《The Dark Invitation - A fantasy horror novella in 7 parts》


 Part 1 - In the Tavern

    Part 1 - In the Tavern


    In the tavern are many wines ¨C the wine of delight in colour and form and taste, the wine of intellects agility, the fine port of stories and the cabernet of soul singing. As three companions shared their spirits and their spirits, they felt the wineskin of ego break and the pouring began.


    Clio recounted her studies and trials at the Pantheon with only the slightest embellishment. Plied with the taverns finest drop she wove stories into stories until every detail was painted large and wide as a temple fresco.


    She blamed her Dwarven heritage for the intricate and lengthy telling. The truth of her heritage was clear in her height and the endearing roundness of her pale face. With gentle ribbing and encouragement, Clio bounded through her recollections, vibrating with charisma. She never vied to be the center of attention, but she did love it when she found herself there.


    Daphne laughed freely and smiled constantly. She seemingly bore no baggage that so often accompanied one cursed with the marks of a Tainted. Though, she did bear the marks: Light pink skin covered everything below the curving ebony ram horns that adorned her head, down to the tip of her snaking tail. Holding mulled wine to warm her hands and her heart she joked and jested until her companions were just as jovial as herself.


    Kai mostly watched. His heart was full. The two people he loved most in the world were happy, healthy and by his side. His jokes came half as frequently, and his stories lasted half as long as his companion¡¯s. He preferred to listen. To hear their joy added to his own, and on occasion he¡¯d do what he could to return the favour.


    As an Aquan, the novelty of Terran life never ceased to entertain him. Just the same, Kai found himself to be a novelty to most Terrans. From the way he talked and what he wore, to his cerulean, seal-like skin and gills. As Clio began a third backstory to one of the ¡°quick things¡± she had to tell them, and Daphne poked harmless fun, Kai just sat and smiled. He nursed mead, thick and sweet as he was himself. Most of all, he enjoyed it, being lost in that moment. He felt a weight slide easily off his shoulders as he listened and drank and laughed.


    The rest of the tavern shared that energy. Losing themselves in the evening until everything else was naught but a faint memory. Not all evenings were like this, but they were becoming more frequent. Such a thing often happens when an incorporeal feeling of foreboding scratches at a collective¡¯s sixth sense. They bury their heads in revelry as though it were sand, and hope for the dread to blow over. For most that night, it did just that.


    Not all creatures were like this, but for Matu ¨C those mortal races that include but are not limited to Humans, and Aquans, and Elves ¨C it was most often true. In contrast, the wild creatures ¨C animals, and beasts, and birds ¨C listened keenly when the Mother Huntress whispered her warnings. Even an imagined feeling of danger would have a herd of antelope on the move in less time than it takes to pour a mug of wine.


    Matu, for the most part, are not like this. So, when Godly whispers or instinct urged Kai to leave the tavern, he did not. He nestled himself deeper into his chair, took another long draw from his mead, and laughed doubly loud at Daphne¡¯s next joke to push instinct and Gods from his mind. If he had known what was to come, he would have listened to instinct then and there, but he did not. Instead, he played the part of the ignorant fool with a trouper¡¯s grace and drank and drank again.


    Death blew through the tavern on a cold wind and was welcomed like an old friend. The door slammed opened. Silhouetted in the entrance stood a traveler framed by fog and lamp light. He was wearing an emerald chiton with gold lining and an expensive fur cloak. His walking staff was well polished, its head adorned with amber. The pleasant din of merriment shut off quickly as all heads turned to the figure. Then, the traveler announced:


    ¡°A gift from my master. A round of drinks for all with ears to hear or eyes to see.¡±


    His accent was thick and foreign. His choice of syntax, old and musty, like lines chosen from a history tome. Though, no one paid that any mind as he walked with heavy, uneven steps directly to the bar and dropped a jangling purse on the counter. A cheer erupted. Clio, Daphne, and Kai added their voices to the chorus. They toasted between themselves and drank deeply, unaware that the stranger was making his way to them.


    ¡°By chance, are you the Triumvirate, Daphne, Clio, and Kai?¡± He said in his thick accent when he arrived at their table.


    Surprised, the three companions looked to one another. The Triumvirate was the name their small party had recently acquired. In truth it was a well humoured joke that had begun catching on among the surrounding villages.


    The true Triumvirate had existed in another age: Three incredibly powerful individuals who had saved continents, battled Eldyr Children, and made deals with gods. In comparison, their Triumvirate had warded off wolf howls without ever seeing the wolves, and escaped a particularly nasty boar which skewered itself on a fortuitously placed tree limb.


    ¡°We are.¡± Daphne said eventually. ¡°How did you recognize us so quickly? I can¡¯t say I remember meeting you before now.¡±


    ¡°My master has sent me a great, long way to request your aid. If you be the heroes of the stories that are told, please lend your aid in this dire time.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t actually believe we¡¯re the true Triumvirate of old, do you?¡± Kai clarified. Daphne kicked him under the table.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°I and my master know the truth of your bearing.¡± Confirmed the man.


    As the Triumvirate looked to each other, all equally confused, the traveler reached into a fold in his cloak and produced a sealed letter. He placed it down on the table between the companions and took a seat next to Daphne. As Clio accepted the letter, she noticed a foreign brand in the wax that held it closed. She showed the brand to Daphne and Kai but between them they could not give it any recognition.


    Inside was a letter written in an elegant, cursive hand. The tone and structure were heavily antiquated, to the point of parody. Though instead of offending the emissary by remarking as such, Clio simply read the contents aloud.


    ¡°Hail good, kind protectors of your people.


    I seek your aid in this desperate time, humbly pleading for your assistance. My wife, Helen of Bris has contracted a fatigue that none can rouse her from. I fear if I cannot find her remedy she will continue fading until she dissipates from my life as dew before the sun. I would have her healed and returned to me in the persona I have come to cherish.


    I offer the whole of my state¡¯s fortune as recompense if thou but answer our plea. Make haste, I beg of thee, even now her happy sun dips below the horizon that splits life from death. The saviour of my beloved shall be paid the highest expense and greatest honour.


    Sincerely,


    Anax Arimnestos of Bris.¡±


    A long silenced followed. To the triumvirate, it was difficult to understand why they would have been sought out. Their few and petty deeds could not have caught the eye of the Brisian leader. Especially not one who used such archaic honorifics as Anax. Yet, here sat his emissary, at their table, flaunting his master¡¯s wealth by plying the whole tavern with spirit. Eventually it was Kai that asked:


    ¡°Why us? There are others of higher merit who would accept this.¡± Kai pointed to the letter and apparently had no qualms with looking a gift horse in the mouth.


    Daphne however found multiple qualms and again kicked Kai under the table.


    ¡°Yet I have found none. It is known that pirates patrol the waters between Illios and Bris. I have found not a one who would brave crossing their path. Truly, the cowardice of heroes is a terrible thing.¡± Said the emissary.


    ¡°And there¡¯s the rub.¡± Daphne said, sipping her mulled wine.


    ¡°I know a safe path.¡± Hurried the emissary. ¡°It is how I arrived, and how I intend to return.¡±


    The triumvirate looked between each other, long and silent. The presence of pirates was well known to Illosians. They inhabited a collection of islands east of Illios. Until now Kai had assumed Bris was one of them. The strength and naval presence of pirates were so fearsome that they wielded a similar militaristic control over their waters as most established countries¡¯ navies.


    To get caught by a pirate raiding vessel was a nightmarish thing. So much so, that the horrific tales of survivors would occasionally include supernatural embellishments to make them all the more frightful. The Ghost King¡¯s Trireme and Banshees of Black Sails were popular songs in an Illiosian bard¡¯s repertoire.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure you know how to avoid them?¡± Daphne asked.


    ¡°I would not be speaking to you otherwise.¡± The emissary nodded.


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯m for it.¡± Said Daphne.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s worth the risk.¡± Clio agreed.


    There was a silence then. Clio and Daphne looked to Kai, who was in turn looking at the emissary. To all three companions, the emissary seemed desperate. Though, Kai couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something else was eluding him.


    ¡°How did you come by our names, exactly?¡± Kai asked.


    ¡°On arriving at Illios, I paid my respects at the Pantheon. It was Priestess Circe that recommended Priestess Clio. ¡®A truly gifted healer¡¯, she called you. I pray she did not make too great of a claim.¡± He said in earnest.


    Kai chewed on his lip for a moment. He looked at Clio, who nodded. Circe had been a good friend and tutor during Clio¡¯s time at the Pantheon. The story held merit and according to Clio¡¯s body language, Kai deduced that she felt it was a likely turn of events.


    The three companions had spoken earlier in the evening of potentially attempting proper mercenary work. Each of them had developed quite a dynamic set of skills and abilities, over the last few years especially. If they picked their jobs carefully, they could enjoy a fairly carefree travelling life. For a time at least.


    ¡°And how do we know this is not some elaborate pirate ploy to lure us back to your den of thieves?¡± Kai asked.


    ¡°I admit our location is unfortunately close to the scourge of the sea. Our people often suffer their raiding parties as result. However, if you should witness our ship on the morrow you will know us to be good, honest men and women.


    Moreover, what use would a band of pirates have with three adventurers such as yourselves. Surely there are more profitable persons to kidnap if that were our desire.¡± The emissary seemed to become more nervous by the moment. ¡°I of course mean no offense.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Kai agreed after a moment. Then he looked seriously at the emissary. ¡°But, so you are aware; should I happen to suspect you of piracy I will not hesitate to call the most fearsome sea creatures under my control down on you and yours.¡±


    It was a lie, of course, but it was a very good lie. Kai watched the emissary suppress a shudder and reconsider all he knew of Aquans. At times, the ignorance of Terrans could be a wonderful thing. Clio and Daphne eyed Kai surreptitiously, knowing much better than the emissary. Kai even saw a nearby eaves dropper go slack jawed in surprise. He surely would be spreading the falsity to his table eagerly at the first break in conversation.


    ¡°I assure you my intentions are nothing other than to escort you safely to my Master.¡± The emissary bowed his head.


    ¡°When do we leave?¡± Kai asked.


    ¡°My vessel, The Twilight Mist, leaves the dock at first light tomorrow morning. Will I expect to see you all there?¡±


    The companions nodded and bid farewell as Arimnestos¡¯ emissary left the tavern. They sat in silence for a while after that. Clio read the letter again before Daphne read it once for herself. Kai drank and tried to discover what secret he felt about the strange foreign man. Whatever nagged at him was deeply hidden within his psyche and he did not succeed at uncovering its warning.


    ¡°I think this will be good for us.¡± Clio said finally. ¡°It¡¯s just what we were talking about.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Said Daphne, putting down the letter.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Clio echoed.


    ¡°But who on Land and Sea still call themselves Anax?¡± Daphne laughed; Clio laughed at that too.


    ¡°Did either of you find something suspect about that emissary?¡± Asked Kai.


    ¡°I think his life is tied to that of the Anax¡¯s wife. If we had refused, who knows what this Arminestos would have done to him.¡± Clio said. ¡°That and he talks as though he just stepped out of the last age.¡±


    ¡°You think this Arimnestos to be a particularly cruel leader?¡± asked Daphne.


    ¡°Love makes Matu mad.¡± Clio quoted.


