The Curious Case of Jacob's Hallow

by Patrick Walsh

  For the briefest moment he thought he had won, someone so strong cut down by something so quick. It was almost poetic. Yet Aza and the others were struck by terror, not from magic, but for feeling the pure rage billowing forth from below. The witch stood back up, seething with hatred. Her crimson eyes locked with Aza. For a second she looked as if she was seeing a ghost, but just as fast, the truth dawned on her. She spun the staff in her hand and sprung forth a mass of sickly, orange light. It twisted into two, massive pincers and slammed down on the balcony. Aza and Han were thrown back, nearly falling onto her level. Luke rushed forwards, with one of his axes drawn. As he did, another claw shot up and snapped deep into the floor, collapsing part of it and threatening to cut off their access to the hallway. The farmer pulled his friends to their feet, and all three came barreling down the tunnel. They ran past Tom, who turned back to face where they had fled from. The air was thick with dust, obscuring most of what lie below. Yet he saw them, her eyes glowing like red flame. It was all it took to send him running.

  “Heheha! You tryna finish what ya daddy started!?” She cackled again as workers began sprinting up to rip apart the intruders.

  All four piled back into the cart, knowing this whole place was nothing more than a dead end. Tom swung the levers into place and they slowly began to slide back towards the necropolis. By the time the living dead arrived at the chamber, they were already too far down and gaining speed. It was pitch black, but they could hear the shrieking of monsters, and the twisting of patchwork limbs. While all the others were as good as blind, Aza could make out an intersection up ahead with two switches, one green and the other red. As much as it pained him, he shouted to Tom and pointed to what he saw. The boy couldn’t see a thing, but hoped the colors in his mine matched what was here. He told Aza to hit the green one and immediately it was pierced by a cord flying faster than a stray bullet. They switched paths and began to head upwards, hopefully to the safety of the surface.

  Back in her lair, the witch tapped the orb again as her minions began repairing the damage she had caused. The white mist within swirled and sparked until a familiar voice emerged from the other end.

  “Isabelle! Funny you should call.” He was sitting at the clocktower desk, his own orb now sitting in the claws that had been empty during Aza’s visit. He was framed by a small collection of land owners and bankers gathered around him.

  Even without seeing his face, she could feel his smug grin bearing down on her. “Whatever nonsense you have, I don’t have time for it. Those three varmints you were supposed to deal with are headed to the surface. My forces should be able to cut them off, but I want you and yer little band to wipe out anyone they were close to. I want all traces of them eradicated, no matter the cost!”

  Despite the anxiety and rage in her voice, Barnabee was as calm as he had ever been. “In due time yes, but me and the others are looking to renegotiate our deal. Though as a side note, it will be better to let them pass.”

  She gave a long, sarcastic laugh. “You aint in a position to negotiate anything old man. I will not have the Paladins burning all we have worked for to the ground, and neither will you, so get to work!”

  Before she could tap the orb, he spoke three words. “They found it.”

  The hand stopped, her eyes narrowing. “Found what?”

  Barnabee leaned back in his throne. “Let me explain.”

  The two talked, argued, and threatened to end the conversation. As they negotiated, the four boys ran into two more intersections, each time moving further and further up until eventually they saw a dim light at the end of the tunnel. Tom slowed the cart and they screeched to a halt outside a small outcropping of stone. They all piled out, thrilled to see the sky again. Though that’s when they realized where they were. Tall, rotten trees surrounded them on all sides while moss crawled over the ground. Sounds of the creatures lurking just beyond their wake, echoed and shifted around them. This was the forest and even worse, it was almost nightfall. They had maybe an hour, if that, before the sinister mist began ensnaring the town.

  “Where are we exactly?” Han spun around, no idea how far from the village they had found themselves.

  Luke shrugged, “I aint got a clue.”

  “I think most folks know that.” Tom snapped, still trying to reel in and process all he had learned.

