Descent Into Darkness (Book 2)

by James R. Vernon

  "A truly spectacular battle, one worthy of my guests. You have served your Master well this day, and for that I will make sure that you live so that you can serve me just as well again."

  While hearing that the voice was going to save the Cruxlum's life filled Ean with hope, it was despair that flowed from his host's mind. Despair and rage. With an energy that Ean didn't think the Cruxlum had left in him, he turned and rose in one shaky motion, then lunged in the direction of the speaker.

  Before he had even completely turned around, blows struck him from every direction, forcing him back down to his knees. They continued to rain down on him, hitting his head, body, arms, legs, practically anywhere there was a spot to be hit, except on the wound in his side. The Cruxlum had his eyes closed again, which meant that Ean couldn't see where the blows were coming from. And then, just as quickly as they began, they stopped.

  "Just because I treat you as a prized possession," the gravelly voice said, "does not mean I will let you get away with demonstrating a lack of respect. You can either be a well-kept slave or you can be a slave that must constantly be put in its place. Either works for me, as both require an equally small amount of effort and time. You decide."

  The tensing of the Crux's muscles and grinding of its teeth told Ean exactly what his host was deciding. Inwardly sighing, Ean did what he could to brace his mind as the Crux pushed himself off the ground and lunged blindly in the direction of the voice again.

  The pain was worse this time. It felt like a million needles piercing the Crux's skin over and over again. What little energy Ean's host had was drained instantly, and he fell to the ground. Without the energy to even catch himself on his four large hands, the Crux hit his face hard on the ground. He lay there struggling to get up while Ean screamed in his head for the Crux to just stay down. Eventually, the Crux stopped struggling as unconsciousness took him and Ean both.

  WHEN EAN WOKE, IT took him a few moments to remember where he was. It was dark, and he was on the ground, which for a moment made him think he was still in the dream. Or whatever it had been. Reaching out with a gloved, five-fingered hand, Ean felt the fabric of the tent give way slightly to his touch. He was still in the caravan's campsite, not some dank gladiator pit.

  Ean wiped sweat from his brow. Whatever he had just experienced, it had affected him physically. He felt sore all over, as if it had been his body that had been receiving those blows. On top of the physical pain, he also felt a pang of guilt over the Crux's situation. To have to live a life like that, forced to fight and suffer for the amusement of something more powerful. If only there was some way to--

  "Good, you're awake. I wanted to talk to you about--"

  Startled by the unexpected sound, he spun around. His closed fist made contact with an invisible lump. Something bounced off the tent wall with an oompf.

  "Zin, I'm so sorry! I just had the worst dream and it made me a little jumpy."

  "A little jumpy?" the imp responded with a grunt. "I'm pretty good at dodging the occasional blow you send my way, but you reacted faster than I've ever seen you move... Wait a minute, what did you just say?"

  "I said I had a bad dream."

  In the darkness of the tent it was hard to make out the imp, although he could sense exactly where he was. He felt Azalea too. She wasn't close by, which made Ean nervous.

  "Alright, Ean," the imp said slowly. "I want you to say that just one more time."

  "Why are you acting so strange? All I said was..." His mouth froze as he listened to the words coming out of his mouth. They weren't human.

  "Ean, you're speaking--"

  "The Crux language, I know." And yet knowing didn't help him to switch back into human. "Zin, I don't know what's happening, I can't stop."

  "Well, don't look at me. I have no idea how you all of the sudden know a completely new language, or why that's the only one you can speak."

  "Zin, I can't go around speaking another race's language, especially one that comes from the Abyss. I'll stand out like..."

  He trailed off as he realized he had switched back to the human tongue.

  "I think I'm getting it under control." Still human.

  "Especially if these words come out in Crux." And they had.

  Ean couldn't help but clap his hands together in excitement. At least that horrible dream or whatever it was gave him something positive.

  "Glad you're having fun," Zin said, "but can you try to explain what happened? I believe a dream was mentioned?"

