Hemlock (The Manhunters Book 2)

by Jesse Teller

  “Let me guess. They followed the road for a ways, and then just vanished.”

  “Yes.”

  “There were signs of blood everywhere and no sign of a body?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s what I feared. It’s just like last time.”

  “But there is more,” she said. Hope kicked in his chest and he nodded. “I asked the trees what they saw. They said the group of them just vanished. But I don’t think they did.”

  “Why?”

  “Because my people can’t remember anything that happened the rest of the day. I think they were blinded, or their minds were wiped.”

  “Every tree in the forest?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m so glad to have you with us,” he said.

  She placed her hand on his arm and looked him in the eye. Her gaze became intense. “Anything I can do for you, I will.”

  Rayph felt uncomfortable and pulled his arm back. “Yes, well, what can you tell me about Midvor?”

  She took her hand back and nodded. “It was a farming community. Old, maybe from Destenere’s reign.”

  “Good king. Saved his nation from famine,” Rayph said. “How many new farming villages did he set up?”

  “As many as you told him to, I would guess.”

  Rayph nodded. “Maybe, but it’s not the advice, it’s the action. Phomax received many pieces of advice from me, and you can see where we are.”

  Smear and Trysliana sat at a table as many patrons laid gifts before them. Rayph rose from his seat, set a short sword on the table beside Trysliana, and a jacket with a tight-fitting hood beside Smear. He returned to his table and sat looking over the maps.

  “You bought them weapons and gear,” Sisalyyon said. “That’s a little impersonal, isn’t it?”

  “Know the receiver of the gift, and you know the gift. They will love what I gave them. There is no doubt of that.”

  Sisalyyon laughed and pulled a bloom from behind her ear. The cherry blossom was a constant. Rayph had never seen her without it. When she pushed back the hair, he realized the bloom had sprouted from her skin, burrowing its roots deep into her skull. Rayph smiled and grabbed her arm.

  “You are a magnificent creature, dear friend,” he said to the half-dryad. She kissed his cheek and pulled the blossom free. She went to Trysliana and placed the bloom behind her ear. She whispered to her, and the woman seemed wrapped in deep emotion. She hugged Sisalyyon as the other guests gave their gifts.

  Drelis stopped before the table and looked down at Rayph. He saw darkness and regret in her eyes. “Is it time?” he asked.

  “It is,” she said. Rayph nodded, and they left the bar. With a wave of his hand, he opened a portal. Darkness beyond, stagnant water and massive cypress trees loomed ominously. They stepped through, and the portal closed behind them.

  The Darkness of Maskalorn

  The silence hinted at a complete death, or all-encompassing fear, that gripped the village of Maskalorn. Drelis closed her eyes, and her breath heaved as if she fought back tears. At their feet, mice, rats, and other small creatures fled the swamp and rushed out of the area. Fear stabbed Rayph, and he crushed it down. He grabbed Drelis’s hand, her skin cold in his grip.

  “Are you ready for this?” he asked.

  “They are all gone,” she said. “The time for our meeting is now.” She looked at him with terror in her eyes, and Rayph’s resolve melted. “I just can’t do it alone.”

  “You don’t have to,” he said.

  They walked through the village. Wagon wheel ruts and footprints blew in the dust. Abandoned houses looked at Rayph with the same terror he felt in Drelis. He shook the thought off. He paused at an inn he had eaten at not too many years ago, and he cursed.

  The villagers had asked him then to champion them, had told him of the witch who haunted their swamp, and had begged him to destroy her. Rayph told them not to direct their fear at her, but at the thing she held at bay. He told them to run from this land and find a new place, but that seemed unacceptable to them.

  It had taken five years but, finally, they found someone to champion them. Rayph walked the village until he came to the center marker, where a shattered statue paid testament to the battle that had been fought here. The ground was scorched. The surrounding houses had been broken or burnt in the fighting, and the body of the mage who had sought to oust Drelis still stood in perfect rendering on the ground where it cowered. Rayph leaned over to study the glass face, but either he didn’t know the man, or could not recognize his features in his glass form.

