Hero's Road, Monster Territory

As if giving life to Hex's worst fears, the sound of the wagon stopped.

He waited, praying to the Creator that whoever was on the road would just. keep. going.

Something clattered up onto the log behind him. He froze still, his mouth clenched shut, breathing halted.

Then Dracala let out an obnoxiously loud snore.

A skull dropped into view above him.

"Hello!" it shouted.

Hex screamed and Dracala bolted awake, slapping him in the face with a wing. They tried to run, but got tangled in each other's limbs and collapsed in a heap instead.

The skeleton above somersaulted off the log and landed in front of them. "Anxious pair, aren't we?" he said, with a motion around his eye socket that might have been a raised eyebrow—if he'd had any eyebrows. Red lightning bolts were painted on his skull across each eye like fierce scars.

"You couldn't have just walked around to say hello like a normal Monster?" Hex asked, wheezing.

"Well, where's the fun in that? Besides, that's Brains' job."

"Brains?" he and Dracala both asked in unison.

The skeleton boy pointed to their left as a zombie stumbled and moaned his way around the log and into view. The zombie's head was cracked, missing an entire third off the top, exposing a pink spongy mass.

"Brains!" he said, drool dripping from his rotted lips and three teeth. Ribs and missing flesh were exposed through the shredded holes in his shirt and pants.

Hex inched away from the zombie. "He's not... conta—"

"No, no," the skeleton said. "You've never met a zombie before? The whole contagion thing is just a big conspiracy. They're just incomparably disgusting. Right, Brains?"

"Brains!"

"Skel!" another, elderly-sounding, voice called from the road. "Did you find anything out there?"

The skeleton boy put his hand beside his mouth and whispered, "I'm Skel, by the way." Then he raised his voice and yelled back to the road. "Sure did! A slime and a bat. Looks like they've been through a bit of a rough time."

"Well, bring 'em on over. We don't have all day!"

"Um, what exactly is going on?" Dracala asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Skel cracked his knuckles. "You're my prisoners now. If you be good, I'll give you one ration per day and I'll even let you continue whatever creepy inter-species extracurriculars you've got going on here."

"Ewww!" Hex and Dracala both shouted, shoving each other away.

"Skel!" the voice called again. "Stop torturing the poor creatures and get your blasted little femurs over here."

"Ah, fine," Skel grunted and waved a hand. "Come on. Calcio wants to meet you." He walked out of sight with the zombie in tow.

Hex exchanged a confused glance with Dracala, then shrugged. "What've we got to lose?"

"Our sanity?" Dracala offered.

"Yeah, they are a bit odd..."

"To say the least."

They followed Skel and Brains, arriving at the road where a wagon, chock full of other skeletons and zombies who appeared a similar age, waited. Their 'captors' hopped in the back with the others as Hex and Dracala stepped up to the front.

The wagon's driver was a taller skeleton wearing a straw hat and clenched a piece of dried grass between his teeth. He waved a skinny limb, exposing aged bone that was cracked and flaking in places.

He held the reins to a donkey that looked almost as ancient as him.

"Hello there, little ones," the old skeleton said. He held a hand to his chest. "My name is Calcio. I hope Skel didn't scare you too much. That one's a trouble-maker just like his father was. With any luck, he'll be just as successful at the Academy, too."

"You're going to the Academy?" Hex asked.

"Well, of course. The academic year is about to start. Is that not where you were headed?"

"Our village was Culled," Dracala said. "We escaped and were running..."

"Oh dear," Calcio said, covering his mouth. "Poor little things. Do you need a ride somewhere?"

"I don't know," Dracala said. "We don't have a plan."

"We have to get to New Valour," Hex said without thinking.

Dracala cast a questioning look.

"I overheard Ruben telling your parents..." He hesitated. Did Ruben tell her the extent of her injury? Did she know she might never fly again? If not, this could be a bit of a shock. Oh, well... Here goes nothing. "He said to heal your wing, you need to go see the healers there."

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"How convenient!" Calcio said before Dracala could reply. He patted her on the head. "Never fear. The Academy is right outside New Valour. And the healers there might actually be better than the ones in the city anyway, if you ask me." He chuckled to himself, as if remembering something.

Meanwhile, Dracala had a distant expression, her face more pale than usual.

So she didn't know.

"We have nowhere else to go," Hex pleaded after she didn't respond. "I'm sorry, but if you ever want to fly again..."

She shook her head and forced a smile. "Okay. Okay. You convinced me. It just feels wrong to leave our families like this."

"I know it does. But what else can we do?"

"Nothing," she admitted.

Hex sat, squished, between Brains and another zombie—who apparently was named Groaner since that was the only sound he could make—in the back of the wagon as it bumped along the Hero's Road. He'd forced Dracala to take the more spacious seat beside Skel, who lounged back with an arm hanging over the edge of the cart and his feet kicked up on Brains' knee.

The skeleton was a bit bulkier than his boney companions—not incredibly so, but enough to make Hex think he’d spent a lot more time working out. He had a wider jaw too, which made him stand out.

"You two should totally join the Academy," Skel said. "We'll get into all sorts of trouble together."

"And that's a good thing?" Hex wiped a glob of zombie drool off his face. Skel better have been telling the truth about this whole contagion conspiracy thing.

"Of course! Trouble builds character. That's what my Pa always says."

"We aren't students," Dracala said.

"Anyone can be a student," Skel said as he put a pipe to his mouth and blew a smoke ring. "All you have to do is take the entrance test, which literally everyone passes."

