Soul Census - War of Shadows - Book 1

Chapter 5.3 - The Furies

Earth Date: 15th of August 1939 CE
Location: Nyack Shipyards, New York, USA, Earth

The Furies were not what Maddock was expecting at all. Humanlike savages that towered at least nine feet tall, they had muscular gray bodies sporting scant snakeskin clothing. They carried spears twice the length of his boat. As they charged by, their feet splashed powerfully into the water, yet seemingly walking on top of it.

One of them passed too close to his boat, knocking against it. It made a sudden stop and turned around to look at Maddock. It was then he caught sight of the most frightening part of their appearance. The thing was headless but still bore a face, complete with eyes, nose, and a mouth—on its chest.

The Fury slowly approached the boat, its hand holding the spear near its waist. Expecting a fight, Maddock let go of the boat’s tiller and instead clenched tightly to his sword. As powerful as he was with his scimitar, he felt woefully inadequate to handle this monster.

The Fury towered over him, looking down at him with eyes that resembled lit torches with flickering red fire behind them. The mouth opened slightly, revealing multiple rows of fangs that would make a great white shark envious. I should have listened to you, Wolfe.

There was a sudden splash nearby. Two human hands grabbed onto the boat and something pulled itself up—another Rattler. Maddock raised his scimitar at the demon to defend himself, but it proved unnecessary. Upon seeing it, the Fury grabbed the Rattler with its great arms and stuffed its whole body, headfirst, into its mouth. The Rattler kicked and flailed its limbs in vain as the Fury came down on it with those massive teeth.

The sound of crunching bone, coupled with the visual of once human flesh spilling into the water like chum, made Maddock want to upchuck. Once the Fury finished off the Rattler, it hovered over Maddock, just staring at him for what seemed like minutes. For some reason, it annoyed Maddock and made him angry enough to forget his fear.

“What—you just going to stand there all night?” Maddock said, waving the sword. “Make up your mind, pal!”

The Fury wiped its mouth clean of Rattler. Then a strange thing happened: it laughed.

“You brave Census agent, yes,” it said. “You of Clan Wolfe, yes?”

Clan Wolfe?

“Uh,” Maddock said. “Yeah, Wolfe is my partner if that’s what you’re saying.”

The Fury’s huge nostrils flared as it sniffed the air. “You Clan Wolfe, yes. Me smell it,” it said, then waved around him at the army of other Furies. “We Clan Blemm, yes.”

Maddock nodded, unsure of what to say to that.

An uncomfortable silence marked the next several seconds.

“You quiet, yes,” the Fury said. “Understand my words, no?”

“Yeah, I understand what you are saying. You’re called Blemm? I thought you were called Furies.”

The Fury paused and said nothing.

“Did you understand me?” Maddock said.

The Fury gave what appeared to be a perplexed look.

Maddock sighed.

“Maddock must end his questions in yes or no,” spoke a strange voice spoke from behind.

Maddock whirled around with his sword to find another strange creature on his boat. It was short, like a child… or midget, more like. It wore a black robe with heavy stitching and brown leaves within its fabric. Its face looked like some kind of mythical creature… a troll or something. It held a small, pearl-white globe in one hand. Its eyes twinkled like sapphire stones. Something mischievous and untrustworthy about them.

“What the hell are you, shorty?”

The creature showed him an empty hand. “No danger from me, Maddock,” it said. “Ninian is I.”

Maddock squinted at him, keeping his scimitar at the ready. “I don’t know you. Are you friend or foe, bub?”

Ninian smiled, pointing at the Fury behind Maddock. “Friend of Census is Ninian. Ask the Blemmyes. Just remember, end your sentence in yes or no. Yes, preferably, as insulting no can be construed.”

Maddock felt like he was trapped in a fairy tale. “Fine, I’ll play along,” Maddock said, then turned to the Fury. “What is this Ninian, yes?”

The Fury, or Blemmyes, as the other creature called it, leaned on its spear as it spoke.

“That is a pooka, yes,” it said. “Ninian as it is come to be known to the Clan Blemm, yes.”

Maddock turned back to Ninian, leveling his sword at him. “That didn’t exactly buy you my trust.”

Ninian sighed. “Clan Blemm,” Ninian said, “what relation have pookas with Census, yes?”

The Blemmyes scratched its shoulder in thought.

“Pookas is part of Clan Wolfe, yes.”

“And Ninian is what to Clan Wolfe Leader, Blemm, yes?” Ninian said.

“Ninian is friend of Clan Wolfe Leader, yes,” it said.

Ninian slapped his thighs. “See? Friends with Wolfe am I. And now friends Maddock and Ninian are!”

Maddock looked at the Blemmyes, then back at the pooka. Then he looked beyond at where the Margarete once floated. The vortex was gone, and now only floating debris marked the freighter’s grave.

“What happened to Wolfe?” Maddock said.

Ninian made a gesture with his hand of a bird flying in the air.

Maddock’s heart sunk. “He’s dead?” he asked, reflexively thrusting his sword toward the pooka.

“No,” Ninian said, urging the sword away. “He flew away. Safe your friend probably be. Safer than these Rattlers are around Clan Blemm.”

“Yes,” the Fury said with a smile, followed by a series of snake-like tongues that came out of its mouth as it licked away remnants of the Rattler it had eaten. “Not safe Rattlers are from Clan Blemm, yes.”

“He go on chasing the Nazi scourge,” Ninian continued. “Away on underwater boat they went. Wolfe follows to learn more of Nazi plan.”

Maddock lowered his sword. He was too tired at this point to argue or fight anyway. If the gods were going to take him, they had their chance now.

“So how do you know all of this? Were you on that boat?”

“Ninian was not on boat,” the pooka said. “But Ninian speak to Wolfe through his halo.”

A flashback of what he’d seen earlier on the Margarete—a man with wings, sword, and halo, fighting some monster back in the vortex.

“Is Wolfe an… angel or something?” Maddock said.

Ninian slapped his thighs in some strange gesture.

“Yes! Perceptive Maddock is,” Ninian said, shaking his head at each word. “In touch with your soul you have come. Wolfe has become angel, who flies to go after the Nazi in their underwater boat.”

“Yes, the pooka speaks truth, yes,” the Fury said, nodding his head.

Maddock heard gunshots in the distance. He turned to look at the pier and saw the commotion. The coppers had opened fire on the Furies. When the shots had no effect, they resorted to speeding off in their cars. The Furies ignored the police altogether and were busy eating whatever was left of the German soldiers.

“All right,” Maddock said. “Can either of you figments of my imagination tell me how to get back to Census?”

Ninian pointed to the Fury.

Maddock was beginning to feel faint from all of this.

“Well?” he persisted, then he remembered. “Can you get me to Census, yes?”

“Chief Adam of Clan Blemm can take you, yes,” the Fury said.

“Chief Adam?… Your chief’s name is Adam?” Maddock said, then laughed. “I suppose your wife’s name is Eve? Do you have sons named Cain and Abel too?”

Maddock kept laughing, and it felt good, but the scowl from the Fury became the precursor of something that did not feel good. Before Maddock could react, the Fury smacked him across the face so hard that he went down.

“Insulting a Blemm, ” Ninian said. “Not smart Maddock is…”

Despite heading to Queer Street, Maddock still felt himself laughing all the way down into unconsciousness.