The Undertakers: End of the World (36 page)

He’d said—

“Two
and
two,” I breathed.

Beside me, Helene gasped.

And Tom? Well, he just kept smiling.

With pride.

The pocketknives morphed in seconds, the strange Ethereal
stuff
of which they were made obeying whatever brilliant commands Future Steve had somehow coded into them. Their opposite ends seemed to stretch outward. One foot. Two. Three. The buttons disappeared, the gadgets—which had been so useful to me during the Corpse War—melting away.

And, in their place: a seven-foot double-pointed javelin, blue/black in color, with sparks of electricity snapping at both its ends.

Fore.

Professor Moscova had been right. I
hadn’t
needed to bring back the javelin. I, or rather
we
—Tom and me—had possessed it all along.

“When’d she figure it out?” I asked no one in particular.

Tom answered, “Back in our prison cell, I think.”

“Why didn’t she tell anyone?” Helene asked.

The chief laughed. “‘Cause she’s
Sharyn!
”

As if she’d heard him, Sharyn looked our way, grinning from ear to ear. Then she flipped the javelin to one hand, spun it in the air like a baton, and ran forward with it at the ready—heading straight toward the three monsters.

For a single, horrific moment, I thought she was playing some kind of lunatic game of “Chicken,” expecting these creatures, five times her size and bred for combat in this arena and absolutely
nothing
else, to “blink first.” And that was just plain crazy.

But then, as she came within twenty feet of the nearest of them, both sides running full tilt, Sharyn lowered the front-facing point of her javelin and jammed it into the black slab beneath her feet—

—and rode it, pole vault-style, up into the air.

Except, unlike the guys at the Olympics, she didn’t let go of the javelin. Instead, she kept her hand on it so that, when she went airborne, it went along with her.

At the sight of the girl hurtling its way, the nearest of three monsters opened its enormous mouth. The maw was
huge
, easily big enough to swallow her whole. But, as she neared it, Sharyn brought Fore up and, underhanded, drove it into the base of the
kotha’s
head. The point cut deep, shivering with blue electricity, searing through the hard leathery flesh like fire through ice. It pierced the open mouth, crossed to the other side and came out the back of the creature’s head in an explosion of blood the same black color as the surrounding Ether.

As it did, Sharyn placed one foot on the shaft that ran through the inside of its open maw, keeping the knife-like teeth from coming together. Then she shifted her weight and jumped again, grabbing the front end of her javelin with a smooth, practiced motion and, pulling it free, landed atop the Ether and rolled clear.

The
kotha
shuddered violently. All ten of its legs wobbled and then shot out in every direction, as if no longer able to support its weight.

The creature collapsed, dead.

The arena went silent as the grave.

The two remaining
kotha
roared, a noise so loud that it seemed to shake the entire building. I saw some of the countless tiny Builders that made up the walls shudder and vibrate.

Then the monsters pounced, one of them leaping smoothly over its fallen bro, while the nearer of the two swiped at Sharyn with its lethal front legs.

Sharyn ducked and parried, moving with an almost liquid grace. Fore slashed the air. When it struck one of the monster’s thick appendages there was a flash of electricity, and that limb went suddenly limp. With a howl, two more of the
kotha’s
pincers shot forward, either of them easily capable of cutting the girl in two.

But again Sharyn moved, this time slipping inside the reach of the claws, which snapped shut on the place she’d just vacated. Then the javelin came up and stabbed deep into the creature’s torso. Rearing back, the
kotha
flailed in obvious agony, managing to catch Sharyn with one spasming limb. The glancing blow was enough to send her flying.

“Oh no!” Helene screamed.

Sharyn tumbled skyward, but managed to control her flight and land on her shoulders, staying conscious. Still sliding across the smooth Ether, she reached out a hand and called “Fore!”

The javelin exploded out of the monster’s chest and whipped through the air—a blue electric blur—before slapping obediently into the girl’s waiting grasp.

“Whoa!” I exclaimed.

As Sharyn jumped to her feet, the injured monster turned toward her, black blood gushing from its wound. It took a step. Then another. And then it dropped to the ground.

