by Casey Eanes
“What do I do now?” Kull cried out. “Why did you leave me?”
There was no answer, only the sound of wind rustling through the thick branches of the surrounding trees. Kull turned and looked into the dense forest behind him, but the trees were so close together that it made it impossible to find any path to follow. He looked back to the mountain and gazed up the side of the colossal formation.
There, standing about a hundred yards away, was a man. Kull could not make out his face, but he saw his figure in the distance. Dressed in simple gray robes, the man silently motioned for Kull to follow him. Kull waved for him and called out, “Hey! Wait!” The lonesome stranger did not answer, but turned and began climbing up a thin, winding trail leading up toward the gigantic mountain’s summit.
Kull ran his hands through his hair and groaned. What is this place? The chill, crisp mountain air gave no answers. There was no other option or path; he had to follow.
At the onset, the path toward the rock face was sheer but manageable enough. Kull felt his legs burn as he started up the arching, tree-covered base of the pinnacle. His breath could not keep up with the thin air, and soon he realized that the journey up would be much more difficult than he ever supposed. After what felt like hours, Kull stopped to catch his breath, leaning against a tall thin pine.
He glanced down from his position. He saw a thick, impenetrable forest that covered the land like a robe. His eyes trailed upwards toward the mountain’s peak. He was at the edge of the tree line but the sharp summit still towered over him, thousands of feet in the air, revealing his true lack of progress.
I’ve barely made a dent in this.
A low, mournful howl echoed off the peak, and Kull’s eyes went wide with fear. The call descended into a high-pitched laugh, ringing like a vicious siren. The hollow tone came from far below him, near the base of the tree line as far as he could tell. Kull was shocked when he heard the call answered by another to his left. Another cackled, far from the other side of mountain, an insane scream of unknown origin that made his heart seize with fear.
Kull didn’t wait to find out what was shrieking below, but he could feel the sounds pressing closer. He forced himself, wheezing through his ragged breaths, to climb further up the mountain. His eyes scanned the mountainside for the man in the gray robes, but he was nowhere to be found.
Another cry erupted, this time much closer, coming from the thinning tree line below. Kull turned around, his eyes locking on a nightmarish creature that lurked below. The beast was unlike any Kull had ever seen. Its skin had a black sheen, like polished obsidian, and it possessed a collection of long limbs. The animal’s front extremities were equipped with three fingers, each knuckled up in fists on the ground, while its back feet had three long toes with sharp claws. A long black tail swished behind the being, and Kull stood transfixed, straining his eyes for a better look. The beast possessed a beak of some sort and a long, cropped mane of needles that ran down to the center of its back. Four pairs of eyes were mounted in its skull, and all of them stared up to the mountain peak in Kull’s direction.
Kull crouched to the ground, his body frozen with fear as two additional beasts flanked the original monster. The three shadow creatures stood on their hind legs and cocked their heads to the side as they examined Kull’s hiding place. The first of the three creatures sniffed at the air until he snapped his head back to the ground, locked on Kull’s scent. The trio let out a shrieking chorus and leapt up the mountainside like a pack of horrific panthers.
As the animals gave chase, Kull sprang from his crevice and sprinted up the perilous path. He stumbled with every other step as loose stones slipped and rolled beneath his feet. The brutal terrain ripped at his brittle feet, splintering them with sharp pain.
Kull glanced over his shoulder, trying to determine how much space was still between him and the pack of dog-like creatures. The beasts flashed across the trail with lightning quickness, flashing from ledge to ledge. Their movement was so swift that Kull swore they were not running, but were skipping through the air to their next foothold. He turned and saw one of the creatures disappear in the thin air, only to reappear fifteen feet up the mountain. Aleph above, save me.
Fear strangled Kull like a rope. “Help!” Kull screamed out, hoping for the robed stranger to reemerge. “Where did you go? Help!”
