by Scott Duff
“What is that?” I asked, watching the darkness for the ball of light to reappear.
“A seeking,” mumbled Kieran. “Something of mine is near here.”
It took a few minutes, but the ball reappeared over the water. It was much paler, almost translucent, and it had grown, from three inches to about a foot and a half across. It moved more slowly across the top of the water too. A few minutes passed before it got to shore, popping like a soap bubble when it hit the ground. Inside was a stone box a little less than a foot to a side. Each side was marked with symbols I didn’t know that glowed in fiery red or deep emerald green. It looked dangerous.
Kieran walked over to it and knelt down beside it. I was right with him. “Don’t touch it,” he said, “It’s still hot.” I didn’t know if he meant heat-hot or explosive-hot, but I didn’t touch it. He just looked at the top of it, where it looked scorched. I really didn’t know how hot you had to get rock to scorch it like that, but it had to be pretty damn hot. Kieran twisted one of the emerald sigils a quarter turn and that side popped out. All the sigils darkened and he tossed the panel away. Reaching inside, he pulled out two large leather-wrapped bundles and stood.
Grrrr!
Both of us jerked toward the treeline. It sounded like a big dog growling. The moon was on the horizon in front of us—no help in lighting the woods. I scanned the darkness looking for movement. Kieran took a few steps forward, but I stayed close to the lake. I figured I could out swim a dog if I had to. I hoped.
Grrrr! There it was, sniffing at the ground, moving slowly out of the growing dimness and out onto the tiny peninsula we were on. It was a big dog, maybe a wolf, not that I really knew the difference, especially in the dark. Its head snapped up at us and it growled again. It padded forward a few feet, centering its attention on Kieran. It had us trapped unless we took to the water. It was unlike any dog I’d seen before, its aura rolling strangely behind it and disappearing in a halo of blackness.
Kieran stood his ground as the dog started running at him. About four feet out, it jumped at him and hit something in the air about two feet out. It crumpled to the ground with a loud yelp. Whining, it got up quickly, scrambling back toward the treeline a ways, whining the entire time. It sat down on the rocks where it started and glared at Kieran, growling.
“What is that thing?” I whispered to Kieran after moving a little closer. He had a way to stop it, so that’s where I wanted to be, behind whatever it was.
“I don’t know, but it’s more than just a dog,” he said quietly. He kept his eyes on the thing. So did I.
Still, I don’t think either of us actually saw when it changed, it was so dark. I saw it when it started running at Kieran. It was totally reflective, almost invisible. The starfield above mirrored on its back and small stones from the ground. When it hit that invisible shield this time, it exploded around Kieran like hundreds of tiny lightning bugs swirling around him. Kieran was rigid.
I circled around in front of him slowly. The moon was below the horizon so it was really dark and I could barely make out anything. Well, I could see he was completely naked. That worry was for another time, though. The dog was nowhere to be seen.
“Kieran?” I asked softly. He didn’t move at all. This was seriously scary stuff and I didn’t know what to do.
“This is an interesting experience,” he whispered. It startled me. I don’t think I’d call a dog exploding around me “interesting,” but if that’s the word he wanted to use…
“What’s happening?” I asked, cautiously.
“I believe,” he answered slowly and quietly, “that the being animating the beast is trying to possess me, but I’m not exactly sure.”
“Can you get rid of it?” I asked, panicked. A demon dog possessing him and he was calm. I was panicking and he was calm. One of us belonged in a nut house and I don’t think it’s me.
“Yes,” he said, sounding casual about it.
“Don’t you think you should, then?” I asked. I didn’t believe this side of the conversation. I seemed pretty damn obvious to me: ditch the devil dog immediately, no possession required here. Kieran’s skin got all sparkly and he tensed up all over. The sparkles shot up and out in front of him, coalescing into the shape of the dog again, jumping out of Kieran this time. It yelped like it hurt. I can only hope it did.
