“Here we go again,” Tex muttered.

  But the young bruiser grinned and extended his hand. “I’m Broden!”

  Tex gripped his hand. “Tex.”

  Broden squinted his eyes. “You really a magic caster?”

  Tex wanted to deny it, but it was too much trouble trying to explain about the rifle. He cleared his throat. “Well, it’s a kind of magic.”

  Absurdly, Freddy Mercury suddenly pranced through Tex’s mind, crooning “It’s-a kind of m-aaagic!”

  Hurley sauntered up and shoved Broden aside. “Get outta the way. You embarrass me. What are you made of, honey and feathers? Solis’s balls! I’ll show you how it’s done.”

  Yarolk did a facepalm. “Really? Gods, this is ridiculous! We don’t have time for this tomfoolery!”

  The second fight was as brief as the first. Tex landed a kick to Hurley’s stomach and three punches to his face. He toppled like a bag of bricks.

  He quickly sat up, spitting out part of his front tooth. This seemed to satisfy him. He stood up, staggered over to Tex, and shook his hand.

  Broden and Hurley were much friendlier — almost chummy — with Tex after that. They told him, with no hint of shame, that they’d both challenged Fogu themselves, and he’d beaten them fairly soundly.

  In other words, Broden and Hurley must have known Tex would beat them, and yet they still challenged him.

  Whatever else this said about them, it certainly showed they had courage.

  These guys are alright, Tex thought.

  “Alright then,” Broden said. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

  Yarolk looked around and then peered at the hill over which Broden and his men had emerged.

  “But where’s the rest of you? Don’t tell me there are only seven of you? What happened to the rest?”

  Broden sighed. “Some of them were killed in the usual ways… The others went to Darkoveld.”

  Yarolk shook his head. “Fools.”

  The young bruiser shrugged. “They wanted an easy way out. I told them nothing is easy. They wouldn’t listen, but it’s not my problem. Come on, boys! Let’s seek our fortune at Fimm!”

  ***

  It was late in the day by the time the Dark Forest came into view across the windswept field. Even from a distance, Tex could see how it got its name. It looked black and gloomy, and the trees had long, twisting branches.

  “Oak trees,” Tex murmured.

  “An entire forest of them,” Neesha said. “That means it’s a sacred place. Oak trees are sentries of the Underworld. Norgan is truly favored by the spirits if he and his men can dwell there in peace.”

  By the time they reached the edge of the forest, the sun was making its way towards the sparkling ocean, and the trees cast long shadows.

  Neesha and Emi crept towards the trees, bowing their heads and making signs with their hands, like Catholics crossing themselves before a cathedral.

  Broden scoffed. “That’s unnecessary,” he whispered despite himself. “I’ve been here lots of times and nothing strange has ever happened.”

  “You didn’t see anything happen, but that means nothing,” Neesha retorted. “These trees are the eyes and ears of the Dread Spirit.”

  “What do you mean, the Dread Spirit?” Tex murmured through his teeth.

  “The spirit that dwells in the world below; the spirit of death and chaos. All trees live partly above and partly below, but these ones have roots that go all the way down to the Underworld.”

  Broden rolled his eyes. “Why talk like that? It’s bad luck.”

  “Well, I don’t think we’ll be going in there today, anyway,” Tex said. “Only a few hours of daylight left. We’d better find a place to camp for the night. If there’s still time after that, a group of us can go check out the forest.”

  “There’s lots of time,” Broden said, no longer whispering. “No disrespect, but I’m telling you we’ve already explored this forest. There’s no need to be so careful.”

  “That’s right, Mr. Tex,” Hurley said, even louder. “We know exactly where Norgan’s group is. We can take you there directly.”

  Tex raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t realize you’d been to his hideout.”

  “Several times. It’s not far from here.”

  “It’s probably the safest place on the island,” Broden added. “Sure, you have to keep an eye open for beasts, but it’s the same with any forest.”

