Chapter 16

With the horses inside and the guards simply watching without putting up a fight, James, Bart and Shernine made it inside the city walls. Looking up Bart realized the clouds were beginning the swirl around the city. Their cloaks fluttered in the warm wind of the storm. Thunder rumbled and screeched above, but there wasn’t a drop of rain. The streets of the city where empty except for the garbage blowing around in the wind. It was dark between the occasional flashes of lightning. James and Shernine followed Bart in mounting their horses. Shernine pulled the seeing stone from his cape and let it rest in his palm. It was glowing brightly. The yellow light was intense enough to illuminate his face, but wasn't clear where it was coming from.

“Which way Shernine?” James yelled through the wind. Shernine shook his head and held out the stone. Bart furrowed his brow and tried to distinguish a source on the shining surface. Whatever the rock was responding to, Bart knew there was a large amount of it around them. Shernine placed it back in his pocket. With so much activity there was no possibility of getting a sense of direction.

“Useless, stupid rock.” He muttered under his breath, somewhat uncharacteristically frustrated. “He could be anywhere in this city. This would’ve been easier if we could have reached them in the forest.” James shook his head and looked down at the cobblestone beneath them. It would have been easier. Much easier. What was the point of taking Michael all the way here? James suddenly jolted up straight and turned to Bart.

“He must need something here!” Bart’s eyes slowly opened.

“The woman!” He sped off on his horse without any further explanation.

“What’s he talking about James?” Shernine shouted, but James had already begun following Bart. “Alright, fine. I don’t need to know.” He pushed on after them and was able to quickly catch up, weighing so little. They pushed through street after street behind Bart’s command. He seemed to remember the routes easily, never hesitating to make a turn. Thunder struck somewhere south scaring the horses to their hind legs. Bart smoothly leapt from his horse landing hard on his feet. He gestured down an alley and starting running ahead. Shernine and James followed as fast as they could. James finally recognized where they were. He pointed to a door in front of them.

“There!” James shouted. Shernine pointed to the handle while running.

“Unlock.” Bart couldn’t hear it over the sound of his heavy breathing or the storm but the locks on the door all came undone on Shernine’s command. In one swing he rolled the handle and pushed the door in with his shoulder. He suddenly leapt ahead lightly from his left foot soaring by James and appearing again by the door before running inside behind Bart. James eventually caught up and headed in after them. He was hunching over, trying to catch his breath when he looked up to see what was happening only to realize he was suddenly standing in a field. He turned behind himself and there was no door; he had appeared somewhere completely different.

It was warm out. There was a slight breeze that swept the smell of flowers to James’ face. Tall, green grass brushed up against his ankles. He could hear birds chirping in the distance and crickets near him in the brush. As he took a breath he realized it was the warmest air that had entered his lungs in weeks. He finally felt the heat of the sun against his skin. Another breath and his whole body felt as though it were being rejuvenated by the air, filling him with new strength. His shoulder no longer felt sore and his legs didn’t ache from the constant traveling. His hunger ebbed away as a serene calmness swept over him. Life was coming back to his abused body. It had been so long since he had felt this way it was almost foreign to him.

He began to walk through the hills of the field with no clear direction or objective; he couldn’t remember how he’d gotten there or what he was trying to do. He simply continued to walk with no motive, letting the crests of the hills guide his journey. Hours passed but the sun never moved out of place and the clouds maintained their shapes, frozen in the sky. For a moment a sinking feeling in his stomach distracted as the sudden realization that the landscape was stagnant yet the subtle beauty of it all held his attention. The ground underneath his shoes supported him gently as the path carried him aimlessly along. Eventually the trees became so familiar he stopped turning his head to admire them as he passed; he was sure he’d had memorized every leaf. The sinking feeling started to return to his stomach.

James’ mind was swirling; his thoughts seemed to be filled with thousands of muffled voice all trying to reach him at once. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, feeling as though he was unable to control his body. The once clear painting like horizon seemed to blur the more he attempted to concentrate. The once fresh air seemed to provide no solace when his body began to ache again. He didn’t have any perception of how much time had passed since he entered the field. He wondered for a moment before pausing in place, trying to remember where he had come from.

A few fuzzy memories returned to him as he rubbed his temples. James remembered there were other people around, before he arrived, but couldn’t come up with an identity for any of them. The figures in his mind where plagued by blank, featureless faces. He wasn’t able to make out a location either, seeing only shadows in his mind of the dark alley. He dropped his arms to his sides in frustration when his hand brushed up against the hilt of the sword hanging by his waist. He froze. The once painting like atmosphere was suddenly grey. The clouds could no longer be distinguished against the muddled sky and the leaves had lost all color and began to blur together. James tried to concentrate on the woods that he found himself in front of. They seemed familiar. He could feel a very fine sand mold to the shape of his feet. The trees were barren far into the sky where the pines blocked out the sky. The trunks had a dark color that filled the forest making it difficult to see inside. James tried to focus. Somewhere a very small black pinhole caught his attention. The was nothing to be made out in the blackness as it slowly grew in front of him until it was the size of a droplet of water. James couldn’t make out how far away it was from him, seemingly hanging nowhere in the scene at all.

He took a step forward. The droplet fell softly into the sand, spreading over the surface, covering the grains in the same black color. Looking down James could see the floor beneath him was beginning to be enveloped by the darkness as it spread over the world in front of him. From the sky raindrops continued to fall, though there were no clouds. More droplets began to form, some falling from the air and other floating up from the ground, covering the sky. Quickly all of the colors began to disappear. The air became thick, yet cold. It burned James’ lungs as he began to heave in an attempt to keep himself standing when he suddenly became dizzy.

As he struggled to keep his composure, far in front of him the shape of a beastly figure began to emerge. A dark, gangly body hung below the skull of a wildebeest. It was unusually tall and unnaturally skinny. James’ eyes widened as he saw it begin to crawl towards him. Fire dripped from its mouth as it opened it to speak. He thought his heart was going to explode as an irrational fear of what it might say swept over him. As it’s grin widened James tried to shake himself awake. He thought his head might explode before everything vanished within an instant. James struggled to keep his eyes open as they fluttered in the newfound light. He found himself in the house of the woman who had taken care of Michael before, in Borhevan. The old man wasn’t there, but the lady was sitting in a chair at the table. Michael was laid out on the floor in front of him, but appeared to be breathing. Bart and Shernine were also in the room.

“What happened?” James mumbled in astonishment. Bart and Shernine looked at each other hesitantly before turning to Michael. “Is Michael okay?”

“of course, he’s fine. Are… you okay?” Shernine said with a cautious look.

“How long was I out for?” Bart cocked his head to the side and looked at James, concerned.

“Out?”

“Like… unconscious?” Bart and Shernine turned to each other again.

“James, we were talking to you ten seconds ago. What do you remember?”

“I thought I just got inside.” The old lady began laughing. Blood dripped down her teeth onto her chin.

“What do you remember?” She grinned with a sickly smile. James wasn’t sure what she was talking about but he was frightened by her tone. “Did you see anything interesting while you were sleeping?”

The shape of the monster still hung in James’ mind. It felt more real than it did a dream. “Was it really here?”

“Not here…” she coughed and pointed to his chest, “there.” Her laugh was disturbing to hear, like a whaling lunatic, cackling at herself.

“Certainly not,” Shernine reassured him, “but the demon was here. Do not be fooled if he clouds your vision, it is simply a trick.” The old woman spat a glob of blood onto the table. Her eyes bugged out of her head as she made eye contact with each of them with a patronizing grin. James assumed she must be insane. Suddenly Michael stirred and lifted his head from the floor. Bart pushed past Shernine and grabbed Michael under his shoulders to lift him to his feet. “Careful!” Shernine warned him. Bart and Michael looked at Shernine in confusion.

“I’d advise you to keep a distance from him.” James and Bart were offended at first, but Shernine seemed to be serious. “I’m not sure how much of him is Michael and how much is something else.” Michael was rocking around, barely conscious while muttering something inaudible. His head shook back and forth and he drooled from his mouth, his eyes were dark.

“It’s too late now; the child’s mind will know nothing but its own eagerness to die.” Shernine looked at the woman with disgust. “He’ll be subjected to every…” He knocked the woman on the head with his staff with such force to leave her lying barely alive on the floor. Michael stared at the ground, huffing while holding onto Bart for support, who had grabbed him despite Shernine’s dismissal of them. He was clearly very weak still. James wandered over and grabbed Michael under his other shoulder. He turned to Shernine.

“What’s the plan now? I’m not sure we can make it to Alchem in time.” Shernine frowned. “He doesn’t look like he’ll make it more than a day.” James hollered. He placed his staff back behind him in his cloak. With a small sigh he looked back at them very unconfidently.

“I’ll try my best to get rid of it, mind you I’m not as experienced as Alchem.”

“Can you do it?” James yelled back. He wasn’t sure he considered Shernine to be strong enough to handle such a beast on his own, from what he had gathered. The whole point of finding Alchem was to get someone better at dealing with demons. He had been given the impression from the beginning that Shernine wasn’t capable of doing it on his own. James didn’t trust his lackluster demeanor, especially compared to Alchem’s clear perception and experience, even if he lacked strength in his old age.

“We don’t have a choice. If Shernine says he can do it, then he can.” Bart reached over and put his hand on James’ shoulder. He nodded with a confident glare that made James find it difficult to disagree. James realized the beast passed through him, in some way, but he managed to sense its weakness. “We need to find a safe place to do this.”

Less than an hour later the group made their way into the same inn they had stayed at nights before. They alternated helping Michael walk with them as he was barely able to hold any of his own weight. His head often hung limply from his shoulders and he was unable to speak, simply groaning when he needed to rest. They entered the establishment unceremoniously carrying Michael by his legs and arms. No one was in the main bar except the innkeeper. He looked up from the counter where his head was resting to see them push through the door together.

“Oh no, no. We’re not doing this again!” He shook his head back and forth with a hand held up in front of himself. James dropped Michael’s feet leaving him in Bart’s hands, struggling to hold him underneath his shoulders. He pulled the gun out of Michael’s belt and wondered over the counter, pressing the bottom of the gun underneath the owner’s chin. Seemingly unfazed, he dropped his hand with a huff and pointed to all of the keys hanging up on the wall behind him while pushing the barrel away from his scruffy beard. James darted forward, grabbing the key before dashing upstairs. He unlocked the door just in time for Bart to burst through and drop Michael onto the bed. Bart fell into a chair in the corner heaving from exhaustion. Michael coughed and gargled as small bits of blood spilled from his mouth. Shernine was not far behind; he had been staring aimlessly around while James and Bart took care of Michael. For the first time James sensed a bit of fear in him.

He wandered in behind James and looked on with wide eyes as Michael convulsed and choked in front of him on the mattress. He pulled his walking stick out from behind his robe and grabbed it firmly with both hands.

“No matter what happens here you must remain strong against this demon. If it speaks to you, ignore it. It will say anything to stop me from removing it from Michael, even try to pit you against me.” He waited for James and Bart to nod before continuing. “Second, if it tries to latch on to one of you, kill yourself before you lose control.” “James turned to Bart, who nodded as if it were an ordinary request. He looked back to Shernine and agreed as well, despite how outlandish it seemed. “Finally, when it tries to kill you, aim for the skull, I seem to remember that working well.”

“Seem to?” Bart muttered, almost to himself.

“I’m not sure I remember how any of this works so take it all with a grain of salt.” His signature grin began showing again. “James, what was it called?” Shernine faced Michael again, with his staff still ready in hand.

