Brom - The Child Thief

“There’s the Lady!” Cricket said.

Nick spied the Reverend, then the Lady, as Ox marched her into the parking lot. She was still tied to Danny. Danny looked terrified but the Lady’s face showed no emotion, she plodded along with her head down, looking so out of place, so fragile and vulnerable among the noise, glass, steel, and endless concrete.

“We have to do something,” Cricket said.

“Do what? Huh? There’s nothing the two of us can do. Look, now’s our chance to get out of here before the police have this place surrounded.”

“Are you kidding? Are you really gonna just run away?”

“I’m not going to get killed for her. Not for that creature. Not for Peter. Not for any of them.”

“So you’re just gonna abandon her? Just like that? Just like you did with your mother?”

“Don’t give me any more of that crap,” Nick snapped. “She’s not my mother. I don’t owe her a thing.” But he knew that wasn’t entirely true. He’d be dead right now if not for the Lady, dead or some sort of a half-mad demon, like one of those Flesh-eaters. She’d saved him. She’d taken the darkness from him, regardless of how any of this came about.

With what seemed like an effort, the Lady lifted her head and Nick found her eyes directly on him; they were silver now, all their color drained. He sensed her deep within his core, believed he heard her speak his name, a sound as soft as an echo, as though they were still beneath the dark waters of her pond. For a moment Nick could actually see the magical aura that surrounded her, the way it bled from her—tiny sparkling tendrils that flowed and trailed about her—could see magic hiding here and there, peeping out from among the metal and concrete, the garbage and asphalt. The magic flourished as the Lady passed, blooming like a garden after the first spring rain. He felt the magic within him, around him, felt it stronger than ever, understood that even here, in the city, in the world of men, magic did exist, woven into the very fabric of the earth. That magic was a fragile and threatened element, and without shepherds like the Lady, it would fade and the earth would become a darker, colder place.

Ox yanked the Lady forward, knocking her to the sidewalk. “To your feet, demon!” Ox yelled, and kicked her, sending her sprawling across the concrete.

Nick winced.

Ox grabbed the Lady by her hair, snatched her to her feet, and gave her a hard shove forward. Nick could see fresh blood streaming down both of her knees.

“Okay,” Nick said.

“What?”

“Okay, we’ll follow them.”

Cricket nodded.

“Just in case, though,” Nick added. “In case there’s a chance. Something we can do. But you have to promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

Cricket grinned. “Me? Never.”

They were interrupted by a blaring car horn. The Reverend, followed by his flock, crossed an intersection and headed up the avenue. Nick looked ahead and saw the church, knew that was where they were taking the Lady, had several guesses to why and not one of them was good.

Nick and Cricket sprinted across the lot, staying low behind the vehicles, trailing the Flesh-eaters.

Nick caught the flash of emergency vehicles coming from far down the street. The Lady’s running out of time. Where’s Peter? Where the hell did he go?

A heavily wooded park bordered the avenue; Nick and Cricket ducked into the trees. They crept along behind the bushes, keeping pace with the Flesh-eaters. Nick had no idea what they were going to do, could do, but figured they’d stay close and wait for some chance, some opportunity.

The Flesh-eaters began to drift apart as they marched up the sidewalk. Many appeared distracted, more interested in this strange new place than the Reverend and his tirades.

Nick and Cricket came upon a long, rectangular pond with a small fountain in the center. There was good cover among the hedges on the far end of the pond, up near the street. They dropped down behind the hedge and pressed up as close to the road as they dared.

The Reverend headed for the church steps, pushing right out into the street. Several men and Ox pulling Danny and the Lady followed close behind. Car horns blared. There came the screech of tires as a taxi swerved, just missing the Reverend, spun sideways, and slammed into another taxi. The Flesh-eaters were showered in glass and metal fragments. There came more squealing brakes and cars began backing up in both directions. Men got out of their vehicles, shouting and cursing. Horns began going off all up and down the avenue.

The Flesh-eaters stood staring bug-eyed at all the commotion. For the moment, the Lady and Danny were completely unattended. Now , thought Nick. We could grab her now. Just —

Then, an odd thing happened, making no sense to Nick. The Captain moved up behind Ox and slid out the giant’s sword. Before Ox even knew his sword was gone, the Captain brought the hilt down on his head—striking three solid blows. The giant dropped the rope and tumbled over. The Captain pushed Danny and the Lady back behind him toward the park, toward Nick and Cricket.

The Reverend saw the Captain and his good eye filled with outrage. “Stop them,” he called. The Flesh-eaters barely noticed, still entranced by the wreckage and mayhem. “STOP THEM!” the Reverend screeched. “STOP THEM! STOP THEM NOW!” This brought the Flesh-eaters around. They locked steely eyes on the Lady and the Captain. Several pulled out their swords and moved to block the Captain’s escape.

HORNS WENT OFFall up and down the avenue, and sirens came from every direction.

Where is she? The question repeated itself over and over in Peter’s mind until he wanted to scream. For the hundredth time he scanned the clusters of gawking Flesh-eaters wandering aimlessly up and down the sidewalk, but still, no sign of the Lady.

They’d caught sight of the Flesh-eaters from inside the terminal and followed them out onto the street, keeping low and out of sight. But now Peter believed that the Flesh-eaters had become separated beforehand, understood that the Reverend and the Lady must’ve ended up with another group somewhere else, possibly on the other side of the terminal altogether.

Peter, the elves, and the Devils all ducked down as four patrolmen tromped past. When the police saw the Flesh-eaters, they halted, radioing for backup. Peter could see a line of officers forming a perimeter farther down the street and several more running up the sidewalk toward the terminal. “We’re out of time,” Peter hissed between his teeth. They had to find the Lady, had to find her now .

Peter signaled the Devils and elves and they slipped back up the street, back toward the terminal, heading for the parking lot on the far side.

“ CAPTAIN, YOU WILL bring me the demons at once,” the Reverend shouted in a voice that expected only obedience. He took a step toward the Captain.

The Captain pointed his sword at the Reverend. “No, Your Grace. I will not .”

The Reverend halted, his mouth tightening into a small, thin line. His good eye seethed. “Captain, you’re not thinking clearly. Hand them over. That is a command.”

The Reverend nodded to the men. They moved in, trying to circle them. The Captain knew if he let that happen, they were done. Keeping his sword on guard, he back-stepped, pressing Danny and the Lady through the hedges and into the park. The hedges blocked the men, at least for the moment. Time to run, the Captain thought, and it was then he realized his oversight. They couldn’t run. Not with Daniel tied to the Lady. She could barely walk, much less outrun anyone. He needed to cut them apart, leave the Lady, and then maybe they could escape. But the rope was as thick as his wrist, would take some effort to saw or hack through it. Yet if he dropped his guard, even for a second, they’d have him.