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. 

Chapter 12

After five days of traveling the group found themselves camping another day’s travel outside of Borhevan. Borhevan was a river town centered around a joint in a major river that flowed southwest towards Vordenport. The plan was to get there the next day and find a place to stay so they could restock supplies and get a decent night’s sleep in actual beds.  They were all looking forward to it, except Drule, who could sleep soundly just about anywhere anyway, and preferred to stay away from cities. Sleeping in separate rooms would also give them a chance to get away from Shernine’s snoring. As quiet and calm as Shernine typically came across, his snoring was like a howling from a bear. Michael was hoping to find a place in town to get some milk to help with his stomach infection. He had definitely been having the most issues sleeping as a result of the intense stomach pain he was experiencing. He tried to keep the darkness in his veins hidden but Bart noticed one day that it had creeped up well past his elbow and was sure to reach his neck soon. It was something unlike any of them had ever seen before. James was hoping either Shernine or Drule would have some insight to offer on the subject, but it was a truly unusual case. Shernine said it looked familiar but he couldn’t remember a time when he had encountered it before and Drule would only ever shrug in his slow demeanor when asked about it.

Drule was very quiet generally so no one was really surprised when he refused to answer. Shernine talked to him on a regular basis but rarely got any sort of response from the large beast of a man. The boys all felt awkward talking to him and never getting an answer so they generally didn’t say anything to him at all. Drule was most talkative to the horses who would all gather around him attentively so he could brush their manes and whisper to them about where they would be headed. James was amazed by his ability to keep them calm; he was the only person he had ever met more capable with the animals than his parents. He imagined whenever they made it back home, Drule couldmeet his parents and show them how he was able communicate with them. He figured his mother would fawn over his abilities and his father might wish to keep in touch with him to assist with particularly stubborn stallions.

James spent a lot of time thinking about his parents. He wasn’t used to be separated from them for so long. Even though it hadn’t been an entire week it was the longest he had ever been away from them. It didn’t bother him too much but they were always on his mind. It seemed odd not knowing what they were up to, or how things were going on the ranch. He wasn’t sure if they felt the same way about him. Bart was used to not having his father around for extended periods of time and didn’t seem too concerned about his mother, as she was fairly independent, despite here deteriorating health. He told James she was as strong as his dad and was most worried that they might get used to having him out of the house while he was gone. Michael was too busy trying to maintain his composure in spite of his own sickness, vomiting about twice a day, to really worry about how his family was handling life in his absence. It made James feel uncomfortable, not experiencing the same sort of pain he was going through while witnessing it on a daily basis. Michael tried to play it off casually but was becoming increasingly more tired and irritated with traveling as the days went by.

The boys were surprised at how easily Drule’s horse carried him, considering how large he was. He had a sort of ritual to go along with mounting the horse. He would always whisper something to it first and give it a good few pats before placing his foot in the saddle. Then he would run his fingers through its mane and say “Here we go now,” before effortlessly lifting himself onto its back. It was sort of amazing to watch such an overbearing person be so gentle with the creature.  Bart was not nearly as large and his movements were much clunkier as he tried to get on his horse. He had never ridden one before starting on their journey.  One day he tried whispering something into his horse’s ear but it began to trot into the woods rather than remaining steady for him. Bart claimed it was the horses own behavior and not his inability that was the problem. Drule managed to calm it down for him and he was able to mount the saddle. As the horse walked back to Bart, calmly reassuming its position, they all looked to Drule for some sort of reply but their stares were met with a simple shrug.

Most of the traveling was very easy. There weren’t any roads for traveling directly north of Vorren but there was enough travel to and from the town that the more wooded areas at least had simple paths and clearings. Shernine always insisted they camped a little way from the roads just to be safe. The boys didn’t understand his paranoia but since he was the only one who was sure where he was going they didn’t see any point in arguing about it, figuring at least they wouldn’t be disturbed while trying to sleep. Michael said that anyone who might mean them harm would have been scared off by Shernine’s snoring anyway which, of course, was met with a shrug from Drule. The group moved quickly by day and only stopped for an occasional rest or quick meal before sunset. The horses were starting to tire and it was becoming evident that at least a resting day in town would be necessary if they were to keep moving at the same pace. Shernine was hesitant to take a break but James knew that it would be better if they waited a day and rebuilt their strength rather than exhausting themselves as they had been.

During their brief pauses the boys would occasionally prod Shernine for more information regarding himself and Alchem. Shernine’s answers were usually short and cryptic. They weren’t sure whether he was crazy or just knew much more than he was willing to share. James suspected he wasn’t trying to hide anything from them but simply had very limited communication skills. It was really a mixture of both. Whenever Shernine had any kind of interaction with people in the past it was either with Alchem or the Sun leading the conversation. Alchem was, or at least used to be, very good with people. Before he became a docile old man, he was a very friendly old man. Alchem used to have many friends on earth who would converse with him on any matter of subjects. Unfortunately for Alchem he realized that living such an extended life could be lonely as he fell out of touch with most people he knew and eventually outlived nearly all of them.

Alchem used to be bustling with life back before the Dark Age and early into the dissolution of the Mainland Empire. He had a knack for humanity that was far out of reach for Shernine, Drule and the Sun. They were all very similar in their composition but very different in their personality traits. Drule never felt the need to communicate with humans and the Sun was much more authoritative on the occasions when he did interact with them. Shernine preferred Alchem’s method of speech but was unable to replicate it himself. He never felt as comfortable with earthly life as Alchem had. It became even more difficult for Shernine as Alchem fell out of touch and lost his own sense of self-awareness. It didn’t help that Shernine’s amnesia was worse than Drule’s or the Sun’s. Alchem had also spent all of his life, as far as the rest of them knew, on earth’s surface. Shernine and the Sun often escaped the earth altogether and Drule could essentially disappear from existence if he felt the need. The week that Shernine had been perusing the planet with the boys was the longest in a while that he remained bound to the gravity of the heavy planet.

