Ethan Wright and the Curse of Silence

by Kimbro West

  “Best not to bother you now,” whispered Ethan. “Right then,” he added as Odin let out a small twitch, followed by a nasal snoring sound.

  Ethan snuck out of the room and headed to the porch. Loki was sitting by the stairs where Ethan had left him. He sat down next to the cat and started patting his head. As he pet Loki, Ethan started wondering about alchemy. He had grown up in this town, yet had never really spent much time on the east side. He knew it was desolate and forgotten about at times. Ethan was not really excited about spending time with Wegnel. He was interested in seeing what herbs and roots you could collect from the east side that you could not get from Vincent’s store.

  “You ready for some more exercise?”

  The cat answered him with an affectionate ‘meow’ and they both started toward Wegnel’s hut. As they walked the air seemed to get thick and foggy, much like the last visit when he and Auren got caught by the fat snorting cat patrolling the area. Ethan and Loki headed through the fog and found a narrow trail that led directly to the hut. This was much better than the route he and Auren had tried to take the night before. When he came to the staircase, he was met with a familiar face.

  “Oh, well look who it is — get in trouble too did ya?” chuckled Ethan as Auren stood up from Wegnel’s staircase.

  “Mum saw the blood stains on my shirt and father made me ‘fess up,” said Auren as he shrugged his shoulders. “Guess Odin told father of your punishment — sent me to help. I guess it could’ve been a lot worse.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think Odin was too fond of us sneaking around out here,” replied Ethan.

  “Well, let’s get this over with,” said Auren. “Oh, and told ya Wegnel’s was a bad idea,” he added.

  “Yeah yeah, and so was fighting in the contest,” retorted Ethan.

  “Nah … that was a great idea,” exclaimed Auren as he started up the stairs.

  “Yeah it was,” said Ethan as he reached forward to knock.

  Before the first rap hit the surface, the door pulled open to reveal a pruny face.

  “Ahhhhhh, come come, we have much to do, let’s get going, I see you have brought your cat, very wise, you have already begun to take Wegnel’s advice, I see it as plain as the hair on your brow, you look as if you are ready to go.”

  Ethan and Auren stood with blank expressions as Wegnel leaned over and examined Loki. “Hmmmm, ahhhh, yes yes yes, a fine specimen, and what is this? Hmm.”

  He was looking over the same areas of Loki several times. He lifted Loki’s paws and checked out his teeth thoroughly. Loki acted as if the examination were perfectly normal and cooperated, much to Ethan’s surprise.

  “Ahhh, he is an alpha, yes yes, I see you have a most interesting specimen here, yes, no doubt you are ready to go as well.” Loki gave him a pleasing ‘meow’ and lifted his chin. “Ah, excellent!” said Wegnel with a large grin.”Time to go, much to do, much to do.”

  Ethan and Auren never made it inside, but swung around and started following the beady-eyed man. Wegnel went down the dilapidated steps and stopped abruptly at the bottom. Ethan almost ran into the back of him.

  “Ivy, come come, it’s time to go collecting!” The chubby cat came running out of the brush with her belly swinging back and forth and gave a proud snort as she sat down.

  Wegnel looked down at his ferocious feline. “Play nice with Loki now,” he stated while touching his finger to his nose. “He’s an alpha,” he added quietly with a pleased look on his face.

  “Uh, Wegnel the Alchemist, what’s …?” Ethan started to ask, but was cut off.

  “If I haven’t said it a hundred times in all the stars, call me Wegnel, just Wegnel my boy,” he exclaimed.

  “But yesterday …” Auren started to say.

  “What’s this about yesterday? Today is anew my boy, and I know nothing of what you speak, it is my name and I will have it spoken the same today as I have yesterday and the day preceding it,” rambled Wegnel.

  Ethan grew frustrated, but decided to drop it to avoid a long-winded and one-sided conversation of Wegnel arguing with himself.

  “Wegnel, what exactly is an alpha?” asked Ethan, trying to change the subject.

  “An alpha … why, an alpha is a descendant of great ancestry and if this fine animal were in a pack, he would most definitely be the leader of the lot. But more important is to get moving — don’t want it too dark you see — a very small window to visit Dendrobates Azureus,” replied Wegnel.

