Descent Into Darkness (Book 2)

by James R. Vernon

  "Leave now? I can barely see anything," objected Ean.

  "Well then, I suppose I'll have to lead you by the nose, and then you and your ugly little imp will be out of the woods in no time."

  "Unless you enjoy being called soul-sucking hag, I would stop with the insults and call me by my name," Zin retorted.

  "Fine, fine, can we go now?" Azalea was staring at Ean, her hands now on her hips with one foot tapping impatiently on the ground. Ean returned her stare, drinking in Azalea's form. White leather hugged her curves. Thick purple hair hung to her shoulders, framing a face with petite features. Any normal man would consider her beautiful...if they could ignore the bat-like wings spread out behind her.

  Ean knew better. As alluring and almost hypnotizing as her beauty was, deep down she was no ordinary woman. She was just another denizen from the Abyss. A creature of darkness. If Zin hadn't made a deal with her, she would have killed them both by now.

  "Yes, we can leave. There's nothing left to pack. So if you're ready to go, then so am I."

  Without another word, the Yulari walked off into the dense forest. Zin and Ean hurried to catch up. The threesome walked single file through the forest, with the light of the moons barely breaking through the canopy and creating dappled shadows on the leafy ground. Azalea took the lead position, while Zin and Ean walked a few paces behind.

  Zin had been the one to support the decision of keeping Azalea around after all. It was confusing now to see him frown in her direction. Ean couldn't exactly ask the imp what the problem was with Azalea only a few steps ahead of them. So, all three of them walked on in silence until tiny rays of light began poking through the canopy above, signaling the beginning of a new day.

  THEY WALKED ON THROUGH most of the morning. Every now and then, Azalea would tell them to stop and then fly off into the air. When she returned, she would always point them in a different direction than the one they had been going in. It was surprising for Ean to see how off track they could get when he believed they were going straight. It made him wonder if she was purposely misleading them. He wouldn't put it past the creature to keep them lost longer than necessary to make herself seem more useful. Every time Azalea altered their course, he glanced over at Zin to raise a questioning eyebrow. The normally cautious imp didn't seem concerned, so Ean decided he had no choice but to go along with whatever the Yulari said.

  "Not too much further now," Azalea said after her sixth check of their position. "You've been keeping up a better pace than I gave you credit for, and I'm very surprised that the imp's little legs have been able to keep up as well. Guess I underestimated you both."

  "These legs don't feel so little when they're kicking things, Yulari," the imp responded. "Keep that in mind."

  "Such big threats from such a little creature," the Yulari retorted, her expression that of mock concern. "Good thing I have Ean to keep you from hurting me. Oh wait, it's the other way around. It's a good thing you have Ean to keep me from hurting you. But don't think the fact that I can't kill you because of our partnership doesn't mean I can't hurt you. So watch your tone when you address me."

  With a sigh, Ean decided to step in before things got worse.

  "Azalea, once we're out of the woods, we'll run into other people, which will certainly be a problem with how you look. When they catch sight of your blue skin, red eyes, and wings, I'm afraid they're going to come after you with sticks and stones. And when they are done, I'll be next just for being with you."

  "Oh, by the Abyss." Azalea's voice was a mixture of sadness and condescending. "Don't you know anything about Yulari? Well, you are going to learn something today."

  Stopping, she turned around to face him. Once she was set, her wings lowered and folded about her body, underneath her arms. Then her entire body seemed to shimmer, blurring the image of her entire body until Ean was barely able to make her out. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the blur was gone and Ean's jaw dropped.

  Standing in front of him now was a woman slightly smaller than himself, short blonde hair framing a petite face, her body covered in what appeared to be a thick cloth robe. The woman's features resembled Azalea's but were slightly muted, the thin nose a bit more rounded out, the mouth smaller but with lips just as full, her eyes slightly slanted and of a dark green color with actual pupils. Her hair was cut the same, but was a dirty blond color. Her skin had taken on a lightly tanned tone, like someone that spent most of their life out in the fields but had just spent the Chill season indoors.

