The following morning looked to be another sunny, summer day. Above stretched an expanse of crystal blue, broken only by a few high clouds. Coming out of the east, a breath of wind eased the heat of the day.
Corbin informed Mary about his plans to take James into town to see about the reward money. He told her not to wait lunch for them as they would eat at the Squawking Goose.
At the barn, Corbin grabbed a saddle and tossed it upon his horse’s back. As he cinched the underbelly straps, he noticed James looking very confused at a Gordian knot of straps in his hand. Turning it every which way, he seemed at a loss as what to do next.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, I’m sort of embarrassed to admit it but…,” Then his face turned a shade red. “I’ve never saddled a horse before. In fact, I’ve never even been on one. They kind of scare me.”
Laughing, Corbin said, “That’s hard to believe.” Seeing the redness of James’ embarrassment, he sobered and came over, taking the tangled mass of straps and buckles. “Here, let me show you what to do. If you’re going to own one, you’d better learn what to do and how to care for it.”
Embarrassment turned to relief. “Thank you.”
Corbin started by having James become acquainted with his horse. First, he had him gently stroke the face and neck, letting the horse know that he was a friend. Corbin then retrieved a carrot from a nearby bin and handed it to James.
Taking the carrot, James offered it and the horse readily ate it out of his hand. Smiling, he continued petting the horse on the side of the face as it ate. Soon he wasn’t quite as nervous.
Corbin then instructed James in the proper placement of saddle and tack. He allowed James to do the work so he would better learn what to do. When James finished, Corbin rechecked the tightness and placement of every piece until satisfied that it had been done properly and would not loosen.
Once James’ horse was ready, Corbin had him do it all over again with his. This time, James managed to do it a little faster with fewer mistakes. Once Corbin was again satisfied that everything was either done right or had been corrected, he instructed James on the proper mounting technique. Despite his stiff and sore leg, James managed to mount his horse in only two attempts. When he was up and not in immediate danger of falling off, Corbin mounted his horse and started showing James the various nuances in guiding a horse. He showed him how to use the reins and his knees to move in the desired direction. James was a quick study and soon had a basic understanding of controlling his horse. Corbin had him take the lead as they exited the barn.
In front of the house stood Corbin’s wife Mary and Cyanna who were there to see them off. Corbin waved goodbye and made his way down the lane. After several feet, he realized that James hadn’t followed. He glanced back and found him trying to get the horse to move.
James flicked the reins but the horse merely stood there. “C’mon, boy.”
The horse snorted and turned its head to look back at him.
Feeling slightly embarrassed with everyone watching, he continued his efforts with little success.
“Kick him gently in the sides.”
He glanced to Corbin.
“You have to show him that you are in charge.”
James nodded and gave a gentle kick. The horse snorted, but otherwise remained still. He looked to Corbin.
“Harder.”
“All right.” Then to his horse, he said, “Sorry to have to do this, but you’ve left me no choice.”
He brought his feet outward, then jerked them into its sides. The horse lurched forward.
“There you go,” Corbin praised as James flew by.
Barking erupted behind him as the dogs gave chase which only made the horse go faster. Terrified and holding on for dear life, James felt himself slipping to the side. His scream of terror echoed across the fields.
“Tor! Cyne!” Corbin yelled as his horse bolted forward to catch up with James. “Back home! NOW!”
The dogs broke off their chase and glanced toward their master with tails between their legs.
“Home!”
Ahead, he saw James tip even more precariously to the side. At the speed James was going, it was likely he might suffer serious injury if he should fall. Kicking his horse in the sides, he raced forward.
“James!” he hollered as the distance narrowed. “Hang on!”
Just as James began to lose his balance altogether, a hand reached out to snag his backpack. Giving out with an incoherent scream, he fell. But instead of slamming to the ground, he was pulled to the side of Corbin’s horse. Corbin brought them to a halt and lowered a shaky and trembling James to the ground. The aftereffects of terror turned his knees to jelly and he dropped in a most undignified manner to the ground.
Corbin pulled up next to him. “Are you okay?”
He looked up with embarrassment. “Yes.”
