Crisped + Sere by TJ Klune

Author:TJ Klune [Klune, TJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science fiction
ISBN: 978-1-63477-068-2
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2016-08-23T04:00:00+00:00

wormwood

AND RUN they did. Through the wind and snow that began to howl around them. A wide trail stretched out ahead, the snow smashed and scattered by the people of Cottonwood that had fled moments before. He told himself he saw the paw prints in the snow, that Bad Dog was leading them home, but he couldn’t be sure.

“They can’t be far ahead,” Hank said, his beard frosted white.

“We have to hurry,” Alma said, shielding her face. “It’s getting worse. We can’t get lost out here.”

Cavalo glanced behind them, at the way they’d come. The wind bit into his face. He could see only ten feet to their rear. There were little drops of red in the snow from Lucas’s leg. But nothing more. If anyone was following them, they would be just beyond the white veil that wrapped around them. It was all the snow globe, Cavalo knew. He’d thought it had broken, but he must have been wrong. He was back inside it now.

Lucas panted against his neck as Cavalo held him up, arm wrapped around Lucas’s waist. He looked over at him, and their cheeks brushed together. “You good?” he asked in a low voice.

Lucas nodded. Don’t worry about me. Just keep going.

Cavalo tightened his grip.

They pushed on. Every now and then, Cavalo would press his lips together and blast out a sharp whistle, hoping to hear the intended response. It carried in the wind but was lost in the storm.

“Bad Dog knows his way?” Hank asked.

“Yes,” Cavalo said through gritted teeth. He tried to keep his anger in check. Hank didn’t deserve it. Not after what he’d lost. “He knows.” He trusted Bad Dog more than anyone else in the world. He wouldn’t get lost.

It still didn’t help his unease when he whistled again and received no response.

It was snowing harder now, to the point where Cavalo wasn’t sure he knew where they were. Landmarks where hidden in snow and shadows. The sky overhead was lost in the swirl of water and ice. Cavalo was cold, colder than he’d been in a very long time. He could feel Lucas shivering at his side and pulled him closer. “We’re almost there,” he whispered, though he didn’t know if that was true. He wondered how fitting it would be if all of the events that had been his life had led to him freezing to death, lost in a blizzard. It would make sense after everything he’d done. He didn’t believe in karma, but he believed in retribution. He’d committed too many wrongs to ever be right.

He whistled again, feeling the desperation behind it.

And the response came. A bark. It was worried, that sound. Relieved, but worried. He knew that even though he could barely hear it.

James Cavalo whistled again.

His friend responded, sounding closer now. MasterBossLord!

Something loosened in his chest.

The dog came out of the storm, his face covered in snow. Cavalo knew he’d been keeping his nose close to the ground, just like he’d been trained to do.

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