by Quil Carter
“I didn’t even recognize myself in that mirror,” Ben said, looking away from the pool, a lump forming in his stomach.
“It was a surprise when I saw you, you did look a lot different,” Teal agreed. “I like how you look now though. You look good as a hibrid.”
“Did you become a human when you were in my world?” Ben asked. He didn’t remember him looking differently on the rooftop, but he did have his head and ears covered.
Teal shook his head. “No, I just covered up, so I was unrecognizable. I tried to steer away from populated areas, though that was hard.”
Ben kicked a rotting potato as they exited the alleyway into a side street. It looked like they were in a more residential area of Malla now. None of the entrances had signs, they seemed to be homes. “None of my friends will recognize me back home. Damn… I bet Tav wouldn’t even recognize me.” Ben sighed, and his heart started to become weighted in his chest. “I miss him.”
“Tell me about him?” Teal asked quietly. “Maybe it will help to talk about him.”
“Tav’s…” Ben suddenly flushed, he didn’t really know what to say to Teal about Tav. He shrugged and looked down at the ground. “Tav was just special. I really had grown attached to him. He was kind of dependent on me; I helped him out a lot. I – I don’t know what he’s going to do without me.”
At the memory of Tav Ben felt the lump that had been forming in his stomach start to sour. He took a deep breath and looked up at the full moon in the sky, the overwhelming feeling of unease inside of him swiftly turning to guilt.
“He thinks I left him, Teal,” Ben said, his voice breaking under his own emotion. “He thinks I ran out of that bedroom – What if he thinks I killed myself?”
Teal scratched his arm nervously. Ben sniffed, thankful that the dark was hiding the moisture he could feel in his eyes.
As they walked deeper into the town, Ben found that the more he tried to shove down these feelings rapidly growing inside, the less he was able to do so. The weight of his emotions pressed down on him with multiplying ferocity and suddenly Ben felt like screaming at the top of his lungs. Something, anything to get away from these emotions, this anxiety – anything to get away from the situation Teal had forced him into.
In frighteningly quick succession Ben’s pulse jumped and his breathing started to shorten. He found his eyes looking around wildly at the houses with flickering lanterns, and the starry night sky above him. None of it offering solace, only increased anxiety at this place, this world, that he didn’t recognize.
“B-Ben?” a voice spoke beside him. Ben’s head jerked towards the voice but though his heart recognized him the screaming panic that had become a monster inside of his head didn’t. It was telling him that he was a stranger, an entity that had come to bring him harm. He was something that Ben had to get away from.
Ben took another deep breath trying to calm himself but it didn’t work. His palms were now sweaty, as well as his brow. Ben could feel the heat gather in his chest and suddenly he could no longer help it.
“I – I… bring me home,” Ben said, his voice strained with panic. He looked around, in all directions, feeling his heart slamming against his rib cage. “Bring me home – bring me home.”
Teal stared back at him with a shocked look. The creature took a step forward and extended a hand to try and comfort Ben, but Ben jumped back. He shook his head one last time – before he turned around and bolted.
“Ben!” Ben heard the stranger behind him yell, but it only made him run faster. There was no space inside of his reeling mind to know where he was heading, all that Ben knew was that he had to get as far away from the stranger, and this world, as he possibly could.
If he kept running eventually he would see Denver, somehow as Ben ran he convinced himself that would be his reality. It was impossible for him to be here, it had to be. It was just a bad drug trip, or a concussion or something. There was no way this could be real.
Yes – yes… “Yes!” Ben choked as he sped down a dirt alleyway, speeding past wooden doors and piles of drying wood. He burst out of the alleyway and saw nothing in front of him but the faint grey glow of the stone wall that had once offered the feeling of protection.
It’s just a bad trip – this is just a bad trip. Ben ran down the large wall, tripping and stumbling over the uneven ground before seeing what looked like a small hole in the grey brick. Ben’s heart jumped and he dropped to his knees and crawled through it.