“You really weren’t lying about never having been on a horse before.”
James shook his head. “No, I wasn’t.”
Looking back toward the house, Corbin saw Mary and Cyanna as they ran down the lane toward them. Waving that everything was okay, he hollered, “He’s fine. Get on back.”
James’ horse had continued quite a ways before it came to a stop. Corbin left James on the ground to get his nerves under control while he went to fetch the errant steed. Returning, he dismounted and then helped James up.
“Now, let’s get you back on and we’ll work on those commands again,”
Again, James had a hard time getting his horse to go, but after a little coaching from Corbin, managed to get it moving without breaking into a mad, terrifying gallop.
Once he felt confident James would not face another wild ride, Corbin mounted and they headed into town. Throughout the ride, he instructed James in the nuances of controlling his horse and the proper care and feeding of it.
Hoping to retain at least most of the wisdom Corbin imparted, James paid close attention while he concentrated on keeping his balance so he wouldn’t fall. He rode as close to Corbin as he could, scared to death that the horse would take off, leaving him in the dirt.
After what seemed a very long time, they arrived at the outskirts. Townsfolk out in the early morning offered greetings to Corbin, waving as they passed.
They followed the road through the center of town until reaching a two-story building which bore a sign by the door depicting three stacks of coins sitting upon a table. Corbin rode to the front and dismounted.
He glanced to James. “This is Alexander’s. He is the local money lender and the one to see about your reward.” He moved to James’ side and offered a hand with dismounting.
James swung down from the saddle. Dismounting, as James learned, was far easier than mounting. They secured their steeds to the hitching post and headed for the door.
Alexander’s place was a single, modest-sized room with three armed guards. Two stood on either side of the entrance while the third was positioned next to a door at the opposite end of the room. Along the same wall was an opening with a counter.
Upon seeing them enter, the guard positioned next to the door said, “Good day, sirs. If you will wait just a moment, I shall let him know you are here.” With that, he opened the door and disappeared into the back. A short time later, a man dressed in fine clothes appeared, followed closely by the guard who closed the door behind them.
The man’s demeanor was warm and friendly. He crossed the room and extended his hand. “Corbin, how are you doing? Are your little ones well?”
Corbin took his hand and shook it. “They are doing well, as am I.” Gesturing to James he added, “This is James. He is the one that is here to see you.”
His attention turned to the farmer’s companion and appraised him with a cursory glance. “How may I be of service?”
James handed him the letter from the mayor.
Alexander scanned the missive. “Ah, yes, the reward for Garrett the Snake and his men. Heard the story last ni
ght at the Squawking Goose. The mayor said you would be coming by. What would you like to do about it?”
“What do you mean, ‘do about it’?”
“Well, I could give it all to you now, but that would be far too much for you to carry. Or, you could set up an account and I would keep it safe and secure for you until such time as you need to withdraw it.”
“Sort of like a bank?”
“Bank?” Alexander asked in confusion.
James nodded. “You know, a place where you deposit money, get loans, stuff like that.”
“Uh, yes. Just like that.” Alexander glanced questioningly toward Corbin who shrugged and mouthed, He’s not from around here.
Oh, he replied in the same silent, discreet manner.
James considered what he needed and realized he didn’t have the faintest idea. Whenever he ran characters during role playing, he liked to have fifty gold pieces. It was a tidy sum and wouldn’t impact his encumbrance too severely, and should more than suffice for his immediate needs.
“I think I’ll take fifty gold pieces and set the rest up in an account.”
“Very good, sir. If you will wait but a moment, I shall return with your coins and the papers to set up your account.” With that he made for the door. The guard closed it after he passed through.
James and Corbin waited only a few moments before Alexander appeared at the opening in the wall with a leather pouch, along with three papers. He motioned James to the window and opened the pouch. Gold coins spilled onto the counter as Alexander proceeded to count them with James, ensuring that the count was accurate. Once satisfied the number of coins was correct, he had James place the coins back into the pouch. Alexander then took the papers and pointed to a line. “You need to make your mark here. This says you are entrusting us with your money, until such time you request it to be withdrawn.”
