Shadows of Home

by James R. Vernon

  Paige was fast and her sudden anger caught Ean off guard. She slammed into him, hands grasping his shoulders with sharp claws, feet hitting his stomach, causing him to fall backwards. She crouched on top of his stomach, pinning his shoulders to the ground with surprisingly strong arms. Her muzzle sat just inches from his face, the mouth open enough to let out a growl and to give him a front row seat to the razor-sharp teeth that lined her gums.

  "You changed that raider into some kind of beast, and now you've done the same to me!"

  Instead of fighting back and trying to throw her off, he let her dig in her claws. Looking up at her barely human face, the pain she was causing was much less than he deserved and paled in comparison to the threads of fire he had just endured.

  "I swear I didn't do this, Paige. It was the imps."

  "The what?"

  "Imps. Little brown," he winced at the mistake, "I mean, almost-gray creatures?"

  "That thing that Trevor killed?" She shook her head, spraying a bit of drool out of her mouth. "There was an explosion right after he stuck it. Stunned me for a moment. When I got my bearings again, Trevor was gone and I looked like...this. Are you telling me the explosion came from the dying imp?"

  "Yes. It released the energy that changed you. Not me." The pressure on his shoulder eased. But only a small amount.

  "And where did these imps come from?"

  "A Scar." At Ean's words, Paige finally released her grip on his shoulders, which made the next thing he said even harder to admit. "A Scar I inadvertently created."

  She looked at him for a moment. When she spoke again, there was more wonder in her voice than accusation. "You can create Scars? Does that mean you can change me back?"

  "I don't know. I don't even know how the energy changes people in the first place. But I can keep you safe while I try and figure it out."

  A truthful answer. He would heal her if he could. Before everything that had happened, Ean had been a Healer's apprentice, learning the medical properties of flowers and other plants and the strange medical properties each one had. Although this was a magical affliction, it was one his magic had caused. If anyone was going to figure out how to reverse its effects on human beings, it would be Ean.

  Without warning, Paige collapsed against his chest. His initial thought was that she was using her new set of teeth to tear into him. Even though he didn't experience any pain, Ean thought the newly dampening of his shirt confirmed his fears. That is, until the first sob escaped her throat and he realized tears were moistening the clothes touching his chest.

  Despite everything going on, Ean took a moment to hold her against him. As she cried into his shirt while they both lay on the cold earth behind the house, it was all he could do to keep from adding his anguish to her own.

  Chapter 10

  Dawn was just beginning to peak out over the tress when the gruesome job of killing every imp they could find was concluded. Neither Ean nor Azalea had been able to sense or smell any more of the creatures in the village, which meant they had gotten them all or at least had driven them from Rensen. If it was the latter, it would be just another problem for Ean to handle at a later time. For now, he had to focus on those who had been touched by Abysmal energy. With the threat resolved, he had met back up with Azalea and Dao to discuss their next move. It was decided that Dao would head back to Lurthalan and secure the trade deal that Ean had promised for the people in the Deadlands. The man had been reluctant to leave Ean at first, but the prospect of spending some time in the capital of Ven Khilada, with a full purse of coins no less, finally won him over. With him already on his way, Ean and Azalea focused on what still remained to be done in Rensen.

  To the mayor's credit, he had done as he was asked and found everyone they believed might have the slightest touch of the Abyss on them. The crowd that gathered in front of Ean and Azalea looked like they were lining up for execution—a motley crew of close to thirty villagers, their clothes as varied as the men and women themselves. They all stood apart from each other, although those with families or relatives had them huddled back behind where they stood. Those people wore expressions that were angrier than they were afraid. Paige stood not too far away, wrapped up from head to toe in a thick brown cloak. While those gathered admitted to being close enough to either the Scar or an exploding imp to have been touched by the Abyss, Paige had been the only one found who had been drastically changed by the experience. Anyone else who had been changed to that degree, like the first man Ean had seen, had supposedly fled. There was nothing Ean could do for them either. He could only focus on the villagers in front of him.

  The mayor had a small fire built on one of the wider sections of the dirt roads that ran through the village. It illuminated the drawn faces of those gathered and showed all the fear each felt to varying degrees. They all stared at the dirt, which was fitting as dirt was exactly what Ean felt like.

  "Like removing a bandage," Dao whispered at his side. "Just do it quickly and the pain of finding out will be more tolerable."

  "I've always hated that saying," Ean whispered back. "Just yanking off a bandage can cause more harm than good. Stitches can get caught up in the fabric. Skin could have healed into the bandages, meaning that you rip--"

  "Stop hesitating," Azalea said from his other side. She had resumed her human form, at his request. No need to scare the villagers more than they already were, even if most had already seen her true form. Her dirty blond hair flipped about as she shook her head. "The sooner these people find out, the faster we can leave and head home."

  "You could have gone ahead with Zin to warn Jaan that we were coming."

  "And leave you behind with just Dao? I did that for a few moments when we got here and look what happened."

  Dao opened his mouth, but Ean raised a hand, stopping whatever smart reply sat on the tip of the man's tongue. The two were getting to be as bad as Azalea was with Zin. It was like the man was trying to make up for the imp's absence.

