“Now we get our answers.” Rhen said as he sat down by the fire. “First of all, where did you get that robe?” Rhen asked. “Well, I don’t really know who left it. I guess that Joe left it for me after they dumped me naked in the woods.” Nick said angrily. “Why do you care?” Nick asked.
“We haven’t seen those robes in years. They were worn by the Keeper of Secrets, our beloved uncle Vidan. He went missing ten years ago when Mortes appeared. We have not seen him since…” Vidian paused for a moment “..since our parents died.”
“I am sorry.” Nick apologized, though it was no fault of his.
“Where are you from?” Rhen continued with the questions. “Well I just recently moved here from Augusta Maine.”
“Augusta?” puzzled Rhen. “Yes, Augusta. You know it?” Asked Nick.
“No, we don’t. How far is Augusta from Ashton?” Asked Vidian. “Where is Ashton from Evanston?” Nick asked
“Evanstown, I have never heard of Evanstown either.” Said Vidian.
“Evanston, not Evanstown.” Nick replied.
“Why do I have the feeling that I am nowhere near Evanston? Where am I?” said Nick.
“Currently you are with us in the forbidden sands.” Rhen announced clearly.
“Forbidden Sands? What are the forbidden sands and where are they? And by the looks of all the crazy stuff going on at the fire and cliff jumping, I think I have some questions of my own. None of this seems normal to me. I have never been chased by adults like we were tonight.” Nick rambled. The reality was just setting in that he had just been running for his life. He wasn’t feeling good. Something was wrong, really wrong.
“Have you been hiding out in a cave somewhere? Those “Adults” were the head hunters of Mortes, we call them the “dead ones”. They have been taking all the children for months now. They put them to work in the mines as slaves. Those boys that you saw at the fire were slaves that had tried to escape from the mine. The “Dead Ones” hunt them for sport to make an example of them.” Rhen explained.
“Dead Ones, children slaves, and hunting children for sport, what are you playing at. You really expect me to believe this?” Nick asked.
It wasn’t what Vidian said, but the way she said it that made Nick feel dizzy. “This is not a joke. Those boys are probably dead, or worse they are being tortured. We call them the Dead Ones, because they are dead to any feeling. They are dead to any sense of the normal. When they make the oath to the dragon, something changes, and they change. They do things that no human would ever do to another.” Vidian’s eyes fell to the fire as she said this, and he could hear her sniffle.
Nick looked over at Rhen. “Dragon? What are ….” His mind was racing. He was seeing all of the last few hours in his mind in fast forward. He didn’t recognize any of the landscape at all. As a matter of fact, something looked odd about some of the plants. He felt sick to his stomach. His knees were giving way and the next thing he knew, he was kneeling away from the fire throwing up whatever might be in his stomach. After a few minutes of this, Nick felt weak. He rolled onto his back. The stars got fuzzy and he passed out.
“Boy!” Nick heard muffled in his mind. “Can you hear me?” he heard a little more clearly. Then something cold and wet washed over his face and he felt energy surge through every bone in his body as he sat up and took a deep breath.
“Are you feeling okay?” the girl asked him.
“Not really. I feel like I am dreaming. The last thing I heard you say was Dead Ones and Dragon.” Nick said, “There are no such things as Dragons.” Nick shouted.
“Oh, how we all wish that were true. We thought that Dragons were just old tales that our uncle used to entertain us for bed time stories. I can assure you this dragon is real. Very real. Here is proof.” Rhen thrust his hand into a leather pouch and pulled out something shiny and black. It was what looked like an enormous bird’s claw, and a small patch of what looked like black snake skin, but the scales were huge.
Vidian the girl, reached into another bag and pulled out a black rounded object. Nick swore he could see florescent green flecks in the fires light. “Is that an egg?” Nick asked.
“Yes, and this is the claw and scales of the one that was unfortunate to be protecting it.” Rhen answered. “Luckily it was just a baby, but even so, it was very dangerous.”