James took the papers and to his surprise, could read them. He looked them over and signed on the line.
Alexander took the papers. “Thank you, sir. I am certain that you will be pleased with the level of service that my establishment will accord you and your money.”
“Thanks to you as well, Alexander,” James replied, then turned to Corbin, “Shall we go?”
He nodded. “Goodbye, Alexander.”
“Goodbye, Corbin. Hope to see you again soon.” Alexander disappeared to the back.
Corbin led the way where the horses waited outside. James mounted on the first attempt and gave Corbin a smile of triumph.
“Now, to Hern’s farm.”
James nodded. “Lead on.”
They headed their horses back through town and left by a different road. James rode with more confidence. He didn’t feel in danger of tipping to the side and his horse responded well to his directions. The difficulty experienced earlier did not return.
Once past the outskirts of Trendle, Corbin asked what he planned to do once they reached Hern’s place.
“I’m not really sure,” James admitted. “It’s likely there will be nothing I can do.”
Hern’s farm was several miles from town. His fear of riding now diminished, James enjoyed the ride through the farmland. Riding the horse gave him a sense of freedom that he never felt before. He figured it to be what driving a car for the first time must have been like. His grandparents had never felt comfortable with him driving. They managed to forestall any attempt he made to get his license. He wondered what they would think of him now. A touch of homesickness returned, but the sun on his face and the freedom of riding a horse soon had him cheerful once more.
From the main road, they took a small lane which led toward a line of trees in the distance. Soon, a small home with a barn out back and corral to the side came into view.
“Is this it?”
Corbin nodded.
James slowed and gave the vicinity a closer look. Everything appeared normal. He made a quick loop around the house with Corbin following and failed to discover anything that indicated the fate of Hern. Returning to the front, James brought his horse to a halt and stared at the open front door. He then closed his eyes to see if he could feel anything weird, like a residual trace of evil or magic. He didn’t.
Yeah, like I’d know what that would feel like even if it was here, he mused to himself as he opened his eyes and dismounted.
“What do you think?”
James shrugged. “Don’t know. Let’s check out the inside.”
He and Corbin dismounted and entered the front door. They found the insides as Corbin had described with dinner still on the table, though by now it was pretty ripe. There was no sign of a struggle or anything. It looked like he just got up and walked away.
Returning outside, James considered the problem;
Corbin wants me to find where Hern is. How can I locate him? How did they do it in all those books I read? Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Esp., not sure how to go about those. When you need to find something you use…you use…a compass? Could I fashion a magical compass to point out the direction of Hern’s whereabouts? The image of a tracker having his hound sniff an article of worn clothing sprang to mind. That might just work.
“I think I may have an idea. Let’s go to the barn and see if I can find material to fashion a compass.”
“What’s a compass?”
“It’s an object used to find things,” James replied. “Back where I come from, they would use it to always point north. That type of compass doesn’t require magic.”
“Why would you care where north is?”
“It was used by sailors when they had no sun or stars to steer by.”
“That would make sense.”
Reaching the door to the barn Corbin opened it and stepped back, allowing James to enter first.
Once inside, James scanned the interior to see what materials were available. Stacked neatly in one corner were a dozen narrow posts. He took one with a diameter that measured roughly three inches. Motioning for Corbin to join him, he asked, “Could you cut a smooth, half inch section off of this one?”
“Sure,” he said and took the post. He carried it to a workbench where a rack of tools hung on the wall. Corbin took down a saw and extended the end of the post over the edge of the workbench. “Do you want it off the end or should I remove the end first, then cut a section?”
He rubbed his finger over the end, and found it rough and cracked. “Maybe you should take the end off first. I’ll need it smoother than that.”
“All right.” He removed the unusable portion. Once it dropped to the ground, he started on the piece as James requested.
While Corbin worked on the post, James looked through the post pile and found another that had a slightly wider diameter than the first. When Corbin finished removing the section from the first post, he asked him to saw a similar piece from the second.
He gathered a few more items that might be useful in compass construction. James returned to the workbench and waited for Corbin to finish. When Corbin was done, he removed the unused portions of the posts from the workbench. He then brushed away the sawdust from the workbench, and put the two freshly-cut pieces on it. Stepping aside, he made room for James.
