Chapter XXXIII: The Chase

Rook had grabbed all of our bags while she was sneaking into the stonewose camp, and the first time we stopped after beginning our chase was for her to redistribute swords and guns and all of our traveling supplies. We thought that maybe we would also have a chance to relax. The stonewose quickly disabused us of that notion.

They were more relentless than I had thought them capable of, than I’d thought anyone capable of. The fifty or so of them traveled through the night without stopping, and what trail they were following I don’t have the slightest clue. We were woken up mid-morning nap by the sound of rifle shots, though thankfully in their desperation they opened fire far enough away that nobody got hit. We barely had time to get all of our things together and get on the falts. 

I realized fairly quickly why they were being so persistent. If two of them had already progressed so far into the wasting disease, the rest of the band couldn’t possibly be all that far behind. Given that we hadn’t so much as seen any other humans in the last week, we were about the only prey they were going to find. It was just as much of a matter of survival for them to catch us as it was for us to get away from them. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

The one advantage we had was in terms of raw speed; a small party on mounts could go faster than a large party on foot… so long as our endurance kept up. Or, rather, the endurance of our falts. After the third or fourth hour of the chase, I started to really sympathize with the first antelope that had a run-in with those weird bipeds that never seemed to get tired. Given that ghouls had a lesser version of my own powers, I had the feeling that they weren’t going to tire out for a while. That was one of those thoughts that you keep to yourself out of fear that speaking it aloud will somehow make it more true.

There was barely any time to stop to eat, even less time to stop to rest. No matter how hard we pushed ourselves and our animals, we were never able to get far enough for the stonewose to fall beyond the horizon, meaning that any stop that lasted more than twenty minutes was rolling the dice on whether we’d get out of there safely. We were sore and drowsy, the constant adrenaline and watchfulness sapping every muscle we had. Even I felt like I was a rubber band being stretched, and I didn’t have to deal with the minor things like mortality or strained tendons. I couldn’t imagine how the stress was making Sir Margaret feel with her injury.

Even worse was the condition of the falts. These were sturdy, stocky creatures, half-wild and bred for strength and stamina above all else, with broad hippo-like jaws and wide shoulders covered in long fur, long and muscular legs with a steady pad on the foot to give them purchase on inclines. Basically the opposite of your typical racehorse. More like a riding buffalo than anything else. But they were still animals, not cars, which meant that eventually their toughness ran out. We could hear their breathing get hoarse and deep, see their heads hang lower and lower to the ground, feel their stride slowing with each passing hour. Falts are too stubborn to run themselves to death like a horse might, but if they slowed down enough that the stonewose caught us, it wouldn’t really matter. 

By that afternoon, the only thing we had the energy to talk about was how we were going to escape. By Sarnai’s estimate, we wouldn’t reach Yazthaan until midway through the next day, even if we rode through the night, by which point our falts would have long since given up the ghost. Our only chance was to find some other place where the stonewose couldn’t find us, even with their substantially greater numbers and, if my assessment was right, a willingness to continue the search until they all starved to death. Places like that were in very short supply around a huge, open plateau.

But they weren’t completely nonexistent. After a long argument during which we brought up and discarded about a dozen different ideas in quick discussion, the group had fallen into a morose quiet, listening to the sound of falt hooves on the dirt like the ticking of a timer winding down. I was, once again, sharing a falt, this time with Sir Margaret, while Rook and Sarnai each had one to themselves as the heaviest riders. Suddenly, Sarnai slowed down.

“My mother be damned,” Rook muttered, “now’s not the time for the falts to start collapsing.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my falt, I just… do you see that?” she said, pointing off toward the horizon.

I didn’t see it, at first, and started wondering if I was going to need to worry about Sarnai breaking down from the stress and stabbing me in the back. It wasn’t until Margaret, curious, ordered our falt to slow down as well that I could make out what she was pointing at.

“That’s a tree,” I said. “I like your thinking, but I don’t think we’ll be able to hide in it.”

“That’s not just any tree,” Sarnai said, with growing excitement, “that’s the hotsprings of Kuytarn. And given the distance and direction from us to it, I know exactly where we are now.”

Rook was the last one to slow down. “And what does that mean?”

“It means, if my memory is correct, that about five miles to the southeast, there’s a place we can take shelter. And if my memory is incorrect, then we’ll at least have given the ghouls some exercise before they eat us all.”

Rook chuckled. “That’s the attitude I like. Lead away, then!”

With a harsh word, Sarnai spurred her falt to a canter, peeling off to the south. A moment later, the other two followed. This was faster than the animals had gone in hours, and more than they could sustain for more than a few miles. This was the last resort. 

