The Dark Path

by James M. Bowers

  The group quickly followed the small elf. He led them down a maze of halls till at last they came to their rooms. There were four rooms and the small man opened all the doors and handed them the keys. Then he walked silently down the hall and disappeared around the corner. Gen shrugged his shoulders and grabbing Meeka's hand pulled her into the first room. The room was about twice the size of their rooms back at the Schola and had a bath with strange metal tubes and knobs attached to it. The same type of tubes and knobs adorned the sink as well. The bed was big and looked soft. There was no window and the only light in the room came from a chandelier of the same eerie blue flamed candles that lit the rest of the temple. The walls and floor were made of obsidian and it was highly polished to be a mirror. The effect was amazing and disturbing at the same time. Gen was astonished with the room. Meeka shivered with cold chills and goose bumps.

  "I feel uneasy here," Meeka said.

  "What’s wrong with it?" Gen asked. Finally noticing that Meeka was shivering. "I'll run us a hot bath. That will warm you up and then you wont feel so bad."

  Meeka nodded and sat upon the bed. Gen walked over to the tub and looked in puzzlement at the knob and tube arrangement at the front of it. He turned the knob on the left of the tube and was surprised to see water pour out of the tube. Steam rose from the water and once again Gen was amazed. He filled the tub and then turned the knob back the other way. The water stopped instantly. He turned to ask Meeka what she thought of this amazing invention when he saw that she was staring off into nothing and hadn't even witnessed the event. He walked slowly over to her and waved his hand back and forth in front of her face.

  "Are you all right?"

  "I'm going to meet my death here," Meeka mumbled, her eyes still unfocused.

  Gen shook her shoulders and stared at her. "Come out of it!"

  Meeka's eyes focused and she looked at Gen's frightened face. She forced a smile and stood up. Then slowly stripping off her clothes, she walked over and climbed into the tub. Gen shook his head and quickly followed her example. The bath felt wonderful and soon Gen and Meeka were relaxed and laughing. They enjoyed the bath till the water grew too cold. Then they got out and toweled each other dry.

  "You are so very beautiful," Gen said and his eyes filled with tears as he looked upon Meeka. She walked over to him and they embraced and kissed. The kiss was very passionate and Gen was taken aback by the fire it held. She pulled him to the bed and they crawled under the sheets. Their kisses grew more and more passionate, and once again, Gen was shocked at Meeka's sudden fire and aggression. She slid on top of Gen and their bodies pressed together made Gen groan in love and want. They had gone pretty far before but had never made love to each other. Gen thought that she had been saving it for their wedding night. He had never pressed her to go farther than she wanted to go. He cleared his mind and returned her passion. He gave himself completely to her. Their love making was pure, passionate, wild, and lasted for hours. Afterwards, Meeka lay sleeping and Gen stared at the blue light dancing upon the obsidian walls. What had happened tonight was running over and over in Gen's mind. Why had she chosen tonight? Why had she not waited? Was he wrong to let her? Had he let her down by not waiting? He loved her with every part of his being. He would do anything for her. He had no doubt that he would never love anyone else. He made up his mind to ask her to marry him when they got back to the Schola. With his mind eased, he fell into a contented sleep and didn't even wake up when Meeka got up and left the room.

  Meeka hardly noticed the phantom draft that chilled the hallway outside the bedroom where she and Gen had slept. Her mind raced with visions and questions that promised to drive her mad if they were not reckoned with soon. She was running out of ideas.

  She'd had the dream again. She was so sure that peace would find her sleep this night, and it had been soiled by the horrors once more. The only thing that was keeping her sane in this world was her love for Gen, but even that didn't seem to stop her nightmare. She was so tired of waking up with such a fear of being left alone. The emotion was crippling, and Gen was her crutch. Tonight, she had given her whole self to him, hoping that perhaps the dream would finally cease. But to her dismay, it did not. She was thankful that she hadn't disturbed him when she had awakened in terror. She couldn't bear to upset him after the wonderful night they had shared, so she left in silence. She needed to think. Something had to be done.