“Are there more than one of them?” Nick still wasn’t sure he believed any of this, but there was something so real in their voices. They spoke as if the words brought back painful memories.
Nick did not notice that Vidian had sat down next to him. She reached her hand out and rested it on his back. “We are telling you the truth. There is a dragon trying to enslave all humans. She has destroyed our cities, enslaved our people and killed our parents. She will not stop. Her greed grows each day. She has made the kings castle her nest and continues to build her armies of Dead Ones. The castle is swarming with Venti doing her bidding.
“What is a Venti…”
It seemed like it had been hours. Nick continued to ask questions. Rhen and Vidian had continued to answer them. They had plenty of questions of their own. “…and that is when I found this.” Nick pulled the leather-bound book from the hiding spot in his robes. As he did, he realized that the leather was completely dry. The pages were completely dry, not a trace of water from the river he had been swimming in just hours before.
Nick heard a gasp from both at the sight of the book. Nick saw tears streaming down Vidian’s dirt covered cheek. Rhen’s head fell into his hands. Nick barely could hear what escaped Rhen’s lips “All is lost. Terran is doomed to misery.”
It was awkwardly quiet for what seemed like forever. Nick could hear the soft sobs from the girl. He didn’t quite understand why the book would evoke such a reaction. He had been very clear in his explanation that this could not be his world. This all had to be a dream, or they were just two sick people trying to put Nick in the mental institution.
From the sound of their story, they were living in the dark ages of humanity. They had never heard of a car, or furnace. They didn’t even know what a watch was. When they saw the book, it all became so real to him. His knees were getting week again. His head was spinning. “I think I better lie down again.” Nick said as he lay down on the sand.
“Not only was the robe our uncles, but the book was as well. It was his duty to guard it, and to use it. His was a great responsibility, and the book never left his possession. The fact that you have his book is evidence of his passing. We have feared for his life all this time, but now we know the truth. He must be dead.” Rhen said.
Vidian picked up where he had trailed off. “He was the keeper of secrets, our only hope against the dragon. No one else knows the power of the book. No one else has been apprenticed in the way of the keeper.” She said through sniffles. Nick had sat up again as she was speaking.
“Can I see it?” She asked.
“Sure” Nick said as she reached out for it.
She caressed the leather like it was a long-lost friend. Nick could see the memories flooding her mind as her eyes welled with tears again. “Oh Uncle!” she exclaimed through a soft sob. “We need you!” She said desperately sobbing.
Nicks stomach turned. He must be getting close to passing out again. He could see what looked like stars swirling around Vidian.
Nick heard a quick intake of breath again and heard Rhen’s voice full of awe “Vidian, look!”
Vidian looked up from the book to see what had caught Rhen’s attention. Nick realized that they all could see what he had thought were stars. He could see them more clearly now, they looked like perfect ghostly tear drops floating through the air. They were glowing faintly as they fell.
“Uncle?” Rhen shouted and looked around the fire.
“Uncle Vidan!” called Vidian but there was no answer, just the soft crackle of the fire.
The ghostly white tear drops began to swirl into one large ball of light and then shot toward Nick. It happened so quic
k Nick was only able to let out a small yelp before he was enveloped by an excruciating burning sensation and the light. The last thing he realized was that his left hand felt like someone was etching something into his skin with a knife, and then he lost consciousness once more.
Chapter 9
The Mark
When he could focus again, Nick did not see the fire, Rhen or Vidian. All he could see was white light and he could feel the rush of wind against his skin, yet he could hear no noise. Suddenly he could see the shape of a man in front of him. He was dressed in a white robe like the one he wore. The only hint of color was the silver ivy that wound around the edges of the sleeves and edges of the robe. He had a beard that was white, so white it was impossible to make out an individual hair, they all just blended into the brilliant shape of a beard. His skin was perfect and flawless. His eyes were kind, full of care and Nick felt no fear, only comfort.
Then he heard his voice, but his lips didn’t move.