James picked up the smaller of the two and showed it to Corbin. “Is there a way you can drill a hole through this? It needs to be slightly bigger than one of these nails?” He gestured to a pile of nails on the workbench.
Corbin searched the tools above the workbench, nodded and took one down. The tool reminded James of a screwdriver but the end was fashioned like a drill. Taking the piece of wood, Corbin used the tool to bore a hole. Once the hole was the size James required, he blew off the excess debris and handed it back.
James examined it. “Perfect. This will do fine.” He placed both pieces of wood on the workbench, then created a vision of what he wanted to accomplish. Releasing the magic, he said:
Can’t have even one little groove,
Make both sides perfectly smooth.
At the completion of the spel
l, he watched the surfaces of the two pieces shift. They became smooth as glass.
“Unbelievable,” Corbin exclaimed from behind his shoulder. “I’ve never seen anything like that.” He reached out and ran his finger over the now-smooth surface. “Sure, I’ve heard of magic but have never seen it done before.”
“It’s not as easy as it looks.” Turning back to the workbench, he checked to ensure both pieces were smooth. He set the smaller piece upon the larger and centered it. A nail was placed in the hole of the smaller piece. Removing a hammer from the rack on the wall, he gently tapped the nail until the head was almost touching the wood. Satisfied, he flicked the outer edge of the smaller piece and watched it spin on its axis.
Using a piece of charcoal, he then drew a radial arrow on the surface of the top piece. “It’s finished,” he announced and showed it to Corbin.
The farmer looked at it skeptically. “It is? What will it do?”
“Just watch.” Hoping this worked, he held the bottom piece securely. He again released the magic:
Near or far, dead or alive,
Finding Hern, do I strive.
Compass mine, this I say,
The shortest path, point the way.
The intense surge of power at the completion of the spell took James’ breath away. Before it subsided, he feared that he might have made a deadly underestimation of his abilities. But the drawing of power came to an end. Ever so slowly, the top piece rotated until the charcoal arrow pointed in the general direction of the forest.
“Hern’s that way.”
There was still a minute drawing of power being taken from him. James figured that like the orb back in the cave, such a drawing must be needful to maintain the spell.
“Are you sure?” Corbin asked, skeptically.
“Pretty sure. Only one way to find out.” He got up from the workbench and made his way from the barn. Outside, the charcoal indicator continued pointing toward the forest. Whenever James turned the compass, the charcoal arrow indicated the same direction; toward the forest.
Moving forward, James came to a stop at the forest’s edge then glanced to Corbin. “Shall we find him?”
Corbin had the look of one who would rather be somewhere else. His eyes lingered for a moment on the forest. He licked his lips, glanced to James and nodded. “Yes, though let’s be careful.”
“Oh, you can bet on that.”
Following the compass, they made their way between the outer layer of trees.
An hour of tangled underbrush, fallen trees, and uneven ground later, they arrived at a break in the forest where stood an old, abandoned house. Once finely crafted, the two-story dwelling now had one of its walls partially collapsed. The yard and surrounding area were overgrown with brush and small trees. The arrow of the compass pointed toward the house.
James didn’t relish the idea of entering the house. There was something about it that made his skin crawl. Hoping the compass might point to a destination in the forest beyond, he walked around the side. Unfortunately, the compass swiveled as he moved, with the arrow always aimed at the house.
“It says Hern’s in there.”
Corbin made no reply.
Glancing at his companion, James saw Hern’s expression turn worried.
“Something wrong?”
“If this is the place I’m thinking of, it has a bad history.”
“What do you mean?”
“It happened three score years ago. A stranger arrived in Trendle and purchased a claim for land within the forest. Said he wanted to get away from city life and find peace and quiet. He contracted several of the townspeople to build his house,” Corbin gestured toward the building, “this house perhaps. The construction took nearly a year and once finished he moved in. After that, no one saw much of him. He kept to himself, rarely coming to town and then only to buy supplies.