“Theogushek.” The screeching that followed was so boisterous James fell to his knees, holding his ears. Michael’s eyes rolled back into his head as the darkness escaped from his gaping mouth. A black misty hand crawled out followed by the head revealing a goat like skull the dripped fire from its smoldering tongue. The body soon spilt forward and it stood on its doglike legs over Michael, hunched underneath the low ceiling. Its limbs cracked and groaned as if stood firmly above the bed. With its shoulders pushed back it stretched its neck out with a deep bellowing roar. James looked to Shernine and Bart but they weren’t moving, or even reacting to the event. Time had appeared to have frozen around them. There was a great deal of thickness in the air, James almost felt as if he was suffocating. The monster then turned to James. He drew his sword holding it firmly with both hands and his arms pointed down to the floor. His sword began to glow red and was quickly engulfed in a red flame. The demon grinned; it outstretched a hand with fingers that appeared to grow longer as it moved towards James. He began to raise his hands, readying himself to swing. Suddenly the beast’s hand lurched forward and clutched the tip of the blade.

James opened his eyes and looked across the field he found himself sitting in. He felt very calm. He was lying back with his palms pressed against the soft grass. His head tilted back towards the sky as he watched clouds gradually swing overhead. He gazed on for quite some time but the shapes began to run together, seemingly repeating themselves. He lurched forward and pulled a handful of grass from the grand in front of him. A calming sensation rushed over him as he pulled each strand apart into small pieces which fell to the ground under him. After a couple of hours, he managed to stand up and take a breath of the air around him, filling his lungs with warmth.

For a quick moment he had a sense of doubt as he scratched his forehead. He remembered he was supposed to be doing something. He had some sort of instruction. He shook his head and began walking. His shoes were more comfortable than he remembered. The grass brushed up against ankles. Calmness continued to sweep over him as he walked from hill to hill. He looked down at his feet feeling somewhat shocked that they weren’t aching from walking so far. He was still wearing his old tattered pair of shoes that had been soaked through and dried out multiple times. The thick stitching was coming undone revealing parts of his socks. Every time he looked down at them it reminded him of how sore his feat had been. He hesitated before taking another step. The calmness in the air faded as James tried to remember what had cause his shoes to deteriorate so badly. His feet weren’t looking much better, which made him wonder what could have been so urgent as to warrant traveling on damaged feet. He looked up in front of himself trying to find a familiar place in his memory when he noticed his cottage standing not far away.

He walked over the crest of the hill in front of him where the small home was built. He stopped for a moment and tried to remember why he needed to get home. His parents were waiting for him there, but for some reason he couldn’t imagine himself returning yet. He racked his brain trying to think of a reason he wouldn’t go home. Suddenly, out of his peripheral vision he could see the stable where the horses were raised. It was tall, as if it had been stretched towards the sky. He turned away from the house and slowly moved closer while the atmosphere dampened and the light of the sun faded away. His feet began to feel soar only now after hours of walking. James didn’t like raising the horses but felt compelled to check on them. He approached the door of the barn and placed his hand on the handle. It was cold. The sensation seemed almost new, like he hadn’t ever been cold before. He paused for another moment and considered what he was doing, and what might be waiting for him.

James sensed something behind the door that sent a shiver down his spine. A strange mix of fear and uncertainty flushed over him. When he turned back to the cottage he figured his parents would be inside waiting for him. He hadn’t seen them in weeks. They must be worried. He looked down at the handle. Why hadn’t they seen him in weeks, he wondered. Surely there had to be a reason. He turned to his right to see a forest where there used to be fields. It was dark and pouring rain inside. Cold air blew in from between the trees, dampening his face.  He released his grip on the handle and took a step towards the woods. He knew something was there, waiting for him. The cold rain began to soak his clothes. He pushed passed a few branches and walked over the mud and rocks until he found himself staring at a cave. The cave appeared familiar to him, yet somehow he was unable to remember where he was.

He noticed in the distance there was a man with a dark cloak walking through the woods towards the cave. Walking behind the man was a black giant with the skull of a wildebeest. James instinctively reached for his sword, slowly pulling it from the sheath, taking care to remain quiet. He looked back up on the cave as the rain slowed to a halt, freezing in the air. The beast came walking out of the cave holding Michael in the air by one of his legs with the old man was not too far behind. James’ memory began to clear while Michael was dragged limply up the hill. The sound of a snapping twig caught his attention and he turned to find himself standing before a different cave, with a much larger portal.

James couldn’t fathom why but he crept inside forgetting what he had seen before. The cave was vast, opening to a huge cavern where a faint dripping echoed throughout. James felt peaceful once again for a moment. It was mostly dark, but a faint blue light glowed in the distance. As his eyes slowly adjusted he tried to make out the shape of the source. It began to materialize in his view as James squinted. Suddenly, the source of the light dashed away with the sounds of a menacing charge close behind it. James heart sank as it became apparent it was getting close. He was shutting his eyes to let his eyes adjust. When he opened them he could see it was still moving, but hadn’t reached him. He closed his eyes again, sword pointed forward.

He opened his eyes to see the goat skull demon still holding the blade of his sword in his hands. His memories quickly returned leaving James reeling from the flash. He quickly took a step back and pulled the sword away, slicing its hand. The beast grunted and fell backward before regaining its equilibrium and lunging at James. He froze. In a flash James could see a blade come swinging from his left slicing straight through the stomach of his foe. James fell back into the corner of the room in shock and terror realizing he was almost just torn to bits by the demon. The body fell in two pieces in front of him shrieking and flailing about. The darkness that made up its torso began to float up and disappear drip by drip until nothing was left. The dense feeling around them lifted as James noticed he could once again hear the storm outside.

Chapter 15

When they all finally made it out of their sleeping positions they sat around the ashes of the late night fire inspecting their own wounds. Shernine hadn’t been touched over the course of the fight. James suffered the least of the boys with a few cuts and bruises. Michael had a gash out of his left shoulder which he had wrapped the night before but was started to bleed again as he moved his arm in it’s socket. Bart was trying to ignore a stab wound in his right leg that made it difficult to even stand. “Drule, come fix these… oh, yeah.” Shernine had forgotten that Drule had left before dawn to go find Alchem.

“We need to keep moving.” Bart coughed as he attempted to ignore the pain of his injury. Shernine leapt several graceful feet over to where he was standing and lifted up his pant leg.

“No point in us hurting ourselves right now; Drule hasn’t found Alchem yet and exacerbating these injuries while chasing him down isn’t going to help anything. Let’s patch ourselves up before we head out.” For a couple hours the grouped wrapped each other’s wounds and ate while they rested. Shernine spent a long time cleaning and sealing together Bart’s cut as Bart winced but refused to scream during the tortuous minutes it took to completely cover the wound. Michael’s injury was not as severe but due to it’s being in his shoulder it limited his movement. He had to be helped onto his horse by James to prevent his skin from tearing further. Shernine was the last to mount his horse. He looked around at the camp as the others made their way onto the path set in front of them. The site was empty yet still held a thick breathe of evil; it was difficult for him to focus on anything in the hazy distortion of the light. Many sinister forces had swept through the air in the clearing they set aside as a simple camp. As he looked into the opening, Shernine began to question his own motives, concerned that he may have placed the boys in a situation beyond their strengths.

Drule had left their party to find Alchem. Alchem was the only one between himself, Drule and the Sun that understood cruses to such a depth. Shernine had not dealt with a curse in such a long time he had forgotten the destructive force that they carried with them. He remembered far back before any decision was made by himself and the Sun to avoid contact with humans that Alchem warned against leaving curses to roam freely among the people of the Mainland. None of the others listened to him fearing that his amnesia and stubbornness was clouding his decision. Perhaps Alchem was right. Evil in the form of curses were running rampant now in many places outside of the Mainland and in. Alchem had foreseen this but was very subtle in trying to convince the others. He refused to speak unless he was sure his words would be heard, and what he had to say was rarely taken into account when the Sun was making a formal decision.

A rumbling of thunder brought out groans from the rest of the party. Michael flipped his hood up over himself while Bart and James grabbed cloaks out of their saddle bags and flung them on. Shernine simply looked up towards the sky with a squint. “What do the clouds look like?” Michael turned to him, confused.

“Dark. Very, very dark. Can you not tell?” Still looking up at them, Shernine shook his head.

“I still see the stars.” He murmured. “It will rain all day today; he’s not happy.” Bart looked at James and shrugged. Michael continued to pander him.

“How can you see the stars through those clouds?” Shernine turned to him and smiled. “I’ve never been able to see them; my eyes don’t work the same as yours. Whether it be day or night I see the same sky; stars in the black blanket of space.” Michael looked up confused. He tried as hard as he could to see a star through the rolling clouds. He winced and gave up as rain began to fall into his eyes. As he rubbed them with his wet sleeve he pressed the question.

“I don’t understand how that’s even possible. Is this one of your magic tricks?” Shernine chuckled a bit.

“If there’s a trick being played, it’s being played on me.” Of course, Shernine was still capable of distinguishing day and night based on the position of the sun and the amount of light reflecting off the surface of the earth. Daytime did not appear any darker to him, his vision simply chose to ignore the weather above.

“Who’s not happy?” James piped up as the rain began to pick up. It was now getting loud to the point of James having to speak up. Shernine pointed up to the sun, without realizing James and the others had no way of knowing where it was in the sky.

“The Sun. He gets upset when we don’t stick to a plan.”

“And what plan might that be? Seems like we’ve been wondering around without a plan since we left Vorren”

“I’m not sure we ever really had much of a plan either.”

The rain continued to poor throughout the day. They neglected to stop to eat. They wouldn’t be able to cook anything anyway. Bart tossed a few apples around from his bag; it would have to do. Rather than pull his canteen out, Shernine leaned his head back as he pulled the tip of his hat forward to pour the rain that fad collected in the rim into his mouth, much to the amusement of the others.

The path they traveled grew rockier and narrower as they continued to push forward. They would frequently work their way around rivers of mud pouring down the hills as they continued to ascend. They had abandoned the main trail as it had become far too muddy for the horses. Their pace was slow. Each step from the horse required thought and effort to avoid slipping on a rock or twisting an ankle. Thunder continued to crack around them to the point of deafening the travelers. Tree limbs and leaves shook in the cold wind that swept around them. They were all very frustrated and tired, especially since no one had a chance to sleep for very long during the night. For the most part they kept their heads down attempting to prevent rain from reaching inside of the cloaks, mostly to no avail. As darkness fell they finally resigned and took shelter in a cave that Michael miraculously spotted.

Water poured over the cave entrance making it difficult to bring the horses in. Luckily the cave was large enough to hold all of them for the night.  The cave was part of a large mountain on which they had found themselves. There was a less convoluted path to reach the next town but due to the horrible visibility they found themselves on an alternate route through a treacherous range of cliffs and boulders. The environment was very unforgiving. Many times throughout the day they were forced to backtrack to find a more amenable path for themselves and the horses. Occasionally they were forced to dismount and walk them through a hazardous zone. Sharp rocks stuck out from the much underneath mud which were difficult to see due to the masses of wet leaves falling from above. It was not made easier by the fact that they had suffered various injuries. Bart’s dressings were doing little to protect his wound from the rain. His pant leg was stained with blood that had escaped through the wet padding around the cut. Michael’s shoulder still ached any time he lifted his elbow. They all sat on the uncomfortable floor of the cave exhausted from an unproductive day. Surely it had slowed down their arrival by many hours.

“No fire, unless you’ve got some magic trick to dry wood in that cape.” Michael bemoaned.

“Actually, I do have this.” Shernine pulled a candle out from behind his back and set it in front of them. It wouldn’t provide any additional warmth, but at least they had some light in the cave. He lit it with his finger and the light began to flicker creating warped shadows on the cave walls.