    Kai only drank. He had noticed behaviour in the emissary that suggested the Anax to be a cruel master, but that was not the thing that nagged. For now, whatever it was, was as intangible as the wind. So, Kai drank, and when a herbalist did his rounds and peddled his wares Kai bought enough smoking leaf for a very long journey.

 Part 2 - Twilight Mists

    Part 2 - Twilight Mists


    Just as foretold, the Twilight Mist departed from the port at Illios as the sun crested the horizon. The cargo ship, painted in shades of purple and red, sailed gently past the two guardian statues of the gods Atala and Veisu, sea and fire, coercion and conflict. The rising sun set the ocean on fire with brilliant shades of pink, and orange, and red. All crew watched in silent reverence. As it seemed Atala and Veisu were blessing their journey.


    It took them three days in total. The weather was unusually kind, and Kai aided their journey with his skill as a sailor. Sailing with an Aquan was a novel thing for a Terran crew. Not only could he scale the rigging with the best of them, but 3 times he dropped with the anchor to make sure it was well secured.


    Kai hunted for fish. Once anchored, he would swim through the ocean and chase them down. With the retractable gills about his neck, he could live underwater. Many Aquans did. The crew ate well for three days, though they were extremely reserved in how they showed their gratitude.


    So fortuitous was the wind in their sails that they could have perhaps made port by mid-day. However, Arimnestos¡¯ emissary insisted on keeping the anchor down until after the sun had reached its highest point on the third day. He asserted that his timing was the surest way of avoiding a pirate¡¯s route.


    The emissary explained in his ancient way of speaking, that pirates would not sail past Bris in the twilight hours. So, they waited. They waited until the sun had left its zenith and then they finally pulled anchor and set sail for Bris. They made good time and soon enough the island of Bris rose up out of the water before them.


    The sun began to set, and a cold mist rolled out over the water. Unlike the brilliant sunrise they had witnessed on the day of their departure, the sunset they viewed now was cold and eerie. Muted shades of purple rolled across the gentle swell and hung in the mist that grew thicker the closer they travelled toward their destination. Eventually the fog became so thick it seemed as though they sailed through an ethereal plane made entirely of dull purple fog and cloud.


    Clio looked nervously to Daphne while rubbing her earlobe. Even Kai, an accomplished sailor with an Aquan¡¯s resistance to cold, could not supress a shudder as a chill swept up his spine. The crew however, seemed calm as they navigated the bulky cargo ship through the mist.


    The emissary said nothing as they arrived. He simply stood at the bow with a grim expression on his face until they had docked at a small rickety structure. It was only when Daphne, Clio and Kai stepped onto shore that he finally spoke.


    ¡°Follow that road, and do not veer.¡± He told them quickly. Already, his crew were pushing off.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Kai asked as the ship was pulling away.


    ¡°We cannot leave our vessel here for fear of pirates. My sincerest apologies that I will not be able to introduce you to my master. I pray I see you all again very soon.¡± The emissary called in an uncharacteristically apathetic tone as the boat sailed away.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t seem particularly apologetic.¡± Clio said.


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling that we¡¯ve just been duped?¡± asked Kai


    ¡°I think you¡¯re both wound far too tight.¡± Daphne replied, before turning to Kai with a cheeky smile. ¡°Let¡¯s share some of that smoking leaf you bought last night. I¡¯m in the mood to enjoy a gorgeous moonlit stroll through this strange and foreign land. I have a feeling we¡¯re all about to be very rich.¡±


    And so, they did. They passed a pipe between themselves and talked on the intricacies of how the stars shone and the trees swayed. They walked closer together when wolf howls filled the air and laughed when frogs began croaking in a chorus of harmonies.


    Daphne told them a story of how she had stolen a dagger from a wealthy aristocrat in Ketros. Then she showed them the dagger itself which shone silver like the moon. Clio was impressed enough to release a small gasp. Kai laughed and clapped Daphne on her shoulder.


    As they continued down the road, Kai began to notice faint whisps of fog at the edges of his vision. Although, whenever he tried to focus on them, they always seemed to evaporate only to reappear moments later. From the way Clio waved her hand before her face, he gathered he wasn¡¯t the only one to notice.


    They had been walking for quite a while when Kai stopped suddenly. ¡°Do you smell that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What?¡± said Clio, stopping a few paces ahead of Kai. She was working a burr out of her thick blonde hair.


    ¡°Rot.¡± He said. ¡°Death.¡±


    Daphne stopped then too. ¡°I can smell it too.¡±


    ¡°It could be an animal.¡± Clio said before they all stood in silence for a moment. ¡°The Emissary said not to veer from the path.¡±


    A chill wind blew through the forest and the stench of death became more pungent. Clio clutched her holy symbol and looked to Kai who had his eyes nestled between the trees. It was then that Clio experienced a push. It was like a whisper uttered behind her ear. It was almost as though the Goddess Iros was teasing her into the forest. As any devout priestess would, Clio followed her Goddess¡¯ guidance.


    Kai spared Daphne a glance. She shrugged. Tentatively, the two of them followed Clio into the forest. Though Daphne moved with confidence, Kai could see her tail curled nervously about one leg. Carefully, quietly they wound their way through thick trees and sparse underbrush until they reached a small clearing.


    The body was simple enough to find. The smell made sure of that. It wafted across the clearing and even from the distance they stood, they could see its source.


    It was a man. Pale skin and travelling clothes both torn and bloody. One sandal lay in the middle of the clearing along with a walking cane. Daphne gingerly edged closer to the body. Kai followed until he noticed the ground was scattered with claw marks, blood, and paw prints. As if on cue, a wolf howl rung out of the night.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the road.¡± Kai whispered.


    ¡°He has something in his hand.¡± Daphne said, just as hushed.


    ¡°Forget it.¡± Clio tried to whisper across the clearing.


    Daphne was already wrestling with the dead man¡¯s hand. Prying stiff fingers open to reveal a crumpled letter inside. She held it aloft victoriously. A second howl rung out of the night. Kai waved for Daphne to get moving. Clio was already making her way back toward the road. Kai waited until pink skinned Tainted had passed before he followed.


    Kai saw the road and at the same moment, he heard a growl low and threatening. Less than a few hundred metres away a wolf prowled quickly toward them. He didn¡¯t need to search the forest to know that more would be closing in.


    ¡°Wolves!¡± He called.


    Clio and Daphne began to run. The three of them breached the tree line with barks and yips biting at their heels. On the northern side of the road, Kai could make out 3 shapes moving through the trees. He pointed them out. Daphne already had a short bow drawn and in an impressive feat of skill strung it mid-stride.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°There!¡± Kai called.


    A moment later there was a twang, an arrow flew into the darkness. There was a heartbeat of silence before a yip told them that Daphne had hit the mark. Growls followed, low and angry. Clio whispered some holy words and clutched her magic symbol. At her command, a light burst into the trees, illuminating the area. Daphne fired another arrow at the same wolf who they could now see was limping. Between Daphne¡¯s arrows and Clio¡¯s illumination the wolves fell back, nervous and agitated.


    ¡°Run.¡± Said Clio.


    They ran. Their legs pounded the dirt road underfoot. Kai, bringing up the rear spared constant glances over his shoulder. Daphne¡¯s tail waved erratically and more than once Clio had to swerve to avoid being tripped. They ran hard and fast and didn¡¯t stop until they breached the tree line.


    Breathless, they finally exited the forest and found themselves at the edge of a vast sloping valley that dropped away toward a twisting stream to the south. The wolf howls that had hounded their escape now called from farther away. A crescent moon cast long shadows across the land making it impossible to decipher its exact features.


    The whole landscape was painted in muted colours and grey scales. It was far from the beautiful description the emissary had painted for them full of colour and life. Fog hung steadily in the air. It seemed now that the Triumvirate was deep enough into its lands; it had no reason to curl like fingers onto their skin and into the backs of their minds.


    ¡°What does the letter say?¡± Kai asked, taking a sip from his water skin. They were a few hundred meters from the tree line and agreed it was safe enough to stop to catch their breath.


    Clio straightened it out and turned it over. The wax seal was different from the one the emissary had shown them. While they waited for her to read, Daphne took Kai¡¯s waterskin from his hand without him realizing and drank. When he looked at her in surprise, she stuck her tongue out. Clio opened the envelope gingerly and extracted the letter.


    ¡°I pray this letter may do what Matu may not,


    I, humble servant of my people, write to you in our darkest hour. For as long as our people¡¯s history has been recorded, a foul creature has sucked the life from our veins. Now he sets his sights on my daughter. We are powerless to his evil whims. I know for certain that my family¡¯s end is close at hand.


    The wanderer that I entrust this letter to assures me he knows a way off this island, though none of our people have ever been able to leave its shores. If he speaks truth, I beg of you, surround this land with your priests and priestesses. Pray this Vampyr back to whichever hell he came from. The fate of Bris is doomed, but I hope with this warning your world may be saved.


    Sincerely,


    Aristo Arimnestos of Bris.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be right.¡± Daphne said grabbing the letter from Clio. She quickly read over the parchement.


    Clio took out the first letter the emissary had given them. She looked between the two letters. ¡°Do you think the writing is different?¡±


    Daphne checked them both. ¡°They¡¯re definitely written in different hands.¡±


    ¡°There you have it. We¡¯ve been had.¡± Kai said. ¡°That¡¯s what was wrong with the emissary. He was luring us here like bait on a line.¡±


    The other two looked nervous.


    ¡°I knew there was something wrong with him, but I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it. Fuck!¡± Kai swore loudly.


    ¡°He couldn¡¯t¡­¡± Clio trailed off.


    ¡°Put the pieces together, it fits.¡± Kai said.


    They stood in silence for a long while. Daphne took a seat on the side of the road. Clio closed her eyes and whispered a hurried prayer to her Goddess. Kai kicked a stone into the valley that sloped away south from the side of the road.


    They discussed their options quickly and quietly. A powerful vampire was not something to trifle with or so folk tales told. From what they¡¯d heard, no one had truly seen a vampire for hundreds or thousands of years. Their stories were so ancient that they now traversed the line between myth and legend.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth going back to the dock.¡± Daphne said at length.


    Kai nodded.


    ¡°So?¡± Clio asked. ¡°We should still see if we can help Helen and Arimnestos, right?¡±


    ¡°If they even exist. This Vampire could have made them all up.¡± Daphne said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It could all be made up.¡± Kai agreed.


    ¡°So, from here on out we operate as though everything we¡¯ve heard so far is a lie. Let¡¯s just find a way off this island as fast as we can.¡± Said Daphne.


    ¡°And if we discover that there are people who need our help? Then what?¡± Clio asked.


    After another long pause, it was Daphne who spoke. ¡°We cross that bridge when we come to it. Let¡¯s approach this town carefully. Who knows what we¡¯re walking into.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. The next time we rush into something, it could mean our lives.¡± Kai said.


    Clio nodded and adjusted the pack on her shoulders. They began walking. The short twists and turns of the forest road became long sweeping curves that traced along the backs of the hills that made Brisian countryside.


    Despite the monotony of its monochromatic landscape, there was a beauty in its heavy melancholy. They walked until the chill of the land reached up from inside the earth with icy fingers. They walked until fog clouded their vision and a peculiar network of shadows rose intimidatingly before them.


