by Sean Eva | Feb 9, 2025 | Gedigte
Ek is vanaand ‘n oranje whiskey
met sagte klavier musiek
’n swart kombers
wat teen my lyf kontrasteer.
Die reën wat hammer teen ‘n venster
Blitse wat teen my kamermure speel
‘n leer notaboek met gedigte.
‘n hart omverm deur angs.
Ek is ‘n siel wat sluimer
in die hitte van drome
onder ‘n aircon stroom.
‘n uitgedroogte protea
En ek wens my oë word moeg
sodat ek in die skadus kan rus
die helder dae kan aanpak.
Ek kontrasteer die donker kombers
maar voel gerus in sy hitte.
Ek is oranje whiskey
met geheime fluister stemme
sag teen swart kombers
rus ek my hart vir môre.
by Sean Eva | Feb 9, 2025 | Seth
“So… You are haunting yourself?” Genevieve confirmed what I’d explained to her.
I’d left the boy to catch a nap and waited on deck with Sword and Genevieve. The Mainland grew larger the closer we sailed.
“I’m glad no one was hurt. I’ve missed the feeling, saving people.” My words were caught on the wind. I didn’t lie. The admiration after living through the horror of demon laughter and squeals wasn’t something I could ignore. My chest swelled for the thankful nods and smiles. Some were skeptical as they eyed me from afar.
“So you cannot use the full extent of your power?” Sword summed up my situation further. I avoided his gaze. “And you were going to take us into battle without sharing it with us?”
“Sorry.” I gazed at the fresh cracks on the floor.
“No, no, it’s fine. It’s not like I trusted the last traveler to get us out of a pinch.” He sighed. “I can’t blame you for wanting to hide it though.”
“The body doesn’t remember pain.” I smiled at Genevieve.
“Most women know what that means. I know it better than most men. All these scars,” I lifted my shirt to reveal the healed lines, “Be glad you didn’t see the rest of me. I learned at an early age that your body forgets the pain once it has healed. Lying on that floor, with my haunting searching through my innards with its hand, was painful. Excruciating even. My body will carry that evidence, but I cannot recall the pain I endured.”
“I’m sorry I asked earlier. You’re right though, most women have learned that at an early age.” Genevieve folded her arms while she stared out to sea.
“What are the two of you talking about? Normal pain? I can relate to that.” Sword tried to join our unspoken understanding. We glared at the man.
He held his hands up in defense. “I’m just glad Seth isn’t broody like he was at the Library. Your mood lifts the more time you spend with us.”
He wasn’t wrong, I was growing to like my party of four, but it meant there were three more people in my life that could die. I wasn’t sure if I could survive a repeat of Lucy.
“Seth.” Genevieve raised an eyebrow. “We won’t die.”
“Did you get some gift to read minds?” I grinned at her.
She grabbed my shoulder and squeezed it. “Not that I am aware of. I just thought about it. You’ve had to lose people throughout your journey. Makes sense you would struggle with that. I’d worry if you didn’t.”
“You hide it very well,” Sword said.
They must have been planning this discussion for some time. Of course, they would noticed me keeping to myself and avoiding them when they’ve been living with me for a year.
“You try your best to keep everyone at arm’s length. It’s understandable.” She paused and gazed at the enormous cliff looming closer. “It isn’t fair to the rest of us who have grown to like you.”
I’ve never thought about protecting myself from pain as being selfish, but she was right. When Genevieve tried to gossip with me about Sword and Timothy in the Library, I’d brushed her off. When Sword wanted extra combat training, I’d refused. Timothy, who’d wanted to swim in the bath, and I’d rejected the idea.
The docks were hidden in a giant cave with shadows playing across one another, while we sailed nearer. The crew lowered the ship’s sails. The rowers drifted it through the cave opening. Inside was an identical hall of heroes and, at the end of it, were similar large doors.
“I’m sorry. I’ll have to work on my bonding skills, but you’re right, Genevieve. Living a life where you’re trying to avoid connections in the hope of not feeling pain again is futile. I just wish that the pain of the heart worked like the pain of the body.”
They said nothing when I stood up. Timothy dragged our bags one by one, short distance by distance, to us. I took mine with a smile for his efforts. He had his dirty clothes in his one hand. He didn’t want to put them with his clean clothes.
“Sensible,” Sword said as the shadow of the cave fell over us. “When we are on dry land, I will help you clean those in the ocean water, rather salty than, well, filthy.”
Timothy pressed his lips together, his eyes darting like seagulls trying to find a place to perch between myself and Sword.
“We need to bath too, don’t you think?” I waited for his reaction.
The boy’s face lit up, and he straightened, a twinkle returning to his eyes.
“What is our plan, though?” Genevieve gestured to the welcoming party waiting on the docks.
“Well, I guess we tell them what the reason is for me showing up rather than Cindy. We will talk to their leaders in time, but I have a teenager I need to meet first.”
“See, my dear Mistress Luck has never let me down.” Captain Veren threw his one arm around my shoulder while holding a dark glass bottle in the other hand. The stench of sour berries clung to his breath.
“Thank you, Captain, I’m glad we arrived safely.” I tried to smiled. He lifted his arm and a smacked me forward as he gave me a punch on my back.
“It was great, just never sail with me again.” The captain’s eyes narrowed then he stumbled away from me.
I searched the faces for black hair and serious eyes. A thud on the deck behind me said I wouldn’t find him on the docks. A teenager gripped a dagger in each hand. He wore a smile while he studied the people on the ship.
