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 | Nov 18, 2024 | Seth
(Please note that this is the second chapter of a book that is currently being edited and is in the final editing stages. Changes can still be made before the final release.)
Warning: Genre is Dark Fantasy- Horror/Thriller, swear words can be present. Take this as your warning.
Chapter Three
The square training room had wooden weapons racked on the sides. The floor was soft sand. It was strange to walk in because the sand automatically smoothed itself any footprints. Today was a one-on-two match. I chose one side of the room while Genevieve and Sword stood on the other.
“I’m so glad we are done with the whole learning, reading, and lecturing thing.” Sword tested the weight of the wooden sword in his one hand.
Genevieve held two shorter swords that could easily be passed off as daggers.
“Today we are starting with combat training. There is a real possibility that you might teach me a thing or two.”
“So, you’re going to use your powers?” Genevieve studied the sand that shifted into place, erasing her tracks. “Or are you going to let this Library do everything for you?”
Sword grinned and readied his weapon before him. “Except that one time when I walked in while he was bathing and the door slammed shut so quickly, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the Library.”
They shared a laugh.
I lifted an eyebrow as I removed a large wooden staff from it. “There are many fighting styles. Demon-inspired are excellent for killing humans but always end up sup-bar against a demon. Angel-inspired is aimed at killing demons, but they allow you enough time to stay your weapon if you face a human. Cloak-inspired is deadly in killing demons, humans, or witches. The witch’s style can be grouped with those originating from the gods. These allow the fighter to draw and manipulate their environment through Alhalma.”
I gripped and released the staff before leveling my gaze on the two of them. “Over the past months you revealed your obscure version of fighting styles. You now have all the knowledge you need to understand how I operate.”
“The traveler’s style, Ikulme.” Sword took a few steps closer and Genevieve did the same. “I read about it. It’s by far the most unpredictable style but often the least efficient.”
I encouraged him to continue.
“Because the traveler has so many endless possibilities, the three who existed before you each favored a limited number of attacks. Because they often won with those, they were often beaten by skilled warriors.”
The grin on my face widened as I planted the staff in the sand before me. “Good, now that you know that. You should have no problem defeating a traveler like myself. I am, after all, according to the books that you studied, without imagination when it comes to fighting.”
Genevieve peered over at Sword and slowly shook her head. “No, you grew up in harsher circumstances. The first traveler was revered and treated like royalty. The second was trained with angels and kept with them. Hawk’s an example. There isn’t much human interaction skills you learn from that. The third kept to herself. They were not without imagination but lacked the training to survive. Seth, however, had to survive throughout his life.”
Sword gave a mock attack which I dodged. “That gets me all excited as I have fought…an older you.”
He sprung to attack, moving as fast as the sand would allow him. He only changed his weight and footing when he was close enough to strike a blow. The energy inside of me slowed time, enough for me to move back and drive my wooden stick toward his chin. I change my top grip and forced the staff down from his chin to his chest. With a push forward and stepping past him, I used my hip to throw him off balance. The man fell backward over my knee with my staff on his chest.
“If I call upon fire now, your brains would be fried,” I mocked them as Sword propped himself up with his arms.
Genevieve dipped to her knees, her blades a flurry of attacks that were aimed at my vital spots. She caught me off guard. I slowed time again, giving me a chance to calculate and catch an opening. I had to be careful not to make my body move faster than expected as I rolled over my staff. My grip was wrong, and the staff slipped from my grasp. Genevieve used Sword’s chest to launch herself at me. The man got to his knees after acting as a spring board for the woman. With my mind working faster than theirs, I watched her sail toward me. A mistake on her part when I used Ikulme to push her. She slid over the sand to the other side. I summoned the staff to my hand and stood up with it pointed at her across the room. In the corner stood the being that haunted me whenever I used the power of Alhalma. I swallowed some spit and stepped back.
“That’s enough,” I commanded and watched the figure in the corner vanish.
“What is your secret?” Sword picked up his blade.
“What do you mean?” I played dumb, wanting to see if they could figure it out. “You studied how the unseen powers work, how demons, angels, and witches use Alhalma to shape the physical to their will. How do you think I did it?”
“You only used your powers once when you flung me across the room.” Genevieve strolled toward me while fixing her hair.
I glanced at the corner, making sure the being was gone. Sword frowned and followed my gaze. I would have to be more careful.
“The most dangerous attack is the one you don’t foresee,” Genevieve said. “I don’t see how you beat us.”
“I can use the Alhalma to my advantage. When I first learned I was a traveler, two demons attacked me. They wanted to…take my youth. When they chased me, I created a bubble that suspended them in the air. Time froze everything in that bubble. With a snap of my fingers, everything around me erupted in flames. I slipped into Alhalma. But I used too much power for my physical body and collapsed after that. When I came to, the forest was burned. The demons were ash.”
“Time, shit, that’s obvious.” Genevieve’s brow furrow when she stole a glance at Sword. “Imagine us training with blades but moving at a snail’s pace.”
Sword spat out the sand that had gathered in his mouth and cursed. I held my laughter when the sand spat his spit into his face. He grumbled and wiped his face.