“No! Ben, stop, please!” the stranger behind Ben cried, but Ben didn’t stop. He made it to the outside of the wall, his pants now damp with dirt, and quickly sprung to his feet. Without hesitation he ran into the forest, once scary and ominous, leaving the stranger screaming his name behind him.
If he ran, he knew he would see Denver, and he would see Tav. He would break through the darkness like it was a physical vale and he would be back in his apartment with his friends laughing around them. They would tell him he had been tripping badly. Tav would be howling with laughter and so would Emett. Then he would go to sleep safe in his bed and everything would be fine.
Even Erick would be there – perhaps him disappearing could be a dream too?
Then the ground disappeared out from under Ben’s feet. He gave a startled yelp and tumbled down a small ravine. Though it was only a four foot drop it was enough to land Ben flat on his face.
“No!” Ben cried, sucking in an inhale of dirt that made him gag and cough. He closed his eyes tight as his entire body started shaking violently and let out a defeated scream. The panic was rushing through him like a raging river, washing away all sanity that he had and replacing it with a terror that was snatching the very breath from his chest.
And for the second time since coming to Alcove, Ben found himself having an anxiety attack.
“Oh my gods, Ben? Ben, are you okay? Ben, talk to me!” Ben could hear the stranger’s rapid, desperate voice yell. There was the sound of skidding behind him and he felt dirt on his legs, but he couldn’t talk. Fully in the clutches of the panic attack all Ben could do was gasp for breath and look around in terror and confusion.
“Anea above – please calm down! Gods, I’m sorry – I’m sorry!” the stranger cried, Ben could see he had tears streaming down his face and he himself was trembling. “He told me I had to do this, I’m sorry. Chaka, we should’ve stayed in the forest longer. I’m an idiot, Cursed Kelakheva, you’re too weak for this shek. Ben, I’m sorry!” The stranger seemed to be rambling himself, he seemed on the verge of his own mental breakdown.
Ben brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He shut his eyes tight and tried to imagine himself back to his apartment. With all of the mental strength inside of his crumbling mind he tried to force him back to his world, hoping like hell it would come true.
But it was fruitless, the dry cold around him remained, the stranger crying with him remained. No matter how much Ben tried to force himself out of this world, deep down he knew he wasn’t going anywhere.
“Ben, open your mouth, you’re having another panic attack, let me give you some of the desoni,” the stranger said in a strangled voice. Ben could hear him digging through that knapsack he was always carrying around. Then Ben felt him put a hand on his shoulder. “Drink this, Ben, please.”
“Get away from me!” Ben cried, jerking his shoulder away. “Bring me the hell home, you freak!”
“I can’t!” he screamed. “Can’t you see? I can’t! I don’t know how, and we need you. I need your help! I couldn’t bring you back if I wanted!”
“Then get that god damn demigod!” Ben screamed back. “Find him! Get him to bring me back. I have a life on earth, I have friends; I have a guy that needs me that I think I might love. You two had no business screwing that up!”
Ben opened his eyes and looked directly at the stranger who brought him here. He could see him perfectly in the moonlight.
Teal… in Ben’s madness he recognized those terror-stricken ey
es. They radiated sadness and fear, and Ben knew just from the short time that he had known him, that they were no strangers to his face.
Teal’s face crumpled, more tears dripped down his face. Not only could Ben see that sadness and fear, but he could see guilt and agony.
“I’m sorry, Ben,” he whispered. He clenched the bottle of desoni in his hand with a white knuckle grip. “He told me to do it. I didn’t want this either.”
Ben’s head started to feel light as his lungs failed to give his brain enough oxygen. He gave out a whimper through locked teeth and as the dizziness claimed his balance, he slumped over to his side.
“I at least want Tav here,” Ben cried; he tried to make himself as small as possible. “I can’t leave him alone to –” He was about to say something else to Teal when suddenly another wave of panic overcame him. Ben’s eyes closed and his teeth locked; he trying to contain the anxiety, but it was no use – he opened his mouth and screamed again.
To Ben’s shock and anger, mid-scream, he felt a rush of bitter liquid touch his tongue. Immediately he snapped his mouth shut and gagged but it was too late. Teal had taken the opportunity, and he had poured the desoni extract into his mouth while he was screaming.