“Seth, this is a surprise.” Something in the teenager’s eyes dared me.
“Brandon.” The teenager inside of me wanted to hug him like I used to when he was eight and stood in my apartment.
He seethed and stomped to me. The mark across my palm throbbed as he approached.
“Seth.” He grinned and met me with an embrace.
It was like the world stood still. The hug wasn’t unwelcomed so I returned it. He had a bitter smell to him. I had half a mind to tell him he needed a bath too, but I decided against it when I enjoyed his arms around my neck. He grew up to be quite a young man.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, but he only squeezed tighter and sighed in the curve of my neck.
“It’s okay,” he whispered.
I relaxed a bit. When he stepped back there were tears in his eyes. “I missed you, Seth. Life has been tough here on the Mainland.”
“I hear you play many roles,” I said.
He motioned for us to follow. We lined up while the crewmen lowered the ramp. Brandon lunged ahead of us to approach another young man with dirty blond hair and the brightest blue eyes. The two of them shared a moment before continuing with their duties.
Genevieve leaned in toward me. “I’m not the only one who saw that?”
“I guess not,” I said, crossing onto the dock.
Sword and Genevieve marched to the cloaks with their hands on their relics holstered on their bodies in different ways. Brandon waited for me at the first statue. Timothy’s gaze darted between me and Sword and chose to run after Sword.
“What did Cindy say?” Brandon asked.
I breathed out some air while honored by the statues in the hall. He leaned against the first statue—the first cloak.
“I should fall in with your plan and join the attack on Volupto. After that, I have to close the gate in the Deadlands.” I recited the same way I’d rehearsed in my head.
“You are heading to the Deadlands?” He grinned. “Makes sense. Destroying their means to enter the physical is the logical move. I guess you came up with that part?”
“I don’t remember, but I’m the only one who can.” I stopped myself from saying more.
Brandon was a double agent. The title itself merited he should not be trusted. When I looked at him, I saw the eight-year-old boy who’d glared me down whenever I gave him something to do. This young man was no longer that boy.
He beckoned me with his head to join him on his way into the Library. He took me to the war table and directed my attention to the map—a different one than those in Lenost’s Library.
“We are going to hit them hard. Their ships in the harbor are the prize.” He palmed some pebbles then placed them on the map’s desert area. “We will attack the city and kill the demons we come across. Those from the harbor will join the conflict. During that time, another group will take the ships and sail them around to this Library. My men in the city will retreat, leaving the demons without an escape route and us enough time to board the ships and sail for Lenost. Some of us will stay behind, but that’s the idea.”
“Are you planning on using all of the ships?” At Brandon’s puzzled frown, I continued, “Then why not take two and burn the others? You will spare time, cause mayhem, and the demons coming to Volupto’s aid will be thrown in disarray.”
He crossed his arms and stared at the map for a while. “That’s not a bad idea. Very good, we’ll do that.” He clapped his hands and smiled at me. “You have traveled some way, and I hear it wasn’t the best of trips. How about some food, a bath, and drink?”
I tilted my head and leered at him. “Wait, how did you know about what happened? I haven’t left you alone since we docked.”
“The art of espionage is to know things. Half of the sailors were mutes when you docked. The ship’s deck was cracked, not to mention the whispers of the black fog and the demon ships you escaped.”
I gaped. “You put all that together simply by listening among the sailors and being on the ship?”
An angel appeared in the shadows. It had the form of a man and the head of some feline.
“Get them some food and something to drink,” Brandon barked at it.
It blinked slowly and strolled off.
Timothy ran up to me with clean pants in one hand.
Brandon frowned at the child. “You still looking after runaway kids?” His expression hardened. “Good for you.” He stormed off.
Timothy waited next to me. “Who is that guy?”
“An old friend.” I took his hand while we strode toward the nearest door. I hoped that like the Library in Lenost, the door would open to the room we needed most. We entered through the door to a large bathing area.
Other men were cleaning themselves. I sighed, but Timothy squeezed my hand. We undressed against the wall with infant seats to place our clothes on. The bathing rooms in the Library were odd. When I climbed out of the water, it steamed off me before I could dress. Timothy ran and jumped into the pool of water, splashing everyone. A few men laughed at his youthful vigor, while others grumbled and waded to the far side of the pool. Their gazes summed me up when I revealed the scars over my body. I climbed into the water, and the boy swam over to me.
“This is fun.” He squirted water out of his mouth.
I allowed the warm water to run over my skin. It always helped with the numb areas or on bad days when the healed scars throbbed. My wounds were deeper than most. I smiled when I thought back to the day I left Piper’s mansion to stay on my own. People helped me to adjust to the new life. Chief among them was a woman called Granny Leah. She’d owned the apartment building I stayed in. When she took me in, she taught me how to clean myself and how to make food that wasn’t half bad. She treated my wounds, too.
“Take off your clothes and come stand here,” she used to say. She’d make me move to check mobility or for lingering infection. “They broke you, didn’t they?’ she’d asked me.
I’d pressed my lips together. “Can’t break something if there ain’t anything to break.”
She cried after that statement. My English was bad back then, broken, not unlike myself. It hasn’t improved by much, but it’s better.
“Seth, you’re doing it again.” Timothy grabbed my shoulders.
“Sorry. I zone out from time to time, don’t I?” I stammered.
The boy clung to the ledge next to me. “Genevieve said your mind remembers things when you do that and that we shouldn’t bother you too much because you have to process it.”
