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.