Meanwhile, back inside of Celthric’s cerebral domain, he was about to crush Repan’s id further, when he felt Norice’s pain and returned to his mind. In a fraction of a second, he shielded his companion by sending him to a place of sanctuary deep within the recesses of his mind, then took hold of the chain before it could retract. The friction from the chain stopping tore his flesh away from his hand. Ying never saw anything like it and tried to retract the chain, but the intruder held tight and wouldn’t let go. This led to a tug of war, which Celthric knew Norice would eventually lose, so he commanded the right arm to swing the sword down hard on the chain. The blade severed the chain cleanly and sent both men to the ground. Norice’s body violently coughed up blood.
Dojar was pretty sure the intruder wasn’t going anywhere, so he helped Ying to his feet. “He’s finished.” He said.
Ying was so mad that his weapon was broken, he ripped it off and threw it to the ground in a fit of rage. “I don’t care. My weapon is ruined.” He spat on the ground and walked over to Norice, intent on beating him to death.
When he reached him, the man’s eyes were vacant, letting him know that he would never get his satisfaction.
Dojar joined him a few seconds later and asked, looking around, “What is the room?”
“Who the hell knows?”
“I wonder what he’s doing here.”
“Search him.” Ying said.
Free from Celthric’s control, Repan returned to the present but no longer knew who or where he was. He saw two men standing over a body and thought that he was the next to die. He got up and ran for the nearest exit. The bodyguards turned and saw him running.
“Stay here. I’ll get the master,” Ying said and stormed away.
Norice suddenly appeared on a shoreline as the sun was setting. He gazed out at the crystal blue water and listened to it lap gently against the sand. The sound was both peaceful and soothing. The familiar old man appeared by his side.
“Where am I?” he asked Celthric.
“You’re in a safe place. Free from danger.”
“I feel tired and weak.”
“It’s natural, because it’s part of the crossing.”
“Crossing? I’m dying, aren’t I?" Norice realized.
“I’m afraid so, my friend. I couldn’t prevent it.”
“But I don’t want to die. I want to go home to see my family.”
“I’m sorry, but it will have to wait. There’s a bridge on your left. Walk across and wait for them on the other side. Your wait won’t be long while you’re here. I promise.”
Norice smiled. “For what it’s worth, I enjoyed our journey together.”
“You served me well, and I will always consider you my friend. Go now and be at peace.”
Norice nodded and walked away.
While Celthric was helping his friend deal with his death, he remained vigilant and made Norice’s body appear to be dead. When the bodyguard was close enough, Celthric stabbed him in the stomach. Dojar gasped in horror before falling over. In Norice’s final moments, Celthric pulled himself free from Dojar’s lifeless body and, with a mighty toss, was thrown into the pool, where he tumbled into the depths below, absorbing all the pool had to offer.
****
Ying finally caught up to the frightened Repan and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him from going any further.
“Master, what’s wrong? Why are you running?” he asked.
“Let me go,” Repan responded and tore free from him.
Ying grabbed him again and Repan turned around quickly, ramming a knife into his stomach several times.
Ying grunted and fell to his knees, clutching his wound. When he looked up again, his master was gone.
OUT THE AUTHOR
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A Demon's Quest the Beginning of the End the Trilogy Box Set Page 88