A Fable of Flame

by Jeremy Fabiano

  “You think she’ll want some sort of payback?” he asked.

  “If you were the queen of the spiders and someone came into your forest and tried to burn you alive and beat you to death, wouldn’t you? I would,” I said. “I’d be pretty upset about it.”

  “You make it sound like she’s human.”

  I actually laughed. “She’s not human, but she’s got more sense than most of the adults in the village. She’s smart, and she has a temper.” I shook my head. “And she talks.” I shuddered.

  “Huh…that seems unbelievable.”

  “I promise you’ll be a believer. Really soon,” I said.

  “That’s not very comforting, you know.”

  I laughed as we used rakes to move the straw around.

  “Hmmm,” said Luther. “Maybe you were right after all. Look at this here. They covered up a trail of blood and drag marks with the straw. This was deliberate. Let’s follow it and see where it goes.”

  Five minutes later, we were standing at the old abandoned well on the outskirts of town. The well cap had rotted long even before I had been born. The well was supposed to be sealed up.

  “The well’s uncapped,” said Luther. “And the drag marks lead right to it.” We looked down the well, but it was much too dark.

  “I could use fire to try to see down there,” I offered.

  “I don't know. Sometimes, old wells have strange gases that will catch fire or explode. Might not be safe. Maybe we can toss a torch down there from a ways back.”

  “Okay. Let's go look at the grain silo then.”

  “Well, this looks suspicious,” said Luther as he knelt down outside the large grain silo that housed the village grain supply. “The doors had been wrenched off their hinges, and there are more drag marks.”

  “Do you think the spiders are stealing food?” I asked.

  He nodded. “If I didn't know any better, I'd say that's exactly what's happening. But why?”

  “Let's follow the tracks again and see where they go.”

  Luther nodded again. “And let's grab some torches and maybe some rope.”

  “Rope? What for? You don't plan on going down the well, do you? That's where they took the horse.”

  “I'm not sure yet,” he said. “I guess it'll depend on what we find.”

  “No smoke from the chimney,” said Luther. We knocked on the door, but no one answered. “Maybe no one's home. Let's check the back.”

  The cellar doors didn't want to open at first, but Luther was strong enough to force them open a little bit. I peeked inside and noticed several strands of thick white webbing attached to the doors.

  He held the doors apart long enough for me to reach out with fire, and the webs shriveled and let go. Carefully, we climbed down the stairs into the spooky cellar.

  Luther went in first. “Careful. The webbing was on the inside of the doors. The spider could still be down here.”

  We took the steps down into the dark cellar as quietly as we could. At the bottom of the stairs, the room opened up as big as the house above us.

  “Ew, gross!” I gasped, covering my nose and mouth with my shirt. Egg sacks, both whole and some hatched, were randomly arranged around the room. But no spiders. Spilled grain and decayed carcasses littered the ground under our feet.

  Luther knelt down next to one of the skeletons. “These two were human. And these over here”—he pointed at a couple of smaller skeletons—“these were children. This was the family that lived here. That explains the lack of chimney smoke upstairs.”

  I shuddered. “The door to upstairs is stuck too. Maybe that's where they're hiding?”

  “Maybe. Look around, but be careful.”

  I searched around but didn't find anything of interest. Make yourself useful. Is there anything strange in here?

  “Besides the eggs and Humans used as food?” asked the voice.

  Yes. Smart-ass. I swore I could feel it smile at my comment.

  “Dark magic. In the corner, behind the egg sacks,” whispered the voice.

  I looked. Behind the egg sacks was a purple crystal pulsing with icky-feeling energy. It felt so wrong that it turned my stomach.

  “Luthor, look at this.”

  He stepped over a few eggs, careful not to touch them. “What the hell is that?” he asked.

  “I don't know,” I said. “But it’s giving off bad magic. I can taste it in the air and it’s icky.”

  The little hairs on my neck stood up and tried to run away. ‘Behind you, whispered the voice.

