Chapter 17

“Is it dead?” Shernine calmly asked. “When did you get here by the way?”

“Just…” Malcolm took a few difficult breaths. “…now. It’s not dead; I missed its skull. Didn’t you see?” Shernine shook his head.

James recognized the voice but couldn’t believe he was hearing it. Malcolm was standing above him with his arms still extended. He put his sword away and stood up straight. He was physically drained from slicing through the monster, feeling as though he had swung an open hand through water. He couldn’t believe how dense it was. “Thanks…” James began to speak, but Malcolm interrupted him.

“Next time, be ready.” He pointed to James. James wasn’t sure how to respond. Malcolm spoke to him sternly. He wanted to apologize but wasn’t sure what to say, if it would even do any good. Malcolm was clearly frustrated, but James was simply glad to see he was okay. His head filled with questions. He had been angry with Malcolm, feeling as though he abandoned him in Vorren. He wanted to ask if he had turned Alchem over to the King’s Army, but James felt obligated to wait, having just narrowly avoided death thanks to Malcolm’s intervention. Shernine was standing above Michael on the bed bobbing his head back and forth slightly as he mulled over his condition. Malcolm marched over to Michael’s side and picked up his hand by the wrist. The black dots on his palms were dark, so dark it was difficult to distinguish the contours of his hands. “We need to get him to Alchem, quickly.”

“If we head north tonight we may be able to get…”

“They’ve already turned east, towards the mines.” Malcolm interrupted Shernine, who was left with a sinking feeling in his gut and an expressionless face. “He’s moving with a small militia, making quick progress.”

“What sort of preparations have been made there?” He mumbled.

“I’m not sure. I know they already have the entrance to the mines secured, but they’ve been facing a lot of resistance in the area.” Malcolm looked back down at Michael. His current state was not promising.

“We’re never going to make it in time,” Shernine mumbled as he scratched his chin. “This isn’t the only demon we’ve been dealing with. There’s an old man following us. He and a woman tried to exhume it from him, possibly for the women. Malcolm, the old man’s curse is already so strong.” He walked over to James, who has still sat on the floor and took the gun that was lying next to him. He handed it to Malcolm over his shoulder as he helped James to his feet. “Do you know anything about these numbers?” Malcolm looked at the gun with surprise. He couldn’t quite remember the corresponding numbers for which region the weapon had been assigned, but he could make out the date stamped into the metal.

“This is from before the Dark Age.” He turned to Shernine. “How old is this guy?”

“He may have stolen it; he’s not exactly a model citizen.” Bart chimed in. Malcolm tossed Bart the gun.

“Where is he now?”

“We’re not sure. It got away when we found Michael.”

“It’s quick,” Shernine added.

Malcolm ran his hands through his hair. James realized it was a lot longer than he’d ever seen it. It looked as if he hadn’t shaved since he left either. They weren’t used to seeing Malcolm this disheveled. Malcolm quickly turned his head to the window. It was getting so windy sand was blowing against the glass. He slowly lowered his head and thought for a moment. Taking a deep breath before turning to Shernine, he subtly asked. “The pines?”  Shernine quickly shook his head while Malcolm walked over next to him. Malcolm was whispering but it was so loud everyone in the room heard him. “The pines. It will be impossible to find us in there.”

“You know I can’t enter that place. They’ll see me immediately.”

“It’s the only way to reach Alchem in time. Look at him!” He shouted while pointing his hand to Michael on the bed. Michael continued to lie with only white in his eyes, breathing slowly. “We need to go now.” Bart walked over and grabbed Michael, throwing him over his shoulder.  Malcolm and Shernine both watched as he unceremoniously shoveled through the room.

“It’s coming.” He heaved as was soon out the door. James sat still on the floor, his heart still fluttering as Shernine and Michael ran for the exit. A hundred things were running through his mind as he froze there. If he followed the rest of the clan into the pine groves he’d be going all the way to the mines. It would be at least another month before he could return home. It was possible he might not return home at all. That demon almost had him in pieces. It grabbed his sword as if it were wood.

He took a breath. James thought about going home. He could get back by himself without trouble. There wasn’t going to be anything that he could do to help. Malcolm and Shernine had it figured out. They were determined to get it done. He would just be in the way. Bart was a better companion for the journey, as he had already shown.

He took a breath. Michael was in bad shape. He saw the demon that possessed him. It was strong, and the demon in the old man was even stronger. He looked down at his sword. It was different from the last time he used it. It was slightly thinner and even taller than before. It had a sort of elegant nature to it. The crossguard and grip had changed as well. There was a fine weaving pattern where the rough leather had been. The sword glimmered in the moonlight. It was reflecting it more clearly as if the blade was cleaner.

