Bound to the Abyss

by James R. Vernon

  Paige was actually smiling at him! There were no signs of anger or annoyance anywhere on her face.

  "You are an interesting one, Healer Ean." She emphasized Healer in a sarcastic, yet joking way, that smile never leaving her face. It was a pretty smile. "How about you walk me home. You can tell me all about the things you can do to heal people. And maybe I'll even understand some of it."

  She rose and grabbed his hand, pulling him up as well. He tried to protest but she pulled him along anyway. As they reached the door, Ean glanced back at the table. While Paige's plate sat empty, his own was still had plenty of ham and biscuits resting on top of it. So much for getting a decent meal. With a dejected sigh, he gave in and let Paige pull him out the door.

  Paige slowed down as they got outside, letting go of his hand as she moved to walk beside him.

  “How long have you studied healing? Could you identify any plant in the world? Have you ever had a person you couldn't save?”

  Ean answered each question easily, except the last one, as they walked down the street. What had happened to Lane and the mine foreman was still too recent and painful of a memory to talk about. The blood, the crying, the screams; he hoped it was a long time before he had to experience anything like that again. Thankfully she quickly changed topics.

  "If this is your first time away from your home, you must have as many questions for me as I've had for you,” she said. “Have you seen our saw mill? That is one of a kind, I promise you that."

  He nodded. Finally, something coming out of her mouth that I’m interested in! Best to keep her focused before she moved on to something new. “Yes, I’ve seen the building. And a huge hand coming from it. What in the three moons is it?”

  She gave a short laugh. “Oh, so you saw our Vithalos, did you? Amazing thing, that—really helped make the village profitable. I’ve also heard it’s the biggest in the land, way larger than any other Vithalos created. Isn’t that neat?” She stopped walking once she finished and stared at him with her hands on her hips. She must have expected some kind of reaction. Finding none, she gave an exasperated sigh. “You have heard of Vithalos before, haven’t you?”

  “No, I haven’t, so it must not be that big of a deal.” Ean said, trying to sound unimpressed.

  “Vithalos are animated objects created by a magic user called a Thaljori.” Her voice had taken on a lecturing tone. It grated on Ean’s nerves, but his curiosity won out and he remained quiet as she spoke. “The Thaljori link a piece of a person’s essence and mind, or something like that, to an object, giving it life. The person then has a limited control over what the object can do. In this case, the object was a humanoid construction taller than most buildings and can do the work of dozens of men in a shorter amount of time. The foreman of the mill, Efron Kale, is the one that controls it.”

  As soon as she finished, Ean cocked his head to the side and gave her a disbelieving look. Regardless of everything he had seen, it was hard to believe something like that existed.

  “You must think I’m a real simpleton to believe a story like that. I know, I mean, I’ve seen my fair share of magic, and something like that just can’t be possible.” He smiled, hoping she took his words as playful teasing.

  “It is true!” She stamped a foot like a child and frowned at him. “Just because there might not be any Vithalos in your tiny village does not mean they don’t exist!”

  “If what you are saying is true, then why haven’t I seen dozens of the things walking around.” He shot her a cocky grin. “Even in my little village.”

  It was her turn to laugh now. It was a quiet laugh, but the way she looked at him made Ean feel two inches tall. “Of course there aren’t many of them walking around. There are very few born with the ability to be Thaljori. And from what I have heard, more often than not, they don’t live for very long.” Snaking an arm around his shoulder, she began to lead him down the street again. He tried to shrug it off but she was surprisingly strong for having such a willowy frame.

  “Now, to continue your education, it is extremely dangerous for both the Thaljori and the person bonding him- or herself to the object. Apparently it takes a great deal of a Thaljori’s energy to bond a person, and the bigger the object, the more energy is required. Now I was too young to remember when it happened, but my parents told me that the Thaljori that created the Vithalos in the mill was unconscious for a week after he had finished.” Pausing, she shook her head before continuing on in a lower tone. “And poor Effron Kale has never been completely right since.”

  “You know a lot for a waitress,” Ean said, still trying to sound annoyed. He still wasn’t sure if he believed the girl or not. The story sounded too rehearsed and impossible to be real. But he had seen that massive hand with his own eyes. Of course, if he told Paige he had a friend that was an imp from the Abyss, she would probably think he was making things up too.

  She gave a sad little sigh before answering him. “Yes, well, growing up here, there isn’t much else to talk about. Other than our Vithalos or the occasional small bandit raid, nothing much happens.”

  She sighed again and grew quiet as she continued to lead him down the street. They were approaching the large building that had been so full of life the night before. The windows were still as dark and lifeless as they had been that morning. What had been going on there last night? A party? Ean was enjoying the pause in Paige’s endless chatter when she stopped them in front of a house directly across from the party building.

  “Well, this is my parents’ house. Mom is still working in the kitchen back at the inn, and father will be out hunting for the rest of the day.” She was looking straight into his eyes, a small smile touched her lips.

  “Oh, well alright. I’ll get going then. Have a good—"

  "Wait!" Paige clapped her hands to her mouth after the outburst, laughing softly. "I thought you might want to, I don't know, come in and talk some more maybe?"

