Page 58 of Inferno
Yorin made them slow down once they got within the city limits. Zandro didn’t like moving so slowly, but Yorin explained that running about in town would draw unwanted attention to themselves. And soon enough, that proved true. Even walking at a moderate pace, minding their own business, the locals still had something to say.
“Oh goodness, Yorin, is that your dog? I didn’t know you had a dog.” It was Mrs Dee, and as usual, she was sticking her nose into everybody else’s business. At least today she was being cheerful about it, beaming down at Zandro.
Yorin floundered for a reply. “No, it’s Nerik’s dog, actually. He’s busy for the day, so I said I’d take him for a walk.” The instant after he’d said it, Yorin was already wishing he could suck the words back into his mouth. If Nerik was killed, then his human identity would effectively just disappear, presumed killed in some terrible accident off in the forest, perhaps. Was it a bad idea to be lumbering Zandro with a ‘dead’ owner? Would someone try to rehome him by force? But what else could he say? Zandro wasn’t his dog – he would never have space for him in his tiny little shop – and he could hardly try explaining that Zandro didn’t need an owner at all.
“Oh, isn’t that lovely,” Mrs Dee said. She gave Zandro a cursory pat on the head – which Zandro tolerated with admirable self-restraint – then announced, “Well, I won’t keep you. I’m off to get my hair cut. Beautiful weather for it. Such a fine day. Well, see you later!”
She bustled off, leaving Yorin breathing a sigh of relief. But maybe he needed to come up with a better story about exactly who Zandro was.
Story fine. Zandro is Nerik’s dog.
Yorin was so caught up in his own thoughts that it took him a moment to realise that the words in his head weren’t his own.How did you know?he asked the dog.
Yorin think loud, Zandro replied.
Sorry,Yorin apologised.I’m just very upset about the idea of Nerik being captured.
Zandro not complain. Zandro help.
Yes, you are helping,Yorin told him, relieved beyond measure that he wasn’t alone in trying to solve this conundrum. The rest of the trip passed without further interruption, and before Yorin knew it, they were standing in the square, watching the little huddles of spectators meander around the cage.
If we get close enough, you can talk to him, right?Yorin asked. At this point, he was avoiding using Nerik’s name, for fear that if he spoke it, his words would come true, and it actually would be Nerik. It was a ridiculous superstition, and yet Yorin was praying it would work, that denying it often enough would mean it wasn’t Nerik.
Yes. Zandro talk.
They worked their way closer, and now that they were back in the thick of things, Yorin went back to keeping an eye out for any obsidian gems, or for anyone acting in a way they wouldn’t be expected to. Then, abruptly, he felt his connection to Zandro cut out. It would have been impossible to describe as a physical sensation, and until he’d disconnected, Yorin hadn’t truly been aware of the fire-dog’s presence in his mind, but the sudden disappearance of his influence was disconcerting.
Zandro? Can you hear me?he thought, but there was no reply. He looked down, to see Zandro staring intently at the cage. Was he talking to the captive? The infernal was still sitting hunched on the floor, and he showed no sign of recognition, no flicker of movement. Yorin waited, doing his best to be patient, when all he really wanted to do was rush over to the cage and demand to know whether it was Nerik.
A few minutes later, he felt the steady push of Zandro back into his mind. A silence followed, which somehow managed to be weighty, in the quiet of his own mind. Then finally, the words came.This is Nerik.
Yorin closed his eyes, feeling like a huge weight had just crushed his chest. “Fuck,” he muttered to himself. He looked up again, but Nerik was looking the other way, showing no intention of turning around.
Nerik says don’t do anything foolish. Nerik not want Yorin hurt.
Typical.Tell him I’m going to do whatever I can to get him free. But yes, I will be careful.He added the last part not because he wasn’t prepared to take some risks, but because he didn’t want Nerik worrying about him.
Zandro’s presence vanished from his mind again, and Yorin waited, feeling like he was playing a ridiculous game of ‘pass the message’, like he’d played when he was a child.
When he felt the increasingly familiar intrusion into his mind again, he asked Zandro,Why do you get out of my mind like that?
Zandro talk one person at a time. Only one.
Well, that explained it.Can you please ask Nerik if there are any other Chalandrians around who could help us find a way to free him? I promise not to expose any of them, if he’s concerned about their safety.
Zandro check.
The connection cut out, and this time, Yorin thought he saw Nerik tense. It was difficult to tell, given that he wasn’t used to looking at the man in this form, but he seemed to sit up a little straighter, his head turning towards them just a fraction. Yorin hoped that meant he knew something that they could work with.
With a jolt, Zandro was suddenly back in his head.Zandro know!With that short declaration, Zandro took off, heading south out of the town square. Yorin looked back at Nerik in a panic, with so much more he wanted to say… but keeping up with Zandro was more important. He hoped Nerik would know that he wasn’t being abandoned, that they would do everything they could to help him. But with no way to explain any of that, all Yorin could really do was rush off after Zandro.
Once Yorin reached the edge of the town square, he caught sight of Zandro heading off down the main road leading to the south. Thankfully, the fire-dog had realised that he’d lost Yorin, so he slowed, turning around to wait for him to catch up. But before Yorin had got within ten metres of him, Zandro was off again. He kept up the chase, waiting a bit, then running on ahead, and Yorin resolved to go running more often, once this was all over. He wasn’t nearly fit enough to be doing all this rushing about.
Where are you going?Yorin thought at Zandro, the next time he got close enough. He was desperate to know more, and rapidly losing patience with this ridiculous game.
Shop,was the only reply Zandro gave him. Then, as an afterthought, he followed it up with,Fire-dog!
They were going to meet another fire-dog? Yorin’s heart sank at the idea. What he needed was people – two legged people, he amended the thought mentally. People who could speak and who looked like humans, who could navigate the human world in order to make things happen. Another fire-dog, however willing, wouldn’t be able to do that. He hoped that Zandro hadn’t picked up his disappointment at the news, at the same time as needing to explain to Zandro that they needed help from ‘human’ Chalandrians.