In some ways he felt very proud to be leading a group of humans, and Drule, but at times preferred to take a step back and relegate his responsibilities. He could tell that the boys were more familiar with traversing difficult landscapes and terrain simply based on their experience. He couldn’t understand how they could block out the mass amounts of detail constantly passing by them as they road through the forests. Drule had an excellent sense of his surroundings and could easily remember all of the fluctuations in the paths. Where it not for his ability to follow the sun and the stars Shernine would have been completely lost, instinctively trying to memorize every tree and rock they passed. The buzzing of green and brown colors around him often gave Shernine a headache as they travelled. It wasn’t so much the speed as the amount of color reaching his vision that slowed him down. Still, he was aware that appearances were very important to humans and so he tried to remain calm and act as if he was very comfortable with what was happening around him.

Whenever Shernine was on earth with the Sun he played more of a passive role, which he preferred. The Sun could come across as very controlling and harsh and, while the Sun was rarely wrong, it helped to have a calm, relaxed tone to go along with the often severe news that the Sun delivered to his subjects. Unfortunately Shernine was painfully aware that what the Sun was doing was necessary and could never interfere with his decisions, despite his discomfort with the delivery. The Sun however was very attentive to Shernine’s opinions when it came to humanity primarily because of Shernine’s ability to receive messages from beyond the stars. It was always strange to Shernine that this power continued to sway their opinions even though he was no longer able to use it affectively. Alchem always followed the instructions of the other three but they were never sure if it was by choice or if he really agreed that they should hold authority over him. They never asked him as they were afraid of what the answer might be.

The four of them all suffered from some level of amnesia which may just have been a result of how old they all were, at least, how old they thought they were. The Sun retained the largest amount of memories and claimed they were at least a thousand years old, except for Alchem, who they had found only a few hundred years ago. They weren’t entirely sure how old he was when they discovered him.

 Even though the Sun could remember more than the rest he was the most adamant about finding out why they were all suffering from it. Shernine wasn’t sure he wanted to remember why and Drule never seemed to care too much. The last time Drule, Shernine and the Sun were all together the Sun attempted to jog their memory using a series of flashing drawings he had made. It didn’t work at all which Shernine insisted was a result of the crudeness of the drawings. The Sun insisted it had worked on humans if he could flash the images at the proper speed, but they didn’t have human brains so they were unsure as to why he thought it would work for them. Alchem refused to participate and often claimed that he hadn’t existed until he was located by the others as that was when his memories began.

Shernine watched the fire they had built crackle slowly underneath the food he was preparing. He was an excellent cook and had prepared all of the meals during the journey. Shernine enjoyed making food although he was unable to do so on the moon. James gazed into the flames with a worried expression plastered on his face. Shernine could see the concern washing over him. Five days of traveling was wearing down on him. As uncomfortable as he was with emotional interaction he felt the need to instill at least some kind of confidence with the rest of the group. “James.” James looked up at a very stern Shernine. He didn’t say anything. Before Shernine could say anything else, Michael wondered over and plumped himself down in front of the fire.

“What’s on the menu tonight?” He managed to cough out. His condition was clearly taking ahold of him as it was now difficult for him to simply sit and stand.

“Bread and meat, maybe a potato,” Shernine was always proud of what he could create using very little resources. James’ glare was cast back down towards the fire. Drule and Bart came down from tending to their horses and sat with the rest of them quietly. Shernine felt the tension in the air. He looked back towards the small burning coals in the fire. “Alchem never used magic around you boys, did he?” Michael and Bart turned to James assuming he must have seen it at some point, but James simply shrugged. Shernine threw his elbows back behind him with a resounding symphony of crackling from his spine. He pointed delicately to a coal in the fire. It rolled out from underneath the grill towards him. As he raised his finger it rose slowly from the ground and into the air, suspended in a sort of purple bubble. Shernine noticed a brown leaf start to waver down from a tree above. He waited for the opportune time and gestured towards it. Suddenly, the coal flew through the air and burnt straight through it. The boys all were aghast. This was the first experience any of them had had with sincere magic.

“Hah, good shot.” Michael laughed and then broke into a fit of coughing. Shernine rolled another coal out of the fire and lifted it into the air. They all waited patiently for another leaf. As soon as the small crack could be heard from above the coal broke lose, and hurtled towards it, burning another perfect hole through the center. Shernine smiled confidently.

“I’ve always been a good shot.”

“Sure…” Michael chuckled again, this time managing to keep his composure. “It’s easy with magic, I’ll bet.”

“Hmph. You give it a go then.” Michael glanced at Shernine. He then stood up and cracked all of his knuckles proudly. He pointed to a coal in the fire which rolled out from underneath the grill. The look on his face showed nothing but sheer surprise. He raised his finger into the air and watched, amazed at is took flight and hovered where he pointed. Michael threw a branch up into a tree above to cause a few leaves to fall. He flicked his hand forward and sent the coal right through the centers of three of the leaves. Bart and James looked at him in amazement.

“Was that me, or you?” He asked. Shernine raised an eyebrow.

“I guess it is easier than it looks.” He replied. Michael slumped back into his seat, smiling to himself. Bart seemed fascinated by the whole event. He too, stood up and pointed to a coal. Nothing rolled out from underneath the grill. He tried a few times before completely giving up. James laughed at his defeat.

“Well, we finally found something Michael can beat you at.” Bart rolled his eyes and wondered off. James wasn’t sure whether or not Shernine had been controlling the whole charade, but it was amusing to watch Bart’s utter defeat, which was especially crushing as he lost to Michael of all people. As he watched the rest of the coals turn to ash, he realized Alchem had never even mentioned using magic in the past. He knew Alchem had magical abilities, but only was aware of this because Malcolm had talked about it. Alchem refused to use it in his work, despite the opportunities that presented themselves. James hadn’t ever given it a second thought as Malcolm seemed opposed to the idea as well. He knew that no amount of magic could verify any of the experiments they were doing, and the results would hardly be helpful if they couldn’t be reproduced in an average setting. Malcom always acted as if magic was a crutch to be used only in desperate situations, so he was somewhat surprised at the carefree way Shernine used it to make a joke at Bart’s expense. He wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to it, so he simply laughed it off and enjoyed the dinner laid out before him.