He took a breath and picked up his sword, holding it tightly in both hands as he jumped to his feet while the sounds of sand brushing up against the window grew louder. If anything were to happen to his friends he was going to be there, ready to fight. Downstairs he found Bart and Malcolm loading Michael onto a horse. It was Malcolm’s horse; the rest had been wondering around the city after being left. They were going to be running for quite a while. Shernine was on the horse in front of Michael, whom they tied to his back. They followed behind with a lifeless Michael facing them from the back of the horse. His head continued to bob around as the horse trotted along.

The group wrapped their extra clothing around their faces and squinted as sound blew around them, although it was not much use. The city was dead, hiding away from the weather outside. Shernine’s hat blew off into the distance, much to his dismay. When they reached the northern gate the same two guards from earlier were huddling in the corners on either side. Shernine ran an open hand through his hair as sand poured out of it. The guard by the smaller gate door leaned over and unlocked it. As soon as it came loose it flung open with a blast of wind. Shernine gave a small bow from atop the horse and ducked under the doorframe. Malcolm, Bart and James followed.

James should have had a million questions on his mind, but for some reason as soon as he lifted his sword. As he had walked behind them all he could focus on were his surroundings. He could feel the air grow thick and stale as they moved through the city. It was much stronger than when Michael’s curse attacked them. The beast following them must be huge in comparison. He had to be ready if it came out from a shadow.  Outside the city gate, they continued to push through the wind. It whistled and it brushed between buildings. They eventually took a left and the pine trees began towering over homes. The soil continued to degrade into nothing but sand as they moved closer to the forest. An occasional tree would appear to either side as the homes dwindled in size. The sky appeared unusually black above them, but the light coming down glowed dark red against the earth. The blowing was starting to die down, but the air was even heavier than before.

The road finally ended into the dense crop of trees. Shernine untied himself from Michael and leapt from the horse. Landing lightly on his feet he turned to the rest of the group. Malcolm raised an eyebrow at him. “I can’t go in with you; it will be impossible for everyone. I’ll find Drule and meet you on the other side.”

Malcolm walked past him and pulled himself up onto the steed. He turned around and looked down at Shernine. “It’ll be two days. Can you be there in time?”

Shernine nodded. “I’ll be there. I’ll get this big guy off your back as well.” Malcolm huffed and turned around. He began to journey into the woods with Michael strapped to his back. Shernine faced James and Bart. He looked both excited and scared. He gave a small smile and nodded to Bart. “Thanks for all the help. I’ll see you on the other side.” He then turned to James. “Good luck.” James looked to Bart, who remained stern, gazing into the forest ahead. Shernine ran between them and dashed into an alley. James watched as he found his way to a roof before heading north, dancing across the tops of homes with his cloak flowing behind him. He seemed to move faster than a person could as he disappeared into the darkness.

Bart ran into the woods and James followed him. Shockingly, as soon as they made it into the trees the thickness in the air vanished. It was suddenly cool and quiet. The atmosphere was calming. Silver moonlight flashed through the trees, lighting the white sand beneath them. There was a pleasant scent coming from the branches above. Eventually, they caught up to Malcolm, who was walking the horse. Malcolm moved quickly with his eyes pointed forward. James and Bart quietly followed him without a word. After a short while, Bart noticed Malcolm was still nodding his head left and right as if he was looking for something. “Malcolm.” Bart yelled forward. Malcolm continued to look onward.

“What is it?” He whispered over his shoulder.

“Have you been here before?”

“Once,” he mumbled back. Bart looked at James, then at Michael still bobbing his head on the horse. He figured Shernine must really trust Malcolm to leave them alone in the pine forest. That or they really were as pressed for time as he feared.

“Is Michael going to make it?” Malcolm halted for a moment. He turned to face Bart while shaking his head.

“His curse is close to breaking free again.” James wondered over to them.

“What do we need to do?” Malcolm looked at him with a sure look on his face.

“Be ready to swing this time.” He quickly spun around and dash back in front of the horse, leading it deeper into the forest. As they ventured into the woods they began to notice all of the trees were growing closer together. Less light from the night sky was able to penetrate the thickening pines above them. James was having trouble keeping up without being able to see clearly. He tripped over a root and fell onto the sandy floor. Pushing himself up, he ran forward, but his face was stinging from the fall. One eye was swollen and he couldn’t see well already. The sound of the horse trotting and Bart stomping behind it was fading.

He continued to run forward. His lungs burned from the thin air he was breathing. His legs felt like rubber, but he pressed forward. He couldn’t see anything in front of him. He kept dodging trees moments before crashing into them. He was beginning to panic; he hadn’t seen the others for a few minutes. This was not the place James wanted to get lost. He ran faster, deeper into the woods, calling out for his friends. He almost tripped on another root, he looked down for a moment and regained his footing, but looking upwards, he realized too late there was a tree in front of him. With a resounding thud, he fell backward onto the cold ground beneath him.

