Crik (30 page)

‘Wonderful,’ shouted Krimble, just as the stag bolted, knocking him from his feet.

Ignoring the laughs coming from Krimble’s savaged throat Jack watched the stag. He saw it no longer trembled as it sped toward the edge of the valley. Dirt rained from its ruined coat in dirty clouds, revealing hair that remained brown.

More animals rose, crowding the valley. A badger, after rising and taking a quick look around, burrowed back into the ground. Farther infield a fawn, retaining its spots, struggled to stay upright on spindly legs. While a pack of small wild dogs snarled at each other from bleached skulls.

Yelps, barks, and faint cries filled the morning. None of them wants to be here, reflected Jack. Looking down he saw the strain on Inara’s face. ‘Stop this Inara,’ he pleaded.

She shook her head. ‘It’s wonderful Jack. I can feel them all. Scared and confused as they are, I’m sure that will pass. They have a chance to live again, to run and explore.’

He could not share her enthusiasm. Stepping around, what he believed was the moving skeleton of a mole; he walked away from his friends. He carried on walking toward the trees that did not move with the wind, ignoring the cries that the wind carried. His shadow remained, stretching behind him on tapered legs, anchoring him to the valley he wanted so desperately to leave.

Light from three lantern
s
woke Jack from a deep slumber. He stirred, unwilling to leave the sun drenched glade of his dream. When his dream sun turned blue, he prised his eyes open and stared in incredulity at a blue lantern. It sat a few feet from him. A red light also shone to his left, and standing a little farther off, on his opposite side, stood a green beacon. Beside the blue light sat Krimble. The light etched the scars deep on the old man’s face, making him appear like a charcoal drawing.

‘What’s going on?’ He rubbed sleep from his eyes as he rose onto one arm.

‘Quiet Yin,’ said Bill, ‘this is incredible.’

‘What’s...?’

Disbelieving what he saw, Jack finally took notice of his shadow performing a handstand to his right. Yang also danced to his left. Twisting with ferocious speed, he saw Yang behind him with his arms folded. Three Yangs, how could there be three of him?

‘After talking with Yang for awhile, Krimble came up with the idea of lighting the different coloured lanterns,’ said Bill. ‘When they were lit Yang split into three.’

‘You let him talk to my demon.’ Outraged anger escaped him in a torrent. ‘How could you allow him to use me?’

‘I watched him the entire time,’ said Bill, defensively. ‘I would’ve stopped him if he tried anything suspicious. You were so tired I didn’t want to wake you.’

‘You didn’t wake me because you knew I wouldn’t have allowed Krimble anywhere near me, or my demon.’ He jumped to his feet. As though having one troublesome shadow wasn’t bad enough, he now had to contend with three. Bending at the waist, the shadow cast in blue, blew Jack’s hair over his eyes.

‘Did he just blow your hair?’ asked Bill.

Ignoring his friend’s wonder, Jack turned to the shadow behind him. His heart raced. Yang had always moved things. According to his mother, Yang started picking things up before Jack was old enough to play. He had never felt his shadow’s breath. It was cold, like the keening wind on a winter’s night. Every time he thought he understood the demon, it did something unexpected.

‘There’s more to our Narmacils than we ever imagined,’ said Inara.

Looking at the girl cradling a rabbit that only had one ear and a hole in its cheek, sent a second cold chill down his spine.

‘I see you’ve been enjoying the show too,’ said Jack. ‘Did any of you think to wake me up? What’s happening is happening to me not you. And you,’ he addressed Krimble for the first time, ‘have no right to do this.’

All the blood had left the old man’s gums a long time ago, leaving them sallow. A few shown teeth reminded Jack of lone trees sticking out of the mud of the marsh. ‘Yang gave me the right. He’s tired of you trying your best to get rid of him. At least your friends aren’t afraid of what’s inside them. The girl is far happier having her pets. It seems, not having your legs isn’t that important when you can raise the dead.’