“I don’t suppose you’ve got a roasted turkey leg behind you as well?” Bart laughed. They all changed into the driest clothes they could find in their bags and laid out the soaking wet gear over the cave floor. Shernine assured them if it wasn’t dry by the morning he could work something up to make it so. In this case the Sun wouldn’t be able to know since they could hide from his vision in the cave. He also assured them that even though the rain had pounded them throughout the day the Sun’s temper was severe, but short lived. By morning the rain was sure to stop and the sun would be shining again. So they sat in a circle watching the small candle slowly melt under the dancing flame. James was essentially sitting in a ball to keep warm. Bart and Michael were lucky enough to have capes stored away, dry enough to act as blankets.

“If I get this curse taken care of it will be the last time I ever roll a pair of dice.” Bart rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Every time you get too drunk you say it was your last drink the next morning.”

“Yeah, well… I hangover has never dragged me weeks away from home.” James’ eyes sank down to the candle and his smile faded. He had almost blocked it out of his mind that he was so far away from the only place that had ever mattered to him. He never wanted to stay in Vorren for his whole life, but now that he was gone he realized how strange it was being away from anything familiar for so long. He hadn’t seen a place he’d recognized in over a week. It was beginning to occur to him that the world was a lot larger than he had realized. Across from him, Michael was rubbing the black spot on his palm with his thumb. “What’s the deal with this anyway? I don’t really need a constant reminding that there’s some demon thing following me around everywhere.”

“It’s not so much for you as it is for the curse.” Shernine stretched his back out and took a deep breathe. “Curses are some of the weakest demons. They don’t have the power to exist in this realm on their own. A curse has to be drawn into this world as part of an agreement between a human and a more powerful demon. Once they are here they have to remain bound to the agreement less they be pulled back into their own realm.”

“Why is it bound to me? I didn’t make any agreement.”

“Not directly. More than likely the curse has extended beyond the life whoever originally placed the curse. It’s possible to move a curse to an object or even another person, but it’s wildly dangerous. Somehow this curse got itself placed in the dice. Whoever you won them from must have been bearing the curse. When you agreed to take the bet and won the dice, the curse shifted to you.

The unfortunate thing for us is that curses are a lot easier to control when they are bound to an object. The darkness in your veins continued to seep up your arms as the demon forced its way into you, from the dice. With the dice destroyed there isn’t a need for the curse to control you. It has much more mobility now.”

“My dad always said he didn’t trust boats that came in from Shiden. He said they still have a lot of dark magic there; lots of problems come into the bay with those ships. I’d bet my horse that your curse came from Shiden.”

“It doesn’t really matter where it came from at this point. All courses draw from the same pool of power. In the Mainland they were more common before the Dark Age. That’s not a coincidence. “

“If there are demons that are strong enough to exist on their own here, why don’t we ever see them?” James asked him.

“You probably have, but to be effective here they also have to be tricky. You’ll see right past them if you aren’t looking carefully.”

“How does Alchem know so much about curses?” Michael asked.

“Alchem used to be an instrumental part of the King’s Army acting as the top advisor and exerciser for the supernatural division.”

“The army has a supernatural division?” Bart asked.

“Not anymore. Not since the war that brought the Mainland into the Dark Age. That’s not a coincidence either. Almost two hundred years ago when the King’s Army was still stationed past the Ghaboro desert they used magic both for offensive and defensive purposes. In the northwest many of the clans that were sweeping through the territories in the region used curses extensively as a means of weakening their opponents. Alchem was stationed with the front battalion fighting off the curses that afflicted the men during and after battles. Believe it or not he was actually on good terms with the King at the time.

The army was getting close to stabilizing the region. Canons were just being introduced and the soldiers had access to mines just south of the Ghaboro desert that allowed them to produce the explosive powders at a high rate. Alchem was even involved in perfecting the formula. The goal at that time was to build strongholds around the region that were sufficiently defensible to create a maintainable border. The king wanted to be able to station as few troops as possible in the region without losing control to the barbarian tribes.” He leaned back again and supported himself with his palms behind him on the cold floor.

“Unfortunately a certain tribe managed to get an old demon from deep within their region to fight on their behalf. No one ever could figure out how it happened. Alchem attempted to banish the demon but it had been living in this world so long it proved to be too difficult. Somehow it managed to drain substantial amounts of energy from Alchem and grew even stronger. From that point on it was complete chaos. Alchem advised the king to give up the region because the defenses were still being completed but the king refused. He pulled forces from east of the desert for addition support but by the time the made it to the site most of the army had already been destroyed. They held out for another several months but it was fruitless. After the army was weakened so greatly the entire area north of the desert was overrun. Most of the eastern territories were taken over as well.

The disaster also had long term effects on the economy and caused the depression that regressed the technology available back so many years. The area in and around the capitol is finally getting back on track but obviously it hasn’t extended down south of this forest. The king blamed the demons ability to draw power from Alchem’s magic for most of the mess, as opposed to his own stubbornness in maintaining regions past the desert. That’s why you rarely hear about any magic in the Mainland anymore. It’s a lost art around here.”

“What would make the king bring Alchem back to the army?” James asked.

“Good question. I assume they need to relearn his powder recipe. Based on the shot that gun in your pocket fired off,” Shernine answered as he pointed to the gun in Michael’s belt “I don’t think they have it down yet.”

“Why now? Is the army planning to advance past the desert again? We haven’t held those territories since before the Dark Age.” When Bart said this James wondered if there was any possibility Alchem would be put into battle again. There was no way he could fight; he was too old. But if he were really being contracted again he was sure Alchem would be too stubborn to refuse even on his own behalf.

“I sure hope not; didn’t seem to work well last time.”

The next morning James woke immediately when he heard a thump from up above him. He rolled onto his back and slowly opened his eyes to the light pouring in from outside the cave. His cheek was cold from resting on the rocks beneath him. He let out a breath and realized his mouth was extremely dry. Eventually he managed to make it to his feet to stumble over the entrance of the cave where a small amount of water had pooled. He bent down and filled his hands with the cool rain before lifting them to his mouth and sipping it. He stood up straight and peered into the cave. Everyone was still asleep, except Michael, who wasn’t there. James ran his hands through his hair with a yawn. Outside the cave he could see that most of the dead leaves had been washed off of the trees. The ground was a large muddy mess from the mass amounts of rain that had poured down on them the day before. James turned his head over his should and looked back into the cave. The horses were all there as well as all of Michael’s things. He sniffed and wondered if Michael was looking for firewood. It was going to be difficult to find anything dry enough to burn. If Shernine was feeling up to using some magic it wouldn’t matter anyway.

The candle from the night before had melted into a mess all over the cave floor. James stretched his back out and realized how sore he felt. A pain shot down his spine as he leaned backwards. He shoulders were stiff. He looked left and right around the surrounding area. It looked a lot different during the day with sunshine pushing through the trees. It felt much calmer out without rain and all the noise all around. With that thought he realized how quiet it really was. There wasn’t a bird or cricket to be heard anywhere. The only sound James could hear was his own breathing. He turned around and looked up at the edge of the cave. His eyes widened as he realized there was a single drop of water hovering inches above his head. The drop was hanging in the air as if stopped from its motion by some force. He hesitantly reached out and pushed it with his finger. The water clung to him and then slowly rolled down into his palm. As he let his hand fall to his side he realized Shernine was now standing in the cave and staring at him. He was only a few feet in front of him. The sudden sight of having Shernine so close gave him a slight shock, but he kept his composure. Shernine lifted his finger to his lips to encourage James to remain silent. With the same finger he pointed above him and walked outside the cave.

James tiptoed behind him as they both tried to see above the cave without stepping off of the rocks that quieted their footsteps. Standing on his toes James could make out the top of a very dark figure, like the demon that had escaped from the dice. He gestured to Shernine who pushed himself up on his walking stick to get a better view. Shernine looked back down to James with wide open eyes. He looked left and right and in the cave, trying to think up some plan on how to deal with the beast above. Realizing they had limited options Shernine pointed to James’ sword inside the cave. James walked over and carefully picked it up being sure not to make any sound as it came off of the rocks it was resting on. He stood next to Shernine with it placed in both hands, ready to strike and awaited a response. Shernine pointed to him and then made a throwing gesture with his arm. James moved his head back in hesitation. Shernine just smiled. He couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not.

“Just be ready to strike.” James’ jaw dropped as Shernine grabbed him and flung him effortlessly on to the roof of the cave. With very little time to react he swung his sword towards the demon. The dark mass managed to grab one of his arms before it fell and prevent the sword from striking. James was shocked at the pure speed the creature could move. He could see Michael was lying near the demon with his eyes rolled back into his head. The old man who tried to steal the dice was standing not too far away. This was not the same curse James had seen before. This thing was much bulkier and shorter. It had the skull of a boar and the legs of a goat but the body of a strong man. The beast’s mouth opened and James could see blackness dripping from its jaw. It cackled at him while slowly lowering him to the ground by the large hand around his wrist.

“Sleep, James... Sleep.” The voice rolled out softly from the mouth of the beast as James’ vision blurred and his head fell backwards with his eyes closed. When he became conscious again Shernine and Bart were both leaning over him. Bart appeared worried while Shernine seemed simply intrigued. He tried to take a breath but found it difficult to get air into his lungs.

“Good. You’re okay.” Bart sighed.

“Have any dreams?” Shernine pressed while maintaining a slight grin. There was a hint of concern in his voice. James took a moment before he felt strong enough to respond.

“No… I don’t remember.” Shernine nodded in response.

“What happened to Michael?”

“Good question, that thing got us too.” Shernine answered as he pointed to himself and Bart. Bart seemed unhappy that he was susceptible to the attack; he was frustrated by his inability to ward off the intense fatigue that befell them. With the help of Bart, James made it to his feet. He rolled his right shoulder; it still felt sore.

“You have any idea where he is?”

“Bart, hand me that seeing stone I gave you.”

“They must be too far off for any noticeable change; it’s totally dark.”

“Not totally, remember, my eyes do not see as your eyes do.” Shernine grabbed the stone from Bart and carefully peered into its dark colors. He turned his head to his right, south, and huffed. “It’s taking him south, maybe back to the pines.” James suddenly remembered he had seen the old man from the fight the previous night on top of the cave with them. He was simply standing there, as if waiting with the monster.

“The old man… he was here before I fell asleep.”

“Borhevan.” Bart said as he looked to the ground.

“That’s good. Better than the pines at least. I don’t know what that old man has been up to, but at least we know where they’re going.”

“What is he planning to do with Michael?” James asked; he was worried they may not make it to him in time.

“I assume he wants that curse broken free. Killing Michael won’t do it, so don’t worry. But we should get there quick, I have no idea what he has planned.”

“How did I get incapacitated?”

“I, as well.” Bart added.

“I’m not sure. We all lost consciousness. I assume its ability is unique to that demon. It can also effect time, so we need to be alert from this point on.” Bart shook his head and sighed. He knew it was faster than they were. Not only that, it had a serious head start. Michael could be dead by the time they even arrived. Shernine could sense he was feeling uneasy.

“Let’s get moving; if we can catch them in time there should be no problem. Now that I’ve had some experience with him I think I can keep the demon at bay, at least long enough to save Michael, but we must hurry.” Shernine leapt down and ran into the cave. Bart and James climbed down the rocks around them to avoid injuring themselves from the seleven foot drop. They quickly packed up their things and mounted the horses. Michaels horse ran along with them as them pushed as quickly as possible through the woods. It was still muddy from the rain but their movement was significantly swifter than the previous day. Lunch was skipped again much to the dismay of James and Bart but they realized that it was necessary.