“Fuck you!” Ben spat. He shot to his feet, and at the same time so did Teal. He was about to lunge at the hibrid but Teal got to him first.
Teal grabbed Ben’s arms and forced him back down to the cold forest floor. Teal then wrapped his cloak around him.
“Get off of me!” Ben screamed, but Teal easily overpowered him. Teal put one of his hands on Ben’s head and pushed it down so it was resting onto his shoulder. He then pushed his chest against Ben’s chest trapping his arms inside of the cloak, then rested his other hand on Ben’s back.
“Calm down,” Teal whispered. Ben continued to struggle; he could feel Teal’s hand clench around his head, his other hand on Ben’s waist helping to trap Ben’s arms inside of the cloak.
“Don’t touch me!” Ben cried, but this time his cry was weaker as the desoni started to take effect.
Slowly his struggling started to become less and less powerful, and Ben’s body started to cautiously relax. Teal immediately noticed and started making hushing noises to him.
“Shh-shh, it’s okay, Ben,” Teal said in a soothing voice. “Relax. I know how it feels, I do. And I know it’s not fair, but it’s happening for a reason, and it’ll be okay.” Ben felt his body start to unwind, and his breathing started to return to normal.
“I just want to go home,” Ben whispered. “This is really fucked up, Teal.”
“I know, Ben,” Teal whispered back. “Believe me, I went through the same thing when I was in your world. But we have to do this, this goes above us. We have orders from a demigod – we have the Jewel of Elron.”
Ben didn’t answer.
And it’s my duty as Erick’s brother to stop him, he thought to himself. His mind had been full with the overwhelming reality that was this new world, Erick had never been far from his mind.
Ben looked around the dark woods, tinted grey from what Ben was now realizing was his hibrid night vision. He saw several of the white oak trees, with their beautiful silver bark striped with black. It was comforting in a way; it reminded him of the camp back in the silverwoods, where he had first felt safe.
Sensing he was calmed down enough not to run again, Teal loosened his grip. Ben shifted away from him until he was sitting down beside his friend.
“I’m sorry–” Ben began but Teal cut him off.
“Don’t apologize… ever,” Teal said with a shake of his head. “I’ll tell you one day just how much worse I was. I know how it feels to have your brain so overwhelmed you’re wondering why you haven’t had a stroke. I understand, and I meant what I said: I’ll help you through this.”
Ben nodded, he wrapped his cloak around him. It must be fall from the chill that was around them.
“Let’s get back into the village and get some lodgings,” Teal suggested. “I think you need some sleep right now, rest those feet of yours too.”
Ben liked that idea. The two of them got up and started walking up the ravine, though when they reached the top the two of them were surprised to see that they weren’t alone.
Aleeka was running towards them with four guards dressed in shining silver armour. The hibrid had a shocked look on his face and he was carrying a sword in his hand.
“Teal! Are you all right? We heard Korbin screaming bloody murder,” Aleeka said bewildered. Immediately Ben felt his face flush with embarrassment as the hibrid’s eyes shot from Ben, to Teal, back to Ben.
Teal, obviously embarrassed too, looked down at the ground. “We – we’re fine, Aleeka… just…” Teal coughed into his hand. “An argument, that’s all. Let’s… let’s go back into the village, Korbin.”
“Wellen Inn,” Teal said as the two of them approached a three-storey wooden building with warm lamps shining in the blue curtained windows. They had managed to stay in the shadows of the village as they made their way towards the inn and thankfully the few elves that were out hadn’t paid any attention to them. It had been embarrassing enough having to calm Aleeka down after he had heard Ben screaming. Neither of them felt like being stared at or talked to.
“It looks welcoming,” Ben said, looking up at the tall building. It looked like it had seen better days but it seemed stable and welcoming and that was all Ben cared about. His dash for freedom had left him with another headache and as the adrenaline drained from his body the ache in his feet were coming back with vengeance.
