A World Without Heroes - Brandon Mull [51]
“None of the others stayed.”
Jugard shrugged his bony shoulders. “I presented them with similar cautions. They were heroes on important quests. They believed that where others had failed, they would succeed.”
Jason returned to the wiry, grizzled man and sat beside him, back against the wall. He rubbed his cheeks, looking for stubble. He hardly had any facial hair. He wondered how long it would take for him and Jugard to look alike.
CHAPTER 8
MACROID
Someone else is approaching,” Jugard said, disturbing Jason’s reverie. “Were you with anyone?”
“Yeah,” Jason said, standing up. He could see a figure swimming out of the narrow passage into the grotto. “Rachel! Do you need help?”
“I’m okay,” she gasped. “Something’s coming.”
“What?”
“I’m not sure. A mangler, maybe.” She reached the shallows and waded hurriedly toward the ledge, her homespun shirt clinging wetly.
“A mangler couldn’t follow you in here,” Jugard said. “It would sink like a stone.”
Coughing, Rachel climbed the handholds to the ledge. She had removed her vest and shoes. Her shirt and pants dripped copiously.
“I’m Rachel,” she told Jugard.
“Jugard,” the shaggy man responded.
“What happened?” Jason asked.
“I freaked out,” she apologized, trying to wring out her shirt. “Not too long after you jumped, something came tearing down the slope. It ignored the road, racing straight at me. It wasn’t a horseman. It kept low enough that all I could really see was the motion.”
“What did you do?” Jason asked.
“I thought about using the orantium. But I didn’t really know what was coming. I knew it was fast and could keep low. I started to worry I might make a bad throw and miss it. Once it got past the bend in the lane and kept heading straight for me, I panicked.”
“Did you bring the orantium?” Jason asked hopefully.
Rachel shook her head. “I was worried it might detonate when I hit the water. So I stashed it, took off my vest, and jumped. I didn’t have time to think it through.”
“Rough swim?” Jason asked.
She laughed shakily. “It almost killed me.” She slapped his chest with the back of her hand. “By the way, I didn’t appreciate you cheating after the coin toss. We need to be able to trust each other.”
“I had your best interest in mind.”
“Whatever followed you is still coming,” Jugard announced.
“How do you know?” Jason asked.
“I know the natural sounds of this place,” Jugard assured him. “I can hear something snorting and gasping, something bestial.”
“I don’t see anything yet,” Jason said.
“You will,” Jugard replied.
Gurgling growls and churning splashes heralded the creature’s arrival to the grotto. Jason, Rachel, and Jugard clustered at the front of the ledge to observe as the animal entered the cavern, struggling toward the shallows from the deeper water across the chamber. The beast seemed inept at swimming, its sizable head bobbing in and out of sight. Jugard twisted a short piece of seaweed and tossed it into the water to better illuminate the approaching creature.
“Boarhound,” Jugard murmured, astonished.
Rachel backed away from the edge as the oversized bulldog reached the shallows and charged, baying wildly, to the base of the ledge, ten feet below Jason and Jugard. The animal began hopping ferociously, coming within a foot or two of the ledge despite its bulky body and stubby legs. Foam lathered its wide jaws.
“Boarhounds are not typically fond of water,” Jugard said. “Do you know this animal?”
“Puggles,” Jason said. “I think I saw this boarhound at a woman’s house a couple of days ago. I heard she was attacked and captured yesterday.”
The dog continued bounding at them tenaciously despite repeated failure. Jugard stared intently. “This animal has been conscripted.”
Jason turned to Jugard. “What does that mean?”
Jugard pinched some of his whiskers and started twirling them. “Conscriptors have been known to turn animals to their own uses.”
“What are conscriptors?” Rachel asked.
Jugard gave her a bemused look. “You must be a Beyonder as well.