Miracle Workers (SCE Books 5-8) - Keith R. A. DeCandido_. [et al.] [74]
Commander Gomez’s lamp was insufficient to see all the way into the cave, so I could not begin to describe how many skulls were actually present. But I did know one thing: some of them were very old indeed.
There was one head I saw that was not a mere skull, but in fact a head with a face still attached, belonging to Kelrek. It had been placed unceremoniously in a pile of skulls, no more or less important than any of the other hundreds of trophies this abomination had collected.
Immediately, the talking began. Everyone in the party wanted the creature dead. Some even unholstered their weapons.
“Put those weapons away,” Gomez barked. “I told you—”
I was about to interrupt her. I was going to tell her that she was a fool. I was going to tell her that we needed to destroy this creature now. I was going to tell her that if she did not authorize us to eliminate the monster, I would order the men to do it myself and damn the consequences. I was going to tell her that I didn’t care what it took, I would see this abomination who would display the heads of men in such a manner eliminated. I was going to tell her that anyone who did not see things this way was a fool.
I did not get the chance to say any of those things.
Because that is when the monster attacked.
I cannot say where the creature came from. All I know is that one moment, I was standing before Commander Gomez preparing to speak my mind to her, and the next, I was diving for cover as a crystalline demon leapt into our midst.
After rolling on the ground for several moments, I looked up to see J’Roh flailing blindly at the monster, several other men running away from it—and Commander Gomez holding her ground.
The monster leapt into the air and then headed straight for Commander Gomez.
She still stood her ground, even as I cried out, “Commander, duck!”
Instead, she fired her weapon.
Then she ducked.
Unfortunately, she had only put the weapon on its lowest setting. Equally unfortunately, she did not duck fast enough. The creature sliced at her left arm, tearing her uniform and her skin.
To my amazement, Commander Gomez’s blood was red. For some reason, I assumed that her blood would be a more normal blue color. Perhaps all her people have blood like that. Or perhaps she is special.
The creature came at her again. Though she lay on the ground, though one arm was injured, she managed to change the setting on her rifle and fire it.
Waves of sonic energy battered the monster in midair. It twirled around in midleap and spun like a head-ball being intercepted. It fell to the hard ground just as I had when it first attacked.
Unlike me, it did not get back up.
“Is it dead?” D’Ren asked.
“Looks like it is,” Gomez said. “Dammit!”
J’Roh was chittering madly. “Did I not tell you all? Haven’t I been saying all along that she is the sañuul? This proves it! She has destroyed the monster shii.”
If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would have called J’Roh a fool.
But I had seen it.
Commander Gomez is the sañuul. She has taken the curse of this evil place and removed it.
“Hail to Sañuul!” J’Roh cried, lifting his four front legs into the air.
The Nalori men did likewise with their arms, as did the Osina with their legs. Calwei, the lone Cabbi in the party, waved his flippers.
Regardless of their gestures, they all repeated J’Roh’s cry.
“Hail to Sañuul!”
It took me a moment, but I joined in the cry.
Because, my son, I had seen it. In all the stories, there is one constant: none can kill the monster shii. Yet she did.
Sañuul killed it.
We marched triumphantly back to the camp. By the time we arrived it was completely dark, but a large number of men—including the Bolian zealot, Zilder—were waiting for us at the entryway.
Four of the men carried the body of the monster back. As soon as he saw that, the Bolian cried out, “They have killed it!”
Cheers erupted from the assembled men.
I wanted to display the monster