  Slowly, she wandered down the hallway, guided by a torch that flickered at the end of it. The firelight danced dimly against the reflection of the black, stone walls. She had no conscious thought as to where she was going, but she couldn't very well stay put. There were no answers where she was, and that's what she craved. So naturally, she needed to move.

  She folded her slender arms tightly across her chest, taking in a deep breath. This was not the first time she'd been awake at night, alone and afraid. Her usual remedy to the matter was to mix a calming herbal tea and let her thoughts drift away from the dream and towards Gen. The mere idea of him was often enough to calm her back into a reasonable sleep. He was her life. She knew she would never love another man for as long as she was alive. Or even in death, she thought. She longed desperately for his embrace at that moment, but knew that she could not run back this time. The cycle needed to be broken once and for all. But the question also remained: How?

  XVII

  The Summoning

  Morning came quietly. Gen woke slowly and reached over to caress Meeka. He woke up suddenly when his hand fell upon the pillow. Looking at the foot of the bed, he saw that her robes were gone. Wearing a frown, Gen climbed out of bed and donned his own robes. He was walking toward the door when he heard a knock. He pulled the door open suddenly, hoping to see Meeka. Thomas stood a bit startled on the other side of the door frame.

  "You scared me!" Thomas exclaimed with a gasp.

  "Have you seen Meeka?" Gen asked while looking past Thomas down the empty hall.

  "No. I thought she was with you," Thomas replied with a puzzled look upon his face.

  Gen walked out into the hall. He knocked on Aaron's door. Only the sound of snoring answered him. He walked past and knocked on Duncan’s door. To his surprise, it opened from the pressure of his knock. "Duncan?" No answer came so he pushed the door the rest of the way open. The room was empty. The bed was still made, and nothing had been disturbed. Wearing a frown, Gen walked back to his room and picked up his katana. Just as he walked back out the door, Duncan and Meeka rounded the corner at the end of the hall. Gen studied Duncan's face for any clue as to what had happened. "Where were you?"

  "Oh, I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk. Duncan here found me, and we lost track of the time in conversation."

  "I don't like this place, Gen, when are we going to leave?" Duncan said, his voice full of anxiety.

  "We have to attend this afternoon's ritual. It would be rude to leave before then. Why don't you and Thomas go wake Aaron and find some breakfast? I would like to talk to Meeka alone for a while."

  Duncan nodded, and he and Thomas walked to Aaron's door. Gen took Meeka by the hand and gently pulled her into their room. When the door was shut, he turned to her. He was about to tell her how worried he had been when he saw her eyes. Her eyes didn't look right. There was something dark and brooding behind them, not the usual light that he had always found there before. "What’s wrong? Did something happen last night?"

  "I just can't get that dream out of my head. It won't let me sleep. Every time I close my eyes I see that dark finger. It's hovering over me. It's waiting for something, Gen. I don't know what to do."

  Gen walked over and held her close against him. She felt so good in his arms. She belonged there, he thought. "I'm here, Love. Nothing will hurt you as long as it's in my power to stop it." A sudden chill flooded the room, and he felt Meeka shiver in his arms. Strangely, the chill didn't make him shiver. Finally, she pushed out of his arms and walked over to the bath.

  "Let's take a long hot bath and try to fo
rget this. It's just a dream, right?" Meeka forced a laugh. "Now, Boy, go fetch me some water!" Her smile was back now, but the light in her eyes was still vacant.

  "Yes, Milady." Gen bowed low before her and walked over to turn on the wondrous hot water. He removed her robes when she held up her arms. When she was sitting in the warm water, with the steam rising up before her, he removed his own robes. He was suddenly struck by a wave of tiredness and splashed more than he expected when he got in the tub. "What’s wrong? Didn't you sleep well?"

  "No, I slept fine. It's those robes. I'm still not used to them."

  "What about them? They are just a different color than the ones you had before."

  "No, there's something else to them. When I wear them, I'm fully awake. In fact, I can't even sleep while wearing them. They must have some type of refreshment spell on them. That would explain the silver runes along the hood and sleeves I guess."

  "Can't you read what the runes there say? You always did much better than me in magical languages class."