Teal and Ben carried on inside. The main area was dimly lit with oil lamps; one in each window as Ben had seen from the outside, one on the counter in front of them, and several hanging from chains from the ceiling. To the left of the counter was a wooden rocking chair, which was occupied by quite normal-looking elf. He was rocking back and forth in front of a lit fireplace, holding what looked like a giant white rabbit.
To the left of the inn keeper was the common area, warmly illuminated by several more lamps and a large mantle fireplace in the right-hand corner. It had several rows of long wooden tables, with chairs. Ben could see half a dozen elves eating bowls of stew and dark bread; talking amongst themselves over pints of beer. The smell was wonderful and the atmosphere cozy, Ben immediately felt his body start to relax.
“Hello, Tealander. Welcome back to the Wellen Inn. What can I do for you?” The elf got up from the rocking chair with a creak, and greeted them from behind the counter.
“Evening, Wellen. We’re seeking one room for tonight. We’ll tip extra if we can get a top floor. Better yet if we’re the only ones staying overnight,” Teal said. He looking into the common room and Ben did too. He saw that the other elves eating dinner. “Any supper left over for us? We’ve been walking since daybreak.”
Wellen glanced curiously at Ben, who was still looking ill from his anxiety attack. The old inn keeper had the same skeptical and concerned look on his face that Aleeka had. In the back of his mind Ben was wondering if they all thought he was being held by Teal against his will. Aleeka had seemed surprised that Teal had a friend with him, so that was quite the possibility.
“You brought along a friend, Tealander, my boy. Where did you find him?” Wellen asked curiously, petting the large white rabbit he had on his lap.
“Hiding out in the forest, he’s nice but shy,” Teal lied taking several coins out of his knapsack.
Ben smiled at Wellen, trying to show the inn keeper he wasn’t a prisoner of Teal. “My name is Korbin of Galan,” he said inclining his head like he had seen Teal do. “Nice to meet you.”
“A Galan boy, eh? I could use a strong Galan boy in my stables,” Wellen said, putting the strange rabbit-thing on the counter; it began to chew on a nearby root.
“He already has a job, Wellen,” Teal said casually, “but if you’re looking for work there was a dirty-looking boy begging near Hakire’s.”
“Bah, I wouldn’t give that boy a job
if he was the last elf in Elron,” Wellen grumbled. “He’s a thief and a liar, on top of a beggar like most of the elves here. I sure hope you didn’t give him any coin. The only thing this town is good for is begging since ol’ King Erick ran his snakes through here.”
Ben’s mouth twitched. It felt strange hearing other elves talk about his brother.
“I’ll give you a good price since you’re a quiet and clean boy. Five kips and you get the top room and the only person I have here is a mute,” Wellen said, glancing up at the ceiling. “Tuck was just served, feel free to get some bowls from Marlaine in the kitchen. She loves feedin’ skinny young ones; it’s the mother in her. Just return the dishes to the kitchen before you leave in the morrow, helps keep the rats away.”
“Alright, Wellen it’s a deal.” Teal nodded quickly. He took out a handful of the copper-coloured Alcovian currency and placed them on the table.
“There’s one extra don’t tell a soul that we’re here,” Teal said. He began to walk up the stairs, Ben followed him.
“Anea guide you, Tealander, you’re a good lad,” Wellen called after him.
Then there was a pause, and Ben could hear the inn keeper let out a breath before speaking. “But I must warn you – there’s a Serpent knight on your tail.”
Teal and Ben both stopped in their tracks, they exchanged glances before Teal walked past Ben and approached the counter again. He put both of his hands on the table and stared at Wellen.
“You weren’t going to tell me, huh?” Teal said, his voice had an edge to it.
Wellen held up his hands defensively and shook his head. “You aren’t the only one who pays me for my silence. But you’re a good hibrid. I’ll break my silence for you.”
There was a clang as Teal dropped two more copper coins onto the table. “Go on.”
“Wore all black he did; even his hair was the colour of the night,” Wellen said. “Was looking for a blond and red-haired hibrid.”
“And he was a knight?” Teal pressed.