  “Bless you,” retorted Auren.

  “What?” asked Ethan, ignoring Auren’s comment.

  “In some tongues it’s the Venenum Spiculum, in others, the Dendrobates Azureus.”

  The boys stared at Wegnel blankly.

  “You could just call it the Ravim, that is of course what the locals call the creature we are seeking,” rambled Wegnel, lifting his eyebrows.

  Auren didn’t say a word. He instead glanced at Ethan, who seemed a bit surprised. Neither one of the boys expected to search for creatures; they had intended to gather roots or herbs. This relieved Ethan. If there was only a small window to catch the Ravim, then surely they would not be out all night.

  Chapter 6

  Problems with Poison

  The wind started to howl as cool air whipped by the alchemist’s hut. A light misty rain began to fall as smaller droplets shot upward and whipped about. Ethan could see his breath and tucked his hands into his pockets to keep them warm.

  “Here, boys. Take one of Wegnel’s special torches, they are guaranteed not to go out, not in the rain or snow, and they burn extra bright. I have always carried one with me and you can always use a good torch if you ever find yourself wandering around at night …” Wegnel handed the boys each a metal rod with a small casing at the end. On top of the casing was an adjustable dial. He watched the boys spin the dials and stare at the special torches. Ethan looked over at Auren, shrugged his shoulders, and looked back to Wegnel.

  “Well give it a tap already!” said Wegnel impatiently. Ethan tapped it with his finger and nothing happened. Auren, on the other hand, tapped the end against a tree and a bright flame erupted from the end. Ethan followed suit and noticed that Wegnel seemed rather pleased with himself, and started to boast about his invention. As Wegnel continued to talk, the boys continued to try and ignore his ramblings.

  They set off down the trail at a rather quick pace, with the cats following behind. When they reached the end of the trail, Wegnel continued into the forest, trudging through the thicket. Ethan could tell he had done this many times, for all the broken branches and twigs made it easier to get through. For an old man, Wegnel moved gracefully as the forest grew more and more dense. After an eternity of ducking under branches and hopping over downed trees, the boys started to wonder if they were getting turned around. However, Wegnel had finally stopped a few paces ahead. He turned and brought his finger to his lips, instructing the boys to stay quiet. Wegnel motioned with a free hand for Ethan and Auren to slowly approach. As they drew near, they were each handed a small brown satchel.

  “What is this for?” whispered Ethan.

  “Now, when he comes around I find the best thing to do is duck behind the trees and then … well it’s better if you just stay put this time,” whispered Wegnel.

  “Wegnel, what are we …”

  At that very moment a handful of spikes stuck in the tree next to them. Ethan was given quite a start as he stared at the spikes embedded in the tree next to his face. He then promptly followed Wegnel’s instructions and ducked behind the tree.

  “Ivy, make for the Ravim, come on girl,” wheedled Wegnel.

  Ivy charged the Ravim and, surprisingly to Ethan, Loki also barreled toward the creature. Ethan couldn’t resist taking a peek at the beast. Reared up on its stumpy legs, it was short and dark in color with a snout-like nose and sharp spikes sticking out from its well-armored back. It had a long scaly tail with numerous smaller spikes protruding from the end. As the cats made their way around the Ravim, it la
unched several of the smaller spikes. Ethan noticed Wegnel gathering them in a brown satchel similar to the one that he was carrying. He exerted a small amount of force and pulled out one of the spikes from the tree next to him. Ethan thought how painful it would be to pull one from his own person.

  Loki had the large beast cornered, and when the spikes would fling toward him he would leap up and over the creature. Ivy gave the Ravim a big enough target but still managed to gracefully move out of the way of any oncoming spikes. Suddenly, Loki stopped harassing the Ravim and turned with his ears perked up. He stared as a thunderous crash came from the woods. A large tree hit the ground, followed by another. Ethan looked up as branch after branch broke, and with a great thud a tree landed right next to him, making the ground shake. Just before the Ravim took its chance to escape, it launched a barrage of spikes at Loki, piercing the cat’s hind leg with a small barb.

  “Loki!” exclaimed Ethan as he ran over in a panic. All of this foolish gathering had wounded his cat.