------------

None of the areas they passed seemed familiar as the landscape had been changed dramatically by the rain. Many branches lined the paths and patches of sky could be seen through the trees. They pushed the horses as hard as they could. The trees whirled by them as they briskly swept through the forest. James felt very weak as his head bobbed up and down with the spine of the horse. He was still struggling from the effects of the previous night. James feared for Michael’s safety; whatever this monster was it had powers well beyond the curse that had enveloped him with the dice. As they neared Borhevan clouds began to form in the sky again and the air grew humid. They could hear thunder clashing in the distance. Bart turned to Shernine.

“Rain again?” Shernine shook his head.

“Not this time. That demon is trying to cloak itself from us, but it may play to our advantage. Try to relax and we may be able to cloak ourselves” Bart nodded at the reply and continued to push his horse forward. Warm winds wept around them the closer they made it to Borhevan. James wondered how he was supposed to remain calm given the circumstances. His heart was pounding just thinking of seeing the demon again. But without the constant rain and flooding they were making much better time. Most of the return journey had been downhill. The distance they managed to travel the previous day was made up in only a few hours. Shernine continued to push forward: however, determined to reach the city before the monster.

Shernine stopped his horse in a clearing just above the suburb north of Borhevan. It was getting late enough the gate of the city had closed. Lights were shining from the windows below, though some were already closing their shutters. Shernine pulled the stone from his pocket and looked into its darkness. A faint yellow glow echoed from deep within the rock. They were inside Borhevan already, but Shernine was glad they hadn’t gone in the pine forest. As Shernine could see only into space, he noticed the sun had focused on the forest, unable to locate the curse. He looked behind himself. Bart’s and James’ horses were now coming out of the woods. He wasn’t sure how much longer the horses were going to make it. Bart looked at him sternly and nodded.

The three of them charged down the hill. To their right they noticed a tornado strike down into the pine woods. The Sun had the wrong target, but at least he was preventing any other beasts from crawling out of that place. They managed to make it to the town in a matter of minutes. The horses cantered along the path trying to catch a breath as they road south towards the city. Doors and windows were shut on either side of them as people prepared for the oncoming storm. Shernine’s heart sank realizing what might happen if something went wrong and the demon escaped. Its presence was noticeably disturbing the villagers; he could sense their fear.  

Approaching the gate, Shernine dismounted his horse and knocked loudly on the small door left of the gate. A guard opened a small, eyelevel window and cocked his head as he looked down at Shernine’s clothes. An eyebrow rose when he saw Shernine hadn’t even been wearing proper shoes in the cold. The guard assumed he was on drugs.

“State your business.” He managed to utter, his voice reflected his confusion.

“Travelers.”

“Hah, I’ve never seen a traveler from a northern territory dressed like that. Be honest or you’re not getting in here.” Shernine rolled his eyes and pointed to the hinges on the door. The nails fell from the wood in succession clanging against the stones below. The door seen feel forward with a thud before Shernine slowly walked over it into the doorway. The soldier, shocked, drew his sword and hesitantly pointed it at him. Shernine reached out and touched the sword gently. The weight seemed to increase in the guard’s grip until he finally released it sending it bouncing off the floor. He raised his hands and stepped back against the wall behind him.

“Okay…” he stuttered. “Come on in, just don’t kill me if that’s okay.” Shernine chuckled as he lifted up the man’s sword and tapped him underneath his chin with the broad side. Avoiding the blade the soldier lifted his gaze towards him.

“I need you to tell me something.”

 “Sure.” He rolled as he pressed the back of his head against the wall. “Not sure if I know anything worth knowing.” He added.

“Did you happen to let an old man through these gates, presumably a couple of hours ago? He would have had a younger man with him, asleep.” Shernine spoke quickly.

“My station started only a few minutes ago.”

“Lying is bad.” He pressed the blade forward, barely poking his neck as he pressed his head back against the wall.

“Hang on!” Another voice called out from the room. There was another guard standing in the corner looking shocked. He raised a shaking hand as if to be called on by Shernine. Shernine turned to him without letting the sword go.

“I saw an old man. He had a boy on a horse, but he appeared to be sick or unconscious.” Bart stomped over to where the guard was standing. He leaned his head toward his him as the guard shrank backward.

“What did they say to you?”

Chapter 14

Michael and James both flung around to see a black figure jump from the fire into the sky, out of sight. The flames that followed it left nothing but smoldering ashes and darkness behind. When the high-pitched noise finally echoed away into the night nothing was left but the groaning of broken bodies lying scattered around the camp. Shernine sighed before dropping to his feet and pointing to the fire to reignite it. As light returned to the site he could see men strewn about all over the camp attempting to get on their feet. Bart stood up off of the man he was holding down and walked over to old man whom he had speared with the dagger. “Is he gunna make it?” He calmly asked while they both looked down upon the helpless fool, bleeding out before them.

“Not really my specialty. Drule, is this guy living?” There was no immediate answer. “Drule?” They turned to see Drule sitting down on the ground where he had been holding a horse’s head in his lap. The horse whined and hoofed as it tried to get back to its feet, but Drule had his arm around the creature’s neck preventing it from standing. Tears were rolling down Drule’s hardened face. Realizing what had happened, Shernine raised an eyebrow. “Do you want me to…” before he could finish Drule grabbed the horse’s head with his other hand and broke its neck with an appalling crack.  The head rolled out from Drule’s handle as Drule lay back against the tree behind him while burying his face in his hands.

The horse had been injured severely enough in the scuffle that it wouldn’t make the journey to the next town. Drule’s body shook as he wept for the beast at its side. Shernine and Alchem were both somewhat detached from humanity and animal life, especially compared to Drule, who was quite fond of most living beings. Alchem was a man of chemistry and Shernine loved to dabble with physics, astronomy and engineering. Drule lived quietly on the surface and underneath the earth with all living inhabitants. Drule did not often engage with humans due to his very noticeable size but found comfort in the friendship of animals, especially horses. Even the wildest of animals would calmly wonder up to Drule to receive food and company from him. The animals could sense his presence and would often come running to him should he near their habitat. It was almost as if the animals gained a greater sense of understanding in his presence, they were more than animals to him and so they became more than animals when they were around him.

Before the Dark Age that shrouded almost the entire Mainland for two hundred years, it was decided between Shernine and the Sun that neither of them, nor Drule or Alchem, were to meddle in the affairs of humans or their struggles. This vastly differed from the time when Shernine could speak to the voices beyond the stars, but as times were changing and their memories were failing it become evident that any direct intervention on their part would be directly an outcome of each’s personal opinion as opposed to a correspondence with a higher order. Shernine blamed himself for no longer hearing the voices but the Sun presented the idea as if there was no longer any reason for the voices to communicate through him. The Sun was positive that if the voices were no longer present than humans did not require any further instruction or motivation on their part.

The Sun rarely walked on the earth so it became Shernine’s responsibility to explain to Alchem and Drule that human contact was to be limited starting in the early era of the Dark Age. Alchem was allowed to continue work with humans as long as he didn’t use any form of magic or use any extra-terrestrial knowledge to influence the lives of people he came into contact with. This was not a large constraint to Alchem. When Shernine broke the news to Drule it was in a forest far away from human hands. Drule listened intently as Shernine explained the decision to him. Without a word, Drule nodded before wondering into the darkness of the woods. For a very long time this was the last of Drule that any of them saw for over a hundred years.

When Shernine talked to Drule again it was with regards to Alchem. Drule was sitting atop a large rock with his legs folded underneath him. He put forward one hand as a small bird flew towards him and perched itself on his finger. The bird stuck it’s beak under its wing and danced around for a minute before chirping something and flying back off into the woods. Drule sighed and looked up into the branches above him. “Come down here and talk to me if you have something to say.” Shernine dropped down from above landed lightly on the tip of his staff with one foot so as to keep himself level with Drule up on the rock where he was standing. Drule glared directly at him unamused. Shernine kept only one foot underneath him with the other resting on his knee. His green robes waved in the gentle wind of fall.

“The Sun and I have been watching Alchem.”  Drule averted his eyes deep into the woods with a huff. “We think he might be uh… done soon.” Drule continued to stare off into the distance. “Done as in, like… dead.” Drule took a deep breath. He looked at Shernine who was still hovering on his staff looking genuinely concerned about the revelation. Shernine was always keeping tabs on the lot of them worrying himself about every time one of them disappeared for an extended period of time, as they tended to do quite often. Seeing as the surface of the sun was massive the Sun could easily disappear into its fiery surface. Drule would occasionally move underground to avoid Shernine having any visions of him and could pop out again in a completely different territory if he wished. Alchem was never purposely hiding but his movements tended to be so sporadic if Shernine wasn’t keeping an eye on him at all times he could easily lose his whereabouts.

The four of them were completely unsure as to how many others like them could exist, if any did. The Sun had no interest in finding out if there were; neither did Drule, in a sense. Alchem, when he was more active and was able to make contact regularly with humans, was very excited at the prospect of locating other powerful creatures. For a long time Alchem thought he was the only one until he was contacted by the rest of the group, purely by accident. Alchem previous to their encounter had a lot of contact with humans, some good and some bad. He mostly hid the powers he had from humans unless the situation deemed it either necessary or occasionally hilarious. One reason that they all were at least curious as to the possibility of more of them existing was that since they all had amnesia it was possible that another of them might have a stronger understanding of their origins. Alchem’s memory loss was more substantial than any of the others and he was desperate to find some background about himself, at least in his youth.

“Next time you come here to bring something to my attention, be sure it is of some significance to me.” Shernine was unhappy with the lackluster attitude Drule was displaying over the situation, although Shernine wasn’t expecting much more from Drule.

“Drule, if Alchem can die so can we. He’s losing his energy faster than anticipated. I know neither you, nor I, nor the Sun are near this point, but if Alchem has mortality then we may as well.”

“If you are to come down here to interrupt me from my work, only do so if it is of more value than your suspicions of death. We all will die; it is the only sure aspect of life.” Shernine huffed. There wasn’t ever a guarantee that any of them would die, he believed. Alchem showed the first signs of mortality as his energy began to fade towards human levels. The Sun had the strongest presence of energy based on his location in the sun. Drule had a nominal level that he could enhance by drawing energy from other living beings, although he scarcely monopolized this power. Shernine’s own energy was very subdued due to his own doing. None of the others were very sure as to how much he could actually do by his own means if he allowed himself to fully unleashed his strongest abilities. Shernine never felt it was necessary to retain his powers as they were no longer benefited humans in any way. For this reason he kept his own talents hidden from the rest, almost as if he was ashamed of his own strengths. No matter how mighty he became he could not remember what had come before the Dark Age with any detail and was unable to use them effectively to steer the events of time.

“But we can influence life! We can void the death of a person. If that is possible you know we may have some influence over the length of a life, human or otherwise.”

“We can prolong the inevitable, nothing more.” Drule stood up and reminded Shernine that he was the much larger figure. In some ways this made him feel as if he was more powerful. In truth, neither of them was sure who had the most extensive capabilities. Shernine had not taken advantage of his full strength since the decision not to interfere with humans. His amnesia was strong enough he was not familiar with his own abilities. While Drule was unsure as to whether or not he was stronger, he definitely felt more strongly about the situation.  Drule kept his own personal opinions to himself, but if challenged, he would stand his ground regardless of who may challenge him. Shernine leapt very lightly from atop his staff and landed quietly on the floor of the forest below. He gripped his weapon tightly in his right hand and gazed up toward Drule. He was upset at the reaction but did not feel any need to further argue on the point.

