“Yes. I can only imagine what she is seeing.” Habbad shifted himself, sitting upright. “I hope to one day learn enough about magic to take the knowledge from her.”
“She is strong, especially for a child. Both of you are. I wouldn’t be doing so well if I’d been through all of that.” Cole felt himself sinking into darker thoughts. He had been through something just as horrible.
“With your current self, probably not. You have to change who you are so that traumatic events don’t destroy you. I used to be a different person before I met Kreed,” Habbad finished, giving Cole a puzzled look.
Cole was on the verge of another fit. Thinking of Habbad’s parents being murdered brought him back down into places he tried to forget. Memories of a cobblestone alleyway and the smell of crotch funk brushed against the edge of Cole’s mind. He closed his eyes, shoving them deeper where they belonged.
“I see what you’re doing,” Habbad interrupted.
“Doing what?” Cole’s eyes snapped open, realizing he’d been twitching.
“You have a wound.” Habbad inclined his head to Cole’s. “You’re going to have to deal with it sooner or later. It will grow inside you the longer you suppress it. It will consume you.”
“Maybe, but I’m not dealing with it now.” Cole averted his eyes.
“Hmm.” Habbad gave Cole a disappointed look.
“You wanted to know how I came to Aeneria? My dreams?” Cole asked, rubbing his eyes.
“Do you want to sleep more?” Habbad asked.
“Can’t sleep. Might as well tell you now.” As he had with Kreed, Cole told Habbad everything he remembered from his first disappearances as a toddler. Unlike with Kreed, Cole left out some of the more embarrassing anecdotes. As Cole thought on it, he realized Kreed had probably used magic on him to draw out all those memories he had no recollection of.
“I’m pretty sure my disappearances had something to do with Aeneria. I think I’ve been coming here my whole life and not realized it.” Cole looked to Habbad for his input.
“If you weren’t sitting here before me, I would say that would be impossible. How many times did you say you vanished?” Habbad asked, looking up at the stars through the holes in the ceiling.
“Too many to remember. It came and went, but got worse as I got older.” Cole’s mouth popped open as something clicked into place. “My mother told me it happened when I was three, then I remember being ten when it happened again. Now I’m seventeen. I think Aeneria was next to Earth every time I vanished! Aeneria must come by every seven years or so!”
“Those were my thoughts, though there is no way to know for certain. I’m guessing that our cycle is equal to seven of your, what did you call them?”
“Years.” Cole said, running his hand through his hair.
Habbad was silent for a moment, though he looked like he wanted to say something. Finally he spoke: “You are special. You may not know how, and neither do I, but there is some strange magic happening around you.”
Cole shook his head, stopping himself from mentioning Him. He was there every time, guiding and helping. He was the one using magic. For some reason, Cole didn’t want to share this knowledge. Not yet anyway. Come to think of it, he hadn’t even mentioned it under Kreed’s influence. “I’m still not so sure it’s me who’s special. But who knows, maybe I’m ‘Cole the Great Wizard’ and just don’t know it. You better start showing some respect or I’ll turn you into one of those seeds.”
For the first time since Cole met him, Habbad laughed. “I think you are being a little too modest. Certainly you would be named ‘Cole, the Great Naked One’.”
Cole snorted so loud that Lexy woke from her slumber. Fortunately the nightmares had long passed. “What’s so funny Habbad?”
Habbad inched closer to her. “Nothing Lexy. Cole and I were just making fun of each other.”
“Be nice to Cole, he has sadness in his eyes.” Lexy rolled over and snuggled into Cole’s leg.
“It’s ok, it was nothing serious. And I’m not sad anymore, I’ve got my new family to look out for me.” Cole mussed her curly mess of hair.
A knock at the door broke the silence. Cole and Habbad were on their feet in an instant, knife and sharpened rock in hand.
“Do you normally get visitors?” Habbad whispered.
“Never, it’s probably just Goran messing with me,” Cole said with more confidence than he felt.
The knock sounded again, slower this time.
Tremors ran up Cole’s legs and sweat made him tighten his grip on the stone blade. Steeling himself, he jumped through the door.