Shernine, Bart, Michael and James slowly approached the gates of Borhevan later the following day. Drule had disappeared at some point while the rest of the group slept, but Shernine assured them that he would not likely ever be seen in town due to his unusual stature and inability to have any kind of serious communications with humans. Borhevan had a massive southern gate that was left open during the day and essentially impenetrable during the night. The boys noticed Shernine was uncomfortable on his feet but none of them realized it was mostly due to his inexperience with heavy gravity. The road into town was paved with stone; a much easier alternative to the rooted paths up until this point. None of the boys had been to the city in many years and felt overwhelmed by its magnificence, even Michael. The outpost soldier by the door stood firmly inside the side wall gazing absolutely forward from the window from which he was perched. As they neared the entrance Shernine halted the horses with much gusto and had them all wait by the caravan. He slowly approached the guard and cocked his head sideways. The guard remained undisturbed by their presence.

“State the reason for your presence here.” He calmly stated. Shernine wavered for a minute.

“We are… passers-by. We are seeking refuge from the elements and supplies before we continue north.” Shockingly the armored soldier gestured them forward with a calming demeanor.

“Carry on then!” He said with a smile. “Have and excellent visit to Borhevan!” Shernine opened his mouth to speak but decided not to press such a friendly welcome further. Shernine turned towards the boys and pointed into the city. As they passed underneath the gate and through the portal Bart peered upwards at the massive metal, ornate frame that would separate the city from the outside world at night. There were a few skulls perched atop spears inside the walls on either side of them. No one else seemed to notice so he chose not to divulge this information with them. Inside the wall lay the bustling city before them, filled with life and activity on a level which none of them, not even Shernine, were familiar with.

Borhevan was a diverse city filled with all sorts of shops and service stations on either side of the main road into the city center. The crowd of passers-by was dense and active as they attempted to stick together in the quickly moving morning traffic. For James and Shernine the noise was nearly unbearable. Michael and Bart were more used to a constant barrage of conversation that made no difference to them at all as they were able to block it out. James and Shernine were uncomfortable with the amount of confrontation happening around them. Borhevan was well known as a bartering town filled with many interesting wares with prices that were all negotiable depending on the buyer and the seller. Anything for sale was negotiable and people fought tooth and nail to save mere pennies.

Anyone who travelled beyond one of the few major roads would find the slums that occupied most of the rest of the city. Residents who couldn’t make a kind of honest living in Borhevan could find a somewhat sound, yet seedy alternative deeper within the city. Around the popular paths he Architecture was bold and coarse. Any sort of decoration was offset by what it was being used to display. The buildings were tall, built with stone on the lower levels and cheaper materials on higher floors. The city paid no tribute to ascetics when it came to residences. Houses and shops were all crammed together separated by an occasional small alley. The streets were narrow and most of the squares were crammed with carts and small booths advertising food and materials. Navigating the streets with a string of horses was nearly impossible for the boys.

Drugs and corruption ran rampant through the lesser known parts of the trading town. You could find a cheap place to stay away from the traveler friendly areas of the city if you were willing to look, but at the price of security and safety. The biggest trade was in illegal gambling. Borhevan was the epicenter of underground gambling rings in the mainland. This led to lots of violent crimes over disputes especially unpaid debts. Loan sharking was a dirty but lucrative business in Borhevan. Most police wouldn’t bother leaving the main sectors. Matters in the slums tended to play themselves out without any governing authority. There was a large homeless population, most of whom were victims of their own addictions, whether it be drugs or gambling. Bodies seemed to pile up in the streets near to the outer walls of the cities, most remaining unclaimed, often caused by bad batches of the latest painkillers.

Shernine led the boys and the horses inside the walls of the city looking out for a place to stay. The first location they found on the main road was well kept and far out of their price range. A few more attempts led to the same results. Michael suggested getting off the touristy road and finding a place deeper in the city. They all walked down an alleyway to find themselves on a street filled with caravans and locals. The road was cramped and no one was giving them any room to move. Pushing and shoving appeared to be the standard mode of travel in this part of town. Eventually up the road it became much less crowded and they stopped to rest by a group of boys playing some kind of ball game in the street. James plopped down on an empty crate. As Bart and Michael tied up the horses Shernine wondered over to the boys. James watched as all of a sudden Shernine was pitching for the game. “Hey, Bart found a smaller inn; we’re gunna see how much it will cost to stay the night.”

“Sure, I think Shernine is a little preoccupied now anyway.”

Inside the inn it was dirty and had a musty sort of smell to it. There were empty liquor bottles lying all over the tables in the front room which seemed to serve as a bar. There was a large counter next to all of the mailboxes with room keys dangling behind it. The man standing behind the counter looked completely uninterested in Bart and Michael’s presence. He was a scruffy, older man with a dirty apron and scraggly facial hair. They walked up to the counter, but before they could begin to speak a loud snoring broke out behind them. The man at the bar screamed over to an elderly gentleman passed out over a table with a bottle still clutched in his fist. “Get outta here Sam!” Sam didn’t even stir. The bartender grabbed an empty bottle and hurled it towards him, causing it to shatter directly above his head.

“Alright, I’m going.” He moaned as he struggled to make it to his feet and wonder off. He was still drunk by the looks of it.

“Stupid old drunk, you kids need something?”

“How much is a room for one night?” Bart asked calmly.

“65 for a night.”

“For this place?” Michael questioned him while looking around the room.

“Doors over there if you don’t like it. Another 35 if you’ve got horses need tied up.” Bart huffed.

“See you then.” He spun around and began to leave but Michael remained at the counter.

“Roll you for it; Half or double, seven or eleven.”