But there was a light at the end of that tunnel. I don’t know how long we spent breathlessly staring out at the horizon, making sure our mounts kept up the pace, hoping that Sarnai knew where she was taking us. But eventually we were able to see it, the grey of the stones standing out starkly from the surrounding browns and greens. As we came closer and closer to it, the shape became more clear: it was a purposeful construction, the stones carved into angular blocks, albeit scattered and worn down by time. 

Whether we’d get there before the ghouls caught us was more of an open question. The burst of speed from our falts was temporary and flagged fast, while the ghouls seemed to never slow down. I have no idea how they managed to keep going like that, but I suppose if an ultramarathon runner could do it, then so could they, considering how tough stonewose are. Indeed, in our excitement, we may have pushed our falts too hard. They slowed more and more, until the ghouls weren’t just on our tail, but actively catching up.

The first gunshot passed close enough that the wind coming off of it rustled my hair. More followed, though not many, and none aimed as well as that first one. I leaned over Sir Margaret’s shoulder; the ruin loomed ahead of us, no more than three city blocks ahead. The ghouls were closer than that, judging by the sound of their taunts, but I didn’t have the courage to look. 

“We need to go faster,” I mumbled to Margaret. 

“I’m sorry to have to say that we’re already going as quickly as we can. If we try, I’m rather worried that the falts are going to decide they’ve had enough of us and stop going where we want them to entirely.”

“Alright,” I said, shutting my eyes and summoning up whatever focus I could. “Rook. We’re not going to make it before they catch up to us, are we?”

“Not sure,” Rook said. That meant no, or it might as well have.

I needed to come up with a new plan, one better than just running away in a straight line. Nothing came to mind at first, and my thoughts started to wander, back to the battle at Zrimash, back to the last time I’d evaded an army of ghouls. Then it hit me. The ghouls could outrun the exhausted falts, they could outrun the others. But I was faster than that.

“I need you all to promise me something,” I said, opening my eyes and making sure that my sword was still firmly attached to my belt.

“And what would that be?” Sarnai said.

“Don’t slow down and don’t look back, at least not until you’re completely safe. Got it?”

“What are you planning?” Sarnai asked. 

I clenched my fists, absolutely not in the mood for dealing with them right now. “Just promise me, dammit!”

“Alright.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t get yourself killed.”

With that assurance, I threw myself sideways, slipping off of the back of Margaret’s falt and crashing into the ground. I rolled for a bit, paying a toll of scuff marks and bruises, all of which were gone in a moment. As I stood up, my heart racing, I muttered to myself, “Let’s see how well you handle a real target.”

Then I ran, as fast and as hard as I could, directly towards the oncoming stonewose. I crossed the distance in seconds, moving so quickly that they didn’t even notice me until I was nearly halfway to being on top of them. An uproar went up among the band, a mix of confusion and battle-rage, and they raised their weapons and opened fire.

Before they could even pull the trigger, I swerved to one side, then the other, sliding and doubling-back at erratic intervals. The bullets were flying all around me, kicking up clods of dirt at my feet, threatening to blow holes in me at any moment if I made a mistake or my luck ran out. I was flying. And not only could they not hit me, but I was still getting closer. More importantly than my own survival, the sudden arrival of a threat was confusing and dividing the stonewose, causing some of them to stop and aim while others slowed down in confusion. A few continued to charge, drawing their axes and nets. 

At the last second, I jumped. My momentum sent me soaring through the air, twenty or thirty feet, to land with my feet slamming directly into the chest of the frontmost ghoul. Remembering what I’d learned against the reikverratr, I absorbed the impact like a spring, pushing up and off. I landed from that second jump about ten feet later, dropping into a roll, now sprinting directly through the middle of the pack. 

A couple of the stonewose, too excited or too far-gone to the wasting, continued to fire. The crack-crack-crack of their clockwork rifles was followed not long after by roars of pain and anger as other stonewose on the opposite side of the group were hit by stray shots. Those who knew the wisdom of not firing into their own group whirled around and started to chase. 

In a few seconds I’d overshot the pack entirely, sprinting away from them and away from the temple. From what I could see over my shoulder, they seemed confused. As though the pack were a liquid that had just had an arrow shot through it, they scattered, some remaining in place and taking aim, others continuing in the same direction. But most of them turned as one and took the bait. 

I purposefully slowed down, feigning exhaustion to make sure that the stonewose at least seemed to have a fighting chance. If I kept moving at full speed, they might fall far enough behind to realize that they didn’t stand a chance. The sensation of forcing myself to slow down suddenly made me sympathize with a high-energy dog whose owner is just trying to have a pleasant walk. 