Jack hurt his hand as he struck the zombie in the face, rocking Krimble’s head back. He tried to block out the sound of Krimble’s laugh as he moved to douse the blue light.

‘Yin, don’t,’ cried Bill. ‘Aren’t you curious to know what Yang can do?’

‘No I’m not.’ The last thing he wanted was to find out what else the demon could do; the morning’s discoveries had left him shaken and scared.

‘He just blew on your neck. All the years he’s been with you, you never knew he could do that. What else can he do? If you turn off the light you’ll never know.’

‘I want him gone Bill, you know how I feel. Why should I be at all interested in what the demon can do?’

‘He helped us escape the Marsh House, didn’t he? Perhaps he can do something to get us away from the Red Wood.’

Looking at Inara, cradling her pet dead rabbit, Jack said, ‘It seems some of us no longer mind it here.’

‘You know nothing Jack. You’re still the same little boy who wants to hide behind your mother’s skirt and ignore what’s happening. By letting my Narmacil grow, I’ve opened myself up to so much. Throughout the wood, I can feel all the animals exploring their new lives.’

‘Are they still screaming Inara?’

‘You know nothing,’ she retorted, but Jack could see his words stung. ‘This is Mylo.’ She looked down at the rabbit in her lap. ‘He died when the Myrms filled in his burrow. He didn’t have a chance to live. I’ve given him a second chance.’

‘You’ve cursed him,’ said Jack.

‘Is living now a curse?’ She threw up her mangled legs. ‘Perhaps you’re right. Living isn’t easy. Sometimes you can’t replace what you lose. What I found I could do yesterday, has given me a chance to become more than just a cripple. I can’t walk, but if I close my eyes and concentrate, I know what it’s like to run like the stag, or climb a tree as a squirrel. Just because you find out something new about yourself, doesn’t automatically make it wrong. Why deny yourself a chance to become better? Don’t be so scared.’

‘After losing contract with Black I no longer know where he is. Can you look through the dead creature’s eyes like I can with the animals?’ asked Bill.

She shook her head. ‘I feel the sensation of running, the thud of the hoof on the ground, the stretching of the limbs, but I don’t see what they see.’

‘That’s a shame; you could’ve looked for Black and Silver. I worry about them,’ said Bill. ‘I hope they are alright.’

‘I’m sure they’re fine,’ said Jack.

‘How would you know?’ asked Bill.

‘The Myrms, or Kyla, would’ve shown us their bodies if they had caught them. The Ghost Walkers want to frighten us, so that we’ll do what they want. They are still out there’

‘I thought I sensed Black yesterday when Kyla came to us. Only a fleeting touch, but I’m sure it was the ol’ dog. I didn’t want to say anything, in case I was wrong, and they are dead somewhere out there.’

‘They survived Crik Wood without our help,’ said Inara. ‘They’ll be able to look after themselves.’

‘Yeah,’ agreed Bill with a glint in his eye, ‘any Myrm that gets too close to Black will regret it. Silver too, she’d tear out their throats. Isn’t that right Krimble.’

Instead of answering, Krimble turned to the Yang highlighted in green. He stumbled closer on legs that shouldn’t be able to support him. ‘You’re a beautiful thing,’ he said, reaching out to grip Yang’s arm. The shadow didn’t flinch as the fingers locked, holding him firm.

‘He doesn’t let anyone keep hold of him,’ said Bill. ‘Why isn’t he turning to smoke, like he does when I’ve tried to catch him?’

