Wintermore (Aeon of Light Book 1) (27 page)

“Not a very smart man though, is he?” Selenik says to himself as he strokes his orange goatee. “You can’t take me. Though I can take you if you threaten me again.”

Agna sternly points at Yaz. “Hush.” She turns back toward Selenik. “He meant no disrespect, nor do I.”

“
No
? I would guess not, my fair lady. I don’t imagine you will give yourself to me as payment?” Selenik reaches behind his back and presents a clear chalice with silver-and-gold floral banding.

“How much coin do you require?” Deet says.

“Why all of it, other-man,” and Selenik rubs his chalice. He nods at Deet. “Tell me, how much do you have?”

Deet glances at the ground. “We have two silver and twelve coppers.”

Selenik lowers his head with eyes still staring at Deet. “So, other-man, you play cards?”

Agna steps forward and waves her hand. “We don’t want to trick you.”

“Oh, my fair lady, so you want to sit at my table and play too? Because the other-man here wants to play with Selenik, and so he shall.”

“This is ridiculous,” Deet says.

Selenik points at Deet. “You want to play with me? You want to cross my river?”

“Fine, what are the stakes?”

“If you win, all of you cross my river with no payment. If I win, I get your soul.”

Preta grabs Deet’s arm. “No, Deet, don’t.”

Deet tugs his arm away. “Be quiet.” He eyes Selenik. “What if you win and get my soul, do the others still get to cross at no further cost?”

“Yes, they may pass with no further payment.”

“How do I know you’ll hold up your end of the bargain?”

Selenik scowls and moss-colored spit flies out of his mouth. “The deal and my word are my bond, as is yours. Once forged, I’m magically bound to it, as are you.”

“Then you have a deal, let’s play.”

Pressing both of her hands against his chest, Agna steps in front of Deet. “No, Deet, don’t do this, you don’t understand.”

“Out of my way,” Deet says, brushing Agna aside with little care.

Selenik leads them to the slate table. “Best two out of three, poker, five-card draw.”

“Fine,” Deet says.

Selenik points at a waterlogged, moldy wooden chair, appearing to be too small for a normal-sized person to sit in. “Sit.” He places the clear chalice in the middle of the table.

Preta and the others stand behind Deet.

Anxious, Preta chews her finger nails watching Selenik shuffle the cards with his little green hands.

Selenik passes Deet the cards. “Your deal.”

The cards dealt, Selenik and Deet look at their hands.

“How many do you want?” Deet says.

Selenik calmly sets his cards on the stone. “Two.”

Deet nods. “I’ll take three.”

Selenik lays down his hand. “Two pair, kings and threes.”

“Three of a kind, three eights.” Deet takes a vocal breath and relieved exhale.

Selenik rubs his chin as he scans Deet’s cards. “Nice hand, nice hand indeed. You want to raise the stakes?”

“No, just deal.”

Yaz taps Deet’s shoulder. “Nice hand, Brother, you got this, no problem.”

Selenik shuffles and deals.

Deet picks up his cards and keeps three.

Selenik takes one.

Deet throws his cards onto the stone table. “Pair of aces, jack high.”

Selenik puffs on his pipe and exhales a long stream of yellow, sweet smoke, and he smiles. “Two pair, two’s and fives. That’s one-one, other-man, it comes down to the last hand.” Selenik passes Deet the cards. “Your deal.”

Deet shuffles and deals out the cards.

They both discard two and take two.

“Three queens,” Deet says, tossing his cards on the table. Confident, he grins and leans back, placing both hands behind his head.

“Nice hand, very nice hand, though it doesn’t beat my straight to the seven.” Face up, Selenik lays his cards on the table one at a time.

“
No
,” Preta says, and she presses her hand over her mouth.

Deet drops his head and falls forward in his chair.

Yaz draws his sword.

Selenik grins at Yaz. “And what do you think you’re going to do with that sword? You want to fill one of my chalices with your soul?”

“Yaz, put it away,” Agna says, raising and lowering her hand.

“Screw this little green booger, I’m gonna open him up and shove that chalice down his fish head-eating throat.”

“Silly man,” Selenik says as he waves his arm. Yaz’s sword flies out of his hand and splashes into the fog-obscured river. “Next time, it’s your soul flying to me, you stupid—booger, was it?”

Deet tries to keep composed though fear is etched on his face. He stands up and glances at Preta then to Selenik.