So the chase was on. I zigged and zagged, suddenly swerving to one side or the other, forcing the formation behind me to swing around with each erratic movement. A few of them tried firing off more snap shots, shots which proceeded to miss by multiple feet, given that they were running full-tilt with no time to aim. I knew then that I had the advantage; though they had incredible stamina, the hours upon hours of chasing left the stonewose panting with exhaustion. Even as they drove themselves into a frenzy, they couldn’t squeeze any more speed out of their legs. A few became so frustrated that they lost control entirely, tripping over small stones or bushes and crashing into the ground. 

There was no time for me to think about my friends, not if I wanted to keep myself safe and intact. But even still I knew what I had to do. After breaking every 400-meter sprint record in history, I slowly started to wheel around to the left. The stonewose probably didn’t even notice, so focused were they on getting me within axe-range. Before long I had the stone ruins directly in front of me. 

The falts were just barely visible off in the distance, still galloping away. There were only a handful of stonewose that hadn’t ended up following me, but my heart sank as I realized they’d made the smart decision. The falts were only barely able to keep ahead, the gap between the two groups looking like almost nothing from a distance. As I watched on in growing horror, a loud crack sounded out, and one of the falts fell, sending the vague shape of its rider careening to the ground.

I screamed in shock; my plan hadn’t been enough. Without even thinking, my measured run turned into a sprint of utter panic. The stonewose behind me didn’t stand a chance, and the ones in front grew closer before I had a chance to create a plan. I was moving on pure instinct. My sword came out of its sheath nearly of its own volition, and I careened across the grass so quickly that my feet barely touched the ground. The adrenaline, the exhaustion, and the thought of my friends coming to harm all formed together into a red mist in front of my eyes. 

It was Sarnai, I realized, and she was indeed in trouble. Any stonewose who got too close she could fend off with the bayonet mounted on the end of her long musket, but she didn’t have the speed to outrun them. Instead, she and the stonewose made a running battle, making quick attacks against each other and moving slowly toward the ruins. 

I slammed into that group like a berserker, screaming my head off as I delivered a crushing drop-kick right into the stomach of the unlucky bastard who happened to be nearest. At once, three other stonewose turned to face me, brandishing hooks and maces with furious, determined expressions. Sarnai reacted by quickly shooting one in the back. 

“Run!” I roared. “I’ll handle them.”

Sarnai, who must have seen my performance against the main body of the ghoul pack, didn’t question it. She turned and ran. The ruin wasn’t far away, and even at Sarnai’s closer-to-typical speed it was less than a minute away. But with four ghouls in front of me and dozens more on the way, that was still plenty of time.

After nearly twenty-four hours of constant stress, I’d forgotten anything that resembled form or precision. It wasn’t like I could bring any of that skill to bear against a living, breathing opponent anyway, so the reckless fury that I fought with instead probably did better to keep me in one piece. I didn’t cut with my sword so much as I waved it around; I didn’t so much step in and out of measure as I did leap and charge. Anyone who got too close would get kicked, or punched, or get the hand guard on my saber bashed into their face until they retreated.

It was almost easy; my blood was pumping so fast that time itself seemed to slow. I could dodge or parry or block everything they threw at me, and respond with enough force to keep them perpetually off-balance. Once or twice I even responded with a proper sword-swing, opening long narrow cuts in arms and chests. The memories pounding into me dissuaded me from doing it more often. The green ring, the pale hand on the gurney, the smell of antiseptic.

Fighting all five of them— the one I’d kicked somehow got up from what should have shattered her hip— was a bit like keeping spinning plates balanced. I could just about manage it. But in the whirl and frenzy of the fight, I almost forgot what was coming. The gunshots were the first reminder. As the automatic fire kicked up puffs of dirt around my feet, I leapt out of the way, blocking an axe blow, then risked a moment by looking back at the source of the bullets. The rest of the pack was incoming, easily seven or eight times as many as the ghouls I was only barely able to keep occupied. 

Swearing, I made my final push and ran for it. The nearest stonewose tried to stop me, throwing their arms open and moving to intercept, but I had the advantage of small size. I dropped into a slide and went right between the legs of one, then rolled back to standing, leaping sideways to evade another. After that it was a straight sprint. I happen to be exceptional at sprints. 