It ran out to its spot again, yelping the whole way, and turned back to us, yellow eyes gleaming in the dark. Then it did something really creepy. It spoke.
“Kir,” the beast said. I didn’t think dogs could make that sound. “Kir,” it said again and started running at us again.
I think Kieran was ready for it this time. He took a half step back and held up his hands in front of him. I even felt a thrum of power from him—I don’t know how, but I did. I backed up to give Kieran room to work, to get out of the line of fire. We didn’t see our mistake until it was too late.
I watched the dog change this time. I watched it start its run at us. And I watch it launch itself at me. Yeah, that was our mistake, thinking Kieran would be the target again. I had time to think, This is gonna hurt.
It did.
Chapter 2
I woke with a start. Confused, but I didn’t know why. I looked around my room. Everything looked right. Clock read 9:12. Bit late for me to be getting up, but it’s not like I had anywhere to be. Dresser, chair by the window, chest of drawers, everything looked normal.
Then I remembered what happened last night. No, I thought I remembered, but looking at my arms and seeing, well, my arms, perfectly normal told me I didn’t go running through the woods in the middle of the night. I didn’t hurt anywhere and I definitely remembered hurting last night. It must have been a really bad dream, a really bad nightmare.
I threw back the covers and moved to the edge of the bed and stopped. I was naked. I didn’t sleep naked normally. Usually, I slept in a pair of shorts, ever since moving here by myself. Ewww. Someone had undressed me after breaking into my house and putting me to bed. The thought of it being that guy, Kieran, who I didn’t know, was creepy. Maybe the guys came back for me. That was kind of creepy, too. Ugh. Now I felt dirty.
I grabbed some clothes out of the dresser and headed for the shower. As I passed through my closet, I glanced down into the hamper and saw the clothes I wore last night. That stopped me. Certainly couldn’t have been a nightmare, now. I pulled out the T shirt. It wasn’t as dirty as I thought it’d be, but was surely caked and dusty enough. Gonna have to soak that or toss it, one.
Tossing my clothes on the vanity, I jumped in the shower, closed the glass doors, and turned the water on full blast, slowly turning up the heat. It had to be ten minutes before I remembered to pick up the soap and washcloth, just enjoying the running water over my body. The hot water soothed aches I didn’t know I had. Drying off, brushing my teeth, and combing the hair out of my eyes was the extent of my grooming for the day.
As I walked through the hall to the den, I heard plates rattle in the dining room. Someone was setting the table. By the time I got there, whoever was back in the kitchen. I took the seat to the side, turning it to see the kitchen doorway and still see the backdoor, too. Whoever was in the kitchen was planning to feed me so it figured the game of hide and seek was pretty useless. Unless there was a third person, in which case they can feed me or just get out of my house and buy their own damn groceries.
“Good morning,” said Kieran smiling at me, breezing into the room carrying a plate of biscuits in one hand and one with sliced ham and bacon in the other. He’d cut his hair and shaved since last night. Didn’t do too badly doing it himself, either. His hair was reddish brown. Auburn, I guess is what it’s called. His jaw had that ashy color of people who hadn’t shaved in a long time. As he disappeared into the kitchen again, I noticed he was wearing a jersey of mine that was baggy on me. It was tight on him.
I snagged a biscuit and started in on it while I waited for him to come back. It was good, too, and I didn’t remember buying
any biscuits or a mix. Kieran slid a plate with a steaming omelet in front of me, and suddenly I was very hungry. I was halfway through it before I realized I’d picked up a fork. That made me pause. That was the second time today I’d acted on autopilot.
“So,” I started, looking at Kieran at the head of the table, “how did we get here?”
“I brought us here,” he said. He ate slower than I did. “I had to carry you, so it took me a little time.”
“How did you know where I lived?” I asked, stacking some bacon on top of the remaining omelet and crushing it into the eggs. I couldn’t believe how hungry I still was.