Selenik gently rubs his chalice. “Now, for my payment.” He waves his hand in a figure eight, a faint-red smoke dances out his fingertips.

Deet’s head jerks forward, and he lets out a choking cough as the smoke enters his body. He convulses and hunches over with both hands smacking flat on the slate table. Deet’s knuckles turn white from gripping the edge. His face twists and goes pale—the veins in his neck pop out, and he gasps for air—spit flies out of his mouth and sprinkles his short beard. He groans. Deet’s eyes roll back into his skull until only the whites fill the sockets.

Selenik tilts the chalice opening toward Deet. “Let go of your soul, my new friend, give yourself to me; give yourself to my chalice.”

Preta steps forward frantically waving her arms. “No stop. Deet. Please, Selenik, stop it!”

“It’s so much easier if you just give in,” Selenik says to Deet.

Preta hugs Deet and eyes Selenik. “Stop, stop, I’ll play. I’ll play for my brother—for my soul!”

Selenik snaps his fingers and lowers the chalice.

Clutching his throat, Deet gasps for air and falls to the ground.

Yaz bends over to help his brother.

“My young lady,
you
?” Selenik leans forward with a gleam in his eye. “You want to sit at my table?”

“Yes, yes,” Preta says, “just don’t hurt my brother, please.”

Selenik strokes his gold earring. “
Hmm
—I think we can work something out, for the right price.”

Preta sits in the chair. “Stakes?”

Selenik nods. “One hand. If I win, I get your brother’s soul
and
yours.”

“And if I win?”

“If you win, my lady, you shall all cross my river. But, I will still require payment equal in value to your brother.”

“Deal,” Preta quickly says without thinking on the offer.

“Preta!” Agna says as her eyes bulge.

Preta snaps her head away. “Not now!”

Selenik rubs his hands together. “Good, I love a good compromise.” He points at the cards. “It’s your deal.”

Preta passes out the cards.

Selenik takes two.

Preta takes three. “Aces and threes,” Preta says, tapping her finger on the table.

Selenik frowns. “Tens and deuces. Good hand, young lady, good hand indeed.”

Preta jumps up with a sigh and hugs Deet. “You scared me so much, Dee.”

Yaz pats Preta on the back. “Nice hand, Sis, good job.”

“Far too risky,” Agna says, frowning.

With a relieved smile on her face, Preta hugs both her brothers at the same time.

Selenik, with his inch-long fingernails, taps the glass chalice. “
Ahem
—now, my young lady, for my payment.”

“Yes, all right,” Preta says.

Selenik waves his hand at Yaz. “The pale man’s soul it is for my chalice to drink.”

Preta kicks over the chair. “No, wait,
what
? That wasn’t the deal I made.”

“Yes, it was, my young lady. What did you expect?” Selenik gives her a devious grin. “Equal value to your brother
is
your brother.”

“Wait, take all our silver and coppers. Deet, give him our coins.”

Selenik shakes his head not approving. “Silver and coppers don’t equal a soul, not by a far. What do you think I am, a fool? No, no, no, no, only a soul will do now.” Selenik rubs his cup. “My chalice is thirsty, and it needs to be quenched.”

“Wait, please wait.” Preta runs over to the boulder and unties the bandit. “Here! You can have this soul.”

The bandit squirms, and Preta rips off his gag.

“
What
? Y-you can’t do this, w-what are you doing?”

Pinching his chin, Selenik scans the bandit from head to toe, calculating his worth. “
Hmm
—no, sorry, my young lady, this is not equal value.”

“Fine, then him and all of our coins,” Preta says.

The bandit’s eyes widen, and his body shakes. “You evil, g-girl, how c-can you do this to me?”

Preta snaps her head toward the scum. “Shut up.”

While pinching his chin, Selenik again scans the bandit. He looks at Deet. “Other-man, how much coin did you say? Was it two silver and twelve coppers?”

Deet avoids Selenik’s gaze, and he doesn’t answer.

Selenik grins at Preta. “My lady, my lady, for you I shall bend. This man it is for my chalice to drink this fine, fair-weathered foggy day, and one gold nib, four silver, and fifty-six coppers. It seems the other-man has a particularly interesting silver canister I shall require as well. And lastly, I’ll need something to wipe my behind, so I’ll be having your credits too. Deal?”

“Deal!” Preta says, not allowing anyone else to speak.

Selenik holds out his hand toward Deet. “All of it, I said.”