  Before Aza could stand up for his friend, the ground shook. Trees broke and toppled as something heaved itself over the rock above them. They looked up and reared back, all tired but ready to fight. It was like a many headed worm made of bark. Each neck was wider than the trees around it, with many jagged teeth extending down its throat. It hissed and thrashed, threatening the four until being struck by a ball of fire. The monster screamed and fell back, causing the whole group to turn around to see who had done it. Yet to their horror, it was no ally but a guardian like that of the lighthouse. Its lower half was a rabid wolf twice the size of a horse and impaled with hundreds of metal nails. The upper half bore three conjoined bodies, larger than any man. Their mouths were slashed into wide grins while their eyes were impaled all the way through the skull with long rail spikes. In one of its broken looking arms was a shepherd's crook, with a yellow lantern. Fires danced within it, threatening to shoot out again.

  As the strange wooden creature fell back into the bramble, they were left to face this abomination. Aza readied his strings, while Luke readied his axes. Taking advantage of the confusion, Tom ran towards Han and ripped his satchel into the air. Out came the books as well as the transponder. He snatched it up and sprinted off, faster than the other two could react. They expected the creature to shoot him down with a ball of lame, but to their shock it let him pass.

  Not only that, but the creature raised its crook and revealed a path, mostly reclaimed by nature. They each waited for it to act, but it stood still as stone, seemingly pointing them the way home. Han put together what was going on, and to the surprise of the other two, he scuttled around them and down the same way Tom had. Neither wanted to get near the horror, but if even Dullahan wasn’t afraid of it, then they could take the risk. They ran by, looking up to the creature’s grinning mouths, someone else looking though its gouged out eyes.

  The three hit the edge of town in a only a few minutes and headed straight for Aza’s house. Luckily they had come out on the west side of town so it was not as long until they were knocking on a familier door. Gretel opened up as the first of the fog hit the cobblestone, and let the four boys in. Each collapsed at the kitchen table, exhausted, yet glad to be alive. Two things surprised them. The first was food, not well prepared but plentiful, sitting on the table. The other was Aggie, who was leaning against the kitchen counter. Aza tried to speak with her, but she put up a hand and pointed to the food. He wasn’t going to argue and the three quickly filled their bellies while Aggie and Gretel patiently waited. Aza and Luke could tell something was coming, some great declaration or warning, it was only a matter of what. Han on the other hand, was buried in his notebook as much as his food. As they finished, Gretel pushed the couch around and closer to the table. Aggie sat down, and shooed off her daughter when she tried to as well. One by one the three finished and sat in silence. Two focused on Aggie while one wrote down letters on the other notebook.

  After enough time passed, the old woman let out a great sigh. “I suppose this be my fault fer not puttin a stop to this all when I had me chance. Nay that it matters any more, what with Barnabee and the rest on ya tail... along with who knows what else.” She looked to Han. “Why?”

  He tensed up, gripping the journal. “What do you mean exactly?”

  “Why this charade? Why fight all these monsters and piss off anythin with the slightest aounta power? Did I judge ya wrong? I had ye figured fer a coward in over his head, was I wrong? I be gettin old afterall, mind aint quite what it used to be.”

  Aza and Luke turned to him. All eyes were now on Dullahan. “I...well…” He came up with lie after lie, one bluff after the next
. Yet all faded into nothing as he deflated into his seat. This shouldn’t be so difficult, he’d known these people for only a few days. He looked to Aggie, trying not to meet the gaze of the others. “No...no...you were right about everything.”

  “What’s goin on here?” Luke looked right at Dullahan until he couldn’t keep the lie up any longer. The full weight of all his intrusion had wrought was at the front of his mind.

  “I am not...a…” He took a deep breath. “I am not a member of the Paladins. I am a sixth year at Baile Cara’ Academy in Dellathorn. I have never been with the Paladins and we have had a tense relationship with them since its founding.”

  Aza blinked a few times. He had thought Han was hiding something…. Yet having no affiliation at all with them ...was something his mind hadn’t even let him consider. Luke on the other hand was completely blindsided, having thought him nothing but a pure blooded Paladin.

