1
Cillian
Isquint against the glare bouncing off the sand. Today I’m not alone. While I can’t see them, I can sense another person out here. A hiker? Someone else with blood on their mind and weapons in their hands? Out here, a body will be devoured before the person is even reported missing. I’ve been to the outer realms of faery, and the desert makes them seem like a holiday destination.
Whatever the other person needs to bury, there’s more than enough space for the both of us. As long as what I’m hunting, doesn’t find them first.
I pause and listen to the wind rush over the sand. Sweat trickles down my back even though it’s only early morning. The sky promises no relief from the sun. It will be another brutal day.
I don’t know what came through the breach, only that there is far too much fae activity out here. There’s a ripple in the magic like the breach has widened, allowing the fae creatures from the outer realms to slip through at their leisure.
But there’s very little for them to feed on out here, which makes them dangerous to me as there’s nothing tastier to a fae creature than a fae rider. The creatures from the outer realms of faery need magic to stay alive, and the only way to get that in the human realm is from eating fae. There are some fae who live in the human world, others were born here and don’t even know what they are.
Other creatures feed on human emotions.
Most fae creatures die in the desert before they reach humans or fae. But there have been odd things sighted, so I need to investigate. I’m not sure what I’m hunting, but it doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, I need to find it and stop it before it makes its way to one of the small towns or rest stops and makes a mess. I much prefer killing to cleaning up.
I step out of the meagre shade offered by the boulder and start across the rocky ground on foot, hoping no one stumbles over my bike. I glance back, but it is safely hidden and I’m miles from roads or trails.
Ahead there are only sharp rocks, blinding sun, and heat shimmers.
One of these days I’m going to claim a woman and take her to faery and put my hunting days behind me, but I reckon I’ll be bored sitting on my ass all day. Though it might be nice to test that theory.
With no tracks to follow, I let the magic lead me across the burning plain. At noon, I slide into a narrow shadow to wait out the worst of the heat. While I can feel the creature, and I’m getting closer, I still haven’t seen it.
I bet it’s a dantwym they like heat and are good at camouflage. But I wouldn’t put any actual money on that wager. The creatures seem to wander through at random, as if they don’t even know how they got here, or how to get home.
I feel the same way some days. Though I was pushed into this, punishment for killing another fae. I take another careful sip of water and feel for the wisps of magic around me.
The hiker is still out there, and closer to me than before.
But the magic draws my attention to the large rocky outcropping in the distance. That’s where the breach is. And the critter is out that way too.
For a moment I regret leaving my bike, but the risk of shredding a tire and having to walk it all the way back to the service station made me err on the side of caution. Besides, a little walking is good for the soul.
I pick up my bag and sling it over my shoulder and set off. The chain hanging from my belt clinks with every step. There’s a knife in each of my boots, but my sword is with my bike. I had to choose weapons as too much weight would’ve slowed me down.
As the shadows start to lengthen, I find my quarry.
It’s a dannedd—I lost that bet with myself—and it’s in poor condition. A danger to no one. I watch it stagger about, a dumb animal that walked through a tear and ended up in a world that offers it no sustenance. I know the feeling. My first few years here were filled with bitterness and anger and pain. It took time for me to earn my place as a rider, but even now, I’d rather hunt alone. The men who volunteered to ride think themselves so much better than those of us who were condemned.
The dannedd noses at the ground, its antlers casting shadows like spider legs. If it’s looking for water, it’s out of luck…though maybe it’s found the scent of something that I can eat for dinner before camping under the stars.
I could eat the dannedd but it’s all sinew and bone—more so than usual. Its talons scrape over the rocks, then it lifts its snout and I know it has my scent. I squat and draw a knife. This will be a mercy killing.
2
Felicity
Ihunker down and watch the man. I ran into him at the gas station two days ago and knew he was one of them. Armed to the teeth, with a slick bike—a bike I intend to claim after I turn him to little more than inky dust. A stain on the sand that will be forgotten.
Monsters don’t deserve to live.
This one looks human, but he’ll be like all the others. I just want the nightmares to stop. I don’t want to see gold eyes flashing in the dark. I don’t want them following me home. The first one I killed by luck. The second was deliberate. After that, I started hunting them before they could hunt me.
I’ve never seen one like him, though.
I wipe my sweaty hand on my jeans. He’ll be hard to kill. The others have been freakish monsters, like someone smooshed two or three animals together without caring how the finished product looked.