“You told me,” he said, watching me and grinning.
“I don’t remember telling you that,” I said, taking a bite. This was goooood bacon. I’d have to get some more of that brand.
“I’m certain there are a number of things you don’t remember about that night,” he said, taking some bacon before I got it all. His phrasing struck me as odd.
“’That night’?” I asked as he shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth. He nodded as he chewed.
“You’ve slept for a day and two nights,” he said.
“And you didn’t see anything wrong with that?” I asked, incredulous, nearly yelling.
He smiled calmly, still chewing the bacon.
“You were safe and sound,” he said, swallowing. “Quite healthy.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. All I could do was stare at him.
“What do you last remember about that night?” he asked me, tearing a biscuit in half and dredging it through his omelet.
That slowed me down a little. I sat back in my chair and thought. The last few moments were a blur to me. “After you threw the dog out of you,” I started, pausing to try and find the right words. “It jumped at me. I remember thinking this is gonna hurt.”
“Did it?” he asked, softly.
“I don’t remember,” I said.
He nodded sagely and said, “It did. You all through?” He stood and started gathering plates from the table. I’d eaten voraciously and quickly.
“What was that thing?” I asked, standing to help clear.
“As it turns out,” he said, moving into the kitchen with me a few steps behind, “it is a being that I am familiar with. It was sent after me to protect me while I, well, relearned a few things.” He seemed sheepish when he said that, even ducking his head a little.
“Funny way of showing it. Who sent it after you?” I asked, scraping the plates off into the trash. He’d already washed the pans he cooked in, so we just had the plates we ate from. Wish I could time meals like that.
“I don’t know if it was sent after me or if the power of its creation caused it to follow when I left,” he said. “It’s complicated.”
“What is it that you have to relearn?” I asked. If it was complicated, we’ll come back to it. Right now, I just wanted some of the big questions out of the way.
“This is going to difficult to explain,” he said, stacking the clean plates on the drain board. “There are a number of things that you will want to know before you get to that point. Several you need to know sooner.” On the last part, he turned and looked me in the eye meaningfully. He pulled the stopper from the drain and started the water rinsing on the silverware.
All I did while this apparent ritual was going on was watch him. Even the way he dried his hands seemed familiar—He seemed familiar. Kieran reminded me of my father. Hmm. So this is what maudlin is like.
“Come on,” he said, putting his arm on my shoulder amicably. “Let’s take a walk. I have something for you to see, someone for you to meet, and a few facts for you to acknowledge. This is going to be an… interesting hour for both of us.”
He led me out the back door and down the deck stairs. The house sat on an incline on a big wooded lot. My backyard is trees, trees, and more trees and I loved it. No yard to cut and life all around. And the noise the wind makes during a storm is beautiful. He was taking me down to the clearing about a hundred twenty yards back. He picked his way carefully down the path, avoiding several small sharp rocks on the path. I didn’t get what the problem was since he didn’t have a problem on the gravel the other night. He was still bare-footed while I was wearing tennis shoes.
“There’s some flip-flops in my closet you can wear until we can get you some clothes,” I offered. Crap, now I’m takin’ in strays.
“Some what?” Kieran asked, tiptoeing through a dense area of rocks a few feet long.
“Sorta like sandals without backs,” I said, grinning at the undignified sight of six feet four inches and probably three hundred pounds of lean muscle waving his arms around like a little girl in the park as he stepped on a sharp rock.
We broke from the trees into the clearing and the bright morning sun. It was a beautiful pastoral scene to me, mostly because it was so different from what I grew up with in Savannah. Not that Savannah isn’t beautiful, but I mean, there are mountains and hills here! Savannah is wetlands and oceanside, Spanish moss covered trees crossing dirt roads into dark and threatening swamps. Beautiful in a completely different way.
Kieran steered to a vantage point that would have been a nice place for the porch of a house, or a deck maybe. He kicked around in the grass for a moment until he found a rock, then cleared the grass away from it.