“The Library doesn’t like spit on the ground.” After a good laugh, I faced them. “Think of the nature of the thing you’re fighting. Humans are strong with their physicality. That’s all they can rely on. Demons thrive on the grotesque and evil. Expect that, horror and shock. Angels, even though they’re on our side, they fight with duty and honor. Witches want power, so assume flashy attacks. Travelers, well, we weave through time in our dreams. We should have mastered that and space in our fighting. Big words aside, the nature of things reveal their weakness.”
“That’s how you beat me, you bastard.” Sword clenched the hilt of his wooden blade. “We learned how to fight, spar, and find weaknesses. The nature of something also gives it strength. We call it the double-bladed truth.”
I strode to the door. “Now, if you will excuse me, it’s time for Timothy’s reading lesson.”
I found the boy sitting with the book on his lap at a fire in the hall. He was reading on his own. A sad tightness grew in my chest as I watched the lonely child. The last few months were tough on him. He didn’t have friends to play with except for Hawk that would change into the form of a child so that Timothy didn’t feel too alone. This was at my request, but the angel had limited understanding of how human boys worked. I left it to Hawk to teach Timothy how to use a blade. The boy’s martial form was near excellent. It was the only time he had that resembled play. When I approached, I focused on his muttering words as he attempted the words on the page.
“Seth?” He closed the book and checked the large doors. “Can we visit the statues again?” He stood to grab my hand that I held out to him and tugged me to the doors.
“What did you learn about the unseen today?” I asked along the way.
“It has four different states and is called the Alhalma.”
“Five,” I said.
He peered at me with a furrowed brow. “No, there’s the light, the dark, the pure, and the evil.”
“There is also the neutral.” I studied the many painted faces hanging on the walls. I’d focused on his training in the unseen as quickly as I could. When we visit the city in a few months, I intend to return him to his mother. It is good for a child to train for a war he might have to face when he is older.
Training in a Library would only do so much. Without his mother, he wouldn’t learn the balance between joy and despair, love and hate and the reason for his fight.
The doors parted at my touch and revealed the hall with statues. The boy ran to Adam’s statue first. I joined him.
“To Sandra and Timmy, I love you.” Without glancing at the plaque beneath the statue, he read out of memory. He reached for my hand again. When I took it, he scuffled himself closer to me. His body warmed my right leg. No, it wasn’t good for a boy to grow up in the Library alone. When I take him home, he should be able to defend himself against any attacks from the Alhalma, and that was all I needed of him. If I closed the gateway, he wouldn’t need to fight.
“Will you be a statue too one day?” he asked me as he ushered me to the other statues. He would inspect each one with great interest.
“Maybe, I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you wear your crimson cloak?” Another question Genevieve and Sword had asked.
“Well, it’s like this. Timothy. In my last battle, I lost a girl whom I adored. She died in front of me, and I’m still bitter about it. After that, I came here, and I challenged Ulhezaoi to explain to me why she had to die.”
His eyes widened. “Did It answer?”
I rolled my eyes up to the ceiling then to him. “Yes. When I was younger, Ulhezaoi would often appear to me as an animal with three heads. It told me that this was my tale and that questions like those are the reason we have to suffer, to learn.”
“That’s not a proper answer,” Timothy groaned.
I gave his shoulder a squeeze. “I guess not. Anyway, It told me that was the last time It would appear to me. It was time I lived this life along with other humans.”
“Were you not living with them?” the boy asked.
I shook my head. “I lived among them, but I would run to the forest whenever I could. I’d search for the Maker there believing that people were a waste of time.”
Timothy tried to hide a sniff before his eyes glazed over as he stared at the distant wall. He often wore this expression after hearing the tales of the heroes.
A frown deepened the shadows on his face. “Isn’t that what you did in the years you were locked in here with an angel?”
I took a moment to process the question. He was right, but I wouldn’t have put it in those words yet. There was a moment of silence before I glanced at him then went down on one knee. I admired his darkened skin and blond hair. He had Sandra’s dark blue eyes. I ruffled his hair before trying a smile.
“Keep that kind of thinking and you will be wiser than most men.” I paused for a while. “Travelers too, but with only four of us, there’s not much competition.”
His eyes got teary, and he jumped in to my arms, his hands worming their way into a hug. I was taken aback before returning the hug and lightly pressing my lips to his hair. I hated caring this much. It summoned memories of Lucy, who died much younger than him. The tears welled in my chest. I wanted to push the boy away, but his hug tightened. I was frozen. I remembered her last smile when she gave me a little weed crown to wear, her freckled face and curly red hair, the warmth of her eyes.
“Timothy.”
I recalled her little body against mine as she wormed in next to me at night when she was alone or the joy in the way she ran with a skip in her step.
“Timothy.”
The song she used to sing carried on stray breezes while I made food for us. Her squeals that had cut through the air when I’d swallowed the fish’s eyes while gutting them. What haunted me was her lifeless body in half, a clean cut from a demon, from the top down. The two halves lay open, spilling her insides. The lively girl was dead. I tried knitting her together with Ikulme. So much blood coated the ground, my clothes, my hands when I held her, as if she would magically become whole. I couldn’t line up the face quite right, but that hadn’t mattered.
