Here Be Monsters - By M T Murphy Page 0,13

just needs more time. Now that I have it inside with me, I’m sure our progress will be even more remarkable. It’ll be fit to entertain a warchief by winter.”

Krel had heard of human pets, but the idea turned his stomach. He would sooner invite a troll to dinner. “But they’re dangerous,” he said.

“I know.” Ruygret looked delighted. Krel had to admit, her determination made him proud.

Suddenly, Krel realised his divining rod was thrumming. He pointed it at Ruygret’s pet. The sensation intensified.

“What is it?” Ruygret asked.

“Hold it still.”

Ruygret gave another yank to the chain, and said, “Up!” As before, it stood still, shoulders back and chin up.

Krel admired how well she handled the creature. But his thoughts for his daughter disappeared when he glanced the pet’s skin with the divining rod. The soul practically leapt out at him, dancing and shining with furious light. It had at least a dozen soul-strands, all varying shades of greens and pinks—wide ribbons of shimmering beauty. This, he lamented, was a soul worthy of the clan chief, not the festering sludge down in his workroom.

“I want it,” Krel said.

“What?”

“The warchief has commissioned a new piece, but the subject he gave me to work with is inadequate. Ugly. This one’s soul, though, is magnificent. The most beautiful I’ve seen in my life.”

Ruygret loosened her grip a little in her shock, and the pet began to fight again. It took her a moment to regain control. “If I give you its soul, will it live?”

“You would have to feed it, clean it, and it would not speak, but if you cared for it, it would live.”

“Would it be trainable?”

“No,” Krel said. He knew from experience it would be little more than a shell, and although tempted, he would not lie to his daughter.

“No,” she said. “It is mine. I chose her for her spirit. I’ve slaved over her for months. It’s the best pet I’ve ever had.”

“If I please the warchief, we will receive eight thousand crescents. I can buy you another one. I can buy you ten pets as strong as this one.”

“How do you know it is not her soul that makes it special? You said yourself it was the most beautiful you’d ever seen. You wouldn’t be able to replace that, and all my work. Father, please.”

“Ruygret,” he said firmly. “I must take its soul for this commission. Come. I’ll show you.” He led his daughter down to his workshop, the pet in tow behind her. The creature’s eyes widened when it saw the princess strapped to the table, and it began to yelp. “Control that thing. There’s delicate equipment in here,” Krel scolded.

He stood over the princess and, with his divining rod, tapped the seat of its soul. Intoning a well-practiced enchantment, he teased the ugly brown strand upward and let his magic do its work. A crystal casing formed, and he coaxed the mire toward it, taking his time with his art, as he always did, even though he knew this subject was unfit. The resulting glass was small and thick, and the soul measured barely the size of the human’s eye. Krel had seen horse droppings more pleasing to look at. He spoke the words to suspend it in the air, but sent it flying to an upper corner of the workroom. He didn’t even want to look at it.

Ruygret frowned. “Can you not fix the orb?” She kept her pet tightly restrained, but it seemed transfixed and horrified at what it saw. Water ran from its eyes, and it made a strangled, choking sound.

Krel chuckled. “No. They are what they are.” He untied the straps and shoved the princess’ empty body to the floor. It wouldn’t fight anymore. “Put your pet on the table.”

“Father, please, no.”

“Let me just show you,” he said patiently.

“You promise you won’t take the soul?”

He paused, then nodded reluctantly. “Once you see, you’ll understand.”

The pet struggled fiercely, panicking the moment it recognised what they planned to do. Krel helped Ruygret when he saw that she could not control it in its current state. She held it while he strapped it down.

“Watch this,” Krel said. Because of the brilliance of the soul-strand, he had a little difficulty finding its root. He’d never had that problem before. It resisted him, and when he pulled, it fought him. Doubling his efforts, he chanted loudly and finally subdued it. He tugged the strand upwards, as he had with the princess’. It shone a brilliant gold. Then, Krel released