by Plum Pascal
When the sprite begins driveling on about some inane subject, I swat at him without even thinking. I’m desperately trying to get a better sense of our surroundings, but I’ve lost my perception. I realize my mistake too late—we’ve come to a section of road we can’t cross and immediately in front of us, we hear a terrified scream. It’s a ghastly, dry voice—more than death, but less than life.
The problem with haunted cities is that it’s impossible to tell if experiences are currently happening, or if the sounds on the wind are just lost souls cursed to replay the moment of their death for all eternity. I assume we’re hearing the sound of a woman meeting her fate, perhaps hundreds of years ago. I’m forced to wonder what killed her, and more, if her attacker possesses the strength to cross from the spirit world into this one. I sorely hope not.
Grimreap is a city born from ashes and death lingers in every doorway, every crossing, and every alley. The undead are never far beneath the surface, here, though few are afraid to cross the boundary into the land of the living.
A low growl makes me stop in my tracks; my legs tense and my ears strain toward the sound. Something large is moving in front of us, but even with my Darkvision, I can’t define what we’re dealing with. There’s a thud, then the sound of something being dragged, followed by another thud. Whatever it is, it’s coming closer.
Finally, our visitor steps into the flickering light of the torch and I breathe a sigh of relief that it’s not something more intimidating. A gaunt creature—the bone devil is nearly skeletal, with muscular atrophy—stands before us on all fours. It’s a devil, but the flesh of its body is nearly gone, leaving only bone and making it look as though it’s completely white. Its jaw is unhinged, revealing a mouth filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth. Its head is comprised of long, pointed horns. The same horns follow the length of its spine, ending in a tail that’s perhaps five feet long.
The sprite starts crying from the angel’s lap and, fairly soon, his cries become wails.
The bone devil stumbles forward, its pointed, bony tail scraping the old, worn cobbles of the alley. Its limp causes it to stagger, and it growls again, this time brandishing its tail above its head. I crouch, dagger drawn and prepared to fight when, suddenly, a prismatic bolt of multicolored rays shoots out from behind me.
I turn to see Eilish, her hand extended in front of her as a spray of color blasts from her fingers and hits the devil square in its chest. It falls, ill-equipped to handle the high-level spell. The shock I feel is reflected on everyone else’s faces. It’s not long before the bone devil is entirely disintegrated.
###
Eilish
I can’t explain how I did what I just did.
My heart’s pounding and I can feel everyone’s eyes on me. Cambion’s are dark with suspicion; I already know he’s going to use this against me. He believes I’m more than I truly am—that I’m up to no good. And, after what I’ve just pulled, I’m certain he’s going to distrust me even more. But there’s nothing I can do about it.
“How did you do that?” Dragan whispers as he carries me through the dark night.
“I don’t know.” I lay my head beside his ear, thinking it’ll be easier to speak to him without being overhead. “That thing came up from nowhere, and I didn’t even think. I just watched my hand dart forward, and then there was a light between my fingers and then I was throwing the light at… whatever that was.”
“A bone devil,” Dragan clarifies, sounding amused.
“Bone devil,” I repeat.
“You’re full of all sorts of surprises,” he continues, and there’s a certain candor in his tone.
“Do you trust me?” I ask, taken aback by my own question. Then, I feel like I need to explain. “Cambion doesn’t trust me.”
“Cambion’s an asshole.”
“But do you trust me?”
He’s quiet for a few seconds. “Yes, I do.”
“I trust you, too,” I say quickly and feel a smile curling my lips. “Thank you.”
“What for?”
“For believing me.”
He chuckles, deep and low. “You’re welcome.”
“I’m not lying to you, Dragan. Everything I’ve told you is the truth. Well, as far as I know, anyway.”
“I know, Eilish,” he says, and his voice tells me not to worry about it anymore. “I know.”
###
Baron
We continue making our way through the alleys, and I breathe a sigh of relief when the gates of the city come into focus. The sprite begins to question Eilish as to how she was able to dispel the bone devil, but I immediately silence him. The least amount of noise we can make, the better. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.