  "I don't know … I probably should get going.” Ean did have questions, questions about the Vithalos and about their next destination, Lurthalan. And he knew for every question he had, there were dozens that he didn't even know to ask. But he had no desire to try and keep this girl focused long enough to answer them. "My friends are probably back at the inn by now.”

  “And I’m sure those two will be fine. They were holding hands and acting very affectionate towards each other. Is that something you really need to rush back to?”

  No, he certainly had no desire to watch that, and Paige was an attractive girl. “I suppose I could stay a bit,” he said, feigning reluctance. “But only for a little bit.”

  “Great! I promise you won’t regret it.” That smile had returned to her lips, and there was something of a spark in her eyes. She grabbed his arm roughly and pulled him through the doorway.

  The inside of her house was dark, but that didn’t matter as she didn’t give him any time to look around. Before he knew what was happening, she pressed him up against the wall, felt her lips touch his, and then the rest was a blur.

  WHEN EAN LEFT PAIGE’S home, the sun was well past midday. Had he really been in there that long? Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it and rid himself of the smile stuck on his face, he headed back towards the inn. For his first time alone with a girl, he thought he handled it rather well, despite the fact that he had been hurried out at the end. Of course, all they had done was kiss, for the most part, but that was good enough for Ean.

  He was in such a good mood as he walked back that feeling Zin approach didn’t put a damper in his spirits. Slowing down, he glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before addressing the invisible imp. “Where have you been?” he said in hushed tones. “I haven’t seen you since last night.”

  “Oh, I’m surprised you even noticed I was gone.” Zin’s voice was laced with scorn. “Or cared. After all, I apparently have been hiding things from you all of these years.”

  “Don’t be such a baby, Zin. And keep your voice down.” All
he got in response was a low growl, but the imp continued to walk with him. “Of course I trust you. Jaslen just brought up some interesting questions, is all. But if you say you don’t know much more about the tattoo, then I believe you.” This time he received a grunt. “Fine, pout if you want. You’re not going to ruin my mood.”

  “Have a little fun with that waitress girl, did we?” A bit of humor touched his voice for a moment, but then returned to the harsher tone. “I noticed she tossed you out, so it must have been purely one sided.”

  Ean sent a weak kick in the imp’s direction, but his heart wasn’t in it. If the imp was insulting him, that meant he was starting to get over the night before. “I think I did alright, otherwise she would have kicked me out a while ago.”

  “Well, while you’ve been seeing what little sights are around here and messing around with girls with low standards, I've been keeping an eye on the happy couple. Those two are experts at finding secluded corners around the village.”

  "I don't need to hear about what they are doing in private," Ean growled. "Did they find us a caravan heading to Lurthalan or not?"

  "They found one, but it doesn't leave for two days. Which means we're stuck until then. That should make your new girlfriend happy."

  "How about we walk on in silence the rest of the way back to the inn.” Ean picked up his pace, forcing the imp to scamper along faster on his shorter legs. He wasn't really annoyed with the imp, but Zin would keep needling Ean until he got angry, so best to play the part. Plus, more people were starting to appear on the streets. Hunters were coming in with their catches, farmers carrying their tools, and various others going about whatever else there was to do in the village. No need to make any of them think he was a madman for talking to thin air.

  Walking into the inn, Ean was surprised at how much busier it had become. When he had left, all of the tables had been empty. Now, only a short time later in the day, they were almost completely full. Even more surprising was that the Taruun made up just as much of the patronage as the humans. Ean did a quick scan to see if he could find the ones that had made fun of him earlier, but they all looked the same to him—tall, pale creatures with sharp features and a similar taste in loose fitting clothes. He spotted Jaslen and Bran sitting at the back of the room playing footsie under the table as they made eyes at each other. With a sigh, he headed over to the “happy couple.”

  They saw him when he was about half way to them and Jaslen waved him over. Both had mugs in front of them on the table, but they did not look like they had been there long.

  "There you are!" Jaslen said, a bit more energetic than usual. "We were just about to order some dinner. Are you hungry?"

  "Only a little, but I could eat something.” He was actually starving and surprised his stomach wasn't growling and giving it away. Licking his lips, he realized how thirsty he was too. He peered into one of their mugs. "What are you drinking?"

  Grabbing the mug in front of her, Jaslen lifted it up towards him, some of the liquid sloshing out and onto the table. "It’s called Burnbeer, and it’s the most wonderful drink! It tastes slightly bitter, but makes you feel warm inside. Here, take a sip."

  Ean took the cup from her and tilted it to his lips. He swallowed about half of what he got in his mouth before spitting the rest out back into the mug. She hadn't been kidding about it being bitter. As Ean tried to recover, both Jaslen and Bran burst into laughter.

  "I had the exact same reaction," Bran said in between chuckles. "I promise it gets better, though, the more you drink."

  Ean doubted that was true. The stuff had been horrible. He was starting to feel the warmth that they had been talking about though, and it did feel good. When he tried to hand the mug back to Jaslen, she waved him off.

  "No, you keep that one. Most of what you spit out ended up back in that mug. I'll order a new one for myself.”

