury. Since he went for the food in my pocket rather than trying to eat me, he can’t be all that bad, right? How did he find us though? I though your tent concealed us.”

“Whatever was roaming last night was beast-like. This child is humanoid. If he lives here, he is familiar with the terrain. Even if he couldn’t sense us inside, he likely recognized the change in the rock and investigated. He’s small enough to squeeze between the stakes and when he took the blanket, he must have caught the scent of the food bar. You should not keep food on you. I have more and if we cannot find a way out before our supply runs out, I will hunt for our food.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” I lowered myself to the child’s level. “Can you speak?”

The creature stared at me uncomprehendingly. Not surprising, considering we were in a different world. I tried again in the main language from my world, but again the creature only stared. His eyes darted to my pockets and his nose flared as if he was hoping to scent more food on me.

“I don’t think we will get any information out of him,” I decided. “We should pack up and keep moving.”

“Good idea. Let’s get out of here before mom and dad come looking for him.”

I retrieved another nutrient bar and offered it to the child. His nostrils flared and this time he snatched the food away without a moment of hesitation. While he was preoccupied with eating, Declan and I slipped away and packed up the shelter.

We moved through the endless desert in search of a more hospitable environment but the landscape remained unchanged. It seemed the occasional skeleton or rock formation was all this land had to offer. And it was strangely devoid of demons. Much to Declan’s horror, there were scurrying little insect-like critters that scattered like lizards when we got too close. But aside from the child and the night beasts, we saw no one else.

When we came across another boulder as the sun hit its peak in the sky, I set up the shelter again. The land here was inhospitable, we hadn’t spotted a natural source of water or plant in the entire time we’d been here.

“Something’s not right,” Declan said once we were inside the shelter. “How has that kid survived out here for this long? Aside from the giant insects, nothing else lives here. There’s nothing even worth traveling here for. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to put off running into more demons, but what are those night monsters eating? How is he getting water?”

“He likely requires much less water to survive than a human, but I’m inclined to simply try asking him again. It may be the most efficient approach.”

“You want to go back?”

“There’s no need. He’s been following us all morning.”

Declan sucked in a breath. “What? Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

“I assumed he would give up and go back when he realized we wouldn’t be returning. But as far as I can tell, mid-day has passed and he will not be able to get back before dark. He must realize that by now.”

“What about his parents? Think they’re going to hunt us down when he doesn’t come back?”

“I don’t think he has parents. Why else would he live out here where there are no other demons? His survival likely hinged on staying hidden and that’s easy enough to accomplish out here if you can survive the beasts. That trap on the entrance of his cavern likely kept him safe from them until you deactivated it.”

Declan’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, I didn’t even think of that.”

“We gave him food and spared his life, he likely would have followed us regardless. We’ve already proven we’re not a threat.”

“You’re sure he’s still out there?”

I reached over Declan and removed one of the anchors before reaching under the shelter and dragging the child in. He’d brushed up against the tent a few times since we’d sealed ourselves inside, so it wasn’t hard to guess his position.

The demon startled and reeled back, on the defensive, but didn’t attempt to run just yet. He sputtered something in an unfamiliar tongue. It sounded vaguely accusing, even if I couldn’t decipher the words.

“I don’t think he liked that,” Declan said.

“Perhaps, but he is still here.”

Declan used his finger to draw in the sandy dirt. The drawing was rough, but the buildings and stick figure people were easy enough to make out. “Do you know how to get here? To a city?”

The child muttered something and added to Declan’s drawing. Choosing the smallest stick figure, he brushed away the head and re-drew it on the ground among a smear of what was presumably a puddle of blood.

“Huh,” Declan muttered. “Point taken, the city seems like a bad idea.”

“At least for the time being,” I agreed. “But it seems you’ve found a way to communicate.”

The child was still in the process of dismembering the smallest stick figure when Declan stopped him and brushed away the image, starting anew. This time he drew trees.

“How about something like this? A forest? Someplace with plants and food?”

The child frowned and again started drawing. This time he showed a stick figure being devoured by beasts and ripped apart by another stick figure.

“I’m starting to think this isn’t a very nice travel destination,” Declan joked. “I’ll let you pick our next vacation. The desert is growing on me.”

Despite our predicament, he seemed to be in a good mood. Aside from the act he put on around the others, he wasn’t one to panic easily. But this wasn’t a situation I’d expected him to accept so easily. We may very well be stuck in this strange world permanently. According to this child, we could be dismembered by demons at any moment. And yet he seemed to have unwavering faith that I would keep us safe. I would have taken the most inhospitable parts of my own world over this place I was so utterly unfamiliar with, but I had no choice but to live up to his expectations.

“Ask him how he’s getting water.”

Declan once again brushed away the image and began drawing a river with some little fish in it and a little stick figure on the bank. He tapped a finger by the river.