  “Norgan always said the same thing,” Yarolk said. “He’s never run into anything out of the ordinary, and he’s been living here for — what is it? Two winters?”

  Tex didn’t want to discount Neesha and Emi’s warning, but the bachelors made some reasonable arguments.

  “Alright,” he said, addressing the entire group. “We’re going in, but we won’t take anything for granted. Everyone be respectful of the forest and don’t let your guard down.”

  ***

  The entire party fell silent the moment they entered the Dark Forest.

  It was a place where your mind played tricks on you. The wizened oaks seemed to regard them disapprovingly as they passed by. Boughs creaked, leaves shuddered, and black shapes seemed to move in the shadows.

  A baleful feeling hung in the air; Tex thought he was imagining it at first, but it became more intense the farther they ventured into the woods.

  Eventually, they came upon an area where the ground was extremely treacherous. Enormous roots twisted up among peat moss and stagnant puddles.

  “We do have to be very careful here,” Broden cautioned, pointing to a pit in the mossy ground. A strong earthy smell hung in the air.

  “The ground is soft all over this clearing, and if you fall in, you won’t come out again.”

  Tex decided to avoid the clearing entirely, so they skirted around it, taking a longer way.

  Tex and his harem led the way with Broden’s group while Weevol’s women followed them. A few of the women whimpered once or twice, but they maintained a stoic silence mostly. The Aramantha were made of sturdy stuff.

  Some of Yarolk’s men walked alongside the women, protecting their flanks, while the others followed in the rear.

  Emi walked alongside Tex, taking deep breaths as she stepped over enormous roots and ducked under branches. Tex noticed she was wheezing.

  The air was certainly pungent.

  Neesha wrinkled her nose. “There’s a foul smell.”

  “Sorry,” Hurley drawled. “Couldn’t hold it in.”

  A bunch of the guys chuckled, including Tex.

  “Tell Weevol to keep her cunt closed,” Broden added, provoking more snickering.

  “I’m serious,” Neesha said. “It’s a bad sign.”

  “It’s coming from the clearing,” Tex said. “From the bogs.”

  “It’s coming from the Underworld,” Emi said with a cough. “Who knows what else might come up along with it? We’ve got to be ready for anything.”

  “Have you ever noticed that smell here before?” Tex asked Broden.

  A tiny crack appeared in his confidence. “Well… It always has a strong smell, but not like this, I guess.”

  This was troubling. However, Broden and Hurley assured Tex that they’d almost reached Norgan’s hideout, and it would be much faster to get there than to turn around and exit the forest.

  Once they’d walked around the treacherous area, they came upon a well-worn trail.

  “Nearly there,” Broden said.

  Tex became uneasy. There was a pit in his stomach, and it opened wider and wider the farther they walked along the trail.

  He stopped. “Something isn’t right.”

  The stillness of the forest was unbearable. Death was there, looming among the trees.

  You could sense it.

  Handing his spear to Utu, Tex got his rifle ready and led the way forward.

  A minute later, they came towards a heap of something lying in the grass off the trail.

  “Looks like a body,” Tex whispered.

  Creeping closer, they found a decapitated corpse. Something had carved enormous gashes into the man’s back, spilling his blood.

  His blonde head lay a few feet away.

  “One of Norgan’s men,” Broden murmured.

  “Looks like the body’s been here at least a day,” Tex said. “And yet nothing has touched it. That’s strange.”

  Emi stared at the corpse, trembling all over. “It’s the work of a fiend! That’s why nothing eats it!”

  Broden peered through the trees. “Norgan’s campsite is just up ahead, beyond those trees.”

  Tex felt his throat tighten. A day-old corpse on the trail right outside Norgan’s camp? The implications were… not encouraging.

  “Looks like he was running away from the camp,” Hurley whispered.

  “Yup,” Tex said. Anger welled up inside him. “Fuck, Broden! I thought you said it was safe in here,” he hissed.

  “I swear, we’ve never seen Norgan run into any serious trouble in here before,” Hurley replied. “We’re just as surprised as you are.”

