Between the Bleeding Willows (The Demon Hunters Series Book 1) (7 page)

“Yes, Sir. Tarrin and I cleaned each of the carts.”

The pixie of a girl with bright eyes and brownish red hair extended her hand for me to shake. “Hello, Sir, the name’s Tarrin.” The Clan was large enough that there were still people I hardly knew.

“You can just call me Killian,” I returned. “Keep up the good work.” I grabbed a daylight lamp and walked past the carts into the tunnels we would travel in tomorrow. Angeline’s magic was our usual method of transportation, but we needed the carts to haul the fruit, and those could not be crossed over easily.

Long ago, the tunnels were the original way of getting in and out of our mountain base. It took years of our ancestors carving paths in the rocky walls. After the Incident with the Krevarians, we’d boarded up and abandoned their work. Would we come across more Krevarians? Had their hive regrown? What else might we meet? Tomorrow would be…I hoped it would be easy.

I walked back to Tarrin and Casper. “Casper, I’ll see you in the medical unit in a few hours.”

Casper waved at me.

“Bye,” Tarrin seemed to sing in a sweet voice.

I waved in return.

My patrol gathered in the dining hall to grab some food. The Harvesters always set out an extra-large platter of dried meats the day before our battles. Anchor, Jet, and Sean sat around me, plates spilling over with meat. They would be my team along with one of the trainees for the Harvest.

“Boss, everything ready for tomorrow?” Anchor cracked his knuckles, tattooed and scarred like every other inch of his body, while waiting for my answer.

“As ready as we can be. Anchor, I know you’ve been out past the boundary before…”

“That’s ’cause he’s crazy and wants to get killed,” Jet teased and ducked a smack in the back of the head from Anchor’s massive hand.

“How about you guys? Have you been out past there?” I asked, looking at Jet and Sean.

They shook their heads.

I had been out there several times, each time different from the others. It was unnerving to be away from the Clan, from the protection of spells…just me, the native creatures, and the demons.

“Well, it’s pretty wild. The trees and plants look different from what the Human Realm has.

Different even from what we have in our boundary.”

“Tell ’em about that snake-like thing.” Anchor gave me a wicked smile, his wild eyes glimmering even for the recollection of a fight.

“The creatures out there are so unlike anything I have seen before that it’s hard to know if they are friendly or deadly. A few years back, Angeline sensed we had an issue with the entrance to the tunnels. I crossed over a patrol near our grove to investigate and saw one of the tunnel doors was open, so I sent Matty to have a closer look. There did not appear to be anything blocking it. Jax went to check the lock, make sure it wasn’t broken, while Matty approached this old-looking log near the doors, all twisted and weathered-looking. But when Matty got within a foot of it, the log changed into a smooth and black massive snake creature. It rose up, taller than any of the men—and spit its breakfast all over the poor guy. Scared the crap out of him. This monster was also super-fast. It tried to strike us several times, but we took it down with no injuries besides Matty’s being covered in snake puke—which stank for days. We never figured out how it opened the doors, but we made sure they were shut tight before we crossed back to the compound. Anyway, we killed it, chopped it up, and once Angeline determined it was not poisonous, we had a great feast.” I laughed at the memory, but I was not eager to come across one of those again.

“What happened with the lock?” Anchor asked.

“We never figured it out. The doors are self-locking from the outside. You give a shove and an iron rod catches in this keep…easy to lock, hard to unlock. The creature used its tail to maneuver around us and with a flick of his tail, flipped the door shut. Jax and I tried to open it but it was locked.”

“Do you think the creature was in the tunnel?” Jet asked.

“I don’t know. And even if he was, how could it get those doors open?” I returned.

“Maybe something else opened that door,” Jet suggested.

“Maybe. Who knows what we’ll come up against tomorrow.”

Sean just sat silently listening, planning. Anything could happen tomorrow, and we needed to be ready for it.

“Ready for patrol?” I asked.

My team cleared their plates, then walked to the Center where Angeline helped us crossover so I could double check our busiest gate.