“She’s right,” I stole a glance at the rough cave ceiling, “but sometimes those memories aren’t very good, so it is nice when you call my name and get me to focus on what’s happening now.”
“Like that time you started crying when you hugged me?” He kicked back into the water, splashing about.
“Seth?” Sword stood to the side. “Genevieve and I…” He searched for the words before glancing at Timothy and smiling to himself. “We think it might be for the best if we train before the attack.”
I waded out of the water.
“Can I come?” Timothy asked.
Sword cleared his throat. “Not this time around.”
I followed his gaze fixed to the lower half of my body. I bit my lip and hurried to my pile of clothes.
“Demons don’t have any mercy, do they?” Sword tore his gaze away and took a breath.
“They don’t.” I rushed to dress while he crossed his arms.
Sword’s eyes were soft as he searched me. He hesitated, opened his mouth, shut it, and marched to the training room.
I entered to find the two of them talking. Genevieve smiled at me and trotted toward me. “You’ve taught us to understand the nature of demons and how to fight them. We would like to help with your haunting, if at all possible.” She held the wooden weapon in her hand, ready to begin.
“How do you propose to do that?” I asked.
They glanced at each other and shifted on their feet.
“We have a theory. Do you remember you said the Alhalma is the energy to the physical?”
Genevieve straightened when Sword took his stance near her. “Well, what would happen if you used another human’s Ikulme? Like mine or Sword’s?”
I thought about it for a while. “Better is that you two are cloaks. Humans don’t have Ikulme , but you have power that comes from Ulhezaoi. I will need an anchor for you.” I scanned the room, searching for something that would do.
“How does that work?” Genevieve asked.
“You won’t like it much. During the previous war, the witches who fought against the cloaks had a sure way of matching the power of one cloak. They shared their magical power, created a circle, contributing their Ekesre, so to speak, and fought against the cloak, one by one. They all would have an identical symbolic element: a tattoo, a totem, or something tangible. I have another way, but it takes time. I can meditate and push power from the Ikume into a weapon. Meditation is a peaceful activity, and the haunting hasn’t targeted me when I’ve transferred energy into a staff. If my energy dips low or the haunting is too close, I break the staff and use the raw Ikulme seeping out to fight back. It only lasts for a small amount before decimating. It’s a last resort, and I must end the fight at that moment.”
The two of them stared.
“What?” I asked.
Sword rubbed his arm while side eyeing me. “I thought we knew a lot, but your knowledge on things of the Alhalma… It’s scary.”
“I’ll find paint. We need to practice how far you can push yourself.” Genevieve ran to the door and gave a yelp when it opened into a cupboard with paint instead of the large hall with bookshelves.
by Sean Eva | Feb 9, 2025 | Seth
At nightfall, we made our next move. A knock on our door came. Cindy stood there with Timothy. She invited herself in and strode around the apartment. Her hood was drawn over her eyes, as was Timothy’s. The boy’s cheeks were puffy… He’d been crying.
“You almost forgot something,” Cindy said.
“Doesn’t seem like he wants to come with.” Genevieve took another sip from the water pouch she carried.
Timothy took a deep breath, stepped forward, and fixed a determined gaze on the farthest wall. “The first cloaks left their homes to end the war. They lost in the end. If I go with you now and train extra hard, I might stop the same from happening again.”
While hugging herself, Cindy left but cast a glance over her shoulder. “Are you lot coming? The ship isn’t going to wait all night.”
I kneeled and took hold of Timothy’s right shoulder, careful not to slip his bag off. “I don’t know what it’s like to leave your parents. I don’t even know if mine are still alive. But I know what their absence feels like. The choice you made today will be with you for many years to come.”
His expression was serious while he processed what I said. His eyes narrowed further. We all flipped our hoods in place and slung our bags over our shoulders.
“Keep your hoods on. If there are spies, it is imperative they think I am the one who left for Volupto today. Seth, lead everyone to the harbor. I am going to walk.” She left.
The familiar strength swarmed my arms as the Ikulme opened a portal onto the one the place I’d been avoiding. We proceeded onto the cement platform, the moon high and the mist from the sea hung around us. Blurred golden circles marked where lanterns hid in the mist. Two ships, a large and a small, were docked. The mist faded and revealed clear skies over the ocean where enormous stone walls were built beyond the harbor. One giant gate closed the cape opening that would allow ships to sail to Lenost. The mist and the cry of a lone seagull made my heart beat in my throat. I was locked on one spot. I shook my head a few times to return my focus to the ships.
“I wager that the merchant ship with rough fixed sails is Cindy’s,” Sword whispered.
We scanned the harbor for anyone waiting or watching. There was no one except for the drunkards singing to the moon. Cindy’s silhouette appeared in what felt like a lifetime. I motioned for the others to follow. We fell in step behind her. On the side of the boat was its name painted high enough so the waves wouldn’t wash it off. Mistress Luck welcomed us as the crew made pulled the boarding plank in place.
“Be quick. It’s a day’s journey if the storms and the tides don’t veer you off course. Captain Veren is waiting on the ship.”
I grinned at her and was about to leave when she grabbed my arm.
She pulled me closer to whisper, “If you mess this up or screw with Brandon’s mind, boy, I will know.”
I pulled my arm away but leaned in. “And what would you do about it?” I paraded backward and smirked at her, standing there with her fists balled.
Two men pulled the ramp onto the deck the moment I boarded. The rowing started with many a crewman gripping a long oar. A man stumped among them, his back up right. The moonlight revealed a long beard. A soft whistle played over the harbor as the breeze drifted down from high walls. My damp brow reminding me that I needed to get a haircut. The breeze gave some cool relief on the bobbing vessel. They had to row this part to exit the cape.