“Seth?”
My head hurt when my cheeks twinged with my jaw unlocked. The images continued, Cindy stood a bit off with her dark Vuloptian skin and her copper-red hair. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, as if she wanted to say sorry. I gave up at that moment. I bowed, removing my cloaking as Ikulme inside of me went wild, trying to knit or heal Lucy. I threw the cloak over her and allowed myself to hold her while sobbing into the fabric. Tears and blood mixed when I tried to wipe the wetness off my face. A glow yellowed the bright red of her blood. When I turned to see where the glow came from, Adam, in pure golden light, was in the air fighting against a giant of a demon wielding a black bow. Adam won.
“Seth?”
I whipped my head up. Timothy stood before me. My knees were on the cold floor, and tears streamed down my face. I had to pull myself together and force my aching legs to move.
“Your mother told me we won. She was crying too. She asked me to stay and help care for you. I couldn’t.” My lower lip stung when I bit into it. The child’s face was frozen with thin lips and wide eyes.
I took a breath and flicked the tears aside, checking for blood mixed into them.
I tried a smile again and ruffled his hair. “Sorry, kiddo, I haven’t been hugged in quite some time.”
His face relaxed. He peered past me at the Library. “I can see why.” Then, as if in an afterthought, he asked, “Are you okay?”
I thought about the being that appeared and challenged me whenever I used my Ikulme. “Yeah, you fighter. I’m fine. Adults shouldn’t lose their cool like that in front of kids. It can be quite scary, am I right?”
He took my hand. “Now, I know what you are feeling.”
He left me in the hall with the statues. Heroes who had fought and died by the golden glow, the Azortilmu. Heroes who’d abandoned us, the living, with the pain and suffering in the aftermath of the battles. Who was more blessed, those who’d survived, or those who’d died?
When I returned to the Library, Timothy watched me while the books flew around the room.
by Sean Eva | Nov 11, 2024 | Seth
(Please note that this is the second chapter of a book that is currently being edited and is in the final editing stages. Changes can still be made before the final release.)
Warning: Genre is Dark Fantasy- Horror/Thriller, swear words can be present. Take this as your warning.
Chapter Two
I sat the next morning, my gaze fixed on Sandra. I’d been willing to take Timothy with me, but the night had plagued me with nightmares with the two children who were in my care and their terrible ordeals. They had no parents to return to who’d explain what had happened. Sandra was here as a mother to Timothy. I took another sip from my cup as I thought about it. With tears in her eyes, she blinked a few times more and braved to meet my stare.
“I don’t understand. I’m a Cloak now. Where did he get the idea I’d given permission? When it concerns my son, there’s no way I’d open the door to allow him into my life. We were both slaves to that beast.”
I placed the cup on the table. The room had been repainted. New curtains hung at the windows and choice pieces of furniture added to the lived-in feel. I tensed in anticipation of a demon coming around the corner of the door. “Magic, Sandra, you were a witch, and you used Piper’s power. I’ve read about what is called Ekesre. Your spells and so forth might have become second nature. Did you destroy your medium?” I leaned forward, trying not to sound accusatory. But I was accusing her of something she swore she’d left behind the day she took on the cloak.
“I… I haven’t used spells at all. The medium? You mean the glass feather.” She fell silent. Her gaze darted left and right. “I have no idea where it is.”
I sighed. Hawk had to teach me how to read properly. I learned about travelers, witches, demons, and angels. There were loads of books about the Maker too, but all of them were written by men. I’d had firsthand encounters as a child.
“When a witch is initiated, they are given a medium. A true witch is given a spell book of sorts, a book of shadows, one that is written by a bloodline. You did not get a spell book. You got a glass feather—a medium as fragile as the power source you used. Piper’s mark on your soul might be lost, but if your intent flows to that glass medium, you are allowing him back into your life.”
She thought for a while and stood up from her chair to walk over to the window. From there, she stared at the unsuspected Timothy who was swinging a twig around.
“I wish Cindy had listened to you on that day, you know that, right?”
My smile of comfort fell. I agreed with her. “I stopped Piper last night by taking an authoritative stance in Alhalma,” I paused, ignoring her words, “over Timothy’s life. Whether I like it or meant for it, I am now tethered to him. Anything that wants to get to him must go through me.”
“Thank goodness. So, he’ll be okay?”
I nodded, keeping the rest from her. Timothy wasn’t my problem, after all. I planned to stride away from here with Sword and Genevieve. We had to train. It wasn’t my responsibility to take care of a kid.
“There’s more, isn’t there?” Her hand went for her stomach. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “It’s the law of influence, isn’t it?”
If I left him last night, allowed Piper to consume him in Alhalma, Timothy would be dead. It still wouldn’t be my problem. I balled my hands into fists. There were people dying, and yet, I couldn’t stop myself. I couldn’t allow the boy to be killed. The image of Adam, his father, came to mind. My debt to him was repaid.
“I can sense Alhalma, Seth. I was a witch, after all. I can feel the severed connection toward my child,” she half screamed the last part.