    Between them, they could not decipher the source of the shadows. They continued forth at a tentative pace. Each was aware of every sound, no matter how banal. At length, they made out looming, ominous shapes which revealed themselves to be a withered old town.


    One and two storey structures were punctuated by grander constructions. All stood weakly against the elements, their colours washed away decades ago. Most looked uninhabited or in utter disrepair. The crunch of the dirt road underfoot and a lone mournful wailing were the only sounds that greeted them.


    ¡°The whole of my states fortune as recompense.¡± Daphne quoted bleakly as they walked between the dilapidated structures.


    There were scant signs of life among the few streets that made up the so called ¡®town.¡¯ Village was surely the proper description. The wailing continued long and low, though its source was elusive. A few taller buildings towered over the rest of the village but did nothing to detract from the depressing, derelict vibe that oozed out of every innumerable crack and crevice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this.¡± Said Clio who had gone back to holding the holy symbol around her neck.


    The Triumvirate stopped at a fork in the road. They were carefully deciding which route to take when Kai spotted a small figure. It peeked out from around a corner on the road to their right.


    There were no other signs of life, apart from the wailing which came from the same direction. Carefully they followed the figure until they found themselves on a new road with a grand three-storey house that towered over its neighbours.


    Like the rest of the structures, the house had been plastered in clay and painted white. Unlike the rest of the structures, the fa?ade was well maintained. It hadn¡¯t cracked, nor flaked to reveal rotting bricks beneath. The painted clay was still vibrant shades of white and purple.


    A girl sat before the front door holding her knees and weeping. Kai and Clio could still hear a disembodied moaning that echoed out from the house and through the village. Slowly, it was Daphne that walked toward the little girl with careful steps.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, lovely?¡± She said, reaching out slowly to comfort the child.


    The girl flinched away. ¡°A beast has entered my house.¡± She said. ¡°It is a ghastly monster, and I fear for the life of my dear mother, who cries for mercy even now.¡± Her accent was foreign, and she spoke in the same antiquated rhythm as the emissary.


    Daphne looked back to her companions. Kai was trying to pinpoint the source of the disembodied moaning. Clio made her way to the girl. She knelt beside Daphne.


    ¡°The creature you saw, what did it look like?¡± Clio asked gently, still holding her holy symbol.


    ¡°I know not. It could have been daemon, or beast¡­or worse. But it is in there with my mother and will surely take her life. Please, please, you must help.¡± Tears rolled down her cheeks fat and slow as she spoke.


    ¡°We have to go in.¡± Clio said standing.


    ¡°What?¡± Kai said, only just turning to take in the whole situation. His heart was beating fast, suddenly alert. ¡°What about the town watch. We should at least let them know.¡±


    ¡°We have no such organization. Please, if not for you she will surely die. There isn¡¯t much time¡± Sobbed the little girl.


    Kai¡¯s mind raced but Clio was right. They didn¡¯t have time. Whatever creature was inside had plenty of time to make this sobbing girl motherless. Though as he followed his two companions who rushed through the front door ahead of him, he felt again the sensation that something wasn¡¯t quite right.


    It wasn¡¯t until he was past the threshold that his stomach dropped. It dropped so fast that it felt as though the floor had fallen out beneath him. He was being lured into a trap, same as before.


    ¡°Wait!¡± He called, spinning to face back toward the girl.


    He turned in time to get one last glimpse of the girl. Her form dissipating like mist before the sun. The whisps that had moments before crafted her form were sucked back toward the house. Then the door slammed shut.


    Kai, Daphne, and Clio stood in silence. A cold wind blew through the house. Kai gingerly reached out for the door handle. It turned. Then it kept turning until it broke off from the door completely. Kai held the handle in his hand until it dissolved into sand which slipped between his cerulean fingers.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Kai said again. Though this time, he was not angry at having been lured into a trap. Anger was for the first time, and this was the second. This time he just felt like a fool.

 Part 3 - Deaths Door

    Part 3 ¨C Death¡¯s Door


    Daphne watched as tiny fragments of what had just been a door handle, slipped between Kai¡¯s fingers. Cold dread seeped inside her. She only allowed herself to watch the disintegrating handle for a moment. Behind her, was an entire house that played the part of a grandiose trap. One they had just been lured into.


    In this particular rendition of the horrific production they found themselves inside, she and her friends had been cast. The role they played; the three blind mice, and the little girl outside was playing the role of ¡®the cheese.¡¯


    Daphne couldn¡¯t have been more disappointed in herself. In Ketros, she had planned and pulled off similar productions, though back then, they just called them cons. They weren¡¯t particularly elaborate. A good con always came down to good casting.


    She had been sloppy. She should have known better. A simple bait and switch like this one was the first con she had ever been involved in. Back then, she¡¯d been given a Tinc for her brilliant rendition of ¡®the cheese¡¯. Still, it hadn¡¯t been long until she decided that she could do much better than to play the role of a crying little girl.


    There something about being reunited with Clio and Kai. With them she felt invincible. Almost like she didn¡¯t have to watch her own back anymore. As she stared down the dark hallway before her, she knew that wasn¡¯t true. If anything, now she¡¯d have to be more aware. She had two more backs to look out for.


    Daphne led them down the hall with silent steps. All three could see passably in the dim light. As they tread carefully, Daphne couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was watching them from the shadows. Though even with her brilliant sight, she couldn¡¯t locate the source.


    The hall smelled musty. The scent followed them into a quaint entrance hall. At least, quaint by Ketrosi standards.


    The room held a fireplace to their left and a large curving staircase that ascended on their right. Two doors stood shut on the wall opposite them. Judging from the layout of the house there would be one more room to her right. Though from where she stood, Daphne couldn¡¯t see the door.


    The tainted spared a quick glance over her shoulder. Clio had one hand on her amulet and another hovering over the short sword on her hip. Kai was staring at the ceiling runners.


    When Daphne followed his gaze, she noticed the dark wood runner that decorated the join was carved ever so subtly. It was quite an intricate job. It featured countless screaming faces, writhing in a mass of torment and agony.


    Kai met Daphne¡¯s eyes. His face set into a grimace. Clio ignored them both and tentatively stepped into the entrance hall.


    She hadn¡¯t walked more than a handful of paces when they all noticed the lighting change. Ever so slowly, the room around them began to grow steadily brighter. The walls revealed their shade to be a warm cream, the ceiling runners, deep mahogany.


    Daphne looked to Clio. The Dwarf didn¡¯t seem to be the cause of the illumination. Confusingly there were no other sources of light to be seen.


    ¡°Clio. Is that you?¡± Kai asked, regarding the light.


    Clio shook her head. ¡°Four choices, friends.¡± She whispered.


    Daphne stepped into the room and took another look. She had cased countless houses in Ketros. So much so, that she had developed a kind of sixth sense when it came to structures and layouts.


    She often noticed discrepancies; a wall too thick, or a room too small which could signal the presence of hidden passages or doors. However, there was something about this house that hid outside her sixth sense. It irked her.


    It felt like a house constructed for the Reaping Festival in Ketros. An attraction for children with cleverly crafted illusions. Floors felt slanted and walls seemed like they were closing in. That was, until you identified the illusion, and the house resolved itself to be no more than a parlour trick.


    However, this house had none of those tell-tale signs. It just had an irksome ambiance that made Daphne feel like she was missing something. She had allowed herself to relax because her friends were by her side, but she couldn¡¯t assume they were going to take care of her. She had to take care of herself.


    Slowly, Clio opened a door that stood alone. It held a quaint sitting room, with another fireplace but little else of note. Only that the ceiling runners were also carved in the same motif as the hallway. Daphne could only guess that it was a running motif of the family, though she couldn¡¯t begin to understand why.


    On the other side of the entrance hall through the two doors was a dining room, a kitchen, and pantry. Daphne crept around all three rooms while Clio and Kai stood guard in case anything were to come down the stairs. When she returned to her companions she shrugged.


    ¡°No sign of anything. Not even the washing up after dinner.¡± Daphne said in a hushed voice.


    ¡°Any clue of what this beast could be?¡± Kai whispered.


    Daphne shrugged. ¡°Sorry. Not yet.¡±


    The idea passed through Daphne¡¯s head that just as there was most likely no Helen outside, perhaps there was no beast or mother inside. They had been lured into a trap by a little girl. Daphne was sure the little wretch would be getting a Tinc for her performance.


    One thing was certain; magic was definitely in play. The doorhandle was evidence of that. Though perhaps this was all the girl¡¯s mother¡¯s idea of a joke. A village as gloomy as Bris was sure to warp a sense of humour. Though Daphne hoped, she knew the situation wouldn¡¯t be so benevolent.


    Clio looked toward the staircase. She looked back at Daphne and Kai. They nodded. Daphne stepped out in front of Clio and led the way up the staircase. Her footsteps were soft as kitten. Every muscle in her body and tail counterbalancing for soft, even pressure. She led the other two around where she was sure there would be creaks and groans in the stairs. For the most part; Kai was hard pressed to mask his heavy footfalls.


    As the trio crept slowly upward, the second floor opened before them onto a small landing. They arrived to see the same cream walls framed with mahogany runners. Nestled between the panels were a handful of doors and a lone wooden mannequin wearing a suit of decorative armor.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    On its head was a bronze helmet fashioned in the old ways which covered the full face. It sported a high red and purple plume. Its chest was adorned with an engraved, bronze cuirass that matched the grieves and vambraces it was wearing. There was a short sword at its hip and a shield fastened on one arm.


    Daphne took one quiet step onto the landing and without warning, the mannequin came to life. It took a heavy, creaking step off the dais on which it stood and drew its sword. Daphne sighed. She hated magic.


    The mannequin¡¯s sword flashed toward Daphne in a streak of bronze which she narrowly avoided. She circled a few steps to the mannequins left. It loaded up on another downward slash but not before Kai called on the weave.


    He drew his wand from its holster under his arm. Then, he muttered a few words into his left hand while extending the wand in his right toward the mannequin. Frost formed at the joints of its sword arm, puncturing into the wood. Motes of white and blue light danced around the ice.


    When the mannequin swung its sword Daphne could hear crackling and popping sounds as wooden joints strained against ice. Kai¡¯s spell had slowed it down and Daphne had an easier time avoiding its attack.


    Sword in hand, Clio charged. She shouldered the creature out of the way as she ran up the last few stairs. As it stumbled, she hacked at one of its legs, leaving a deep gash in the soft wood. Daphne drew her chitin rapier, a weapon of bygone days rarely seen, crafted from the spine of a giant insect. It wouldn¡¯t be much use against a wooden dummy covered in bronze, but it was better than cocking her fists at it like a mad woman.


    The mannequin slashed again, this time at Clio. Kai was already slinging more frost with his wand. He focused on the elbow joint of its sword arm, trying to slow it down. It was a near thing, Clio stepped out of the way as bronze sang inches from her face. She delivered a back swing in retaliation that bounced off mannequin¡¯s cuirass.


    Daphne landed a heavy front kick in the small of the creatures back. The mannequin lunged forward on unsteady feet before crashing into one of the doors. Seizing the opportunity, Kai tried to sling another spell but lost his footing on the stairs. His concentration faltered, and the spell failed, dissipating into the aether.


