Seal lost track of the days since they had left the old fort. She guessed her trip with a repaired William, Karl and Creighton took close to two weeks. They carried the food and water, making the journey easier. Barren hills and countless gullies marked their path. The trip was relatively comfortable.
“We are close now. It’s no longer safe, even for small fires. They will attract the wrong sort of attention.” Creighton advised. They had run into one wayward Paleskin so far, only lightly adorned with gem shards and gold dust. Her three companions took care of him quickly.
Seal carried a few rations of her own, and her pack held a gift, a brown dress made of linen. It fell loosely around her body when she tried it on. The dress had five silver buttons from the neck down to her belly button and a single wooden button at the waist. She had discarded her black pajamas and wore beaver skin boots, leggings, a waistcoat and a hat. They made her look like a boy. These were all gifts from Pavel. She suspected they were crafted a century ago, but they showed no wear. He had also given her gloves and a mask. She kept them stuffed with the brown dress in her pack.
“If you cover yourself with animal skins, you will not glow to the dead or undead alike,” he had instructed her.
Beth rode unafraid on Creighton’s shoulder. He remained human for their trip. Beth thought him handsome with blonde hair. He played games with her to pass the time, like I spy or naming foods by using the last letter as the first letter until one stumped the other. Creighton went easy on Beth and let her win most of the time.
“Creighton, do you like or hate the moon?” Beth asked him.
“I probably haven’t seen the moon since before your grandparent’s were born,” he said.
“My grandpa died from die-a-beets. I never met my grandma.”
“That’s too bad. Family is important. Your sister loves you. Do you love her?”
“Of course, I do. Do you love your family?”
“I haven’t seen them in years.” he told her.
“Aren’t William and Karl your family?”
“They are my brothers by choice, not by blood. I grew up in the far north of Europe. I came here with Pavel to stop the Sisters.”
“What is northern Europe like,” Beth Asked.
“It differs greatly from here. It is fire and ice. There are warm waters that you can bathe in, even with snow on the ground. In winter, the sky is always dark, darker than here. It also glows in blue and green lights like an ocean in the sky. There are birds that look like colorful penguins and whales, and the people are light-skinned and light-haired like me. Parts of it are covered in sharp black lava fields with huge glaciers overlooking them.” Beth tapped him on the shoulder.
“Yes?”
“What is a glacier?” she asked.
“It is like a giant iceberg that cuts through the land and makes valleys and what are called fjords, which are coastal valleys. I used to fish with my father in the bays on a long boat in late winter, and we farmed in the summer.” Creighton sounded sad as he spoke about his father.
“I became ill after a dog bit me. They said I would die, but a local doctor referred us to Pavel who was visiting a nearby town. He was known for his skills with medicine and for his bizarre experiments with treating rabies. Have you ever heard of it?” Beth nodded, her stiff doll neck that looked more like a bow.
“It is said that none have ever survived it. I don’t know if that was the sickness I caught. He took me to London and he worked on me and he saved me. But his procedure changed me. And I’ll tell you a secret if you want to hear it.”
“Yes,” Beth said, transfixed. She held onto the collar of his shirt and he turned to look at her with his bright eyes. Little buttons stared back at him in an expressionless stare, but inside Beth felt like she blushed.
“I can turn into a wolf too, twice the size of a regular one. But it causes so much pain that I seldom do. Before I came here, I used to run with packs, and I would have to fight their biggest wolf to be accepted.”
“Did you win?” Seal asked.
“Always”, he replied.
“Look Beth,” Seal yelled, stopping the conversation. She pointed ahead and they could see the impressive monument ahead. Seal had only remembered it being partially carved. But now it stood finished, bright against the gray sky. The noble warrior stood on his steed, pointing eastward, hair flowing behind him. He rode a horse that charged through the mountainside. Its head turned in defiance as it leaped out from the stone. Seal knew the history behind the monument. She knew Crazy Horse’s relatives did not like it and the owners of the land would not accept government money. But seeing it now made her feel proud.
“We must be careful,” Karl said. “The Paleskins will be abundant here. You should wear your mask and gloves. They should not bother us if we give them no reason to be too curious. We are known and feared.”
Seal covered herself as instructed. She tucked Beth away to prevent her from being seen. The ugly mask had sharp teeth and a long snout, but she could not identify the animal it came from. It was primitive in style, with leather straps that fully covered her neck as she wrapped them around. Her breath vibrated in her ears with each exhale, forcing her to breathe deeply.
The five of them approached an enormous field of brown, dry grass. Beyond it, a mountain rose into the monument.
“To the west are the camps where they keep your people. They mine into the mountains and build whatever their masters tell them. They do not come here because of the spirits that dwell.” said Creighton.
“What kind of spirits?”
“Listen.” Karl said. Seal heard a growing noise of low rumbles. As they approached the field, the ground vibrated.