***

Blaylock Grove. A cemetery this old with such a bloody history…no wonder it was an easy location for a gate. Countless people were killed here and dumped in the lagoon. The roots of the willows drank from this water source, and when we opened the gate, the willows seeped blood. In the past, we’d cast spells to cover this up so that humans did not become suspicious, but since it was abandoned years ago, we were able to save our spells for more important purposes.

I walked the perimeter of the lagoon, Jet searched the path to the road, and Anchor checked the clearing. After a few minutes, we met at the gate.

“All clear. And I busted up that woody pentagram,” Anchor announced.

This brought my mind back to Cassidy being held while that asshole licked her blood from his blade. I hadn’t had any time to destroy the pentagram, so I thanked Anchor for taking care of that. With no signs of demons, we crossed back over to the Clan.

Our team parted ways, and I went to see Cassidy. In the med unit, Lena was busy making new potions to have on hand for the trip tomorrow.

“Hey, Sis.”

“Hey.” She didn’t look up, and I didn’t mind. I was still upset at her words from earlier. About planning what to do in case…

Cassidy’s body lay still on the bed in the dark corner past the seven other beds in the unit. I approached and spoke so that Lena could not hear me. “Hey Cass, any better today?” No response, not even a flinch. “So we are heading out to Harvest outside the boundary tomorrow. I won’t be here all day, but I hope to be back by night.” The finger on her left hand moved ever so slightly. I took her hand. Her fingers were delicate and thin compared to mine. I heard footsteps and turned to see Lena leave. “It’s gonna be fine. We have a lot of troops going. I probably don’t need to go, but it’ll be good to see the team work together. This way I can make adjustments for battle based on what I see.”

“’Sup, Sir?” Casper approached and clapped his hand on my back.

“Casper.” I returned my attention to the helpless girl next to me. “Cassidy, the voice you hear is in charge of guarding you tomorrow. His name is Casper. He’s unbelievably fast. Don’t know how good of company he’ll be.” Casper smiled at this. “But I know you’ll be safe with him, and that’s good enough for me.” I let her hand go and stood to give Casper the tour.

“Okay, Casper, let me show you around. This is her IV. Cassidy has a banana bag hooked up for several hours each day and Ringer’s solution the rest of the time.”

“Banana bag?” He echoed with a hint of laughter.

“Yes, here.” I led him to the fridge in the med unit and pulled out a yellow IV bag. “This has all the nutrients she needs in a day. It’s yellow, so we call it a banana bag.”

“Funny. Do I have to hook that thing up?”

“No, Lena should do it before we leave tomorrow. I just want you aware of what it is. You’ll need to change her positions in the bed from time to time, so she doesn’t get sores from lying in one spot. Nothing crazy. Just prop her with pillows on one side for an hour or so and then rotate her to the other side.”

“What about the Ringer’s whatever…thing?”

“Lena will have that hooked up so when the banana bag is finished, you just switch it. Come here, and I’ll show you.” I took out two empty IV bags and demonstrated switching the spike to a new bag and how to change the drip rate. Casper seemed to get it; it wasn’t rocket science.

“What’s that? Another banana bag?” He pointed to the urine collection bag.

“No, that’s piss. She has a catheter since she can’t get up to use the bathroom.” Casper’s face twisted with disgust. “If you’d rather, I could remove the catheter and leave you several sheets so you could deal with it the ancient way.” Casper shook his head but had no words. I had to work hard to not laugh. “Don’t touch it. You shouldn’t have to worry about messing with it.”

“Anything else?” Casper scratched behind his right ear and squinted, looking a little worried.

“Yeah. No one touches her but Angeline, Lena, you, and me. Anyone tries to mess with her, kill them.” Casper raised his eyebrows. We’d never had an intrusion besides the Breach, but that was years ago, and anything was possible. “That’s all. I’ll expect you here at first light.”

Casper nodded and left.

I checked the medical supplies that were bagged for the Harvest and made sure the IV bags for Cassidy were ready and labelled.

I recognized Lena’s footsteps coming back in. “Listen, I didn’t mean to upset you earlier. I can see you have feelings for her. Don’t…don’t let them cloud your mind…not now when so many are relying on you to keep them safe.” My sister perched upon her stool facing me. To anyone else, her face would be unreadable, but I knew exactly what she wasn’t saying.