  "Dao is leaving, anyway."

  "And where exactly am I going?"

  "Back to Lurthalan. We still need to reestablish trade between the city and the Deadlands. I'm not going to be able to go back any time soon but you could still get things moving."

  "And you trust me to handle something that important on your own?"

  "I do." Ean clasped the man on the shoulder. "You've more than proven that, even though your methods sometimes are questionable. You've been someone who comes through for us in the end."

  Dao snorted. "Don't try to flatter me. I'll do it, but I expect to my compensated for my efforts."

  "Of course." Ean removed his hand from the man's shoulder and offered it to him. "I look forward to hearing about your success. Come back to Rottwealth when things are settled, and I'll make sure you get what you deserve."

  Dao took his hand and gave it a few good shakes. "You just make sure you stay out of trouble long enough so you're around to pay me."

  "Safe travels, Dao."

  "Same to you, Ean."

  Dao headed off without another word. Ean watched him go for a few moments before turning his attention back to the villagers.

  "I need to say something to them before I begin. Try to relieve some of the fear they must be feeling."

  "Try to keep it short," Azalea said. "The longer you speak the more mistakes you'll make."

  Ignoring his friend, Ean strode up to the group, putting his back to the fire. He looked at each man and woman in turn, all wearing hopeless faces. Many of those faces glanced up briefly at his approach but returned their eyes to the ground before he could make eye contact. Those gathered behind them did the opposite. They all tried to hold his gaze with accusatory eyes. Whether they held fear or anger, everyone gathered had already given up. It was as clear as the star-filled sky above him. He had to do something to assure both those lined up and the people who obviously cared about the ones possibly infected.

  "I doubt most of you recognize me, but my name is Ean Sangrave
. Close to a year ago, I helped your village's Healer to mend and save dozens of you after a band of raiders tore through Rensen." He paused as a few acknowledging grumbles passed through the crowd. "I'm sure your mayor has already told you what I intend to do, but I want you to hear it straight from me as well. Some of you may have been touched by energies of the Abyss. Whether by large or small amounts, you know what that means. The Seekers will come for you and kill you, possibly hurting any who might stick up for you.

  "You might also remember me from a little less than a season ago when I stood up to one of the Seekers in this very village and beat her. What I'm offering today is sanctuary to anyone with the touch of the Abyss on them. You can come with me and my companions back to Rottwealth where we can keep you safe. It means starting over for most of you, but the alternative is by far worse." He paused to take everyone in with a meaningful look. "The Scar will draw the Seekers here. Threats and begging won't sway them. They will find and murder anyone they detect Abysmal energy in, regardless of the amount. If you want to stay alive, if you want to keep the loved ones who have gathered behind you for support from becoming collateral damage in their hunt for you, then you need to come with me if I find any trace of the Abyss on you. We'll have to move quickly, so if you do decide to come with us, start to think about what you need now."

  At first, silence was the only reply he received. Ean waited, knowing it wouldn't last long.

  "But it’s his fault this happened," a man said, breaking the silence. It was one of those gathered behind the line of potentially touched villagers. His voice trembled with anger as he continued. "All this is his fault. He admitted as much. We should be stringing him up from one of the trees, not listening to him babble on about the danger he put us all in."

  "And he could have just fled," another man replied, this one amongst the line of villagers in front of Ean. "Left us behind for the Seekers. At least he's trying to make good for the problems he's caused."

  "How do we even know he can protect us from the Seekers?" a younger man asked.

  "I'd rather not take the chance," a woman chimed in. "He spoke the truth, as far as the Seekers are concerned. If I have a touch of the Abyss on me, I'll take my chances going with him rather than waiting for Alistar's murderers to come find us. And I hope my family will come with me."

  The last sentence hovered close to a plea, and the woman glanced back at what Ean assumed was her husband and the two young girls he had his arms around. When all three nodded in unison, Ean felt at least a fraction of the relief the woman must have felt.

  "Let's get on with this then." A man who had remained quiet stepped forward. "If I have to upend my whole family by tomorrow morning, best to know now."

  Ean gave him a nod, then moved to stand directly in front of him. If Ean was being completely honest with himself, he wasn't exactly sure how to search the villagers for Abysmal energy. He could easily feel the energy that infused Azalea and Dao behind him; Azalea was a burning beacon of pure energy while Dao was a pulsing throb of the corrupted energy that had cursed the Deadlands and its inhabitants. But both of them were infused with the energy from head to toe. The villagers gathered in front of him would only have small traces of it in them. Just standing near them, he couldn't feel even the slightest pull of energy from any of them over the energy coursing through his body.

  Well, that's the first thing I should try.

  Ean slowed the energies that raged inside him to a slow trickle. If he was going to detect the energy in someone else, he certainly couldn't have it surging inside his own body. No longer buffered by the vast amounts of energy, pain and soreness rushed back to his senses. Muscles that had been at constant use since he arrived in Rensen burned. The injures he had received from the flame tosser had healed but left him with the pain of their departure. His eyes grew heavy as exhaustion was able to rear its head with the energy no longer keeping him up. It was difficult, but Ean ignored it all, focusing instead on the small amount of energy he held and pooling it into his right palm.