Cindy watched from the docks. Only when the heavy hinges scraped away the rust did I turn to the giant stone gates. They were being pulled toward the walls with a loud churning that bellowed in the belly of the wall. The light from the stars and the moon was blocked out when the walls’ shadow fell across the Mistress Luck. I looked ahead at the dark waters. Some sailors carried lanterns while others had a quiet thought.
I was leaving Lenost, and with a rag-tag team, I was about to face a greater unknown. I steadied my breathing and held my chin up. The ship exited the cape. With the wall behind us, the light of the moon illuminated the deck once more. We entered the big open water, the sails were dropped, and the ship lurched as the wind propelled it to the Mainland, Yabasrana. A familiar hand grabbed mine. Timothy chewed on a fingernail. I followed his gaze and watched the island grow smaller.
“It’s okay to be scared,” I said.
He shook his head. “I don’t know how grown-ups do it but this is,” he hesitated, his darting gaze searched for words and ended with a sigh, “awful.”
“You’re not wrong,” I muttered. A squawk above whipped my gaze skyward.
Hawk swooped down, changed into the form of a boy, then ran to me. “Seth, the Library sends you off with the Maker’s blessing.”
“Thanks, Hawk.” I’d avoided this encounter thus far.
I took the book he held out to me. When I flicked through the pages, they were blank.
“What is this?” I snapped the book shut and offered it to the angel, who stared at Timothy.
“A book that was entrusted to me for safekeeping. You will know to whom you should give it when the time is right.” He turned to leave.
I called after him, “Hawk, thanks for everything.”
He didn’t show emotion but blinked a few times and bowed his head at me before taking off. I swallowed a lump in my throat. He’d return to his post at the Library and relative safety. I watched while the beat of his wings continued on into a distant shadow, then into nothing.
“Goodbye, Hawk,” I whispered.
Timothy took hold of the starboard beam and leaned against it, doing a sort of push up. “You like him a lot.”
“He was like the dad I never had. He cleaned and fed me and clothed me when I didn’t have the strength to do so. I might never see him again.”
The boy hugged me.
I smiled at the horizon and the stars above us. “What have we gotten ourselves into, little man?” I ruffled his hair when he shrugged.
“Now that’s not something you see every day.” A hoarse voice came from behind me.
I faced the man that was walking amongst the men who were now putting the oars away. He stepped forward and extended a hand to me.
“The name’s Captain Veren. Welcome aboard the Mistress Luck. I understand you are taking the trip back instead of Cindy?” He led me and Timothy to a lantern where Genevieve and Sword were chatting. With a swift motion of his hand, Captain Veren grabbed the lantern and held it up, revealing his deep blue eyes that were almost green in the warm light.
“Best you lot follow me to your quarters. You’ll be sleeping with the crew on this voyage. I’ve been up some way, traveled to the beaches of the Canyon Valley and the Mountain of Fiero even.” His eyes became unfocused, and he peered past me at the dark waters. “Dealt with monsters and demons before. They are good for trade. Better not to run into them as an enemy.” He shook his head as he started toward a door. It led down to a landing from which I could look over the rail to the lower level.
“Just cargo holds down there. Nothing you need to worry about. You’re here at the back of the ship… The aft for you children of the land. If you are going to be sailing on the Mistress Luck, you better get to know her innards by name.” He winked at Timothy and coughed a few times. We continued onward to a room that was wide but limited in height. Timothy got the hammock above mine, and we placed our bags at our sleeping area.
“Children are restless sleepers and often tumble off during the night.” The captain chuckled. ”You’ll act like the cushion to catch him and break his descend.”
I grimaced, anticipating a night of poor sleep. “Wouldn’t falling from a shorter height be better for the boy?”
The captain flicked the toothpick with his tongue and pinched it between his lips. “The shock of the fall might give him some backbone. “Grub will be ready in a while. Get settled, and make your way to the deck.”
###
I sat with Timothy in the cabin with our legs crossed while we focused on the Alhalma Anarta. In my mind’s eye, I could see the unseen world that lived parallel with ours. Timothy was standing in it as well, watching along with me. It was foggy, dark and gray in whichever direction I checked to see if we were safe. There was no demon nearby, but the Alhalma was a gloomy place. The fog attacked and scratched at our knees where we stood in it. A hollow shuffling of feet and hands rubbing on the seam of Timothy’s shirt made me focus on him. His gaze were darting around, searching for something in the distance. A sound in the physical pulled us back. Captain Veren hovered in the doorway, his eyes wide and out of breath. “Follow me.”
I jumped up and trailed him to the upper deck. Off in the distance were five ships steadily making their way toward us.
“Have they spotted us yet?” I asked, stumbling to the railing to grip it.
He cleared his throat. “No.” He took off his hat. “Please, Traveler, my men and I would rather fall on our blades before we’re raped, eaten, and flayed by demons.”
I crossed my arms and strode onto the main deck. “Be at ease, my good man.”
Sketches of demons with wings came to mind. My heart swelled in my chest with each beat. Maybe they should be worried.
The captain’s toothpick quivered on his lower lip. I peered at the horizon. The sun was barely up, and in the darkness, our boat was invisible. Any minute now, the morning sunlight would unveil us.
“What are we going to do?” The man’s gaze did not leave the approaching border of sunlight and the fading of the last shadows of the night.
