The Dark Path

by James M. Bowers

  "I've seen a lot of death, too much death. More than anyone should ever have to see." He looked down as he said these words, but his mind was full of questions. Why did he say that? This girl needed cheering up not to be told his troubles. He didn't show anyone his feelings anymore. What was wrong with him? He heard a rustling sound and saw her heavily bandaged hand move over to lay on his own. He looked back up to meet that piercing blue eye. Her expression had changed. Her look was soft and caring and it looked as though tears were about to flow out of her eye.

  "You're home now, Gen, you can relax. You don't need to fight anymore. It's okay," she said to him gently, her voice shaking slightly.

  "How do you know I'm home? You can't know what all I've been through!" Gen exclaimed a little loudly, but he felt his eyes grow moist and suddenly he began to cry. Tears ran down his cheeks and his body was wracked with deep sobs. Sadness that he had held deep within for years was trying to get out. Beth held onto his skeletal hand with her bandaged one as he cried. After a while, his sobs grew less and he dried his eyes on the sleeve of his robe. He looked down at the young girl.

  "How did you do that? What are you doing to me?" Gen asked, suddenly angry that this child had somehow made him release some of the pain that was his alone to carry.

  She smiled up at him with tears still in her eyes. "It's a talent of mine, pretty useless most of the time. Though in your case, it may actually be helpful for once. Now I think you should check on your friend. He's awake again." With that said, she moved her hand back to her side and closed her eye. Gen shook his head and stood up. He walked quickly back to Thomas' bedside and sat in the chair there. When he sat, Thomas opened his eyes. The wounds on his chest had closed and some of the redness was gone. He was breathing more easily.

  "Did you enjoy your talk with Beth?" Thomas asked Gen with a weak smile upon his lips.

  "What is that child?" Gen asked. Beth's power over him had really shaken him. He had thought that he was beyond manipulation by now. He had practiced so long in being cold and shut off to everyone. He shook his head.

  "We aren't sure really. Her mother brought her here to us four years ago. She said that the girl's father had left shortly after she was conceived and that her daughter had shown odd abilities at an early age. We agreed to take care of her and her mother left. As far as I know, she has never came back to visit nor has she written. Beth is a very talented young girl. I hate to see her in here. What happened to her?" Thomas said all this very slowly. He took several deep breaths in between statements. Gen listened patiently and didn't try and rush his friend.

  "Eremian soldiers tried to kill her and I believe they raped her as well. She seems like a rather strong girl. She'll make it through."

  "Filthy pigs!" Thomas exclaimed and broke into a fit of coughing that brought the healer back to the bedside. She scowled at Gen and gave Thomas a sip of tea once his coughing had ended. Then she returned to tend to Beth.

  "Tell me about these odd abilities she has," Gen asked interested.

  "Well she is very empathic. We found that out early on. Sometimes she can affect people's emotions. For example, if someone is angry she can calm them down or make them lose their temper. So far she has been very successful in divination classes and her grades are rather well in most of her other classes, though she is failing mine. She seems to hate plants or rather they hate her. Though why this is so, I have no idea."

  "She mentioned a little brother. Is he here too?"

  "Her brother? Oh! She must have meant John. John just recently came here and was having trouble making friends with anyone. She took him under her wing so to speak. I had wished that she would be happy here but the other students stay away from her. I think she uses her abilities to keep others distant, or they are just jealous or scared of her. I'm sorry, my friend, but I think I need to sleep now. Go tell the Headmaster you are here. I'm sure he will be glad to see you again." Thomas smiled and closed his eyes. He was asleep almost instantly.

  Gen stood up and walked out of the building. He shut the door as quietly as he could. He stood outside the door for a while and just looked around. Then he walked slowly around the Schola grounds. He wasn't sure he wanted to see the Headmaster quite yet. He was walking, lost in his thoughts, and when he finally looked around again, he was standing at the edge of the archery range. Class was in session and there were about ten young children practicing with short bows at targets. He looked around and spotted Master Ambern. He walked towards his former master of archery. When he had reached the master's side, Master Ambern spoke.