“Michael, don’t.”

“Alright.” They shook on it. Michael began to pull out his loaded dice, but the bartender pushed his hand down.

“You must think I’m stupid. We use mine.”

“How do I know yours aren’t loaded?”

“I know yours are, so we ain’t using ‘em.” The color drained from Michael’s face. Bart crossed his arms with a sigh and shook his head. The man pulled out a pair of cheap looking wooden dice with scratches and dents in them. They looked like they had been thrown a million times. He dropped them in Michaels hand with a confident smile. “All yours.” Michael gave them a single shake and rolled them across the bar revealing an eleven. The man looked both shocked and appalled. “You some kind of cheater?” He spat while scooping the dice back up. Michael regained his earlier confidence while Bart just stared in amazement.

“They’re your dice.” After they stared at each other for a minute the man finally resigned to the loss and placed his dice back in his pocket. Michael dropped his coins on the bar and got his key, truthfully, he hadn’t nearly enough to pay twice the rate and was planning on running the moment he lost.

“Horses can get tied up around back.” He scoffed and turned around to wash some dishes, clearly just to avoid the smug satisfaction smeared across Michael’s face. When they returned outside Bart grabbed Michael’s shoulder.

“That was a special kind of stupid. You knew his dice were loaded too. You could tell by the way he was acting when he lost.”

“Maybe they were once; not in that kind of shape. Guess I’m just lucky, and I try not to question good fortune.” Bart clearly wasn’t convinced, but Michael was somewhat right, they were very fortunate to get a good deal in such an expensive area. They asked James were Shernine was and James pointed out into the street. The boys were playing their game and Shernine was pitching all sorts of incredible pitches, most of which seemed to move straight through the batting stick. Michael ran out to the stand where they had been swinging fruitlessly, which was simply an old piece of wood that had been tossed onto the path. “Let me take a swing.” He told one of the younger boys holding the bat. Shernine turned to a child standing nearby.

“Watch this one; it’s gonna zig-zag.” Shernine had an incredible wind up to a pitch that quite literally zig-zagged towards Michael. Michael gave an astounding swing and sent the ball soaring through the air, completely out of sight, leaving nothing but a whirring sound in its wake. The boys all stared at Michael with mouths hanging open, even Shernine was shocked. James stood up with his hand shielding his eyes from the sun but couldn’t keep track of where the ball landed.

“I guess I win?” Michael subtly dropped the bat to the ground and walked away. As he passed Bart on his way back inside he was met with glaring disapproval. He shrugged and ignored him. James watched their strange interaction and was simply confused by what was taking place in front of him. It seemed out of character for both Michael and Bart, but he wasn’t sure what to say so he quietly followed them inside.

At night they all had settled themselves in the room and divvied up bed space. Shernine elected not to have any seeing as he didn’t actually require much sleep, although he definitely could sleep for hours if he wished. Bart offered to sleep on the floor if Shernine wanted a bed, but Shernine just shook his head and jumped out the window, off into the night. No one was sure what to say as he dropped delicately from the second story window as if that were a typical mode of travel. As they lay to rest Michael fell fast asleep for once soon followed by Bart. They were all bushed from the long day. James sat up in his bed on the floor staring out at the night sky. He could hear insects buzzing outside, even though they were in the city. Occasionally a few bats would fly in and out of view. It was a fairly warm night, despite it getting late into the fall season. James attempted to get some actual sleep, but Bart’s snoring was filling the room and the noise coming from downstairs was enough to keep him awake. He eventually gave up and wondered downstairs and outside. Luckily, he didn’t have to go through the bar as there was another door from outside that led to the upper rooms.

The streets of Borhevan were mostly dead at this point with the exception of an occasional yelling off in the distance or wondering soul. James looked to his left and realized there was an old man passed out in the horse trough next to him. He nudged him a bit but didn’t get any response. The guy was at least breathing so he wasn’t particularly worried about it. Another man who seemed lost meandered past the inn but was talking gibberish to himself so James felt it would be best to let him go his own way as well. Looking up at the moon James began to question if they would ever really find Alchem. Shernine’s lack of direction and Drule’s lack of interest was beginning to worry him. He knew they meant well, but meaning well didn’t guarantee and results. The trip was looking as if it were going to take much longer than expected as well. He figured he’d write home to his parents and hope they had the good sense to check the mail office when he didn’t return on time. Despite the amount of travel around Vorren in order to reach Vordenport, mail never seemed to move expeditiously in the Mainland, if it reached its destination at all. Communications were generally poor, especially in the southern regions. Local governments operated essentially independently as few orders were ever received from the capitol. The biggest government presence in the south was in Vordenport simply because it was such a large trading hub and taxes needed to be accounted for. Taxes, which no one was quite sure where they were going, or for what purpose.

The Mainland clearly lacked leadership during the Dark Age, much to the unhappiness of people living far from abundant resources, such as in the south. Most towns learned to survive on their own small economies, which left many businesses out of touch eventually leading to bankruptcy. For this reason, especially early in the Dark Age, there was a serious influx of poor citizens and an alarming amount of death from starvation. Some families further out from towns became totally self-sufficient and survived principally as a result of good hunting and strong will. Unfortunately, surviving without the structure of a community can lead to diminishing education. Not many people of the Mainland outside of the capitol and nearby cities retained the ability to read. This was amplified by the lack of mail service between villages.

As James watched the moon sink behind the clouds he heard a commotion coming from the bar. Peering in through a window he could see a crowd gathering around a bar, occasionally cheering or gasping. The concrete attention of every patron grabbed James’ curiosity so he headed inside to see what the noise was about. Much to his surprise, Michael was in the center of it all at a small table with the bartender, consequently also the innkeeper, looking very happy with a large drink in his hand. The tired and sickly Michael who they were traveling with had been replaced by a vibrant and active gambler. At the table James could see they were throwing dice but couldn’t get a good view of what was happening. He could hear people in the crowd whispering things to each other such as “How is that possible?” or “It’s some kind of trick.”