As soon as we’re out of Grimreap and into the Raven Forest, we stop to rest for a few minutes. While we’re far from safe in this forest, it’s not as dangerous as the city, but there are still plenty of thieves and monsters along the road to and from Grimreap. Though the obstacles and threats are plenty, it’s fortuitous that our group is comprised of so many high-powered, magical beings. Even so, I refuse to be lulled into a false sense of security by such impressive company. As an assassin, I’ve survived this long due to my instincts and reliance on myself. As a general rule, I only put faith in my own abilities. Companions are a liability to which I’m unaccustomed. Already, they’ve caused more trouble than good.
Eilish appears weaker for having used her magic and Dragan requests we stop to rest longer, but I can feel the winds changing as early morning breaks on the road out of Grimreap, bathing us in dark gray. We don’t have any time to waste and I force them forward into the dawn.
“She needs to rest,” Dragan argues with a glance at Eilish, who trails behind him. She’s still walking in front of Cambion and Thoradin, though she’s slowing all of us down. Her face is whiter than usual and a sheen of sweat drips from her brow. “She shouldn’t have used her magic here, in this realm,” he continues. “It’s wiped her out.”
“Why aren’t you just carryin’ her?” the sprite demands.
Dragan appears guilty, but it’s Cambion who responds for him.
“He needs to have access to his weapons, should we be attacked,” he says. “Carrying the angel is making him an easy target.”
I nod; Cambion’s right. “Very well, we can rest for a few minutes.”
“We can rest for as long as we need to,” Dragan corrects me.
I feel my lips tighten but I don’t respond. This is the reason I avoid the company of others. Especially when said others are righteous in their own beliefs and convinced of their own self-importance. There are multiple large personalities in this small band and those personalities are beginning to wear on me.
I can only hope the Transmutation Stone is worth this.
I watch as Dragan lifts Eilish in his arms and carries her to a nearby tree, setting her down beneath it. I wonder about his feelings for her. Of course, he views her as the answer to defeating Variant. But there’s more. He genuinely cares for her. It’s obvious, and it’s something Cambion has noticed, as well. And it bothers him; I can see as much in the fire in his eyes and the crease of his frown.
I don’t envy Dragan. In attempting to defeat Variant, there’s a very good chance the angel won’t survive. Thus, it’s better not to form an attachment to her. All life is transitory and short. It’s one of the first lessons you learn as an immortal—don’t become attached to those with short lifespans. It’s simply a prescription for pain.
Eilish sits, her eyes fixed on Thoradin as he begins to build a fire. I approach and take a seat beside her. Dragan’s eyes are on me instantly. He doesn’t trust me; that much is obvious. But he really doesn’t trust me with the girl. Little does he know I’m uninterested. Yes, I find her as beautiful as everyone else does. But physical pleasures are of little interest to me. The only emotion that drives me is revenge.
“How did you know how to destroy the bone devil?” I ask her, still surprised
by her impressive magic. The power to disintegrate creatures, especially one of the animated undead, is no small feat.
“I don’t know,” she says quietly; she seems just as awed as the rest of us. She stares at her hands curiously, as if they belonged to someone else.
“Well, thanks,” says the sprite as he appears from nowhere. The bloody thing is beyond annoying. “’Bout time you did somethin’ useful.”
“And when was the last time you did something useful?” Cambion asks the sprite after eyeing Eilish suspiciously. He’s wise not to trust her.
“It’s thanks to me you even know ‘bout the angel in the first place!” the sprite rails.
“Stop bickering!” I command in an elevated tone, startling everyone into silence. “We must keep moving and we must do so as quietly as possible. We may be out of the city, but we still have a hard road ahead of us.”
“I thought you said you weren’t coming with us,” Dragan says as he arches his brows at me, and I realize he doesn’t want me with them. Interesting…
“Changed my mind,” I answer with a quick shrug.
“You no longer work alone?” he continues, eyes narrowed.
