Shadows of Home

by James R. Vernon

  "I could give a flying Brayurat's arse if I hurt Qo's precious feelings. And the fact that you're already kowtowing to the monster before he is even here--"

  Azalea cut off as she finally noticed Ean had arrived. Zin looked up at her sudden pause, then quickly looked down again. Jaan, as always, just gave Ean a simple nod and nothing else.

  "What's going on?" Ean asked, fully coming into the room.

  Azalea waved her hand at the imp. "Your imp has been less than forthcoming about how depraved Qo really is. It seems that while Zin was in the Abyss, after he found Qo, that monster tortured him almost nonstop until you pulled him back out."

  "What?" Ean looked back and forth between Azalea and Zin. "Zin is that true?"

  "It wasn't nonstop." Zin finally looked up then, and the way his eyes squinted and the corner of his mouth turned down told Ean the imp was holding back. Plus, Ean could already feel his friend’s reluctance through their bond. Zin continued. "It just took a little convincing on my part before Qo the Fifty-Seventh actually believed what I was telling him. He had a great many questions..."

  "Which he asked while slicing you up and knitting you back together again. And getting a Togorath to use you as a play toy."

  "It doesn't matter!" Some of Zin's old strength returned to his voice. "I didn't say anything before because I didn't want Ean to go in having a skewed opinion about Qo. And I told you and Jaan because I wanted the two of you to help me keep an eye on him without having Ean worry. Not so you would just turn around and do the exact opposite."

  Ean walked over to stand closer to his friend. "Zin, you shouldn't keep things from me."

  "You have enough going on right now. Jaan, Azalea, and I could have done all of the worrying about Qo the Fifty-Seventh without adding it to your plate. You take on too much without relying on us to carry some of the burden."

  "I can handle it, Zin," Ean began but surprisingly it was Jaan who cut him off.

  "A good leader knows when to make all decisions and when to delegate to those he or she trusts. When a leader tries to do everything, he often wears himself out to the point that another can wrestle command from them." Jaan scratched at his chin. "Usually with a great deal of bloodshed."

  Ean raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I'll do a better job of sharing the burden." He looked down and pointed at Zin. "But that means you don't try to shield me from anything. I won't confront Qo about what he did to you, but I'll certainly make sure he knows he won't be doing that to anyone in this world."

  A mixture of emotion too wild for Ean to pick out flooded through Azalea's bond with him. She opened her mouth to speak but Ean beat her to it.

  "And I'll trust you to keep an eye on him. You've all voiced your concerns about his kind in general, and if this new information makes us even more cautious, all the better. From what Zin has said, Qo fell in line with his old master. I'll make sure he does the same with me; otherwise, he'll go back with a few new bruises as well."

  His three advisors nodded, which Ean took as the sign to get started. It had been some time since he had summoned a creature from the Abyss without Auz's help. The sentient stone had provided Ean with runes he had yet to learn; he had only needed to see them once for them to be ingrained in his memory. Without Auz, Ean was forced to return to his Abysmal Tome to find the proper combination of symbols and designs to summon an Eish'amalga Aren. From there, all Ean needed was to add Qo's name and it would specifically summon him. Now all it took was for him to create the runes he needed.

  Before Ean tattooed himself, he needed to carefully draw or carve out each curve and sharp line of the summoning runes perfectly for them to work. Now, all he had to do was picture it in his mind, place his hand on a flat surface, which in this case was the smoothed rock floor of the Heart, and his magic did the rest. As soon as he touched the stone, streaks of azure light spread out from his fingertips, burning the design into the rock as it spread out to form a circle the size of a wagon wheel and made of intricate designs. It only took a few moments for the rune to form and even less for it to activate. Ean stepped away as the light flared and a hole opened up in the ground. A dark purple mist drifted about lazily about a foot below the surface, shimmering as it refracted light from below.

  Just as easily as the gateway to the Abyss was formed, Qo rose from the mist.