“Michael?” he interjected from the back of the audience. Michael paid no attention to the comment, but realizing James was with him a few of the crowd allowed him to reach the table.

“Six!” he heard the bartender call out. A quick throw and the dice landed both on a three. “Eight!” he called again and the number was rolled.

“Eleven!” Michael yelled. The bartender threw his dice to find a four and a seven. The crowd all whispered to one another in amazement. The bartender was clearly drunk, and not the only one in the room, to Michal’s good fortune.

“I could tell you knew they were loaded! I’m not sure how you’ve cracked em’ but clearly they’re no good to me anymore!” The bartended was laughing and slurring his words. If he weren’t so drunk he’d probably be livid that Michael had outsmarted him. The man looked up to James with a big grin on his face and rosy red cheeks showing. “You’ve got a giant cheater with you, you know?”

“I don’t cheat! I’m just good.” Michael’s ego was clearly getting the better of him.

“I ain’t ever known someone who could be gooder than a pair of loaded dice.” The man was nearly incapable of speech at this point. James looked at a small piles of coins dispersed over the table, covered in beer and food.  He grabbed Michael’s shoulder. Michael turned around to him and could tell what he was going to say by the displeased look on his face. He threw himself forward and muttered something about one more roll. Suddenly James felt himself thrown to the side. When he regained his balance he realized it was Bart, who was now dragging Michael away from the table as he kicked and screamed. James looked at Michael and then down at the gold on the table. He swept a bunch of it into his shirt and scampered off after them.

When they reached the room upstairs James let the coins fall to the floor, jingling and rolling all over the room. Bart dropped Michael to the floor with a large thud. Michael stood back up and walked right to Bart. With his chest puffed at he looked up at him and huffed. “Move!”

“No more gambling. I don’t know what you’re up to, but it’s dirty.”

“I don’t need a big lumbering oaf, like you, to be my moral compass.” He sneered at him. Bart went to grab Michael by his shirt but was stopped as Michael grabbed his wrist tightly, almost causing it to break. They stared at each other for a moment as James was left there frozen with widened eyes, unable to comprehend what was happening between his friends.. Bart eventually threw his arm down and stepped aside.

“Fine.”

Michael stormed out of the room and was barely out of sight when Bart turned and pointed a finger to James. “Those coins are dirty. I don’t want them in here.” James hadn’t ever seen Bart like this. He was acting both scared and paranoid about the gambling. It was unusual for Bart, especially because Bart had enjoyed gambling a few times in the past, and even won some money with some of his own tricks. Bart didn’t turn to make sure the job was done but just slumped down onto the bed and closed his eyes. After a few seconds of silence he could hear James picking up the coins and leaving the room. He knew James was going to the small stable to put the coins in one of the horse’s pouches, but as long as they were out of the room he didn’t care.

Bart wasn’t concerned about the gambling, he wasn’t even really mad at Michael. Bart was worried. He thought back to when they were shooting coals from the fire. That’s when he first noticed it. Originally he wondered if it was because Michael was finally getting better. But as he watched closely when Michael played the bartender for a discounted rate when it was became evident that something was awry. When he saw Michael’s hand as he had grabbed his wrist and realized it couldn’t just be a coincidence. Every time he won something it happened deteriorated as quickly as it had appeared. The darkness in Michael’s veins had almost completely vanished.

Chapter 11

James quickly rose from his sleep to find himself lying in the corner of the room. The sun was shining in from his bedroom window; he figured it must be getting close to noon. His breathing was heavy and his head was aching. The bottle was still sitting next to him on the floor. Neither Alchem nor the beast was present in the room and there was no sign he had thrown anything up. He couldn’t say how much of what he saw was real, if any. His legs were being warmed by the sun seeping through the shutters. He grabbed the bottle next to him and wondered down the stairs. His parents weren’t anywhere nearby and he couldn’t see them in the fields out the window. James popped the cork and took a swig. It may have been a bit early to be drinking, but he felt the circumstances called for it. Outside James did a slow lap around the house. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for but he figured he’d know it if he saw it. Nothing was out of the ordinary so he cautiously made his way towards the back of the fields to the stable. The doors were already open so James assumed he would find his parents inside, which he did, but he also found two people he did not expect to see.

His parents were laughing and talking to Shernine and the tall green man. He wanted to tackle him to prevent him from running off again, but restrained himself in front of his parents. James stood in the doorway confused for a few moments before his mother noticed and beckoned him over. She pulled James in close to introduce him. “James, this is Shernine and Drule. They are renting some horses and need you to escort them to north to Bornatville. You’ll be leaving tomorrow.” She then leaned in and whispered in his ear “They are paying us a lot of money, you’re going.” James turned to Shernine and Drule. Drule was paying absolutely no attention and just petting the mane of one of the horses. Shernine was smiling proudly at James. It was clever, to his credit. James was surprised his parents were so quick to jump on board with the idea.

“Can I bring along Bart? I may need some help on the way back and you know I’m awful with directions.”

“I don’t see why not, we’ll give him some of the payment for the help.” His mother leaned into him again. “Part of your payment, obviously.” She whispered. Shernine grinned again at James.

“We’ll be heading out tomorrow morning. Don’t have a lot of extra time.” James looked around at everyone again. His parents both seemed excited about having James help. Drule just seeded happy to be around the horses. If Shernine was able to work this out, maybe he wasn’t as clueless as James originally thought. For the first time in a few weeks James felt excited again; he might really get some answers.

“I’ll be ready.”

James parents finished arranging the transaction with Shernine while James ran back to the house to start packing up his things. He couldn’t believe he may actually find out what had happened to Alchem and Malcolm. His heart was thumping with excitement as he hurriedly threw his cloak and extra clothing into a bag. A million thoughts were racing through his head as he watched Shernine and Drule through his window as they wandered back up the road. He realized this Drule character must have been looking for him over the past weeks, maybe realizing who he was? It didn’t matter much to him at this point.