When he regained consciousness it was morning. He could hear birds chirping in the distance. The sun on his skin was keeping him warm, reaching him even in the densely packed woods. He looked to his left and his right. There was nothing but trunks visible in either direction, so he began walking forward, weaving his way through the trees. He didn’t feel hungry at all, which was unusual for his morning. The sand was pleasantly warm between his bare feet. He supposed it hadn’t rained the night before as all his clothes were dry.

He continued to work his way deeper into the woods. Based on where the sun was in the sky he knew he was moving northwest. He figured everyone would be waiting for him on the other side of the woods. As he pushed onward his mind began to feel numb. Everything around him looked the same. It was as if he was walking through the same ten feet of forest over and over again. His head ached a little bit, probably from running into a tree.

After walking for a few hours James finally figured he’d stop for lunch. He found a couple of apples from a few days earlier in his bag. It wasn’t much, but they still tasted sweet. He leaned up against the bark of a tree as he sat; letting his legs rest as he ate. After a few apples, his head began to droop a bit. He was still very tired from all the running the night before. His eyes were beginning to close as he struggled to keep his head up. His head hung forward and he looked down at his lap. He bobbed in and out of sleep for a moment before seeing a small drop of blood fall from his face onto his pants. He jutted back for a moment before raising a hand to his skull. He was bleeding from his forehead.

Looking at the blood on his hand he started to remember things. He launched to his feet and pulled his sword from his sheath. Opening his eyes James found himself back on the ground in the blackness. He inhaled deeply as his mind returned to reality. His head was aching but his lungs felt a bit better. He heard thumping noises to his right. Slowly turning his head he saw something jump from the shadows. It was difficult to see in the blackness. As his eyes adjusted James could make out the shape of a goat skull hovering above a dark body. It peered around a tree before shuffling forward and out of sight. James could hear its deep breathing tamper off into the darkness. He jumped back to his feet and felt lightheaded for a moment before drawing his sword and running after the figure.  He remained light on his feet to avoid attracting its attention. Within moments he was close to behind the beast.

It was getting taller as he approached. It was very skinny and would hunch over to peek past trees. Its long, spindly fingers pressed into the bark of each pine, holding tightly before moving forward. James stayed out of site by moving behind trees from point to point, keeping on the beasts heals. The light tones of the forest were being replaced by a deep red light coming from the monster's eyes. At the very least it made it easy for James to move closer.

Up ahead, Malcolm stood in the path of the monster with a sword drawn. He was standing next to the horse with Michael still resting on its back. He held a sword strongly pointed forward. He was breathing heavily but steadily. He took a half step forward to brace his stance. Upon seeing this, the monster shrieked and dashed towards him. Bart came out from behind a nearby tree and swung Malcolm’s other sword low. He struck the beast in its knees sending it falling to its face. Malcolm ran forward and swung his sword towards its skull. Just before his blade struck the monster, it reached out and grabbed his neck from behind with its claw, attached to a lanky arm.  The strength of the thing was incredible. Malcolm tried to keep his feet on the ground but struggled for air as he fought with the beast.

Bart came in from the side and plunged the other sword between two of its ribs. It immediately dropped and Malcolm and pulled away from Bart, dislodging the sword. It grabbed its wound and it pushed itself into the darkness by is massive, doglike legs as it hissed and wailed. Malcolm regained his composure and made it back to his feet while Bart danced around looking for its next strike. James could see it had made its way around to behind them. He dashed forward as quickly as he could, realizing it was about to strike. James was too far away to stop the monster, but he continued to run as quickly as he could. He saw it pulls its arm back to swing at an unsuspecting Bart, but suddenly, the creature slowed to a grinding halt. James saw his opportunity and dashed between it and Bart. As it stood frozen, James stared into its eyes. It slowly began to focus on James as motion returned to it and time picked back up.

James swung just in time to stop the monster's hand with his sword. When he pulled his sword back he left a large, gaping wound in its arm. The beast shrieked again before rolling onto its hind legs and running off on all limbs into the forest. James was breathing heavily. Somehow in stopping the monster, he had been completely drained of all his energy. Just before he fell to his knees Bart picked him up from under his arm and pulled him up. “Thanks, now we have to get going.”

Malcolm grabbed the horses reigns. “That should buy us some time. Let’s get going!” They all headed forward into the forest, gradually slowing as they began to run out of strength. They were dragging along when they finally decided to rest for a moment. Malcolm fell to his knees, before slumping backward. His eyes rolled around his head as he gasped for air. James didn’t know it, but Malcolm managed to slow the beast to give James time. It was a trick he picked up from Alchem. Bart collapsed to the ground in a similar manner. James slid to his knees before falling on his face. He couldn’t even get his hands in front of him to protect himself from smashing into the sand. He could hear Malcolm mumbling. “Don’t fall asleep…” over and over, quieter each time. James’ eyes rolled into his head as he fell instantly unconscious.