coughed, and nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” She
looked around at the shattered remains of three creatures. “Is that
the…pack of roving dogs you were talking about?”
Severin walked up with a bag of flora. He scooped out
a handful and began to encircle each rubble mound. “They’re what I
was talking about, yeah.”
She knew her eyes must look terrified, if they looked
anything like she felt. She turned them up toward Severin for
answers. “What were they?”
“Beats me,” Severin said. “Don't know what they are.
I only know what they do.”
“I thought the theory was they only come out at
night,” Elfie said.
“No, these things pretty much bring the darkness with
them.” Severin extended a hand to help her up. “Can you stand?”
Elfie nodded. She stood up by herself, slapping the
dust from her slacks. “Thank you. I mean, really. They would have
killed me if you hadn't come in.”
“No, like I said, they keep the young women. The
elderly they kill for blood and flesh. The young men they make into
one of them. The child-bearing age women are hoarded for breeding
purposes. By the time they got to you, though, I expect you would
have wished you were dead.”
The outside sound of running footsteps slowed, and
Yancey and Oliver, gasping for air, swung themselves headlong into
the cave.
“Are you all right?” Oliver asked in one gasp.
“I'm fine,” Elfie said. “Thanks to Severin here. If
he hadn’t happened upon me, I’d be in deep kimchee.”
“I didn’t just happen upon you,” Severin said. “I was
sent to find you. All of you.” He moved his attention to Yancey.
“Grandmother needs to see you. The three of you.”
“Molly?” Yancey asked. “Why?”
Severin bobbed his head sideways with uncertainty.
“She says you have the people’s business.”
Yancey nodded toward Elfie. “Yeah. We have a mission
or two to accomplish at the Angel Caves.”
“The Angel Caves. Then it's true what I heard.”
Yancey's eyes opened wide. “How could you hear
anything out here?”
Severin cocked his head back and shot off a loud
laugh. “The trees knew. The Cottonwoods. They told me.”
“Bullshit. Molly told you,” Yancey said, grinning,
“and Molly knows everything.”
“Just about.” Severin turned toward Elfie and pointed
north. “Molly Coddle lives by the springs, in the Willow Peak,
above the Wash. Yancey knows the way. It’s important that she sees
you soon.”
Elfie's brow furrowed more than ever. “Why?”
“That’s for her to tell you. So be careful,” he said,
walking toward the mouth of the grotto as he left.
Yancey walked to Elfie’s side and touched a hand to a
track of dirt on her face. His thumb whisked it away. “You look no
worse for the wear.”
Oliver had knelt beside the three piles of rubble and
fine blue powder. He unclipped his flashlight from his belt and
shined the light across the debris mounds.
Elfie walked to a big U-shaped rock in the grotto's
base and sat down. “I don't know what the hell just happened,” she
said. She nodded toward the rubble. “I think we have an answer to
the consecrated cremains. Severin puts the dried flowers around
them.”
Yancey considered the mounds Oliver examined. “Did he
bring these cremains here?”
Elfie inhaled deeply. She covered her face with her
hands. “Hell, to the fucking no, he didn’t. Not that you’ll believe
it…hell, I don't even know if I believe it. But, I think I saw what
Oliver swerved the jeep to avoid hitting.”
“The kid?” Oliver asked.
“Oh, yeah. Three of them. They look like children
but, believe me, they're not. Severin shined a light on them and
they disintegrated. Right in front of me.”
“Severin’s a wily Indian guy. He seems to like you.
Maybe he played a trick on you,” Yancey said.
“He saved my life. It wasn’t a trick. They were real,
damn it, I saw them!”
“Something like that can't exist, okay?” Yancey said.
“I mean, barring mad scientists
looked around at the shattered remains of three creatures. “Is that
the…pack of roving dogs you were talking about?”
Severin walked up with a bag of flora. He scooped out
a handful and began to encircle each rubble mound. “They’re what I
was talking about, yeah.”
She knew her eyes must look terrified, if they looked
anything like she felt. She turned them up toward Severin for
answers. “What were they?”
“Beats me,” Severin said. “Don't know what they are.
I only know what they do.”
“I thought the theory was they only come out at
night,” Elfie said.
“No, these things pretty much bring the darkness with
them.” Severin extended a hand to help her up. “Can you stand?”
Elfie nodded. She stood up by herself, slapping the
dust from her slacks. “Thank you. I mean, really. They would have
killed me if you hadn't come in.”
“No, like I said, they keep the young women. The
elderly they kill for blood and flesh. The young men they make into
one of them. The child-bearing age women are hoarded for breeding
purposes. By the time they got to you, though, I expect you would
have wished you were dead.”
The outside sound of running footsteps slowed, and
Yancey and Oliver, gasping for air, swung themselves headlong into
the cave.
“Are you all right?” Oliver asked in one gasp.
“I'm fine,” Elfie said. “Thanks to Severin here. If
he hadn’t happened upon me, I’d be in deep kimchee.”
“I didn’t just happen upon you,” Severin said. “I was
sent to find you. All of you.” He moved his attention to Yancey.
“Grandmother needs to see you. The three of you.”
“Molly?” Yancey asked. “Why?”
Severin bobbed his head sideways with uncertainty.
“She says you have the people’s business.”
Yancey nodded toward Elfie. “Yeah. We have a mission
or two to accomplish at the Angel Caves.”
“The Angel Caves. Then it's true what I heard.”
Yancey's eyes opened wide. “How could you hear
anything out here?”
Severin cocked his head back and shot off a loud
laugh. “The trees knew. The Cottonwoods. They told me.”
“Bullshit. Molly told you,” Yancey said, grinning,
“and Molly knows everything.”
“Just about.” Severin turned toward Elfie and pointed
north. “Molly Coddle lives by the springs, in the Willow Peak,
above the Wash. Yancey knows the way. It’s important that she sees
you soon.”
Elfie's brow furrowed more than ever. “Why?”
“That’s for her to tell you. So be careful,” he said,
walking toward the mouth of the grotto as he left.
Yancey walked to Elfie’s side and touched a hand to a
track of dirt on her face. His thumb whisked it away. “You look no
worse for the wear.”
Oliver had knelt beside the three piles of rubble and
fine blue powder. He unclipped his flashlight from his belt and
shined the light across the debris mounds.
Elfie walked to a big U-shaped rock in the grotto's
base and sat down. “I don't know what the hell just happened,” she
said. She nodded toward the rubble. “I think we have an answer to
the consecrated cremains. Severin puts the dried flowers around
them.”
Yancey considered the mounds Oliver examined. “Did he
bring these cremains here?”
Elfie inhaled deeply. She covered her face with her
hands. “Hell, to the fucking no, he didn’t. Not that you’ll believe
it…hell, I don't even know if I believe it. But, I think I saw what
Oliver swerved the jeep to avoid hitting.”
“The kid?” Oliver asked.
“Oh, yeah. Three of them. They look like children
but, believe me, they're not. Severin shined a light on them and
they disintegrated. Right in front of me.”
“Severin’s a wily Indian guy. He seems to like you.
Maybe he played a trick on you,” Yancey said.
“He saved my life. It wasn’t a trick. They were real,
damn it, I saw them!”
“Something like that can't exist, okay?” Yancey said.
“I mean, barring mad scientists
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