A New Night
Chapter 23

Scary New Friends

It was still in the dark of early morning when the stillness of our quiet waiting finally broke. Dro’s ears perked up, and his eyes opened slightly. Because of the overt silence with which he went into a low crouch and moved closer toward the ledge, I followed suit and said nothing. Dro crouched low like a shadow and looked over the ledge. The moon was dully reflected in his eyes as he stared with an aura of menace.

I also thought about looking until I remembered the glow of my own face. If his eyes did not give us away, my dull blue light would. So, instead, I whispered, “Is somebody on the mountain?”

“Somebody is always on the mountain,” Dro replied dryly.

“Is it the Hunter Queen, though?”

Dro finally sighed and said, “Likely. Maybe she thought you powerful enough to wound me. That would be her best chance to finish me off.”

I felt a weakness in the part of the place where my jaw should have been. It was that feeling right before when my teeth should have begun chattering. My fear of the conflict ahead was only matched by my fear that something had already happened to Romalla. I … I didn’t know how I could go on if something had.

“You’re very afraid of being alone,” Dro said, startling me. The words were not empathetic, nor did they accuse me of the level of cowardice that I felt. The question came across more like he had never heard of such a thing.

“That’s not why I’m going to save her,” I replied sharply. I internally scolded myself, yet again, for not having shielded my thoughts.

“Of course. You are motivated by a mixture of fear-based instincts,” Dro agreed. His tone was callous. But, like with his initial statement, it bore no purposeful malice that I could hear. On the same note, he continued his pondering. “You think of her more than anything else, especially for someone who courts death so closely. You want companionship … something I also sense in your quest to replace the Alpha Predators.”

I felt strangely hurt by his accusation. I replied, “I’d save Romalla even if I knew there were others like me!”

“Of course you would,” Dro said, with an energetic light in his eyes and a sly smile. “What interests me is how you will respond when you finally meet those of your kind who have embraced the power of the Alpha Predators. What if they are not like you? What if your attempts to help the bats bring them only more pain? You’re waiting for someone stronger, wiser, and more … compassionate … to resolve all the needless suffering you’ve encountered. But what if such a someone does not exist?”

Dro’s words hit me hard. Not only that, but they reminded me of what Steelface had told me before. Of course, I wasn’t going to take the words of Hunters or Golems as gospel. But what sort of society would leave so much easily resolved suffering to continue right under their noses? What if I really was putting the Night People in further danger?

The questions burned inside me until I found myself turning my irritation on Dro—as he sat there smugly trying to pick apart my brain and hope. “And what would you do? Have me go back to wipe out a village of Hunters? Go back to the Night People and fight an army of monsters by myself?” As I continued to speak, I found that my questions were only half-rhetorical—or maybe a third rhetorical and a third sarcastic. But that last third of my asking was eerily … sincere.

“No,” Dro replied. He yawned widely, baring all his deadly teeth in the most uninterested way imaginable for a deadly, psychic, kung-fu panther. “I’ve told you—I need your stone arms and legs to get past the ice above. I seek the knowledge of the Alpha Predators, no matter what form it might take.”

I sighed and wondered why his efforts to use me were more or less offensive for how upfront he was about them.

Dro continued, “Additionally, your pack instincts could prove advantageous to me if you begin to think of me as one of your own. This would not be difficult to achieve since I will be helping you to replace your friend.”

If I’d had a jaw, it would have been hanging in disgust at the blatant nature of his manipulation. “That’s messed up,” I said.

Dro smiled cruelly as he continued to keep watch over the ledge. “Personally, I would be amused to see you resolve your inevitable dilemmas ahead by becoming an Alpha Predator yourself. It would be educational to watch that rise in power. From the needy thing you are now to something that no longer needs to hide from the fact that you are alone in the universe.”

Again, the words struck hard. For a moment, I couldn’t reply. My mind latched onto what he had said and buzzed with horrifying possibilities.

“Do not fear knowledge or the insight that comes from becoming stronger,” Dro said. “It will open possibilities that you never imagined just as soon as you embrace the reality of what this world truly is.”

This was the thing said that I outright disagreed with. The more I learned since waking, the less empowered I felt. Now I just felt … lost.

Suddenly, Dro’s demeanor became a bit more serious as he said, “Regardless of your choice, you cannot let the Queen use your many fears against you if you wish to save your friend. So throw all your fear into your resolve so you can get her back. Or else she will be destroyed, and we will not make it to the city of the Alpha Predators.”

This much I could at least agree with him on

“Good,” Dro said, standing up from where he’d been keeping watch. He turned to me and said, “Well, while we wait, let’s see how you fight when you are not under the threat of death.”

I cocked my head at him.

Dro slowly picked up his staff. As soon as it was in his grasp, he let loose a barrage of attacks without warning.

My mind became inundated by panic, and I threw my arms around my face defensively. Some part of my brain told me that this was a training drill. But it was difficult to simply turn off the alarms telling me I was in danger.

Dro did not seem phased by my inability to defend myself. He calmly continued to whap me with his stick wherever he could replace an opening. While these did not hurt nearly as badly as if I had been in a fleshy body, the loud and repeated strikes were deeply unpleasant. Most of me just wanted to break out crying, but still he did not stop.

After several more minutes of invisible strikes to my body, I saw a particularly high attack. Finally, in a panic, I pulled my head out of the way of a swing.

Another!

I dodged a couple more.

Dro began to mirror my movement—not allowing me to remain out of range of his attacks. What was more, they were now all aimed at my face.

Without options, I finally lifted my arm from their position of just being wrapped like shields around my body. I used the large metal forearms to put up a block. This was … much more bearable than the loud and surprising strikes at the rest of me.

My mind slowed; little by little, my panic died and gave way to blocking. It took a great many minutes, but this eventually became easier.

Dro did not stop, however.

By the time the sun began to rise, I found that I could catch the stick and hold onto it if I wanted. So, Dro began using his tail, arms, and legs to attack me. This made me panic just for a moment before I realized I could also deal with this.

Then, quite suddenly, Dro stopped. There was the faintest trace of alarm in his yellow eyes. He pointed his finger at a ledge near where I’d climbed up and whispered psychically, “They’re close. Go over there and wait for my signal.” He pointed at the far side of the summit—not far from where the llama creatures were grazing.

I nodded and speed-walked to where he had indicated. Though I expected a battle to break out immediately, I was not so lucky. I remained waiting with a sick and nervous feeling for the inevitable to come. I sighed, feeling more than restless.

I found myself thinking about how much I missed Romalla. Were she with me, she would have said something obnoxious that would have distracted me from my worry. I shuffled uncomfortably between each foot and then began to mumble her people’s song.

Save us, defend us, oh gods good and brave

Who watch us and hide us in the depths of our cave

Oh Ragalla, Mother Ocean, of rains, mist, and flood

Nurse the land oh so gently so there might be blood

Look at Mulla the moon, and sweet daughter of night

Who sings with her winds, and coats her mother with light

And to Magollo, harsher daughter and bringer of sun

whose wrath leaves winter’s ice-terror undone

And last, Sleeping God, watch over our cave

Save us from evil. Let our People be brave.

Though it struck me that I had no idea how to make the Night People brave, the song had worked to make me feel just a little braver for singing it.

“We have to prepare an ambush,” Dro said, standing right beside me. His sudden presence made me jump. He pointed toward some boulders and heavy brush not far from the last bit of mountain left to climb.

I tried to swallow, failed, and then followed him.