"That's not true. My Uncle Metatarsus didn't pass," said a female skeleton with freckles on her cheeks and stringy blond hair tied up in a ponytail. Skel had introduced her as Proxima, 'the most annoying skeleton he'd ever met,' to which Proxima had slapped him so hard it left a mark, though failed to remove his smirk.

"Your Uncle Metatarsus is blind. That doesn't count." Skel leaned forward and squinted into Hex's eyes. "You're not blind, are you?"

"N-No," he said.

"Well, there you go then. Free pass into the Academy."

"We haven't decided yet," Dracala said, her eyes downcast. She'd have jumped at an adventure like this a day ago, but after what we'd been through...

"Well, you have time to think about it. Still over a day's journey from here," Skel said. "But trust me, you won't regret it. Pa says he's seen other Culled Monsters across the World Gates. If you want to see your folks again, the Academy is your best bet anyway."

So it is true. Captured Monsters end up as slaves in other worlds... But there are dozens of Gates. How will I ever know which one Dad is in?

Hex leaned back and watched the passing trees. Banter continued among the skeletons, but he remained lost in his own thoughts.

A few days ago, his life was typical, uneventful—happy even. He'd wake up, do chores to help the village, talk with neighbors, enjoy the peacefulness of nature, and go on adventures with Dracala.

If I was any other type of Monster, my old life probably would have been the most boring existence ever.

But he was a slime. Epic battles and thrilling risks were the material of dreams and make believe, not real life. He and Dracala had pretended to be chased by wolves, defeat orcs in combat, discover unknown wonders.

I thought I wanted those things.

Now that he'd experienced true danger, that sentiment was lost. They'd been attacked by an elf, discovered a hidden World Gate, had their families enslaved, and were on the run.

Was it just a matter of time until something like this was bound to happen? I've lived in ignorant bliss for so long. I was a fool. With his luck, this would be the standard in his life going forward.

He understood the truth of the world now... There's nothing to look forward to but fear.

Then he remembered what Ruben had said. 'You would learn a great many things at the Academy.' Maybe even how not to be afraid. Maybe something, no matter how small, to help him stand a chance against this world. And what if what Skel said was true, and captured Monsters from Cullings really were sent across the World Gates? This could be the only way to see his father again.

The only way to learn about my mother.

Guilt burned through his stomach. His heart hurt more at the prospect of not learning about his mother than not seeing his father... Was that the only reason he wanted to find him? No. I love Dad. Despite his overbearing faults, he's always been there. He's always tried to do what's best the only way he knew how. Hex hated himself for those doubts even crossing his mind. What kind of son does that?

"We're coming up on the bridge!" Calcio called from the front of the wagon. "At sunset too, you lucky critters."

The skeletons and zombies all shifted eagerly to the edges of the wagon.

"You’re gonna want to see this," Skel said, though he remained lounged back in a relaxed posture unlike the others.

Dracala didn't move either, now laying on the bench, her unblinking eyes glued to the floor.

Hex watched her. He was supposed to be her best friend, yet he had no idea how to help. It was as if her mind was lost at sea and he, the lone boat sailing through the storm to find her, was lost in the same sea.

"Brains!" Brains said in a high-pitched squeal—a change from his standard monotone—as he pointed to the sky.

The others murmured in awe.

Hex followed their view as the wagon's wheels ground onto the stone cobbles of the bridge. Rain drizzled all around—not down, but up. And in slow motion. From the water below, tiny spheres beaded and plucked away like inverse icicle melt, before floating up into the sky. Beyond the 'rain,' colors stained the western sky in a stunning display as the three suns ducked below the horizon. Cherry, tangerine, dark wine. The colors bent and reflected through the sky-bound droplets, bringing the sunset to the wagon, practically within arm’s reach. Oddly, no rain breached the sides of the bridge, creating a bizarre empty channel ahead, behind, and above.

Even Dracala appeared to have perked up at the sight.

"Is that natural?" Hex wondered aloud.

"It's been like this as long as anyone can remember," Skel said. "Though ancient rumors suggest it didn't appear until the Humanoids came to our land."

"Is that why it separates our continent from theirs?"

He stretched his arms behind his head. "Who knows?"

"What happens if someone jumps off the bridge?" Dracala asked.

Skel pointed up with a wry smile.

Hex looked into the condensing clouds above. "Would they ever come down?"

"No one ever has."

He shivered at the thought of being trapped up in the sky like that. What's even beyond the clouds? How far does it go?

They reached the other side of the bridge as the suns slipped below the horizon and the light show faded. They left the intriguing rain behind as well, traveling further along the road into Humanoid Territory.

Eventually, Calcio stopped the wagon and began unpacking supplies for the night. He explained that they'd make camp and resume in the morning. A few blankets would be set aside for Hex and Dracala.

Hex was helping Skel pull a large unmarked crate from the storage beneath the wagon when they heard the rapid clopping of horseshoes from the direction they'd come.

"Make way!" a tough male voice shouted.

Several skeletons and zombies skirted off the road just in time for three human warriors in shimmering armor to come galloping past on horses white as snow. Their white capes billowed in the wind as they rode furiously. One wore a red stain across the shoulder of his cape.

They were gone as soon as they appeared.

"That wasn't Monster blood," Skel whispered over Hex's shoulder. "If that's what you were wondering."

I hadn't been, but now that he mentioned it...

The horses were nothing but mere specks in the distance now.

Hex frowned. "I wonder whose blood it could have been then."

With any luck, it belongs to that evil elf.