Kull’s lungs and legs burned as he continued to weave up the thin trail, pressing through the pain that was escalating throughout his body. He could hear the creatures closing in on him, but he dared not look back. The trail grew smaller as Kull pressed on. He glanced up and decided to try to leap and pull himself up to a ledge a couple feet overhead instead of weaving his way up the small path. Kull leapt, his fingers searching madly for a finger hold. He found it and pressed himself against the ledge to pull himself up. A wave of exhaustion tried to sweep over him, but he squared his shoulders and leapt for the next ledge. His hands trembled as he grasped the cold, gray stone, but as he pulled himself up the mountain the earth slipped and crumbled beneath his hands.
Kull felt himself fall, head over heels, freefalling in the wide open air before colliding against the hard rock trail beneath him. He slid about twenty feet down before thudding against a thick, open ledge. The impact felt as if it shattered every bone in Kull’s body. He fought to raise himself back to his feet.
“Help!” Everything within him was electrified with pain. His thoughts went back to Rose, his mother, the only person he had truly met here on the other side. Why did you leave me?
Hot tears swelled and ran down Kull’s cheek as he stared up at the mountain summit, hoping for the robed stranger, his mother, for anyone. As he raised himself up on one knee, the ground beneath him shook as one of the monsters pounced onto the ledge right beside him. The spikes lining the beast’s spine bristled as it stalked forward only feet away. It opened its mouth, and to Kull’s horror, the beast’s jaws unhinged and disconnected, baring four layers of razor sharp teeth. It howled out for its counterparts, the sound like a large bird screeching.
Kull could hear the other two monsters clawing their way up the mountain, following the alpha’s call. Kull was transfixed by the four eyes of the monster that pinned him down, white orbs surrounding a sliver of midnight, but he forced himself back to his feet to take a step back from his hunter. His foot nearly slipped off the cliff behind him. He was trapped, teetering between the chasm and the dog-beast with its layers of teeth and long, sharp claws. He examined the path inching back toward the top of the mountain. There was a thin grove of trees scattered across the trail leading away from the alpha who was inching towards him, its maw dripping with black bile.
Kull heard the other two bounding up the rocks, chittering like birds. They were close. If he waited, there would be no more chances.
You’ve got to run. The thought propelled Kull as he buried his fear and barreled for the trees, sprinting past the creature in a flash. The beast howled and shot after him in hot pursuit. Kull’s lungs were on fire as he made it to the young saplings, but he did not stop. He weaved between the trees, ignoring the overwhelming exhaustion that was sweeping over his trembling body. Terror and adrenaline fueled his sprint between the trees. He darted between them, before doubling back and slicing between the thinnest openings he could find. The obsidian stalker charged, smashing through the young grove as if it was only twigs. It roared and swiped a massive paw for Kull, slamming against his chest with a thunderous thud that sent him hurdling across the ground toward the mountain’s edge.
Kull’s breath was gone, and his will was broken. Desperately, he sucked in for air as a low chorus of growls and chirps approached him. The three lurkers were together and the pack prowled near his broken body. The alpha beast lurched forward as Kull scrambled back to his feet. Don’t go down like this. Go down fighting. There were no more escapes. No more paths. The kill would be swift. Kull felt the resignation of death approach with each step of the obsidian hunter, but he inched back further to
the edge of the cliff. The monster let out a tremendous roar, which the other two echoed, filling the valley with their thunderous call. A simple thought exploded in Kull’s mind as he looked away from them and out over the forest below.
JUMP.
The two additional fiends leapt over the alpha, landing inches from Kull. Their white, cat eyes locked on him and they snapped their massive jaws.
Kull made his decision. He stepped back and took a running leap over the edge of the mountain. A feeling of suspension overtook him, similar to the aura that had surrounded him while buried beneath the surface of the Sea of Souls. Kull flailed his hands as he tumbled through the cold air, waiting for the feeling of a free fall to overtake him before the coming collision that would finally end his nightmare.
Yet the feeling of falling never came. Kull could see the ground below screaming toward him and he closed his eyes before uttering a desperate prayer. “Aleph. Help me.”