  "Can I help you, Sir?" he asked politely. He held no look of recognition in his eyes. Gen smiled to himself and decided to play with his old master a bit.

  "I was wondering if perhaps you had some long bows for sale."

  "I have a few inside. Come with me." He told the students to continue with their practice, and turned to walk inside his shop. Gen followed behind him. The master's shop had changed very little since he had been there last. The only thing new was a large rack of bows on the back wall. He waved at the bows then stood in the center of the room. Gen walked over and examined the weapons. They were all fine bows and Gen could tell that the master had made them all by hand. Some were beautiful, almost works of art. There were all kinds of bows.

  Gen examined them all until he came to a long bow that was very plain. It was made of a fine wood and was stained a deep red color. Gen picked it up off the rack and carried it back to the master.

  "How much for this one?" he asked.

  "Ten thousand gold pieces," the Master replied calmly, a condescending look in his eyes.

  "Sold," Gen replied. He smiled again at the masters reaction. He knew that Master Ambern had named that outrageous price because he didn't really want to sell it to someone that wore black master's robes. Gen reached into a pouch at his side and pulled ten coins from it. He handed them to the shocked master.

  "Will this do?" The master looked down at the coins and Gen tried hard not to laugh as the master's eyes grew so large they almost popped out of his head. They were platinum and freshly minted. He took one of the coins and looked at the images imprinted upon it.

  "Who are you?" Master Ambern asked suspiciously. "Where did you get these coins?"

  "The coins are my own," Gen replied, completely ignoring the first question.

  "The bow is yours. Is there anything else you want?" the Master asked with a touch of disgust in his voice.

  "Yes there is actually. I had almost forgotten. Just a moment." Gen slung the bow over his shoulder and took the large pouch off his belt. He stretched the mouth of the pouch open seemingly impossibly wide and reached his whole arm in the bag. Gen reached around in the bag till his eyes lit up. Then he pulled his arm back out and removed a stunning recurve bow. The bow had a leaf pattern engraved into the wood. He handed it to the master who took it expelling a low whistle despite himself.

  "Where did you get this?" Ambern asked not looking up from the master worked bow.

  "It was given to me by some people I helped a few years ago. I thought you may put it to good use." Gen smiled.

  "Who are you?" Ambern asked in exasperation.

  "Don't you recognize me, Master?" Gen couldn't keep it in any longer. He started giggling and couldn't stop. The giggles turned into laughter. He laughed for a long time then finally was able to bring himself back under control.

  The Master stood with an odd look on his face. He stepped back and looked closely at this thin, young man in black. He knew no one who wore Master robes of that color. He was about to ask the strange man to leave when a bit of light reflected off something shiny on the bottom of the man's walking stick. A metal dragon wound itself around the bottom of the very dark stained wood. Could it be?

  "I'm sorry for laughing, but I find this really amusing.”

  "Where did you get that?" The Master pointed to Gen's cane, a deep furrow in his brow.

  "Remember this?" Gen asked holding out his cane and s
lowly drawing the black blade from the scabbard.

  "That blade..." Ambern grew quiet and looked from the blade to Gen for a long while. Then finally recognition flickered in his eyes. "Could it really be you? I thought you were dead! No one's heard from you in years! Where the hell have you been?"

  "I've been a lot of different places," Gen said evasively as he placed the blade back in its scabbard.

  "Well, Gen, you do look a lot different. And those robes. I never expected to see you wearing black as a Master. Maybe blue or gray but never black. What's happened to you?"

  "I don't want to talk about it now. You should go see Thomas though, he's at the healer's. When I found him, he was knocking on death's door. I'm sorry but I have to go now. I need to talk to the Headmaster." Gen bowed and started to walk out the door when Master Ambern stopped him. "Yes?" Gen asked. Master Ambern walked over and held out his hand. Gen took it in his own and the two shook hands.

