Our story thus far: Lord Marshal Riddick, for reasons we have not explored but likely were nihilistic and perhaps a tiny bit oppositional defiant, ordered the entire Necromonger fleet into the Threshold of the Underverse. Subsequently, our Riddick woke, naked, in a young lady's parlour. In another universe. Susan, the young lady in question, was not pleased, as Riddick's presence signaled that her grandfather, the anthropomorphic embodiment of Death, had gone on walk abouts, leaving the family business – represented by The Pale Horse and The Scythe – to her.
Mounting the Pale Horse, Binky, she brought Riddick, clothed, to Death's realm in an effort to investigate. Riddick discovers he likes Binky, who, he learns has the ability to go anywhere. Anywhere.
As Susan is researching her Riddick troubles in Death's Dark Study, Lobsang, Susan's boyfriend and the son of the anthropomorphic embodiment of Time arrived with grave news that Riddick's attempt to give the Necromongers what they want may be shredding the multiverse. He also lets slip that the Underverse is a real place where Necromongers go when they die. Realizing that Jack might in fact be subject to rescue, Riddick decides to ride forth and save her. After mysteriously agreeing on "nine minutes," Susan slays Riddick with Death's own scythe. Our tale then took us to the Underverse, where we learn Jack was in fact reborn in the Underverse after dying saving Riddick's life, and has sadly fallen into the hands of people who are not overly solicitous of her welfare. We returned to Death's study. Time has rolled back nine minutes. Riddick is not dead – yet – and instead is given dinner and a comfy bed.
The next morning, Riddick explores the grounds and wanders into another realm and meets Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, guest staring from Neil Gaiman's Sandman. After unsuccessfully whapping Riddick over the head with clues, Morpheus sends Riddick back to Death's Dark Pasture, and Binky. After a picnic with a horse, Riddick returns to Death's Dark Stable, where Susan announces that Riddick has afflicted them with dragons. Our story continues . . .
Chapter Seven. In Which Riddick Goes Underground, and We Indulge in Even More Foreshadowing.
Riddick smiled down at Susan. "Oh have I?" Help the maiden, huh? Wonder if she qualifies?
Her eyes narrowed as if he knew what she was thinking about. "Just because we're keeping you around, just because the horse likes you, doesn't mean you've got any rights here. You've started something monstrous. Don't think I won't feed you to it if I have to."
Irritating person. He smiled his most seductive smile. "Sweet girl. You just do what you have to do. Or try . . . "
She snorted. "Let's get Binky saddled."
Riddick started to tell her not to bother, but decided if they were going flying, something to hold on to might be nice. "Funny how that saddle fits both of us."
"Yeah. Funny." She offered no explanation.
Shrugging, Riddick dismounted easily. Gave Binky an affectionate pat. "Go ahead. I'll watch."
"You're not a helpful sort are you?"
"Not really."
She harrumphed. Binky followed her willingly enough, though he gave Riddick several significant long looks as he hung back. Riddick grinned and caught up. She saddled him, pulled herself up, offered him a hand. He took it this time. He mounted behind her and Binky launched himself into the sky.
"How was class?" he asked, cheerily.
"What?"
"Albert told me you went to teach your class."
"Fine." Her voice was clipped.
"Cute kids?"
"Suppose."
"I like kids."
"I'm sure you do."
Suddenly he felt bad about needling her. "I won't hurt them."
She snorted. "Really not worried about that." She hesitated, seemed to thaw slightly. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you didn't know what you were doing."
"Huh?"
Susan pointed. Riddick squinted. Smoke was rising gently from what might once have been a small town.
"What did I do?"
There was no answer. Binky landed, slowed to a trot. She clucked with her tongue, and Binky stopped. She dismounted. He slid down beside her. There was a sulfuric smell that almost completely failed to mask the sweet smell of burning flesh. She squared her shoulders and marched grimly towards the smell.
"What's this?"
"It was a village. Before the dragon got here." She stalked past gruesomely burned bodies, disapproving but unflinching. Damn. This girl's cold. Most of the buildings were burned down to their foundations, small fires bearing witness to how recently the town had stood.
"What are we doing here?"
"Reconnaissance. Want to see if you recognize anything. Might give us some sense of how far the tear in the multiverse has gotten."
"Sure do."
"What?"
"These guys?" He pointed at some mangled bodies, seeming to have been blasted by a flamethrower as they ran away. "They're dead."
She rolled her eyes. "Do you know what killed them?"
He shrugged. "Weapons' fire?"
She sighed noisily, but didn't otherwise dignify Riddick's observation with a response. Her pace quickened. Riddick found himself stopping. Something was tugging at his awareness. A building, fallen and nearly burned to its foundation. He stepped over. Susan stopped, watching him with her lips pursed.
He kicked aside smoldering embers, shoved aside two singed and fallen crossbeams. The beams had blocked a trap door. He could clearly hear the sound of a child crying under that door now. He yanked the trap open, and almost without thinking, dropped into the darkness.
More than half the ceiling had come down at some point. A girl, maybe ten years old, was huddled around a crying infant in a corner. She blinked at Riddick in the dim light of what might have once been a basement, now was little more than a space to hide in. "Is the monster gone?"
"Looks like," he replied, gruffly. "Come on." He pulled her to her feet. She didn't let go of the baby. However she'd gotten down there, the passage was blocked. He ended up boosting them both over his head as Susan collected them from above.
After both of the children were up and away, he took a deep steadying breath. "Stand back," he ordered. No one answered. He got a running start, as much as one could run in a slightly smoldering collapsed basement, and leapt, catching the edge of the opening with his hands.
Susan was several yards away, talking busily to the child. He snorted. Helpful girl, isn't she? He pulled himself up easily enough, slightly annoyed no one was there to be impressed. Jack would have stayed. And been impressed. I just saved two kids from a slow death locked in the dark. She would have liked that. Even Vaako would have liked that. The old softy.
Riddick tried to focus on Vaako to crowd out dark thoughts of Jack, locked in a cave in the darkness, once upon a time, while monsters flapped wetly outside. The girl broke away from Susan, gave Riddick a long, dazed look. "It was you?"
"What?" He replied, hating the suddenly expanding hollow feeling deep inside.
"Who got us out. You saved us. I couldn't see too well down there . . ."
Shit, she means getting her out of the basement, not – "Yeah. It was me."
Susan broke in. "Come on. Do you have any family around here?"
The little girl shook her head. "My uncle lives in Sto Helit. My mom--" she stopped, started drawing in the ashes with her foot. "--my mom's dead, isn't she?"
Susan didn't hesitate. "Yes. But it's going to be okay. I have a horse."
"Cool," the girl said, sounding pleased and suddenly, way too content for a child whose home had just burned down; whose parents were dead; who had just been saved from darkness by, well, him.
Albert had said Susan had a voice that made people believe. A voice she'd clearly just used. Has she used that voice on me?
If so, why am I so pissed off at her?
"We have to go," Riddick said, roughly. Found himself grabbing the girl's small hand, pulling her towards Binky. Susan was following. He could feel her amusement. He had the kids mounted on the horse before she got there.
He scowled down at Susan's faint smile. "You said he could take thousands."
Her smile just got bigger. "Oh, four won't be a problem." She mounted the horse, who indeed seemed perfectly comfortable with four, and clucked him into a gallop over the smoldering fields.