“I am Vidan Oddfellow. I am the last keeper of secrets to Terran. I was trained by my father Oren. I thought that I had failed my people, but I have not. The book must have survived when I didn’t, and you are the proof. What is your name?”
“Nick Channing” Nick said.
“Nick Channing? Well Nick Channing, you have inherited a heavy and important errand. You are now responsible for the wellbeing of the people of Terran, my people. You are responsible for keeping the balance of good and evil in check. You are responsible for banishing the Dragon Mortes from our land. You are to be the hope of my people, or all is lost and only misery will be found in the land.”
“This isn’t real, this is a bad dream. I will wake up and be back in my home. I will be back with my parents, back with my brother and sister.” Nick said out loud.
There was a thunderous clap and Nick felt it shake him to his core. “This is not a dream. I assure you.” He heard in his head. “This is real, all too real. Mortes the dragon is not a thing of your imagination. Her jaws are death, her breath is the very fires of hell. She feels no pity or sorrow, and if she finds out you exist, will stop at nothing to destroy you and the book.” said the voice in his head. He had trouble seeing the man through all the bright light, but his eyes bore into his soul. He could see and feel the intensity of his emotions.
“I thought I was a good keeper until the day she appeared. I learned then how unprepared I really was. If the book would have come into her grasp, she would have destroyed it and all hope with it. I was able to open the portal of Cana and protected the book before I died. The question I have, is how did you come by the book and return it to Terran?”
“I was with my friend looking through the old hotel. We fell down the stairs and there it sat behind the door. All I did was pick it up and walked through the door. My hands started to disappear, and my friend as well. The next thing I remember, I was lying in the forest with no clothes and this book and these black robes were lying beside me.” Answered Nick.
“I see.” said Vidan “That must be it. I died before I could end the spell, it must have left the portal open from your side. When you picked up the book, it opened the portal to my world, and since I had passed on, you became my replacement as the new Keeper.”
Nicks head was swimming now. He could feel how dire his situation was and was beginning to feel the weight of it.
“How could this happen?” Nick said rhetorically. “I am just a kid, I have no way to kill a dragon. I can barely get myself to school on time. Mom just barely started to leave me with my sister on date night.” His throat was constricting now, and it was getting hard to speak. “I am not responsible, I can’t save anyone…” his voice trailed off and tears began to stream down his face as he felt the full weight of what he had just been told.
“Nick, you must listen, and quickly. I feel the power fading and we will lose this contact. You must study the book. It is full of history of my people, but it is also full of spells and the art of magic. I wasted my time as Keeper with trivial spells and did not push myself as I should have. You must push yourself. You must learn all that you can. You must perfect the most difficult ones and make them habit if you have any hope of defeating her…. there is no other that can use the book now. You are bound to it, and it to you.” Vidan’s voice was growing faint as if someone were slowly turning down the volume on Nicks radio. He noticed that the brightness of the light was growing dim and his vision got blurry like when he stood up too fast.
“You must learn to fight Nick, you are the Keeper now. Please do what I couldn’t. Protect Vidian and my people. Please, tell her that her uncle is sorry….”
There was more that Vidan had said, he was sure, but the voice had gotten too quiet and the vision of the man had faded into blackness. The next thing Nick remembered he was sitting up gasping for air. Water dripped from his hair and his robe was sopping wet. Vidian knelt beside him with a hand on his shoulder. Rhen towered over him with an empty water skin. The fire had died down to coals.
“Are you ok?” Vidian asked.
Nick couldn’t even answer because of the emotion he was feeling. He just sat there staring at the ground. He couldn’t explain what had just happened, but he knew it was real. He knew he was no longer on “earth” as he knew it. He was in some different land. “Terran” is what they had called it. He could feel in his soul that he really was responsible now, but he also knew that he was not capable of what these people would need. Nick was crippled by fear and he could not say a word.