“I know,” I said with gritted teeth. “I just think she needs more time. We’re supposed to protect the mortals, remember? I’m not willing to give up on her as easily as you are.”

“Killian…” She stopped. Good choice. She was thinking about the Breach and our parents, but I didn't want to, and if she mentioned it…I'd lose it.

I turned and walked out, headed for a hot shower. I had bigger things to think about and my own people who were relying on me to keep them safe.

Chapter Ten

Harvest Day arrived, and Casper was already one chapter deep into
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
with Cassidy before I left for the tunnel entrance.

My squad, Sean, Anchor, and Jet—a collection of tall walls of muscle—stood next to our newbie, Ren. The kid had his leather jacket zipped high, guards for his elbows and knees crafted out of shell, and a weapon in each hand.

“You doin’ okay?”

“I’m ready, Sir,” he answered.

“I see that.” I patted him on the back and smiled. “Let’s meet the team.” Turning Ren to face the senior warriors in our squad, I introduced him. “Guys, this is Ren. I’m pretty sure he’s half Mackleberry and half Jackson.” The guys elbowed Jackson in the ribs and chuckled. “He’s strong and well-trained. Help him with weapons check and introduce yourselves.”

The other squads organized and went over tactics. Each squad had a daylight lamp, three or four Harvesters, and a cart to manage. Our squad took the lead with a total of five squads following. Lena was in the third squad, and as far as I was concerned, she was the most important member and needed the most protection. Losing her was not an option. I wanted to leave her behind with Angeline, but we needed her healing expertise on this mission. Looking back through the sea of Clan members, I caught her eye. Her fingers fiddled with her dagger hilt.

Anchor flanked my left, Jet had my right, and Ren, holding our daylight lamp, took the lead with me.

“Ren, you good?” I wanted to check in with him to detect if there was any worry in his voice.

“Yes, Sir. Ready to get this done.” No nerves came through. Ren appeared rock solid and brave as a bull.

“Sean, you ready?” He paused from adjusting the cart to look my way.

“Sir, I am.” He turned back to the Harvesters. “Stay close.”

They nodded in reply. Each looked nervous, as they should be—venturing into dark tunnels, not knowing what lay ahead was plenty of reason to be fearful. The Harvesters’ short and lean stature was not seen as a negative attribute by our Clan, rather, they were highly regarded because their purpose in the Clan was as important as the soldiers. In truth, their stature made it easier for them to do their job, easier to climb high among the branches to retrieve the food, easier to maneuver in and out of the compact Mackleberry bushes. And they had enough strength to pluck an Elderleet from the ground. Their short stature also allowed them to hide in the trees or among the bushes when hunting. Without the Harvesters, we would be a very hungry Clan.

The thought of someone big and husky like Anchor climbing a tree to bring the fruit down had me chuckling quietly to myself.

Jet looked at me with concern. “Killian, you good?”

“Yeah. I am.” I turned toward the group. “Let’s go.”

Ren and I led the others into the dark tunnels. The lack of light was worrisome. The daylight lamps only granted vision a few feet in front of us—not enough to quiet the fears racing through our minds.

“I’d take a three demon battle over this any day,” I said quietly to Ren.

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t like being so closed in during battle. Makes it harder to fight.”

“I don’t like not being able to see more than five feet in front of me,” Ren added.

“Yeah, I hear ya. Let’s hope we don’t run into any company on the ascent.”

It
was
dark in the tunnels. In comparison, my personal quarters, which were dimly lit, had four lanterns, and here we had just six lanterns providing light for forty-six people in the black tunnels. It was all a bit suffocating, the darkness, and the worry.

It had been almost ten years since I’d ventured into this main tunnel that led to the others, and since the Clan had boarded them up. But magic wouldn’t work for the cargo we lugged today. It was too much organic matter at once, so the tunnels were our only chance. Our group traveled slowly and quietly; only our footsteps and creaky cart wheels echoed off the dimly lit walls.