  I turned and shot a blast of fire at the stairwell. Something large and hairy, swelled up like a bubble, exploded with a shriek. Putrid spider guts coated the stairwell.

  Luther jumped and yelped. Several of the eggs twitched. “We need to get out of here. I think they're getting ready to hatch.”

  We ran up the stairs, almost slipping in the goo as we hurried. The air hit our faces, and shrieks met our ears. Three more spiders flew at us. I turned two to ash, and the third went after Luther.

  He was ready for it. He pulled his sword out and cut the spider out of the air. The two pieces splattered against the silo wall and slid down. Nasty brown blood stained the walls.

  “Wow, they really are huge,” he said with a sour look. “Gross.”

  “Such an eloquent way with words…”

  I laughed. “Right? I told you. But no one ever believes me,” I said sarcastically.

  Luther smiled for a moment, but then his expression turned serious. “We need to call a town hall meeting.”

  I sighed and rolled my eyes. “What are they going to do? Besides laugh and think it's all some childish prank.”

  “We have to at least try. If we don't do something, the village will be overrun.

  2

  “Now see here, young lady,” began the mayor. “The spiders have left us alone for years, why would they start attacking now? The big ones don’t even exist anymore.”

  Luther stepped forward. “I don’t know, but there’s reason to believe that their attacks are becoming more aggressive—”

  “What proof do you have Luther?” demanded Mayor Higgins.

  Here we go…

  “We’ve been looking into the quests on the bulletin board, and we’ve found that—”

  “We? Who is we?” snapped the mayor.

  “Ashley here, and I. We looked into the complaints that the villagers had post—”

  “You took a child on several level three quests?!” bellowed Mayor Higgins. The whole room joined in his outrage. “We did not put you in charge of the village guard just to endanger children,” he yelled over the rest of the room.

  Luther tried several more times to defend himself, but the gathered crowd wouldn’t have any of his excuses. It made me angry at how they were acting. I stepped forward and let some of the anger turn into power. The torches dimmed and flickered out as I drew their flames away. With the room almost completely dark, I made flames around my entire body.

  “Shut up!” I screamed. Power was coming off me in waves. and it knocked the mayor down on his backside and pushed back several others.

  Shouts of surprise came from several different people, but the room quieted. “I’m not some helpless little girl who can’t take care of herself.” I let the flames die down, and the torches came back to life, relighting the room. “I’m level five, and not one of you knows what I’ve been through in the last few weeks. Don’t just think because I’m thirteen that I haven’t seen what’s going on outside of our walls.” I looked around the room. “Even if you don’t believe me, the spiders are coming, and they’re going to kill everyone.” Everyone in the room started murmuring and looked a bit more scared.

  Luther stepped in front of me. “She’s telling the truth. We’ve found several egg sacks within the village walls.” Everyone gasped. “The grain silos have been breached by spiders several times. The horses were poisoned and dragged off into the abandoned well. And in that cellar, we found several eggs re
ady to hatch.”

  The mayor finally had had enough. “Luther, I can’t believe you’re playing along with this. I am seriously considering relieving you of your duty,” he seethed.

  Luther frowned. “Don’t bother. If you can’t do your job as mayor, then I have no confidence in your leadership skills. You can take this job and shove it up your ass.” Luther turned and made to storm out of the room. He stopped at the door. “The spiders are coming,” he spoke to the gathered masses. “Choose to believe it or not, it’s your lives you’re gambling with. You have a few weeks at most, then the hillside will be overrun.” Then he walked out. Everyone just stood, stunned.

  “You’re all idiots, and you're all going to die.” I followed him out the door as the room erupted into shouting and arguing.

  “See? Most grown-ups are useless,” I said sarcastically. I knew the town hall meeting would be a waste of time.” Luther didn't say anything. “You know, if you'd gone without me, they may have listened. But no one ever listens to kids even if they're right.”