  The best way to describe the Eish'amalga Aren was as if someone had taken a hundred oak saplings and twisted them all together into the shape of a man. Qo looked like what would happen if a humanoid statue was covered in hardened creep vines after hundreds of years of overgrowth and neglect. The twisting tubules that made up his body were every shade of brown and green, all intermixed in a chaotic pattern that looked like dozens of different-colored snakes intertwined. Some looked a little worse for wear. Black patches of burnt sections spotted the greens and browns. A few places were covered in more sickly yellows, the vines mushy and decayed, and at some points, they were falling off in juicy patches that seemed to regrow just to fall off again. Despite how foreign Qo's body looked, his head was the strangest thing of all.

  Resting in a nest of vines sprouting from its neck, the skull of some long dead, canine creature, its eye sockets filled with a bright orange glow, like two setting suns staring back at Ean. The vines from his neck twisted in and out of the bone, like tendons trying to grab hold. Its teeth were chipped and broken, with only a few with any point remaining. Dead flesh rested in-between those fangs, although whether it was from a recent meal or from the left over pieces of the skull's previous owner was a question Ean wouldn't ask.

  Those two bright orange spots regarded Ean for a few moment more, to the point that Ean could almost swear he could physically feel the creature’s gaze at the back of his skull. Then the skull swiveled to cast its gaze at Jaan and Azalea; it finally came to rest on Zin.

  "So, you weren't lying." Qo's voice sounded like an echo that resonated from somewhere inside the skull. "Someone has taken up our old master's mantel."

  Zin looked away and shuffled about.

  A hollow laugh came from Qo's skull. "Not so talkative now? After all your begging and pleading for me not to peel off your skin and decorate my body with your bones, you decide now not to say a word?"

  "Enough," Ean cut in. The more Qo talked, the more uncomfortable Zin felt through their bond. "I summoned you. You can speak to me."

  "Of course. And thank you for bringing me out of the Abyss," Qo said as he gave a deep bow. "It is so wonderful to be back in the human world."

  Still bent over, Qo raised his head enough so his orange eyes stared as if through Ean's soul. They blazed with what Ean could only describe as pure malice.

  Their intensity took Ean by surprise, which is why he didn't see the attack coming from behind until the force of the strike against the side of his head sent him sprawling onto the cold, rock floor.

  Chapter 25

  Ean's ability to heal through the magic contained in his tattoos had saved his life countless times. It was most useful when his skin was gashed and his bones were broken.

  It did nothing, unfortunately, to prevent concussions and to ward off the dark blanket that was descending over his eyes as he started to slip into unconsciousness.

  Ean's eyes were open but his mind couldn't register much of anything besides the booming pain that covered the right side of his head. He was on the ground, he knew that much as least. And there was noise. Possibly shouting?

  Before he could put any sense to it, something was lifting him off the ground. It was about time someone helped him up. Why was I on the ground? Did I trip? His hazed mind couldn't think of a response. If so, that was embarrassing. Why does it feel like I'm being lifted higher than I--

  Ean's thoughts cut off as he found himself flying through the air at a speed he barely registered as unhelpful before he struck something hard and unmoving. Pain lanced up his side as his body and shoulder took most of the impact. It was enough to signal broken bones and to clear
some of the cobwebs from his mind as he crashed to the ground again.

  He was under attack.

  Bruised muscles and bones moaned as he got to his feet. His mind might have cleared, but as he blinked rapidly, his vision was still foggy at best. Ean could make out the massive stone sphere in the middle of the room and figures moving about on the other side of it, dancing in and out of sight from behind the silent form of Auz. Nothing was in his immediate vicinity, which gave him time to recover. What hit me? The image of Qo bowing in front of him struggled to the front of his thoughts, as did the creepy glowing eyes staring back at him from inside of the empty animal skull. Did it use some kind of magic that Zin and the others failed to warn me about?

  A massive form stepped out from behind Auz. Seeing a body the size of a tree trunk and four arms spread out at its sides was enough for Ean to realize it was Jaan. The Crux stomped towards him, and Ean felt a little bit of relief.

  That is, until Jaan pulled back both of his right arms in preparation to strike.