Sarnai had reached the ruin, and was standing alongside Margaret and Rook by the entrance. Or at least, the closest thing it had to an entrance; it wasn’t like there were any doors. Rather, they were standing in what, from what I could tell, was the only opening into the ruins, a place where the huge construction stones had fallen in just such a way as to create an opening large enough for a Durkahn to fit through. They’d disrupted the stones in preparation to block it off. As I turned, the only thing keeping that entrance from being sealed off entirely was Rook’s strength, as she held up a huge block of stone on her back. 

And as I realized that they were waiting for me, I fucked up. I had been relying on my speed to keep out of reach of the stonewose, but as I slowed into the final stretch, I forgot the important second ingredient: dodging. Because there was one thing I couldn’t outrun: bullets. Bullets are fast.

I was about five seconds away from reaching the edge of the ruins when a white-hot bolt of pain shot right through my right calf. There was a pop, and a crack, and suddenly that leg didn’t work anymore. It didn’t take a genius to realize that I’d been shot. The momentum of my run, suddenly uncontrolled, sent me pitching forward, scraping my elbows and side as I skidded to a stop. I was already healing, the shattered tissue and bone pulling together. It wasn’t fast enough.

In a moment of absolute panic, I did the first thing that came to mind and started crawling. With two arms and one leg, it was slow and uncomfortable. The stonewose were right on my tail and getting closer. I pushed harder, faster, but it wasn’t enough. The realization of what I was going to have to do hit about a second before I did it and made me grimace.

“Fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuckfuck,” I said, standing up on my healed leg. There were more shots hitting the dirt and stones around me; if I got hit again I wouldn’t make it. So I stepped forward, resting my weight on the injured leg for as little time as possible. I screamed. More importantly, I was moving, limping the last few feet to the ruin. It still wasn’t enough; the stonewose were closer to me than that.

Muttering something to herself in Durkahni, Sarnai broke out from the ruin and dashed up to me. She grabbed my hand and pulled me after her, almost dragging me back to the entrance of the ruin with her. It made the stinging pain in my leg worse, but it wasn’t like I had a choice. The nearest stonewose was only feet behind us and not slowing down, her eyes red with fury and a huge iron hook in her hand. 

Sarnai had just reached the entrance when, with a mighty swing, the stonewose hooked my leg. My bad leg. She pulled back, suddenly dragging both myself and Sarnai to a halt as I was yanked off of my feet. I kicked and screamed and it didn’t do shit against the hook. Now it was Sir Margaret’s turn to dart out from behind Rook. Even in her injured state, she was still stronger and faster than her size belied, and as she grabbed Sarnai around the waist, the stonewose lost traction and began to get pulled in after us.

The next few seconds were an absolute mess. I was screaming in pain, Sarnai and Margaret were screaming in exertion, the stonewose was beckoning to her compatriots for help in dragging me back. I was able to get my uninjured leg into the ground and start kicking away, at a cost in more pain. By inches and by feet, the perverse game of human tug-of-war ended up pulling me all the way into the mouth of the ruin. And no further. A second ghoul had caught up with us, gripping the chain with both hands. Not even all three of us working together could fight that, and Rook was too busy holding up the roof to help. But that gave me an idea. 

“Rook! Be ready to drop it!” I shouted.

She nodded, barely perceptible. 

I twisted around, gritting my teeth against the pain that brought, until my hand found the grip of the revolver at my side. A gun that small wasn’t enough to seriously inconvenience a ghoul, even if I could bring myself to aim for a vital area. But I didn’t aim for a vital area, instead pointing the sights right at the leg of the one in the front. 

In the enclosed space, the gunshot was enough to make my ears ring. The ghoul’s knee burst into blood and she stumbled back into the other one, momentarily stunned. I wasn’t sure if Rook could hear me after the noise I’d made, but I screamed anyway.

“Drop it, drop it now!”

There was barely a moment of hesitation before Rook understood my meaning. Heaving, she shoved the multi-ton stone over her shoulder, sending it slamming down on the two stonewose. With the only major entrance sealed, the inside of the ruin was suddenly very quiet and very dark. But we were safe, at least for now. I averted my eyes from where the crushed bodies would have been and tried to avoid throwing up or passing out as I untangled my leg from the hook.

SaffronDragon

Hey everyone, sorry for the late chapter. I'm back in school as of last week, so that's been hitting me pretty hard on every front. I'll do my best to continue uploading chapters on time, but be prepared for some delays. I'm also setting a goal for myself with regards to Snows of Selene: I want to finish writing it by the end of October, and release the final chapters early in November. So you can look forward to that. Anyway, click the link below, join the Patreon, get the chapters early and join the Discord, etc etc. See you in two weeks for Chapter XXXIV: Digging Into The Past