Chapter 9 Yue #2
To my genuine surprise, he’s drawn a quick sketch.
An impressive one, at that, replicating the horror we just encountered with precise detail.
In the corner, he’s scribbled down an estimated weight and height, along with a few notes written along the edges.
Sonam has neat writing, elegant script one would expect from someone with access to capable tutors.
It’s a hunting log, I realize with a shiver. In the event that he should come back later and finish the job, or perhaps share what he’s learned of Hell with his compatriots once we find a way back to the mortal coil. Whatever fascination I had for his artistic prowess quickly drains away.
“Get up,” I snap, nudging his thigh with the tip of my foot. “Now’s hardly the time for pretty pictures.”
With a deft hand, Sonam grabs me by the ankle and squeezes hard. “Touch me again and you will regret it.”
“You think I would willingly sully my hands?”
“Demon filth.”
“Human scum.”
I drag my leg away from him and stomp off a few paces. I should have known escaping Hell couldn’t have been that easy. “Now what are we supposed to do?” I grumble.
“You’re so loud. You’re giving me a headache.”
I spin around and snarl at him. “What did you just say?”
Sonam blinks at me in confusion. “I said nothing, Fox.”
Something behind us cackles, concealed by the seemingly endless expanse of shadow.
I can hear skittering feet. Ghostly whispers.
I even feel the faintest brush of something cold against my cheek.
Sonam and I are being watched, but by what exactly?
I hold perfectly still, caught between fight and flight, when I lock onto a pair of empty black eyes staring at us from the darkness.
“Who’s there?” I yell. “Come out where I can see you, coward.”
“Who’re you calling a coward?”
A figure steps out into the dim green glow of the Jade Palace.
A little girl, her skin so pale it appears translucent.
She has abnormally sharp teeth sticking out from beneath her bottom lip like tusks.
Her wild brown hair is matted on one side and windswept on the other, nothing but a thin gray sack draped over her body like a shirt.
She’s barefoot, her soles and toenails stained black.
It’s her stench that overwhelms me. Like sweat, manure, earth, and something distinctly not human.
Most notable of all, however, is the mask she wears. A mask just like mine, only it’s half broken and sits on one side of her face, a fraction of its illusionary magic at work.
My heart skips a beat.
I take a single step toward her, alarmed. “Where did you get that?” I ask. There’s a slim chance she might have found it on her own, though I’m not sure how that’s possible. Last I knew, the Maskmaker was hiding somewhere on the mortal plane. How did one of his masks end up down here?
If she can lead me to the Maskmaker…
“Do you know the man who gave—”
“You made the Sleeping City angry,” she says, ignoring me.
“Sleeping City?” I echo. “Is that what that… thing is called?”
“Mm-hmm.” The girl picks at her overgrown fingernails. They’re long and curling, yellowed with time and improper care. “No one’s allowed to leave. Not without their permission.”
“Who?” Sonam asks.
“The star gods, the star gods,” the little girl chants. “Everyone knows. Death made them the key.”
Her nonsensical rambling makes my head spin. There’s a good chance that she’s lost her mind, trapped down here in Hell for gods know how long, but a tiny voice in the back of my head wonders if there’s an inkling of truth in her babbling. After all, we can’t lie.
“You mean to say that there’s a way out?” I ask.
“Oh, yes. Everyone knows,” she repeats. “But I’m not telling you any more, human. You smell as bad as the ones we caught today.”
“There are other humans here?” Sonam asks.
The child crosses her arms and snorts at him. She sounds like a boar. “Filthy, stinky humans. We’re going to eat them soon. We just need to find the right spices.”
“ ‘We’?” I press on. “Who’s—”
“Not telling, not telling!” she says, turning to run away.
I’m quick to crouch down and pull off my mask. Not entirely, just lifting a corner to expose my true face. “You can trust me,” I say hastily.
She gasps softly. “The Maskmaker gave you one, too?”
I hold my breath. She knows of him, which means that bastard must be somewhere down here in Hell. No wonder I was having such a hard time tracking him down.
“That’s right,” I say, swallowing the swell of triumph in my chest. This is the first major lead I’ve had in ages. “We’re the same, you and me. What’s your name, little one?”
“Lin.” She glances nervously at Sonam behind me, who looms like a sentry. I can sense her mistrust, and I don’t blame her. The captain is a miserable sack to look at. “The ones we caught,” she says. “They look just like him. One with an ugly face and the other without her tongue.”
Sonam looks furious. So much so I fear he will strike me down here and now. “You dragged my guards down with you?”
I sneer back. “I did no such thing.”
Lin chews on her disgusting nails. “Can we eat this mean one?”
I almost laugh. I’m starting to like this one. Unfortunately, it’s out of the question. “This one’s mine, I’m afraid.”
“But there’s so little for the rest of us.” She pouts her lips. “Live humans never come this way.”
“He’s… special. I need to keep him around.”
“Like a pet?”
I do laugh now, an ugly little sound from the back of my nose. “Yes, exactly. He’s my pet.”
“Mind your words, Fox,” Sonam grumbles. I ignore him, taking great pleasure in his irritation. “Bring me to these other humans, girl. It’s important.”
Lin sticks out her tongue, causing Sonam to frown deeply. It’s a privilege to see the captain cut down to size by someone who barely comes up to his hip.
I personally don’t care what happens to the captain’s guards.
I’m more than happy to leave them behind to rot.
Sonam is the only one I’m bound to see out of Hell.
Bringing another pair of humans along isn’t a part of the deal.
I barely trust Sonam not to kill me when my back is turned, and I certainly don’t trust his lackeys.
Looking behind us, I see that the city has reassembled itself stone by stone, no trace of that monster anywhere. The palace looks like a glowing green heart in the middle of the rib cage of city sprawl, ready and waiting to tempt its next victim forward.
Perhaps rescuing the guards could prove useful.
There’s might in numbers and all that. Who knows how long it will take us to leave this forsaken place, or how many other nasty creatures lie in wait.
I do stand a better chance of seeing our deal to completion with a few helping hands.
They’ll protect their captain at the very least, and in doing so, unknowingly protect me. It may be worth the risk.
I turn to Lin. “Will you help us? We’re terribly lost, and we don’t want to anger the guardian again.”
“Very well,” she says, offering me her hand. “Just make sure your pet doesn’t wander off.”
“Don’t worry. He’s not going anywhere.”
Sonam sneers. “I hate you.”
“Oh, how I weep,” I reply dryly.