  “Watch out, Ethan,” yelled Wegnel, “behind you!”

  From behind, a towering beast approached, which Ethan could only assume was responsible for knocking over all the trees. The creature shoved its face through the thicket and glared at them through two big yellow eyes. At over ten feet tall, Ethan was sure this was not a Ravim, rather, a much more dangerous creature.

  “Whoa, that is a big Ravim,” exclaimed Auren.

  “It’s no Ravim,” exclaimed Wegnel as he pushed Auren behind him. “It’s a … lycanthrope … of sorts….”

  “A what?”

  “A werewolf … and … judging by his armored skin … a Stonewolf I would say.”

  With stone-looking skin, tufts of fur, and old scars marking its body, the creature appeared to have been in many scraps previous to this encounter.

  Ethan had never anything seen like it, but knew he was in significant danger. The beast was breathing heavily and drooling as it opened its gaping mouth and let out a terrible, deafening roar.

  Ethan slowly stepped backward when he heard two loud bangs, followed by a billow of smoke at the Stonewolf’s feet. Distracted, it stumbled and looked over at Wegnel, who was reaching for another exploding object from his pouch.

  Loki seized the opportunity and charged the beast. He jumped onto one of the downed trees, launched himself at the Stonewolf’s face and clawed one of its eyes. The beast flailed its arms, knocking the cat loose. As the grey and white alpha hit the ground, the Ravim’s spike drove deeper into his leg. Loki gave a small yelp but managed to hobble over to Wegnel.

  With a wounded eye, the Stonewolf regained its composure and took a step forward with one of its tree-trunk-sized legs. Wegnel threw more explosives at the beast, but they had no effect. Auren threw a large rock at the Stonewolf, which went unnoticed. The creature’s focus was on the closest target to him; he was set on Ethan.

  The Stonewolf charged Ethan at full speed, swinging its claws at Ethan’s head. Ethan ducked straightaway and the beast smashed the base of a tree. It let out another thunderous roar as it turned to view Ethan, who was now crawling over to where Wegnel and Auren stood. The Stonewolf started toward Ethan. Suddenly, the tree started splitting and snapping. The tree trunk cracked in half and came crashing down on the Stonewolf’s leg and torso, pinning the beast down.

  Ethan pushed himself off the ground and ran to Wegnel, where he was guided back to a safe distance.

  “Hold on now fella, you will be of much more use without this lodged in you,” said Wegnel as he bent down, pulling the spike out of Loki’s leg.

  Ethan bent down and tended to Loki while Wegnel, with spike in hand, grabbed several others and approached the Stonewolf. Wegnel put his best foot forward and jabbed the spikes into a soft spot on the Stonewolf’s paw. He left them embedded in the creature’s thick flesh.

  Ethan noticed a giant iron cuff around the Stonewolf’s ankle. It had odd-looking prongs that went upward and into the Stonewolf’s flesh. It looked most painful.

  Wegnel turned to the boys. “It’s best we get going quickly, it will take a bit for the poison to slow down the likes of a lycanthrope of this nature.”

  “POISON?” yelled Ethan. “Those spikes are poisonous? But a spike was in Loki!”

  “Yes, which is why we must act quickly — you need to carry Loki and do not let him move much for that will quicken the blood circulation it will — now move!” ordered Wegnel.

  Worry poured over Ethan’s body and was soon followed by adrenaline. He was worried about his cat’s injury and doubted the loony alchemist, who had just put them in danger to begin with, would be able to help. Ethan thought it may be better to take Loki home and have Odin look at him, but before he could voice his protest they were running through the woods.

  The night was pitch black. Ethan handed his torch to Auren but still found it difficult to maneuver around the broken branches while holding Loki. They reached the path and hurried back to the hut. When they arrived, Ivy lay down outside by the steps and let out a loud snort as Ethan followed Wegnel inside the dwelling. A small table was set up near the door. It had a small glass jar containing a thick green concoction. Ethan placed Loki on the table.

  “Will he be alright?” asked Ethan intently. “I mean, you can fix him, right?”