He forced himself to take a deep breathe. He remembered the angrier he became the foggier his memories grew. He took another slow breathe in an attempt to calm himself down. Drule stood tall on the rock underneath his feet, staring down, quietly at Shernine. Shernine realized how his grip on what was once a powerful group in Mainland affairs was falling apart. Drule hadn’t spoken to any of them in many years. The Sun isolated himself and refused to partake in any conversation except with an occasional update from Shernine. Alchem had begun living his own life outside of the clan but at the cost of his own health. When Shernine had talked to him previously Alchem seemed content to die slowly in his human form. The death may still be many years away but this entailed years of a slow and sure decent into frailty. Shernine was not sure if he was concerned for Alchem’s safety or for his own mortality. He lived far away from humanity and was not entirely comfortable with the idea of death. Alchem lived almost totally as a human after they agreed not to interfere with human ongoing.

“Alchem has lived among humans for far too long. His death could be detrimental, especially if his death ends the lives that depend on his strength. That Malcolm fellow should have died more than a few years ago. If Alchem dies, Malcolm may perish with him.”

Drule looked away from Shernine and into the woods. The birds chirped happily, completely unaware of tense argument taking place in the woods beneath them. Deer skipped over fallen branches as they quickly moved about in search of a meal. Every leaf that broke from the trees above could be sensed by Drule. He knew where every creature of the forest was and what they were feeling. The forest was a complicated yet simple system. He knew the creatures of the Mainland better than any human ever could. He could sense them no matter how small; even insects flocked to his side as he welcomed them to the warmth of his skin. Drule had found peace in the forest; he had a better sense of belonging than Shernine or the Sun. He figured that by fleeing their true home they had distanced themselves from their own destiny, but he refused to interfere with their decisions, even on their behalf.

“We agreed not to interfere with the lives of humans. If Malcolm dies it is for the best of them. We do not intercede.” Shernine was angry. He knew Drule continued to harbor hostility towards the Sun for his choices and his decision to avoid contact with humans. Despite his lackluster attitude, Drule was worried for Alchem’s safety and the humans who had come to depend on him. At this point his rage shined through in its own subtle way. He had felt betrayed for so long by Shernine and the Sun that he refused to assist the only other person he had sympathy for.

“I knew it was garbage when I told you.” Shernine pointed to Drule. “You knew that I knew it. The Sun doesn’t control us as he would like to believe.” Drule huffed angrily and leaped down from his rock. He landed hard on the ground with a resounding thud.  He stood there towering above Shernine while his eyes glowed through the shade of the trees.

“If the Sun did not control us you never would have come to me before.” Shernine took a step back. This was the most blatant resistance he had ever received from Drule. “Don’t have me abandon our treaty now because you need something from me. Your own decisions will bring about the downfall of Alchem without my assistance.” Shernine took another step back. Drule was leaning in and pushing his forehead against Shernine’s. Drule always followed the orders of the Sun and Shernine. He refused to disobey them based on their positions in the hierarchy of their group. Regardless of this he was not afraid to share his opinion on a matter. The Sun and Shernine had betrayed Drule in allowing their own fears to overcome their desire to help the Mainland. Shernine was afraid of affecting people due to his inability to gather information from the voices beyond the stars. The Sun never wished to interfere with humans and as a result easily convinced Shernine to have Alchem and Drule back away from human relations.

Drule was unhappy with the decision and completely understood why it was made but refused to fight it on the grounds that he was not nearly as strong as the Sun or Shernine, despite his own impressive abilities. He also had Amnesia almost comparable to Alchem. One of the very few concepts that remained implanted in his mind was that they had some purpose in developing the growing culture in the Mainland, but Drule was very loyal and did not disobey any orders decreed by the Sun and Shernine. Shernine looked calmly back at Drule who was standing over him. He looked down at the sandals on his feet balanced delicately on the leaves beneath him. A small bug crawled over his toes. He took a breath and looked back up and Drule, who had backed off by a single step. “Please don’t let Alchem suffer because of my decisions.” Drule averted his gaze and looked to his left into the forest. He hadn’t spoken to Alchem in years, but Drule had a very good idea of what might be happening to him

“Alchem is stronger than you give him credit for. In time we may find he will carry us when we fall.” Shernine may not always have taken Drule’s side on issues, but he never doubted the truthfulness of what he believed. He felt slightly reassured by Drule’s persistence. “While the sun still hangs in the sky you may wish to shift your attention South of these woods. There’s a darkness growing in the pines. It has become more powerful than any foe the desert has faced since these Dark Ages.”

“A curse?” Shernine was taken aback by this statement. Ancient dark magics such as curses hadn’t been seen in the Mainland in many years. During the Dark Age most people began keeping to themselves and shunning any sort of supernatural power that remained present until it was all but eradicated. As the generations passed the younger population had very little recollection of any sort of magic, good or evil. Occasional small curses may have arisen from time to time as it was much easier to conjure the dark side of the power, but most of the cases sorted themselves out or grew far too week to maintain any sort of hold on a person.

“Not a curse; a true demon. It would not be wise to venture into that area, surely a creature such as this would latch on to you the moment it sensed your presence. I have done what I can to clear the area of wildlife. If you truly wish to ignore the orders of yourself and the Sun, I would watch over the people in the town north of Borhevan of the great evil.” Shernine looked down the path to his left which led south to Borhevan. He felt a responsibility to them just knowing what harm could befall them should they find themselves involved with a demon of such pure origin. When he turned back to Drule he had already disappeared into the woods.

So many years later Drule found himself in the same woods where he had befriended so many creatures, this time he was bringing one to its death. Men were still rolling around on the floor of the forest groaning and attempting to get to their feet. For the most part the party ignored them. The man who had been holding a knife to the horses sat up grinning with his bloody teeth shining in the light of the fire. He was a bald man with a sagging face and a devilish smile. Bart wondered over silently and punched him directly between his eyes knocking him out cold. He then turned to a couple men attempting to escape. “Hey, you’re gunna have to drag this one.” The man was promptly pulled away as the men tried to keep their distance from Bart. James was still holding his sword tightly in his hands reminding all of the men that they’d better keep moving or he’d give them a good poke. Michael limped over and stood with the rest of the group as the retied the horses and calmed them down.

When Michael pulled his metal gloves off he noticed all of the blackness in his veins had subsided to two small points on each of his palms. He stared at them quietly before turning to Shernine. “What was that thing.” Shernine sat cross-legged on the ground near Drule and put a hand on his shoulder.

“The black spots on your hands remain because the curse is still tied to you. It will roam freely in its own form, but it still lives off of your spirit. The farther it leaves you the weaker it will become.”

“That’s good then. It will be weaker now, yeah?” Shernine shook his head.

“He’s no longer restricted to living within you. It will draw its power from any place it can find and attempt to use it against you. We need to find Alchem, and quickly.”

James watched the last of their attackers fade into the darkness. The old man was spouting nonsense as they attempted to get him away from the others. James wasn’t really concerned as to whether or not he was going to live. Bart didn’t want to know; he’d never killed anyone before. By remaining ignorant he could assume that the man would live. Even if he did he may not recover fully from the injury. More than likely an infection as a result of the wound would kill him unless they managed to get him back to Borhevan very quickly.

“Who’s gunna be walking?” James asked as he walked over to the rest of his company standing around Drule holding the dead horse.

“I can walk, or I could ride with somebody; I don’t actually weigh anything.” Shernine reassured them. His hand was still resting on Drule’s shoulder as he felt him begin to stand. The head of the horse rolled off of Drule’s lap as he made it to his feet.

“I will walk.” Drule announced to them from his lofty height. “We’re short on time now, and I’m the fastest. I will go ahead to Ytterghile and find Alchem.”

“It’s not safe for us to split up with the curse loose. The Sun won’t be…”

“A human will die this night. Are hands have broken the rules already.” Drule interrupted Shernine with a strong and authoritative tone. “We have to find Alchem before this curse causes any more damage.” Shernine sighed as he wiped his hands down his face. He looked towards the lifeless horse they had circled around.

“The Sun won’t be happy, but I’d guess he’s probably fuming right now anyway.”

“I will keep my aura subdued. When I find Alchem I’ll signal you.”

“Be ready. It’ll break loose as soon as it picks up on you.”

“We’ll be ready.” Drule slowly walked over the horse’s corpse and into the darkness. Michael stuffed the old man’s gun in his belt and waited for him to disappear.

“Am I wrong? Or did we just send the slowest person in the group ahead of us.” James opened his mouth to tell Michael he was wrong, but when he thought about it he realized Michael might be right. He turned to Shernine and raised an eyebrow with his mouth still slightly ajar.

“He can be pretty quick when he needs to be, especially through the forest.” He looked at the gun hanging in Michael’s belt. “Is there any ammunition left for that thing? I have no idea where that old guy got a hold of one of those.”

“No. He must still have the gunpowder with him. Looks like its military; it’s got some kind of marking on it.”

“Let me see it.” Michael tossed it to him. Shernine took a minute to look at the different pieces. It was a single shot muzzle loading hand gun. It was horribly inaccurate. The markings on the side looked like an assignment based on battalion. The series of letters and numbers appeared to assign it to a specific unit but Shernine wasn’t sure how to read it. He sniffed the end of the barrel. The scent was foul. He pulled back the hammer and pulled the trigger to a click and a spark but no fire.

“Do you think you could make more of the shots for it?” Bart asked from his sitting position on the ground. Shernine shook his head.

“The mechanics are simple, I could easily produce replacements, but the composition of the firing powder is another story. I’d need Alchem for something like that.” Shernine tossed the gun back to Michael, who stuffed it back into his belt.  “We should get some sleep.”

Bart had terrible nightmares that night. He rewatched himself throw that knife into the man’s back over and over. He knew the man would die. He’d never killed anyone before. His stomach hurt just thinking about it. He reacted quickly because he believed Shernine’s life was in danger, but Shernine wasn’t an ordinary person and there wasn’t any way for him to know for sure. Was there any possibility that someone as strong and mysterious as Shernine had the power to avoid causality by such a weapon as a gun? Shernine was full of tricks; he pulled a long sword out of a cape only two thirds the size of the weapon. His abilities were clearly remarkable. Bart wished he could have known truthfully whether or not Shernine could have survived the attack. If the old man failed to kill Shernine they could have incapacitated him easily before he managed to reload the weapon.

Bart knew there was no way of truly knowing in that short span if anyone’s life was at risk. He acted instinctively in order to save his friend. This knowledge didn’t provide any comfort to him as he thrashed about in his sleep. He rolled to his side and watched the last ember of the fire fade into darkness. He closed his eyes and saw the face of a monster. The skull of a goat floated above a black body of complete darkness. The eyes of the beast stared directly into him as it smiled. It felt the uneasiness inside of him and preyed his fears, growing stronger as he questioned himself. Fire dripped from the creature’s mouth as it uttered horrible words, as if whispered in his ear. “You can only comprehend your act in the darkest of places.” It spat as it laughed with a bellowing sound from deep within its body.

Bart opened his eyes to the stars floating above him. They glistened slightly and came in and out of sight as the leaves above brushed in the wind. He sat up and realized the fire was blazing in front of him. Michael was still fully clothed and poking at the flames with a stick. He looked at Bart with open eyes that conveyed a feeling of genuine concern. Bart rubbed his own eyes and sat forward with a yawn. “I can’t help but feel as if this is my own doing.” Bart didn’t answer, letting the silence echo the thought. He peered around the camp to see everyone else was quietly sleeping. Shernine was leaning against a tree and James was in a slump under a blanket. The horses were all in a deep slumber as well. The dead horse had been dragged into the forest before they had gone to rest. “No matter what it tries to tell you Bart, you’ve got to remember it’s all a trick.” Bart hesitated for a moment. Michael had more experience dealing with these inner struggles than he had, but he questioned his wisdom on the matter.

“What kind of trick?”