A few hours later James was knocking on Bart’s door. He could hear Bart’s footsteps thumping towards him before opening the latch and revealing himself in the entrance. “You still up for heading north?” Bart raised an eyebrow at him.

“When?”

“Tomorrow.” Bart took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He turned over his shoulder to the empty looking home. He could hear both his parents snoring from their room.

“Yeah.”

That night the boys all met at the pub in town to say goodbye to Michael before the trip. Michael was clearly in no condition to travel, or drink for that matter, but wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to drink with his friends for the last time for a couple weeks. Bart and James had mostly packed over the course of the day and had to be up early for travel. They were going to meet at James’ ranch, pick up the horses and go from there. James never had a chance to talk to Drule. He wanted to find out why he kept popping up and how he disappeared so quickly but didn’t get the chance while he was at the ranch. James’ parents were too busy chatting away with the two strangers.

The boys all sat at a table with beers chatting away in the mostly empty bar. Michael tried to convince them once they made it to a real city they would quickly realize how much more interesting it was and never come back. James said he wouldn’t mind if he never came back; Vorren wasn’t offering much for him at this point. Bart seemed determined to become a sailor and get on with a somewhat normal life and make a living doing what he knew well. James was much more determined to see the world. He was happy to have grown up in a small town away from the hustle and bustle of city life, but as he grew older he started to get bored with the same old day to day life his parents were so fond of. If he never had to clean out another stable again he’d jump at the chance. The biggest barrier standing in James’ way was that he did not want to disappoint his parents. It wasn’t so much that they loved the idea of James raising horses as it was they’d be saddened to see the ranch abandoned. His parents loved the horses almost as much as they loved James.

As much as Michael wanted to move back into a big city he seemed like the least likely to end up leaving Vorren. He had become good friends with the carpenter he had been apprenticing with and would have been happy to take a full time position with him had it not been for his recent health problems. The furniture he was making was of high value and was mostly shipped out to rich homes far outside of Vorren. Michael felt proud of his work. It also paid fairly well.

After a few laughs James quieted down for a minute and stared at the foam in his beer. Bart and Michael both took notice. When he looked back up James could tell they were concerned. “I saw its eyes last night.” He whispered, as if the information was too sensitive to speak openly about in public. Michael slumped back in his seat.

“It’s terrifying, isn’t it?” James just shook his head. He couldn’t describe it. He had never been so scared in a dream before, if it was even really a dream. He had never actually fallen asleep before finding the creature in his room.

“It said something to me. It said ‘he will fall’ and then... Alchem was there, and it went after Alchem” Bart cocked his head to the side and squinted but looked away when James made eye contact with him. Despite having had the dream himself he wasn’t sure he still completely believed there was much meaning to it.

“It only smiles at me. When it smiles I feel like puking. I feel like puking just thinking about it. Sometimes I swear I can see it off in the distance. Just staring at me…” Michael seemed genuinely shaken just talking about it.

“I tried talking to it.” Both of the boys turned to Bart. They couldn’t get over how non-chalant he was about the experience. Neither of them could imagine remaining so calm in its presence. The beast was clearly some form of evil.  They seemed confused as to why he would make his presence known to the thing. “He can’t hear me. They can only hear certain people.”

“They?”

“My dad told me once that spells can have a mind of their own.” Michael and James were confused by what he meant. Bart was convinced every story his dad had ever heard from some crazy sailor was an absolute fact. He was certainly more superstitious about it than he had been letting on. James and Michael weren’t sure they believe what he was saying. At the same time, neither of them would have believed that some dream they were consistently having was supposed to mean something unless it had happened to them as it did. For whatever reason, Michael bit.

“What do you mean?”

“Spells can sometimes become a little more powerful than originally intended. Too powerful…”

“As in?” James prodded.

“As in taking a corporeal form, messing with dreams and having adverse health effects on people.”

“I doubt a stomach infection is a result of some magic nonsense.” James wasn’t buying it at all, but Michael was listening carefully.

“A stomach infection just seems like something they told me to make me feel better, to convince me it could be fixed.” Bart agreed and gestured towards James that maybe something more serious was going on. Michael was not the sort of person to complain about a health issue but whatever his problem was it was utterly debilitating… and it wasn’t getting any better. James feared Michael was looking for answers in the wrong places solely out of desperation. “If you saw Alchem in your dream, that’s got to mean something, right?” James wasn’t sure how to answer. He wasn’t ready to board the magical sickness conclusion, but at the same time he felt very sure that Alchem had to be involved somehow. The beast clearly referred to his presence in the dream.

“I can ask him about it whenever we find him.”

“Sure…” Michael muttered while grabbing for his beer, “sure.”

The next morning James slowly cracked his eyes opened to an early, glowing red sun seeping in through his shutters. His head was pounding slightly and he wasn’t exactly sure when he went to bed. Luckily he hadn’t had any dreams at all. His bag sat on the floor next to his bed in the same spot he had left it before going to the pub. He threw a few more essentials together before strapping on his boots and heading downstairs. His parents were both asleep. He knew they would be which is why he made the point to say goodbye to both of them before heading out the night before. Outside his front door no one was to be seen so he headed back to the stable to pick up the horses. The doors to the stable were already open much to James’ surprise. Inside Bart, Shernine, Drule, and even Michael were all waiting for him. The horses were already packed and ready to go, except for James’ bag.

James rubbed his eyes and stared at them all. It was if they had been waiting for him all through the night. Michael in particular seemed concerned. Shernine, the least worried looking of the bunch, standing in front of the rest gestured to the single empty horse. “Ready to go?” James looked at them all standing, waiting for him to answer as if the entire journey depended on a simple yes or no. Michael was dressed in his riding gear with his bag strapped to one of the horses.

“Michael’s coming?” He didn’t think it was wise to have someone so sick come along on such a long journey. Michael simply looked down at his hand and pulled back his sleeve to reveal dark veins that faded up his arm, as if his blood had been turning black in his extremities. James rushed over to get a closer look but Michael pulled his sleeve back down.