“What’s that?” Ren held the lamp near the right tunnel wall. A partial handprint in faint dried crimson marked the stone. I held my hand to the print—it was almost twice the size as the mark. Sky. I felt the anger that I had suppressed for many years—anger at those monsters that killed my friend, killed fathers and brothers. I hoped we wouldn’t come across one of them, but if we did, I wouldn’t hesitate to put an end to it.

Taking a breath, I turned and continued the journey. I couldn’t lose focus or let my emotions cloud my judgement. “
That
is a reminder that danger lives in these tunnels,” I answered, then called to the group, “Weapons ready.”

Ren readied his daggers and the squads behind us followed suit. Cautiously, we continued our ascent in the tunnel, eyes trained ahead for danger, ears attuned to our surroundings.

“How much further is the entrance, Master Killian?” Siggy, our Harvester, looked panicked.

“I’m not sure. I’ve only seen the tunnel layout on a map.” I probably should have said something to quell his nerves, but that sugar-coating crap didn’t come easy to me and I had more important things to worry about. Ten more paces forward—Ren froze.

“I hear something,” he hissed, pointing straight ahead.

I did not see anything, not from where I was. We had a handful of archers in the second and fourth squads to cover attacks from the front and rear, and I signaled them to arm and stay alert. “Stay here.”

I crept a few steps ahead, away from the light. Our angel blood allowed us limited vision even in pure darkness, but it took a few moments for my eyes to adjust. I snuck closer, leaving all the light far behind me. Sounds of chewing and gnawing came from a shadow that I could finally make out. Three more steps closer—the shadow became two dark figures looming over something.

Quietly, I returned to the others and whispered, “There are at least two of them. They’re eating something, but I couldn’t see what.”

“What’s the plan?” Jet was ready for action.

“We leave Siggy with the second squad. It’s too dark for the archers to shoot, and if we bring the light any closer, they’ll see us and attack. If these are Krevarians—and that’s what they looked like from what I could tell—they can see in both the dark and light. I think the safest plan for everyone is if the four of us sneak closer and take out the two beasts, so Sean, Anchor, Jet, and Ren with me. We need to hold until our eyes adjust; they can’t see us before then. We have to surprise them. Strike hard and fast.”

Sean brought Siggy over to the warriors of the second squad and briefed them on the plan. They were to stand ready in case the creatures got past us. He handed our daylight lamp to them as well and then returned to the front.

“Ready?” I asked my men. They nodded in reply. I led with Anchor and Ren beside me. Once the wet sounds of chewing and tearing were only a few feet away, Ren lunged ahead. Crap. Rookie mistake. I should have been more on top of him; it’s easy to rush in too soon. My eyes were only just adjusting, but I could see the fight unfold.

The two beasts turned and hissed at Ren. Dark liquid ran from their mouths down their chests. One scaled the wall. Its vile form suspended above its partner, who immediately slashed at Ren.

“Ren!” I stabbed at the one attacking Ren.

The other Krevarian dropped from above and landed atop Ren. Anchor rushed in, cutting and kicking the one I now fought. Jet and Sean attacked the creature on top of Ren. The monster sent Jet crashing into the cave wall and landing with a thud. It let out a low, percolating sound while Sean cussed several choice words. I heard his blade
tinking
as if it were hitting armor.

Anchor grabbed the arms of our Krevarian and bellowed in anguish, “Damnit! They’re covered in spikes!”

Thankful that my eyes were adjusting to the darkness, I shoved my blade deep into the fleshy-looking neck of the creature we fought. Blood sprayed out from the wound, and it clutched its neck with one hand and swung at me with the other. After five steps, the body went limp. Anchor carefully unstuck his fingers from the spines on the dead monster. Blood dripped from his wounds, but the soldier in him readied himself for other monster as Sean flew into the wall with a cry of pain.

Jet was up, now, and charged the remaining Krevarian—this wasn’t over yet. Two more shadows emerged from the darkness ahead and skittered across the ceiling toward the other squads.

“Crap—they’re heading for the others.” I ran as fast as I could toward the other squads, shouting warnings that the tunnel morphed into unintelligible echoes. I hated leaving Ren and my men, but my words were getting lost. The others wouldn’t know how many were coming or how much tougher they were than even our stories had prepared us for.

