The Way of the Ram Read online

  “I get it,” Healer muttered. “When I beat up Durdge the first time, the people in the city said I was in the wrong, even though he was hurting them and I’m sure at least some of them knew it. I think that’s part of why I decided my own ‘fight’ would be through my clinic here.”

  Shiver craned his head back to look up at the Charlie Chugg sign above them. “When I say you’ve done good work here, I’m talking about this place too. It can’t be easy, dealing with all those people who have been hurt.”

  “It’s really not that bad. The only tough part is when I get people who were targeted by Scurvert. He’s never faced justice for what he did to my father, or Dreamer, or anyone. I don’t understand it. Ponder bargained for him to stop hurting people, but it hasn’t changed.”

  “Scurvert,” Shiver spat. “It’s not that he won’t stop. He can’t.”

  “What?”

  “He and his thugs act like he commits all that violence to keep control over the quarry. It’s not really about that. I figured it out when I spent some time in his little dungeon. The sick pleasure he gets from hurting people, especially kids…” Shiver trailed off, reaching up to touch the splintered stump where his left horn had been. “I broke this off in his guts the night he cut Dreamer’s face. Every day I think about going back and finishing him off.”

  “So why haven’t you?”

  Shiver turned to look right at Healer. “Don’t you understand anything I’ve been telling you? It wouldn’t matter. He’s protected by a system that lets him do what he wants. But he’s just a tiny part of that system. If he were killed, someone even worse would just show up in his place, and the sheep there wouldn’t do a thing about it. Look, I struck out in defense of my own daughter, and I was branded a ‘vigilante.’ Even the other sheep there shun me now. And I’m just as guilty as they are.”

  “How? You fought.”

  “Yeah, but remember how I acted when you and I first met. Look, when your dad came around trying to rally the quarry sheep to change their circumstances, I told him to leave just like everyone else did. For so long I blamed old Trampler for the attack on Dreamer, but seeing you with horns made me realize that he wasn’t the one at fault. I’m as bad as every other sheep… afraid of change, afraid of consequences.”

  Healer took a drink. “I think I understand.”

  Shiver twisted around to look through the screen door. “Dreamer! Have you called that taxi yet?”

  “Still gathering my stuff, Dad.”

  “Well hurry up, I want you on the road before I head—”

  He was cut off by a loud whoosh, a crunch of breaking wood, and the thud of something heavy landing on the roof.

  Chapter 37

  “Did you see that?” Healer shouted, diving off the porch.

  Shiver jerked away from the screen door. “What happened?”

  “Turn on the lights!” Healer called as he backpedaled, looking up into the air. “Something just flew into the side of the house.”

  Hurrying to comply with Healer’s instruction, Shiver pulled open the screen door and leaned inside to flip the light switch. Just then, Dreamer came running down, alerted by the noise and Healer’s yelling.

  “What’s going on, Dad?” she demanded.

  “Stay here. We’ll be back after we figure out what just hit the house.”

  Shiver ran out onto the lawn with Healer and joined him in looking up at the roof. The bright porch lights threw a glow all across the front of the clinic, illuminating the creature crouched in front of the second-story window.

  Its defining feature was a hooded cloak of the deepest, darkest red that Healer had ever seen. The cloak drifted like flames, melting into the shadows cast by the porch light’s beam. The long sleeves of the robe were folded across the front of the monster’s body. From under the hood, a sharp, curved beak protruded.

  The Charlie Chugg logo above the door had been destroyed. Four deep gashes ran at an angle across the cartoon pig face.

  Healer swallowed hard, but his nervousness quickly gave way to anger. “Hey, you mind telling me what you’re doing wrecking my clinic?”

  The creature stood up, tall and lanky, and unfolded its arms. Healer saw how it had damaged the logo. Each hand ended with four long, curved claws that resembled scythe blades. From inside one of its sleeves, it produced a brown spike about the size and shape of one of its claws.

  “What’s that?” Healer called out, taking a step back. “Look, just tell us why you’re here. I don’t want to have to call my employer. They’re already going to be real upset about that sign.”

