Hardboiled: Not Your Average Detective Story by Cipriano J.A

Author:Cipriano, J.A. [Cipriano, J.A.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Fantasy
Published: 2015-05-24T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

The smell of meat roasting over a fire filled my nose, chasing away the last remnants of a dream I couldn’t quite remember. Maybe it was because I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten, or because I’d just made a goddamn ice bridge out of fire, but for whatever reason, it was the best smelling thing in the world.

“You’re awake?” Thes asked as I opened one eye and looked around. He had his back to me, so how had he known?

“Yeah, where are we?” I groaned, pushing myself into a sitting position. He was bent over the edge of the Phlegethon, holding a giant horse’s leg by the ankle. The haunch sputtered and popped as he turned toward me, sweat running down his face.

“Across the river. We made it, thanks to you. Unfortunately, Connor is still out cold. Whatever that guy did to him…” he trailed off as he sauntered toward me, the steaming leg held out in front of him. “I don’t know what to do for him. It makes me feel bad.”

“Um… where did you get that?” I asked, glancing around for a corpse, but the only thing I saw was a giant bloody smear a few yards to my left.

“Centaur,” he replied, holding it out toward me. “Want some? It’s not as bad as it seems like it’d be.”

“You’re eating a centaur? Those are sentient beings,” the words rushed out of me as nausea swelled up in my throat. It was like… like eating a person.

“I’m a werewolf,” Thes said with a shrug and bit into the haunch, tearing away a chunk of meat with his teeth. Juices dripped down his face as he chewed. “I eat what I kill.”

“That’s not an excuse,” I said, growing very angry at my suddenly rumbling tummy and watering mouth. I’d used a lot of energy up making that bridge… so much so that I was still weak and woozy. “I’m not eating that!” I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.

Without saying anything, Thes tore off a hunk of meat and held it out to me in a way that reminded me of a cat bringing you a dead bird. “You used a lot of power. You’ll need your strength to cross that,” he said, gesturing behind me with the meat.

I glanced over my shoulder to see a thin river of smoking white tar bubbling a couple feet behind me. “That must be the river Styx,” I said because what else could it be? The river Styx was said to run parallel to the Phlegethon in Tartarus. Besides, Apep had said it would be here.

“Uh, yeah.” Thes smirked at me and gestured with the meat again. “Eat this, or I’ll shove it down your throat. I had to rip off a centaur’s leg, and it wasn’t exactly pleasant, let me tell you.”

“I’m not eating that, and you can’t make me,” I replied, at which point Thes jammed the meat in my face. I tried to cry out, which was a mistake because he shoved it into my mouth and clamped his hand over the top.

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