“It didn’t take long before rumors began surfacing about this man.” He cast a glance to James. “Strangers, especially ones that keep to themselves, are grist for the rumor mill.”
James nodded. From what he had already experienced in his short time in Trendle, he knew exactly what Corbin meant.
“Anyway, one afternoon several boys decided to come and spy on him, to see what he was about. When they arrived, they crept close to the house and peered through a ground floor window. One climbed a tree to better see inside. They saw the man sitting cross-legged on the floor; a circle encompassing a five pointed star, a pentagram as the townsfolk later discovered, was drawn on the floor not five feet in front of him. At each point of the pentagram burned a candle. The boys said it looked as if the man was in some kind of a trance, and that he was chanting.
“Moments passed as they listened to the unfamiliar words; then the air above the pentagram began to flux and swirl. At that point, the chanting changed, intensified. From within the flux and swirl appeared the shape of an inhuman creature. It slowly took shape, growing more solid with every word the man uttered.
“The boy on the branch clung transfixed as he watched the unfolding events. When the creature was almost completely formed, the branch upon which he lay gave out with a loud crack and broke, throwing him to the ground. The end of the branch smashed through the window to the room wherein the man sat.
“The boys claimed that just after the window shattered, they heard a monstrous roar from the other side. The man shrieked in terror before being abruptly silenced. The boys ran as if demons were after them, which was probably not far from the truth. When they returned to town, they went straightaway to the Town Hall and told their story to the mayor, who immediately dispatched a party of armed townsfolk along with the priest to investigate.
“When they arrived, no trace of the man could be found. They did find the pentagram on the floor, with four of the candles having burned down to nothing. The fifth laid on its side, shards from the broken window lay around it. It is believed that when the window shattered, the glass flew and knocked over the candle, which broke the holding spell, allowing the demon, that’s what the priest said was most likely being summoned, to break free and take the man. The priest stated that there didn’t seem to be any traces of evil remaining in the house. But just to be sure, he cleansed the house from top to bottom before departing.”
Glancing at James to gauge his reaction, Corbin continued. “The people hereabouts avoid this house, they think it’s haunted. Whether by the spirit of the man or by the demon he summoned, no one is sure. Every once in a while, a hunter will come across this place and tell of feelings of foreboding, or of hearing strange noises. If Hern is in there, I would hate to guess what that would mean.”
“I agree, but we need to see if we can find him. That missing boy may be in there as well. We can’t just leave them,” James said with surprising determination. “Should they still be alive, they are going to need our help. If we’re careful, maybe we could get in and out real fast. See if we can find them.”
“Quickly then,” Corbin agreed uneasily. As James led the way into the house, he followed close behind.
The front room was dark and shadowed with narrow streams of light filtering through the windows. A fine layer of dust covered everything. Grass and small plants sprouted through the myriad cracks which marred the floor. Spider webs filled the corners and draped between bits of old furniture.
As they pressed inward, a sense of foreboding settled over James. He tried to shake it off, but the feeling only grew as they followed the compass toward a hallway leading deeper into the house.
The left side of the hallway had partially collapsed. The debris made for treacherous going. In one place they stooped quite a bit to make it past a section of collapsed ceiling. As they made their way through the rubble, light filtered through the broken and cracked areas above creating an eerie atmosphere.
Not far past the caved-in ceiling, they came to an opening on their right. It was a flight of stairs which led to the second floor. Though rubble-choked, James figured that they cou
ld make it through should the need arise. As he looked up into the darkness, he definitely hoped the need would not arise!
Moving past the stairwell they reached another doorway. It was the last accessible one before the hallway became impassable due to the collapsed second floor. Peering cautiously around the corner, James looked into a room, one that had somewhat been spared the ravages of time that the rest of the house had suffered. A five pointed star lay inscribed on the floor. That must have been where the demon was summoned. Doing a quick scan about the rest of the room, he failed to find anything unusual. He stepped through the doorway and entered. Corbin followed close behind.
Walking to the pentagram, James gestured toward the broken glass near one of its point. “This must be where the shattered window broke the Spell of Holding.” Scanning the area for bloodstain failed to reveal any. He picked up one of the broken shards. It was cool, but didn’t feel odd or strange. He tossed it back to the spot where it had lain.