  But there was something else. That shimmering effect was still slightly there, although it didn't blur her appearance any longer. It was the same effect Ean saw on Zin any time he became invisible.

  "Well?" Azalea asked, lifting her arms up and slowly spinning around. "Will I pass for human?"

  "Yes, absolutely, unless normal people can see that shimmering effect as well."

  She stopped spinning abruptly and turned to face him. "What shimmering effect?"

  "I think I can see the spell or whatever it is that changes your appearance. The same thing happens when Zin tries to turn invisible."

  "Oh really? How peculiar." Shrugging, the Yulari spun one last time with a laugh before dropping her arms. "Well, I'm sure it won't be a problem."

  Raising her arms again, the shimmering effect washed over her once more and in an instant, she had returned to her pale blue skinned self. "All that spinning made me forget which way we need to go. I'll be right back."

  Taking off into the air once more, Azalea was only gone for a moment before fluttering back to the dirt and mud of the forest. With a casual wave of her hand she motioned for Zin and Ean to follow. The three of them walked on in silence again, with Zin shooting daggers with his eyes at the Yulari while Ean pretended not to notice.

  "Here you are," she said, spreading her arms wide. "Delivered from despair and starvation by your wonderful Yulari guide. Just a little bit further and we'll be out of these woods and hopefully to more populated areas." She flashed Ean a smile and patted him on the head. "Not that I've found your presence boring, of course. It's just that you stink of depression, and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth."

  Ean dodged another head pat from the Yulari and returned a furious scowl. "Quit patting my head like I'm your puppy. And I'm not depressed. If I'm not exactly cheerful, it's only because it's been a rough journey, and I'm tired. That's all."

  "You sure?" Tilting her head, Azalea gave him a quizzical look. "I'm pretty sure I've been smelling depression wafting off of someone, and it certainly isn't the imp."

  "How do you know it isn't Zin?"

  She flashed Zin a wide grin. "The only emotion that I've been smelling from him is distaste, and I'm sure it is directed at me."

  Returning her grin, the imp began making his way towards the end of the forest. "Finally, something we agree on."

  Ean jogged to catch up with Azalea, who was trailing after Zin, and in no time they were walking three abreast out of the forest into a clear stretch of land. Hills of green grass rolled into the northern horizons, a refreshing change from the brown dirt of his village. To the west he could see the Skyfall Mountains, not that far off in the distance. It was what he saw to the east, though, that made his eyes go wide.

  A huge stone wall trailing north to south towered over the land. It stretched up into the clouds and out of sight and seemed to travel into the horizon without end.

  His mind reeled from the sight of such a massive creation. Who could have built such a wonder? Did it protect them from something worse than the Abyss on the other side? How had no one from his village ever mentioned something so wondrous and intimidating? When Ean was finally able to shake away his shock, he turned to his companions.

  "What in the world is that?"

  Azalea shrugged, as if something as grand as the giant wall was commonplace for her. Zin shrugged as well, but moved closer to Ean's side to speak.

  "The wall was here the last time I lived in your realm, but no one
seemed to know who built it or why, and that was a long time ago. At this point, the gods are probably the only ones who know its purpose."

  Ean nodded and returned his gaze to the wall. Maybe he would be able to see it up close. Not today though. He needed to spend what was left of the afternoon traveling towards the capitol of Lurthalan.

  By the low position of the sun over the mountains, Ean knew dusk was on its way. That meant if they wanted to make good time, they would be relying on the three moons to light their path.

  "Well, let's move on," he said. "We have no idea where we came out from or how long it will take to reach the city. My best guess is that if we head northeast, we should eventually reach Lurthalan or at least a road that heads there."

  "Sounds like as good a plan as any," the Yulari replied. The shimmering effect washed over her again and the vision of an ordinary girl returned. "Just in case we meet anyone out here."