  “Did you catch a name?” Rayph asked.

  “No, he did not give one. He was sour, Rayph. I could smell it on him.”

  “You have nothing to answer for, Drelis. I will not be your accuser.” Rayph looked at the markings on the man, a strange medallion on his chest. He studied it carefully before he made out the symbol carved there.

  Rayph cast upon it, and his spell colored it black. He could make it out much better, and he motioned to Drelis. The marking was a dragon’s head with a crossed lightning bolt and a sword under it.

  “This is the mark of the Stain. The villager’s champion was one of Black Cowl’s men. Probably portrayed himself as a wandering wizard of note who took odd jobs. Probably told them he would oust you for a fee. But Black Cowl underestimated you. How long did this fight go on?”

  “I had him down in but a few minutes. My crystalizing spell took a while to cast. He seemed out of power by the time I got there. He could do nothing but stare and wait for his doom,” she said.

  “How did he fare in the beginning?”

  “He was outmatched from the go. If Black Cowl sent him to kill me, then I can’t imagine he thinks highly of me.”

  “No, he knows he has no power but himself outside of your reach. Even that fight would cost him dearly. I’m not too sure he would win it.”

  “You flatter me.”

  “No,” Rayph said. “Not at all. There is something else at work here.”

  Rayph felt sick to his stomach as the gloom of the village and its surrounding swamp settled into his bones. The darkness here was undeniable. The silence weighed heavily upon him, and he fought harder to concentrate.

  “Black Cowl knew you would make this man’s death fast and painful. He knew you would defeat him. Why send him?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Fear. His methods and desire, above anything else, always lead to fear. He wanted to scare you?” Rayph said. “But that would not work, not with such a novice.” Then Rayph saw it. “He wanted to scare the people here, cause them to grab their loved ones and flee.”

  “Why? To spare the villagers of the evil here? No, Rayph, that doesn’t make sense. This played right into my plan to shoo them away from the darkness encroaching this land. Why help?”

  Rayph turned, letting his eyes gather little details about the land around them. “He was trying to get rid of you, Drelis. His plan worked perfectly. Get rid of the people, and you will go too. It is exactly what happened. Then what?”

  “He moves in to strike an alliance with what lives here.”

  Cold terror played out in Rayph, locking his muscles and rushing his mind.

  “We should go,” Drelis said.

  Rayph shook his head. “I need to know if he is here yet.” Rayph pushed his aura out and to the surrounding land. He reached for any sign of Black Cowl’s energy and found nothing. He let his power search for signs of the evil wizard’s passing and found none.

  “Black Cowl is not here. Nor has he been yet.”

  Suddenly, Rayph felt the beast that lived here turn its head his direction. “It knows we are here now. But it is not approaching.” Rayph cast on himself and Drelis, cloaking them from all possible detection. His aura, his features, and his items of power were as if not present. He grabbed Drelis and pulled her close.

  “We have to see if Black Cowl is successful. We will wait for him.”

  “If he is alert
ed to our presence, he can convince the beast to attack us. It is beyond you, Rayph. Even combined, we could not break it.”

  “Then we must not be discovered,” Rayph said. He chose a building on the edge of the village and stood in its doorway. Drelis took a different vantage point, and they waited.

  Rayph heard the gasping sound of the wind alone, save his heart beating and his own breath. He fought to settle his nerves, but one thought came relentlessly again and again, and Rayph could not beat it back. It knows I’m here. Whatever it is, it knows I am here. It can also likely sense Drelis. She was a bane to its plans from the beginning. It could alert Black Cowl to our presence. He shoved the thought from his mind and turned his focus toward the task at hand.

  He waited for hours before a sudden pulse of power filled the area. He touched his fetish and whispered. “Black Cowl is here. Can you see him?”

  “I can, and he is not alone.”

  “Who walks beside him?”

  “He has the taskmaster with him.”

  Rayph’s heart trembled and he wiped sweat from his lip. “Jeffon the Maker is here?”

