Master is the sunshine of my morning, wagging his tail and howling with joy because his belly is full of nasty monster food the ladies gave him. They seem to dote on him, like a puppy or little brother.
Nope. Still don’t want to know what he is.
We start the march again with me in the middle of the War People pack. I’m so deep in thought, I hardly say a word.
What will I say to Bard when we reach the No Ones’ land? How am I going to persuade the Mountain People to return Alwar? If I succeed in freeing him, where’s all this going?
I don’t know, but honestly, I should. I’ve been running around hopping from one fire to another without a plan, and simply trusting that things will just work out isn’t wise.
“How much longer until we reach Alwar?” I ask somewhere around midday.
“We will enter the No Ones’ land at sundown. Tomorrow we cross two small kingdoms—the Ferns’ and the Goyls’. We should arrive to the ocean before dusk.”
“Do I want to know what a Fern or Goyl is?”
“You are part of this world now. You must learn them all. Enemies, allies, other.”
I’m not sure what an other is. “So what are they?”
“The Ferns are a people who drink from the soil. They use sunlight as food.”
I try not to laugh. “You mean a plant?”
“Have you ever seen a plant disembowel an animal that gets too close?”
“That would be a no.”
“Do not worry. I have traveled their lands many times. I am well acquainted with their queens.”
“They have more than one?”
“They have a hundred queens. All of them are attached to one branch, but I assure you each has an opinion equally annoying as your own.”
He’s one to talk. “And the Goyls?”
“I do not know a creature in your world to compare them to.”
“Try,” I say.
“Imagine a pig that walks upright and has the face of a bat.”
“A gargoyle?”
“Goyls do not spit acid like their cousins, the gargoyles. Goyls are also very peaceful—the likely reason they have been unable to defend their land. Last I heard, they are down to a few square miles.”
“Sounds awful.”
He shrugs. “It’s the way of the world, is it not?”
“I guess I would’ve expected Benicio to ensure they keep what’s theirs.”
“He could. But why should he lift a finger for a weak people who don’t care enough to fight for themselves?”
“Didn’t one of you say that some of the weaker kingdoms pay the War People for protection?” Not all creatures are good fighters, so they bring the War People food in exchange for their muscle. It’s a good trade because the War People don’t have enough land and resources to sustain themselves. They constantly have to hunt and raid other kingdoms. “Maybe you’ve been overlooking some potential new customers.”
He’s silent for the longest time. “Perhaps you are right, Queen Lake.”
“Wow. Did you just agree with me? Has Hell frozen over?”
“Hell froze over before my father was born.”
“There’s a Hell here?”
“Where else would the Devil People come from?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Hell is real. Why am I not surprised?
According to Tiago, Hell was once a kingdom in the north comprised of active volcanos. Then one day, for no apparent reason, the lava cooled, and their land froze over. The creatures who lived there were forced to take refuge elsewhere. The Devil People are now nomads.
No bueno. Because I’ve seen them. Not the sort you’d welcome into your community. Or hemisphere.
They have deep red skin and a set of horns. Like I mentioned before, they don’t speak, but they do howl and travel in packs.
I’m not entirely certain, but I suspect the devils found in human legends are based on these creatures, right down to the forked tails.
Does this mean that evil isn’t real? Heck no. But maybe true evil has a beautiful pale face and calls himself Benicio.
Goosebumps break out over my arms and neck just thinking about the powerful Blood King. How did humans manage to run monsters like him out of my world? Alwar said that long ago they roamed my world until people got smart enough to band together and kick them out.
“Tiago, how did humans get the monsters to leave my world?” I ask as the red sun starts setting, and we approach a hillside with hot-pink glowing flowers.
“What is this now?”
“How did humans fight the monsters, build the wall, make bridges to filter monster genes out?”
“You really wish to know?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“The great species revolution happened long ago. Not all, but some groups from our world migrated to yours. Over time, they began to intermingle.”
“You mean have sex?”
“Yes.” He sighs condescendingly. “The rhino mixed with the Goyls; elephants were born. Wolves mixed with Blood People, and Skins were born. Lice mixed with a few dozen monsters, and trolls were born. Vultures and the Spider People; you got Fliers.”