“It finds your weakness and latches on to it. You’ll end up torturing yourself over something you have no control over. Every night I remember the first time I picked up the dice. I never thought anything of it; I won them fairly.” Bart sighed again. He ran a hand through his hair and wondered what Michael was going on about. Michael liked to gamble, he liked to drink and he had a habit of making poor decisions. Going to Vordenport was clearly a mistake. It led to more trouble than any of them could have imagined. “How was I supposed to know they were cursed?”

“Why’d you bet for them in the first place?”

“I didn’t. I bet for a simple few coins. When he couldn’t pay he offered the dice instead. I’ve come to realize it was all for his own purpose.” He stretched his fingers and watched as the black circle wrinkled in his palm.

“He knew what he was doing?”

“As soon as they were in my hand I could tell he knew what he’d done. That’s why I kept them. It was my own fault, but I wasn’t about to pass it on to some other unsuspecting person. I almost wish I had now. It’s free and it can do much more damage than I had ever intended. I’d hoped to take responsibility for my mistake. For once I was ready to bear the burden of my on faults.” Bart looked at Michael. Michael had come to terms with his mistake, in doing so he began to realize that very little of the consequences had anything to do with his betting. He was in many ways a victim of circumstance. He committed an error that ended in a serious sentence, but he refused to push it off on someone else. He continued to bear the pain of carrying the curse on his own as a means of redemption. What he never expected was for the curse to grow strong enough to harm anyone other than himself, nor for it to escape the dice.

“It’s not your fault Michael.” Michael shook his head when he heard the words.

“It is. The old man will die tonight. That’s my fault as well. Don’t let the cruse find weakness in you. It will latch on to it and suck the life out of you. If the old man dies it is because I accepted the curse.” Michael poked the fire and watched sparks fly lightly into the air. Bart didn’t know how to respond. The curse was taking a larger toll on Michael than he had realized.

Earlier in the year he remembered Shernine coming to his door as a simple traveler seeking some information about the town. Bart invited him in and made a small cup of tea for the strange creature. He was so thin and light Bart assumed if he were really a bandit seeking to harm anyone he wouldn’t have chosen Bart as an opponent. Shernine tipped his hat as Bart set the tea in front of him.

“I’ve heard there’s been a bit of a rumble in Vordenport. Just east of here, right?” Bart chuckled and pulled up his sleeve revealing a large wound that was finally beginning to heal on his left arm.

“I got sideswiped by some shorty going for my skull. Tossed him in the river.” Shernine laughed at the reply. He took a sip of the tea and pulled a small book from his pocket. Bart cocked his head and watched as the unknown traveler flipped through the pages as if looking for the proper response to the situation. Shernine continued to read through pages completely ignoring Bart’s hospitality. After a few minutes Bart felt awkward enough to finally break the silence. His neither of his parents were home and he felt an obligation to represent his household as friendly to the passersby.

“What brings you to such a small town?” Shernine smiled and licked his thumb before flipping the page. He hesitated for a moment before finishing reading the paragraph on the page.

“Sometimes big things happen in a small town.” Bart didn’t have anything to say in reply. The traveler seemed completely uninterested in having a conversation with Bart. He flipped through page by page without ever glancing up to see his gracious host cleaning the kettle and dishes in the sink. After they were all hanging up to dry Bart made a point to loudly sit back down in the chair at the table across from Shernine. Shernine refused to move his head but glanced up from the pages of his text to stare back at Bart. “I gather you’re not the only one to walk away from the fight in Vordenport unscathed.” Bart huffed somewhat proudly.

“My friends with me also suffered various injuries, but we all walked back independently; we weren’t about to let a little scuff slow us down.” Shernine chuckled as his eyes returned to his book.

“You do seem like a determined bunch, I’ll give you that.” Bart wasn’t sure who else he was referring to. Had he been watching them since Vordenport? He didn’t seem hostile but the reply was strangely informed. “Thanks for the tea. Let me repay you by leaving you with something you may find quite useful.” Bart was ready to respond politely and refuse whatever gift Shernine offered. It wasn’t like him or his family to accept a present in return for some simple form of charity. Shernine moved a flat hand across the table seemingly carrying nothing with it. As soon as his hand withdrew Bart could see a black stone resting in the center of the furniture piece. He leaned over the table and gazed into the darkness within the stone. The rock reflected the light above the table very dimly. Looking into it was almost as if looking into a dark jagged portal. The reflection of light was slightly distorted in the crudely cut rock. When Bart broke his gaze to look back to Shernine he realized he was standing in the doorway. “It’ll light up in the face of darkness.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a special sort of stone. Tough to find on the surface of the earth, but it’ll point you to any nearby threat. Whether you follow it or run from it is up to you.” Bart looked back down at the strange rock. It was almost completely black at the moment. When he looked back up Shernine had already disappeared. He grabbed the stone lightly and inspected it in its entirety. He shrugged and placed it in his pocket, not realizing it would only become useful later, after a few more talks with the wondering stranger.

Bart pulled the stone from his pocket and pointed it towards Michael. It lightly glowed but nothing near how bright it shined when he was searching for him in Borhevan. The rock acted as a sort of compass for curses. He laid back down in his resting place and whispered to Michael. “Enjoy a night free from the curse; it’s passed us now.” Michael laid down as well and gaze up into the night light from the empty moon.

“For now.”

Concept Art: Shernine

Chapter 13

Bart slept soundly through the night. James stirred once or twice from his slumber as images of the demon haunting his dreams appeared before him. Unlike before the dream had become nonsensical and the beast came and went as it pleased. Sometimes a normal dream would be taken over by horrific images only to return to his previous vision. It began to speak more often which was highly disturbing to James. He knew that for whatever reason it was choosing to reveal itself in parts to him. The messages it related to James either involved it’s authority over mankind or direct threats toward Alchem. Most of them James would quickly forget when he became conscious but the general messages stuck with him.

Every time he awoke James would rub his puffy eyes and gaze through the room. Bart never moved and the clouds outside continued to flow by. He didn’t know what time it was but it eventually came to the conclusion that Michael wasn’t planning on returning during the night. Where he was didn’t concern Bart, clearly. James, on the other hand, was quite worried. Shernine never returned either, although James figured he was out of the city walls with Drule somewhere, making plans for the continuation of the journey. Shernine seemed more capable of handling himself than they had proven in his absence. James eventually fell asleep again and began to dream of his parents at home. They were doing chores around the ranch despite all of the horse being gone. His mother was brushing mindlessly through the air as his father refilled the troughs outside of the empty barn. He watched them walk into the stable followed by the dark monster on its beastly legs. James ran after them and upon turning the corner found that the inside of the barn was completely blackened. On a fiery throne another black being sat, but it was so blurry that James couldn’t make out the shape of it. To its right stood the familiar demon proudly staring at James with his white and glossy eyes. “Theogushek is strong; he will conquer.” A deep bellowing voice emitted from the thing. “The Arc hastens his arrival, ready to serve!” It proudly placed its fist on its chest.

James opened his eyes to see the light of day creeping in through the window. It was still early and James had very little sleep over the course of the night, but neither Michael nor Shernine were present and James felt the need to go find them. He rose and shook Bart’s leg which was peeking out from under the blanket. Bart looked around and realized the gravity of the situation. He was clearly still furious with Michael but was not ready to leave him alone in Borhevan while they readied for their departure. Downstairs they were trying to pay the bartender to keep the horses for some additional hours but he had passed out in a slump behind the bar and they were forced to leave him.

Outside the birds were beginning to chirp in the cool morning air. James rubbed his temples and tried to think of where Michael or Shernine might be. They had left a note in the room in case Shernine returned but he wasn’t clear about when he may have been back. James was absolutely clueless, but somehow Bart looked down the street where caravans were beginning to assemble and pointed. “Down there.” The confidence in his voice led James to trust him, despite him having no way of locating Michael, and they began their way down the street. Occasionally Bart would pull something out of his pocket and look at it before turning down an alley or continuing on. James couldn’t see what it was as Bart’s massive hand was enough to conceal the small item. He didn’t feel the need to ask as long as it was getting them to Michael. Eventually they came to an alley with many doors on either side. Bart took a minute in front of each door before shaking his head and moving to the next until eventually he came upon one that he knocked on with a confident scowl. After a few minutes of standing quietly together an old woman cracked it open and looked up at Bart, who was about twice her size. “We’re looking for someone, a young man.” Before he could describe Michael the woman opened the door the rest of the way to bring them inside.

“Yes, yes, of course. I knew you’d be coming soon. Come inside!” James and Bart looked at each other before hesitantly walking into the very small home. She was standing there somewhat hunched over in a dark green robe with ropes and tassels decorating it. There was an intricate design of gold down the arms that led to lacing around the sleeves. The woman had beads in her hand on a string that she was counting one by one, despite the fact that they formed a seemingly pointless loop. She seemed frail and unsteady but surely led them up a skinned stairway to a hall with two more doors. On the left she pushed one door open to reveal Michael laying in a bed sound asleep. “It wouldn’t be good to wake him, he’s not in good shape, you know.” Bart wondered into the room to see the darkness had returned again and was all the way into his neck. His chest rose and fell quickly as he took deep breathes in his slumber. He didn’t stir but didn’t appear to be sleeping peacefully. “Come, I’ll make you something to drink.” Bart cautiously closed the door on their friend, unable to look away at his poor state.

Back downstairs James and Bart sat at a small table while the woman prepared some sort of sour tea. The chairs were so small they creaked and groaned under the boys’ weight. James looked around the very dark home at all of the trinkets hanging from the ceiling and sitting on shelves. None of it was familiar and didn’t appear to be of any practical use, nor did it have any kind of artistic value. Her belongings didn’t appear to be constructed in typical Mainland fashion. There were a few books and some cooking utensils, but for the most part it all was mostly for decoration, or perhaps dust collecting. Large drapes covered the only window, in the front, and only one dimly lit lantern hung from the middle of the roof. The stove she was using was very old and rusted in many places. Her cabinets were also beginning to split and show serious ware. “Where did you find him?” James finally asked, as the women sat down beside them.

“The boy? He was making his way through the alley there and collapsed onto my door. He would have started crawling, I think, but I made him come inside and sleep. He’s very sick.”

“We know. We’re taking him to see someone.” Bart answered.

“I hope it’s somebody who knows what they’re doing. He’s in extremely bad shape; he’s been vomiting blood all over my floor.” James and Bart looked at each other. Bart turned to her. She implied that she understood more than either he or James about the infection. James stared at them both confused at their grasp on the situation.

“I don’t know how much longer he has.” Bart sternly informed her, which was met by a careful sigh. She appeared genuinely concerned about Michael’s wellbeing. James sat confused in his seat. Despite understanding what both of them had been saying he felt as if they were speaking another language to each other. They were both discussing information about the development of the infection that James had never considered, almost as if they had known what to measure during his deteriorating condition. James felt lost, with nothing to add to the conversation, and simply tried to understand what was happening to his friend.

“Do you know where the token is?” The woman stared at Bart before rising to her feet again and returning to the kitchen. She was acting as if James had completely left the room.

“I do, but I don’t have power to do anything about it. We’re working on getting to someone who we think will. Shernine said it’s about another two days of traveling, right James.” James was surprised to hear his name come up. He wasn’t sure what to say. He knew the answer to the question but felt so excluded from the actual conversation he wasn’t sure whether or not he was expected to answer.

“Two days to Grivenford, yeah.” He muttered as he stared into his tea. The woman shook her head.

“He won’t make it another two days without some serious complications. It’s getting very strong, one of the worst I’ve seen.” James grew worried. Whatever they were talking about must have been serious, by the tone of their voices. Bart sighed again and scratched his head in contemplation. He was searching for some kind of answer but was unable to justify a two day journey with a barely conscious Michael.