  ”It's good to see you back home," Master Ambern said somberly then he walked out the door and back to his students. Gen smiled. It did feel good to be back at the Schola. He left Ambern's shop and turned his feet towards the Headmaster's office, a smile still on his face. The Schola's main building was quiet inside, classes were in session. Gen walked directly to the Headmaster's office on the main floor and knocked three times on the door. After a short delay, he heard an aged voice say, "Enter."

  Gen opened the door and walked inside. The office was the same as it had always been though the books stacked upon the desk were different. The Headmaster had changed though. He was visibly older. He looked as ancient as he was. His robes were still gray and his head was still bald. The Headmaster sat writing into a large leather bound book and didn't look up when Gen walked in. He merely motioned toward the chair in front of his desk. Gen walked over quietly and sat. He waited patiently. After he finished the page, he looked up. There was no surprise in his response at the site of his former student.

  "So you've returned," The Headmaster said in his ancient whisper.

  "I've come to bring her back," Gen responded. The Headmaster's expression changed to one of dark sorrow.

  "She's not here anymore."

  "What do you mean she's not here?" Gen said in shock and anger. "You swore to me that you would keep her here till I returned!" Gen's anger began to grow. Had his Headmaster grown so powerless in his absence?

  "Aaron took her. He came here a year ago with several thousand troops. He ordered me to hand over her body or he would have the men rip the Schola down brick by brick and kill every student in it. I had no choice."

  Tears formed in the Headmaster's eyes. "It's been so long. I had given up on you ever returning. Then the visions I had every time I tried to find you through the glass." The ancient Headmaster hung his head. "Forgive me, Gen. I had to protect the students here. It's my duty above all else." The Headmaster looked broken and lost. He just stared down at his desk the tears hitting the book he was just writing in.

  "Where is Aaron?" Gen asked, an icy edge to his tone.

  "I can try and find out for you. Though he is now protected by the priests of Invictus. It won't be easy to get past them." The Headmaster still looked down at his desk.

  "Forget that then. Find Meeka's body. Till then I'll wait here and get ready." Gen stood up quickly and turned for the door. He stopped when the Headmaster spoke.

  "What have you done? The visions I've had about you...horrible. Who are you working for now?" The Headmaster looked up at the back of his former student.

  "You wouldn't believe the things that I have done." Gen turned back and stared his former Headmaster in the eyes. His look was cold, and the Headmaster felt himself draw back against his will. "I work for myself. Now find Meeka's body for me. You have two days before I leave to find her on my own."

  Gen walked out of the office and the door shut behind him. Gen stormed down the hall, his anger flaring. The doors of the classes trembled in their frames as he passed. Dark blue lightning danced around his body. The main doors nearly burst off their hinges as he approached them.

  He walked to the main ritual circle in the center of the Schola grounds. When he reached it, he effortlessly cast a protective sphere around the circle. With his scabbard he drew a triangle into the dirt and reaching into a pouch on his side, he withdrew a ruby about the size of his thumb. The ruby pulsed with a dull glow and Gen placed it into the triangle. He threw his head back and chanted a long complex spell. When he came to the end of the chant, the stone inside the triangle seemed to melt and a great demon rose from the center of it. It roared and beat against the walls of the triangle that contained it. Then it looked down at Gen and stopped at once. It grew calm, almost as if it was frightened.

  "Why have you summoned me?" the demon said, his voice somehow like the crackling of fire.

  "Tell me the location of Aaron Glormad." Gen commanded.

  "He resides upon this island. In the temple of Invictus," the demon responded. Gen nodded slightly then began once more to chant. At the start of his words the demon once again fought against its container and a great scream of frustration erupted from its mouth. Gen finished the chant and the demon melted and reformed the shape of the ruby. The ruby pulsed a brilliant red then slowly faded back down to the dull color it had been before. Gen broke the triangle barrier and picked the stone back up. It was hot to the touch. Gen took a small black pouch off his belt and placed the stone inside it. He chanted more words and silver symbols burned onto the bag and flashed once. Gen nodded again and removed the protective sphere that he had cast. He walked out of the circle and strode back to the main building. Gen calmed himself down when he reached the main doors. He entered calmly and walked up the huge staircase inside. He continued on to the second floor and turned to the right, walking down that hall till he reached a set of ancient wooden doors. He gently pushed open the one on the right and walked into the room.

