CHAPTER TWENTY‑FIVE

A man entered the hut. An old, lean man. He spoke, and the creature scuttled away from Cordie.

“I am Grar, he said. “Our companion is Heth. Your name is? ”

“Cordie. ”

The man came forward on hands and knees; the hut was too low for standing. He wore a skirt of hair that hung to the ground as he crawled. It was many colors: brown, red, blond, and raven black.

He sat in front of Cordie, and crossed his legs.

“You are one who escaped the trees, last night. ”

“Yes. ”

“I understand that you wish to become one of us. ”

“Yes. ”

“Why? ”

Was the question a trick? She saw no malice in Grar’s eyes. “So I won’t be killed, ” she said.

“Joining us is no guarantee of that. We have many.

She nodded.

“Are you appalled by our ways? ”

“I don’t know. ”

“We live apart from the civilization you know. We despise it. Our fathers and forefathers despised it. ”

“Why? ” she asked, and hoped the question wouldn’t anger him.

“Laws. Rules. They’re hateful to us, just as they were hateful to our founder. He fled to this region of woods to escape the laws of civilization. That was long ago–a hundred years before your country’s birth. Savages inhabited these woods, but he was more savage than they. He slaughtered them, and ate their flesh as a token of his power.

“Only the women did he spare. He took them to his bed, and they gave forth progeny. ”

“Progeny? ”

“Children, offspring, sucklings. They grew, and were as fierce as their father. They killed their enemies, and ate them after his manner.

“Now the father had a woman he favored above all others. ”

Nobody talks this way, Cordie thought. He must’ve got his English from a Bible.

“She was lean and fair, a woman of rare beauty. She bore him many sons. When the sons became ripe, the one named Raf went to her in the night. He took no care to conceal his act. It is our custom, you see, to bed whom we will, without shame or secrecy. But when the father learned what Raf had done, his cry filled the night. He raged through the village. All those who saw his anger fled before him, and hid in the forest. His wrath was terrible. He tore the heads from every son, and every daughter, and every living thing. And he took the heads away. He built himself a home far from the village he hated. And he surrounded his home with the heads of those he had killed.

“Two survived his savagery. They mated, and their numbers grew. Though many were slain in the years after the great slaughter, many survived. They lived like fearful beasts, hiding in the treetops at night to escape the avenging father.

“At last, they had a great gathering and decided to take his life. While the women and children took refuge in the tallest trees, the men went forth. The forest trembled, that night, with howls of rage and pitiful, tormented cries. Morning came, but the men did not return.

“Among the women, one was brave. She climbed down from the safety of her tree, and traveled through the woods to the home of her father. When she returned, she told of finding the head of every man mounted on a cross of wood before the father’s door. Then she broke her own head open with a rock, and fell dead. ”

“How many did he kill? ” Cordie asked.

“In that one night, he took the lives of thirty‑ two.

“How could he? ”

“Because he is the Devil, Manfred Krull. Cordie stared at Grar. The old man’s eyes held fear. “The Devil? ” Cordie whispered. “That’s who Lilly said I saw, last night. The one who killed my boyfriend. ”

“Lilly spoke the truth. You saw our founder, the Devil, Manfred Krull. ”

“No. ” She shook her head. “It couldn’t… Not the original…”

“It is, ” Grar said.

“That’s impossible. The man you talked about, he’d have to be three hundred years old. ”

“Far older. ”

“Can’t be. ”

“His evil is ageless. ”

Cordie shook her head. She couldn’t buy that. No way. But arguing might anger Grar, so she kept silent.

“We have tried, many times, to kill him. Always, we fail. Always, he takes terrible vengeance.

“Our numbers are few. ”

“How few? ”

“Less than a hundred. Many died in the winter. We must multiply, or our family will soon perish.

“You will give us children, ” he said. “Children to replace the many who have fallen. And you will give us fresh blood to mix with the blood of our fathers. Without new blood, the children come forth weak and crooked, like Heth. ” He nodded toward the deformed man in the corner. “The blood of his parents was old. ”

Too much inbreeding? Cordie wondered. She didn’t realize it could create such monstrosities.

“You will give yourself to any man, until you are with child. After your firstborn, you may accept those you wish, rejecting others. ”

“Okay, ” she said.

“Now we must go. ”

Her heart slammed. “Where? ”

“To your friends. ”

“I don’t… Who? ”

“Those who escaped with you from the trees. You will go to them. ”

“I don’t know where they are. ”

“They have taken shelter in the house of the Devil. You must go to them, and bring them out. ”

“Me? ”

“Only you, among us, may enter the land of the dead. ”

“Oh Jesus, I don’t…”

“The women are young. Like you, they will give us many children. We must have them. ”

“But there’s a guy. ”

“You will take his life. ”

“Me? Kill him? ”

“You have killed others. You killed Kigit, who was gurlaw. ”

“This guy’s got a gun. ”

“You are a woman. ”

“That’s not…” She stopped herself. Defiance would do her no good–and might get her killed. “Okay, ” she said. “I’ll do whatever you say. ”

“I hear deceit in your voice. ”

“No. I’ll do it, honest. I’ll kill the guy. I really will. Then I’ll make the women come out. ”

“If you betray us, your death will be horrible beyond nightmares. ”

In a dry voice, she said, “I won’t betray you. ”

“Heth. ”

The creature scuttled forward.

“Your hand, girl. ”

She raised her left arm.

The old man lightly took her wrist. He guided her hand toward Heth. She made a fist.

“Open your hand. ”

Her fingers fluttered open.

“Please, ” she whispered.

“You must learn a lesson in obedience, ” Grar said, and moved her little finger toward Heth’s mouth. The dry lips sucked it in. She felt the edges of his teeth. The tongue stroked the length of her finger.

Then he bit.

She saw her bleeding stump. She saw Heth chewing. The ceiling of the hut tilted strangely, and went dark.