I took a step to the door. “Yes, to truly save him, your connection had to be severed. The bond the two of you had was the price for saving him.” I stopped. “It’s devastating. You only have my word to go on. There is no proof. So, I propose this. I’m going to leave this house with two Cloaks who will train underneath me. Send Timothy with me. I will return in a year. Do what you have to, to confirm this. See another witch. Become a genuine witch. Whatever it may be. When I bring the boy home, I will give all authority to you. If I do it now, I fear Piper will take his life.”
She bit her right index finger while she stared out of the window. “This damned conflict, am I right?” Her eyes were violent when she spat at me, “It’s not like you have an outstanding track record with kids.” Her hands went to her mouth.
I stifled a grin, “You’re right.”
“I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair.”
I held up a hand, quietening her. “Sandra, we put something in motion that cannot be stopped. If my future self believes that I must close the gate in the Deadlands, then that is what I’ll do. It will most likely kill me, and in that, I would’ve paid for my sins for allowing Lucy to die.”
She marched out of the back door. I didn’t know if she went to call Timothy or keep him. I didn’t much care. I treaded, careful to not step on a creaking wooden board, out of the door and to the street, where Sword and Genevieve waited for me.
“Are we ready to go to the Library?” Ikulme moved inside me as beyond the two cloaks the orange twilight cleaved apart. Inside the tear was a large open space with blue glowing crystals that illuminated rows of statues. Beyond the tear, a dark figure of myself strolled closer. “Hurry now.”
Without hesitation, Sword and Genevieve brisked through. I followed. I was about to close the portal when a gentle hand grabbed mine. A sobbing Sandra waved Timothy off. The portal closed. The joyfulness of giggling children was replaced with silent and somber granite. The swaying trees became cold lifeless statues holding up the roof of the large hall.
“What is this place?” Genevieve ventured farther into the strange cave.
I faced the two large doors that towered as high as a three-story house. “This is the hall of heroes. All heroes who have died by the Azortilmu, or more commonly known as the golden glow, are carved into stone.”
Sword ran a finger over a statue. “Best craftmanship I’ve seen.”
“The Library sculpts them.” I ushered a sniffling Timothy along, his grasp of my hand tightening.
The last statue was of Adam, his father. He froze as he peered at the large man.
Sword and Genevieve trailed us. The boy released my hand. I placed my palms on the doors warm to the touch as they slowly swung open.
“What do you mean the Library did it?” Genevieve pulled hair strands back behind her ear.
The Library had rows of books on shelves that travelled down to the darkest side of the large room. Warmth hit my face as we entered. A man with a giant head of a hawk stood with drinks on a tray, Hawk was waiting for us.
“It’s him again.” Genevieve appraised the angel.
“He’s the keeper of the Library, and yes, he’s an angel.” I walked through the large opened doorway and into the hall filled with shelves and fire lit places.
A frozen Timothy stared at the face of his father. I waited for the others to pass me and called after them, “Hawk will show you how the Library is able to do things.”
My steps echoed in the hall. The boy turned to me, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I had a dream last night.” His voice was a whisper. “You saved me from being planted. The soil was hungry.”
The towering stone-carved man had the same hair as Timothy. The statue’s eyes bore into me, reminding me of the sacrifice his dad gave. Your father was the bravest man I knew, the type legends are made of. He strode in and rescued me when Piper captured me.”
“He was powerful, wasn’t he?” Timothy asked, searching my eyes. I wanted to tell him that his dad could’ve saved me sooner. A lot happened in three days.
“He was.” Timothy smudged and rubbed his eyes. “Okay, then, I’ll have to become powerful too.”
I patted him on the back. “That’s the spirit. Timothy… Come, let me show you something extraordinary.”
We entered the Library. His steps slowed as he swung his gaze from side-to-side at the rows of unending bookshelves. He gasped and pointed at the books that flew around the rafters. There were seats in the tiled floor with small smokeless-fires. Faces and places were painted on an extensive map hung on one wall. In the middle of the room elevated by steps and a platform was an overbearing table made of black wood.
“That’s a war table. We stood there, your father, a woman named Cindy, and I. The first three Cloaks in centuries. We were so sure we would win the battle over Lenost.” I became quiet as I remembered the screams, the pain of Lucy falling on the docks. “We just didn’t realize what it would cost.”
I guided him to a door in the wall. “Which room do you want?”
He bit his lower lip and touched the door before answering, “The weapons room?”
I opened the door. There was a squarish room with stacks of weapons lined on all the walls. He wanted to step in before I stopped him, pulling him back. I closed the door and opened it again. This time it was a bathing area with a vast pool that had steam drifting up from it.
“The Library gives you the room you ask for and sometimes, forcibly the room you need. Like now, I believe the room is saying you should take a bath.”
“I don’t know how to swim. Will you help me?”
I stepped back and gave him a smile. “That is what the keeper of the Library is here for.”
Hawk appeared as if he knew he had to be there at that moment. “What the young traveler seems to think is that because I cleaned his vomit and clothes during his first year that I am a servant.” He raised an eyebrow at me. “I even had to bathe you in one of your more…depressing days.”
I shook it off as he ushered the boy into the bathing room. I returned to the fire where Sword and Genevieve waited for me.
Sword was the first to notice me. “So, training? What type are we talking about?”