I took a deep breath and readied myself. “Nothing. Stay the course. Trust me.”
My Ikulme flowed through my fingertips, to fill the surrounding space, blowing away in small pulses the dust on the floor. My haunting drew closer. I pushed my Ikulme more than I dared. Mist thickened around us, swallowing the ship. I focused the Ikulme in place. The whispering wind came from behind me, but I couldn’t tell if it was the Alhalma or the physical wind that reached me.
“Seth,” the chill of my haunting’s voice raised the hair on my arms. I almost lost the grip on the mist but I ignored the damn thing. My shallow breathing with the haunting’s growing presence became my only concern.
“Great, now we can’t see them either.” The captain held onto the ship’s wheel.
“Keep going straight. They will avoid the mist.” I hoped I was right.
“How do you know?” The captain turned the wheel. The air around us became thicker.
Most ships avoided the fog because it obscured the stars. I hoped the demons were the same. A patter of footsteps echoed around the deck. Timothy jogged sluggishly through the fog, waving it away.
“Shh,” is all I got out while the fog changed from a dark gray mist to orange. The sunbeams broke through at some parts, only to be pushed back by the wind.
“They will know something is strange if they see the fog during the day,” another crew member said to my right.
“Lower your anchor.” I gritted my teeth.
“We will be caught by the tides and pulled apart,” the crew member snapped.
I wasn’t sure what to do next. Sword and Genevieve appeared on deck and marched over to me. They stood ready, the same way they did when we trained.
“Make them think this is the Alhalma ,” Genevieve said from the left.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“We are not used to the unseen world. They are. The familiar presence of fog and overwhelming energy should trick them into leaving us alone.” She searched the mist for any movement.
I searched around me for any sign of my haunting. Closer than before, it stared at me from behind the captain. Its empty eyes fixated on me. My stomach churned as it slowly moved past the captain and to the stairs that led to the deck.
“Sword.”
He came over to me.
I swallowed hard and shifted my stance. “I’m going to need you to hold me in place, and no matter what happens,” I glanced back at the haunting gliding toward me, “do not let go of me.”
Sword’s grip locked onto me. Timothy took a few steps back, rubbing his hands against his thighs. He scanned the deck then rested his gaze on the haunting.
“Don’t try this on your own.” The world around me whitened as something grew over my eyes. The Alhalma covered the deck. The light gray fog was neither good or evil.
In the distance, the growing echo of cackles and screams announced the arriving demons. I connected with my Ikulme . With a deep breath, I urged it to thicken and push out the sunlight. The fog had a blackened shadow that crept near, alive with sporadic tendrils reaching out to where I knelt. Light gray fog fought against black with what looked like the waves on a beach. My Ikulme pulsated out of my clenched fist into the fog. A sharp pain cut into my abdomen searing through my body. My mouth opened, and my throat tightened. Sword cupped my mouth, muffling my scream. Ringing in my ears drowned out all voices as the pain dug into my stomach. The haunting’s snarl was inches from my face. I closed my eyes while it sunk its hand deeper into my innards.
“What are you made of, Seth?” it whispered in my voice.
I focused on the fog again and willed it through my fingertips to spread wide. I kept the cluster around our ship thick. The demons’ laughter grew closer, and the pain inside of me intensified, lurching my stomach. The hand borrowed into my intestines. With another scream, I contorted with pain.
Desperate, I shifted my eyes back to the physical. Genevieve huddled over me. I had a cloth of sorts stuck in my mouth. Sword pinned me while Genevieve searched my body. I’d been stripped down to my undergarments. The wound continued to burn and spread. I calmed my Ikulme, holding the illusion of fog around the ship. I counted my breaths while the pain subsided. Genevieve grabbed the side of my stomach, pulling and searching for the invisible assailant. A distance off, Timothy cowered against the deck’s mainmast, with his hand over his mouth. My body on the mend, I eyed Sword, who removed the cloth.
“What in the Artukilmo is going on, Seth?” Sword whispered.
I stared at my wound bubbling with blood. The torn skin closed as the gap became smaller.
“Who… Who did this to you?” Genevieve asked, tracing the older healed wounds on my body.
This was the reason I never bathed with Sword or Timothy, the reason I never wanted them to see me without a shirt, let alone naked. I was about to respond when an unearthly cacophony of shrieking laughter stopped me. I turned, waiting for their ships to cast a shadow over us. The fog blackened. I glared at Genevieve, whose eyes widened with fear.
“Kill them,” a demon cackled from nearby.
“Rape them,” wailed another farther off.
Sword let go of me and pulled his blade. I cupped his blade, pushing it down, and he waited. The maniacal laughter continued. The fog roiled and reacted to the demons as their ships passed us.
“Lenost. Lenost. Kill the children. Eat the babies.” The chant grew distant.
If they noticed this vessel, they would make us the appetizer. I wasn’t strong enough to face them alone, not like this. We were the prey. We waited until the last black fog faded to gray. A stillness lingered, one where the wind whispered to the men of their narrow escape. I groaned with my insides itching from the healing process. Sword and Genevieve stared at the blood on their shivering hands. Timothy started toward me, his lower lip quivering, and his eyes wide. The men processed what they saw. Some sat alone with silent tears. The wind carried the demons laughter and screams, reminding the crewmen that they were lucky.
“What was that?” Sword was the first to speak.