  “I’ll scout ahead, check out the camp,” Broden said.

  “Me too,” Hurley immediately added.

  This mollified Tex a little. Scouting was a good idea, but he was reluctant to do it himself because he didn’t want to let the women out of his sight.

  “Alright. Do it.”

  Broden and Hurley left the trail, disappearing through the trees. Everyone watched and listened as the boughs creaked, and the breeze whispered through the leaves. The shadows were thickening as the daylight faded.

  Broden and Hurley returned in a rush, looking pale.

  Tex motioned for Yarolk and Weevol to come over so they could be apprised of the situation too.

  “Norgan’s dead,” Broden stammered. “Butchered just like this.” He gestured towards the headless corpse. “More or less.”

  “There’s 13 bodies,” Hurley murmured. “No sign of the others… I guess they got away.”

  “Lots of tracks from whatever killed them,” Broden said, wiping sweat from his forehead. “But it’s not just one thing… There must have been nine or ten different monsters, big and small.

  “Any fresh tracks?” Tex said.

  “No. All was quiet. I don’t think they’ve been around since they attacked.”

  “Alright, let’s move.” Tex said. “I want to be out of these woods before dark. Can we do it?”

  “We can if we cut through the camp. Then there’s a trail that will take us through to the other side of the forest. It’s only a short journey to Fimm after that.”

  Tex turned to Weevol. He half expected her to be fainting away by now, but she was handling the situation well.

  “Tell your women to be brave,” Tex said. “They’re going to see some scary things, but we’re getting out of this forest as fast as we can.”

  Weevol lifted her head proudly. “We’ve all seen dead men before, Lord Tex. Many times. We won’t panic that easily.”

  Following the trail, they reached Norgan’s camp a moment later. It consisted of several shelters built from giant bones and logs, with clay walls.

  The corpses were strewn around in postures of fighting or fleeing, their faces twisted with terror.

  “We have to hurry,” Emi said, suddenly taking Tex by the arm, wheezing heavily.

  Tex touched her shoulder. “Emi, please be calm. Breathe.”

  “No, Tex… We… have to… run. They’re…. Coming. I can feel them… They’re almost here!”

  Chapter twenty-nine

  “ALRIGHT,” TEX ADDRESSED the entire group. “Everyone, stay calm— but move fast.”

  Right at that moment, one of the women screamed.

  A deep hole had opened in the ground in front of one of the huts. A sort of demon was climbing out; it had long, hairy arms, two sets of curling horns, red eyes, and a wide, grinning mouth.

  It moved rapidly, snatching one of Yarolk’s men and dragging him, screaming, into the hole before the ground closed up again. At the same time, in several other places, the ground sank and collapsed, leaving a yawning hole. Several more equally hellish creatures came out. Some of them were as big as grizzly bears, and a few were small as house cats.

  “Don’t let them take you!” Emi screamed. “It’s better to die than let them take you!”

  Tex aimed his rifle at the biggest one, a many-armed creature with matted fur and a face as dark as night. Its eyes flashed red as it strode towards them, stretching out its long, grasping fingers.

  Utu, Zila, and Bmimi made a tight circle around Emi and Grendel.

  Tex aimed his rifle. He wasn’t sure it was going to work. He’d quickly cleaned it that morning, but there wasn’t enough time to do a thorough job.

  He pressed the trigger.

  Nothing.

  “Fuck!”

  Utu and Zila launched their spears at the beast. Amazingly, the monster caught one of the spears. The other pierced its side. Tex grabbed his own spear and charged forward, but the beast’s arms were so long that one of them easily smacked Tex across the face.

  His head was rattled, and his cheek stung. Its strength was much greater than that of a man’s.

  He stumbled back, heart pounding like a jackhammer. It charged towards him with its ghastly arms swinging.

  Tex scurried backwards, hefted his spear, and launched it through the beast’s neck. The monster staggered and then toppled. As soon as it hit the ground, its body broke apart into a writhing mound of…

  worms.