“Maybe we shouldn’t stay any longer,” Corbin said nervously. There was a definite fearful tremble in his voice. “It doesn’t look like we’re going to find them.”
“Perhaps.” Glancing at his compass, James was surprised to see the pointer going round and round in a clockwise direction. “That’s weird.” He showed the spinning pointer to Corbin.
“What does it mean?”
Shrugging, James replied. “Haven’t a clue. I told you I was new to magic.” Discontinuing the spell, he placed the compass in his backpack. He then looked to Corbin and was about to suggest they search elsewhere, when a slight flicker from the pentagram caught the corner of his eye. He quickly turned his head, but it was gone.
Corbin noticed his movement. “What?” he exclaimed, eyes darted quickly about the room.
“Thought I saw something.” Turning his head so the pentagram was just at the edge of his peripheral vision, the flickering reappeared. This time he held his gaze steady and continued to look at the pentagram from the corner of his eye. After a few moments, he realized that what he originally took as a flash was actually a steady, slow pulse; barely discernable in the shadows.
“Curious.”
“What is?” Corbin, agitated, looked between James and the pentagram.
“I can see a slight pulsing coming from the pentagram. Though I can only see it when it’s in my peripheral vision.”
“Pulsing?” Fear was even more apparent in the farmer’s voice. “Let’s get out of here.” He edged toward the exit.
The feeling of foreboding was now quite strong. “Yeah, that might be a good idea.”
Corbin led the way, and entered the hallway. James followed closely. The foreboding grew. They passed the stairway leading to the second floor, then came to where the hallway ended.
Just before Corbin passed from the hallway into the outer room, James grabbed his arm and jerked him back.
“Look.” Whispering softly, he directed the farmer’s attention toward the open front door.
Two silhouettes approached. Unable to make out distinct features, they could tell that one was adult size while the other was smaller. Moving his mouth next to Corbin’s ear, he whispered, “Let’s return to the stairs and hide.”
Corbin nodded and started backing down the hallway.
Being as quiet as possible, they returned to the stairs and ascended a short ways until the hallway could no longer be seen. Holding still, they awaited the approach of whomever, or whatever it might be.
James was sure that the sound of his heart, which felt like it was trying to beat out of his chest, would surely give them away. They didn’t have long to wait before two sets of footsteps entered the hallway. He held his breath, his heart beating wildly in fear as the footsteps drew closer, and then passed by the front of the stairwell. They continued toward the room at the end of the hallway where the pentagram lay.
James whispered to Corbin as he made to return to the hallway, “Stay here, I’m going to see what they’re doing.”
“Are you crazy? I’m getting out of here. If you’re smart, you will too.” With that he brushed past James, moved quickly down the hallway and out the front door. Once free from the house, he broke into a mad dash as he raced into the trees.
Though he knew he should leave too, James had an undeniable need to know what was going on. Slowly and quietly, he made his way through the rubble to the entrance of the room. As he approached, a subtle, pulsating dark blue glow began to emanate from the room. Steeling himself, he peered around the corner.
Two individuals stood motionless before the pentagram. A small vortex pulsated with a dark blue radiance in the air above it. A feeling of horror washed over James at the sight, yet was unable to turn away.
The taller of the two began to chant; the unfamiliar words were painful to the ears. The smaller one, who looked to be a young girl, snapped out of her lethargic trance at the utterance of the first word. With a scream, she tried to flee and only made it a step before the taller one seized her by the hair and held her fast. At the touch of the taller one, the ability to run seemed to drain from the girl. Unable to do anything else, the girl stood there and cried.
From the vortex, a shimmering wave stretched forth and made contact with the girl. A soul wrenching scream tore from her throat. Her traumatized body shook as pulses traveled along the wave from the girl to the vortex. Memories from a campaign in which he played a druid surfaced, James reacted without thought. As more screams came from the poor girl, he summoned the magic to him and said:
Forces of Good, forces of nature,
Give me your aid this day
Sever the bond, free the girl
Course of evil to stay!