A tortured howl ripped through the starlight.
“Colton Carter, my friend.”
Chapter 10
Falling
Kreed towered over them grinning ear to ear, looking as if he might cry from hysterical delight. The sourceless white light surrounding him revealed another person as well, though whoever it was stood beyond the edge of its luminance.
“This is just terrific news,” Kreed gushed, rapidly clapping his hands together. “I was ever so worried when I discovered you took a night-time stroll. It’s much too dangerous to be outside at night, and the woods no less, tut tut. And see who joins him! Habbad, you naughty boy! You of all people ought to know better. Might I guess who else is in there, hmm? Why don’t you come on out too, young Lexy.”
Lexy pushed herself through the door. She looked as if she might vomit. Cole tightened his grip on the stone, though he knew it would do him no good against a giant capable of unknown magic. A fly landed on his neck and had started biting, but Cole was too scared to swat it.
“Now that we’re all gathered, what shall we make of you little troublemakers?” His voice was gentle and pleasant, as if he had merely caught them eating their dessert before their dinner. “Our friend from Terra shall of course be forgiven, as he is not yet acquainted with the rules of Costas. As for you, Habbad and Lexy, correct me if I’m wrong but I do believe the two of you know what comes to those who break the rules, don’t you?”
Habbad’s lips trembled as his face twisted. The sight unsettled Cole, as he had only ever known Habbad as a tough little rock. Lexy covered her eyes and turned away, mumbling to herself. More of the biting flies swarmed about them. Lexy waved her hands in a panic, attempting to shoo them away.
“That’s what I thought.” A thin lining of malice embellished Kreed’s fatherly tone. “Come forth, Lexy.”
“Please! It was my fault. I made them do it. I told them to get me out of there.” Cole faltered as Kreed raised an eyebrow. “I…I was locked in the room and… I panicked. I yelled out the window until they heard me.”
Kreed’s smile deepened as the sourceless light changed from white to blood red. “Oh I can see it in you now. I adore liars, and that was a beautiful lie, Colton Carter. Beautiful, but weak. When we’re finished you’ll be weaving much better lies than that. Don’t you fret over little Lexy, I’ll not harm her.” He crouched, opening his arms in invitation. “Now, Lexy, come to me.”
Lexy’s face slackened as her eyes went blank. She dropped her hands and took one deliberate step after another. The biting flies covered her face, but she didn’t seem to notice or care. Cole pleaded, begging her to stay put, but it seemed she couldn’t hear him. She walked willfully and resolutely towards Kreed, her face frozen in stone as tears flowed like rivers into her open mouth. She stopped in between Kreed’s arms as he pulled her close, kissing her forehead. There was a hiss of something burning. Kreed released her, his lips smoking into a maniacal grin. A black scar sizzled on Lexy’s brow.
The figure at the edge of the light stepped from the shadows. He looked like an ancient man, slightly taller than Cole but enormous around the middle. Instead of wrappings, draping grey rags hung from his bulbous form, hiding his legs. His face was oddly skinny however, and he had the largest mouth Cole had ever seen, which sat atop a neck comprised of countless jiggling folds. As the old man turned, he revealed
a large hump in his back that shook with every step.
Still grinning, Kreed extended his arm toward the man. Lexy walked up to him with the look of a person reconciled with death. The rag man stretched lanky arms towards her, revealing long white hands that twitched in anticipation. His fingers were long enough to wrap all the way around her tiny ribs. The air rushed out of her mouth in a tiny squeak. Lexy’s feet left the ground as he raised her towards his face.
Frozen with horror, Cole realized the rag man was not about to kiss her, but swallow her. His purple lips separated, connected by a single ropey bridge of yellow saliva. The maw opened to an astonishing gap that could have easily swallowed a larger man. Lexy’s curly hair disappeared behind bleeding lips as the man’s jaw popped wider, allowing her shoulders and abdomen to enter. He worked her in the rest of the way, throwing his head back and forth, neck folds jiggling with every gulp.
Cole forgot how to use his legs, or even how to breathe. He shouldn’t be here, but the voice screaming for him to save himself was buried under miles of cold water. The fear, dripping down his insides and seeping through his flesh, was the only thing that existed. He was at its mercy, fully and willingly.