“Do you recognize this?” he asked me. I looked at the stone. It looked like a square rock in the ground, nothing special, to me.
“Nothing in particular, a foundation stone?” I answered.
“Actually, you’re right. It is a foundation stone,” he said, grinning. Then he put his hand on its center, pushed and released. It took about three seconds for the script to start showing on the stone in a neon greenish yellow color. I’m sure a paint store had a name for it, but I didn’t know it. The script looked like an invitation script that you couldn’t read. You know the type, with so many loops and serifs that you can’t tell an f from an s from a b. Except I could feel this writing as it flowed out. It had a presence. It felt like my house, actually, and I turn up the hill subconsciously, feeling a resonance there. It was eerie.
“It is also a ward stone,” he said standing, brushing his hands together and looking down at the script. “My ward stone, specifically, and my foundation stone. No doubt you felt the resonance when my ward was activated.” He paused long enough for me to nod, then went on. “The only way they could do that is if they were the exact same spell written the exact same way. This is my mother’s. I’d know it anywhere. So is the one on your house. Only my father could have put it there. He was the only other person who knew this ward. My father’s name is Robert McClure.” He exhaled slowly, thoughtfully.
“Seth, is this your father, too? Are you Seth McClure?” Kieran asked me.
Talk about a shock. “Uh, yeah. Yes, it is, Robert Eric McClure, of Savannah, Georgia,” I said. Is this guy for real?
“Well then, you should know that I am your older fraternal half-brother, Ehran McClure,” looking sad as he said it, “and I have caused you a good deal of difficulty just because of that relationship. I am sorry and I will do what I can to fix these problems as quickly as possible.”
“What problems?” I asked warily.
“It would be easier to show you the first one,” he said grinning, “and just so you don’t go into culture shock, you should probably stay out of it for a while. Get to know how people actually work. It’s a traumatic story.”
“What is?” I asked, impatiently.
“Look at your Pact sigil. It now encapsulates what was my Pact.”
I looked in that newly discovered place in my head. Yep, there it was, the Pact sigil, my dad’s family crest. Sitting on top of it was a huge, and I do mean huge, sphere of gyrating, undulating color. As I stared at it, brief images appeared on the surface showing vistas of beautiful landscapes definitely not on this planet. Nature here just didn’t have lavender rivers and, patriotism aside, purple mountains majesty jus
t weren’t that purple.
“It is fascinating, isn’t it?” Kieran asked quietly, smiling at me, bringing me back to the field of normal green grass and blue sky.
“How did I get this?” I asked. As fascinating and beautiful as it was, it didn’t belong to me and I wasn’t sure I wanted it. Hell, I didn’t even know what it was. For all I knew, it was a tumor.
“It sloughed off of me when I threw the beast out,” he said, eyes cast down and shifting on his feet, almost like he was ashamed of it. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I’d only been back a few hours and so much was going on…” He sighed and looked at me with really big mournful green eyes. He looked like a little boy right then. I barely succeeded in holding back the laughter. The paradox of a three hundred-pound man looking like a lost little boy was comical. And me, a seventeen-year old, having to act like the parent here? I should be rolling on the ground, gasping for breath.
“And I got it…?” I was right earlier—I did have a nightmare and I was still in it.
“When the beast entered you,” he finished my sentence. He stopped to let me absorb this, I suppose. Of course, I was still back on the fraternal half-brother thing, so I guess I did need the time.
“Wait,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose, getting royally confused, “First you said your name is Kieran and now you say it’s Ehran. Which is it?” Yeah, that’s me. It’s the little things, not the big things.
“Ehran is my given name,” he said, bobbing his head. “Kieran is an approximation to the name I’ve been called for… roughly four hundred years. It’s hard to tell. Time flows differently in the lower realms. It is the name given to me by my teacher and it is tremendously important to me.”