Tendrils of power sprung to life and converged from all directions at a point somewhere deep within him. From there it surged outward from his outstretched hand and arced toward the shimmering wave. A blinding explosion like a mini-super nova flared when the two powers met. Once the dots ceased dancing before his eyes, he found the wave from the vortex gone and the girl sagged unconscious in the grip of the evil’s minion.
Hatred and malice erupted from the vortex. As it washed over him like a tide of filth, James sensed that the evil in the vortex now focused upon him.
The evil’s minion turned toward James, letting go of the young girl who collapsed.
Wariness turned to shock as he discovered the evil’s minion to be a girl that looked a little younger than him. She was dressed in blue jeans and a black shirt; he was further dumbfounded when he spied the words San Francisco written across the front. She’s from home!
Her eyes glowed with an inhuman intelligence; her face twisted in an expression of pure evil. Wielding a dagger in one hand, she chanted words whose very utterance set James’ skin crawling.
“I’m from Earth, too!”
But her expression failed to change.
“We can help each other.”
Unresponsive, she moved toward him and her chanting continued.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a change in the swirling of the vortex. Taking his eyes from her for a moment, he glanced quickly to it. A shiver went through him when he found the vortex beginning to coalesce and take shape.
The chanting from the girl suddenly stopped and a dark cloud exuded toward him. The sight of the miasmic cloud caused him to dart backward out of the room but the cloud moved faster. He held out his arm as if to ward it off, but instead felt excruciating pain.
It engulfed his arm; welts formed and fire raced along his nerve endings. A scream escaped him as more of his body came in contact with the toxic cloud. Somewhere amidst the agony, he found the strength to cry:
Soothe and heal
No pain to feel
Power coursed through his body and reduced the pain to a dull throbbing. The black cloud dissipated when the power behind the spell was exhausted. The features of the girl were contorted, misshapen and twisted by the evil which controlled her. She continued advancing toward him.
<
br /> Thinking fast, an idea came. James glanced at the floor and cast:
Stone like pudding
Soft and slick
Entrap her feet
Then harden quick.
Her next step touched the floor then sank beneath the surface. As if unaware, she continued forward with the other; it too passed into the stone of the floor. Once both feet had sunk past the ankles and halfway up the calf, the stone solidified, encasing her feet. Her legs kept moving as if trying to bring her toward him, but the stone of the floor held her fast. She started chanting another spell.
Taking a small stone from the rubble littering the floor, he cast the same spell used when he killed the wolf. He threw the stone. It ricocheted off an invisible shield which surrounded the girl. Ping!
Her chanting raised an octave and there was a disconcerting prickling of his skin. He reached down for another stone. Borrowing from his druid’s repertoire of spells, he drew his arm back and said:
Forces of Good, forces of nature,
More aid do I need.
Pierce the shield, through the heart
The power of good, succeed.
Again a multitude of power tendrils flowed into him, met in the center, and surged outward as he hurled the stone. When the stone connected with her protective shield, there was an intense flash of light. It passed through and struck her in the chest, exploding out her back. She slumped lifelessly forward to the floor, settling at an awkward angle, her legs still encased within the stone floor.
Tired, exhausted and drained, James turned toward the pentagram and the evil coalescing above it. The swirling vortex had now almost completely formed into something inhuman in aspect and malignant in nature. The glowing red eyes of the creature were fixed upon him and hatred rolled over him like the outflow from a sewer. Somehow, he knew that he must find a way to close this portal between worlds before the creature manifested completely. He modified another of his druid’s spells:
Forces of Good, forces of nature,
Hearken to me one last time.
Seal the rift, the passage to close,
And let victory at last be mine!
One last time he felt the influx of multiple tendrils as they suffused him with more power than ever before. The power was so intense that it felt as if his nerve endings were being seared raw. In his mind’s eye he visualized the portal and the power of the evil fighting to keep it open. Even in his worst nightmares he never imagined such malignant hate and evil existed. His mind’s eye concentrated on the portal, directing the magic in drawing it close. The power continued flowing into him, and then out toward the portal.