    Daphne kicked out again, this time aiming for the lowered sword arm. Frost still hung heavily to the joint and when her foot connected, she heard ice shatter. The clattering of its sword falling to the ceramic tiles rung up and down the house.


    Just as the mannequin was regained its footing, Clio feinted with an overhand strike. The mannequin raised its shield to defend itself. Clio grabbed the shield instead.


    Grasping the edge of the wide bronze dish, she turned it as though she were helming a ship at sea. On anyone else holding a shield, the action would have hyper extended the tricep, leaving the arm useless. However, on the ball and socket joint of the mannequin, the technique was ineffective.


    Nonetheless the creature was preoccupied. Daphne used the moment to her advantage. She grabbed the thing by the helmet and pulled with all her might. There was a tearing and popping noise as Clio held on tight to its shield until finally the head and helmet came free. The mannequin went limp. Wood and bronze clattered to the floor.


    ¡°Fucking hell.¡± Kai said, climbing the last of the stairs.


    ¡°That¡¯s a neat trick you¡¯ve learned. Slowing it down like that.¡± Daphne said to him.


    ¡°I think I like your one better.¡± He pointed between the women. ¡°The one where you rip it limb from limb.¡±


    A few more congratulations were passed back and forth. Daphne had been so concerned from the moment they stepped into the house that she couldn¡¯t rely on her friends. She had told herself that she not only had to watch her own back but theirs as well.


    Since the first time she had taken that Tinc so many years ago for playing the cheese in someone else¡¯s con, she had told herself something over and over: No one was going to watch her back for her. Before that con, she had been a foolish little girl. A victim. Her life subject to the whims and passing kindnesses of strangers on the street. A beggar didn¡¯t watch out for herself, not truly.


    Watching Kai pat Clio on the back, Daphne began to think that perhaps she had it wrong. The three of them had been caught completely off guard and come away unharmed. None of them sported even a scratch.


    This was the first time they had ever been tested. They answered the call like a band who had been fighting together their whole lives. Perhaps, she didn¡¯t have to watch her own back anymore. Perhaps they could watch each other¡¯s.


    Clio stooped to pick up the creatures¡¯ shield. ¡°If I had known we were walking into something so dangerous I would have come better prepared.¡± She hefted the shield on her arm, feeling its weight. The armour was obviously far too big for her.


    Daphne waited until Clio looked like she was ready to move on. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    The other two nodded and Daphne led the way. She felt a new confidence rise up inside her. She still stepped silently, still felt the eyes of some unseen thing watching her, but it bothered her less. She had the two most perfect companions watching her back. Together they would protect each other.


    Daphne reached out for the first door on her left. The latch lifted silently, though the hinges squeaked as it swung open. A strange wind pricked up the hairs on the back of her neck. She couldn¡¯t feel its source. Daphne took a few silent steps into a simple bed chamber when an anomaly in her vision made her blink.


    A shimmer of mist appeared and started to take shape in front of her. Quickly the apparition became more visible. It was as though motes in the air, the very Weave itself were converging to form a strange humanoid shape. The shape kept becoming clearer until the Spectre of a maid stood before Daphne.


    Clio called Daphne¡¯s name. It was too late. Before she could breathe, the Spectre had covered the distance between itself and Daphne. It raked out at the Tainted with ghostly claws.


    Incorporeal fingers buried themselves up to the knuckle in Daphne¡¯s chest, and as they raked, it felt as if her organs themselves were being torn to shreds. Daphne tried to raise her hand in defence, tried to breathe, but she couldn¡¯t do either.


    Her vision tunnelled on the creature and continued shrinking until there was nothing but darkness all around her. She didn¡¯t even feel her body hit the floor.


    It had only been a few heartbeats since she opened the door into the Spectre¡¯s room. She didn¡¯t even have a moment to think of how foolish she had been. Silly little girl.


    She had assumed herself safe because she was fighting side by side with friends. They were the thoughts of a foolish girl. A girl she assumed had been left behind on the streets of Ketros so very long ago. Now they were the thoughts of a dead girl.


    *


    Daphne blinked. She swore she had only blinked. She remembered her vision tunnelling. Remembered the blackness, but only for a moment. Only for a blink.


    When she opened her eyes again everything was different. The room had been turned upside down. Literally and figuratively. The furniture was shattered, deep grooves had been cut into the dark wood floorboards. The bitter scent of ozone hung in the air. Daphne witnessed it all from flat on her back.


    Had she feinted? No. She remembered those ghostly claws sinking deep into her chest. She remembered falling, but she had never hit the ground.


    She looked for the creature. Looked for her companions. Clio sat above her rocking back and forth. She was bloody, it ran in rivers down the Dwarf¡¯s forehead as she whispered a deluge of prayers to her Goddess. Daphne noticed Clio¡¯s hand rested gently on her pink shoulder.


    ¡°She¡¯s alive.¡± Kai said.


    Clio opened her eyes. When she saw Daphne looking back at her she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. ¡°Thank Iros. Thank you.¡±


    Kai didn¡¯t look much better than Clio. He was nursing one of his arms and Daphne could see deep bruising on one of his legs.  She still felt that illusive sensation, as though someone or something was watching her.


    What she couldn¡¯t feel was that strange air that blew from nowhere and held the hairs on the back of her neck to attention. She had felt it when she entered the room. Just before she had seen the spectre.


    ¡°Is it gone?¡± Daphne croaked.


    Clio nodded. Kai was keeping one eye on the room and another out the door.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Daphne asked.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t careful enough, Daphne.¡± Clio said after a heavy sigh. ¡°You very nearly died.¡±

 Part 4 - Prayers

    Part 4 ¨C Prayers


    Mortals will never run out of things to pray about, so imaginative are their inventions, and so harsh is the nature of life. Since arriving on new land, one such mortal had prayed for many things. She prayed for safe passage, she prayed for the life of a daughter, and a mother she did not know. She prayed for strength, and protection, and courage.


    When hope seemed lost and life faltered, she prayed. Clio prayed breath back into one of her companions when Reaper loomed close with sickle and basket. As she looked around at her bloody and beaten compatriots; she prayed for this nightmare to end.


    Daphne could barely speak and shivered intensely for an hour at least. There was no celebrating like their last victory. Kai nibbled on rations quietly as he stared out the bedroom door. Clio flinched at every creak and groan the house could muster. She tended to her companions with a steady, practiced hand, though worry was plastered plainly on her face.


    When Kai placed a reassuring hand on Clio¡¯s pale shoulder, she noticed herself tense and grimace. His gentle hands had reassured her before, they were usually a welcome comfort. However, in this ghastly house, after what her bright blue eyes had just seen, even the High Priestess Circe would have provided little comfort. Kai was nothing if not intuitive. After noticing Clio¡¯s discomfort, he removed his hand and resumed his post by the door.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± Daphne asked through chattering teeth as she lay recovering on the floor. She was looking at a pile of ash in the middle of the room.


    ¡°Banishing the specter.¡± Clio replied shortly.


    She could have explained herself. She could have told Daphne that the most efficient way to banish what they had fought was to find the bones of the deceased and burn them. She could have explained that Specters always apparated facing directly toward their own corpses. She could have measured out the exact distance that specters materialize in relation to their remains.


    Though when she opened her mouth again to explain it all to Daphne, Clio felt a trembling rise up her throat. It threatened to overwhelm her. Instead, she clamped her lips shut and stroked Daphne¡¯s hair. She would explain it all in a moment.


    ¡°Is it done? Was that the monster?¡± Daphne asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Clio whispered.


    As Clio knelt on the floor and brushed Daphne¡¯s hair, she tried not to pay attention to the sensation that crept up her spine and the backs of her arms. The sensation that told her something was watching them. Something evil.


    Clio tried to conjure a crooked smile that was meant to be reassuring. From the way Daphne closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, Clio knew her smile was anything but. Slowly Daphne sat up. She propped herself against a wall and looked around the room.


    ¡°Let¡¯s open one of these windows and get out of here. I don¡¯t mean to sound grim, but there¡¯s no way that girl¡¯s mother survived this house longer than we have.¡± Daphne said, massaging her tail and then her legs quickly until the sensation returned.


    ¡°We tried.¡± Kai motioned toward the windows and walls which were scuffed and marred by their attempts.


    Daphne looked around and noticed the damage to the room anew. Slowly she raised herself and inspected the room carefully. The Tainted scrutinized her surroundings with a methodical care that reminded Clio of a priestess in temple. This was Daphne¡¯s Pantheon. Every lock and crevice a god to silently pray to before paying her respects to the next.


    Finally, Daphne exited the room, but only for a moment. She returned with the mannequin¡¯s bronze sword. She wedged it firmly into a windowsill and pressed all her weight against it. For a moment nothing happened. Daphne looked over to Kai.


    ¡°Give me a hand.¡± She said.


    Once he approached, the two of them placed their hands carefully on the sword. The complexion of their arms, woven around each other to secure solid purchase, reminded Clio of the sunrise they had witnessed while leaving Illios.


    The pink of Daphne¡¯s Tainted skin and the blue of Kai¡¯s. Clio said a quick prayer to Veisu, the War Maiden, robed in her battle gown, fashioned from an active volcano, and Atala, the Sea Guardian, armed with staff and conch. Clio had been sure that sunrise had been a sign from the Gods, a sign that all would be well. Now, inside a Vampire¡¯s realm of mist and despair, she wondered if it hadn¡¯t been a warning.


    There was a wrenching noise. For a moment, as Daphne and Kai¡¯s bodies dropped toward the ground, Clio thought they had succeeded. However, the window remained closed. The bronze sword clattered to the ground with a sick dissonance. It lay bent at an obtuse angle. Daphne swore and Kai made his way back to the bedroom door to resume his watch. Daphne looked helplessly at Clio.


    ¡°It¡¯s powerful Weave.¡± Clio said.


    ¡°How do we get rid of it?¡± Daphne asked.


    Clio shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think we may have to keep going.¡±


    The Triumvirate met each other¡¯s eyes solemnly. They gathered their belongings and with a grim determination as Clio checked their injuries one last time. It was with great reluctance that they moved back out onto the second-floor landing. This time Clio took point. Shield raised; she opened the remaining three doors on the level.


    Each door she opened with the utmost care. Daphne and Kai positioned themselves behind her shield, ready for whatever threat awaited them on the other side. On this floor, however, there were no more threats. Just a cleaning cupboard, a servant¡¯s room with two bunks and a children¡¯s bedroom.


    With silent gestures, Clio led the Triumvirate up the stairs that led to the third floor. Without Daphne showing them where to place their feet, the wood groaned uneasily with every step. By the time they reached the third floor, it had released a medley of mournful moans that most certainly had alerted everything in the house to their exact whereabouts.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The musty scent that lingered in the air seemed to grow thicker the higher they climbed. More doors awaited them when they reached the third-floor landing. Clio wanted no part in opening them. She wanted to leave this hell house that had almost taken the lives of the two people she loved most in the world. She stood silent for a moment and prayed for a way out.


    ¡°Clio.¡± Kai whispered from behind her as she stood silent and still.


    The morale of the group was already low and stopping to pray against their helplessness didn¡¯t seem to boost the mood. Clio nodded and moved toward one of the doors. The handle was fashioned into a screaming face that stared up at her in horror.