  "Yes, I dreamed that I was stuck in a Crux's mind. He was in some sort of arena and was forced to fight this ugly looking creature with pinchers and four pointed legs. He won, but then he rebelled and tried to fight his master and was knocked unconscious. That's when I woke up."

  The imp had begun to pace as Ean told him his dream and didn't stop once Ean had finished.

  "Mmm... mmm..." was all he mumbled for a time as he paced back and forth. Ean watched him move about until a sliver of light started to creep under the gap left by the tent flap.

  "Well?" he said, not trying to hide the annoyance in his voice. "What do you think?"

  "What you described sounds like a typical show that a Nar'Grim would put on to show off his power and influence."

  "Zin, the same thing happened after I summoned the Hound. Do you know what it means?"

  "I have no idea what it means." Shrugging, the imp sat down in front of Ean. "Could have something to do with the tattoos on your arm, or it could be you're somehow bonding a bit with the creatures you summon. Or it could be something completely unrelated to both. Who knows? Maybe you're just going crazy."

  Ean took a swing at the imp. Zin rolled backward and avoided the blow, smiling a toothy grin back at him.

  The imp certainly had given him a lot to think about it. Could his tattoos somehow be bonding him to the creatures he summoned? He hadn't had a dream about Zin yet, but on the same token, the last time he had summoned the imp had been before he had put the tattoo on his body. Did that mean he would eventually dream he was Azalea too?

  Shaking his head, Ean tried to put those thoughts away for another time. Just as an experiment, he tried to switch his thinking to Crux. The words came easily and switched back to human just as fast. It was interesting to think in another language and would be useful if he ever did have to summon a Crux again.

  A voice from outside cut through the silence. "Time to get up and get out, traveler. The tents are going to be put away, and I've been told you have morning clean up duty. Best get your stuff on a wagon and find a supervisor to get your shovel and assignment. Hurry now."

  He had forgotten all about his "job." Azalea was to thank for that, of course. He would have to think of some way to pay her back. Fighting his sore muscles, Ean rose to his feet and gathered up his things, groaning each time he had to bend over. Zin chuckled at Ean's misery before turning invisible and leaving. The imp was probably going to find a good spot to watch Ean shovel animal turds all morning.

  Exiting his tent, Ean was surprised to see most of the camp already cleaned up. The man certainly hadn't been joking about the caravan moving out soon. Most of the tents in the middle of the circle were already gone, and many of the wagons had their drivers up and ready to go. He found Wil's wagon easily enough, earning a wave from him and his family as Ean dropped off his things. He was about to climb up and have a quick chat with the man when a hand dropped heavily on his shoulder.

  "I assumed you wouldn't seek out anyone to put you to work, so I figured I would have to hunt you down."

  Ean did his best not to cringe at the sound of Gaiden's dry voice. The thin man wore an annoyed expression on his face.

  "I find it quite interesting," the sour man continued, "that Master Deepdweller would offer you all of this hospitality and you would try to get out of the one duty you were assigned."

  "I'm not trying to get out of my duties," Ean tried to keep his tone civil. "I was dropping off my things, as I was instructed, before going to fi
nd my assignment."

  Gaiden sniffed loudly as he stared at Ean for a time. Clearly the man didn't believe him.

  "Very well. Follow me."

  The man stalked off, not waiting to see if Ean followed, which Ean did. He wasn't about to shirk away from responsibility. He followed Gaiden until they got to one of the covered wagons. Without a word, Gaiden signaled to a man inside and was tossed a shovel. Pushing the shovel into Ean's chest, Gaiden moved towards the outer ring of wagons, waving Ean to follow. Stopping behind a random wagon, Gaiden spun around to face Ean again.

  "Following the order set down by the temples, the roads must be kept clear. You will follow behind this wagon, removing any offal left by the animals in front of you or missed by other shovelers. You are to remove as much of the offal from the road as possible before you fall three wagons behind. Whatever is left you can leave for the shovelers behind you."