Before I reached them, I veered to a shelf and sighed as I held a hand out. A book from a shelf farther off sprung to life and flew into my hands. I offered it to Sword.
“History of the Cloaks. The Alhalma World, written by Yenpo, a fellow traveler. I’m going to train you so that you’ll receive your gift—a singular power given to a crimson cloak after they train in the way of the Cloaks.”
“What does that entail?” Genevieve stood up and brushed off her clothes.
I took a seat between them. She frowned and sat again.
“Demons, angels, and witches have an infinity to sense the unseen world or Alhalma while being in the physical. Unlike travelers, they cannot use or manipulate Alhalma.”
“I thought they came from the unseen world,” Sword said.
I cleared my throat. “Yes, but once in the physical, you abide by the laws of the physical realm. The gods and watchers can materialize and influence the physical, oh, and Ulhezaoi of course. Each of you will be given a weapon of sorts, a relic or gift. Whatever you would like to call it.”
“Where’s yours, then?” Genevieve threw her hair to one side. Living for four years alone and sulking while reading in my underwear made me quite irritable toward people’s interruptions.
“I don’t have one because I don’t need one.”
I held out my hand to warm inside the fire. The flames licked around my skin as the tongues of heat caressed my hand. When I took it out, a flame hovered above my outstretched palm.
“Monsters need a source for their power to truly manifest in our world. This power likened to the demons are called Elhusribo. That was what the battle in Lenost was all about. A bloodline of the Cloaks survived through the purge and a brother and sister carried it, like a key. A demon named Gum took that key by killing the youngest sibling, Lucy. He cut her in half, and she fell on the docks of Lenost. I tried putting her back together and using my power to heal her, but it wouldn’t bend. I gave up fighting after that. Adam killed Gum in his true form. Gum was a monster of a demon towering over the buildings and wielding a bow as his Elhusribo.”
I brushed off their slacked jaws and escaped by gazing at the ceiling. “Being a Cloak, you need to understand you’ll die in the end.”
“What is the golden glow that you spoke of earlier in the hall?” Sword used his weapon to poke the logs in the fire.
“It’s a moment where you’re so in the will of Ulhezaoi that you become possessed by Its power. For a short while, you are stronger than anything alive. Not even the gods can stand against you, but it comes with a cost. No one can survive the glow. It eats at your body, consumes you until you fall into nothingness. Adam died crumbling to dust in Sandra’s arms.”
Genevieve shook her head. “Why doesn’t It just end the war by snapping Its fingers?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s a question that puzzles me too. What do you do with so much power in your hands? You only have a few moments to use it. Can the human mind truly fathom that power? Can you plan for the moment you have it? You are in the complete will of the Maker. Can you go against it?”
Sword grunted. “I get it… You have thought about it.” The giant of man took the book from me. “And you’ve read about it, too.” He stood up and crossed to a large table. With his left hand that he held out, books flew off the shelves and made their way to him. “I should catch up.”
Genevieve jumped up to join him. She grabbed one book from the air and read the title, “A summary of the Cloaks.”
While they read, I walked to the door to a dark cave with small, glowing crystals. When I entered, the door closed behind me. I relished the silence and the beating of my heart. I sat and breathed out. I had little choice in the matter. This was going to happen. I was heading to the Deadlands. From what I read in the past few years, the version of myself who met with Sword and Genevieve was indeed correct. For this conflict to end, that gate needed to closed. I tried to connect with the energy inside of me, but something drove me over and pinned me to the ground. I opened my eyes and stared into the darkness of a being resembling me. There were no eyes. This was nothing new to previous attempts. I shoved him off me, sending him flying backward. I stood as its body became that of a silhouette.
“Why did you allow it to happen?” The question bounced around the room.
The crystals grew darker and darker as the darkness became alive and crept up to me.
“I didn’t allow it.”
The darkness shifted back again. “You killed her. You listened to her. She said you were a child. Your plan would’ve worked better.” The darkness had gathered speed and it rammed into me with greater strength. My heart raced. My spine chilled, and sweat ran down my armpits.
“I was a kid!”
A sudden force held me to the wall. My feet lifted off the floor, and the cold stone of the cave was at my back
“You, Seth, are a traveler. You had more power than any of them, and you could not save dear sweet Lucy.”
I tried to fight before opening my eyes and falling to the ground, gasping for air. Yet another meditation that didn’t go as planned.
by Sean Eva | Jun 3, 2024 | Seth
(Please note that this is the first chapter of a book that is currently being edited and is in the final editing stages. Changes can still be made before the final release.)
Warning: Genre is Dark Fantasy- Horror/Thriller, swear words are present. Take this as your warning.
Chapter One
The snow clung to my leather boots as I trudged along the boulders down the mountain. Hawk screeched from where he flew above me. The snow thawed in patches around me. I braced myself to view the settlement of Lenost, a small town on an island some way from the Mainland. I half expected to find the factory buildings looming over it like the time I was a child. Ash-filled streets sprung to mind. The soot that never cleaned off your skin and the accidental bumping into a dead person’s body along the way, covered in the dark gray ash. It became sticky when the snow melted. Nothing grew there, and the sky was always black from the smoke cloud the factory belched over the abandoned buildings. This was a few years ago. That wasn’t how I’d left it, either. The snow was all but gone as I weaved through the trees of the forest with the mountains behind me. I stopped at the gurgle of a stream a few meters away. A bird of prey flew down and perched itself on a nearby log.