Two down.

The last of the
kotha
, ignoring its fallen buds, charged at the girl full tilt, its mouth wide open and four of its legs held stiffly out in front of it, like lances.

Sharyn ran up to meet it, only to drop at the last instant and slide underneath the huge creature, barely avoiding its deadly pincers. As she did, she angled the javelin upward, its electric point slicing open the
kotha’s
underbelly. When she came up behind it, she was covered head-to-toe in hot black blood, which only served to make her look that much more incredible.

The last one died.

Sharyn raised Fore high in the air, holding it with both hands, while the arena went nuts.

The sounds ranged from siren wails to deep-throated roars. I couldn’t tell if the
Malum
were outraged or impressed by what they’d just seen, but it had clearly had a powerful impact on them.

In the midst of the crowd, I could see Future Queen, her body motionless, her red eye glaring. She called out,
“Send in the rest!”
This time, her words translated just fine.

The arena fell silent again. At first, no one moved to obey.

Is it possible for a ten-legged alien monster to look red-faced with hysteria? Well, no. Probably not. But whatever the
Malum
equivalent is for that, Future Queen was doing.
“Send in the rest! Now! Do it now! I want that filthy human whelp dead!”

Another long pause followed, until I thought the monster calling the shots would explode with frustration. Finally, a section of the arena’s far wall receded, the creatures who composed it disconnecting from one another and skittering aside to create a gap.

Through that gap, came two more
kotha.

“The B Team,” Tom remarked.

Sharyn wiped the black blood from her face and turned toward them, her javelin at the ready.

At the top of her voice, she called, “What kinda queen goes back on her word? What kinda queen
lies
to her people and denies fate?”

A murmur rose through the surrounding multitudes.

“Straight up,” Tom said.

“Kill her!”
screamed Most Despised Daughter.

As the
kotha
surged forward, Sharyn turned and ran to her right, at an angle that was perpendicular to the path of the charging beasts. Seeing this, the
kotha
adjusted, one of them now running a pace or two ahead of the other.

“Now,” Tom said under his breath.

As if she’d heard him, Sharyn suddenly stopped, pivoted, and threw her javelin.

It cut the air soundlessly, as sleek and quick as a bolt of lightning. It sliced into the first of the creatures, piercing it right between its two thundering front legs. With a dazzling flash of electricity, Fore seared completely through and came out the other side, where it instantly skewered the second monster, cutting all the way through that one as well.

Two in one shot!

The first
kotha
toppled forward, its legs giving way beneath it. As it crashed to the ground, the second one tripped over it, flipping end over end. Then it too hit the hard Ether and skidded, coming to rest only a dozen feet from where Sharyn now stood.

Both creatures groaned—and died.

Sharyn jumped up onto the flank of the nearest lifeless
kotha
, held out her hand, and summoned Fore back to her.

Then she called out, her voice as loud and clear as a bell. “Next?”

The Cost of Victory

Once again, the multitudes erupted in sound, and this time I got the strong impression that it was more
for
Sharyn than
against
her. After all, she’d just treated them to something they hadn’t expected, not in their wildest dreams—assuming these things dreamed at all. And if the
Malum
were anything like sports fans everywhere, they loved a good upset.

Especially when they’d never seen one before.

She did it! They’re going to let us go!

And, better still, we had the javelin.

We could do what we came here to do.

But then, as often happens the minute I see the sun start coming up, a storm hit.

I noticed that the place where Future Queen had been sitting, or standing, or squatting, or whatever these things did when they relaxed, was empty.

“Where’s the boss?” I asked.

“Wondering that myself,” Tom said worriedly.

Then Helene pointed. Something was crossing the arena floor, moving amidst the hulking forms of the dead
kotha
. It darted with lightning quickness from one to the next, using their bodies as cover. Nearing Sharyn.

Stalking Sharyn.

“Sis!” Tom called, alarm in his voice. But the crowd was too noisy. No way was she going to hear him.