  “Then...then why are ya here?” The simple farmer didn’t know what else to ask.

  Dullahan buried his face in his hands and swirled them around as if he could just make himself vanish. When he looked back up, all eyes were on him, waiting for what he had to say. What was normally a dream come true, was a waking nightmare. “It is my senior year of the first stage. To advance any further one must go on a long study abroad. You...you find an area of interest, get it approved, and then head off with some food and some funds. It is your job to find work and study the place you landed. Some go to old rune sites, others the great cities, I chose here after knocking down some old parchments. I saw some maps... old and some new...then plotted a course.”

  “But why say you were a Paladin at all?” Aza was trying to wrap his head around how any of this fit together.

  “I did not know of this town’s situation when I sailed here. My mentor gave me his personal boat. It was small but had some magic in it...when I hit the waters around this village I thought I was going to lose it, but the thing practically sails itself...”

  “Thought?” It was Aza again. “You told me it sank.”

  “No...well I did but that was a lie…” He threw his hands up to stop an oncoming interruption, desperate to defend himself. “I landed at the West Leviathan, and tied it off in...in sort of an alcove in the rock. There was an old trail by it. I followed it into town when the wights came after me. I panicked, we got to the library, I had no idea who to trust. The best thing to do was play things safe until I got a handle on what was going on!”

  Aza wasn’t sure how to reply as he thought through everything he was hearing. Gretel was going to pipe up, but Aggie raised her hand. It was an old signal to let things play out until the time was right. Gretel had hoped to stop things from potentially boiling over, but maybe it was best to just let them at this point. She had called Aggie over to sort things out, only to find there was no way to anymore.

  “If you have a boat then why didn’t ya leave when ya knew what was goin on here. Ya even said Aza had a cracked soul...you coulda got help.” He tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Is there just sumthin I’s missin?”

  “No…” Aza came to a sobering realization, fear starting to slither off of him. “You were using us.”

  “No! Well, yes….from a certain point of view.” He ran his hands through his hair, pacing in place.

  Aza stood up. “You put all our lives on the line! Or was that part of the plan, just get us all killed?”

  “What? No that wasn’t my plan….I mean not Luke and the rest….”

  Now Aggie stood up. “Ye sayin ya were tryna get Aza killed!”

  “No!” He spun to see Luke. “And the cracked soul….”

  “Another lie?” Aza glared at him.

  Dullahan finally burst as Aza’s fear began to snake around the room. “You're dying Aza! I did not have it in me to tell you then….and I still am not prepared now as I do it!”

  “Wha...what?” He blinked, confusion and denial overtaking rage.

  Dullahan circled the table, just winging things at this point. No more lies or tact left. “The test I ran on you! If your powers were getting stronger then it might have meant the crack was getting bigger. Back at the academy, there is a simple way we use to see if someone has been possessed. I did a basic modification to see how far up your soul had permeated.” He looked at Aza, hurt in his eyes. “You have maybe a week left. After that your soul will unravel and burn through you. Your body will be reduced to ash and your soul will fall to whatever deity has power here.”

  There was silence. Aza’s tendrils of fear died as he slowly fell back into his seat. Aggie stood in place, not sure what to say.

  “Since you were going to die, and I doubted Luke would leave his family, I figured I would find out about the gauntlet...or...or whatever was going on here. If I took that back to the academy, or maybe even the Paladins...I would be a hero.”

  “So has everything been a lie?” Luke leaned forward and looked up to him. “You were just using us for glory?”

  Dullahan couldn’t meet his gaze. “It was not supposed to be.”

  Aza looked up, still processing everything. “So since none of the Paladin things matter...and I don’t have long anyhow...even if I wasn’t dying…” There was a long pause. “What is the gauntlet, and who is that witch?