“Started a few days ago, I gotta believe Alchem might have some kind of answer.”

James turned back and looked at the humble house he grew up in. He had spent his entire life living here. It was comfortable to him. It wasn’t necessarily what he wanted to do most, but it worked. His family and friends were here. His greatest memories lived in the home. He thought about his parents. They wouldn’t ever leave the place, it had been their home since before he was born. They meant more to him than anyone ever could, leaving the village was like leaving them behind. In fact, leaving this home was leaving everything behind. James slowly turned around and looked at the unlikely group waiting before him. “Let’s go.”

All Downhill Exclusive Interview

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Chapter 10

James slowly wondered home while trying to process everything he had been told. Shernine was planning on heading north from Alchem’s hut in an attempt to find out where he’d gone. He suspected that they would rendezvous with a small regimen of the King’s Army in a northern town or encampment before moving northeast towards the capitol for debriefing. They already had a few weeks head start, but James knew Alchem was not going to be traveling at any great speed, especially considering they were traveling with a substantial amount of cargo. Still, Shernine figured it would take a couple of weeks to catch them and who knows what after that. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to convince his parents to let him go, but James was getting old enough to start making his own decisions and this was going to be the start.

He still wasn’t as convinced as Shernine that Malcolm would follow the orders of the King’s Army to the letter. Malcolm had been very dedicated to Alchem’s work and especially his well-being for as long as James had known them, so he couldn’t see Malcolm putting Alchem in harm’s way. Malcolm was also very adamant about staying out of the affairs of Mainland wars. He might be willing to deliver Alchem to the destination but after that point he wasn’t sure how involved Malcolm would become. There was very little chance that Malcolm would allow for Alchem to go alone if the situation wasn’t safe and he wouldn’t follow the King’s Army, so unless he felt comfortable with the contract then Malcolm would keep Alchem out of it. At least, that was James was thinking. Of course, a contract with the King’s Army wasn’t an optional invitation, but James trusted Malcolm would be able to convince them Alchem was in no condition for the amount of travel required.

Unfortunately it was the way Shernine reacted to Malcolm’s previous involvement with the King’s Army that worried James. His perception of the situation shifted quickly when James mentioned it. James didn’t know what sort of idea Shernine had about the way political operations occurred in the Mainland, but he didn’t seem too keen about having Malcolm involved in it. Of course, Alchem also used to be a member of the King’s Army, but if Shernine was to be believed, it would have been long enough ago, no one from that time would be around to remember it but Alchem. James wasn’t positive that Shernine was telling the truth. Was Alchem really that old? Hundreds of years seemed like stretch, but James didn’t want to step on Shernine’s toes as he seemed to be his best bet of finding out what happened to Alchem and Malcolm.

James climbed out from the brush and entered the horse fields through the fence. The horses were in the stable making quite a bit of noise. James wondered over to see if there was anyone around but the structure was devoid of any other animals. As he entered the horses quickly quieted down for a moment and stared intently at him. They seemed mesmerized by his presence. James figured his father must have locked them all up in the stalls for whatever reason. As he approached one horse it slowly back away from him into the corner of the stall. Without breaking eye contact James slowly began to unlock the gate to enter at which point the horse began jumping and kicking and neighing. “Have it your way then.” He muttered as he back away and locked the gate.

James closed the door behind himself as he walked back into the field and to the house.  Right away he saw Michael wonder around to the front of the house and out of sight. He must have been over looking for James. He made his way inside to find both of his parents in the kitchen, as he entered he found his parents sitting calmly in the kitchen. “Was Michael just here?” he asked.

“Upstairs. Came to drop something off for you…” his father paused for a moment. He lowered the town of his voice so Michael couldn’t hear him. “He’s not in good shape, is he?” James shook his head and made his way up the stairs. Inside his room, Michael was there with a big bottle of something resting between his hands. He held it out for James proudly but, as it was unlabeled, James wasn’t entirely sure what it was supposed to be. He took it from Michael and looked through the dark, green glass cautiously.

“Uh, thanks?”

“It’s homemade booze my friend!” James pulled the cork out with his teeth and gave it a whiff. It smelled vaguely fruity behind the heavy scent of alcohol. “It’s my own special recipe. I’d tell you what’s in it, but then it wouldn’t be a secret.” He coughed with excitement.

“I think you mean, but then I wouldn’t drink it. Is this gunna make me go blind?”

“Blind with excitement?” James put the cork back in the bottle and set it on his desk.

“Thanks, I actually…” he was cut off by a tapping on his window. Confused, he walked over and unlocked the hinge on the shutters to open the window. He almost fell backwards when he saw Bart staring in at him from immediately outside. “What are you doing?! We have a front door!”

“I’m trying to show you how unsafe it is to have all this garbage piled up outside your window. Somebody could get into your room and night and kill you or something.” Michael snickered when he heard “or something.”

“Yeah, but you couldn’t have gotten in here without me opening the window.” Bart rolled inside with a tremendous thud onto the floor. “That’s fair. But clearly you’re going to open it regardless of who might be behind it.” James and Michael weren’t really sure how to respond to that. “Alright, I was supposed to pick up some things from town but I came here instead.  I didn’t want your parents to see me because I’m trying to be discreet about it.” Just as he said this, James’ mother arrived in the doorway, she seemed genuinely concerned.

“What happened? Did you fall?” She turned to Michael, then amusedly to Bart, lying on the floor. She rolled her eyes as she walked away, back down the stairs.

“Yeah well, I don’t think trying to break through the floor was the most ‘discreet’ way of getting in here.” Michael answered as he plopped down on James’ bed with a large sigh.

“Is there a particular reason you came all the way down here?”