Even though Nick didn’t respond, Vidian continued to talk to Nick and tried to care for him in his stupor. Only 2 hours later did she leave his side and sit whispering to her brother in the shadows of the cave. That is when Nick finally found his voice.
“Vidian?” he asked in a hoarse voice. “What did you say your uncles name was?”
“It was Vidan.” She replied. Her face screwed up into a confused state.
Nick replied, “He says he is sorry….”
Nick felt the hair on his arms stand on end as he spoke. It was deathly quiet for a long time after this, and he wished someone would speak. He knew these were words spoken from the grave and he was the intermediary. All he had was awkward silence to help dry his wet hair and clothes. The fire no longer gave him warmth and his companions kept their distance after that.
That is when he discovered it for the first time. Even though he couldn’t see it, he could feel the pain as he ran his finger over the back of his left hand just behind his pointer finger. Right where he had felt the burning sensation on his hand before he saw the lights, he could feel raw skin as if he had burned himself badly. He leaned over to the last red coals, so he could see his hand. Sure enough, on the back was a very small but distinct symbol as though he had been branded with a miniature branding iron. While he looked at it, Nick couldn’t help but notice a change inside himself. He couldn’t pin point exactly what it was, but something was different.
Since no one spoke, Nick laid back down on the ground and curled into a ball on his side and managed to fall asleep.
Chapter 10
House in the Rocks
Nick woke up to the pleasant smell of something cooking over the fire. When he was able to open his eyes, he could see Vidian reaching out to turn something on a rock. The smell reminded him of fresh biscuits or pancakes. As he sat up he also noticed the light of day streamed in around the corner of the cave. Yet it was still faint. He also noticed that Rhen was not there.
Vidian was the first to speak when she noticed he was sitting up. “Last night,” she paused “what happened to you?”
Nick was a little surprised at first. She almost seemed frightened of him today.
“Well, uh, I was hoping you could tell me.” He said.
Just then she pulled whatever it was she had been cooking off the rocks and slipped them into a piece of clean cloth. She slid over next to Nick and sat down extending the warm cloth in his direction. He opened it to find four small biscuit like cakes.
She indicated they were all for him and that he should eat.
The cakes were still warm and surprisingly delicious. They had a flavor of honey yet a hint of saltiness as well. He expected his mouth to stick together like when he ate his mother’s biscuits for breakfast, but these cakes were very moist and soft. He liked them a lot.
“What we saw in the air just before your, well, your fit, was my uncles spell. I am sure of it. After we saw it, you fell to the ground screaming. Your body was flailing around, and you sounded like you were in pain. Then it stopped and you were still. We couldn’t tell if you were even breathing, and Rhen could not hear or feel your heart. Rhen believed you were dead, but I could see the color in your cheeks by the light of the fire. We waited for ever it seemed and still nothing. Rhen decided to pour the water on you after he had shaken you and yelled at you. We weren’t sure what to do. By the time he poured the water on you, we were sure you were dead….”
Nick suddenly understood the awkward silence from the night before. First, he had shown up wearing their dead uncle’s robes, they had seen a sign of their uncle they hadn’t seen in years, and according to her, he had collapsed screaming like a possessed man before coming too, and only breaking his silence to speak to her with words from the dead.
“I am sorry if I scared you last night. I had no control of what was happening. I have never experienced anything like it before. My hand burned and I fell to the ground. When I could see again, I was surrounded by bright light, and a man stood before me….” Nick went on to tell Vidian everything that he had seen and heard. He told her again that her uncle was sorry. This time her reaction was much different. Tears welled in her eyes and she fell forward into Nick’s chest and sobbed.
Nick felt out of place and wasn’t sure what he should do, so he finally just patted her on the back. For a moment, he almost enjoyed being so close to her. He did find her very attractive and his heart went out to her. After she was able to gain her composure, she sat back and started to smile. Nick was very confused again. He didn’t know how someone could go from sobbing to a giddy smile in just a matter of minutes.
The Scent of Death Page 9