  If Ean had been completely aware of what was happening, he might have taken a dozen different approaches to counter the strike the two had practiced during their countless sparring matches. Instead, Ean simply threw himself to the side as two massive fists struck the wall with enough force to let out a crack loud enough that it could have been both the rock or the Crux's knuckles cracking from the impact. Ean landed on his already injured shoulder, letting out a grunt from the jolt as broken bones screamed at him. He rolled a few times before ending up on his back.

  If this had been a sparring match with the Crux, it would have been dishonorable to use his magic against him.

  Thankfully, Ean thought, we aren't sparring.

  Gathering the energy of the Abyss, Ean lashed out with a strike of pure energy. An azure mass of light hammered into Jaan's chest, forcing the Crux, who had already been charging towards Ean, to stop and stumble backwards a few steps. The pause gave Ean enough time for his vision to focus enough to make out the Crux's face. Blank eyes stared back at him as Jaan regained his balance. The Crux stood there for a few moments, lips curled slightly down in what might have been a confused frown. Then Qo's hollow voice echoed from somewhere in the room.

  "Don't stop now," Qo commanded. "I want him unconscious."

  "Jaan," Ean began as he tried to wrap his muddled mind around what was happening. The Crux didn't let him finish though.

  Without any change in expression, Jaan stormed forward. The Crux was by Ean's side in two steps. Ean gathered energy into himself to release another burst of energy. A massive foot raised over Ean's head just as he released the energy in a fist-sized strike. With one leg already in the air, the attack managed to get the Crux off his remaining leg and lifted him slightly into the air. Jaan crashed to the ground while Ean crawled backward and got back to his feet. There was no telling why the Crux was attacking him, but it was quickly becoming clear that Ean couldn't afford to go easy on his ally. When he took a step backwards and his knees buckled, it also became clear that the blows to his head were far from recovered.

  He watched as Jaan slowly got back on his feet, four arms pushing up a wobbly body. There was no cry of anger or frustration from the Crux. He was silent, enough to put a chill down Ean's spine. A Crux knocked around like that should have been furious, but Jaan just stared back at him with blank eyes. The fact that he swayed slightly and his legs seemed wobbly only gave Ean some slight relief. At least he was wearing the formidable warrior down. If Ean hit him enough, he might even be able to take the crux down without having to try and kill him.

  "Continue," Qo's voice said, just as emotionless as Jaan's expression.

  The Crux took a step forward.

  Ean pulled in more energy from the Abyss, preparing for another strike.

  Before he could unleash it, Azalea appeared from atop Jaan's back, her pale blue skin a sharp contrast to the Crux's dark mustard color. She looked like an infant trying to hold onto an adult with her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped partially around his body. While Jaan tried to shake her off, Azalea's head dipped in towards the Crux's neck. Ean lost sight of her face as her dark purple hair covered up what she was doing, but almost immediately Jaan's legs wobbled and the Crux dropped to his knees.

  "Don't kill him!" Ean called out, knowing full well how deadly the Yulari's embrace could be. Anger and annoyance flowed back to him through their bond. Ean had only a moment to hope that meant she would hold back from draining the Crux's life completely before he realized the next problem.

  Regardless of whether Jaan was in any kind of control of his body, the Crux was aware enough of what was going on to realize he needed to get Azalea off his back. His two upper arms reached to grab the Yulari off him, a feat he was strong enough to accomplish, as well as ripping her in two if he desired. Before thick fingers could get a hold of her, Ean wrapped them both up with the energy he held. It felt like trying to hold back a rampaging bull. Despite how strong Ean's magic was, the Crux's brute strength was a challenge. Thankfully, Jaan's lower arms couldn't position themselves to grab at Azalea, so Ean only had to focus on his upper ones.

  Sweat began to bead on Ean's forehead from the effort. Jaan stared ahead as he fought against Ean's magical bonds. Time seemed to slow, until suddenly the Crux's eyes started to flutter. Ean felt less pressure fighting back against his energy. A few moments more and Jaan pitched forward, Azalea hopping off his back before the Crux crashed face down on the unforgiving rock floor. Before Ean released his hold on the Crux’s arms, he watched his unconscious form take in a breath or two more.