Something collided against Kull’s body, and he thought he had hit the ground until he felt himself being pulled through the air. He opened his eyes only to realize that he was in the powerful grip of the alpha creature, who had teleported, snatching him from his death. The beast lunged from ledge to ledge and let loose a roaring howl, holding Kull as if he were one of its young. The two other beasts flanked it on each side as the three raced up the mountain with uncanny ease. Kull’s mind fought to compute the swift movements and insane speed made by his captors, but he did not struggle.
The three beasts clicked and whined at one another, chirping with excitement as Kull kept his eyelids clenched shut, refusing to witness his own slaughter. The alpha dropped Kull to the ground and then all went silent. The silent void reminded Kull of his mother leading him through the light. He forced his eyes open and there was no blinding light, just more gray stone. Kull lay still, afraid to make any sudden movement this close to the beasts. Slowly, he continued to peer above him. The gray stone grew upward, its texture slowly morphing into a new substance. What is that? Kull stared, his mind unable to understand how rock could take on the appearance of fabric. Burying his fear, he lifted his head only to realize that the stone texture and color melded into the robe of the stranger he had seen earlier.
The stranger smiled, his full face shrouded in the stone colored robe. “You have a strong spirit, young one. Foolish, but brave.”
Kull slumped over, struggling to hold his head up to the gaze of the stranger standing over him. Kull’s brittle and broken body was wilting from his journey and the thought of moving any more was too painful. The three beasts circled Kull and proceeded to sit behind the robed man. Kull pushed himself back from the creatures, trying to place as much distance between them as he could.
“I see you still don’t trust my guardians. Kala, Amser, and Ido would have destroyed you if I had wished it, but they are loyal.” The stranger slipped past Kull and looked out over the ledge. “You have no reason to fear them.”
Kull shuddered at the look of the foul beasts, distrusting of the robed man’s statement. “Who are you?” Kull turned his gaze to look on the man, still feeling uneasy about turning his back on the obsidian guardians.
The man turned and knelt in front of Kull, pulling back his hood. The man’s sharp eyes pierced into him, the color of silver daggers. His olive-skinned face was radiant, bearing features of someone both aged and young, his long, dark hair held back in a tight ponytail. His countenance was kind, but knowing, and the smile he bore was both subtle and radiant. He spoke, and his voice caused Kull’s heart to quicken inside of him.
“You know me, Kull Shepherd of Cotswold. I am no stranger to you. I am here to help you, once again.” He paused and leaned forward, leveling his eyes on him, causing Kull to shudder with an uncontrollable mixture of fear and awe. “I am your friend, Kull. You have no need to fear.”
Kull dropped his eyes from the man’s gaze and his voice broke in exhaustion. “I don’t know you. I’ve never met you.” Anger and sorrow overcame him as he whispered, “I don’t know where I am, much less who I am!” He glanced back at the stranger. “I just want to rest.” He glanced down at his body. The flesh that he possessed was cracking and breaking, withering like dry clay in the desert sun. “Please. I am so tired.”
Without a word, the stranger stooped down to pull Kull to his feet and spoke. “Now is not the time to rest, Kull. There is much to be done, and much to discuss. Your rest will come soon enough.” The man turned and paced back up the mountain trail. “Now. Follow me. We are nearly to our destination.” The man flicked his hands in the air and the three obsidian guardians scrambled back down the mountain, leaving Kull alone with him on the narrow path.
A dull fire swelled in Kull’s feet and legs, but he pushed himself on, following his new guide. Something in the way this man walked caused a memory to flourish in his mind like a mirage. The pain radiating from his legs reminded him of another time. The image filled his mind of a desert as he watched the robed man climb above him, charting the way for him. The man’s pace, stature, and clothing swayed like that of a dark-skinned monk who had led him once through a desert in some other world. Kull tried to focus in on the image, on the monk. What was his name? He remembered he had been injured, his leg...it had been badly crushed. But how? Why? Pieces of memory flashed in his mind but refused to click into place.
The guide stopped at an opening in the mountain wall and motioned for Kull. “Here we are, Kull. Come on in.”