  “Yeah, probably,” said Luther. “Bunch of stuck-up, self-righteous morons.”

  “Exactly.” I took a deep breath and sighed. “So what now?”

  Luther shrugged. “I have no idea. I might just gather up my friends and head to Bridgeport until this whole thing blows over.”

  “Might not be a bad idea. Maybe I can convince my dad to at least take a trip out of the village for a few days.”

  “It’s worth a shot. I'll meet you at the inn tomorrow morning. You guys can travel with us if your old man says yes.”

  “Okay,” I said. He nodded and started to walk off. “Hey, Luther?” I called after him.

  “Yeah?”

  “You aren't as much of an ass as I thought,” I said, smiling.

  He laughed. “Neither are you,” he said, grinning. “Watch out for yourself.”

  I nodded. “You too.”

  At the inn, I sat and ate lunch and marveled at the relative quiet. “Where is everyone, Ms. W?”

  Ms. Wellington frowned. “Afraid everyone is panicking a little bit since you and Luther found that spiders’ nest. They ended up burning down the cabin.”

  I slowly shook my head as I ate. “It won't be enough,” I said. They took horses down the old well too. They're underground. Where else are they hiding?”

  Ms. Wellington’s frown turned to a scowl. “Dark times indeed. Luther says he's packing up and heading to Bridgeport. Are you and your father going as well?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “I haven't asked him yet. Hopefully. You?”

  She nodded. “Luther invited me along. Worst case, we take a vacation and come back in a few weeks…” She gave me a half-reassuring smile, but I knew she didn't believe that. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She dug around in her massive apron pocket for a moment and withdrew a piece of parchment. “Agamor sent a letter for you.”

  Dearest Ashley,

  I hope this letter finds you well. I am sorry that I have not written sooner, but much has happened in the last few days. I will explain more soon. Please pray with me this evening at sunset. I promise all will be made clear soon enough.

  Grandpa

  It was almost sunset. I put the letter in my pocket and finished up my plate. I thanked Ms. Wellington on the way out the door and headed for the prayer cabin.

  I knelt before the altar to the Caretaker and prayed to Nelson as I normally did. At first, nothing happened, but then I suddenly heard a low murmur of voices, like a bunch of people talking outside.

  I opened my eyes and almost fell over. I wasn’t even sure when I had stood up. The entire world was blacker than a moonless night and stretched as far as I could see. The fact that I could see in this darkness was also confusing.

  I turned around as a huge wooden door just popped out of nowhere. I gasped. Then I heard a sound like shoes on a stone floor. An older man with really nice clothes opened the door and stood in the doorway. “The Caretaker bids you all welcome. Please be patient, we will be with you shortly.” Then he went back inside and closed the door.

  I started to look around at all the people who were here when I saw Aba. I ran up to him and spun him around by the shoulders. “Aba! You’re here too!” I said a bit louder than I needed to. I gave him a great big hug.

  He smiled at me. “Hey, Ashley!” he said excitedly. “I’m still trying to figure out where here is. But I’m glad you’re here too.”

  “Did Morogan come too?” I asked, worried I wouldn’t get to see my best friend. He grinned and pointed behind me.

  “Yay, Morogan!” I squealed. I ran at him and jumped up in his arms, giving him the biggest hug I could. I think I almost knocked him over, but he laughed it off like I weighed nothing.

  “Ashley look more grown up to Morogan,” he said. “Something happening?”

  “Well,” I said. “I’ve been practicing my magic a lot more lately. That and the lack of sleep probably isn’t helping much.”

  Morogan chuckled. “Ashley make boys run away?”

  “Well, usually at this age, the boys are supposed to chase the girls,” I said somberly. “Not run away from them...”

  “Morogan chase Ashley,” he said without hesitation. “Then Ashley feel better?” I felt my eyes go wide and my face flush. Morogan must have noticed as well because he also blushed. The reddening of his face looked at odds with his green skin. “Uh, Morogan not meant. Uh,” he began to stutter. I giggled as he glanced around for someone to rescue him.