Wave after wave of malignant hate struck him like physical blows. Each nearly caused him to falter. Somehow, he managed to remain focused. He continued to direct the magic to close the portal.
Just before the portal was no more, a final surge of unbelievable malignancy blasted into him and knocked him back several steps. Strengthening his resolve, he threw everything he had at the portal. The evil fought but could not keep the portal open. It shut and the evil was no more.
With the ending of the spell, the tendrils of magic vanished. He had little time to enjoy his victory. Completely drained and exhausted, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he passed out, collapsing to the floor.
When consciousness returned, he awoke disoriented with a headache that threatened to split his skull wide open. Others were in the room, but he had a hard time focusing, so couldn’t make them out.
“James, are you all right?”
The voice sounded familiar, but his mind couldn’t quite put a name to it. Unable to utter more than an incoherent grunt, he shook his head. He felt pressure against his lips followed by a trickle of water. After a couple of swallows, his vision cleared. He managed a weak smile as his eyes finally focused on Ceryn.
“Thought…you…home,” he managed to get out.
“Thought I went home?” When James nods, Ceryn shook his head. “No. I was visiting a friend and was at the Squawking Goose when Corbin came running through the front doors screaming of demons.
“When he told us what was going on, we hurried out here.” He gestured to a man by the pentagram. “I dragged our priest along just in case. When we saw the devastation, we thought we would find you dead. Imagine our surprise that you weren’t.”
His mind couldn’t make sense of what the Warden was saying. “Devastation?”
Ceryn nodded. “Devastation like I never would have believed. Trees shriveled in a massive swath with this house at the center; many animals, too.”
“How?”
“We thought you might be able to tell us.”
James just shook his head.
Another man knelt by the pentagram, the little girl in his arms. Sobs came from him. James thought at first she was dead, but then the man noticed him looking their way. He wiped tears from his eyes, smiled and said, “Thank you. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for saving my little girl.” His sobs were those of gladness, not sorrow.
The priest walked over and addressed Ceryn. “The girl is fine, if very weak. She will be fine after a few days rest I would think.” Turning to James, he added, “You could do with a little rest yourself, young man” With that, he returned to the girl and her father and talked quietly with them.
Another man entered the room and walked to Ceryn. “We found Hern and Joshua upstairs, both dead. Looks like they were sucked dry somehow. Their bodies are being loaded onto the wagon and then we’ll take them back to town.”
“Very well. Thank you for your help.” The man shook Ceryn’s hand and turned to walk out the door.
The father helped his daughter to her feet. With the priest lending an arm, they managed to get her moving. They made their way slowly out the door and disappeared down the hallway.
Ceryn and Corbin helped James stand. He glanced at the older girl whose feet were still encased in the stone floor. “What are you going to do with her?”
“Leave her for now,” Ceryn replied. “We plan to return tomorrow and the priest will thoroughly cleanse the house. Then we will raze it to the ground.”
They assisted him across the room, but not before he took one last look at the girl and the words San Francisco on her shirt. She must have been that girl the news had said went missing the night before he left for the interview. He wondered how she had come to such a state. Will his fate be similar? Shuddering at the thought, he left the room.
Out front, he paused to survey the devastation of which Ceryn had spoken. Mouth agape in horrified shock, his gaze took in the great expanse of trees lying in twisted, dried tangles or shattered altogether. Not a single living thing was in evidence between the manor and where the forest began some half mile away. A carpet of splintered wood lay around the house and the carcasses of small animals as well as birds were in evidence.
Thinking back to the battle and recalling the myriad tendrils of power that had answered his call, he understood. Forces of Good, Forces of nature. I did this. My spell called on nature and nature responded.
Keeping such thoughts to himself, he allowed Ceryn to bring him to a roan mare and assisted him in mounting. He rode in silence while they led him through what once had been a living and thriving ecosystem. His mind had a hard time coming to grips with what he saw, what he had done.
Upon reaching Trendle, Ceryn parted company as he needed to confer with the town council about what happened at the old abandoned estate.
James was in a daze, and had been since they left the devastated area. He merely nodded as the Warden took his leave.
Corbin took him home.
Chapter Six
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