  Lifting a hand, the sour man jabbed a finger into Ean's chest. "And just so you know, shovelers take it very personally if they feel someone isn't pulling their weight. You leave too much for those behind you, and you might find what you've missed sitting outside your tent in the morning. Or perhaps in it. Understand?"

  Removing his finger, Gaiden stalked away without another word. Ean hoped he didn't have to deal with the man every day. Starting tomorrow morning, as soon as he woke, he would seek out the supply wagon, get his shovel and get behind his assigned wagon before Gaiden could even find him. That would show the snotty little man.

  Not long after Ean was assigned his wagon they all began to move, the circles of wagons unwinding like a snake and moving back onto the road. Ean's wagons were those in the middle that carried the huge blocks of stones. Ean had no idea who would want to buy such things or how much they would cost. Back home, the inn and Cleff's home were the only buildings made of stones, and those stones were much smaller than the ones on the wagons. Ean hadn't even seen a building in Rensen with stones the size of the ones in the wagon in front of him. Maybe they were easier to transport in larger pieces and would be broken down at their destination?

  Ena's thoughts were interrupted as he stepped in a large pile of ox poo. Already? He couldn't believe that they were only a few steps down the road and they were already starting to go. Didn't they go at any point before they left?

  Wiping off his boot, he jogged back and started to shovel away what he had stepped in. It took a few trips to carry it all to the side of the road, but he was finished before his second wagon had passed. Jogging back up to the rear of his first wagon, Ean decided it would be best not to get lost in his own thoughts too much.

  The rest of the morning was uneventful. Ean's job turned out not to be as bad as he had originally thought. Not counting the smell, it was fairly easy to keep the roads clean. The shovelers in front of him must have been doing an excellent job as Ean never had to shovel more than one pile at a time, and there were long spans where he didn't have to shovel at all. He found the shoveling itself to be a nice little workout, and when he wasn't heaving dung around, he was able to walk along peacefully and enjoy the scenery.

  Although there wasn't much to see, the broad expanse of grassy hills were a pleasant change from the dull browns of his village and the almost smothering closeness of the forest. Occasionally he would catch a glimpse of the edge of someone's farmland with its variety of crops as it interrupted the sea of grass that made up most of the area. Very few fields contained the large beanstalks that everyone grew back in Rottwealth. Considering himself an expert in plants, Ean was a bit taken back by the number of plant life he saw growing which he was unable to identify. He would have to remedy that--soon. If he was going to eventually head out on his own and maybe open up his own shop on the side, he would have to make sure he knew about what grew outside of his hometown of Rottwealth.

  Azalea was nice enough to grace him with her presence as the sun approached the middle of the sky. She, of course, only came to taunt and tease him, but Ean didn't mind as much as it did give him someone to talk to for a time.

  "Well, look at you," she said, standing off ahead of him as the caravan moved past her, "being all helpful and productive. I'm sure everyone throughout the land appreciates your hard work in keeping crap off of their roads."

  Ean stayed silent until he reached the spot where she was standing. As soon as he reached her, she fell in at his side, all the while wearing her usual smirk. It always looked a little strange on her human face, as if her cover wasn't used to the expression. After a few steps, Ean decided to acknowledge her.

  "At least one of us is doing some actual work. What have you been up to since I left you passed out last night?"

  "Oh nothing special, just enjoying a few delicious snacks." She glanced at him, letting out a little laugh as his frown grew. "Oh don't worry. I didn't have any big meals. Plenty going on with this group that I can keep myself stuffed just being around them. Would you like to hear all of the funny things I've learned while being amongst these wonderful people?"

  "Not particularly."

  "Too bad. I'm going to tell you anyway." She placed an arm around him for a moment, then frowned and pulled it back. She looked confused for a moment but then shook her head and laughed as a pile of feces appeared ahead of them. Waiting patiently, she watched Ean clear the road before continuing.