So he started forward, only to be forced back by two of our
Malum
guards.

The chief glared at them. But before he could say or do anything, Helene jumped in front of him and got right into the nearest monster’s face—two fierce hazel eyes against a single yellow one.

“She won,” the girl said in a low voice. “Get outta our way.”

Neither guard moved.

“It’s fate,” Helene pressed. Then, reaching over her shoulder, she slid Vader from its sheath. “Do you know what happens to anybody who stands against fate?”

These two were warrior caste. Did they even understand English? I wasn’t sure.

But then I watched the creatures hesitate, their bodies shifting uncomfortably.

Helene didn’t so much as blink.

“They
die
,” she said. “That’s what happens to ‘em. Now, for the last time … the absolute
last
time … get outta our way.”

The
Malum
stepped aside.

I love her. Yep. I do. There, I said it.

The three of us rushed out of our pen and through the ranks of guards. As we did, a few of the nearest
Malum
looked warily at us, their heads rolling along their bodies, following our path. But none of them made any attempt to stop us.

Bavarak
had spoken.

“Give me Vader!” Tom said to Helene. “Now!”

Wordlessly, she handed him the sword.

Tom exploded ahead of us, running faster than I’d have thought anyone could, quickly outdistancing Helene and me. Vader flashed in his hands as he crossed the open ground between him and his sister, who’d noticed him by now, but was smiling, as if thinking he was on his way to congratulate her.

Meanwhile, Future Queen had slithered up to the lifeless body of the
kotha
that Sharyn had speared at the end of the fight. This brought her close to where her quarry stood.

Her red eye fixed on Sharyn’s unguarded back.

Then, to my horror, she exploded into motion, leaping at the unwary girl with dizzying speed.

What happened next happened fast.

Insanely fast.

As Most Despised Daughter cleared the distance between them, four of her pincers open and ready, Tom must have realized what I already had—that he wasn’t going to make it in time.

So instead he stopped short, pulled his arm back, and
threw
Vader straight at the monster. Seeing this, Sharyn’s smile vanished and she spun to her right, following the path of the shining sword.

At that same instant, Future Queen pounced for the kill.

Vader pierced the creature right at the base of her bulbous head.

With a howl of pain, the thing I’d once known—
would
know, would
never
know—as Corpse Helene convulsed in mid-air. Before Sharyn had time to fully grasp what was happening, Future Queen’s huge bulk blindsided her, and Fore went tumbling from her hands.

Both girl and monster toppled off the flank of the dead
kotha,
with the
Malum
landing atop Sharyn as they hit the Ethereal floor.

The arena went silent again.

Once again running, Tom hastily scooped up the fallen javelin and rushed over to where Sharyn and Future Queen lay in a heap on the Ether. Neither seemed to be moving. Helene and I caught up seconds later, breathing hard but barely noticing it.

Future Queen twitched, her strange head lolling, her yellow eye facing upward. Beneath her, Sharyn lay still, pinned under the
Malum’s
weight.

“Get the sword,” Tom told me.

I stepped up to the twitching
Malum
and grabbed Vader’s hilt, pulling hard. It came free of the creature’s weird head, but slowly, and with a sucking sound that made my stomach turnover. Black blood oozed from the wound. Future Queen hissed but didn’t seem able to defend herself.

Meanwhile, Tom leveled one of Fore’s points at what passed for the monster’s face.

“Get off my sister,” he said, his voice a low growl. He looked about a half-second from jamming the javelin’s sizzling tip right through that yellow eye.

“Pain,”
the
Malum
moaned.
“I’m in pain. You hurt me.”

“That ain’t nothin’ next to what I’ll do if you don’t get off her!” the chief roared. “Now!”

With obvious effort, Future Queen rolled away from Sharyn.

Helene dropped beside the girl, feeling her neck for a pulse. As she did, I saw Sharyn stir and groan. “She’s alive!” Helene exclaimed.

The chief nodded, never taking his eyes off the creature that still lay at his mercy. “My sister won,” he said to the whimpering monster. “You lost. That means we’re leavin’.”