Dark Humanity

by Gwynn White

  As they continued their journey through the valley, he found it hard to talk to Sarah or even to look her in the eye.

  The two of them had been following behind Andrew and Galleon for several hours, but rather than talking to Sarah, Joshua found the silence more comforting.

  “You’re very quiet, Joshua,” Sarah murmured.

  “Oh, it’s nothing, really,” he said with a nervous chuckle. He avoided making eye contact with her, trying to pretend there was nothing wrong. It wasn’t very convincing. For a moment, Joshua thought Sarah was going to say something else, but she just looked down with a sullen expression and they carried on walking in silence.

  Galleon watched the graceful birds. He wondered what it would be like to fly through the sky, effortlessly carried by the thermals. It would be a much faster way of travelling throughout the land and perhaps this would bring him closer to knowing whether other Imps still existed.

  Rays of brilliant sunshine pieced through gaps in the clouds to illuminate a small flock of Raetheons soaring above them. They glided gracefully and effortlessly through the valley. Swerving side to side, they rode the updrafts, barely moving their wings.

  Sarah was commenting on how adorable and majestic the peaceful Raetheons were when a dark cloud appeared in the sky behind them. As it accelerated towards the Raetheons, it became clear it was not a cloud.

  A sense of horror overcame him. “Blood-bats!” Galleon screamed. “Quick, take cover!”

  The other three froze, their eyes fixed on the rapidly approaching swarm.

  “NOW!” Galleon shouted, pointing to the approaching danger. “Quickly! HIDE!”

  He dove behind a large boulder. Everyone scattered and found somewhere to hide. None of them knew what Blood-bats were or why they should be hiding, but they trusted Galleon enough to follow his lead.

  The dark swarm consisted of dozens of foul-looking black, bat-like creatures. They had dark, round, hairy bodies, and their wings consisted of a thin layer of a leathery material, the bones of their wing arms silhouetted through their wings. About half the size of a Raetheon, they were much faster and extremely agile. Galleon knew they had huge fangs and curved, pointed talons. The shrieking sound they made was horrifying.

  One Blood-bat separated from the swarm and swooped down at high speed towards the circling Raetheons. The flock of white birds shrieked and scattered in all directions.

  One separated from the flock, and the Blood-bat chased it farther away from the rest. The Raetheon twisted and turned but the Blood-bat hounded it ruthlessly. Several more Blood-bats separated from the swarm and swooped down towards the lone Raetheon to join in the chase. It wasn’t long before they reached it and all commenced savagely attacking their meal in mid-flight from all directions.

  The slower and less agile Raetheon screeched as the Blood-bats all tore into its wings and torso until it began spiralling down to the earth. The Blood-bats continued their relentless attack on the poor Raetheon until it stopped moving altogether just before it struck the ground.

  All the Blood-bats landed around it and tore ferociously at the lifeless carcass. Within minutes, it was stripped to the bone and the Blood-bats took off again down the valley. As they were disappearing, white Raetheon feathers were still falling to the ground.

  When the Blood-bats were out of sight, Galleon emerged from behind the boulder that shielded him from view.

  “It’s OK. You can come out now,” he whispered to the others, keeping his eye trained on the area of the sky where the flock of Blood-bats had departed.

  “What were those creatures?” Andrew asked with a shaky voice as he stood up from behind a nearby bush. Joshua and Sarah also came out from their hiding place.

  “That poor Raetheon,” Sarah said. “They just tore the poor thing apart.”

  “Those things are Blood-bats,” Galleon said. “Vicious creatures of the underworld. They are the Goat’s eyes. He uses them to keep track of things.”

  “What were they doing here?” Joshua asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Galleon said, shaking his head. “The Goat must be on the lookout for something. We’d better be careful. Perhaps we should find cover for the night. Blood-bats can see great distances, even in the dark, and they could come back.”

  Andrew pointed to a hut nearby. A plume of smoke was rising from it, so it had clearly been burned like all the others. It seemed otherwise intact and would at least provide some cover from the spying eyes of the Blood-bats.