  "Anyway, as I was saying, the first person I came across was a delightful fellow who wanted to keep to himself at first. The smell of guilt wafting off of him was too good to ignore though, so I stayed until I won him over. Turns out he had killed his brother back in the town this caravan is coming from. Over a girl no less! Killed a member of his family out of lust for a girl! Isn't that delightful?"

  Ean tried to keep his face as blank as possible. Maybe if he showed a complete lack of interest she would stop. The Yulari continued on anyway.

  "Not interesting enough for you? I suppose not, maybe if he had killed the girl too, it would have made for a better story. Well, the next two men I met were a bit friendlier, especially after I let my robe open 'accidentally' and revealed a little leg. Those two stole a great deal of money from the wrong person and have been hiding out with this caravan for over a year. But that's not the most interesting part." She paused, obviously trying to add a little bit of suspense. "Can you guess what is?"

  "No, and I don't care."

  "Sure you do. Stop trying to ruin my fun." Her lips lowered in a pout but only for a second, and then she was laughing again. "The best part is, later in the night I found a man that only joined this caravan because he was sent to kill the other two men! Or kill one and torture the other in order to find out if they still have the money. I gave him a few suggestions."

  "I don't want to hear about how you're helping someone murder two other men, regardless of what they did. I don't want to hear any more about how horrible people are, understand?"

  Ean was hoping the anger that he let fill his voice would deter her from going on. He should have known better.

  "Okay, okay, you didn't like my two stories about murder. It's not your thing and that's fine. But you should find this last story really entertaining."

  Rolling his eyes, he turned his attention back on the road.

  "The last person I found still up late last night was a boy a little younger than you. He joined the caravan in hopes of making enough money to buy his girl a home so they could start a life together. He was so in love with the girl I thought my teeth were going to simply rot from how sweet his emotions tasted. Isn't that something?"

  Actually it was rather sweet, and not a story Ean would expect Azalea to enjoy. Maybe she did have a good side to her after all.

  "I slept with him, of course."

  Ean put a hand to his face and groaned. It smelled like what he had been shoveling all morning, but at this point he didn't care. Azalea just giggled.

  "What? Obviously he must not like her that much if he was willing to bed down with me. I mean, sure he did cry the next morning when he real
ized what he had done, but I'm sure he'll be over it by the time he gets home to his girl. It's not like she'd know unless he told her right? No harm in that one."

  "And I bet you didn't use any of your skills to get him to sleep with you?"

  "Of course. He was a stubborn one, ignoring both my subtle hints and my more blatant moves. He would have wanted me eventually. I just got bored with having to try so hard, so I cheated a little. Either way would have ended with the same results."

  A small pile of offal appeared ahead. Taking a firm hold of his shovel, Ean scooped out a large amount of the dung and turned to face Azalea. Her expression changed from mirth to weariness.

  "Ean, don't you even think about it."

  As Ean approached her with measured steps, the shovel head and what it was carrying resting off to his side, the Yulari began to back up.

  "Ean, don't you dare. Just because you have to stink of that stuff doesn't mean I have to as well."

  Ean stayed quiet, closing the distance between the two of them. When he felt he was close enough, he launched the dung at Azalea. He considered it a good shot as it sailed directly at her.

  With a squeak, Azalea twisted out of the way, letting the dung fly past her. She stalked directly up to Ean, ripping the shovel from his hands and raising it as if to strike him. Ean stood his ground. He didn't think she would actually hit him. Hoped she wouldn't at least.

  Their eyes locked. Her illusion gave way for an instant, revealing her dark red eyes. Just as quickly, though, the illusion snapped back into place and she pushed the shovel back into his hands.

  "Clearly," she growled, "you would prefer to shovel alone. That's fine by me. I'm tired of being around your stink anyway."

  With a sniff, she shouldered past him, almost spinning him around with the force. Ean watched her move back towards the front of the caravan, not sure how he felt about the whole exchange. On the one hand, she deserved to be taken down a peg or two. What she had done to that boy, completely messing with his life, and how she had dragged those secrets out of those men was wrong. Unless she planned on turning those men in, he didn't care if she knew about their dirty little secrets.