  Ignoring him, the creature drew back an arm and tossed the object off the roof. Shiver and Healer darted back, but it landed in the grass well short of where they had stood. Not taking their eyes off the figure on the roof, they approached.

  The robed creature above them raised a single claw and pointed at the object it had dropped. It spoke one word, in an odd, dissonant voice that was somehow both a soothing alto and a rumbling growl.

  “Heal.”

  Healer blinked several times in utter disbelief. “What did you say? Heal what?”

  Dreamer ran past the object and joined Healer and Shiver in looking up to the roof. “What’s happening?” she cried out. “Who are you?”

  The robed figure raised its head, causing Healer to gasp. Its face was a mask of wood, braced and studded with iron. The metal frame formed the sharp-tipped beak. The circular eyeholes revealed glowing eyes of amber and pinhole pupils.

  When it made eye contact with Dreamer, the creature recoiled. It dropped back into a crouching position and craned its head forward. The orange eyes changed color—to purple. Dreamer’s eyes began to glow in response.

  “You’re familiar,” she said. “Come down here. Talk with me.”

  It shook its head and pointed again. “Heal.”

  “Healer, you better do as it says. Maybe I can get it to communicate.”

  Healer relented. “Alright. Let me see.” He walked up to the object in the grass to take a close look, Shiver right beside him. The thing the monster had thrown to them was sharp at one end, splintered at the other, and stained with blood.

  Shiver looked up again at the beast, incredulous. “That’s impossible.” His face drawn out with fear, he retreated. “H-how?”

  Healer stared at Shiver with concern. “What’s going on? This looks like a horn. It…” He trailed off as it dawned on him. “This looks like your horn.”

  “It-it is my horn,” Shiver stammered. “How d-did this thing get it?”

  Healer went to him and put a hoof on his shoulder, trying to calm him. “You stabbed Scurvert and then broke it off, right? Who knows where it could have ended up after they took it out. Threw it in the river, whatever. Anyone could have stumbled on an old piece of horn lying around.”

  Shiver seized Healer and pulled him up close, face to face. “You don’t understand. They said I stabbed him in the aorta. I was told they couldn’t pull it out without him bleeding out before they could stop it. Don’t you get it? They left my horn in his guts. The only way to get this horn back was to kill him.”

  Healer felt his stomach drop. “So… Scurvert’s dead.”

  “Any time now, you two,” Dreamer snapped. “I’m not having any success over here.”

  “Sorry,” Healer called. “OK, well, maybe this thing will tell us what’s going on if we do what it asks. Now that we have the broken piece of horn, I can probably reattach it. You want your horn back?”

  Shiver nodded, but he still looked nervous. “I don’t like this, but yes. It would be good to have two horns again.”

  “Alright. Pick that up and hold it in place for me.” Healer’s eyes grew overcast with green. “That’s good.” He went to work connecting the broken tissues, commanding blood vessels to reach out into the dead core of the horn and make it alive again. “And… there.”

  Shiver stepped back, looking up at his restored left horn. “Wow.”

  As so
on as Healer finished the job, the creature bent low and crawled down the front of the house like a spider. “It is indeed the Healer.” It landed on the ground in front of Dreamer, their eyes now a matching violet hue. Shiver and Healer fanned out to approach it.

  “What are you?” Dreamer asked. “You remind me of someone.”

  “Should not…” the cloaked monster mumbled, staring into Dreamer’s eyes. “They demand that we go… but we want to stay…”

  “You can stay,” Dreamer said. “Who’s telling you to leave?”

  Its demeanor turned fearful, ducking its head, eyes darting in all directions. “The ones who made us… Givers of earth, fire, water, air. Creators of all. We cannot defy them. And yet we can.” It stood confidently. “The Healer the Flesh-Mender, the Dreamer the Goddess-Eyes, they can help us. They can set us free. They can make us whole.” Again its behavior changed, leaning into an aggressive stance and flexing its clawed hands. “No, we must go. We cut. We slice. We shred. We rend. We must be made whole. But we already are. We are complete.”