  “He is.”

  “What has he brought with him?”

  “Two golems, ten feet tall and eight, both look stone. He also has a dog-like beast that might as well be stone, but I can’t be sure, maybe clay. It’s dog-like in shape, but much bigger in form,” Drelis said.

  “Dreark, did you hear that?” Rayph whispered.

  “I did. Do you want me there?”

  “No, I want you ready.”

  “What are you doing?” Smear asked.

  “We are watching Black Cowl and the taskmaster talk with the Dread of Maskalorn. I need to know if they strike an alliance.”

  “Let me take it from here, boss,” Smear said. “They won’t catch wind of me.”

  “No, you stay and enjoy the party,” Rayph said. “This is a big day for you. I will not ruin it.”

  “I’m a spy, Rayph. This is what I do.”

  “You will stay with your bride, Smear. Tonight, you are not a Manhunter. Tonight you are a husband.”

  “You’re an ass, Rayph. Your arrogance is going to cost you and Drelis your lives,” Dreark said.

  “Stay open and stay ready. If I call, you can all come, but I have this under control,” Rayph said. “Drelis, are you ready?”

  “I am,” she said.

  Rayph stepped from the shack and headed to the place Drelis posted herself. He reached her side of the village and saw them moving. Black Cowl shimmered with power. The air around him bubbled and warped, but Rayph saw it for what it was. He wondered if the display would impress or disgust the entity they were going to see. Such spells had little effect with those who knew them to be nothing more than show, but was this thing a dumb brute, or a creature of real intelligence with a working knowledge of magic? Rayph hoped the plan would blow up in Black Cowl’s face.

  Drelis and Rayph joined them, walking silently behind the group of villains. The stone hound whimpered and sniffed, but try as it might, it could find no trace of them. Its instincts told it they were following, but there was no outward sign other than the tickle it received along its spine or the slight rising of its hackles.

  “What is wrong with your mutt?” Black Cowl snapped.

  The Maker looked the beast up and down and shrugged. “The area, I believe, creeping into its nerves.” It snapped at the swamp rats and lizards that rushed past. “There is a reason why every living thing in this area is fleeing.”

  “Well, that beast’s mewling is not going to show the strength I desire to display here. Command it to stay, and we will move on without it.”

  “I think that a bad idea,” the taskmaster said.

  Black Cowl spun on him and snarled. The man cowered back and nodded, his hands up, his eyes down.

  “Bad leadership,” Rayph whispered.

  “Black Cowl, as I always knew him, was no leader but an apt follower. What happens if this thing cows him and enforces its will upon him?” Drelis said.

  Rayph decided not to entertain the terrifying thought any longer than he had to. Jeffon commanded the dog stay behind, and Rayph halted his progress and let Black Cowl and the Maker walk away. Then Rayph ripped the air open and zipped it closed around the dog. Drelis laughed.

  “What are you going to do with a stone dog?” she asked.

  “Not sure yet. But he is coming with me until I find out.” Rayph felt the pocket of air moving with him as he walked.

  They caught up with their quarry quickly, and Rayph cast over himself and Drelis. As they set out over the water, they hovered just above its surface. Disturbing the water would show signs of their passing, and Rayph would not have that. Drelis grabbed Rayph’s arm as they neared the entity in the water, and she held on tight. Rayph felt her weight heavy on his arm. “Are you okay to go on?” he whispered.

  “The beast knows I’m here and is angry. I fear I will do more harm than good. Let me go. I will return to Ironfall. I can’t go on much longer.”

  Rayph nodded. “Can you make it back by yourself?” he asked.

  “I think I can.”

  “Do not summon forth a portal to Ironfall. They may have people watching in the village. If so, they will know where we are. Go anywhere else and see if you are followed.”

  She rolled her eyes and snapped, “Of course.” She looked Rayph in the eye and shook her head. “Don’t engage it. It hates all light and will sense it on you.”

  Rayph nodded and turned to follow Black Cowl.