“I used to play here as a child,” I said to the hawk that tilted his head as if he understood me. “Nip and I scavenged for small rocks.”
The scattered pebbles were something special on their own. We used to believe they had power to them. The hawk’s head moved to one side. Its body grew and changed into that of a small boy. He had a white cloak that seemed oddly organic, looking like it was part of his body. This was Hawk, the angel who guarded the Library that had housed me for the past few years. The structure had been hidden from all people except those who wore the crimson cloak, a sign for being called by Ulhezaoi, the creator of all things, to serve. I touched the faded brown cloak I wore. A crimson cloak would never lose its color.
“These were the places you spent your youth?” the boy asked as it stepped into the water. Hawk appeared as a boy, but I knew better than to believe its current form.
“Why did you convince me to return?” I studied the path that lead to the town.
“It is time. Four years in the Library does no man well. In your case, man means a traveler.”
There was that too. I breathed out the cold air. Something glowing caught my eye, its form waving in the movement of the waters flow. The glow seemed familiar as I grabbed it and a few pebbles from the icy water. The broken crystal glowed ever brighter when I held it close to my face.
“The same crystals are in the Library,” I said.
The angel waited for me to finish examining the stone. After a while, it ruffled its feathers.
“Fine, let’s keep going.” I dropped the pebbles and crystal in the river.
The angel changed to the form of a hawk and flew into the tree canopy. I continued toward the city where I grew up, the place I helped saved then deserted. I was twelve or thirteen when that skirmish drove me into the mountains.
It didn’t take me long to come to a large clearing. My breath caught in my throat, and a bit of hope was born. People worked in the fields. In the past, this crop was nothing but weeds. Now, the golden cobs danced in the wind swaying with one another more than I had ever seen. Hawk’s cry drew the children’s attention to me. Their eyes brimmed with recognition. They ran over, I stepped back when they stopped near me, gaping in awe. The thud-thud from my chest echoed in my head. My lips pressed tightly as I waited.
“Seth?” a blonde girl asked. She had beautiful freckles sprinkled across her face.
I gave her a slight nod.
They gasped and shared a look with large eyes.
“Where’s your staff?” a boy asked and stood on his toes, trying to peer my back.
“Not with me, I’m afraid.” I don’t remember the last time I had my staff.
“How old are you now?” another kid chirped.
I was about to answer that I was seventeen when another interjected with, “can you show us how you defeated—”
“No,” I snapped.
At that moment, the mother hurried over to save me. The muscles in my chest relaxed. I didn’t want to work with kids, not again. She smiled at me. That was when recognition filled her face, as well.
She patted the boy who asked my age. “Go tell Sandra that Seth has returned. I’m sure she’d like to prepare.”
The boy took off.
My legs twitched to move. “Thank you for the warm welcome, but I should go.”
I kept to the shadows of the forest, staying clear of children playing or men and women working in the fields.
As I approached the town square, a large statue of myself loomed. I was holding a staff, posed as if I faced off a demon. My cloak seemed to be pulled by wind. It was ridiculous. Wind had never caught any of my clothing and flicked it behind me with such a dramatic flair. I inched past the statue and pulled my hood over my head. They’d gotten my nose wrong on the younger version of myself when puberty had hit me for the first time. I half expected the statue to squeak if it tried to speak, deepening with fluctuations.
This was the rich district, where all the mansions belonged to the monsters and demons we called masters. None of them made an appearance amid the laughing children running around, who seemed about the same age too. When I was here, it wouldn’t be strange for a naked child to be mocked by monsters. That was what we’d fought to end. I gave another turn when I neared the central park. There used to be no living thing but dead trees. The sight of small saplings that sprouted around the cobble stone relaxed my hands. Something in the far side of the open area of new green caught my attention. A hidden girl in gray stone weaved a crown of weeds. I drained of warmth as I drew nearer.
I fell to my knees to be eye to eye with the statue. Smaller than the one of myself, it was of a girl with curly hair. It used to be deep red, and she had freckles. I rubbed her cheeks. I almost expected her to smile at me. She’d call me her prince and stated we would search for her brother soon.
“Seth?” A woman towered over me.
I closed my eyes and readied myself for the reunion.
Sandra was a tall woman with a deep caramel skin and fire red hair. Not deep copper red like Lucy used to have but a fire red light.
I removed my hood and tried to smile when she hugged me. My arms lay limp at my sides. The emotions I’d tried to leave behind clawed in my chest, trying to find a way out.
“You’re back.” She squeezed me.
“Yeah, for now at least.” I pulled away and glanced at the statue.
She gestured around her. “What do you think? We’ve made some improvements.”
“You don’t say. Any masters left?” I asked.
She grinned and shook her head. “That day, after you and Adam killed Piper and Gum, the rest fled and were hunted down.”