Before I got to them, the screaming began. Finally, in the light of the lamps, I saw the horror of blood and terror. Our squads held their formations, very impressive. The archers had shot multiple arrows into one of the beasts, killing it. Several of my warriors surrounded the body of the other, Jackson holding the hilt of the blade buried in its neck. But just at the monster’s mouth…

“Lena!” Unconscious, my sister leaned against the wall, eyes closed, and her calf torn and bloody. I pulled Lena away from the dead creature. She was breathing and had a pulse. “Med kit!” I shouted. Every Clan member had been trained with field medic knowledge and could administer basic meds and wrap injuries, but Lena was by far the best. Healing came to her naturally. Siggy appeared with a small leather bag. I grabbed a potion bottle that had the smallest amount of a white, cloudy liquid. I swirled it several times and held the bottle under her nose. The smell was sharp and burning; surely this would wake her. A few passes under her nose and her eyes shot open.

“Holy crap, my leg!” Her eyes squeezed shut in pain, and her voice sounded strained. “What did that thing do to my leg?”

I shook my head. “I have the med kit.”

“Give me the pink shot.” Good, she was conscious enough to coach me. I took the pre-loaded syringe out, and Lena leaned over so I could pull down her pants enough to inject her buttocks. Her face contorted in pain from the initial pinch, but once I pulled it out, she relaxed and said, “Nice.”

“Antibiotic?”

“No, anti-pain,” she corrected. “Now you need to wrap my leg.” I looked in the kit and pulled out some gauze and tape and proceeded to wrap her leg. The flesh was ripped open in a pattern that matched the claws of the creature. It was grotesque. For added protection, I tore my shirt hem into three thin strips and wrapped it tightly around her calf at the top, bottom, and middle of the gauze to make a pressure bandage.

“You’re gonna need to keep this up above your heart and apply pressure to it if you can to help stop the bleeding.” I knew she knew this, but I felt I need to say it. There was already some blood staining the gauze, but the pressure bandage was helping. Blood matted her hair on the right side of her head. My fingers moved her hair aside, revealing a lump with a small laceration. “Hit your head too, but it’s not bad.”

“Okay, Doc.” She smiled and shut her eyes. Our pain meds were strong and worked fast, and it was easy to get lost in the bliss and forget what needed to be done.

“I wish we could take you back, but it’s too risky—we’re probably more than halfway to the surface, and we’d lose the chance at harvesting in any daylight if we go back now. And I’m afraid to lower our warrior numbers around the Harvesters if more of those things attack…”

“I’m fine,” she said without opening her eyes.

“You can ride on a cart.” I motioned for Jackson to help her and saw Jet, Sean, and Anchor carrying someone. I pushed past the crowd. Ren. They put him down as I approached. He was still breathing! Crouching next to him, I marveled at how he could still be alive. The monsters had ripped his neck open and shredded more than half of his body.

“Ren!” The pain in Jackson’s voice reverberated in the echoes of his cry. His footsteps pounded loudly as he came to my side, falling to his knees. A sob choked his voice, a sound I’d never heard from the man for as long as I knew him, as he cradled the battered form. “Ren?”

I looked to Sean, who had Medic training, but he shook his head. There was no saving him. “Ren…” I whispered. God, he looked awful. “You did good. You fought bravely out there.”

“You did good, my boy. You did good…” Jackson’s voice was hardly even a ragged whisper.

Ren’s eyes fluttered, he let out one last breath, and he was gone.

I put my hand on Jackson’s back, but he yanked away, holding his son’s body closer.

I stepped away to give him privacy. I wanted to shout, to curse, but I held back—though I felt every inch of me shaking in rage. I hated losing any of our Clan. Worse, I hated seeing Jackson so hurt. I hung my head and debated whether or not we should turn back. I hated that we’d had to return to these damned tunnels.

Sean walked over and reached to touch my shoulder, but I pulled away as hard as Jackson had from me.

I hated that I didn’t know what to do or say in this small moment.