“Michael’s strong, stronger than he seems. He can make it.”

“No. He won’t be able to hold the thing at bay; you don’t even know its name.” The old lady seemed distraught over this fact. For a moment James suddenly felt a moment of clarity; as if a solution appeared in his head. He realized there was only one “thing” they could be talking about, something devoid of humanity. Perhaps Bart and the woman, and maybe even Michael, had a deeper grasp on what was happening, but James had the most experience with the demon itself.

“Theogushek.” Barts eyes opened quickly. They both turned to James who remained solid in his seat. He almost felt a little better having some sort of information available to share with Bart and the old woman but the grim circumstances vanquished his sense of pride. “It revealed itself to me in a dream.” Bart leaned over the table very close to James.

“I haven’t had the dream since we’ve left. How has it changed?” James took a breath and a minute to try and remember just what had been affected by their departure.

“Not a lot, honestly, but I can see it much more clearly than before, and it talks to me on occasion.”

“Have you said anything back?” The old woman grabbed his hand, leaning over the table. He could hear she was straining her voice to get the point across. The intensity in her face was vivid.

“No. Nothing. I think it’s… trying to confuse me maybe? It says strange things to me, like it’s trying to discourage me.” After a pause she returned to her seat. While they all sat together, James remembered his most recent encounter. “It showed me another… thing, on a throne.” This revelation didn’t garner the reaction James was expecting. The old woman sat back quietly and Bart held perfectly still. It was possible they didn’t really understand what it meant either.

“We need to find Shernine and get moving.” Suddenly they could hear footsteps from the stairs. James jumped out of his seat and turned to find Michael stumbling down towards them. Bart and the old woman kept their composure. When Michael realized Bart and James were in the room he sat down on the stairs and rubbed his hands through his shaggy hair.

“I think I owe somebody an apology, but honestly I’m not entirely sure what’s happened.”

“How are you feeling?” The old woman asked. She brought him over a cup of tea, her frail hands shaking as she tried to keep it steady.  He drank in a massive gulp before wincing and looking into the cup with his head cocked backwards.

“Honestly? Better than I have in a long time. I just can’t… remember much.” The old woman flipped his hand over to look at his palms. Very little darkness remained except for at the very centers. Bart immediately followed her and to look as well. Michael stared at the two of them completely confused by what was going on.

“Thanks for the hospitality.” Bart muttered before running over to the chair he was sitting at and swinging his jacket on. “Let’s go.” James and Michael watched shocked as Bart departed so suddenly. James followed him out the door and while Michael shook the woman’s hand and said thanks before running out after them. Her mouth gaped open but she was unable to form the words to stop them. He caught up to them at the end of the alley were Bart was turning to go back towards the inn.

James tried to slow Bart down by putting his hand on his shoulder, but he simply shrugged it off. “Who was that lady? She looked Shidenite.” He didn’t receive an answer. As they walked back Michael gazed through the city with widened eyes as if he hadn’t ever seen it before. They passed through dirty alleys and roads with drug houses on either side made obvious by the stench and dilapidation. People on the street wondered around aimlessly as the boys maneuvered around them attempting not to bring too much attention to themselves. As they circled past a certain building Michael stopped for a moment, peering inside. The canopy in front was very familiar for some reason. James and Bart realized he had stopped and turned around to see what was capturing his attention. It was dark inside the opened building except for the occasional spark from a coal on some smoking apparatus. Coughing and snoring could be heard inside as well. Michael squinted at a figure standing prominently in the center of the darkened area. Suddenly he walked out into the sun. It was an angry looking man in ragged clothes with dirty long hair and an eyepatch over one eye. He stared at Michael and smiled wide showing he was missing a few teeth.

“Look who’s back.” He laughed. Several other men walked out from inside all equally thuggish and angry in appearance. James whispered over to Michael.

“Do you know these guys?”

“No. But I know we should run.” Michael broke off into a sprint followed by Bart and James. The men were quick to follow, all with an assortment of blunt weapons ready to swing at whomever may come into their paths.  Michael ducked into a small alley while Bart and James made their way further up the street. They ran into a large market square and attempted to weave through the crowd to lose their pursuers. James managed to disappear and stealthily make his way to the other side of the square but Bart was much too large and noticeable for such a feet. He dove under a larger cart and found himself in between the backs of the sellers where there was sufficient room to push his way through. He bumped and shoved until he finally fell out of the other side knocking over quite a few things on the way down. He could hear men screaming from behind him but he continued to move and eventually caught up with James.

One more street forward and suddenly they found themselves approaching the inn. Shernine was standing out front with Drule and the horses. None of them were tied up, luckily, as they were all standing content in a semi-circle around Drule while he fed them apples. “Hey boys, I was wondering when…”

“Have you seen Michael?” They shouted as they tried to catch their breath.

“Not since… oh, there he is.” Shernine point south where Michael was making a mad dash for them. A moment of relief was quickly washed away as they noticed about twelve men not too far behind. “Well, guess we’ve overstayed our welcome.” Shernine effortlessly leapt onto a horse while James and Bart climbed their own. Michael caught up and jumped forward onto his, barely hanging on, as they all galloped away, save for Drule who calmly turned to all the men. They eventually made it up to the giant and all gathered in front of him waiting for each other to make a move, all unwilling to be the most daring and attack. Drule looked at them curiously before carefully mounting and trotting off after the rest of the party. The man with the eyepatch caught up from behind shouting. “Don’t just stand there!”

“Nothing they have is worth losing a head over.” One of the men stated. The eyepatch man walked up to him fuming.

“Yes. It. Was. Now it’s gone, and you’ll be lucky if I don’t take your head.”

“I know where they’re headed.” The group all turned to an old man sitting in a rocking chair outside the inn. It was the same man who had passed out drunk in a trough the day before. “Overheard ‘em yesterday.” He smiled. The eyepatch man approached him slowly.

“Where are they going?” he roared under his breathe.

“How valuable is this thing you’re after?”

After making it out of the walls of the city the group let the horses walk slowly through the much less crowded and safe streets as the roads began to disappear and the sizes of the homes shrank. Stone turned primarily to wood and the people wore more modest materials. The ascetics were plain but the mood was calm and relaxed compared to the business of the city center. To the east large pine trees could be seen standing tall, rising out of the sandy soil below. Few homes stretched very far into the region as the soil made it very unwelcoming for any sort of vegetation save for the cone bearing trees that shadowed all of the ground below. The wood from the trees wasn’t particularly sturdy and wasn’t used for much construction. As a result the town continued to pull materials from the wood to the north while leaving the pine trees alone. This led to what was referred to as the pine-wall; a long stretch of pine trees hovering over the town below. The trees were much taller than any other species and contained very few branches low to the ground. From afar the effect of this gave way to a large sea of brown topped with enough greenery to prevent any penetration of sunlight. It was surprisingly dark inside the forest making appear foreboding. The people who lived around the area refused to enter this section of forest. This was partially due to superstitious stories revolving around the area and partially because there was absolutely nothing of value to be found there. Many legends circulated about an ancient well within the forest that had certain healing properties but was guarded by a massive black, hairy beast that would gobble up anyone who entered. Some people told the story merely for the sake of interest, but some truly believed in the beast. Children were made to be frightened of the forest as it was incredibly easy to lose one’s sense of direction and get lost in. Most of the residents assumed this was reason the stories began.  

As they rode along a cool breeze began to blow in small amounts of sand from the neighboring forest. Michael spit as it stuck to his soft lips. Shernine pulled a purple handkerchief matching his robe from seemingly nowhere and fashioned it around his face. Drule’s face and lips especially resembled wood and no sand would stick to them. James and Bart were riding in the back of the group and simply pulled their shirts to cover their mouths. Michael turned his head to avoid the wind and noticed that all the doors and shutters of the houses on the street were closed tight. He turned into the wind to see the same unwelcoming gesture on the other side of the street. A flock of crows screamed overhead as they followed the group travelling through town. Shernine looked upwards towards them. “They sense it. It’s growing stronger by the minute.” Drule murmured so only Shernine would hear. Bart couldn’t hear what they were saying but could gauge the subject based on their faces.

“Let’s get out of this wind, shall we?” Shernine happily broke the quiet and ushered his horse to gallop towards the woods to the northwest, away from the pines. The landscape grew hillier as they neared the forest. To the left of the hills was the large sandy basin where only the pine trees grew, but to the right a more diverse forest grew with many small streams running through the rockier landscape. The woods north of Borhevan were only one route for trading available between the northern and southern territories of the Mainland.. The mountains to the east and the pine forest to the created a bottleneck that trapped travelers into a heavily wooded, but passable, region towards the upper Mainland. Any trading that didn’t occur on the river far west of the pines came through this area at some point if it were to travel south of Ytterghile. The woods were thick but the roads mazing through them were fairly clear due to amount of traffic through the region, although, traffic had slowed significantly as the capitol lost touch with the lower segments of the Mainland.

The changing of the seasons grew more apparent in the woods and the floor of the forest was beginning to be covered in bright orange and yellow hues. The bright sun could be seen through the brown branches shooting out above giving the woods an orange glow. Soft breezes chapped the lips of the travelers but brought a refreshing coolness to them and the horses. They continued to travel through the woods without stop for most of the afternoon. Everyone agreed that far too much time had been spent in Borhevan. Despite this, none of the party felt as well rested as they would have liked, except Drule, who had managed to avoid must of the trouble by staying outside of the city. The boys still weren’t sure were Shernine had been during the night, but they were starting to get used to the mysteriousness surrounding him and Drule. It didn’t appear as if they were intentionally keeping their whereabouts secret, it was more a matter of communication breakdown. Drule and Shernine were used to isolation and never felt need to share details about their separate adventures with anyone. If any of the boys asked they would give an overly simplified answer with a smile as if that took care of any other question that might follow.

James remembered Alchem being somewhat similar in this regard any time they spoke. Even with Malcolm, Alchem could be quite vague. He was very much of the opinion that any answer worth sharing must be concise. Often a simple nod would be his reply to a long question about a subject Malcolm was pursuing. James could tell it sometimes frustrated Malcolm but he learned to never pry for information on the subject. Remembering this brought some comfort to James as he realized disappearing in such an abrupt fashion was likely for the groups benefit and possibly Alchem’s doing. For their kind it was not something out of the ordinary. Malcolm likely went along with the sudden change of location realizing it wouldn’t be worth arguing with Alchem over it, although it unintentionally distraught James. Alchem could have been planning it for some time and not felt the need to relay the message until the last minute. It would not have been out of character for such a thing to occur.

The group found a clearing as night began to fall and set up camp there. They were surrounded by a ring of trees around the concave ground beneath them. They built a fire in the center and tied up the horses before laying out places to sleep. The weather was cooperating and so they didn’t feel the need to set up any tents. The journey had been unusually quiet. Bart was clearly concerned for Michael’s condition and Shernine seemed to be very focused on getting to where they were going. Normally Shernine would blab on for a bit about the area they were in; it seemed he knew a lot about the Mainland. Today he was much quieter and observant of their surroundings. Drule hadn’t said a word the entire day, but this wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary. After a silent dinner they all gathered around the fire and stared blankly as the glowing flames warmed their faces. Shernine was not incredible at picking up on facial expressions, but he realized James was concerned about the turn the journey had taken.

“I guess you guys made some friends in Borhevan?” He tried to lighten the mood with his signature care-free grin.

“Yeah Michael, did you recognize any of those guys? Maybe they had the wrong person.” James didn’t want to push Michael too much as he wasn’t sure if Michael remembered anything, but he couldn’t help his curiosity.

