Duergar, EXCERPT ONLY
by Erin Durante
USA

Jesse rubbed his hands up and down his arms as he walked, shivering, the scrunching of rocky dirt under the rubber soles of his sneakers the only sound in the black landscape. His fingers played with the frayed hole in the left elbow of his old college sweatshirt, absently pulling at one of the loose threads and twiddling it between his thumb and forefinger. He wished he at least had taken the time to grab a heavier jacket, because then the walk would not have been as miserable.

Then again, I wouldn’t be in this miserable situation if she hadn’t kicked me out.

He paused mid-step, glancing around at the pines silhouetted against the dark hills. The cold air was wet, and a heavy fog hung low above the ground, clinging to his ankles and wetting his socks. There was no breeze, and nothing moved. He was alone.

He took a deep breath blew on his hands in an attempt to warm his numb fingertips, checking his frozen nose to make sure it was still there. He frowned and shook his head, then started walking again.

Who the hell wants to come to Scotland during their fall season anyway? Too damn cold.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, forcing himself to pick up the pace. The small village was only two miles from the cabin they had rented for the week, and he was looking forward to a warm bed and a few pints of beer to warm his empty belly.

Maybe I’ll even find someone to warm the rest of me, too.

His frown deepened and he put his head down, shuffling his invisible feet through the thick fog. He knew that wasn’t right. She had been nothing but loyal to him, and he… He had known the fight would be inevitable as soon as they made it back to the cabin, Sarah having ended their hillside picnic early after he had complained—yet again—of her choice for their belated honeymoon.

“Why can’t you just enjoy yourself for once?” she had yelled. “Or at least the fact that we’re here together. Remember when that used to mean something? You and me, just enjoying each other’s company?”

“I’m just saying we could have gone somewhere nice, like Cabo. Actually have some fun for a change. I mean, it’s like you transformed into some old maid as soon as you got the damn ring on your finger.”

“You are such an asshole! Sometimes I… I can’t even remember why I married you! Why don’t you just go crawl in a hole somewhere so you can complain to yourself instead of ruining it for me, you selfish jerk!”

He wasn’t too worried. Anne tended to blow up easily and he knew the arrangement was not permanent, but the cabin did not have a couch, and he was not about to sleep on the splintery wood floor like some animal. Besides, he had put on a few pounds around his middle since the wedding, and the walk would do him good.

That’s if I ever get to the stupid hotel.

The air temperature seemed to drop several degrees, and his breath plumed before him, the tiny droplets of mist collecting around the fine stubble on his chin. His ears rang with the cold, and he cursed and slapped his hands against his arms.

“Shit! Where is the damn town?”

He spun around in a circle, eyes searching the dark horizon, and then rolled his neck back to peer skyward at the few blinking stars. There was nothing. But he knew that couldn’t be right. He had been walking for—he pressed the button on the side of his watch, checked the blue, glowing numbers—over an hour. He should have been there already, but from where he stood he could not even see a single lit window.

“There’s no way the entire town is asleep right now,” he muttered as he forced himself back into a quick pace. “Then again, we aren’t exactly in the most urbanized part of Britain, either. Guess there’s not much to do once it’s too dark for them to play with their sheep.”

A long, doleful cry echoed through the darkness. Jesse froze as his heart flipped in his suddenly tight chest, and his numb limbs tingled with anticipation. His chin trembled and he swallowed down the thick lump in his throat. He took a shuddering breath and forced his shoulders to relax one muscle at a time.

“Wolves,” he whispered. “Of course there would be wolves.”

His sneakers crunched against the dirt, and he hugged his arms closer to his chest as he forced himself into a run. He only made it a few steps before he stopped, nearly tripping over his own feet in the dark, to turn to his right. A faint light shone between a crack in the trees lining the nearby hillside, the flickering orange glow bending and curling like a finger beckoning for him to approach.

“Oh, thank God,” he whispered. “A house.”

Maybe they can point me in the right direction of the town. Or, better yet, they’ll have a spare room and just let me crash for the night so I can save the money on a hotel room.

Another howl broke the darkness, closer this time. Jesse kicked up his heels and sprinted toward the firelight, not looking behind him. He grunted as he left the road and forced himself up the slippery dew-wet grass of the short hill. He stumbled through the break in the trees, pressing one hand against his side and panting for breath.

Man, I am outta shape. No wonder Anne doesn’t want sex anymore—I’ve gotten fat and lazy with my ass stuck behind a desk everyday. Guess we’ve both changed a lot over the last year.

He took a deep breath and straightened up as he walked the last few yards from the tree line to the small sod-roofed cabin. All the windows dark except for the one to the right of the cracked wood front door. Jesse stepped closer and peered in through the milky glass. A small fire burned in the back of the brick walk-in fireplace, a black tea kettle of something steaming hanging on a single hook above the flames. Besides the dancing shadows on the walls cast by the crackling flames, there was no other movement. Nothing living in sight.

Jesse chewed on the inside of his lip, casting a quick glance over his shoulder into the darkness behind him. He made up his mind when the howl came again, just behind the trees.

He rapped his knuckles against the front door, his gaze flicking from the trees to the cabin. When no answer came he tried again, nearly pounding his fist against the wood in his haste. He leaned against the door slightly, and he gasped as the handle turned and the door swung inward. He dove inside and kicked the door shut behind him, satisfied at the audible click of the lock. He hurriedly got to his feet, brushing off his knees and backside.

“Sorry about kicking your door,” he said quickly. “But I heard a wolf out there, and…”

There’s no one here. He quickly scanned the small room. But the handle turned…

“Hello? Is anyone home?”

When no answer came, Jesse shrugged and quickly plopped down cross-legged on the dirt floor in front of the brick platform of the fireplace. He briskly rubbed his hands together and then held them out toward the flames. Almost instantly, the fire seemed to shrink back from his hands deeper into the fireplace, stealing away the little warmth in the room.

Nearly choking back a sob, Jesse frantically glanced around him, and spotted a neat pile of kindling near his right knee, and stack of three large logs on his left at the edge of the brick hearth. He snatched up several of the small sticks and tossed them onto the fire one by one. The flames rose to meet each stick, burning each so quickly that there was nothing but black ash left before it could even land on the glowing embers.

Jesse continued to toss stick after stick, reveling in the little bit of warmth the hungry flames provided. After several minutes, his right hand searched the edge of the hearth but met nothing but dirt. His fingers searched blinding for a moment, before he finally dragged his heavy eyes away from the dancing flames to look.

“Damn, I’m out.”

He blinked and swiveled his head around toward the logs stacked to his left. His eyes widened and his tongue grew fat in his mouth as he spotted a tiny old man sitting cross-legged on the ground just to the side of the logs.

He… I must be seeing things. The guy’s gotta be less than a foot tall.

To read more of this story, be sure to check out Abaculus II.

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