  Wegnel did not answer right away; he used a small knife to make a short incision where the spike had gone in. He squeezed the area and a clear substance leaked out. Wegnel then applied the green paste over the wound. Loki didn’t flinch and was very cooperative. Soon the leg was bandaged up and Wegnel gave him a pat on the head.

  “He will be fine, he just needs to rest,” said Wegnel. “Did you see, did you see what he did? That is an alpha if I ever saw one, my boy — yes indeed. Now then boys, how about some tea?”

  Chapter 7

  Here’s Pepper in Your Eye!

  Ethan was relieved. His large-framed grey and white cat looked tired, but appeared to be in good spirits. Ethan sat down by Loki and sipped his tea while Auren took a seat in a big comfy chair. He looked as if he would pass out at any moment. Wegnel was looking over their collections from the evening. He took the spikes and placed them all in a leather pouch, along with some herbs. He rolled it up and fastened it shut with twine. He took a seat across from Ethan and prepared a pipe for himself.

  “I know you have been through a lot this evening, but I need to ask a favor of you — I need you to deliver this pouch to me,” said Wegnel.

  “You … want me to … do what?” asked Ethan as he ran Wegnel’s request through his head again, but remained confused.

  “Well, I can’t possibly take this and deliver it to myself, now, can I? How can I possibly know and expect myself to show up to receive the package while waiting for me to get here?”

  Ethan thought this whole adventure had been a dangerous waste of time. Odin would be upset that Loki was injured, and Tothyll was probably right in saying Wegnel was not to be trusted. But how could he refuse — what would the alchemist have him do, take the satchel and give it right back?

  “Sure Wegnel, I can do that,” said Ethan in a tired voice.

  “You will, that’s great, you are one heck of a lad Ethan, yes I knew as soon as Odin asked me to take you along with me that he saw something special in you, yes sir I told him that I did,” spouted Wegnel in one long breath.

  Wegnel took a couple puffs from his pipe, stood up and walked to the center of the room where there was an odd-looking chair. He removed the clutter from around it and placed it aside. There were straps on the chair that got Ethan curious as to what the alchemist was up to.

  “Ok, my boy, jump in the chair and we will get you on your way,” said Wegnel.

  “On my way?” asked Ethan.

  “Ahhh, you ask too many questions you do, it’s not hard at all you see, you simply sit down in the chair and we can get you started on your journey to deliver this satchel to me, and then you can ask me all the questions you want.”

  Wegnel ga
ve Ethan a small push toward the chair and Ethan sat down. Odin wouldn’t have sent him to a loony to get cooked on a spit with some herbs and a dash of seasoning, he thought. Wegnel fastened Ethan’s arms down with the straps and presented a small vial of red powder.

  “What are ya doin’ to him?” Auren asked threateningly as he stood up.

  “Calm down now, you’re just like your father you are, with your short temper and such. Everything will be fine, just fine.”

  “So what now?” asked Ethan as he tested the tightness of the straps.

  “Just relax,” replied Wegnel. Then he dusted the powder in Ethan’s eyes.

  “AHH!” yelled Ethan. “What … is that … pepper?” He was panicking, but the straps held fast. “IT BURNS!”

  “Well, yeah it’s pepper, of sorts — ran out of the old stuff, I didn’t really expect it to burn, really,” replied Wegnel with a slightly puzzled look.

  “Ahh, I can’t see a thing!” exclaimed Ethan.

  “Oh, perfect then,” replied Wegnel, smiling.

  Ethan felt a sting in his forearm, followed by a burning sensation. He fell backwards, his body twisting. He felt disoriented. Darkness came and went; he was falling through space and his mind grew dim. Ethan started feeling sick. Pressure was building up in his stomach as he fell and fell, until he could not bear it any longer … and then it stopped. Ethan opened his eyes to see a blurry figure standing over him.

  “What …what just happened?” croaked Ethan.

  “Well if I didn’t see it with my own eyes …” said a familiar voice. “Are you alright, Ethan?”

  Ethan started to focus his eyes and saw Wegnel, but the old man was wearing different clothing. Ethan looked around and realized that the hut seemed to be decorated a bit differently as well.

  Ethan wondered if he had passed out, or maybe this was all a very odd dream. “I’m alright,” said Ethan. “I just feel a bit strange.”