With a quick breath in, I allowed my Ikulme in the fog to enter my body and bring healing faster. The haunting readied itself, its arm lifted on high. The empty eyes held my own before I rolled to the side when it struck. The deck’s wooden planks cracked, the sound cutting through the eerie whistling. I checked that the wound had knitted itself before I cut off my power. The fog dissipated, cleared the area and revealed the demon ships dotting the horizon.
“That, my dear human friends,…were demons and the way they work in the Alhalma. They are not just beings, but they bring their intent to the atmosphere. The fog took the form of horrors.” I glared at the cracked wooden deck. “That’s a bit more complicated.”
Genevieve crossed her arms. “We have time.”
I held up a finger and crossed to a shivering Timothy. For him, it must have been double as bad, being more sensitive to the Alhalma. His eyes were enormous. I drew closer, and he started to cry.
“Yeah, they suck.” I pulled him into a hug. “Let me get dressed,” I gestured to my bloodied and torn clothes in a pile, “then we can talk,” I said to the two warriors waiting for my explanation.
I gathered my clothes and took Timothy down to where we’d left our bags. He ran to my hammock and climbed into it, drawing a thin blanket over him. For a moment, he waited as I dressed before pushing his head out.
“I’m sorry I got scared,” he whispered.
I ruffled his hair a bit. “I was scared too, Timothy.” I sat where the bags were stacked to search for a clean tunic.
“What was happening?” he asked, reaching out to touch a wound that traveled up my arm but retracted his hand, instead. He seemed hopeless, studying my fresh scar over my stomach.
“These marks?” I asked.
He tried again and trailed a gentle finger along the healed wound. “What happened?” His eyes grew big and questioning.
“One particular demon. He would hurt me in so many ways before healing the wounds, just so he could do it over again.” I smothered a shudder at the memory of his serpent voice when he laughed during every session.
After I put on my tunic Timothy’s brow deepened, and his lips thinned. His green gaze was frozen ahead of him.
“What are you doing?” I probed the boy for his thoughts.
“If they hurt you like that as a kid… They won’t stop. If they won’t stop, that means I have to be madder at them than they are scary.” His gaze darted about. “I’m going to kill every one of them.”
“Woah there, big man, killing demons isn’t that simple. The cloaks kill them because they are trained to do so.”
His eyes bolstered with determination. “I don’t want to kill them like a cloak. I want to kill them like you do.”
by Sean Eva | Feb 9, 2025 | Seth
Sword and Genevieve were ready, dressed in white linen and leather strappings that doubled as an extra layer of armor. They ensured that Timothy and I had our bags properly packed since they knew how much weight each bag had to be. We stood with our traveling clothes on, and I took a moment to reassess the past year. Timothy had an unusual appetite to learn of the Alhalma and started to sense the presence of my haunting whenever I used my Ikulme. Genevieve and Sword have been able to find inventive ways to beat me at my game while sparring. Though, they did not know that the partial reason for their victory was because of that damned dark entity.
“Are we ready for this?” My knuckles tense around my bag straps.
The three of them shifted the weight of their bags. My Ikulme rippled, and the space before me became vibrant. The hall of heroes lit up while the air distorted and split open, showing Sandra’s mansion. Timothy bolted through, and I went after him. I stole a glance, catching Sword and Genevieve smiling at each other before braving the portal together. Timothy left the mansion door open, sprinting to find his mother. There was a squeal in the house. Sword squeezed my shoulder at the moment we followed the boy in. His excitement convinced me that returning him was the right thing to do. I took a moment to stare in the direction of the park. Breaking my daze, I strode through the door and into the living room. At the sight of the woman with the dark caramel skin and copper red hair, my blood froze.
“Seth.” She brought her chin down, her gaze on the floor. With a casual air, she rested her left arm on a sword on her hip—her relic.
“Cindy.” I threw a glance at the map.
It was updated. Lenost was on a small island with little chance of invasion. Only the harbor would be a realistic choice for an attack. The high mountains where the Library was, acted like a cliff wall no one could scale. I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I peered at the small wooden blocks on the painted ocean. There were five and six more at the harbor on Mainland’s desert city, Volupto. When I was a kid, Piper told me that all beautiful things came from there, and that, if he could, he would have them in his bedroom each night.
“So, they are planning on invading Lenost?” I stared at Sandra, who held Timothy in her arms. Both were teary eyed and happy to be reunited.
“We’ve been spying on them for some time. Our double agent’s been leaking information. The demons believe that all the cloaks are based in Lenost and want to end us in one strike.”
I thought about it for a while before clearing my throat and daring Cindy with my gaze. “If they hit Lenost, they will end us. This is the first city to have liberated itself from their grasp. By three idiotic cloaks a few years go, but nonetheless—”
“Irtizi?” she said in the ancient language and crossed her arms. “If I remember correctly, it was two cloaks with adult minds and a kid who thought he knew better.”
Her smile widened into glee. My face became warm. My Ikulme wanted to lash out. I squared my shoulders and drew closer to her.
“Is that what you remember?” I lowered my voice as I watched her.
She crossed her arms while she strode toward me, deep green eyes narrowed when I challenged her with my gaze. “You were nothing but a bratty boy who couldn’t get grown-ups to play along with an idea that would never have worked.”
I wiped some of her spittle that dotted my face. She wanted me to lose my temper. I cleared my throat. The onlookers shuffled out of the room.
“That’s what I thought,” she murmured and muttered curses in the ancient tongue.
“Wow.” I kept my voice in a monotoned pitch. When she faced me, I grinned. “I didn’t think you’d be like the close-minded adults I had to face when I was a child.”