She’d been a witch the last time I saw her but without the power to kill demons. The crimson cloak she wore must have been the reason why she could fight them off. Her words reminded me of that day and just how utterly useless and frozen I’d been amid the battle. The most powerful being there and I couldn’t save the girl who weaved a crown of weeds.
“I see you have transformed the events of that day into legends.”
She motioned to walk with her. I fell in step beside her as we meandered out of the park.
“We all lost someone that day, Seth. It wasn’t just Lucy. I lost Adam, and he left me with a boy.”
The children running outside in the street were laughing.
I tilted my head. “Timmy, isn’t it? How is he doing?”
“Not wetting his pants anymore. Having you around might have made it easier. There are days where he doesn’t remember his father.”
“That’s no surprise. I grew up not knowing who my dad or mom was. It can be hard bringing up a child like that.” The city felt alive with the white-washed bricks that were being repainted in different arrays of colors. The days end was drawing near, and there was a pulpable change in the demeanor of the people busying themselves with living. The mansion we approached was different from the one that I grew up in. The biggest difference was the abusing demons that had once ruled in it.
“Come, some people came to meet you.”
“How did they know I’d be here?” I guessed the answer before she said it.
“You told them… Future-you, that is.”
There it was. The burden thrusted upon me as a child. At night when I sleep and dream, I travel across time and appear in physical form. This, coupled with only four travelers recorded in history, makes me quite the topic of discussions when it came to legends.
“Why did I send them here?” I asked when we entered the house. At a gasp, I turned to find Timmy staring at me. He dropped his stick and launched himself at my unguarded leg.
“He remembers you,” Sandra called, striding away.
“Hey, kiddo.”
He had tanned skin like his mother but lighter thanks to Adam’s snowy complexion. The boy had deep green eyes with dark brown hair combed to the one side. He let go of my leg to get hold of the stick that he must have picked up or broken off a tree. With a flourish, he gave it to me.
“Remember, like old times.” His lips scrunched into his face as he tried to hold the stick up to me as high as he could.
When I was a kid, I’d take a dead stick and make leaves sprout from it before Timmy’s eyes. The energy from the unseen world pumped through my being. The power hugged my insides. It burned under my skin. It was a word on the tip of my tongue.
“Not today.”
The boy’s shoulders fell along with his face as he studied his feet. He took my hand and pulled me to an open door. I entered to find two Cloaks sitting at a table with steamy meat on their plates. Two curved blades were ornamented on the wall.
Sandra must have noticed me staring at it. “Those are mine. After you left, I received my cloak and weapons.”
As I took a seat, I wondered whether I should take from the meat or not. “What is your gift that came with them?”
Timothy jumped up and down on the spot. “She-she throws them then they do this spinning-thing in the air then she can just boom-straight to wherever the sword goes. It’s amazing to watch her fight. The monsters never know where she is.”
The adults in the room laughed.
“So you can appear wherever the blades go?” I took the plate handed to me while waiting for her to answer.
Sandra sat in her chair and took a swig from her drink.
“I’ve been training and developing a two-handed fighting style that will allow for a continual attack without interruption.”
“That sounds taxing on the body,” the man at the table said. He was big with a short haircut and his muscles threatened to tear out from under his cloak. The slender woman, who sat opposite him, was pretty. Her eyes glowed with daring ambition. Though modest in her appearance, she carried a presence with her, tangible in the cramped room.
“That’s why it’s called training, but you don’t have a fighting style, do you, Seth? You just spin your stick and hope for the best” The modest woman smirked and busied herself with her food.
She took another bite from her meat, waiting for my response.
“It’s not a style, no, rather I use Alhalma as inspiration for power.”
At their confusion, I continued with my explanation, “Alhalma is the place where the demons and angels came from, an unseen world.”
The woman was unswayed. She chewed while taking turns to look at us from under her tilted head, then she swallowed.
Realizing she wasn’t going to say more, I placed my arms on the table, and asked, “Why did I send the two of you here?”
The man stood up and gave a small bow.
“I am Sword, not my real name, but to you it will be so. You defeated me on the battlefield but spared my life. As is the custom of my people, I am in your servitude until I have either saved your life or died in my quest to do so. You told me to be here. Something about helping you get off your ass and do something about the world.”
I lowered my arms and glanced at the woman, who still wore that grin of ambition.
“Genevieve. You told me I would meet you and another man here and that I had to tell you the Deadlands are waiting.”
I’d read about that place. I didn’t do much else in the Library for years on end. The Deadlands was a burned forest clouded by a poisonous fog, and inside of it, where the first trees used to grow, everything was ash. There lies the gate the monsters used to enter this world. I’ve been told many times before that the first traveler betrayed humanity by creating that very gateway. Of the two travelers who came after him, one allowed for the angels to enter the war, the other created the Libraries. I have seen from the eyes in the room what they’d revealed. Would I end the war? Would I save humanity?
“So, my plan is to storm the Deadlands, then what? Close the gate? You two won’t survive in there. I am the only one who might.”
“If I may interject.”
I turned to the window where the hawk perched.
It jumped off and changed to its keeper form I saw the most at the Library. The large build of a man but the head of a hawk walked closer with an almost holy presence. This was the reason I’d named it Hawk.