  The worms frantically bore into the ground.

  Before the spear had left Tex’s hand, another monstrosity, with the legs of a chicken and the wings of a moth, charged towards him, its claws grasping and its beak snapping.

  In one swift motion, Tex turned, pulled out his club, and smashed the monster’s head. It hit the ground and dissolved into a pile of worms just like the other monster had done.

  Checking his peripheral, Tex saw other slain monsters falling to the ground and disappearing in the same way.

  But for every fiend that fell, a new one emerged from the ground. One of Yarolk’s men screamed frantically as he was being dragged down into the dirt. Tex recognized his face... Bankim. The young man who tried to rape Utu.

  The ground had already closed over him before anyone could move to help.

  Two more men went the same way. Their screams echoed through the forest until the forest floor closed up like a grave, separating them forever from the world of the living.

  At one point, a towering fiend with crab-like pincers scuttled on insect legs towards the women. Hurley bravely ran towards it brandishing his club. He bashed one of its legs, but the monster deftly extended its pincers and snipped off Hurley’s hand at the wrist.

  Then it grabbed him before he could escape and scuttled backwards towards the dark hole from which it had emerged.

  Hurley did not scream as the others had done.

  Broden saw his friend just as the monster was backing itself into the ground. Their eyes met, and they understood each other.

  Broden threw his spear at Hurley, piercing him through the heart. The fiend dropped his corpse and crawled back out from the hole.

  But Broden did not try to avenge his friend’s death, as might have been expected. Nor did he fly into a rage. Instead, he kept a cool head and maintained the same priority as before: protect the women.

  Tex noticed this. Once again, he was impressed with Broden and glad to have him on his side.

  As for Tex himself, he’d found a kind of rhythm. Something inside him clicked. Maybe it was adrenaline. Maybe it was the fact that he had so many women depending on him for their safety. Or perhaps it came from the river god. Whatever it was, he felt stronger, faster, and more alert than ever before.

  Not only that, but whenever he threw a spear, he never missed. The missiles would always go right through a throat or an eye, or another soft spot.

  Tex felt that they had gained the upper hand, and the monsters were on the back foot.

  But the fiends rallied.

  All at once, more holes opened in the ground and a dozen more monsters poured out.

  The situation was suddenly extremely grim.

  They’re like cockroaches… They’ll just keep sending more and more!

  Two more men were dragged under. The monsters were whittling their defenses away. It was only a matter of time before they got to the women.

  Sweat poured down Tex’s face. It was the worst situation imaginable: one where he wouldn’t be able to protect the women.

  If comes down to it, I protect my harem and let the others die.

  It was a horrible thought, but if he had to choose, he’d protect his own girls above all else.

  Suddenly, a deep, rumbling growl rose over the din of battle. It vibrated through the trees like the engine of an idling motorbike.

  Even the fiends stopped fighting. They backed away and looked around fearfully. Everyone waited.

  An enormous creature that seemed part wolf and part bear emerged from the dark trees, bearing a maw that could bite off a man’s head.

  With a snarl, it charged into the fray, chomping two men, slashing open their stomachs, spilling their guts and tearing off their limbs in a matter of seconds.

  All the monsters followed its example, falling back into the battle with obscene vigor.

  Tex roared and charged at the canine monster. It turned towards him, rearing its ferocious head, snarling and snapping.

  Tex knew he was outmatched. The creature was almost a god — he could sense its awful power.

  He wondered how long he’d be able to hold it off.

  But then the hellhound suddenly stopped growling. It closed its jaw and sniffed the air, looking at Tex with flashing red eyes.

  Tex gaped at it in wonder, but before he had time to think about it, a fiend charged his flank. He whipped around and raised his club, fully expecting the hound to attack him now that he was distracted.

  The beast lunged, but instead of attacking Tex, it sank its teeth into Tex’s attacker! Then it barked and snapped its jaws at all others. They fell back and slinked away.