  They reached a wide space of stagnant water deep in the swamp. Black Cowl and the taskmaster stood in the water. The golems were too heavy to draw near the water closely. Solid stone made them over five thousand pounds. They waited far to the north, sunk into the moist ground to their knees. How quick would the golems be here? Why had Black Cowl brought them if they were to be so ineffective? Rayph stationed himself as far as he could from the behemoths and waited to see what Black Cowl would do next.

  After a long silence, the dark mage held his hands out over the water and spoke. The water bubbled and churned, and Rayph marveled at the audacity of his enemy.

  You are going to summon the thing? You know it beyond you, and you are going to force it to come and attempt to bind it. Rayph shook his head. This might end his Black Cowl problems once and for all. He stifled a laugh and waited.

  The water churned, then dripped from the sides of a huge mass that rose before them. The thing held no real shape, and Rayph soon realized it was invisible. It lifted from the water slowly until its form towered thirty feet above them all. Black Cowl ceased the chanting, now exhausted and gasping. The beast shook its form, and the trees nearby rustled and bucked from the displacement. The thing was enormous, and Rayph wondered how much of it still rested beneath the dark waters.

  Water, mud, and algae ran in rivulets down its face, otherwise invisible, and with a rustle of movement, a great stench filled the air, and Rayph was once again reminded of Sabrar and the demon they had banished. Black Cowl gathered himself and spoke with shaking speech.

  “I release you from any bindings I have placed you under and beg forgiveness for my methods. I knew not how to seek your attention, and I desperately desired an audience with you.”

  “This mundane human must be made to bow before me, or I will devour him and crush his toys,” the beast said. Its voice rumbled the swamp until the waters rippled and the trees shook, the words thundering in the forest behind Rayph, dominating the silent land.

  “Find your knees, you swine!” Black Cowl lifted his hand to strike, but the taskmaster fell flat, whimpering.

  “Such a waste of genius,” the monster said. “His mind is beautiful, but his motives petty.”

  “I keep him for his pets, and they are quite exquisite. But the man disgusts me,” Black Cowl said.

  “You lie, but I see why. You are trying to place us on the same level. You are trying to get me to respect you, though you are so beneath me it
is painful to behold you,” the beast said. “Should I show you my form, you would void yourself and fall on your knees, begging to worship me.” It stepped forward, placing massive, invisible, mud-covered hands on either side of Black Cowl and leaning its weight down to mash the earth. It looked down with its dripping face and exhaled stinking breath on the mage, blowing his hair back, his eyes watering.

  “This domain belongs to me now. None of your power will work here. Tell me now why you have disturbed me, and I will be lenient with your punishment.”

  “This domain is yours because of my meddling,” Black Cowl said, sweating as he spoke, the cracking of his nerves in his voice. “I scared the people away. I moved your nemesis from this land. You are free to claim it because of me.”

  The beast roared and the trees flailed. The water boiled as it thrashed, and a belch of flame, which did not carry the scent of gas, rose from the water.

  “I came only to ask who you are, and what alliances you wish,” Black Cowl said. “Which of the greats are you, and why did you come here?”

  “I should rend you to bits for your insolence!” the creature spat.

  “But you won’t, will you? And I know why,” Black Cowl said. “You need allies if you are to do as you wish. I am a power you could use, as you are also a tool I might wield.”

  “I am tool to no pitiful beast such as you.”

  “Fine,” Black Cowl said. “But I know who you are afraid of, and I know how to reach him. Extend your might to my beckon, and I will do the same.”

  The head reared back and the mouth opened wide. Heat rippled from its breath, and Rayph knew the monster would devour Black Cowl.

  “My death will ensure your enemy is notified, told you still exist, and given details as to where to find you,” Black Cowl said.

  The mouth paused.

  “Now will you answer my question? Which of the greats are you? Who do you call father and who mother?” the mage said.

  The monster seemed to roll the dilemma around in his mind. “I am Bastion the Gray, son of Cratius of Stone and Wyld the Blood.”

  Rayph nearly cried out in terror.