  Flashing Ean a brief smile and a wink, she turned and tried to wave the waitress over. Between the noise of the common room and the fact that there only seemed to be a single waitress working, by the time Jaslen got her attention, Ean had finished what was left in his mug. Bran downed his own mug as well, so Jaslen handed the waitress a few coins and she returned with three fresh mugs.

  They all took a swig together, Bran and Jaslen grimacing and Ean coughing as he swallowed the strong liquid down. While Ean was still recovering, Jaslen took a quick look around before trying to speak loud enough to be heard over the crowd.

  “Is Zin around? I haven’t seen him all day.” This caused Ean to cough again. It took Jaslen slightly longer to realize what she had said, her face reddening. Once she had, her hands shot up to cover her mouth as she let out a small squeak. Her hands left her face just as fast as they had risen, and she grabbed Ean.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes darting around. “I don’t know why I blurted that out.”

  “It’s fine, it’s fine,” he said. Her hand was warm on his arm, and he found himself leaning towards her. “It’s not like anyone around here would know what Zin was just from his name. Plus, it seems that most people here are more focused on their own drinks than what we have to say.”

  He was looking right into her eyes. They seemed to sparkle in the light of the lamps lit around the room. She was looking back at him with a lopsided grin, and he leaned in closer.

  The clearing of a throat made him jerk back. Bran was looking at him with a smile of his own, but Bran’s was smug while Jaslen’s smile was friendly. That annoyed Ean, but for some reason he couldn’t quite understand why. His head was kind of fuzzy, as if he had just gotten up from a long sleep. Ean scowled at him anyway. Bran simply laughed, which angered him all the more. He was about to say something, but Jaslen’s voice cut him off.

  “Anyway, we should tell Ean what we have been up to all day, Bran.” He waved a hand at her to continue, and Jaslen turned her attention back on Ean. “Well, I suppose I can tell you then. We met with a very nice man named Berek Soushade. He is in charge of all of the trade wagons in town at the moment. They are staying in town for another day or so to recover from some attack on their caravan before moving on.”

  “And here is the best news,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “He agreed to take us to Lurthalan! He isn’t even going to charge us to travel with him. All we have to do is help with the everyday chores until we get to the city. Isn’t that great?”

  Ean feigned surprise at hearing the news he had already heard from Zin. “That’s great!” He wasn’t sure why that excited him as much as it did. “That gives us another day to relax here.”

  Maybe he could see Paige again. Wait, why did he want to see her again? His head felt so heavy. And Jaslen was still talking. She was such a beautiful girl…

  “… and then in a couple of days of travel, we’ll be in Lurthalan and find someone who can help our home. Isn’t that exciting?”

  Ean found himself looking into her eyes again. Well, he started by looking into her eyes, but his gaze slowly dropped, taking in the rest of her. She certainly was much more beautiful than Paige. Why did that matter? And why was Bran still grinning and looking at him with that knowing expression?

  He tore his gaze from Jaslen and looked down into his mug. When had he finished it? He waved at the serving girl, and after what seemed like a long stretch of time, she brought him a fresh mug. Before Jaslen had even finished paying for his drink, he had taken a few deep gulps. The drink didn’t taste as bitter as it had before.

  All of a sudden, the table next to them burst out into song. The table of five burly men were singing at the top of their lungs. The song had something to do with a man that did everything for a girl who wanted nothing to do with him. With a squeal of delight, Jaslen leapt to her feet, knocking over her stool and moved over to join the men. She was welcomed with open arms of course, the men not seeming to care that she had no idea what the words to the song were.

  Both Bran and Ean watched her go, mouths hanging agape. Bran was the first to shake hims
elf from the surprise, but instead of going after Jaslen he turned to Ean.

  “We should talk,” he said, his speech slightly slurred, “about Jaslen and us.”

  Ean stared at him for moment, then raised his hands in defense. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Bran laughed again, although there didn’t seem to be much humor behind it. “Listen, I’m not as blind as you think. I’ve seen how you look at her. And I don’t blame you, she is a wonderful girl, both inside and out. She can sometimes be a bit oblivious though, and I don’t think she’s realized how you feel about her. I just hope that it isn’t going to become a problem with the three of us traveling together.”

  “Listen, Bran,” Ean said, noticing his own words sounded funny as they tumbled out of his mouth. “I don’t know why you think that, but I know Jaslen and I are just friends. Just like we’re friends.” That was the first time he had actually admitted Bran was his friend. It felt weird coming out of his mouth. “I think you are seeing something that isn’t there.”

  Bran stood, unsteady on his feet, voice slurring. “To be clear, I’m not worried about someone like you coming between me and Jaslen. My concern is solely that it could cause problems between you and me, which could interfere with our mission.”

  “Someone like me?” Ean asked, a frown touching the corners of his lips.

  “Don’t get defensive, little buddy. I’m just saying Jaslen is out of your league, even if she wasn’t in love with me. She deserves someone with a bright future—one that doesn’t involve forbidden magics and dangerous creatures.”

  Bran patted Ean on the head as if he were a little boy. “But don’t you worry—the right girl will come along, and you’ll be just as happy with her as I am with Jaslen.”