“Yeah, I saw Michael walk past my place on the way south of town and I figured I sneak up on him, but at some point I realized he was holding a glass bottle and didn’t want him to accidently break it. The last time I jumped out at him he threw a basket of bread into the air and screamed like a girl.” Bart stood up and noticed the bottle sitting on James’ desk. He sat on the desk next to it causing some awful creaking sounds to echo through the room. After biting off the cork and spitting it onto the floor he took a quick swig. “Woah!” he said with a cough, “is this stuff gunna make me go blind?” Suddenly James remembered where he had been that afternoon.

“Hey, I was just at Alchem’s hut and there was some other guy there.” Bart, for whatever reason, took another swig from the bottle.

“Somebody moving in?”

“No, he was looking for Alchem. He said he’s going to head north to find him. I think I’m gunna go with him.”

“Awesome, I’ll tag along.” He coughed as his second drink reached his stomach.

“That seems kind of sketchy, and that’s coming from me.” Bart and James looked at Michael and just shrugged. “Seriously, do you even know this guy?”

“I mean, he definitely knows Alchem and he seemed genuinely concerned for him. He thinks Alchem’s been summoned by the King’s Army for some kind of work.”

“Well, there you go. He’s far gone at this point. It’ll take at least a couple weeks to catch up to him, and then what? We’re here to take you home, ignore the fact that you’ve been contracted by the forces?!” Bart looked at James. Michael was actually talking some sense for once. It’s wasn’t as if he could easily turn down an order like that, even if Alchem was ridiculously old. James hadn’t really been thinking about it realistically. He was too focused on finding out what was going on to have given it that much thought. If Alchem was actually contracted there wouldn’t be much any of them could do about it. If anyone could have done something it would have been Malcolm, so clearly there wasn’t really an option. Bart took another swig from the bottle.

“Well, I was looking forward to some traveling outside of here and Vordenport. Thanks, killjoy.”

“Hey, I’m just pointing out the facts.” As worried as James was for Alchem, Michael was right, there wasn’t anything they could do. He wasn’t sure he would even run into Shernine again. Shernine was very cryptic about meeting James again. He didn’t really set a definite time or place; he just wanted him to be ready to go in the near future. James resigned himself to never really knowing what happened to Alchem and was forced to trust that Malcolm was doing the right thing.

“Thanks for the booze, Michael.” Michael smiled and then coughed. He tried to wipe blood from his chin without James or Bart noticing but they both did. He was becoming seriously ill. James and Bart felt hopeless for him. They both knew he had seen both of the doctors in Vorren and a few doctors in Vordenport. None of them had any sort of solution for his problem. Michael was deteriorating from the inside out and no amount of support from his friends had any effect on it. The boys all hung around for a but passing around the bottle of homemade booze and talking about various topics that had no meaning to any of them. Even Michael was drinking against all the orders of the doctors he had talked to about his condition. Michael left first after a fit of coughing took most of his breathe away. Bart left a few minutes later to follow Michael and ensure he could make it back into town without any assistance.

After all of the excitement, James headed downstairs to find both of his parents had left the residence. He wondered outside to look for them; they weren’t anywhere to be found in any of the fields. He heard the sound of one horse whining in the stable and decided to investigate, wondering what could have occupied both of their attentions. As he neared the stable he could have sworn he saw the tall man in the green robes just behind the brush in the woods. James ran through the brush cutting himself on one arm before making it into a small clearing. He turned himself around trying to find the man. There was no sight of him and absolutely nothing to see but a serene and quiet forest. James was frustrated beyond belief with this sort of specter he could not identify. He turned himself around again before shouting. “I’ve seen you!” Nothing but silence answered his statement. James felt less than threatening at this point. “Don’t come back here.” He muttered, almost to himself. He felt defeated not being able to identify the man that haunted his peripherals.

James pushed his way out of the brush and walked into the stable. The horses remained in their stalls without much complaining. His parents clearly weren’t anywhere to be found so James left again and began to head back towards the house. It was beginning to get dark. He stepped into a puddle and shook off his foot, irritated, trying to get all of the water out of his shoe. When he looked up he noticed a tall black figure wonder around the side of his house. Terrified that the being may be after his parents he dashed towards his home. He screamed for both his parents but felt as if his voice was too weak to reach through the walls of the house. The door of the cottage was open. James was terrified something had happened to his family. He jumped in the doorway just in time to see the black mass make its way into his bedroom up the stairs.  James ran up the stairs in just a few steps and jumped through the hallway. Inside his room he could clearly see a tall black figure with doglike legs and a long, hairy black tail. Its back was manlike, bony and elongated. It was hunched over on the opposite side of his bed breathing heavily with a dark, black hum.

James turned to his desk to grab the bottle that had been left there hoping to strike the monster before it could turn around to realize he was standing there. The bottle was exactly where Bart had left it. James grabbed it by the neck and turned only to find the beast staring directly into his eyes. The eyes were brightly white, yet emitted no light. It was if they stole all of James’ focus and drug him into the darkness inside. He could not break eye contact, no matter how hard he tried. The face of the freakish being was distorted but James could make out a large and disgusting mouth that hung open with a dark red tongue bursting out from the white skull. The being panted quickly as James could see the shadows of its horned raise and lower on the wall behind it. He felt frozen, as if in a bad dream. Finally, in a distorted manner with its tongue flailing wildly through its mouth as darkness dripped off of its chin the beast proclaimed. “He will fall.” The voice was deep and echoed through the emptiness of the room.

James collapsed onto the floor and vomited a dark and red substance at his feet. He slumped onto his back and closed his eyes. As he drifted slowly in and out of consciousness, assuming he was really awake at all, watched helplessly as the evil creature crawled all over his ceiling with its spindly limbs flashing back and forth. Finally, before completely losing sense of his surroundings, James saw Alchem appear in the room. James tried to scream at Alchem to alert him of the presence of the monster. Alchem simply turned away from the beast; his eyes were grey and empty while he appeared to be staring at something in the darkness. The massive black and distorted freak jumped from the roof and landed on Alchem’s back before James finally resigned to a deep slumber.