  “I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Dreamer said. “Dad, Healer, back off. It’s not going to hurt me.”

  The two rams did as they were told. The creature’s posture relaxed.

  “There,” Dreamer said. “Now, I need you to focus. Your words aren’t making sense, so I want to look into your mind. Just keep your attention on me.” The cloaked figure followed her instructions, and they locked eyes again. A few seconds passed in a silence that Healer and Shiver both knew better than to interrupt.

  Finally, Dreamer broke the connection and turned her head away. The instant their mental bond stopped, the monster’s eyes turned back to orange. It spread its arms, the long sleeves of the cloak flaring out like wings of dark red fire. With a great thrust, the creature took off into the air and disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.

  Dreamer sank until she was on her belly in the grass, her head bowed low, eyes shut tight. “It’s not true… it can’t be…”

  Healer ran to her. “What’s going on? What did you see?”

  When she looked up at him, her eyes were moist and red. “There’s so much. It’s all over the place. Give me some time to put it together, and then I’ll show it to you.”

  “Alright.” Healer thought for a minute. “Just sit here and gather your thoughts. I’ll call for the taxi and finish packing your things.”

  Shiver stared up into the sky. “Are we all clear?”

  Dreamer wiped her eyes. “We’re not in any danger from that poor thing. I promise.”

  Healer approached the older ram, also looking up. “You still leaving?”

  Shiver shrugged. “I hate to go, but if Scurvert is really dead, there’s going to be chaos.”

  “Alright. You handle that. I’ll go back to University with her and make sure she gets in safely. After she shows me what was in that monster’s head, I’ll touch base with you.”

  “I know you’ve got her,” Shiver said with a slow nod. “I trust you.”

  ✽✽✽

  ATTENTION ALL CITIZENS OF UPTOWN MEGATROPOLIS.

  THIS IS AN EMERGENCY BROADCAST FROM THE DISTRICT POLICE DEPARTMENT.

  A STATE OF DISASTER HAS BEEN DECLARED AND A MANDATORY EVACUATION HAS BEEN ORDERED FOR THE UPTOWN DISTRICT.

  PLEASE GATHER ALL FAMILY MEMBERS AND PROCEED TO THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED SHELTER ADJACENT TO THE CHUGG CYBERNETICS BUILDING.

  DOWNTOWN DISTRICT HAS BEEN SECURED. ANY DOWNTOWN CITIZENS ATTEMPTING TO SEEK SHELTER WILL BE REFUSED ENTRY.

  SUBJECT HAS RETURNED TO MEGATROPOLIS AND IS CURRENTLY CONFINED TO THE UPTOWN DISTRICT.

  REPEAT, SUBJECT IS ACTIVE IN UPTOWN DISTRICT. PROCEED TO EMERGENCY BUNKER IMMEDIATELY.

  THANK YOU.

  UPTOWN DISTRICT POLICE DEPARTMENT PROVIDED AND FUNDED BY THE CHUGG CORPORATION.

  ✽✽✽

  Chapter 38

  Dreamer didn’t say a word the whole trip, even when Healer kissed her forehead on the steps of University’s female dormitory. When he started to walk away, she reached for him. “Hey. I’m ready.”

  “You going to show me what was in that thing’s brain?” Healer said, standing close to her to give them both some relief from the cold night breeze.

  “Yes. But you’re not going to like it.” Dreamer shuddered. “You’re going to learn some really bad things.”

  “That’s fine,” Healer said, putting his forehead against hers. “Show me.”

  Dreamer closed her eyes and dove into the visions she had received from the creature in the red cloak, taking Healer with her.

  ✽✽✽

  “This is the place I went to in my vision of my father, just before I got my horns,” Healer whispered in Dreamer’s ear. “Nothing but grey clouds. Where are we?”

  She shushed him. “We’re in a memory right now. But I’m not sure whose it is. Pay attention to what they say.”

  “Who?”