  "No, I can't read them. They seem to be very old. I saw some similar to those in one of the Master's books that time we broke into his library."

  Meeka chuckled a bit. We were so foolish. What were we looking for in there anyway? I forget."

  "A love spell to put on Aaron so he would like that girl Allison and stop following you around."

  "Oh yeah!" Meeka laughed. "But we didn't find that. I did find that lovely spell for changing the color of things."

  "I remember that. Your skin was blue for three weeks!" Gen chuckled.

  "And you found those other spells. I don't remember what happened after you read that first one though. I just remember waking up in my bed, and hurting all over. Do you remember what happened?"

  "Yes. I do." Gen got quiet for a long time and Meeka thought maybe he wouldn't tell her what had happened. Then, suddenly, he started talking. His eyes were closed, and she thought she saw tears run down his cheeks.

  "I found that spell book, and I could barely read the runes in it. I had no idea what the spell did. I could only pronounce the words. Foolishly, I read the spell. I thought it would be something simple. The book wasn’t fancy in appearance. It was just a brown leather bound book. It looked as if it had seen more of the world than even I had. I read that spell and something very bad happened, Meeka, something very bad.

  My body felt as if it were on fire. The power flowed through my veins. My blood was lava! I couldn’t stand the heat for long, and I pushed it out of me. I didn't push it far enough though, not far enough at all. It hit the floor and flooded into you. Meeka, it lit you on fire. It was horrible. There was nothing I could do. I couldn't even move. All I could do was lay on the floor and watch as your hair burned off and your skin turned black. I couldn't even weep. I didn't have the strength. I think I stopped breathing.

  Then suddenly the Headmaster was there. He chanted over you for hours. He didn't stop chanting. It seemed he never ran out of breath. Your skin went from black to pink and then to normal. Your hair grew, and your breathing returned to normal. The whole time, I could do nothing but watch. When you were whole once more, he turned to me. His eyes looked sad. He looked old then, so very old. He never reprimanded me for that. He carried you out of the room and then came back for me. He just stood there and looked at me for a very long time. I couldn't even talk. I couldn't sleep. I just kept staring. Finally, he pulled a ring out of a pouch on his belt and placed it on my finger. Instantly, I felt fine. The strength was back fully. He held out his hand and I gave him back the ring. I couldn't bring myself to say anything. I just sat there on the floor and hung my head.

  He walked to the door and told me to follow him. I did as he said. I was numb. I was full of shame and rage that I had been so stupid. He led me back to his house. That is the only time I've been in his house. As far as I know, I'm the only student to have been in his house. He took me to the kitchen and sat me down at the table. He built a fire. Yes built it. He didn’t light it with magic. Then he made tea. He poured me a cup and sat it on the table in front of me. Then he took a cup and sat across from me. I didn't meet his eyes. He sipped his tea for a while and then told me to look up. I met his gaze. I expected to see sadness there, or anger. There wasn't, Meeka. There was. I don't know, affection? He asked me., "Do you know what you have done this night?"

  I sat there for a while and then told him that I had almost killed you. I told him I had shamed him and shamed myself. He actually laughed. By the gods, the man laughed! I couldn't laugh. I felt only shame. He told me to drink my tea and he would tell me what I had done. "What you have done tonight, Gen, I've never seen any other student do. That spell you cast was a fireball spell. Do you know what that is?" I nodded. "You, just two weeks ago, learned to light candles. Yes?" Again I nodded. "The spell you cast, I could not cast until I was twice your age. Even then I had trouble with it. You cast it perfectly. You only missed one key point. That spell, when you cast it, you must define where you want it to go. You summoned it at your own feet. You nearly killed Meeka. Normally, for something like this, I would punish you greatly. But you will punish yourself for what you did more than I could ever punish you. Never forget what you did this night. Never forget that to not understand the power can lead to disastrous results. When you finish your tea, go to your room and sleep. Tell no one of what you have done tonight. Yes, I know your friend Thomas will find out. That is fine. He will tell no one." With that said, he left his kitchen.