Deet drops the pouch into Selenik’s hand and removes the silver cylinder from his pack and sets it on the table.

Yaz pats Deet on the back and sighs.

Selenik rubs his hands together. “Now for my soul.” He waves his hand in a figure eight toward the bandit and the red smoke floats out his fingers.

“N-no, stop.” The bandit eyes Preta. “You evil g-girl, look at m-me, remember my face, m-my eyes will haunt you for eternity.”

Preta looks away, realizing what she’s done. She sentenced this man to death, used as nothing more than a bargaining chip for her brother’s life. A deep pit forms in her stomach and aches. But then she pictures the bandit’s reptile eyes and his fluttering milky-yellow tongue between his blackened, rotten teeth. With drunken eyes and flared nostrils, his body gyrates. Gagging stench flutters into Preta’s senses. She envisions his dirty, clammy hands touching her skin and his pack of wolves howling and attacking Agna. Preta glares at the scum. “You’ll not haunt me.”

The red smoke enters the bandit and his body convulses. The veins in his neck pop out. In vain, he gasps for air, and his eyes roll back into his skull.

Selenik extends his chalice with both hands. “Come to your new home, my friend, my love, fill my chalice, quench her thirst with your soul.”

The bandit’s head vibrates violently in fits and twitches. His eyes bulge from their sockets, and in a faint exhale his body goes still. A misty grey smoke seeps out of the scum’s eyes, mouth, and ears and slowly floats through the air in front of Yaz’s face.

Yaz’s jaw drops. His eyes track the smoke, fluttering in the wind in front of him and passing right over his nose. He holds his breath and gulps.

The smoke enters the chalice, and the bandit’s hollow, lifeless, pale-white body drops to the ground.

The scum’s smoke fills the clear cup, and the vodník places a silver cap over the top. He raises the chalice and kisses the glass, leaving a slimy imprint of his lips.

The grey mist transforms to swirling black smoke. The bandit’s face forms. With no sound, he violently screams, his hands pressed and pounding against the glass. Then his face disappears back into a swirling cloudy mist of black.

Selenik kisses the chalice again. “Good, good, good, now for your payment, a deal’s a deal, right? Follow me.”

Deet and Yaz both clutch their stomachs, sick.

Yaz drops to his knees and vomits.

Agna picks up her pack, grips Preta’s arm, and leads her away from the table.

Deet snaps out of his sickness and helps Yaz to his feet. “Gather yourself, let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Yeah, out of here, right.” And Yaz’s body convulses.

Selenik leads them to a small red row boat at the river’s edge, the green paint peeling and chunks gouged from the pockmarked wood. “Here it is. You won’t find such a boat anywhere else along this river; lucky day it is for you this fine, foggy day.”

Yaz convulses again.

Deet scans the surroundings, eyeing everything other than Selenik’s gaze.

Preta and Agna fill the water pouches.

Selenik stretches his arms above his head. “What a fine, fine, foggy day.”

Preta glances at the rotten wooden boat. “Is it safe?”

“Does it matter?” Deet says. “Let’s go, get in.”

“You can swim across if you’d like,” Selenik says. “Or, you can stay here with me, my young lady.” He winks at Preta. “I have another thirsty chalice for you to sleep in if you’d like.”

Deet tosses his things into the boat. “Preta, no more questions, get in. Yaz, in the back, and paddle.”

Preta holds the boat steady for Yaz to climb in, and she follows him.

With his foot, Selenik pushes the boat into the river. “Come back any time now.”

The boat rocks back and forth from the gentle cross current.

Yaz paddles smoothly through the water.

The fog is cool and thick, Preta can taste the river. Her clothes stick to her skin from the moisture lingering in the air; a chill runs up her neck.

The boat cuts through the cross current with a subtle knocking against the hull.

Yaz paddles for ten minutes, and the tips of pine trees finally pierce through the fog.

The boat scrapes and vibrates as it touches the rocky bottom and it crashes into the riverbank.

Preta lurches forward.

Deet steps onto shore. He tugs the boat out of the river, and without a word, nods toward the forest, climbing up the embankment, and disappearing into the pine trees.

Preta peeks back toward the river one last time, and her eyes narrow as something appears; bubbles rise from the water.

“My fine fair ladies, there will always be a chalice and a place for you by my side.”

A BETTER ROAD

“Wait up, Dee, slow down,” Preta says as she scrambles up the hill and trips over a root.