  As if to answer him, a figure came into view from out of thin air. Its vaguely bird-like form baffled Healer, but he could discern raven-black hair, eagle-like wings, and eyes rimmed with long, dark lashes. The eyes were of the deepest violet he had ever seen. The face had no nose or mouth.

  “It’s Optera.” He gaped. “She’s here.”

  “That’s right,” Dreamer replied. “Just watch now. It gets weirder.”

  Optera’s legendary eyes scanned from side to side, the majestic hair shimmering as she turned her head. At last she spoke in that same soft but firm tone she had used when speaking to Ponder at the shrine in the mountaintop.

  “Karkus.”

  There was a low rumble that sounded like a growl of annoyance. Healer found himself afraid to even breathe too loudly, despite knowing he could not be heard by anyone he saw here.

  Answering Optera’s call, Karkus manifested in front of her. He was physically much larger than her, towering over both sheep. He wore a coat made from the hides of many different animals stitched together. His hairy head had no features aside from a grinning mouth full of fangs.

  Optera’s eyes narrowed when she saw him. “You’re avoiding me,” she hissed, “and avoiding this conversation. You can’t hide from me forever. The situation of the birds and dogs is growing more desperate by the day. Or have you chosen to ignore your dogs, suffering as sheep have suffered? Are you abandoning your people?”

  Karkus lowered his head, lips curling back to expose more of his teeth, making him look angry. “I am not avoiding you, Optera,” he said, spitting her name as if it were an acrid drink. “I am merely very busy. If you must speak with me, be brief. I have to get back to my work.”

  The goddess straightened up, flicking her wings. “What could be more important than this? I came to tell you that Toxid has made another grab for power. He has instructed his pigs to be even more cruel to sheep, even going so far as to demand sacrifices. The rate of sheep death is accelerating. If our little world is going to survive, you and I are going to have to stop fighting, resolve our differences, and cooperate. As much as I hate to admit that.”

  Karkus snickered, turning away from her. “Wise Optera swoops in once again to tell me what I already know. You are wasting my time and your own. Your particular brand of scheming and jockeying for position is not needed here. Leave Toxid to me.”

  She slithered up behind him. “My mistake. It sounds like you have a plan. What are you working on that you think can stop the Devourer in his tracks?”

  The warrior god turned around again. He flexed his impossibly muscular arms, a ball of fire appearing in his palms. Healer could make out a curled-up figure with long arms and pointed ears turning within the flames. Its overall body shape was similar to Karkus’s own.

  “Mauler?” Healer managed.

  Optera cocked an eyebrow. “What is that thing?”

  Karkus smiled. The flames went out and the figure inside disappeared from view. “That,” said the toothy giant, “was a champion. A handmade titan of strength, an unstoppable force th
at will lead my dogs to victory over Toxid’s fat pink rabble.”

  “How, exactly?”

  The ugly smile grew even wider. “Seems I’ve been paying closer attention to Toxid’s activities than even you.” Karkus laughed. “You’re too busy trying to curry favor from the Father Orchid, I’ll wager. It sounds like you don’t even know why Toxid has been commanding his followers to sacrifice sheep.”

  “And you do?”

  “Indeed. For some reason, he’s become dependent on consuming sheep’s blood for survival.”

  A look of horror crossed Optera’s face. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am serious. Ask him. They put sheep bodies on a table of iron and he consumes them.”

  Optera shook her head with disgust. “I’ll take your word for it, for now. What’s a ‘champion’ going to do about that?”

  “Lead my dogs to smash the pigs’ control structure, of course. Make them completely powerless and unable to harm sheep any further. When the sacrifices vanish, Toxid will be weakened, and then I will finish him off.” Karkus began to fade from view to return to his work.

  A shudder of anger traveled through Optera’s wings. “You… you idiot. Didn’t you learn anything from the last time we all fought amongst ourselves?”

  Karkus paused, his body becoming fully visible again. “What are you talking about?”

  “The devastation we caused… Arghast was furious. You know the new rules of engagement. If you kill Toxid, the consequences will be horrifying.”