“If Cambion can restore my memories to me, the trip will be worth it.”
“And if he can’t?”
I shrug. “Then I suppose it won’t be worth it?”
Dragan is quiet for a few seconds, but his eyes never leave mine. His jaw is tight. “When Cambion finishes creating the Transmutation Stone and attempts to return your memories to you, whether or not he is successful, be on your way.”
“No, Dragan,” Eilish says as she shakes her head, facing him earnestly.
“That was my plan from the beginning,” I answer acidly. I wonder why he doesn’t want me to continue with them. Is it due to the angel? Then he must see the way she looks at me. Yes, I feel drawn to her, as well, but I can’t explain why. Even though she’s a creature of the light and, as such, of little interest to me, I feel as though there’s more to her, beneath the surface. Otherwise I can’t explain this attraction, as it goes beyond the merely physical. It feels as if the darkness of my soul is pulled toward her, which makes little sense as she possesses no darkness...
“We need him, Dragan,” Cambion puts in, reminding me that they’re still arguing about me.
Dragan shakes his head. “We thought he was dead up until a day ago. And it didn’t change our course of action.”
“But now we know he’s not dead,” Cambion argues. “It’s important Bar—Revenant fight alongside us.”
“The gargoyle is right,” I interject. “I’m not interested in joining your heroic quest. If it’s all the same to you, I’ll go my own way once my memories are returned to me. Or once they aren’t.”
“And what’s in it for us, then?” Cambion asks, glaring at me.
I shrug. “I can help protect you along the way. Four able-bodied men is better than three.”
“I hope you’ll reconsider,” Eilish says, looking up at me with those huge blue eyes. I feel as if I could drown in them. The feeling upsets me, and I immediately stand. I need solitude. I’ve been around this group for too long now and they grate on me.
“Where are you going?” Cambion demands.
“Away,” I respond and disappear into the darkness.
“So much for helpin’ to protect us,” the sprite grumbles.
I walk far enough that I can still see the light from their fire, but no longer hear their voices. The silence around me is comforting, and I feel myself begin to relax somewhat. The constant squabbles and dissension between them is distracting and irritating. I’ve been on my own for so long, I find company both disagreeable and tiring. Their constant chatter fills my head and I can’t concentrate on anything. But that’s not the only reason I seek my solitude.
I don’t like the way I feel around that angel. I don’t know if it’s her light that appeals to the darkness within me, but being around her does something to me. It’s almost as if I can feed from her energy. As a vampire, I require sustenance from other beings, something which usually comes in the form of their blood. But with her, it’s different. I note with interest that I haven’t fed since I met her. And, what’s more, I don’t feel the pangs of hunger. I feel satiated, content, even without nourishment. I don’t understand how this can be.
Perhaps I’m feeding from her life energy? I consider. It doesn’t seem far-fetched. If I am, in fact, feeding from her lightness, I know it’s from her alone. Being around Cambion does nothing other than vex me. Furthermore, I’ve been in the company of creatures of light before and I’ve never felt anything like this.
When I’m in proximity to Eilish, I feel energized, full of life, even. My spirits are improved and this constant darkness that suffuses me seems less… dark, somehow.
It’s dangerous, I think. It’s the type of feeling one could become addicted to.
Not me, I argue with myself. I’ve experienced too much darkness ever to succumb to the light. I’ve known misery and pain such that none other has. It’s been the entirety of my existence. And I’m nothing other than a death dealer. There’s no place in me for lightness.
###
Baron
It’s dusk by the time we reach the The River of Souls, which traverses the North Eastern edge of the Raven Forest. The River of Souls isn’t a river in the literal sense; that is, it isn’t comprised of water. Instead, the current is driven by hundreds of thousands of lost souls, traveling in endless circles around the Island of The Lone Tree. The tree is long since dead and looks like a skeleton, with angular and broken branches that reach up to the sky at awkward angles.
As we reach the shore, I see Eilish’s eyes widen. The souls reach up, out of the current with white and glowing arms and legs. Sometimes, faces appear. Moans and howls interrupt the stillness of the air and the sounds are unsettling, to say the least.