  The big double doors opened up, and the weird old man came back. “I apologize for the wait and thank you for your patience. Friends, please join us.” He bowed over his left hand and pointed with his right. He looked silly, but everyone started entering the doors.

  I smiled at Morogan. “Looks like it’s time,” I said. His hair beads clicked together as he nodded furiously. We followed the adults through the large wooden doors.

  The room looked like a normal a tavern, but it had a huge table made from some dark wood I didn’t recognize. It filled most of the room, and there were enough chairs for everybody here. A roaring fireplace was built into the corner and had weird red socks with white tops hanging from it. Moonlight shone through the windows, lighting up the socks. I followed the moonlight and looked outside. Snow covered everything out there. It was prettier than the spooky dark we were just in. We were on the top of a mountain, and I could see a big city far away. Its lights were super sparkly.

  The old man started talking as someone else who I'd never seen walked in. He was wearing strange-looking leather armor, and his hard skin was darker than I'd ever seen. “I present Noslen, the Caretaker and formerly the Sword Bearer. Friends, please, be seated.”

  I wasn't entirely sure what to do. I'd never seen God before. I sat down like I was told. “Thank you all for coming. It warms my heart to have you all gathered in my home.” God smiled as he looked around the table at all of us. “You have all made such great progress in such a short time. I am very proud of each and every one of you.” Everyone smiled at the compliment. It wasn't every day you were complimented by your creator.

  The old man turned to Noslen. “Will there be anything else, sir?” he asked.

  “No, Gregory, thank you.”

  Gregory bowed. “As you wish, my lord.” He left the room. His back was straight like someone had yelled at him for slouching his whole childhood. He closed the door quietly.

  “Friends,” said Noslen. He looked really sad all of a sudden. “Unfortunately, this isn’t an occasion for a happy gathering. I’ve called you here to warn you of dire news. The necromancers have discovered the existence of several dark artifacts that could tip the balance of power in their favor.” Everyone started to whisper to each other. I felt really out of place like I didn't belong here. “We cannot allow them to hold even one of these artifacts in their possession.”

  Aba raised his hand like he was in a classroom. Noslen nodded to him. “Do we know anything about what kinds of artifacts?
What powers they have? Where they are?”

  Noslen frowned. “No to almost all of your questions. We have few details, but what I can share is this. There are three necklaces that, if the wearer is killed, they will become Liches. Undead wizards with tremendous potential for destruction and necromantic power.” Everyone gasped. I didn’t know what a Lich was though. “Furthermore, they affect the Ascended just as easily as anyone else in Tempest.”

  “Ascended?” asked Aba. He looked really confused.

  Noslen pointed at Aba. “You, Garstil, anyone else who’s been uploaded into the system. We refer to the new arrivals as Ascended since technically your conscious ascends from its previous corporeal state, in a sense.” I had no idea what they were talking about, but Aba seemed happy with the answer. “There are also a few rings and an earring that we’re aware of. We don’t know much about their powers, unfortunately.” He waited for a moment. “I leave it to you to hunt down these artifacts and secure them from evil. I have faith that you will succeed. If the necromancers win, it will spell the doom of the entire world of Tempest.” The room got stuffy and everyone seemed sad.

  The doors opened and Gregory came in. “It is time, my lord.”

  Noslen frowned. “Unfortunately, I have other matters to attend to. I wish you all the greatest of luck in your quests. Remember to trust in yourselves. Each of you has an incredibly vast potential of untapped power.” He stood up. “Take care, all of you.” Then he vanished. That is so cool!

  “Please, this way,” said Gregory. He walked everyone out of the gigantic double doors. I watched everyone who went through the door disappear as they stepped through the opening. Grandpa Agamor walked over to me.

  “Ashley, a moment?”

  I nodded. “What’s up, grandpa?”