“Closing the gate is essential to winning this war. When you kill a demon in the physical, that gate allows them to pass through and re-enter. Killing them doesn’t stop them. It only delays them. It’s not a plan, Seth. It is the only strategy left.”
All gazes fell on me.
A familiar pressure pressed on my chest. “Fine, but the two of you will come to the Library first. I need to train you before we set off.”
“For how long?” Sandra asked, the haste clear in her voice.
“At least a year.”
She glanced outside at the late afternoon sun. “Are you going to portal your way back?”
I shook my head. It’s not that I couldn’t but that I shouldn’t, at this point. The last battle in Lenost left its mark in what I could only describe as a curse.
Sandra cleared her throat as she sat forward. “Then sleep here tonight. Tomorrow, the three of you may leave refreshed.”
After some resistance, I gave in and agreed. I listened while they talked about idle matters, like the changing times and the different Cloak camps that were being revived across the mainland.
###
I woke up during the night, disturbed by an uneasiness in the unseen. I pulled myself out of bed. My steps grew colder as I crossed to the large glass doors that led to the balcony. I opened the door, staring into the night as I tried to find where the uneasiness was coming from. There was no sign. The silence stretched on, peppered by insects and the plaintive cry of an owl.
The window above me on the next floor squeaked on its hinges. I spun, facing the façade. A shadow seeped into the crack of the window that slowly swung open. Without thinking, I climbed onto the rail built along the balcony’s edges. Ikulme, the power within, bit into my muscles, injecting the strength I needed. I jumped and caught the ledge. I anchored my feet on the small round exterior protrusions of the white brick wall. The window where the shadow entered wasn’t wide enough for me. Ikulme shifted, and the muscles in my legs lightened, the strain they took gone. The unseen was palpable. Ikulme became something I could move outside of my body. The window opened with nothing touching it. First the one then the second. I pulled myself up and into the room.
My blood ran cold at the enormous shadow with a tall hat standing over a sleeping Timothy. It was facing me. Entering Alhalma was like falling backward into water and opening my eyes to the new world around me. I was no longer in a bedroom but a field with an ash-covered floor. Before me stood a man in a hat and glowing red eyes. He was biting a fingernail when I appeared.
“Ah, Seth… Here we are again.”
This world was dark with no stars. There were plants with people in them. No, that was wrong. There were people with some parasitic plant growing in and out of them. The plant bore fruit that hung with a blood red color to it. Piper’s grin split open the human flesh of his face, revealing rows of teeth.
“Aren’t they lovely? My source of power, you know.” He plucked one fruit and bit into it. Blood ran over his fingers.
“What are you doing in Timothy’s room?” I asked.
He raised an eyebrow. “Gardening.” He launched himself at me. I held my right hand before me by instinct. He hit a barrier that sparked with light and threw him back. His laughter echoed around me, filling the void of the unseen.
“There is something else, isn’t there?” He scrambled to his feet, challenging me to admit any hidden secrets I had.
There was another reason I hadn’t used my powers again, and it was getting nearer. His sudden burst of laughter made me look at him, his mouth fully open as more and more tongues grew and hung out of his mouth. The demons loved playing with the visual effects that were unnatural and grotesque.
As if my legs were made of iron, I watched as the creature approached me. I had to build up the courage. “You are trapped in Alhalma. You need power to leave. So you leech on the souls of those alive?”
It swallowed the tongues into his mouth and strange root-like threads sewed it shut. Another mouth appeared on its hat. “Look at you learning big words from the Library. True, little Timothy will make a fine dinner, don’t you think?”
“You don’t have permission. That is a law in the unseen. You cannot harm one who cannot give consent to their soul.”
“But I can… All I need is a parent to allow me in. How do you think you came into my service all those years ago? Sandra first served me, remember? I introduced her to witchcraft and, like a drug, she cannot stop using my power.”
I braved forward. The ash-mist erupted with each step as light sprung forth from the ground.
Piper’s smile turned into a snarl. “What are you doing?”
The plants with people in them, there wasn’t much I could do to save them. The law of influence wouldn’t allow me. “I’m doing what I can to save Timothy’s life.”
I took another step. The crash of thunder rolled around me, and lightning played in the darkness’s distance. Light seeped through and entered the unseen space we were in.
“Fuck you, Seth. You and that fucker of a whore. I am glad Gum killed Lucy. Did you enjoy seeing her being ripped in half?” He laughed again.
My blood boiled. I let my hands fall to my sides. The demon launched itself at the chance I gave it. It was too late. As I watched it, a force pushed past me. The world became vivid as light and darkness fought each other. The darkness was on his side and the light from mine.
“I will take a stance of authority in Timothy’s life. You will not harm him unless you get through me.”
The seal was made in the unseen, that meant Piper couldn’t touch the child. Another thunder clap echoed, and we glanced to my right as the reason I abstained from using my powers drew nearer. A dark figure strode toward us, except his appearance was like mine.
“Or until you go through yourself… Isn’t that right,” Piper twisted to me with a smile, “little traveler?” He retreated.
The surrounding space bloomed in to light. I fell back to the physical. I stopped myself before slamming against the window. The shadow was gone. I cursed myself for getting involved in yet another child’s life.