    It took all her resolve to reach out and grasp it. As she turned, the metal lock wailed painfully. Clio shoved the door open as she could feel her compatriots grimacing behind her at the noise.


    A master bedroom sprawled out before them, taking up half the space of the third floor. A huge, mahogany, four-poster bed stood proudly against one wall. The rest of the furnishings in the room were designed to match. All carved with abstract motifs that seemed to elicit a shudder from each of them as they walked into the room.


    Kai and Clio kept watch at the door as Daphne quickly cased the bed chamber. When she returned, she was tucking a small jewelry box into her backpack. Kai smiled grimly while Clio looked at the Tainted in surprise.


    ¡°What?¡± Daphne asked. ¡°I think a little redistribution of wealth is perfectly acceptable in this situation.¡±


    Clio shook her head but said nothing. Her blonde hair tied back with a leather thong, bobbed about her shoulders. They moved past a washroom, opening the door only briefly before Clio reluctantly opened the last door.


    The face carved into the handle this time was a visage of furious rage. Clio steadied her hand and swung the thing open as quickly as she could. It was all she could do to not to prolong the sound of angry hinges rubbing against one another.


    All this time a prickling sensation that ran up Clio¡¯s spine and the backs of her arms was growing steadily stronger. She couldn¡¯t help but look over her shoulder to make sure nothing was watching her. She noticed Daphne and Kai were doing the same.


    The blessing they held while facing the last Specter was that Clio had seen it appear. She knew in which direction to rush to find the remains. If one were to form out of the aether, outside of her vision¡­she never wanted to fight a creature like that under those circumstances.


    The room they moved into was a dim, windowless space. A heavy desk and chair sat in the center of the room. The walls were lined with shelves, packed floor to ceiling with books that ranged a huge number of topics, both fact and fiction. Clio looked out the door at the rest of the third floor. They had reached the end of the line.


    No more stairs raised higher. No more doors stood shut. There was nothing else to explore and worst of all, there was no sign of a way out. The three of them seemed stuck in this terrible house. Even hope was slipping from her grasp, and all the prayers she had sent had done not one thing to change it.


    Clio looked back into the room. Kai was poring over the desk, apart from a strange key, he didn¡¯t seem to have found anything noteworthy. Daphne was leafing through the bookshelves. How she had any interest in literature at that time, Clio could not understand.


    Kai looked up at Clio. He had noticed Daphne too. She could see the confusion on his face, and he could see the hopelessness in hers. They both turned to the Tainted, curving dark horns and nervously flicking tail scanning the spines of countless tomes.


    Clio was about to speak. She was about to tell her friend that books couldn¡¯t save them. That it wasn¡¯t the time for knowledge, it was the time for might. It was the time for power to beat down the doors, and walls, and windows that hemmed them in. It was the time to force their way into the world outside.


    Clio had her mouth open to say all this as Daphne finally reached out to grasp a book. She pulled it gingerly toward her. Suddenly, the bookshelf she was standing before swung open. It swung smooth and quiet. There was no mournful wailing or angry screech as hinges rubbed against one another. Only silence. Daphne turned back to the other two.


    ¡°I think I missed something in the other room.¡± She said before entering the secret door she had just opened.


    Clio looked at Kai dumbfounded. By the visible gap between his lips, she could tell he was just as surprised. Clio followed Daphne around the corner to see her already in the process of a careful and methodical investigation.


    It was a tiny room or a large cupboard, Clio couldn¡¯t decide. More books were lined along one wall, a cursory glance showed them to be filled with summoning rituals for creatures of several origins, from fiend, to demon, to devil. Along with those titles, there were several tomes on necromancy. Clio felt bile rise in the back of her throat.


    Daphne¡¯s lithe figure stood over a chest on the far side of the room. A shape was hunched over the heavy wooden container. It looked like a person. Clio assumed it had to be the mother until she moved closer. It was a skeleton. Bleached bones and fraying leather armor.


    ¡°How long does it take a body to decompose like that?¡± Kai asked Clio.


    She took a careful look over the corpse. ¡°In this environment? Years.¡±


    Daphne sucked through her teeth. ¡°Why would this family let the stench of a corpse linger in their house for years?¡±


    Clio shifted the corpse off the chest. It fell to the side with a short clatter as the skeleton shattered. Whatever sinew remained to hold it together broke, it collapsed into a pile of bones.


    Clio noticed the lid of the chest was still wedged ajar by the skeleton¡¯s forearm. She gently lifted the lid. The skeletal hand was wrapped around a letter.


    ¡°Great. Another letter.¡± Daphne groaned.


    As Clio pried the letter from the skeletal hand, Daphne asked Kai to keep watch. The seal on the back was familiar. It was the same seal as she found on the letter that the emissary had given her 4 nights ago.


    Somehow, enjoying drinks in that tavern felt like another lifetime. What Clio would have given to be back there now. She prayed a fanciful, childish prayer for her goddess to whisk them all back there now. Her prayer went unanswered.


    Gently, she pried the envelope open. The handwriting was familiar now that Daphne had pointed out the differences. Unlike the other letter they read from this author, the new letter held no praise or honorifics. It was cold and derisive and cruel.


    ¡°Wretch,


    No matter how many prayers you offer, how many souls you bleed on your altar, how much pain you cause in my name; I shall not answer. Though I do find humour in your pathetic grovelling, I shall never give you what you seek.


    Your deeds have broken the trust of those you hold most dear. You have driven all in this house to madness. A madness so potent, that it will continue from this life through to the next. Just know, I would not save you, even if I could.


    Make your final sacrifice. Though I know you are too weak to follow through. It is most entertaining to watch you writhe in the dirt like the worm you are.


    Your everlasting torment,


    Anax Archelios of Bris¡±


    A cold washed over Clio then. A cold so potent that she felt it threaten to force the warmth of hope from her Lens. The cold clawed at the back of her mind, just as the fog had on the lonely road to the village of Bris. The cold whispered something softly to her, and the part of her that heard walled itself off and locked itself away lest it poison the rest of her soul.


    Clio clamped her eyes shut and she prayed. She prayed hard like she was praying one of her companions back to life. She gripped her holy symbol and silently she screamed to her Goddess to take her safely away from all of this. She prayed for time to rewind. She prayed to be back in that tavern, four nights ago, enjoying wine, and mirth, and good company.


    She prayed so hard that she was sure she would incite her miracle. Though, when slowly her thick eyelashes fluttered open, all she could see was a cramped space and death laying at her feet.

 Part 5 - Through Darkness

    Part 5 ¨C Through Darkness


    Kai was used to moving through darkness. He had swum great distances in the Idran Sea, when all his world was a shade of turquoise that slowly darkened to pitch. He had sailed on moonless nights, guided by a complex tapestry of stars and the rings of Weave that surrounded the planet.


    Kai had even moved through the darkness of the valley of death and returned, with a crack of thunder, to the illumination of life. Even still, it was not for the first time, he felt the thought pass through his head that perhaps this time, he may not find his way out of the dark.


    On this occasion the gloom that was unlike any he had felt before. He listened to Clio and Daphne rummage through the contents of a chest. They had found it inside a secret room hidden behind a bookshelf. As they rummaged, Kai began to feel hopelessness settle in.


    He had felt it for a moment in the valley of death, along with the cool, ghostly grass that had curled beneath his toes and a warm wind that had folded over him like swaddling. Hopelessness then had only lasted for as long as it takes thunder to follow lightening.


    The darkness that permeated the cursed house was something altogether different. Hopelessness was threaded through the very weave. It crept up on him as a spider creeps. It watched him. It whispered terrifying certainties into the back of his mind. It clawed at the hairs on his skin that stood perpetually on end. It grew slowly, like a rising tide. Kai knew the tide well enough to know when a storm would follow a rising swell.


    He had moved through darkness before. There was only one thing for it; he had to keep moving forward. That was the only way he knew to keep hopelessness at bay. It was at the core of his culture¡¯s belief: To put one foot in front of the other; that is what hope felt like. It was the only way he knew to combat the dread settling in. He could see it in his friends too. If they were not careful, that dread could take them all.


    ¡°Are you two done in there?¡± He whispered back into the study. The rest of the third floor stood still; silent as the grave.


    Despite the stillness, despite the silence, the house seemed to breathe. In and out. It was the slow measured breath of a predator watching prey. It was imperceptible to the eye, but Kai could feel it. It was entrancing. So entrancing that he jumped when Daphne put a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve discovered a little of what we¡¯re dealing with.¡± She said. Kai could see his own fear reflected in her.


    The Aquan leaned against the door and rubbed his uncovered arms. Arms that had been made strong from his time climbing rigging on the Idran Sea. Still, they prickled with fear despite their strength. Kai kept watch over the landing of the third floor.


    ¡°This house seems to be the residence of a cult.¡± Clio whispered. ¡°Or it used to be. There¡¯s evidence of the worst of it. Necromancy, contracts with creatures of the outer planes. It runs the gamut.¡±


    ¡°No idea how we get out then?¡± Kai asked.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Clio said as she started laying a few things on the floor. When Kai turned to look, he saw a few pieces of parchment, a shirt of chain armour and a leatherbound tome.


    ¡°And do we know what the monster could be?¡±


    Clio paused. She looked like she was about to say something but instead she closed her mouth and shook her head.


    ¡°Can you use that?¡± Daphne asked, pointing to the chain shirt.


    Kai shook his head. ¡°Too heavy for what I need to do.¡± He gestured to his loose, dark shorts that were fastened with cord and his sleeveless, open vest. ¡°It would get in the way of my slinging.¡± He made an exaggerated gesture of casting a spell to illustrate the point.


    Daphne was in a similar situation. She wore hardened leather armour that protected her vital areas but sacrificed protection for flexibility at the joints. It was an unfortunate trade off, but for her style of combat, an essential one.


    ¡°Shame. It¡¯s too big for Clio, otherwise she would have used it.¡± Daphne said, shifting the armour aside with her foot.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I thought I would be safe travelling with just my vestments.¡± Clio said. The loose, light linen she wore didn¡¯t hamper her movement in the least, but it offered no protection. ¡°I am a fool.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have known.¡± Daphne told her before turning back to Kai. ¡°What about that?¡±


    Clio handed Kai the leatherbound tome. ¡°It looks closer to your use of the Weave, than mine.¡±


    Kai flicked through the pages. It was a spell book. From the looks of it, one that had been used by a powerful mage of some kind. If Kai had spent his life studying the Weave like most magical practitioners, the tome would have been worth more than its weight in gold. However, the Weave came differently to Kai than to most people. He would have a hard time deciphering its pages. Still, he decided to tuck it into his bag for safe keeping.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He said. ¡°Not much I can do with it right now. Maybe once we get out of here¡­¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Daphne cut him off. ¡°We should get moving.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said that you figured out what was going on here?¡± Kai said as Daphne moved to leave the study. ¡°Care to fill me in?¡±


    Daphne and Clio quickly told Kai of the letter they had found. They¡¯d also discovered a diary that belonged to someone named Petros, who seemed to be the man of the house. By putting the clues together, they discovered that his family were making frequent sacrifices to appease Archelios, the vampire that was terrorizing the island of Bris.