  Andrew led them all towards the hut and they went inside. It was little more than a charred shell of a home, but the roof was covered in thick layers of moss. Sarah suggested the moist moss was the reason the roof had not burned down like most of the other huts they had seen. Andrew started collecting bits of wood to make a fire.

  “No!” Galleon snapped. “We can’t light a fire, it’s too risky. We can’t risk being seen by the Blood-bats if they come back this way.”

  The others looked at him. They knew this would mean a cold night, but nobody questioned his judgement.

  “We should get some rest for the night. I’ll stay up and keep watch. Andrew, you can relieve me in a few hours, OK?”

  Andrew nodded in agreement. They all settled in and tried to get comfortable.

  None of them spoke for the next hour. As the evening swarms of Dengle bugs came out, the soothing humming sent Joshua, Sarah and Andrew off to sleep. Galleon lingered by the door. He kept surveying the sky for Blood-bats, but they never came back - at least not as far as he could tell.

  After the others had fallen into a deep sleep, he sat down and picked up Joshua’s keeper bag. He pulled out one of the two cloth-wrapped orbs and unravelled it. It was the Orb of Vision Melachor had traded with them.

  Galleon recalled Melachor had said something about this orb opening up a portal through which he escaped the onslaught of the Goat many years ago. How did it work? He sat there, studying the orb, contemplating whether it was just a crystal or whether it might help him find other Imps.

  He tried to stay awake but fatigue from the journey took over and his body begged for rest. The intoxicating hum of Dengles was like a lullaby. It was so comforting, he felt himself becoming drowsy, until his head fell forwards and he drifted off to sleep.

  As Galleon slept, the orb, still clutched in his hands, started glowing. A hideous image of the Goat appeared inside the orb. His dark eyes shifted around, locking onto Galleon’s face.

  The Goat’s eyes narrow as He peered into Galleon’s eyes. The Imp’s subconscious thoughts began filling with the Goat’s image. It was like a dream but it felt very real. Galleon felt weightless and floating in a dark space. He could hear whimpering off to one side but couldn’t see who or what it was. The only thing he was aware of was the Goat’s image: that evil and menacing face floating before him.

  The two of them made eye contact.

  “What do you want?” Galleon asked. His lips didn’t move as he spoke. He tried to understand the telepathic link between them, but his thoughts turned to his loathing for the foul creature.

  “You know who I am.” The Goat’s voice echoed inside Galleon’s head.

  “Yes,” Galleon sneered. “You murdered my people.”

  The Goat said nothing. He narrowed His eyes and tilted His head forward. The whites beneath His eyes made Him look even more menacing.

  “No,” the Goat said after a few moments. “They are not dead, they are alive. All of them are still alive. I can return them to your realm.”

  Galleon pondered this. Was it a lie? Was the Goat trying to trick him in some way?

  “It is neither a lie nor a trick,” the Goat said.

  “What do you want in return?”

  “The boy who seeks the orbs. Give him to me and I will return your people to you unharmed. What is one life compared to so many?”

  Galleon stared at the Goat in disbelief. He was being asked to betray Joshua, the man who rescued him from that trap, who was helping him search for
other Imps.

  “You owe this boy nothing. He cannot help you find what you seek.”

  Galleon realised the Goat was reading his thoughts. “And if I don’t?”

  “Then I will kill your people,” the Goat replied with a hideous cackle, “all of them! And when I’ve killed the last of them, I will kill you too.”

  The Goat’s image receded into the darkness.

  “Galleon? Galleon! GALLEON!” Andrew shouted, pushing the slumbering Imp hard on the shoulder to wake him.

  “Wake up!”

  Galleon shook his head in confusion and peered around. Andrew was standing over him, gripping his shoulder.

  “What? Oh…yes, right. Sorry.”

  “What’s the matter with you? I thought you were supposed to be keeping watch! Anyway, it’s my turn now so you may as well get comfortable.”

  Galleon quickly wrapped the orb in the cloth and returned it to Joshua’s keeper bag.