  The library was the same as it had been the day he left. He walked down the main aisle between all the bookcases and up to the master librarian's desk. An ancient elf, in robes of black with green trim, sat there behind the desk. He looked up when Gen approached and smiled. Gen sat down in an old wooden chair.

  "Welcome back," the ancient librarian said in his familiar whisper.

  "I met the owner of the book you gave me."

  "Ahh. I thought that you might meet him. Did you return the book to him?"

  "Yes I did. He said to give you his thanks for keeping it safe for so long. He also gave me this to give you as a reward." Gen reached into a pouch on his right side and drew forth a green stone about the size of his fist. It was glowing brightly. He placed it upon the desk in front of the librarian. The ancient elf looked at it greedily. He started to reach for it then hesitated and looked to Gen.

  "Is it what I think it is?"

  "I've checked it out. Go ahead and take it. It's yours. You have already paid the price for it."

  The librarian reached once again and grasped the stone. He held it up to his face and looked into its glow. His eyes went unfocused as if he was entering a trance. Then the stone began to melt. His eyes regained focus and a look of pain came to his face. He looked upon the stone as if in horror as it slowly melted in his hand. It didn't drip down to the desk though. The molten stone flowed into the veins of his hand making him glow a faint green. The librarian screamed in pain as the stone kept melting into his body. Two young students ran into the room and looked up at their master. One screamed in fear and ran out of the library. The other walked up to stand at the side of the desk to the left of Gen. The stone finally finished melting at the same time as the elf stopped screaming. He held up his hand that had held the stone and wiggled the wrinkled fingers. The faint green glow from his body grew in intensity and he threw his head back and screamed anew. The glow grew painful to look at but still Gen stared at him. The elf's frame was changing. His skin grew smooth and his arms grew healthy and young looking again. The wrinkles upon his face vanished
as the skin pulled back into the tight skin of youth. All at once the light stopped and the librarian finished screaming. He looked back down at Gen, then held his hands out and looked upon them. His eyes opened wide and he began to laugh. The laugh was creepy and echoed around the room.

  Gen waited till he was finished laughing then asked. "Are you quite done? I have things I would like to discuss with you."

  "Yes, yes, just wait a moment. It's been centuries since I've felt this young. He giggled a bit. Let's go for a walk. I would like to try out this young body." He turned to the student standing at the side of his desk, a look of terror upon his face. "Take care of things here. I will return in a few hours." The student only nodded. The librarian stood up and walked around the desk. He did a little dance. Then he turned once more to Gen.

  "Well then, shall we?" Gen stood up and walked beside the elf out of the library. They walked in silence out of the building. "Let's walk to the gardens. It's been years since I've been out of that library." Gen nodded. "So did you enjoy your travels?"

  "No."

  "No? I've heard rumors of the things you've done. Mostly just odd visions the Headmaster had seen when he tried to find you, but I'm interested. Where have you been? What have you done? I see you chose the black robes. Did you finally make it to Master rank? Should I call you my equal now?" The elf laughed at that.

  "I've been around this world and seen many things. I've seen horrible things." Gen shook his head as if to clear it of the past. "To answer your other question.” Gen shrugged a bit. "You may call me Gen. It seems wrong to have you refer to me as your equal. Let's not talk of me though." Gen turned to face the now young visage of the elf Master. "You must have done great things for your Dark Master to receive a gift such as I was told to bring you. Tell me. How long have you served him?"

  "You say my Dark Master. Is he not yours as well?"

  "I serve no one, save myself."

  "Is that so?" The elf smiled at that. "I've served the Dark Lord for many centuries, though I have never been in his presence. It seems to me though, that he has taken quite an interest in you." He laughed again. "To think that my former student would rise above me in rank." He shook his head and laughed once more. "Don't worry yourself though. I do not envy the attention The Dark Lord grants you. Though the things you have done must be truly dark indeed for you to receive so much attention from him." He shuddered a bit as if a cold chill were in the air, though it was a warm spring day.