    Petros had created all kinds of misery in the hopes of appealing to Archelios. When the misery of outsiders failed to attract the vampire¡¯s attention, Petros had turned on his own household. He tortured his wife, tormented his child, and convinced his maid to willingly mount the sacrificial altar. The final journal entry explained that the last person he had to offer as sacrifice was himself but presented little else in the way of information.


    ¡°How does a man get so broken?¡± Kai asked.


    Clio shrugged. ¡°One step at a time.¡±


    ¡°And did you figure out why there¡¯s a skeleton in the cupboard?¡± He asked.


    Daphne smirked. ¡°Caught by a poisoned trap. Did you figure out anything more Clio?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure. All I can tell is that this house is cursed with some powerful Weave. I don¡¯t think time moves quite the same here. It all seems too old¡­I¡¯m not sure though. I¡¯m not¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± She shrugged before grabbing her holy symbol with both hands as she tried to repress a shudder.


    ¡°We can figure it out later. Follow me.¡± Daphne said hurrying out the study door.


    The Tainted led the other two back to the entrance of the master bedroom. Then she began doing her strange routine of checking intimately things that had no business being checked. She knocked on walls and blew into gaps. She stood back from it all and surveyed the room from different angles and then closed her eyes and checked things carefully all over again.


    ¡°Here.¡± She said finally.


    Then, she pressed up against one section of the wall next to the master bedroom door. Nothing happened. She knocked on the wall several times and frowned. Next, she shook her head like she had missed something far too obvious and pressed a different section of the wall. The wall swung open.


    ¡°That¡¯s the second time that you¡¯ve done that.¡± Kai said.


    Daphne gave him a wink and led the way. The secret door opened onto a narrow staircase. It curled around on itself like a pig¡¯s tail winding further and further down. They followed it down past the second storey, down past the first, and then down further still.


    It wound round and round, delving deeper and deeper into the earth. The walls were no longer plastered and painted cream. They were hewn from dirt and stone. The stairs themselves were the same. Transitioning from dark timber to earth. The Triumvirate followed the stairs down for what felt like another three storeys until finally a corridor opened before them.


    The corridor reached both left and right. The moment Kai stepped out, he saw a number of doors on the opposite wall. Quickly, he positioned himself to keep watch down the left side while Clio watched the right. Meanwhile, Daphne investigated the closest door. She crept through and back in no more than a few heartbeats.


    ¡°I found the girl¡¯s mother.¡± She said grimly.


    ¡°Great. Grab her and tell her to show us the way out of here.¡± Kai whispered.


    ¡°I found the girl too.¡± Daphne said. Just as grim.


    Clio and Kai both looked back at her.


    ¡°They¡¯re dead, both of them. Buried too. Looks like they¡¯ve been that way for quite a while.¡±


    A long silence followed, punctuated by a howling that wound down the staircase, right toward the three of them. Kai shuddered.


    ¡°Then who was the girl outside?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s her, the daughter. There¡¯s an etching of her face in there. Same girl.¡± Daphne replied.


    ¡°It must be some sort of shade or¡­Iros¡¯ mercy.¡± Clio swore. ¡°This use of the Weave is so far past what I was educated in.¡±


    ¡°No idea what it could be?¡± Asked Daphne.


    Clio shook her head.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Daphne asked.


    Clio opened her mouth to reply but could only shake her head in response.


    ¡°We keep moving forward.¡± Said Kai before leading the way down the corridor that stretched off to the left.


    It wasn¡¯t long before they found themselves in a room that seemed to have been a gathering place of sorts. A large, heavy table stood surrounded by rough wooden chairs. The few items that had decorated the table mostly lay strewn about the floor apart from a bowl and a candlestick.


    The three of them spread out around the room. There were a few different corridors that led away from the gathering space and a door; heavy, and wooden, and shut. Kai was carefully peering around a corner when he heard Clio behind him turning the handle of the door.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Daphne called to her, suddenly panicked, but it was too late.


    Clio had already opened the door and was about to take a step inside before realizing what she was confronted with. A giant worm uncoiled quickly before her. It was easily four times her height in length, probably more. Two sets of mandibles clattered over a drooling maw. Eyeless, it somehow sensed Clio in front of it and lashed out.


    Clio managed to raise her shield just in time. Kai could hear the scrape of mandible on bronze as the creature clamped down. Clio was bowled over as Kai began running toward her. He didn¡¯t know what else to do so he forced himself to move forward, ever forward. He got as far as the heavy table before he realized he wouldn¡¯t make it to her in time.


    His wand was still in his holster but from the speed at which the creature was slithering toward Clio he knew he didn¡¯t have a moment to draw it. Instead, he forced all the weave he could into his fingers and touched a candlestick that was laying on the table.


    He focused the power of a storm into his fingertips and transferred it into the candlestick. The bronze ornament shot off the table at a terrifying speed, straight toward the worm. Its mandibles were clacking a terrifying rhythm around its maw. The candlestick shot right through the worm¡¯s open mouth and buried itself in the earthen wall behind.


    There was a moment of silence before the worm fell lifeless to the floor. Daphne had only just drawn her rapier. Both she and Clio looked to Kai in surprise. The Aquan felt a sudden wave of lethargy sweep over him. He braced himself on the table before easing himself into one of the chairs.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Clio said as Daphne walked over to help her up.


    ¡°Call it even.¡± Kai replied through deep breaths.


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot in the last four years. That¡¯s not the type of Weave you pick up after some casual study at the university.¡± Daphne investigated the candlestick. It was wedged so deeply into the wall that it sat flush.


    ¡°When we make it out of this cursed hell hole, I¡¯ll make sure to fill you in.¡± Kai said. ¡°But for now, we have to keep moving forward.¡±

 Part 6 - Sacrifice

    Part 6 - Sacrifice


    Daphne had battled the arcane. Though thankfully, she had never directly faced a practitioner of magics. She had never narrowly avoided bolts of the Weave as they crackled and hissed past her head. She had seen it: A mad mage on the streets of Ketros, menacing civilians with his terrifying mastery of the arcane. For seeing it, she knew nothing to frighten her so deeply.


    What she had faced were wards. Locks, and traps, and eldritch scrawling. All manner of security measures to keep thieves from pilfering precious possessions. She had seen runes intended to maim and imprison, and glyphs meant to paralyse and hypnotize.


    She had once nullified a ward that was meant to rearrange all synapses of the person who set it off. An unlucky thief would find that their leg would move when they intended to point their finger, for example. She admired the creativity of it if nothing else.


    What Kai had done however, was real slinging. The type of slinging that terrified her. Yet Kai was not her enemy. Instead, she had been impressed when he froze the joints of the animated mannequin. She¡¯d heard of weave like that before. To her, Kai seemed to be a quick study to learn it in the few short years that they had been apart. What he had done to the worm, however, was something different altogether.


    The accuracy and force with which he propelled the candlestick was immense. It had happened so quickly and violently, that her eyes hadn¡¯t been able to track the whole event. When they embarked from Illios, Daphne assumed that Kai would have been a liability if they were to ever find themselves in a confrontation. Daphne had learned to defend herself on the streets of Ketros, and the training that Clio underwent at the temple was known to be something truly exceptional.


    Kai however, was a sailor ¨C just a sailor ¨C as far as Daphne was aware. Although his body was strong from travelling rigging and waves, there was more to combat than strength. But the Kai that travelled with them now was different. Daphne watched him intently. His breathing was still heavy as he desperately tried to replenish his reserves of the Weave. He limped and his arm shook from time to time. Remnants from the injuries the Spectre had left him with.


    They crept down a narrow, earthen corridor that opened into an empty barracks. As they made their way around the bunks, she noticed something else about Kai. The way he moved was slightly different. It wasn¡¯t his limping either. He seemed surer of himself, more grounded.


    At the end of each bunk sat a low chest and Daphne was desperate for clues. Under her instruction, they turned the room over. Among the chests they found a handful of talons and tiles, old coins, but still worth their weight. They also found a handful of petty gems, and the pick of the litter, a fine short sword.


    ¡°It¡¯s silvered.¡± Clio turned it over carefully. ¡°Unbelievably useful against certain entities. That spectre for one. I wish we had had it then.¡±


    ¡°You should take it then.¡± Daphne insisted.


    Just as Clio began protesting, Daphne flicked out the ornate dagger she had stolen from a noble in Ketros. It shone almost white ¨C the same silvered hue as the short sword.


    Clio nodded with a quick smirk ¡°That would have been useful earlier.¡± They both sheathed their weapons. ¡°Fool I am again. In the heat of the moment I forgot your tale.¡±


    The three of them followed long, labyrinthian twists and turns. Back past the stairs they had entered from and through the door that had hidden the worm like creature. After a few more twists and turns they were faced with another staircase and followed it down.


    Whatever source of lighting the cursed house mustered became dimmer the deeper they delved. Though even in the gloom, Daphne could see that her companions were badly beaten. Kai limped heavier and heavier on his battered leg. She could see the strain in his grimace as he held a dagger in his left hand as it braced his right that held his wand. Both outstretched, ready for any surprise that might leap from the next corner.


    Clio¡¯s shield lowered fractionally, which spoke volumes considering the rigorous training her temple invested in her. She also breathed deeply. Her weave didn¡¯t seem to replenish as quickly as Kai¡¯s and whatever she had done while Daphne had been unconscious had taken most of her energy. Whatever reserves she had left she must have been saving for a truly dire situation.


    Daphne¡¯s heart still ached. She could feel the pain inside her body. It felt as though Spectre¡¯s claw was still embedded inside her. She didn¡¯t limp like Kai and she wasn¡¯t exhausted like Clio. It was something worse. Every now and then her legs would inexplicably falter beneath her and Daphne knew herself to be a lot weaker than what her muscles and bones were telling her.


    The stairs lowered into a wide empty room. The dirt was slick. Though, the light was too dim to tell exactly what it was slick with. Daphne was thankful for that. There was a door on one wall and further along a large patch of rubble where it looked as though the wall had crumbled in on itself.


    ¡°Can you hear that?¡± Kai asked quietly, barely a whisper.


    Clio and Daphne listened carefully, and they heard it. Although, ¡®felt¡¯ would be a more accurate description. There was an almost inaudible chant that appeared in Daphne¡¯s head though her ears picked up nothing. It was so soft she could almost not make it out. But when Clio said it out loud, she knew they were each hearing the same thing.


    ¡°He is ancient, sacrifice all to him.¡± Like Kai, Clio¡¯s voice was barely audible.


    Clio led them after that. Toward the barred door. She was about to reach out for the door handle when Daphne grabbed her arm.


    ¡°Let me take it this time.¡± Said the Tainted, gingerly moving in front of the Dwarf.


    Daphne breathed a short sigh. A glistening on the door which she almost ignored turned out to be an arcane ward. It didn¡¯t take her long to figure out that it was full of destructive potential. Daphne examined it carefully. A three-tiered trap that would surely incinerate them all if it were to be triggered. Her tail wrapped nervously around her leg.


    Daphne reached into a pocket and extracted the tools of her trade. A small leather wrap that contained all manner of items for picking locks and battling the arcane ¨C so long as her adversary came in the form of a glyph, or ward, or sigil. She spent a long while studying the trap before she thought herself confident enough to attempt to disarm it. Even so, she told Clio and Kai to wait for her up the stairs in case the worst was to happen.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    With steady hands and keen eyes, she went to work. The first tier was easy enough. She managed to break the outer shell by changing the structure of a few of the runes. The second tier was more challenging. She had to actually move some of the runes, switching their positions. Difficult enough in itself, though made even harder by the fact that runes had started to rotate around one another. Her brow was sweating by the time she attempted the switches she needed to make. But with a few deft strokes and a sure hand, she made them.