  “What were you doing with the orb?” Andrew whispered.

  “Oh, um, nothing. I just wanted to take a closer look at it, that’s all.”

  “It’ll be dawn in a few hours,” Andrew whispered. “You’d better get some rest. With those Blood-bat things flying around, we’ll all need to be alert.”

  “Right,” Galleon said, still dazed. “I’ll, um, I’ll just get settled down here, then. See you in the morning.”

  Galleon found a spot and curled up on the ground. He wondered whether the encounter with the Goat was just a dream. If it was real, was the Goat’s offer a genuine one? Would Galleon be prepared to betray Joshua and the others in exchange for the return of his people?

  With the pulsating humming of the Dengles and these thoughts tossing and turning in his mind, he drifted off to sleep.

  16

  Galleon’s Temptation

  The following morning Joshua, Sarah and Galleon woke to find Andrew standing guard at the door.

  “Have you seen anything?” Galleon asked Andrew, yawning.

  Galleon had slept awkwardly during the night and was now stretching to one side, holding his hip. He still had the Goat on his mind and wondered whether the others suspected anything.

  “Nothing,” Andrew replied, staring through the doorway and peering around, shaking his head. “A few Raetheons every now and then, but that’s about it. I think the Blood-bats have moved on.”

  “Is everything all right, Galleon?” Sarah asked.

  “Of course, I’m all right.” He straightened and glared at Sarah. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  She recoiled from him, her face crumpling.

  “I’m sorry. I mean, of course I’m fine. We’re all fine.”

  He let out a forced chuckle. All three of the others looked at him and then at each other.

  “Well,” Sarah suggested, “it’s just that you look like you’re in pain or something. I just wondered if you were OK, that’s all.”

  “Oh,” Galleon said with a nervous chuckle. “Right, yes, well, it’s just a bit of cramp that’s all. I’ve slept on coarse gravel that was more comfortable than this floor.”

  He ended with another nervous laugh and bounced on his feet a couple of times. He was worried about revealing anything about his vision with the Goat during the night. He needed time to think it over and didn’t want to discuss it with the others.

  “I think I might have some Yucust salve in my keeper bag,” Sarah suggested. “Here, it’ll make you feel much better.”

  “Oh, right,” Galleon said, trying to act normally again. “Well, if you think it will help?”

  Sarah rummaged around in her keeper bag and pulled out a small jar of the pale, gooey paste and handed it to Galleon.

  “Here you go,” she said with a smile.

  Galleon looked at the jar, then at Sarah and then at the jar again. He unscrewed the lid and sniffed its contents. Dipping his finger into the jar, he pulled out a dollop of the paste, and was just about to put it into his mouth.

  “NO!” Sarah cried, grabbing for Galleon’s hand. “You just rub it on to where it hurts.”

  Everyone laughed and the mood in the hut lifted. They all packed their things together, set out into the sunlit valley and continued their journey.

  “Is it helping?” Joshua asked Galleon, pointing to his hip.

  “Actually, yes, it is. I feel much better. Quite an amazing young woman isn’t she?”

  Joshua smiled and nodded.

  As they walked, Sarah was telling Andrew all about how to make Yucust salve and why it was so good at alleviating pain.

  “It’s a complicated procedure. First, you have to grind dried Yucust roots to a fine powder. Then you leave the powder to soak for several days in Bramock berry juice.”

  “How much berry juice do you add?”

  Joshua felt sure Andrew wouldn’t remember any of this but was glad his best friend was at least showing interest in what Sarah was saying. As long as they were busy talking to each other, he would have some time to himself to mull things over.

  “About equal parts,” Sarah went on. “It’s important to remove all the husks first, though, otherwise you won’t get the right consistency. Eventually, it will turn into a sticky paste. You heat this until it starts to turn pale yellow with a runny texture. Then you mix it thoroughly until the yellow colour completely disappears, leaving a transparent, gooey paste.”

  Andrew kept nodding as if he was taking it all in. Galleon in the meantime joined Joshua. Joshua sensed something was on Galleon’s mind but wasn’t sure what to do about it. He was mulling over various ways of how to tackle the subject when Galleon broke the silence.