“How about here? Can you take us to water?”

This time the child brushed away the fish and redrew a massive fish leaping out of the water to devour the stick figure.

Declan sighed and brushed away both the fish and the figure. He tapped the river again. “Don’t worry about the fish for now. How do we get water?”

The child asked a question, but we couldn’t be sure what he was saying. Declan shook his head and tapped the picture again.

“Water?”

The child once again drew the fish attacking the stick figure. This time he pointed at his leg when he finished the drawing.

“Oh,” Declan murmured.

After a moment of thought, he brushed away the little stick figure and drew a larger one, piercing the giant fish with a sword.

The child eyed Declan with unconcealed doubt and the man laughed.

“Not me.” He pointed in my direction. “Al, show him your sword.”

I flashed a few inches of the blade as requested, and the child eyed me as if evaluating my strength.

“See?” Declan said. “He’s strong and fast and smart. Don’t get hung up on the pretty face, he’s an excellent fighter.”

The child watched Declan carefully as he spoke, seeming to pick up the gist of what he was saying. His eyes returned to me, but he still seemed hesitant to trust us with his safety.

“Al, do you have first aid stuff in your gear? A healing charm won’t work, he’d never let us use magic on him.”

I retrieved a salve and bandages from one of my pouches and handed them over to Declan as he seemed to have earned the child’s trust far more than I. He caught my hand before I could fully retract it and showed the child my reddened palm, the severe burn from the artifact still not fully healed.

“What are you doing?”

“Showing him I’m not going to hurt him, but we should have treated this a while ago.”

“There’s no need, it’s mostly healed. It is not hindering my movements.”

“Mostly healed is not healed, and we’re not in a friendly situation right now. Letting wounds go untreated in this environment could backfire.”

I stopped resisting and let him massage the salve into my hand. His touch was unexpectedly gentle and the remaining discomfort in my hand subsided as he worked. He gently wrapped bandages around my palm, his warm fingers stroking over my wrist as he finished securing them.

“Better?”

“Thank you.”

He turned to the demon child and gestured to his leg. “Your turn?”

The demon’s eyes bounced between us, and he muttered a comment, but hesitantly allowed Declan to look his leg over.

“Be cautious,” I warned him. “Demons have heightened instincts compared to humans. He’s been helpful so far, but pain or fear may cause him to react violently.”

“Yep. Not my first rodeo,” Declan reminded me.

Of course he wouldn’t need me to warn him about demons, he was a sorcerer after all. Sometimes it was easy to forget, but he likely knew more than me about this world and its people. Even if he didn’t practice magic or have a demon of his own, he was still raised with the education of a sorcerer from a prestigious family.

Declan carefully treated the puncture wounds with the salve and wrapped the child’s leg with the bandages. Once he was done, the child flexed his foot, testing the injury. The salve was an elven concoction made from plants native to our world with healing properties. Some would treat infection, some would speed healing, and some would reduce pain. Their properties were enhanced with a kind of healing magic of a more elemental nature. The demon should already be feeling the effects.

He spoke again and his comment sounded like a question, but he didn’t seem to be addressing either of us.

“What’s your name?” Declan asked the demon.

The demon looked at Declan’s lips and shook his head, indicating he didn’t understand. The sorcerer patted his chest and said his name. Then he pointed at me and said my name. When he pointed at the demon, the child stared at him in confusion for a long moment and Declan repeated the process.

The demon finally patted his own chest. “Rith.”

“Rith?” Declan asked. “That’s you?”

The demon patted his chest and repeated his name.

“Okay, Rith. Can you take us here?”

He pointed at the drawing of the river again, but the demon still seemed hesitant. Declan re-drew the stick figures with the tallest one stabbing a giant fish, a slightly shorter figure hiding behind the first and a much smaller figure hiding behind both of the taller figures.

“See? We’ll keep you safe.”

Rith’s eyes sharpened suddenly and he lunged at Declan. I had barely a second to yank him out of the way as a sharpened stick whizzed past his head. Declan toppled into my lap and I quickly dragged him behind me, palming a small knife.

Except the demon didn’t attack again. It picked up the stick it had thrown with one of the insect-like lizard creatures still skewered on the end. He showed Declan the still twitching body and admonished him, presumably for missing the threat right next to him.

Declan shuddered. “How did that thing get in?”

We had our answer a moment later when another one crawled out of the sand next to the rock. I struck down with my knife, killing the creature instantly. Except this time, I received a scolding from the little demon.

“Why’s he mad now?” Declan asked.

“I’m not sure.”

Rith cracked the tail of the creature to either side before pulling it free along with part of its intact insides.

Declan shuddered against my back. “Dude, what are you doing?”