A cry broke the silence, releasing Cole from his frozen state. Goran descended from the roof of the cabin and landed on the grinning face of Kreed, who was too distracted to see him coming. Blood flew from behind twisting fur as Goran bit and slashed with terrible ferocity. Before Kreed’s massive hands could close on him, Goran dashed to the ground, quick as lighting.
“My eyes!” Kreed screamed, covering his face as blood poured out from in between his fingers.
Goran landed on all fours, his wild eyes saying what he could not; run.
Without room for another thought, Cole bent down and scooped up Habbad and ran. He couldn’t see where he was going, and he didn’t care. His limbs needed no conscious direction. The horror of what he had just witnessed fueled and guided his body to flee as fast as he could. It felt as if every hair on his body were rebelling against the fear, every motion bringing him another inch away from the source. By sheer luck he didn’t collide with a single tree, fake rock, or any obstacle at all. Cole noticed a small dark figure keeping pace beside him. The figure sprinted ahead, veering left.
“Coo Cha!” Goran cried as he tore through the underbrush. Cole followed, barely able to keep up. As his exhaustion began to set in, his terror subsided enough for Cole to think on what had just happened. He dared not slow. For all he knew Kreed and that thing were right behind them. He hoped their pursuers were too preoccupied to give chase. Cole wondered if Habbad had fainted. His little body hung limp over Cole’s shoulders like a bundle of slack rope.
Goran led them into a patch of tall bushes with sharp leaves that thickened with every step. Leafy blades flicked across Cole’s face and hands as the foliage grew so dense he was guided only by Goran’s insistent barking. The brush slowed Cole, but he could see an opening ahead. Frustrated, he pushed hard through a branch, feeling his stomach drop when he emerged on the other side. Before he had a chance to realize he was falling, he was under water. Fortunately his feet found solid ground and he stood, bringing his head and chest above the surface. As he stood to full height, Habbad woke from his stupor, gasping and writhing. Goran looked like a log floating steadily ahead towards a small island.
“I can’t swim!” Habbad squealed, clawing at Cole’s back.
“You’re good, you’re good. Climb on my back. Just don’t drown me if we go too deep.” Cole spread his hands out, balancing himself.
Cole waded forward slowly and, as he suspected, the water was soon too deep for him to stand. Habbad pushed his head under, not giving him a chance to breathe. Cole had to periodically shove Habbad away to gulp down some air before allowing himself to be pushed back below the surface. It was difficult to follow Goran, but he eventually felt a soft bottom as he approached the island. When he was close enough, he tossed Habbad onto the shore. He fell into the waist deep water and crawled the rest of the way. His breathing came in rasping coughs as he struggled to remain conscious. Once on dry land, he attempted to stand, only to fall flat on his face.
“Cole! Cole get up. We need to hide,” Habbad whispered, tugging at Cole’s arm.
Cole didn’t have the energy to respond. It was all he could do to keep drawing breath. Furry lips scratched his hand as teeth closed around the cloth on his wrist. Slowly he felt himself being dragged through the sand.
Cole opened his eyes, realizing he was on his back. He had passed out, but knew it couldn’t have been for long, as he was still soaked and he could hear Habbad gasping. They were inside some kind of structure with a triangular opening that let in enough starlight for him to make out Habbad’s and Goran’s vague forms.
“Where are we?” Cole asked, sitting himself up.
Steadying his breath, Habbad whispered, “In a tree.”
“Oh.” Cole chanced a look out into the water, but the starlight was too dim for him to see across to the shore.
They sat in silence, neither daring to say a word. Goran took up sentinel at the mouth of the tree, sitting on his haunches and twitching his ears at the slightest noise.
Cole flinched and whipped his hand as something crawled across it. Eventually he couldn’t take the silence anymore. “Habbad, what happened back there? What did I just see?”
Cole expected Habbad to break down into tears again, but it appeared he had regained his robotic composure. “That was a Corpulant, a minion of Decreath. You just witnessed a Corpulant eat my sister.”