  Ean felt like he had been run over a few times by a runaway boulder. His right side itched and burned as bones began knitting back together and muscles healed. But he didn't have time to let the healing process run its course.

  "Thank you for not killing him," Ean said as Azalea walked up to him.

  "We're not done yet," she said between ragged breaths. "We still have that ugly--"

  Azalea's face suddenly went blank. The emotion Ean felt through their bond vanished. The two small changes were the only warning he received before Azalea leapt at him, her long-nailed fingers extended towards his throat. Ean barely got his hands up in time to catch her wrists as she crashed into him and brought them both to the ground. The Yulari was on top of him, her hands straining to reach his throat. Her pupilless red eyes, usually full of emotion like a setting sun, were dull and pale as she stared down at him, her lips pressed shut at the effort to reach him.

  The Yulari was strong, possibly as strong if not stronger than him, even when he was filled with Abysmal energy. And that was if he wasn't injured. Ean could already feel his right arm, damaged from its impact with the wall, starting to shake with effort; it took everything he had to fend her off. Ean couldn't even focus enough to gather any energy to strike her off him. He was running out of options.

  Ean tried to find Zin through their bond, looking for any ally at this point, but he found nothing. The imp was there, but he was just as devoid of emotion as Azalea was at the moment. Meanwhile, the Yulari pressed down harder, her claws inching their way closer and closer to Ean's throat. Ean was running out of options. He had no way of calling for the other Crux, or the imps and Maruks deeper in the mine. It was doubtful that the people from Rensen would leap to his aid even if he could find a way to summon them. He was out of options...except...

  He had one bond left and sent fear and the sense of danger in as strong of an emotion as he could muster through it.

  "This is all so disappointing," Qo's voice echoed from somewhere on the other side of Auz. "My previous master would have stopped all this in a matter of moments. Shame you are so lacking of your predecessor’s strongest traits."

  Ean ignored him. Straining to keep Azalea away from his throat, he just needed a little more time.

  There was an audible crack as a bone in Ean's right arm splintered under the pressure. His hand fell away as pain exploded at the break. Azalea's hand f
ound his throat, thin fingers squeezing, strong enough to cut off his oxygen with just the one hand. Ean flailed and bucked, but Azalea had him pinned. His vision swam as he tried and failed to take in even the smallest breath. The pain that had exploded up and down his arm a moment before grew dull, and his whole body felt heavy. His left hand fell away from Azalea's wrist, and just as fast, the pressure around his throat doubled. Darkness closed in, until the only thing he saw were Azalea's blood red eyes staring down at him.

  And then, in the haze, he heard Qo's voice.

  "You have a Hound?" Qo's voice had risen in surprise and in what Ean hoped was a tinge of fear.

  Ean focused what little thought he had left on Qo and sent a simple thought through his bond with his massive black-furred ally.

  Food.

  Chapter 26

  A scream filled the room, which was a deeply satisfying sound for Ean to hear since it wasn't his own. Almost immediately, Azalea stopped pushing her hands towards his throat. Her blank expression switched, first to one of confusion as she looked down at him and then to one of horror as her eyes looked into his.

  "Ean," her voice was choked and filled with more emotion than he had ever heard from her. Even more so when she had lost her wings. "I'm so sorry. I swear it wasn't me."

  "I know."

  Ean gently moved Azalea off him. Doing his best to ignore the pain running up and down his side, he got to his feet. All his energy went into his damaged arm as he forced it to heal. All sense of urgency was gone as Qo's yells continued. The Eishamalga Aren wouldn't be bothering them for the time being. Instead he focused next on his fallen alley. Despite what Azalea had said, he moved to Jaan's side to make sure he would survive the Yulari's embrace. The Crux was breathing heavily, like he was in a deep sleep, but otherwise seemed ok. Which was much better off then Ean himself. He rubbed at his healing arm as Azalea hovered at his side.

  "I didn't kill him, like you asked." Her submissive tone would have thrown up red flags in most cases, but the large amount of guilt flowing through their bond told Ean that it was genuine. "I could try and wake him up if you want?"