Rith pointed to the one I’d stabbed showing the wound was turning black and festering, though the one he had wasn’t. When I still didn’t understand, he pulled up one of the stakes to the shelter and crawled halfway out to throw the tail part of the creature he’d removed against the rock. The previously intact organ burst and the rock had the same reaction, blackening and withering like it had been hit by acid.

“I see,” I realized. “The insect-like lizards carry a toxin. When I stabbed this one, I ruptured the organ that makes it poisonous.”

I rinsed my blade before putting it away. Luckily, the charmed metal wasn’t affected by the toxin the way the rock was.

“Good to know, but it’s not like you got the toxin on us. Why did he yell at you?” Declan asked.

His question was answered a moment later when Rith popped a part of the undamaged insect in his mouth.

“Gah! Don’t eat that!”

He half lunged around me like he was going to snatch the giant insect away, but stopped short well before he ever had to actually touch it.

Seeing Declan reach out, Rith broke off a piece of the creature and offered it to him. Declan yanked his hand back, but seemed to realize he was being impolite.

“Ah ha, thanks. That’s really nice of you, but I’m actually still pretty full from that bar yesterday.” He was still half hiding behind me since the moment the lizard appeared and he quietly muttered against my shoulder. “Alwin, please tell me we are not going to end up starving enough to eat those things.”

“It will depend on what else we find. If the river is not far, we are likely to have other options, however I believe we have been walking in the wrong direction. It’s hard to say when we have no knowledge of this world, but the terrain has hardly changed and I’m not sure that we are walking deeper into the desert territory any more than I am that we are getting closer to leaving. This demon maybe our best chance for finding our way around this world.”

“Don’t suppose you have stuff to draw with in those bags of yours? The sand works in a pinch, but I wish we could draw a map.”

He started tracing out lines in the sand again as I produced a journal. Declan looked up in surprise and scanned the pages, finding maps and drawings of various places I’d traveled to in Faerie.

“Not your first rodeo, huh? You’re amazing, as always.”

He said it so naturally, as if it wasn’t meant as a compliment so much as casually stating a fact.

He flipped to a blank page in the notebook. “Okay, let’s see. We met our little friend here at this rock,” he muttered as he drew a series of footprints from one rock to another across the desert.

He tapped the second rock in the drawing and then pointed at the one next to us. Rith nodded his head in understanding. Declan took both hands and held them up against the two rocks with the footprints between like he was measuring the distance.

“So if we walked for half a day to get here.” He tapped the drawing of the river still sitting in the sand beside them. “How far away is the water?”

Rith stared at the drawing again and Declan tapped the blank page to one side of the path he’d drawn and began drawing lighter footsteps, as if questioning if we should head that way.

“Is it this way?”

Rith shook his head and took the pencil away, marveling over it for a moment before he drew a stick figure skeleton in the direction Declan was indicating.

“Okay, not that way. This way then?” he tapped the other side of the blank page and Rith finally nodded. Declan measured the distance with his hands again. “How far?”

Finally understanding, Rith took the book away and drew messy footsteps, eventually adding a few trees, a crooked river, what looked like stick figure savages with spears and axes and giant fish with sharp teeth.

“That’s really not that far,” Declan commented. “You were right, we weren’t going any deeper into the desert or getting any closer to the forest.”

“It’s too far to make it there before dark, we will have to head out in the morning.”

“So I guess we have a guest for the night? It’s going to be a bit of a tight squeeze.”

“There is no choice. He will not make it back before the night beasts begin roaming.”

“Yeah, we’ll manage. But can you move the tent away from where those bug things crawled out of? I really don’t want to wake up to one of those things on me.”

The small demon was still drawing in the notebook as I took down the shelter and put it back up on the other side of the boulder. Declan gestured for him to enter, but he handed over the notebook instead and wandered off.

“Where do you think he’s going? Should we follow him?”

“He has survived out here on his own for quite some time. He didn’t ask us to join him, so he should be fine.”

“How do you know that?”

I held up the map the demon had drawn showing the dangers deeper in the desert, what waited for us in the forest, the rivers, the cities. He clearly measured the different areas by their threats, and there were many. For a creature so small to have survived in a world like this, he was truly remarkable. It was no wonder Declan had developed a kind of kinship with this child so quickly, they were very much alike.

Before nightfall, the demon child scurried back into the shelter and unrolled his blanket, tucking it around himself. I offered him a simple mat to sleep on and rolled out a second for Declan and myself, producing another blanket for Declan as well. And even so, the moment the temperature dropped, the man tucked himself against me, burrowing in as if it was completely natural to entangle one’s body with another in such a manner.

It was as if he was completely unaffected by the closeness, though there were times I could tell he wasn’t. And even so, he made no move to put space between us. His fingers snuck past my leather to steal the warmth of my skin, while his warm breath teased my neck where he’d tucked his face against me. It was ironic that our roles had reversed so quickly. Declan drifted right off to sleep while I found myself awake half the night once again.