“What is this?” Eilish asks as she eyes the river with concern.
“It’s the portal into the Mortal Realm,” responds Dragan.
“You mean we gotta cross that shit?” Flumph asks and his furry eyebrows reach for the sky.
“Yes,” Dragan answers. “The souls can’t hurt you.”
“You sure?” demands Flumph, eyeing the howling spirits nervously.
“I’m sure,” Dragan confirms. “Once you walk into the river, the souls will part to allow you entry into the mortal plane.”
“Can’t I just fly over it?” Flumph asks.
“No,” Cambion says curtly and smiles at the rest of us. “Bon voyage, assholes.”
Then, he steps into the river. The souls, as Dragan explained, separate into two large waves on either side of him, leaving only the dirt of the river bottom directly in front of him. Cambion walks into the center of the river and promptly disappears.
“Hmm,” Flumph says and waits for Thoradin to do the same. Once the gargoyle fades from view, Flumph shrugs and walks up to the river. He sticks his toes into it and the spirits separate for him. Then he disappears into the Mortal Realm as surely as Cambion and Thoradin did before him.
“Eilish, you go next,” Dragan instructs.
She nods and walks ahead of him. Her eyes are wide, and I can see fear in their depths. But she takes a heavy breath and hesitates at the edge of the river only momentarily before taking a step. The river parts, as it did for the others, and Eilish takes another tentative step, followed by another.
It’s then that I notice something strange. The twenty-foot waves on either side of her begin to shake and wobble as though they’re ready to collapse. Souls stick their faces through the walls of each wave, one after another, until thousands eye Eilish with surprise.
“Dragan?” she calls out but her eyes are locked on the faces that stare back at her, as if she’s afraid to break her focus.
“An angel,” the voices say in unison. “Yet something more.”
“What’s going on?” Dragan asks me, his eyebrows furrowed.
“I don’t know,” I respond honestly.
The large walls of souls on either side of Eilish suddenly collapses, and she’s submerged in the river. The current forces her forward, away from us.
“Dragan!” she yells before her head is pulled underneath. I can only see one of her outstretched arms reaching upward as the current forces her onward.
“Fuck!” Dragan yells as he runs for the river’s edge and throws himself in. The river doesn’t part for him, as only one soul can travel the portal at a time and Eilish clearly hasn’t made it across. He’s swept into the current as surely as Eilish was.
TWENTY-SIX
Eilish
The River Of Souls
Shadow Realm
I feel myself sinking into the nothingness of the river. Even though it’s not made of water, I manage to float all the same. It feels like being surrounded by an incredibly strong wind that forces you forward, only this wind speaks and has faces that stare at me, some in shock and some in awe.
Below me, I can feel the souls of the river reaching out and latching onto my feet and legs as they try to pull me under. I try to fight by swimming upward, but their hold is strong and I feel myself yanked downward. And, strangely, it’s hard to breathe.
Even though I’m not drowning, when I try to inhale, the wind burns my lungs and makes me cough. I realize then that it’s not oxygen I’m inhaling—it’s spirit. It’s the essence of the hundreds of thousands of souls that invigorate this river.
Kick, Eilish! The woman’s voice inside of me yells. Kick harder!
I obey, kicking against the hands grabbing my legs and feet as I fight to swim back to the surface. I can’t see the bottom of the river, but whatever is down there is pitch black. The surface of the river is as white as the souls, themselves.
I start to sink deeper as the hands wrap around my legs and yank me downward.
Fight them! the voice screams.
Suddenly, I feel strong arms wrapping around my middle. I crank my head back to see Dragan gripping me, wings extended. They’re flapping madly as he forces himself upward, beating down the souls who wrap their limbs around his just as they do mine. But Dragan’s sheer power is stronger than mine and he’s making headway. That is, until it seems like all the souls in the river converge on him, yanking him down again. He releases me, clearly not wanting to drag me down with him.