  “What would you place more value on, Joshua?” Galleon asked. “Your entire village or your best friend?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, let’s suppose you had to pick between losing everyone in your village or losing Andrew, or perhaps Sarah? Which would you choose?”

  Joshua thought this an odd question but pondered it before answering.

  “Well, I don’t really know,” he replied, being as truthful as he could.

  “I’ve never really thought about it. I supposed I’d have to be in that situation before I knew what I’d do. Why do you ask?”

  “Oh, nothing, nothing. Just trying to keep my mind occupied.”

  He wouldn’t look Joshua in the eye. Instead, he just stared ahead as they walked, even though Joshua kept his eyes on him.

  By around noon they decided to stop for a rest, finding shelter from the midday sun beneath an Ashfer. Joshua sat and rummaged in his keeper bag and took out the two orbs. He noticed Galleon watching him nervously. Joshua unwrapped them both and held the spherical crystals one in each hand.

  “How do you suppose these things work?” he asked.

  Galleon stared at the orbs and shook his head slowly as Joshua passed the Orb of Vision to him. It was the same orb the Imp had encountered last night. He reached out with some hesitation before taking it. He kept his gaze fixed on the spherical crystal as Joshua spoke to him.

  “Didn’t Melachor say something about using the orb to open up some sort of portal? What did he do to make that happen?”

  Galleon was listening but not paying attention. As he stared into the orb, the sound of Joshua’s voice faded until the only sound he could hear was his own breathing. He kept staring at the orb, and a murky image appeared.

  Suddenly, Galleon felt himself floating in a dark room and once again staring at the Goat’s face. He felt disconnected from his body just has he had done last night.

  “Have you considered my offer, Imp?” said an ominously familiar, husky voice.

  The image of the Goat floated in front of him but His lips weren’t moving and the words seemed to come from inside Galleon’s head.

  “Why should I trust you? How do I know you’ll uphold your end of the bargain?”

  Galleon was unable to stifle his loathing for the foul creature, but at the same time he admitted the thought of being with his own kin
d again was tempting. A hideous smile crept across the Goat’s face. It lasted briefly before turning into a growl.

  “Tell me! Where is the boy?”

  Galleon sensed the Goat was becoming frustrated.

  “Why should I? What’s the matter? Don’t you trust your own Blood-bats to find us? What do you want with my friend anyway?”

  Galleon sensed the Goat was somehow scared of Joshua but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. The connection established through the Orb of Vision seemed to be allowing thoughts to pass both ways between them. He tried to read the Goat’s mind, but it teemed with a jumble images and echoes. He struggled to understand it all. Each time he thought the disconnected images were starting to make sense, the imagery would change. Was the Goat trying to hide something? Was it the orbs? Why didn’t the Goat want Joshua to find all the orbs?

  Sensing the Imp was starting to read his thoughts, the Goat disciplined his mind and tried to distract his opponent.

  “Wouldn’t you like to see your own kind freed again? Or would you prefer to see them suffer?”

  The Goat smiled again. Galleon started to hear what might be a distant scream. As it grew louder in his mind, it became clearer. It was the unmistakable voice of someone being tortured, and the frightening noise horrified him.

  Galleon’s mind filled with dread as the sound of Imps screaming in pain flooded his mind. He tried to push the thoughts aside but he was powerless to prevent it. The Goat had complete control over what he wanted Galleon to think.

  The sound of his kin being tortured was sheer agony, and his mind filled with rage as his anguish reached unbearable levels. Galleon thought he could take it no more. He shut his eyes and tried to drown out the noise of the suffering, but the more he tried, the more intense it became until he felt overwhelmed. The tormented Imp was totally paralysed with fear.

  “Galleon?” Joshua said, nudging him a couple of time. “GALLEON!” Still, he didn’t move. Joshua looked at Sarah and Andrew.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Andrew asked.

  “I don’t know. I think it might have something to do with the orb he’s holding,” Joshua said.