The zing of a blade drawn echoed through the room seconds before the cold steel pressed against my neck. She wore a snarl, and her eyes were wild with anger. With a sly smile, I acknowledged I’d won this round.
Sandra cleared her throat. She lowered Timothy from her hip. He inched closer to the wall, watching the conflict unfold, his knuckles white before his mother motioned for him to leave the room. “This squabble needs to end.”
“This boy shouldn’t be planning with us. He has no right to be part of it when he laid down his cloak.” She pulled the blade back and, in a masterful twirl of her hands, sheathed it. I touched my throat, my fingers sticky with my blood.
I rubbed my thumb over the wound. The wound itched as my Ikulme healed it.
“I’ve recruited and trained more than a hundred cloaks over the past three years. When they were ready, I’ve sent them out into the Yabasrana,” she turned to me with a sarcastic smile, “to find other Libraries and occupy them. When the time comes, we will squash the demon horde.”
“Not unless you close the gate in the Deadlands.” Sandra pressed her finger to a location on the map. “You suggest we bait them with Lenost?”
Cindy grinned. “Not a poor plan if I say so myself.”
“It’s the worst.” I snapped and stepped forward.
The space on the map where Sandra tapped was a dark blotch with pictures of burned trees.
“Ugh, not this again.” Cindy pulled herself up and crossed her arms.
I ignored her and focused on the map. “If we are to assume that your double agent isn’t being a agent for both sides, Lenost will fall within two years, at most. I take it you’ll return to the Mainland. There you won’t need to see the suffering that Lenost will go through. You’ll stop receiving messages, and like an owner who starves their animals, you’ll just let Lenost die.”
Cindy held out a finger to me. “No, because we’re planning to attack Volupto within the week.”
Eleven demon-filled ships would make their way here. She wanted Lenost, a city that has just barely gotten out of their suffering, to fight and hold back the horrors that would hit the harbor. While she and her gang attacked the remaining six, probably taking those boats and sailing onward to destroy the demons ships at the harbor in Lenost. It would work, except for one missing piece of the puzzle.
“I don’t know how capable your men and women are, but to fight off so many demons only to have them return from the Deadlands within months puts you back here.” I glanced at those in the room.
Their eyes widened when they realized they were trapped in a cycle.
“Why not just travel to the gate and end it all?” Cindy spoke with a higher pitch.
I shook my head at her suggestion. In order to travel to the Deadland, I needed to have been there. I couldn’t open up a portal to a place that didn’t exist in my frame of reference.
“Cindy’s right. The coming fight with the ships approaching Lenost has nothing to do with me. Best if I travel undetected to the Deadlands and end it there. Having Lenost as bait is perilous, though.” I scanned the map again, searching for another solution.
“We’ve been busy, Seth. You haven’t been to harbor in five years.” Silence fell while Sandra chose her words. “I understand why you’ve been avoided going, but in that time, we’ve reconstructed the walls of Lenost. We won’t allow them to enter.”
I shifted my weight, and my chest tightened. “I’ve been in a Library, what do I know?”
“Smartest thing you’ve ever said.” Cindy leaned onto the table.
I mirrored her movement and locked my gaze with hers. “Which is why I have to take your boat to the Mainland while you stay here to fight off any demons.”
“What?” she protested.
I held up a finger to ask her to wait. “Your gift of protection is legendary among the ranks. It helped with the previous battle when you were keeping the demons away from the people. You are the best option to fight on this wall.” I turned to Sandra, “Cindy will be of far greater use in defense than attack.”
Sandra fixed her gaze on the open space between Cindy and me. “I’ll allow that on one condition, Seth.” She bit her lower lip. “Take Timothy with you.”
“Now, wait, I had him for a year, and he can defend himself from any of the Alhalma attacks.”
“And leave him here, at the very center of a battle?”
Sandra’s eyes pleaded.
“Who is your double agent?” I turned to Cindy.
She gritted out, “Brandon, Lucy’s brother.”
My stomach dropped. I steadied myself and took a slow breath. His scruffy face with freckles and black hair came to mind. He’d always seemed serious. I studied my left palm where a scar ran across it.
“Right.” I scrambled for a topic that would be my saving grace. “Cindy, have you passed your smithing skill on to anyone?”
She frowned. “Yes, why?”
“I have two cloaks who will need relics of their own.”
The Voluptian shook her head as she stared out of the window for a while. “Whether or not we like it, the demons will be attacking Lenost. It was never our choice.”
I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but something in how she spoke forced bile up my throat. This meant going to the Mainland, undetected by incoming demon-filled boats. It meant facing Brandon after I’d let his sister die in his absence, braving areas I haven’t been to yet, while hoping Ulhezaoi blessed me with a vision of the Deadlands to smooth my journey. It meant death, fighting, and nothing but trouble and pain. I had to do it, though. I was the last Traveler, probably the last person who would have the strength to enter the Deadlands without dying while closing that damned gate.
“It was never my choice to be a traveler, either. Yet here we are. Get over your dramatics, Cindy. This is war. Isn’t that what you screamed at me while I held her in my arms? This is war. Snap out of it.”
She marched to me. “What happened that day is on you. Adam and my Lionel would still be alive if you just did what you had to.”
“But not Lucy, right?” I peered into Cindy’s dark eyes, wanting to fight her.
“All conflicts have sacrifices,” she whispered.
I shook my head and stormed the door. “I’ve noticed that. This time you will have to sacrifice any idea you had of including me in your plan.”
“Seth, come back here,” she shouted after me. I entered the hall where five people waited.