Kull followed, sliding himself behind his guide into the small cave. A fire was burning on the floor. A spit of meat sizzled splendidly above the flames. A few scant belongings hung on the walls: a satchel, a bedroll, and a book. The smell of the savory meat was intoxicating, causing Kull’s mouth to water uncontrollably. Suddenly, for the first time in what felt like eons, Kull realized he was hungry. He had not eaten since he found himself in the Sea of Souls, and now everything within him was starving for the food cooking over the fire.
The stranger wrapped a quilted blanket around Kull’s shoulders and spoke. “Sit down, Kull. You have come a long way.”
Kull pulled the blanket tight around his shoulders and shivered as a cold breeze pushed through the cave. The temperature continued to plummet, forcing Kull to huddle beside the fire, smelling the large slab of meat the stranger kept turning over the flames.
“Tell me, Kull, why are you here?” The hooded man sat right across the fire from Kull. The flames cast dancing shadows on his face, making it difficult to read his expression. “Why are you here?” The man repeated as he opened a clay bottle and handed it to him, motioning for him to drink.
Kull put the bottle to his lips, and the rich, earthy taste of sweet wine poured into his mouth. The drink warmed him from within, loosened his aching muscles, and made his mind relax. He managed a fumbling answer, awaiting some explanation. “I don’t know. I don’t know why any of this is happening.” Kull huddled beneath the blanket, still tasting the wine in his mouth. He squinted his eyes across the fire, trying to read the man’s face. “Do you know where we are?”
“I do.” The answer was quick and resolute. “But I still have some more questions for you.” The man’s eyes narrowed. He took back the flask of wine. Slowly, the man produced an iron prong and shoved it deep within the coals of the fire. There, covered in the coals, was a covered iron pan. Using the prong, he pulled the container from the coals and removed the lid. Inside, Kull saw a beautiful, freshly baked loaf of bread. “You must be hungry,” said the stranger, carefully slicing the hot, steaming bread. “Taste and eat.” Kull did not hesitate, as an explosion of flavor hit his mouth. The stranger’s question filled the cave. “Why should I help you, Kull?”
Kull shook his head as he devoured the large slice of bread. He spoke, his mouth still full. “I…I don’t know?”
The small loaf of bread was soon gone, but Kull’s stomach continued to growl as he eyed the roasting meat. The man’s gaze did not relent. He still expected an answer. Frustrated, Kull s
poke. “I really don’t know.” The man’s eyes continued to bore into him, begging him for an impossible explanation. Kull fought to focus on his question. He thought of his time covered by the black waters of the Sea of Souls and remembered his torturous captivity on The Hunt. Then his mind turned to the three deadly beasts that threatened to kill him on the robed man’s mountain pass. He stared through the darkness at the stranger whose silver eyes glistened in the firelight. “What choice do I have? The real question is will you help me? How do I know that I can trust you? How do I know you aren’t like everything else I’ve encountered?”
The man continued to turn the spit, rotating the meat over the fire. “I am not like anyone else here, Kull.” He was silent for a moment, his eyes lost in thought. “And yes, I am going to help you.”
A strong breeze pushed into the cave and Kull huddled closer to the fire, trying to prevent his body from quaking in the frigid cold.
“The night is setting in.” He glanced outside the entrance into the darkening sky. “It gets cold on the mountaintop at night.” The stranger unhooked the satchel from his back and unfurled a leather skin. He hooked it over the cave's entrance. Instantly, Kull felt relief and was thankful. The makeshift door was just enough to trap the heat from the fire inside the small cave. “This should keep you warm enough.”
“Thank you.” Kull didn’t know what else to say and the words felt so inadequate.
The man smiled and gingerly picked up the spit from the fire. He sliced the meat with his knife, layering thin slices of it onto two wooden plates. “You need to eat.” He handed the plate over to Kull, and without hesitation, Kull began eating the delicious meal. The stranger soon filled his own plate and together the two ate in silence.
After eating, Kull felt his eyes begin to tremble with the weight of pure exhaustion. The stranger laughed and pointed to the empty bed roll. “Lie down. Rest. We will continue tomorrow.”