“Bison,” William said. “You can’t see. Ghosts.”
“But you will know they are there by sound and you can feel them, in a way,” Creighton added.
Entering the Bison field caused an odd sensation. “They can feel we are here,” Beth whispered to Seal.
Seal could not touch the Bison, but she could sense they were flowing around her. The deeper they walked, the thicker the herd became. They were perturbed by her companions.
“Maybe this isn’t the best way,” Seal said.
“It is the safest. Even the Paleskins dislike walking through the ghost herds,” Creighton responded. “The beasts were corralled here by the Sisters and they are always restless.”
Seal heard a low grunt, answered by others. Over time, they grew into a chorus and became sharp. Some were more rapid than others. It escalated. The bison huffed at their presence, sounding like angry farm dogs. Although they were incorporeal, their breath carried through the air and heated it. Seal felt stifled by it.
“I need to take off my mask,” she announced. “I need a drink.”
“No,” said Karl. “You will stand out. We are too close. There will be Paleskins nearby.”
Seal sweat heavily under the mask. She felt wetness at the bottom of her shoes. They squelched with each step. She rubbed some dirt into their sides to silence them, but now she had mud between her toes. The pinprick eyeholes of the mask were difficult to see through and when her companions grew silent, she did not know why. Even William’s chains stopped rattling.
“Paleskins,” he told her. “Stand behind us.” There were at least five approaching them.
“You three,” their leader said, “what are you doing in the stocks? These are forbidden.”
The bison continued their protests around them. Hot breath washed directly in Seal’s face, but she did not dare reveal herself.
“We pass to see the Sisters,” Creighton said. His voice sounded unfamiliar, and Seal guessed he had turned into a wolfman.
“None may pass without an escort,” the leader said. A five-inch swath of his hair hung off the side of his head. He periodically flipped it back over to cover a bald spot.
“We walk lands free.” William rattled his chains in warning to the enemy group.
A few of the vampires laughed at the challenge, but the one that led them wasn’t stupid. He knew they would not win this fight against these three. His skin was covered brightly in golden and silver colored metallic flakes and colored tiny gems were affixed to the visible parts of his skin. He didn’t sparkle under the dull sky, but he would be quite a sight in bright daylight.
“No, no. We did not mean it like that,” he said. “There is a gathering called. The Sisters have requested all attend. We are rounding up all of our kind, even the outcasts.”
Seal noticed that, unlike the three that had chased her through the missile silo, all these Paleskins had precious metal and jewels to varying degrees. Many covered their face, applied like makeup, on the cheeks, around the eyes, and on the lips, whether they were male or female. There appeared to be to be an even mix of both in the group.
“Who is this?” A Paleskin woman pointed directly at Seal.
“Gift,” William said.
“A new experiment we stole,” Creighton added. “From the hollow one.” The companions used The Sister’s name for Pavel Sted, as they demanded.
“We did not know he still had power to make things,” their leader said.
“He is a scientist. They have their ways,” Creighton said. Acting as though bored.
“This one is small and delicate and makes art. The Hollow one no longer makes fighting things.” Creighton pointed to his two towering companions next to him. “The sisters enjoy art. This one is a tribute for their favor. He still seeks their forgiveness.” The Paleskins looked Seal over, but William kept them from getting too close.
“Now, if you don’t mind, we must deliver her,” Karl said impatiently.
The vampire leader turned to his companions. “Our patrol stops at these stocks. The sisters summoned everyone to the ceremonial grounds. We will escort you there.”
“That will not be necessary,” Creighton said.
“We insist.”
Seal’s fear grew. They needed to reach the monument, but now they were being forced northward. Her focus shifted back to the bison surrounding them. She felt panic rise and an urge to take off the mask to catch her breath. She thought she could lift it just a little. The smell of the dead breath of a bison continued to assault her. It smelled like an empty, sour stomach.
Beth, hidden under layers and layers of clothes and skins, tucked herself closely against her sister. She felt Seal’s heartbeat quicken. Muffled noises surrounded them. She tried to whisper to Seal but her sister did not hear. Then she felt the motion of falling and her sister landed on her. Beth let out a small squeal.
“Errrr,” William said in response.
“What is wrong with that thing?” the leader asked.
“It is not perfect. It is just an experiment.” Creighton lied. He urgently pointed at the unconscious Seal. “One of you carry her.”
“Let me see it, lift off the mask,” the Paleskins asked.
“Can’t,” William said. “Insides fall out.”
“I don’t care if they do,” the leader said. “Let me inspect it.” Beth felt Seal’s body jostled around. There were sounds of a struggle. More words were said. Some were angry. Then she felt them get lifted from the ground. It was too tight for her to squeeze out and peek. She could only feel her sister’s heart and was glad she was still alive.