  She walked past him, giving his shoulder a playful shove. Or at least Ean thought it had meant to be playful. He stumbled away a few paces and almost ended up on his back. Either Azalea forgot her own strength sometimes or she was messing with him again. Regaining his balance, he marched off after her with Zin following behind.

  It was nice to have open space all around him. Even at home he had been used to having the mountains surrounding his village, so to have nothing but the open plains in front of him was pleasant.

  Ean wasn't sure how long they had walked, but eventually Azalea had put some distance between herself and the two of them. She paused at the top of the hill and shielded her eyes as she looked out over the next horizon. After a few moments, she called back to them.

  "If you two are done crawling along, there are buildings up ahead."

  Sure enough, when Ean and Zin reached the top of the hill, spread out before them was a farm. A large field full of some kind of plant taller than any of them spread out at the bottom of the hill. Ean knew a good deal about plants that were useful for medicine, but he knew little about any kind of edible plant outside of the bean plants that were grown in his village. At the opposite side of the field, a barn and small wooden house sat with a few chickens grazing outside.

  "I think we've been spotted," Azalea said, pointing towards where a figure was exiting the house. The person took a few steps in their direction and then waved.

  "Zin, you better--" Ean began to say, but cut off as he realized the imp had already turned invisible. "Alright, let's go down and say hello."

  As they made their way down the hill, the figure began making his way through the field towards them. By the time Ean and Azalea had reached the field, the figure was coming out of it.

  The man that stood before them was average in every way possible. He stood about as tall as Ean, wearing a simple, brown short-sleeved shirt and matching pants. The wrinkles in his face and his scraggly white beard made Ean put his age at over fifty, and the way he was slightly bent over made Ean think he was possibly older than that. The man's dark, sunken brown eyes looked at Ean first, then lingered on Azalea's face quite a bit longer before he spoke.

  "You two lost?" His voice mirrored his appearance, the words coming out of his mouth slow and sounding coarse. "I don't get no visitors from the south. None, actually. Nothing but forest that way. Nobody's got no reason to visit an old man living smack in-between Halyquain and Lurthalan."

  He paused for a moment to reach out a hand in Ean's direction. "Name's Dotain, by the way. Dotain Frelyn."

  Ean gripped it, surprised to find a strong grip. Maybe he wasn't as old as he seemed, or at least not as frail as Ean had imagined. Must have been the years toiling the fields under the hot sun that had withered his skin and made him appear much older.

  "My name is Ean, and this is Azalea. It's nice to meet you, Dotain. As for how we got here, we were coming from Rensen on our way to Lurthalan and got lost in the forest. Thankfully, we made it out and wound up here."

  "I see, I see," Dotain said, one hand rubbing at his chin. "You must have gone off the road. Very foolish. And lucky to have made it out. You two related?"

  The question caught Ean off guard. His mouth worked but nothing came out as he tried to think of an answer.

  "Yes, we're brother and sister." Azalea said before Ean could get two words together. "Ean is my older brother, but I'm the wiser one out of the two of us."

  "Brother and sister, that's good." The man mumbled, then shook his head. "Well, it will be getting dark soon. Nothing else nearby, so why don't cha spend the night. I was about to put on some dinner."

  "My brother and I would appreciate that. Plus a conversation with a real man like yourself, rather than my slow-witted brother, would certainly be a pleasant change."

  The old man grinned ear to ear, but his eyes took on a hunger, as if someone had just passed a freshly cooked steak underneath his nose.

  Ean shot Azalea a dark look, more for her flirtations with the old man than for the insult. The Yulari looked young, especially in her human form, and Ean would have put her around his age in her early twenties. He had no idea how a Yulari aged, but the farmer was clearly double that if not more. Yet she batted her eyelashes at him and playfully placed a hand on his shoulder. The woman had no shame.

  The old man either didn't see Ean glaring at Azalea or chose to ignore it. He returned Azalea's smile, showing off a mouth that was missing a good deal of teeth. "That's good, very good. Why don't you two follow me and I'll show you where you will be sleeping. Then I'll get to making us some dinner."