    The last tier was impossible. The runes were moving so fast she could barely keep track of the composition she was facing. Daphne didn¡¯t think of herself as much of a holy woman, but in that moment she prayed. She closed her eyes and asked Nyx, the androgenous God of transience, the moon and all things done in shadow, for guidance.


    When she opened her eyes, she didn¡¯t feel different. She didn¡¯t feel guided by an invisible hand. There was no whisper behind her ear promising her a way forward. So instead, she figured it out by herself.


    She could no longer see the runes for their spinning, she remembered that there had been three major runes and five minor. From her experience with such things, she assumed the five to be decoys.


    Daphne took out three tools, each with a long sharp point and runes of their own etched into the handles. She held them above the spinning runes. She guessed she had to skewer each of the three major runes at the same time and quickly bring them in toward each other at matching speeds and angles.


    It was an extremely risky manoeuvre, but she didn¡¯t have time for anything else. The runes were spinning so fast that in a matter of moments they would lose their structure entirely and collied with one another. The result would be the same as if she failed her manoeuvre.


    She didn¡¯t wait to track the runes with her eyes, she didn¡¯t wait to time their rotations, she didn¡¯t have the moments it would take. Instead, she relied on speed, experience, and a hefty amount of luck. She speared the ward with all three tools at the same time. In less time than the blink of an eye, she dragged them into each other and prayed they were on a concurrent speed and angle.


    It seemed that perhaps Nyx had heard her, though more probably, she was just exceptional at her craft. All the force of an explosion that would decimate the room was contained within the barrier of the ward. To Daphne, it seemed the power of the sun raged within a magically sealed area no larger than the pommel of her dagger. Then suddenly it dissipated. The energy that it had contained was so potent that Daphne could actually see the Weave bleeding off the door in its strangely elusive geometric patterns.


    She allowed herself to breathe a deep sigh of relief before she called for Kai and Clio. They gingerly crept back down the worn stone stairs. While Kai examined the collapsed section of wall, Daphne picked the lock on the door. In a matter of seconds, it swung open with a satisfying click.


    ¡°Was it difficult?¡± Clio asked.


    ¡°Impossible.¡± Daphne admitted.


    ¡°I asked my goddess to guide you.¡± Clio said as she laid a hand on Daphne¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I believe your goddess was absent, darling. This one was all me.¡±


    ¡°I can see another room through this rubble.¡± Kai mentioned quietly.


    They were all speaking softly. Everything any of them said was barely a whisper. It was as though, this deep into the earth, the weight of the house was crushing the sound out of them. Crushing the bravery out of them. Daphne realised she was constantly tensing every muscle in her body to stop herself from shaking.


    Clio gave one last suspicious look up the stairs before heading through the recently unlocked door. Daphne could still hear the incessant chanting, scratching at the back of her mind. ¡°He is ancient, sacrifice all to him. He is ancient, sacrifice all to him.¡±


    It seemed the shivers that ran up her spine pulsed in time with the chanting that echoed about her mind. She even felt her heartbeat falter and start again, in time with the chant¡¯s steady rhythm. She had to get out of here fast.


    The next room they entered was a prison. Barred cages lined both sides of the room. On the left side there was a small gap between the cages where another door stood. As Daphne followed Clio, she noticed every cage was filled with skeletons. Some cages were packed so tight that they lay over each other in a tangle of bones so that it was impossible to tell where one skeleton ended and the next began.


    Daphne didn¡¯t waste time checking the room thoroughly. She spared the door a careful glace to make sure it wasn¡¯t trapped like the last one. Thankfully, it was bare. Daphne gave Clio a nod and the Dwarf pushed the door open.


    Clio¡¯s hair tickled Daphne¡¯s rosy nose as a foul wind blew in from the next chamber. The room however, stood silent. It stretched deep and wide before them.


    A raised dais stood in the centre of the room. Stairs led up to it on all four sides. A stained alter sat atop it all, sacrificial implements scattered around its base.


    The walls were pockmarked with alcoves, each decorated with ghastly relics and implements. The base of the room was flooded with brackish water that sat still. Daphne winced at the stench of foul waste.


    ¡°Lovely.¡± She sighed.


    There was a small platform, on which they stood. The stairs that once led down to the chamber¡¯s floor had crumbled away. It looked like a short drop to the ground level. Though, without being able to see through the liquid below, Daphne couldn¡¯t tell for certain.


    A quick glance around the room showed the Tainted no other doors. Two of the walls had caved in on themselves. One opposite the other. It turned out Kai was right; he could see through the rubble in the other room into a chamber. This one.


    ¡°Looks like this is the end of the line.¡± Kai sighed. ¡°Unless you can see any more secret doors, Daphne?¡±


    Daphne shook her head.


    ¡°I have a feeling we¡¯re going to need to take a closer look at that altar.¡± Clio said hesitantly.


    ¡°Any volunteers?¡± Daphne asked.


    Silence followed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Kai said at length.


    ¡°No. I should do it.¡± Clio sighed.


    No one said anything more, but they all agreed. Of them all, Clio was most savvy to the strange, esoteric horrors the house had thrown at them. She knew how to banish the Spectre. She had also come closest to understanding the way the Weave warped and augmented inside the house. Though Clio still felt completely at a loss toward the whole situation, she was the most likely to garner something from the altar.


    Daphne pulled a rope from her pack and with Kai¡¯s help, lowered Clio into the water. The Dwarf was holding her breath and her face contorted in a violent grimace as the liquid slowly engulfed more and more of her. She could feel it¡¯s warmth creeping up her ribs by the time her feet met bottom.


    Disgusted, Clio nodded to the other two and waded toward the Altar. Daphne watched her slow determined strides. The Tainted was tense as a bow string. She cursed her foolishness for letting Clio dive forward so quickly.


    They hadn¡¯t tested the water, nor had they watched long enough to discern if anything was living in it. After all the foul horrors they had witnessed together in that house, she had lowered Clio into the water with only one thought. Get out of here as quickly as possible.


    Clio¡¯s slow steps kept a certain rhythm and once again Daphne¡¯s attention was brought to the chanting inside her head. ¡°He is ancient, sacrifice all to him.¡± A violent shiver shook up the Tainted¡¯s spine. She and Kai watched Clio as she mounted the stairs. Slowly, Clio climbed out of the viscous fluid that flooded the chamber floor and up. Whatever flooded the room sloughed off her in thick drips.


    ¡°He is ancient, sacrifice all to him.¡± Clio was all the way out of the liquid. Her pace didn¡¯t speed. She kept her slow steady rhythm. Daphne could hear Kai¡¯s breath, keeping the same beat. Daphne wanted to scream ¡°Hurry! Get out of here!¡± But something stopped her. Something intangible. Something that crawled up the back of her arms and neck and reached into the back of her mind.


    Clio had reached the top of the altar. She took her final steps onto the dais and looked over what she found. Daphne watched intently as her mind tried to wrestle free of the incorporeal dread that hypnotized her with its steady rhythm.


    Clio was sweating. A bead of perspiration rolled down her forehead and gathered at the tip of her pale nose. Suddenly, Clio¡¯s eyes went wide in realization.


    Daphne watched as Clio swatted at her nose a moment too late. Even from the distance that separated them, even in the dim light, Daphne could see the glint of that single bead of sweat as it dropped off the tip of Clio¡¯s nose and plummeted onto the dais. When it hit the stained stone in that silent chamber, its impact was audible. Clio turned to them; her face awash in horror.


    ¡°Run!¡± She screamed.

 Part 7 - Ruin

    Part 7 - Ruin


    Clio¡¯s mind was a vast and tangled network as complex as all the connections of the Weave itself. Every junction was occupied by clues of the cursed house that they had delved deeper and deeper into. Every hint, every query, every horror, and evidence of death created a sprawling map inside her mind.


    Yet even splayed out in that vast tapestry, none of it had made sense to her. Not until she was staring down at a blood-stained altar. Though, once she was inside that flooded chamber, she knew it was all too late.


    The truth was that the riddle was far too powerful and complex for her to unravel completely. But as a bead of sweat dropped from her nose onto the altar below, she realized how doomed they were. That bead of sweat was a piece of herself, and willingly or not, she had just offered it up on that altar.


    In her reckoning, the house itself was an entity with power rivalling that of a demi-god. Within its structure, time slowed to a halt. From what Clio could gather, it fed on energy ¨C Weave and fear of the poor fools that it lured within its wicked walls. She cursed herself for being one such fool.


    As the rubble they were yet to investigate shook, Clio knew she didn¡¯t have time for cursing. She held her holy symbol and prayed. Kai and Daphne still watched her from their platform. They were almost twenty meters away, across a flooded plain of brackish liquid. Despite her warning, they did not run, but held firm. Daphne even strung her bow.


    Clio raised her shield and drew her silvered short sword. Prayer was still running through her head. She begged Iros to protect her now.


    This far inside the belly of a demi-god, Clio could not feel her deity¡¯s presence. All the same she prayed louder, yelling her Gods worship into the echoing walls of that dank chamber. If nothing else, it would banish the evil chanting that banged rhythms inside the back of her skull.


    The rubble shook more intensely, and from the shadows in a cave behind it something moved. It was difficult to make out at first in the dim light. Clio couldn¡¯t waste weave on illuminating the cavern. She was sure there would be more important magic she would need to spend her reserves on. She squinted her eyes and watched as a mass of flesh slowly slithered its way over the rubble.


    It was massive. At least 5 metres tall, a being of writhing flesh, and limbs, and faces. It made almost no sound apart from the shifting of water and rubble that it displaced. However, as soon as it appeared the chanting inside Clio¡¯s head grew louder.


    The Dwarf looked over to her companions. She could barely make out the light pink and cerulean of their complexions. In the low light they were of a similar grey scale to the creature that had just appeared in front of her.


    What she could see however, was that they were both frozen. The chanting had hypnotized them, and Clio knew what was running through their heads. ¡°He is ancient, sacrifice all to him.¡±


    The Dwarf had barely enough Weave in her reserve for one last spell. She had told herself to hold it for healing, as she was sure they would need it. She banged her shield off-rhythm as she watched the creature slide ever closer to the altar. Her friends could not break the hold that the chanting had on them. She had to change her tactics.


    ¡°In the name of Iros, I condemn you!¡± Clio screamed with far more gusto than she had ever mustered before.


    She raised her sword hand, index and middle finger extended toward the creature. A bolt of weave shot out of her hand. It was a weak thing, more sound, and light than power. It streaked through the air and struck the creature with the noise a mallet makes as it strikes a gong.


    A wave of Weave rippled out over the water from the point of impact. The mass of flesh seemed to be affected little, if at all. Clio faltered, alone on the altar as the creature slide toward her. Its slow steady pace unchanged.


    Then, out of the darkness an arrow struck into the monster. It slid deep into one of the faces that coated the exterior. It pierced one of the many eyes, right up to the fletching.


