Crisped + Sere (Immemorial Year Book 2) by TJ Klune Page A

the last words she spoke.
    One moment she had a smile on her face that did not reach her eyes, and the next she was flung away, her nails scraping Cavalo’s face. Shadows moved, and the woman screamed, which faded into a wet gargle. The stars were growing dimmer, and through them, Cavalo saw a flurry of movement ahead of him. Grunts. Gasps. Cries of pain.
    The stars cleared.
    The woman lay on the ground to Cavalo’s left, her throat slit from ear to ear, eyes open but unseeing.
    The big man lay on his back, hand above him as if to ward off an attack. The knife came down. Fingers fell to the ground. The man shrieked. The knife came down again. The man’s feet skittered across the snow, digging deep red grooves. Eventually he stopped moving. Stopped breathing.
    But Lucas stabbed him again. And again. And Again.
    With each thrust of the knife, Cavalo could hear him screaming in his head.
    DO YOU TRUST ME NOW?
    DO YOU TRUST ME NOW?
    DO YOU TRUST ME NOW?

the only choice
     
     
    THEY STOPPED inside an abandoned barn five miles outside of Grangeville.
    Lucas left them and prowled the hayloft above.
    The wood creaked around them. Cavalo hoped it would hold.
    He spread a blanket on the ground.
    “You okay?” he asked Bad Dog as he turned in circles before lying down on the blanket.
    Head hurts , he said. He looked at Cavalo with big eyes. Some jerky would help.
    “Would it?”
    Yes.
    “I don’t know if we have any jerky.”
    There’s a whole bag in your pack. I can smell it.
    “Can you? You must be feeling better, then.”
    I can barely smell it , Bad Dog corrected. He whined and lay his head down on his paws. Getting… dark. Must have… rabbit jerky….
    Cavalo gave him the jerky. When he was finished eating, Cavalo covered them both with another blanket and curled up at his side.
    They listened to Lucas moving above them. Pacing back and forth. Over and over.
    His bees are loud , Bad Dog whispered.
    “Are they?”
    Yes. They are always loud. But now they are really loud.
    “Oh.”
    Is it because of the bad guys?
    “I don’t know.”
    I think it’s because of the bad guys. He killed them.
    “I know.”
    Made their blood come out.
    “I know.”
    Smells Different bad guy?
    “I don’t know.” A hesitation. Then, “I don’t think so.”
    I know bad guys.
    “Do you?”
    Yes. They are scared of Bad Dog.
    “They are.”
    Smells Different not scared of Bad Dog. So he’s not a bad guy.
    “I don’t know if that’s quite how it works.”
    It works. Trust me.
    “Always.”
    MasterBossLord?
    “Yeah?”
    We going home?
    “Yes.” It felt like a lie, that word.
    SIRS at home?
    “Yes.”
    I miss my home. And my bed. Then, after a moment’s hesitation: And my SIRS.
    “Me too.” He didn’t think things would ever be the same. “Head feel better?”
    Jerky helped , Bad Dog said as his eyes closed. Maybe I should have some more in the morning, just to be sure.
    “Just to be sure. Sleep.”
    The dog took a deep breath. And slept.
    For a while Cavalo tried to follow him under. His eyes burned. His body was exhausted. His head hurt. He was cold. Even though they were miles away, he could still smell the burning mountain of the dead, sickly sweet and noxious. Could still hear the sound of the unknown man’s throat tearing as Cordelia bit into it, knowing she was already dead.
    The moon came out from behind the clouds. The light filtered in through the cracks in the barn walls.
    He lay on his back.
    Movement above him.
    Back and forth.
    He ignored it.
    He tried.
    He closed his eyes.
    He opened his eyes.
    Lose something, Charlie? he thought.
    He had. He had lost many things.
    His family. His mind. His soul.
    The bees laughed and said, Do you trust me now? He didn’t know whose bees they were. He didn’t know if it mattered anymore.
    He made sure Bad Dog was covered in the blanket. He scratched behind the dog’s ear. Bad Dog huffed quietly in his sleep.
    He stood. Looked above him. Shadows moved. Clever little