  The old man started to make his way back through the field. Azalea winked at Ean, then followed after the man. Ean stared after her in frustration until she disappeared into the tall plant stalks. The way they were laughing as if they were old pals, made the pair easy to trail. Ean caught up to them just as they were exiting the field, standing in front of a rickety white barn with peeling paint.

  "I only have the one bedroom, so you two will have to sleep in the barn." Waving a hand at Ean, the old man motioned him inside. "Why don't you take your things inside and find a nice place for the two of you to sleep. Your sister can accompany me inside while I get dinner started."

  "We don't really have much to--" Ean began, but Azalea cut him off.

  "That sounds like an excellent plan, and it will let Dotain and I get better acquainted." Turning towards Ean, her voice became more drawn out and serious. "You go ahead Ean and find a good spot. You can take your time. I'm sure Dotain will be pleasant company."

  "But..."

  "Run along now and we'll see you inside a little later," she said, her voice stressing the end of the sentence. All Ean could do was stand there and watch as the two of them headed into the house.

  "Don't forget that I'm your big brother," Ean called out to her in warning. "And I have more power in my one arm than you do in your whole body. Don't try to eat anything I'd disapprove of or we'll have a serious problem."

  "He's so over-protective," Azalea said with a chuckle and linked arms with Dotain. "Of course, I can't blame him. I have been known to break a few rules every now and then."

  Dotain joined in with her laughter. Ean fumed.

  "And that's why you can never completely trust a Yulari. They always have their own agendas."

  Ean almost jumped out of his skin. He had completely forgotten about the imp. "Is that wise," he growled at the now visible Zin. "He could come back out here any second."

  Laughing, Zin shook his head. "I doubt that. That man's full attention is on Azalea. The only way he would come back out here is if she told him to, and from the looks of it, that girl wanted some time alone with him. Probably wants to feed off of the lust the man was feeling towards her."

  "What? If she feeds off of him, won't that kill him?"

  "No, no, I doubt she would do what she tried with Bran," the imp said, raising his hands in a soothing gesture. "Yulari can feed off of emotions without killing a person, without even touching them actually, although they enjoy direct contact more. Th
ink of it this way. When you smell something delicious being cooked, it makes you hungry right? But you're not truly satisfied until you actually get to eat the food. It's similar for Yulari. They can survive off the emotions that creatures put out, but they are much more satisfied drawing them directly out of a body. It's just unfortunate for the victim that having them drawn out usually kills them."

  "You're sure she won't kill him?"

  "No, I never said that. I just said she didn't need to kill him."

  "Oh, that makes me feel much better." Dismissing the other questions he had for Zin about their new companion, Ean decided it would be best if he got into the house as fast as possible. Moving into the barn he found a spot that suited their needs, dropped his things, and was back outside before Zin had even taken a step inside.

  "Come on," he said to the imp. "Let's make sure she doesn't get us into trouble."

  "No thanks. I'm going to look around for my own dinner. Good luck, though."

  Ean frowned as the imp turned invisible and disappeared around the edge of the barn. Mumbling to himself, Ean walked into the house.

  The front door brought Ean to a narrow hallway. To his left was a sitting room with a chair and a barren fireplace. A little way down the hall on the right was a staircase that led to the upper floor. The first thing Ean noticed as he entered the house was how run-down the inside was compared to the outside. A thick coat of dust covered the furniture, most of which had seen better days. The paint was filthy, with thick strips curling away from the walls. Save for one large window that let in a swath of natural light, the shades were drawn and the house was dim. Overall the place barely seemed lived in. Judging by the light and sound of voices coming from behind a door at the end of the hall, the kitchen and his Yulari were in the back.

  The second thing he noticed as he walked towards what he believed was the kitchen was the smell. It wasn't a putrid smell or anything too offensive, but the place did smell musky. Like wet clothes left too long to sit in the dark. That combined with the general disrepair of the entire house was starting to make Ean feel a bit uneasy. He moved at a brisk pace to the end of the hall, not bothering to pause and announce himself as he pushed open the door.