  The weary scholar sighed. “According to legend there are thirteen or so weapons. Some say enchanters made them, or gods, or the old gods...it matters little really. They all go by many names but one is generally just referred to as the Gauntlet of Shadows. It is the most powerful vessel for dark magic ever to exist. During the War of Eras the Vorustrow gave it to one of their strongest generals. Here, in what was Verdracill, it fought against another of its class, Sethir the Dragon Soul. It was a scythe that had power over the winds...and the battle...well it leveled everything. When Achilles...the one with the scythe, won he had it placed in a unique lock. It was pinned half way between here and some other plane or land, unable to be pulled to either side without a special code. The plan was to come back for it later...but then the World Engine was used and everyone thought this land was lost to the seas.” He paused for everyone to soak it in.

  “And the witch?” Aza asked.

  “All I know is that she is an infamous arms dealer and human trafficker. She was just one of many criminals on a list of the most wanted around this region of the continent. You can see where the gauntlet is; you just cannot interact with it. From how it all looks, she found it, set up shop here, and has been siphoning off some of its power using the tower on the leviathan. Arthur knew the code to the lock never left Scaramire Mortalis, and she likely did as well. I would guess that is why Barnabee and the guardian have let us keep going...so we can find it for them.”

  “But I be guessin ya weren’t gonna do that. Just take the papers ya got and run.”Aggie took in the new information, piecing it with what she had already known for years.”

  “Yes…” He stood in place, not sure where to go from here.

  “While we were eating, I saw you writing something. Did you figure out the last clue or riddle, or whatever stupid game Arthur was playing?”

  “Yes.” Dullahan slowly pulled up the journal and ripped off a page. “It was fairly easy to cheat and then fill in the blanks.”

  Aza snatched it from his hand, not even looking at it, and gazed up at him. “Did you ever care about us or what we were doing? Any thoughts on the Nightwatch or empathy for all the people suffering?”

  Aggie shook her head. “Didn’t seem to be part of his plan.”

  Dullahan looked over to her and gave a laugh, then another, and another. He spun in a circle, making sure everyone was focused on him. “My plan? I go to an academy for magic, and I cannot cast a single spell. No one but my own...not even my real dad, took me seriously! I made one mistake and then everyone hated me! My plan was to get as far away from there as I possibly could. I was supposed to find nothing but a few rocks. I would come back with an empty but well written paper, then spend t
he rest of my life in a library or helping someone who matters with their work! None of this was actually supposed to be here, not the gauntlet, or necropolis, or Verderacill, or this town conspiracy! People like me do not stumble upon important things like this.”

  Aza just nodded, looking over the paper. “So can we destroy the code?”

  “Uh...no.” He was shocked by the lack of any reaction to what he had said, but understood. The magic was gone and he was just a nobody with no allies again. He might have been mad, but knew that, just like before, he brought it all upon himself “A...a spell that cannot be undone..it...it becomes cut off from the cycle of magic. When that happens it rots away so to speak. If you destroy the paper then the spell will dissolve and the gauntlet will fall to one end of wherever it is trapped. It will land either here or wherever is on the other side. If the witch has made efforts to bring it through herself then...then it’ll likely drop right into her hands.”

  “Ok.” Aza stood up and dusted himself off. “Now get out.”

  “Excuse me?” Dullahan wasn’t sure what he meant.

  “Take your bags, and get out of my house.”

  Everyone was looking at Aza.

  “Are ya sure lad?” Aggie put her hand on his shoulder.

  Aza nodded and looked the scholar through his eyes and into his very soul. Rage and sorrow were fighting within him, billowing and ripping around. Yet he kept composed. “Go back to your academy or the Paladins or whoever. Tell them about this place or….about the necropolis ...or whatever it is you want. Good luck with your studies ...and hopefully this all pays off for you.”

  Dullahan was shocked but didn’t reply. Instead he respected the wishes of yet someone else he had betrayed. Quick as he could, he packed up his possessions and went out the door. While he ran for his ship, praying it was still there, Aza stood up and looked to the other three.

  “We have to get that map piece as far away from here as we can.” He looked to Aggie.

  “Eye.” She nodded to Gretel. “Fetch me my transponder.”