“I think I bet the old guy his daughter if I could roll any three numbers he picked in a row. Needless to say, neither of them where happy about it when I did.” Bart couldn’t help but break a smile when he heard that. Same old Michael, he thought, despite the situation it was comforting to see his usual demeanor had returned to him. “Anyway, I think I’ll be fine until we can find Alchem. The infection has retreated significantly since that night. I shouldn’t need to gamble for at least another few days.” James cocked his head to the side. How much about this problem did Michael understand that he wasn’t sharing with everyone? Gambling? What did that have to do with his disease?

“Don’t be too sure about that.” Shernine jumped in. “The more you gamble the quicker it will be able to take control again. I’d say we have two days maximum to get you some help.” James wasn’t sure what was happening in front of him. Did everyone know what was going on except him? Bart nodded when he heard Shernine’s words as if he had been considering this fact himself. James remembered back to when he and Bart were looking for Michael. Bart definitely knew where to find him. He had to have been withholding some kind of information from James, but why? Michael flexed his arm to determine how much strength had returned to him.

“Alchem will have the answer.” Bart assured him.

“I hope you’re right, my wrist is already stiffening back up.” Michael complained as he waived his hand to and fro.

“Alchem knows all about these sorts of things, back when he fought in the King’s Army he dealt with quite a few of them.” Shernine reassured him.

“Them?” James finally pushed for an answer. He hated feeling like the only one who didn’t know exactly what was going on; especially considering it involved his friend. The rest of the group, except Drule, looked at James. Michael and Bart then turned to Shernine to see how he would respond. He rubbed his hand through his hair and closed his eyes.

“You know… like that demon thing you guys keep dreaming about.” He replied with a smirk. James had his arms behind him supporting himself. He slumped back a bit and took a breath.

“Theogushek.” James spat out. “How long have you known about it?”

“Didn’t realize we had its name; that’s good news.” He took a moment before speaking up again. “I’ve known about it for some time. Unfortunately Alchem was already gone by the time I went to find him. That’s why we’re bringing you along; somebody will have to speak with Alchem about all this.”

“What makes you think I’m going to be able to talk Alchem through this? Malcolm should be the man for that job.”

“Don’t be so quick to dismiss yourself; Alchem trusts you more than you think.”

“Not enough to tell me he’s leaving… or even where he’s going.” Shernine sighed.

“Look, Alchem can be…” he paused, carefully considering his words. “…strange, at times, but I know he trusts you. He told me that himself.”

“What? When?”

“I talked to him briefly before he left, while you all were in Vordenport.”

James wasn’t sure how to respond. Had Alchem really said that? If he really trusted him so much what was the point of leaving so abruptly? Bart was still staring blankly into the flames. He knew something that he wasn’t letting on to. He knew how to find Michael even though neither of them knew where he was. It was as if he had some kind of map in his hand he was hiding. The way Bart would look to Shernine whenever Michael or James asked a question about the mission did not go unnoticed. The way he was reacting to Michael’s condition and taking control of scenarios he’d ordinarily let play out on their own was suspicious. Michael noticed as well. James felt as if he was on a mission but didn’t really understand the objective. Why did they bother bringing him if they weren’t going to tell him anything? Something wasn’t adding up and he had a bad feeling in his stomach, but was unable to place a finger on it

They had been away from home for a week and he didn’t feel any closer to finding Alchem than when before had left. He was hoping Shernine would fill them in on the details as they went along but James was beginning to worry Shernine didn’t actually know what he was doing. Every step of the journey was haphazard and unplanned. James began to speak. He wanted some kind of direction as to what the plan was. If he was really necessary in winning Alchem over he was entitled to knowing what was going on. “How long have you…” Just then there was a stir in the woods behind them.  Shernine turned to see a man with a board filled with spikes emerge from the darkness of the forest. Soon, others came out from all sides, each carrying their own crude weapon. The old man who had recognized Michael finally emerged with them with the drunken slob from the inn at his heals.

James turned around. There were four men within close proximity to him. Each had some kind of weapon while James had nothing to defend himself with. They did not look as if they’d be willing to back down. James turned around and back. There had to be at least of dozen of them together, maybe more. He turned back to the men near to him. They had taken a step forward when he looked away. James put his left leg back to brace himself for an attack. The rest of the party backed themselves up against the fire until they could feel it warming them, except Drule, who continued to stand where he was. None of the men seemed too keen getting near to him. Drule slowly circled around himself looking at each man until he would back away slightly. James noticed none of them were appeared ready to charge forward but simply stood threateningly brandishing their weapons.

“There’s no way for any of you to make it out of this alive.” The old man spat at them. Drule grunted and refused to give up any ground. He still hadn’t even raised an arm defensively. “If you give us the dice without any fight, we’ll spare you, and even your horses.” Another man with a dagger walked out of the shadow with two of the horses next to him. He held the reigns tightly in one hand while keeping the knife pressed against the neck of one of the horses with the other. Drule growled and turned to the horses.

“Stay calm; he will not harm you.” The man snarled at Drule. Drule locked eyes with him and refused to take notice of any of the other men surrounding him. His deep brown eyes gazed upon his opponent as his tree-like face hardened into an angry glare. Michael grabbed his pocket where the dice were. He kept them in a small pouch in a lower shirt pocket.

“The dice…” Shernine shouted back to him. “The dice do not concern you. They will bring you more misfortune than any benefit you could possibly achieve with their power. You do not understand their…”

“Don’t tell me what I don’t understand.” The old man barked at him. He took a few steps down to Shernine. Bart moved to step between them but a gentle hand from Shernine kept him in his spot.  “I know an old curse when I see it, and last night I saw it with my own eyes. I want those dice and you’re in no sposition to stop me from taking them, so I’ll ask you one more time.”

“No position to us, eh?”

“You’re unarmed, standing amidst twelve men and yet your pride still beams. You’re a fool.”

“Unarmed?” Shernine reached into his cloak and pulled at a beautifully crafted long sword from the very tip of the blade and pointed the hilt to James. “Here you are son.” James turned quickly and grabbed the sword tightly before swinging it in front of him to deter the men in his path from stepping any closer. Without turning he shouted back to Shernine.

“When did you find this?” The blade felt very firm, yet light, in his hand. James had never held a traditional Mainland blade before. He had handled Malcolm’s special lightweight swords in the past, but they had been crafted in a significantly different fashion than any Mainland weapon. There was a raised pattern on the hilt that helped him grip it tightly. The flames of the fire behind him reflected serenely off of the shining metal. He alternated which opponent the blade faced and watched them shovel back as the blade swung in front of them. Shernine then pulled a pair of metal glove-like armaments out of his robe and swung them over to Michael who figured out how to get them on after a momentary struggle. For Bart he removed a simple stock of wood with large metal cap on the end. Finally he pulled very lightly from behind his back a long wooden pole with a metal piece covering the end. The pole itself was taller than Shernine, how he was hiding it in his cloak completely mystified the men.

“What did you think I was doing when I left you last night? I’m not totally useless guys.” The old man didn’t budge from his calm stance.

“You could pull a canon out of your cloak and it wouldn’t matter; you are out-manned. Give me the dice.”

“They aren’t yours to take!” Michael pulled the dice from his pocket and held them up in the air. Shernine gasped. “No one else is going to suffer the curse of these dice!”

“Michael, no!” Shernine was too late to stop him. Michael threw the dice at the fire. With a quick turn Shernine caught the dice on the end of his pole and swung them over to Drule who caught the effortlessly over his shoulder without breaking his glance.

“Hey, at least let me…” suddenly a man came charging at Michael with a sharpened stake. Michael defended himself with his a swing of his right arm. The gloves Shernine had tossed him include bracers with a metal corner to prevent any blade from sliding off of the protector and into his arm. He swung his arm down to deflect the attack and pushed the man back with two arms to the chest. “Shernine, talk some sense into these guys!”

“What do you want me to say? I’ve never met anyone who wanted a curse.” James continued to wave his new sword about.

“What are you two talking about?” He yelled over his shoulder.

“Enough!” Yelled the old man, “One last chance, hand over the dice, or we’ll take them from you.” Shernine pointed his stick delicately in front of the man’s face. It hovered just inches from his nose. “What are you gunna do with…” Shernine then, with a flick of his wrist, smashed the man’s jaw and knocked out a pair of teeth. The man instantly collapsed, writhing in pain. In an instant Drule reached out and grabbed the man near the horses. His reach was far beyond what anyone had anticipated. With a simple lean forward and an outstretched arm he managed to get the collar of someone many feet away from him. He threw the man behind him into another standing near his back with incredible force sending them both flailing backward. Most of the other men backed off in amazement at the sheer strength Drule displayed. The old man spit a gob of blood from his mouth and yelled at the ground. “Get the dice!”

Suddenly, three men charged at James. A man with a bat of some kind came first. James threw his sword over his head to deflect the blow. As the bat hit with extreme force against the swing it became lodged in the blade. Another man to his right came from behind with a dagger. James’ eyes widened as he realized he couldn’t swing his sword while the bat was keeping it in place above his head. He extended his right leg out and kicked the charging foe hard in the stomach. James lowered his shoulder and charged into the man holding the bat. The man toppled over backwards letting go of the wooden handle leaving it still stuck perpendicular to the blade. The third man appeared and swung his board with nails from his chest. James deflected it with the bat causing the blade to rotate in his hand. The handle of the bat promptly flung into the throat of the villain causing him to bend over as he struggled to breath. James then brought his sword down side-ways hitting the man on the back of his head with the handle of the bat and both dislodged it from the blade and knocked the attacker to the ground.

James turned to see Shernine plant his pole into the ground and leap high into the air placing one palm delicately on the handle as he hovered over it upside down. He then fell backward grabbing his weapon on the way down and swung it in front of him as he landed lightly on his feet. The pole stopped directly in front of two men who were running towards Drule with sharp weapons. They hesitated for a moment before Drule tossed the dice out in front of Shernine. Shernine grabbed them in an instant and proceeded to run up Drules outstretched arm jumping off of his shoulder high into a tree. Perched in the tree Shernine could see Bart had already disarmed two men and was wrestling with a third. Bart grabbed him by his shoulders and turned to the fire before pulling his chest into his knee, breaking two of the man’s ribs. Bart lightly pushed the man back into the fire where he began flailing wildly until he was able to crawl away from the coals. Disturbing the fire pit sent a mass of smoke into Shernine’s eyes. When it cleared Shernine noticed a man coming at Michael from behind. Thinking quickly, he chucked his pole as if it were a spear directly into the opponent’s forehead.

Michael turned around just in time to see the man waiver for a moment before collapsing onto the ground. “Enough!” The old man cried out as blood continued to drip from his chin. Shernine walked out onto a branch stretched out over the clearing. He squatted down on the very delicate limb to look directly down at the old man. James had his sword pointed to the neck of one of the men with his foot on the chest of another. Bart was sitting on one man’s chest and holding a dagger to the neck of another while holding him in place by his hair. Everyone quietly waited for a response. The old man was on his hands and knees breathing deeply, breath after breath. Finally he made it to his feet and looked up to Shernine. Shernine jiggled the dice in the bag.

“Next time bring soldiers, not Borhevan trash.” Shernine shouted back.

“That’s not all I brought.” The man spat. He then pulled a large handgun from his waistband pointed it directly at Shernine. Bart swung the dagger in his arm and managed to lodge it in the old man’s shoulder blade. As the man bent over backward he pulled the trigger on his gun. Shernine looked down at himself. It didn’t look like anything hit him. Suddenly he felt the load in his hand lighten slightly. He jumped down off of his branch and grabbed onto it with his free hand. He outstretched the other hand holding the small pouch with had been torn open by the bullet and reached for the dice as they fell. He managed to barely brush one with his finger before watching them fall into the fire and burn.

The inhuman shriek that followed was deafening.