  When Ean reached for the man in front of him, the villager flinched back a moment then stood rigid.

  "This won't hurt," Ean said as he placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "And it won't make things worse. Just try to relax."

  "Easy for you to say," the man mumbled, but a little tension left his shoulder.

  The energy gathered in Ean's palm swam about lazily like the surface of a pond touched by a breeze. He kept a tight hold of it, containing it to his hand and not letting it bleed out into the man. If the villager wasn't touched by the Abyss now, Ean certainly didn't want to infuse him with his own energy by accident. He waited, not sure what he was expecting but at the same time, unsure on what else he could do.

  Just as Ean was starting to feel uncomfortable with how long his hand was on the man's shoulder, a small tug touched his palm. It was barely noticeable, but it pulled towards the center of the villager's body.

  "I'm sorry," Ean said as he forced himself to meet the man's gaze. "It's there."

  A small narrowing of the villager's eyes was the only reply Ean received before he turned and walked towards what Ean assumed was his wife and a young man who looked enough like him to be his son. They all embraced for a few moments, then the man was speaking quickly. With his enhanced senses, Ean picked out enough of what was being said to understand the man was giving orders to his family on what to pack and prepare before they left. The wife and son left after giving the man one last hug, but the man remained behind.

  Ean expected the touched villager to cast angry looks in his direction, but instead, he was sending reassuring nods and smiles to his fellow villagers still in line.

  Others behaved similarly as Ean moved down the line if they received the same bad news. Surprisingly, whether a person received good news or bad, they all stayed to listen to the fates of their fellow villagers. When it was all over, a group of a dozen or so people had gathered with their families or each other, exchanging hugs of relief although most remained somber. The rest, those who had traces of the Abyss forever attached to them, moved together like a herd of wounded animals. It was the group that had received the good news that Ean addressed first.

  "Those of you who are free from the touch of the Abyss, I want...no, I need to ask one favor of you."

  They looked at him, skeptical faces mixed in with ones that still held relief.

  "Some of the other villagers, those who didn't come here tonight, might have been touched as well. If you know of anyone, please express my invitation to come to Rottwealth to them as well. The Seekers will come here. They will deliver their own twisted justice on anyone they find who has been touched by the Abyss. The only safe place for them is Rottwealth. They will receive the same offer of sanctuary I give to those already gathered here tonight.

  "And for those more deeply touched by the Abyss..." he heaved a heavy sigh, "...if they return to Rensen, please let them know that despite how they may appear, they will be welcomed to Rottwealth with open arms." Ean cast a look at Paige. "And I will do everything in my power to return them to human form."

  Most remained stoic, but Ean received a nod or two from a few. Those unaffected by the events of the night moved off, returning to their homes and probably thanking whatever deity for not being included with those who remained behind, leaving Ean with those who had received the bad news.

  "We'll meet tomorrow, on the west side of the village, where the road leads into the mountains. Take only what you can carry and enough for a three day's journey, although we should be able to make it to Rottwealth in two. When we arrive, I suggest you tell no one of the real reasons you are moving. The people of Rottwealth don't need a reason to treat you poorly. Just arriving with me won't win you any points with a majority of the people there, but I will make sure you have every opportunity to live the normal lives I promised you.

  "Now, I won't keep you any longer. I'm sure you have much to do and some final goodbyes to give. I'll see you all in the
morning."

  Ean watched as the crowd dispersed, some crying openly as they moved off with their families. Those who were alone returned their gaze to the ground as they wandered off. He couldn't imagine what they must be going through, having to pick up all they could and start a new life. Rottwealth would always be his home, regardless of what the majority of the residents might feel about him. Even if he couldn't one day build a house of his own in his small town, he had his little lair in the mines and the companionship of those he freed from the Abyss. These people, however, would never be able to return to Rensen without the fear of running into one of the Seekers.

  Well, Ean thought, I might not be able to make it up to them, but I certainly will make sure I can do everything possible so they live happy and healthy lives.

  Helping most of the villagers would be easy compared to finding a way to help Paige. The young woman had stayed behind while the others went home to prepare. She had stood off from everyone else, casting furtive glances in Ean's direction from beneath her hood while he spoke and hunching deeper into the robe covering her whenever another villager glanced in her direction. Ean had expected her to go off with the others, gather her things, and say goodbye to her family. Now, with everyone gone, she still remained. Every few moments, she would take a step as if finally ready to go, but then she would shake her head violently enough to almost knock her hood back. When it seemed obvious that she wasn't going to leave, Ean tried to approach her.

  "Paige--"

  He had barely gotten a single step in her direction when she crouched like a cornered animal and let out a low growl. Before he could ask what was wrong, she sprang away, disappearing deeper into the village, her hood finally falling back to reveal her flowing hair and pointed ears poking out. Ean was so surprised that he didn't even call out to her before she was gone.

  "I thought she had forgiven me," Ean mumbled.

  "Big difference between forgiving a person," Azalea said, moving to his side, "and moving on from what the person has done to you."