They awkwardly stood by for our meeting to end. Sword and Genevieve leaned against the wall on one side with Timothy near them. Two other cloaks were posted on the other side as they gawked at each other and spoke in hushed voices. One of them had blackened fingernails.
I placed my hand on his shoulder. “She must be training you hard.”
He frowned, and I pointed to his hands. The soldier shrugged and pushed them into his cloak to hide them.
“Come.” I strode to the door.
Sword and Genevieve followed me. Timothy stayed behind. I gave him a sad smile. He would have to hear from his mother what was going to happen next. We left and headed for the streets.
“Where are we going?” Sword asked. The two of them fell in step next to me.
“To my old place, if it hasn’t been rented out yet.” I flicked a glance at a man standing in the shadows of an alleyway. His eyes were hidden under a hat. Old survival habits kicked in. We were being watched. “We’re leaving tonight. We’ll just have to think of a way to keep the kid unnoticed.”
“Timmy is going with us?” Sword scanned the rooftops of the buildings.
“Yes,” I followed his gaze, “this place is going to become a war zone again.”
The people laughed and smiled while they haggled and traded in the large market square—its colored bricks were lain in a sort of tree pattern. The buildings, that fenced the square, stood tall and empty. The area was hollow during the night, echoing fleeing footsteps. Today, laughter and singing filled the air.
“That’s the song they wrote for you after your last battle. Do you want to listen to it?” Genevieve asked.
A far-off choir became more apparent. I shook my head and snaked through the crowd to a looming black-bricked building. I focused on the leather clothing that I had on and allowed my Ikulme to grab cloth from the stalls I passed. With no one seeing, the cloths slithered to me and knitted into a black cloak. The hood was the last to pull itself over my head. When we reached the building, Sword tapped me on the shoulder.
“That was an amazing display of your power, but you did just steal.”
I cussed under my breath and glanced at the market. “Force of habit.”
We came up the stairs and stopped in front of a heavy wooden door. I pushed it open and entered a modest apartment with two rooms. The kitchen had cracking paint on the walls. A wooden table and chairs had toppled over from insect damage. In the other room was a stack of mattresses.
“I never could afford a proper bed. There is the bucket if you need to go to the bathroom.”
Sword peered inside the bucket. “It hasn’t been cleaned in years.”
“No, really?” I remarked sarcastically. I rubbed my thumb over the two names that were scratched into the wood of the window shelf. I pulled away when I noticed the little droppings scattered over the floor.
“The rats live here now. I left in a hurry. I couldn’t clean the way I wanted to. There’s probably rotten or dried food in the pot.”
“Yep,” Genevieve called.
I rubbed my left palm, staring at the knife on the small box in the bedroom corner. I swallowed, recalling Brandon’s voice when he repeated the promise we made to each other. No matter what happens, we would protect Lucy with our lives and to fail meant to face death at the other’s blade.
“Seth?” Genevieve waved at me. “Still with us?”
I joined them. “Tonight, we leave for the Mainland. More cloaks await us at their Library. The two of you will receive your relics, then we’ll have our first skirmish in Volupto. They want to cut the monsters off while they’re attacking Lenost. We’ll travel to the Deadlands.”
“It is a full two-year journey, you are aware of that?” Sword leaned against the table that tilted under his weight.
The broken mirror piece on the table reflected my face. “The hope is that I get a vision of the forest. I can use my Ikulme to open a portal and transport us there.”
“I don’t think taking the kid is a good idea. He’ll be in the way,” Genevieve spoke while in thought, her gaze darting.
“True, but Sandra isn’t giving me a choice on the matter.”
“Still, you must be glad.” Sword nudged my shoulder.
In the reflection, my face contorted with concern.
“Well, the last two months, he’s been falling asleep on your lap at night when you read. The two of you bonded.” Sword picked up a cup and blew into it with a hollow sound.
“That’s exactly why he should stay,” I said.
Genevieve touched my arm. “He isn’t Lucy, Seth. The two of you’ll be fine. I just don’t know whether we should shove him into battle.”
I didn’t know either. I wouldn’t be able to protect him, and I’d learned my lesson on allowing others to protect the ones I loved. My misplaced trust was what killed Lucy.
“I’ll just have shelter him, hide him, jump in the way of a blade for him, along the way.” I walked to the kitchen area.
“You mean taking him onto the battlefield?” Sword’s eyebrows raised. “Bad idea.”
“Well, not exactly into the heat of the battle. Maybe hide him in an abandoned hut or something beforehand.” I didn’t glance at Sword, knowing full well my solution was impractical in most situations.
“You know war doesn’t work like that,” Sword protested.
I held up a hand. “It’s the skirmish in Volupto then straight to the Deadlands. No detours.” I gave both of them a stern look.
They crossed their arms and didn’t meet my gaze.
by Sean Eva | Feb 6, 2025 | Gedigte
Is ek nog in jou drome
spook ek nog met woorde
onthou jy hoe ons gedans het
op berge van jou wense?
Elke aand steek ek ‘n vlam op
vir jou in my dolhoog van onthou
Ek dans nog saam met jou
in die branders van my liefde
Hinker ek na jou soene
die heelal se antwoorde in jou omhels.
Ek stap die gange van onthou
die wind fluister met jou fluit
jou bruin oë my kompas
My lamp van wense hou my pad.
Ek soek na jou liggaam
weggevat deur tyd.
Waar is jy nou my ritme tot die dans?
My smaak tot ‘n soen
My woorde tot ‘n lied
Soek jy nog na my?