Moving forward, Jack halted before Yang. Could he grip him too? He had never touched Yang as he would a living person. Although times existed when he had felt Yang, it was more Yang touching him than the other way around. Many times his shadow had wrestled with him, locking his arm behind his back, or tying his legs in an uncomfortable knot. Yet, whenever he attempted to fight back Yang disappeared through his fingers. Firm, unyielding muscle met his probing fingers. The contour of the developing triceps, the curvature of the bicep played out beneath his hand. Everything felt solid to the touch. His twin even shared the pimple on Jack’s shoulder. Pinching Yang made his shadow recoil. I hurt him, he thought in wonder. A fierce desire to punch and kick his shadow overcame him. How much pain could he inflict on, what until this moment, had been an incorporeal phantom? An opportunity now existed to show physically how much he despised the deception he had uncovered. Yang mirrored him, no spiky hair, no elongated legs or anvil shaped fists. Only himself, looking so small. Even Krimble, with his bent back, towered over them. It would be so easy to strike out, to punch Yang. Oddly, his desire to hurt Yang dissipated now that his shadow was so defenceless. Why couldn’t his shadow always just mirror him? Turning, he looked down to discover Bill’s outline didn’t actually match Bill. Bill was shorter than Jack, yet his shadow stretched along the ground to at least twice his height. Long skinny legs travelled from Bill’s stodgy looking ones. Looking as Yang did, showing every curl of hair standing out from Jack’s head, revealing his every imperfection was unnatural.

Stepping up, Bill patted Yang on the back, making the shadow stumble forward. ‘He feels cold.’

He did. If you left your fingers on Yang for too long, the coldness sank into your bones. Removing his hand from Yang’s arm, Jack clenched his fingers into a fist to warm them.

‘Of course he isn’t warm,’ said Inara. ‘What shadow do you know that has blood?’

Its reflecting the cold heart of the demon, mused Jack. Everything about the thing hiding in the warmth of his stomach felt insidious. Suddenly the green light vanished, and with it the solid Yang. Looking he saw the Yang highlighted in blue leaning in front of the doused lantern.

‘Did he just blow out the light?’

‘I think he did,’ Inara answered Bill. ‘I guess he doesn’t like being handled.’

It’s showing a weakness. The green light made Yang solid, made him vulnerable. When Jack pinched him, he hurt the demon; the notion that he could wound his shadow quickened his heart. He didn’t fail to notice Yang turn and look at him while he pondered over what he now knew. How much did the demon know about him? Not for the first time he questioned whether it could read his thoughts as easily as it changed shape. With that thought in his head, no doubt, if Bill patted his back, Jack would feel as cold as his shadow.

‘You scared him,’ accused Krimble. ‘Prodding and fondling him like a piece of meat at a butcher’s shop. You should show him more respect.’

‘Didn’t you call him a scheming conniving shadow not too long ago?’ said Bill. ‘Strange how quickly you changed your tune. Could it be, thanks to the Ghost Walkers making us give you access to our Narmacils, that you’re trying to befriend them once more?’

‘Like you tried in the windowless room,’ added Inara, stroking Mylo’s surviving ear. ‘You’ll never get them you know. The Ladies may command us to allow you to remain close, but there are limits to what I’ll allow you to do.’

‘What power you think you have over me is waning,’ said Krimble, edging closer to where Inara sat. ‘I called you a bitch, but you can’t even be that. What man would ever want to lie with a cripple like you?’

Swelling up to thrice his size Yang seized Krimble by the arm and lifted the zombie high into the sky. The cries Krimble made grew faint as Yang took him higher.

‘Do you think he’ll drop him?’ asked Bill.

‘I know I would like him to fall,’ said Inara. ‘The Ghost Walkers’ threat remains over us all though. Yang knows he can’t do Krimble too much damage, no matter how much we all may wish otherwise.’

‘It’s a shame it’s so dark, I’d like to see him struggle up there. I can’t hear him any longer,’ said Bill. ‘I wonder how high he is.’

Ignoring what Yang did with Krimble, Jack had turned to the sole remaining shadow. Bathed in red light Yang looked more ominous than at any other time he had seen him. ‘So what’s different about you?’ His question only passed his lips in a whisper, yet he knew Yang heard him. ‘What secret does the red light reveal? Is it something you don’t want me to know?’

With a finger, Yang beckoned him forward.

Turning, Jack saw Krimble’s plight still held his friends attention. With a thunderous sound pounding his ears, he approached Yang. He needed to do this, to find out what the red light did. As Yang enveloped him in a sweep of his dark arms, he wondered about the rain he heard.