  I drank the tea slowly and just sat thinking about what all had happened. Finally, I left his house and went back to my room. I laid down and fell instantly asleep. When I woke up the next morning, there was a book on my bedside table. It was black leather bound. I opened it and found the spell written there, the one I had cast the previous night. Across the top of the page was written in bold letters, "Remember". The rest of the pages were blank. I still carry that book, Meeka. Every time I open it, I remember." Gen sat silent in the bath and tears flowed down his cheeks. Meeka sat in stunned silence.

  "Why didn't you tell me what happened before now?" Meeka asked gently.

  "I was scared you would leave me. I'm scared of that even now. Now that you know how reckless I was, how foolish. I almost killed you." He still didn't open his eyes.

  Meeka was speechless for a moment as she sat next to him in the bathtub. She lifted her hand tenderly to Gen's face and let his tears run over her fingers. She then leaned towards him and kissed him softly on his mouth, feeling tears of her own swell behind her eyes. He reciprocated timidly; still ashamed and fearful of what she might say. She then pulled away and gazed at him purposefully.

  "Gen," she whispered to him.

  His eyes remained closed as he hung his head. He responded merely by pressing his lips together.

  "Gen, it was an accident," she insisted gently, "Look at me."

  He slowly lifted his head and let his eyes open to meet her gaze. His expression glistened with sadness, though a thread of hope lined his brow when he looked into her eyes.

  Meeka let out a small sigh. "I know with all my heart that you would never live to see me harmed," she said. "You knew not what you were doing. According to the Headmaster, you shouldn't have been able to do such a spell anyhow."

  Gen kept silent, waiting for her to finish. He felt a twinge of relief spawn inside of him, but he dared not indulge it yet.

  "I was merely in the wrong place, Gen," she continued, "You discovered something about yourself that day that surpasses any meaning my life would have."

  "No!" Gen exclaimed suddenly, grasping her hands and pressing them against his lips. "No, Meeka! You are everything to me. I would give up all that I have, all of my power and talent for your sake. I would never have been able to live if you had-"

  "But I did not," she interrupted him. "I am still here, Gen." She opened her fingers into his hands and clasped them tightly in hers. "I am still here."

  "Can you ever forgive me?" Gen asked her desperately. />
  She actually smiled. "There is nothing you could do that I wouldn't forgive a hundred times over."

  They sat silently, staring intently into each other's eyes. There was nothing left that needed to be said. The love they had for one another that moment surpassed all words.

  "You guys coming to eat?" Thomas said through the closed door.

  "We'll be right there," Gen responded regretfully as he got out of the tub.

  XVIII

  Dark Tides

  The group ate in silence. The air seemed thick. Gen ate very little and Meeka ate not at all. Aaron ate his fill while Duncan munched absently on a roll and kept looking behind his back. His hand never strayed far from the handle of his axe. When Aaron finished, Gen stood up.

  "It is time." He walked slowly away from the table and towards the huge wooden doors that stood open. The rest of the group followed. Meeka walked just behind Gen, almost stepping on his heels. Thomas and Aaron came next with Duncan at the back. Gen walked down the hall and took the first door to his left. He walked quickly and the rest soon got lost. After what seemed like hours of twists and turns they came to a room with closed obsidian doors. The blue torches burned low on either side casting odd shadows upon the wall.

  "This is it. When we go in, we are to say nothing until the ritual is finished. Understood?" Gen looked to each of them till they nodded. Then he pulled upon one of the massive doors. It swung open silently and Meeka gasped at the room inside. The ritual room was huge. There were around two hundred people already in the room and they stood in a great circle. A triangle was drawn with white powder in the center surrounded by a circle of the same white powder just inside where everyone was standing. Llynanyn stood at the head of the group, directly across from the doors. Gen shut the door behind them then walked around the outside of the circle to stand at the gap that was to the left of Lyn. When they were standing in their places, Lyn began to chant. The others began to chant as well and the chamber was filled with the reverberations of two hundred voices chanting the same words. The chanting grew and grew in intensity till suddenly they went quiet. Llynanyn raised her hands and called out. "Anhirath! Demon Lord! I summon you! I command you to come forth."