Cole opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t seem to put the words together.
“We are very fortunate that this animal was there. I assume this is Goran?” Habbad asked. Goran snapped his head around at the mention of his name.
“Y-yes,” Cole stuttered.
“Thank you for carrying me. I shudder to think what Kreed would have done to me if you hadn’t.” He looked at Goran: “Animal, thank you for your help as well.”
Goran responded with a quick snort.
“Habbad, I-I can’t… She’s gone. That thing ate her, it swallowed her. She’s gone.” Cole paused, waiting for Habbad to provide a better explanation, anything to help him wrap his mind around it. “How are you okay with this? How can you just sit there like you didn’t see what I just saw?”
“I saw what you saw, Cole. I’m sure I will have a more fitting reaction soon enough, but right now is a time to act, not to give in to fear as I did back at the cabin.” Habbad shifted, rubbing his forehead. “We cannot linger. We must keep moving. Kreed will fix his eyes and the Corpulant is likely on our trail as we speak. I doubt we will get the same treatment as Lexy. Kreed will take his time with us. Even you. As special as you are, you will be punished.”
“I can’t just yet. I don’t think I can stand.” Cole tried his legs, but they wobbled and buckled. “I can’t get up.”
“Then we will have to hope that luck will hide us until you recover.” Habbad closed his eyes, turning his ear to the entrance of the tree.
“I just can’t believe she’s dead.” Cole rubbed his face as tears welled. “She didn’t deserve that, she was just a kid. No one deserves that.”
“She is not dead,” Habbad said, his voice as monotonous as ever.
“Wait, what are you talking about? Didn’t you see what that thing did to her?” Cole’s fingers mushed through the cool sandy floor of their hiding spot.
“Yes, and I also saw what Kreed did before the Corpulant took her,” Habbad said, opening his eyes.
“Are you talking about the kiss?” Cole asked.
“Kreed is a master liar, but this time I think he was telling the truth, at least for now. He chose her. You saw the mark on her forehead?”
“Yeah. The burn.” Cole winced. He could still hear the skin sizzling.
“That is the mark of Kreed’s chosen. Every cycle he picks dozens of Underkin. Usually those who stand out for one reason or another; superior
intelligence, an open act of kindness, he even choses us for being too tall. Once chosen, these people will survive any injury, no matter how grievous.” Habbad grimaced, as if he tasted something foul. “It would have been better if he had just killed her.”
“But doesn’t this mean there’s a chance? The Corpulant might not have killed her. We could still save her,” Cole’s whisper rose along with his hopes.
“I don’t know much about the Corpulants or what disgusting magics they follow, but they are mercenaries of Decreath, who isn’t bound by Kreed’s rules or magic. It is the opposite in fact; Kreed is bound to Decreath. It is possible that she will survive, but she will still feel everything and her body isn’t indestructible. Even if she does survive, by the end of this cycle she will be worse than dead,” Habbad scowled.
“Why is that, what happens at the end of the cycle?” Cole asked, but he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know the answer.
Habbad’s face turned to wrinkled stone. “I saw it once. I was young but it was traumatic enough for me to remember every detail. At the end of every cycle Kreed pays tribute to Decreath, Sorronis, and Grotton with the Devotion. The chosen are brought to a tower and strapped to the outside. It was so tall I couldn’t see the top. From inside the tower oil is poured out through holes, drenching the chosen. When The Three arrive the tower is set ablaze from the bottom up. They are very careful with the oil, using just enough to keep the fire going so that the chosen are not destroyed. They cannot die, but they feel everything. The people at the top felt the worst of it. The screaming was so loud it hurt my ears, but eventually their voices stopped working; either from the smoke or because they screamed them out. The smell is what disturbed me the most I think, because it smelled good. I remember hating myself for enjoying it, but I was so hungry. We all had to watch as the people we once knew lost themselves to the tower. When the fire went out there was nothing left of their minds. Their smoldering bodies were little more than melted flesh, beating and tearing at everything they could reach. To this day you can still taste the hate coming from the tower.”
Saving The Dark Side: Book 1: The Devotion Page 15