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Eight
Leon
Everything from the pearl white sands to the high coconut trees had been blackened or leveled. No birds, no crabs scurrying around the rocks near the shore, not even a fly.
“What happened here?” Havoc crouched next to me as I turned the sand over in my hand.
“Something horrible.” I stood and smacked my palms together. “We won’t know how far the carnage goes until we venture deeper.”
“You don’t mean for us to go in there, do ya, Captain?” Harris stared wide-eyed at the blackened wood. His handlebar mustache twitching as he spoke.
“You scared of the dark, little human?” Broxton patted the top of Harris’ head. Being a saber meant Broxton was taller than most of the other races, half beast, half man, equally tough.
“I ain’t scared, you pussycat.”
Broxton growled. He hated when anyone referred to his hairy appearance. Though I found his orange and black markings quite unique.
“Not now, you two.” I pointed ahead. “We see how far we can make it. If it’s clear, we’ll return for the shipment and bring it to the council.”
Rooster landed on my shoulder. “Danger.Caw.Danger ahead.”
The crew grumbled and complained, but only because no one, not even the most ruthless cutthroats wanted to venture into an area where the darkthings had been. My men and I had our own part in this war. We ran shipments all over the eastern shores, providing for the Magi Council who worked day and night to solve the growing issue in the Borderlands.
“What happened here?” Harris pressed his hand against the bark of a tree, and it disintegrated under his touch.
“The darkthings shouldn’t be this far east,” Broxton replied while taking the great spear off his back. “These are ill times.”
“There’s a hilly area up there,” I said. “I’ll be able to see better.”
“We shouldn’t be here, Captain.” Havoc walked beside me, glaring at the dead brush. “I’ve got a bad feeling.”
“Once we deliver, we won’t need to come back.” The mages had paid half in advance to secure this shipment. I didn’t want to deal with a bunch of angry wizards. “Let’s stop at the top of that hill and look around.”
Not being familiar with the area, none of us were prepared for the sight before us.
“By the gods . . .” Harris gasped and grabbed the golden All Father emblem around his neck.
It wasn’t the desecrated village that had been leveled, or the bodies burned to ash on the grass, but the black wild cougars that feasted on the remaining humans. Six of the cats huddled in an area, fighting over corpses, limbs being torn between them.
Sensing our presence, the beasts turned their red gazes to us.
I unsheathed my sword, patiently waiting for the animals to attack.
“Ahh!” Broxton ran forward, weapon raised to split the furry creatures in two. When he swung his spear in an arc, two of the cougars were beheaded instantly.
“He always takes the fun for himself.” Harris flipped his daggers in his hands and ran forward, heading for the two beasts flanking Broxton.
Havoc kneeled by a body.
“What is it?” I’d learned from our adventures that Havoc’s instincts and perception were unmatched, sometimes even more than mine.
“Do you see these markings?” He pointed to the tiny holes. “Those are bites from a darkthing.”
“We already know darkthings were here. What’s the issue?”
Havoc’s brow narrowed. “There are hundreds of bites. There was a swarm, a massive swarm.”
A chill ran up my spine. “How large?”
