Chapter 2

When the flow of tears had dried, Charam became aware of the sound of claws scratching on rock. At first he lay still and listened, secure in the knowledge that he was well and truly out of reach of the beasts. Then as they grew louder he felt compelled to raise himself to a sitting position to investigate.

He leaned forward and at first couldn’t see where the sound was coming from. As he leaned a little further over the edge of the rock, he saw one of the beasts, its four legs spread wide apart as it battled its way up between the two boulders just as he had done. Immediately he took the stick and jabbed at the determined creature, dislodging it so that it fell backwards onto the rock below where there were now three of its kin waiting.

The beast lay where it had landed, stunned and disorientated. Initially the other three creatures sniffed around it, glancing up at Charam accusingly before returning their attention to their wounded companion. Then one by one they turned to stare up at him, giving him their full attention, teeth bared and ears back against their heads.

Despite the distance between them, Charam took a step back. As the beasts began leaping into the crevice, their claws scratching at the rock to find purchase, Charam wielded the stick. He may have been close to collapse, but he hadn’t come this far to fail. Every now and again one of the snarling curs made it to the halfway point, looking uncomfortably precarious as its thin legs struggled to carry the rest of its body ever higher. Unfortunately for the beasts, Charam was always ready with his stick, hammering them until they fell back to their starting point.

So caught up in the battle of wills was Charam that he neglected to notice the arrival of a newcomer at the base of the rocks. It was only as the beasts simultaneously turned to face this new arrival that Charam realised he was now defeated. There was nowhere to run, and even if there had been, he was too exhausted to attempt an escape. He sat down on the rock as one by one the beasts were dispatched by the powerful demon, Raum.

After the last snarling creature had had its head torn from its body and been tossed aside, Raum turned his attention to Charam. His immense height and muscle bound body was intimidating even from the relative sanctuary of the boulder top, but even more terrifying was the unblinking stare. Charam could only guess at the nightmares being imagined behind those large, black eyes.

“Come!” said Raum, his voice so deep that it rattled the very skeleton at the core of Charam’s being.

For a foolish moment Charam considered not moving, but then, in almost the same space, another thought formed. It would be nothing for Raum to bring him down. Better to go willingly.

He skidded down the rock, his hands and feet and the twin mounds of his buttocks slowing the descent until he was near enough to leap onto the lower platform of rock. His eyes stayed fixed on Raum’s face, searching for a sign of what was to follow.

“You found me,” he said, following the statement with a weak smile.

Raum did not reply.

Charam jumped off the boulder and landed in the black dirt by Raum’s feet. Only now that there were mere centimetres between them could Charam not look the demon in the eyes. Instead his eyes examined his soot covered feet and the thin black lines it had made in the grooves on his claws.

“What have you to say for yourself?” asked Raum.

“I have nothing…”

The sentence was interrupted by the back of Raum’s hand smashing against his cheek. He felt a fang fly loose and caught a glimpse of the tail end of a ribbon of black blood as it hung in the air before splattering across the dirt. Immediately a hand went up to assess the damage to his face as his eyes returned to Raum, his whole expression one of hurt surprise.

Raum shook his head and walked off the way he had come.

Charam didn’t need to be told to follow.

For a time considered by Charam to be substantial, Raum did not speak. Despite apologies, pleas and even the occasional taunt, Raum strode through the wastelands of Dis like a lord, disregarding all but the way ahead. When finally they came to the ruins of an ancient bone factory, Raum glanced up at the sky, and seeing that the clouds had lost their reddish tinge declared that they would settle amongst the crumbling walls for the night.

“When are you going to talk to me?” asked Charam, half collapsing onto a large flat rock that had once been part of the floor.