    Clio breathed a sigh of relief. She looked back to the platform. Daphne now stood alone. Bow in hand already notching another arrow.


    Kai was nowhere to be seen. Clio didn¡¯t hold it against him for fleeing. He didn¡¯t have the kind of training or experience in combat that she and Daphne had. She¡¯d been impressed with his new skills and the fact that he had made it so far. In truth, she was surprised someone as untested as Kai hadn¡¯t tried to flee earlier.


    ¡°The other platform! Get to the other platform!¡± Daphne yelled as she loosed another arrow and drew a third.


    Clio looked around and saw another platform, similar to the one Daphne was standing on. It was situated under the rubble that Kai had looked through before they had entered the prison, opposite the rubble the creature had emerged from. The mass of flesh had just made it to the bottom of the stairs.


    Clio sheathed her sword. She threw the sharpest implement she could find on the altar at the limbs and faces. When it bounced off harmlessly, she decided following Daphne¡¯s instruction was a much safer gamble. Looking now at the writhing mass of arms and legs and faces, Clio couldn¡¯t think of a worse place to be than in the melee with that foul being.


    The creature had cut off her escape. As it slithered forward, it put itself between Daphne and Clio. The Dwarf grimaced as she ran down the opposite stairs and into the thick fluid that flooded the chamber. Daphne had loosed two more arrows into the creature. Dark blood flowed from the puncture wounds.


    Clio made her way through the liquid slightly faster now she wasn¡¯t beholden to the steady rhythm that still pounded through her head. ¡°He is ancient, sacrifice all to him!¡±  It seemed the more she resisted it, the louder it became.


    As Clio reached the stairs of the second platform, she thanked Iros they hadn¡¯t caved like the others. She had just spared a passing thought for where Kai had run to, when a brick hurtled out of the rubble. It flew clear across the chamber at frightening speed. When it stuck the creature, it did so with such force that it punched a hole through its flesh the size of a fist.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Clio?¡± Kai shouted from the other side of the rubble.


    ¡°Under you! Careful with your slinging.¡± Daphne called back as another of her arrows pinned an arm back against the body of undulating flesh.


    Clio could hear bricks tumbling as she climbed the stairs. Holes were appearing in the rubble as more and more slid out of the way. She tripped on a cascade of stone that tumbled past her and into the water below. With desperate hands and feet she stood and charged up the incline.


    ¡°Get out of the way!¡± Clio yelled.


    She hardly waited a heartbeat before charging through the rubble, shield first. Kai was in the next room; he¡¯d fallen on his hands and knees to avoid being crushed by Clio¡¯s charge. She quickly gave him a hand up before she heard Daphne scream.


    Clio turned in time to see the creature, still clambering up the stairs. Only now, it was hurling Daphne¡¯s arrows back at her. A multitude of arms sticking out from all directions off the gurgling mass were grasping arrows out of its own flesh and using them as projectiles.


    Daphne clutched her arm momentarily from where she¡¯d no doubt been hit by one of her own arrows. She only spared herself a moment before notching and firing another. Clio could tell immediately it lacked the power of her earlier shots.


    The creature, now atop the altar was grabbing sacrificial implements and hurling them with ungodly force. Clio raised her shield just in time to block one and it clanged off the bronze with a sound as loud as thunder. Her arm jarred from the impact and her nerves buzzed from fingertip to shoulder.


    From behind her shield, Clio heard Daphne scream again. The Dwarf lowered her shield just in time to see Daphne escape back into the prison.


    Kai was already breathing hard. With seemingly no thought of himself he invested all his essence into launching two more hefty stones into the creature. One skimmed the outer flesh, barely damaging it. The other punched a hole so far into its central mass that Clio thought she could see through to the other side. Clio hurled a few stones by hand. They weren¡¯t nearly as effective, but she saw that the creature was losing its structure.


    Limbs and faces were sloughing off in chucks. They fell off the main body, sliding down the stairs and dissolved into the brackish liquid below. Even that sickly sound of decaying had an almost audible rhythm; ¡°He is ancient, sacrifice all to him!¡±


    Clio almost threw up when she realized what she had been wading through. Daphne managed to loose another arrow into the creature. The shot was weak. Daphne¡¯s knees faltered and she collapsed to the floor.


    ¡°Daphne.¡± Clio called, then with a start, looked to Kai.


    Kai was back on his hands and knees. He was gasping at breath as though he was seconds away from drowning. Clio could tell immediately that he had overextended himself.


    She cursed herself for thinking he had fled earlier like some coward. He was trying to force his body to use Weave when his reserves were empty. He had surely used some of the Weave that kept him alive already. As he reached for another stone Clio stood on his hand, shield still raised.


    ¡°Enough. You¡¯re no good to us dead.¡± She said.


    Just at that moment, the creature, barely holding itself together let out a mighty bellow. All its remaining mouths opened and the sound they created was the ghastliest thing Clio had ever heard. She took a knee and tried to shield both ears before standing again. When she checked Kai, he wasn¡¯t moving.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    For a moment she believed she had stopped him too late. She thought he had already used so much of the Weave that he had shattered his own Lens.


    Then she saw him breathe. He was alive, though he had been stunned. Clio was sure it had been the creatures ghastly bellow that had done it. She looked over to Daphne and saw that the Tainted too was frozen, she had managed to get herself to her feet and was mid draw. Both companions paralysed with one bellow.


    The mass of flesh swallowed another implement and shot it through one of its mouths toward Daphne. It struck the Tainted hard. Pinned in place she couldn¡¯t attempt to dodge the projectile. The force of the impact jarred her body enough that the arrow she had notched shot free. It hurtled toward the centre of the chamber skewering a ghastly face whose visage was frozen in terror. Despite it, Daphne remained frozen.


    Clio didn¡¯t have to guess what was keeping her companions hypnotized. She knew what the creature wanted and what would be running through the minds of Daphne and Kai: ¡°He is ancient, sacrifice all to him.¡±


    Clio took a heartbeat to study the creature. It was then she noticed within its shuddering flesh that sloughed away in larger and larger chunks, there was a heart. From this distance it looked more like a mass of hearts. All beating in a steady rhythm, it all ran in time: ¡°He is ancient, sacrifice all to him.¡±


    Clio looked around frantically and spotted Kai¡¯s dagger. She grasped it quickly, dropped her shield and threw. She threw with all her might and might that she did not possess. With that throw she prayed to Iros. She prayed to Atala and Veisu too, those two gods that had blessed their journey out of Illios. She prayed to strike true, and she prayed for the lives of her companions.


    Time slowed as that dagger hurtled through the air. All the hopes and prayers of the Triumvirate rested on its sacred pilgrimage. As Clio watched it fly, end over end, it seemed to her that its rotations were just in time with a certain chanting. As it cut through the air, she could almost hear the knife chanting itself: ¡°He is ancient, sacrifice all to him.¡±


    The knife struck into the creature¡¯s heart with all of Clio¡¯s strength. Then, with the blessing of her god it sheared even further, cutting the pulsating mass in twain. Brackish blood spilt over the altar. The mass disintegrated, shedding away from itself.


    Its remnants dripped into the cracks and crevices of the altar. A final sacrifice that spilled over onto the dais and even the stairs. Slowly, it dripped into the pool below.


    The room began to shake. A deep low rumble. It kept a steady rhythm, though Clio could swear the words in her head felt different. ¡°I am ancient. Sacrifice all to me.¡±


    Dust fell from the ceiling and the rubble strewn about the floor found their piles added to with new stones. Clio looked about quickly. Kai was barely able to keep himself on his hands and knees. Daphne had fallen against the door between the chamber and the prison cells clutching her wounds.


    Clio ran. She hammered down the narrow corridor past the prison cells until she reached Daphne. Red blood ran in rivulets off the Tainted¡¯s leather armour and over her soft, pink skin. A few stones had begun dropping from solid sections of the ceiling. Clio ripped a couple of bandages from her pouch and in moments did what best she could to stop Daphne¡¯s bleeding. Then, she helped her off the door.


    ¡°I can walk. Thank you, lovely.¡± Daphne groaned. Propping herself up.


    ¡°Kai can¡¯t. We¡¯ve got to run.¡± Clio said.


    Daphne steeled herself with a nod and they were off. Together, they picked up the hefty Aquan and began up the stairs. Clio could hear the rumbling of tumbling stones behind her and urged the other two to move faster. They climbed. Up the stairs onto the next floor and further up again. Through the labyrinthine corridors that urged the travellers to become lost within their halls. It would be so much easier to become buried alive. ¡°I am ancient. Sacrifice all to me.¡±


    With as little backtracking as they could manage, they reached the tombs of the cursed houses original family. Across the hall were the secret stairs. So again, they climbed. Up five or six storeys worth of curling stairs. Their footsteps pounded out a steady rhythm. ¡°I am ancient. Sacrifice all to me!¡± All the while the two women carried Kai, who could barely put one foot in front of the other.


    Daphne groaned against her injuries. Clio breathed heavy. Shield on one arm, Kai on the other. Her legs and arms burned, but she forced herself forward, ever forward. Daphne faltered on a stair, close to the end of the staircase and almost brought all three of them tumbling down behind her.


    Clio knew how unusual that was for the Tainted, usually so sure of foot. Then she saw Daphne clutching her chest. Not one of her physical wounds, but the wound that the Spectre had left her with.


    Clio knew that Daphne was still suffering from that injury. Most likely, the most perilous of all the wounds she sported. She prayed her friend would hold.


    Clio had no time to heal her. Even if she did, she had no Weave in her reserves to spend on such magic. Healing others had a hefty cost that always seemed disproportionate to the healing given. Instead, Clio grabbed Daphne¡¯s hand to steady her and yelled at her to move forward. It seemed to have the desired effect.


    The whole house was shaking now. The stones in the walls were shifting loose within their mortar. When they breached the third-floor landing, Clio watched as a statue from the building¡¯s roof fell through the ceiling before crashing through the floor itself.


    Daphne rested a hand on the door frame they had just exited as Kai dropped to his knees. They didn¡¯t have the luxury of those seconds.


    Clio yelled again. She called them fools and threatened to leave them there to die if they didn¡¯t pull their weight. To her surprise. They did.


    Kai managed to get to his feet on shaky knees and Daphne propped him up. They ran down the stairs, Clio bracing Kai¡¯s other side. Shield raised as pieces of the ceiling collapsed in on them. The stairs began to fall away, and Clio found herself jumping down them, two and three at a time.


    Kai could barely manage. He tripped and fell constantly, the other two dragging him to keep up. They went past the second floor just in time to see the mannequin crushed beneath a giant falling section of the third floor.


    She could hear the supports and foundations groaning in a familiar rhythm. It groaned louder and louder every moment. ¡°I am ANCIENT! Sacrifice ALL to ME!¡± They ran faster, down the stairs. Clio cursed stairs and begged her gods to bring an end to them and whoever invented them.


    In a disgusting quirk of irony, with a terrifying roar, the stairs fell away. She could see the ground floor, meters below them. All the stairs before them had collapsed and left them with a sheer drop to the ground below.


    Daphne leaped. As she travelled through the air, Clio prayed that her legs would hold. Thank Iros, they did. She landed with her usual cat-like grace and rolled into a trouper¡¯s tumble. In the blink of an eye, she had spun around, ready for the other two.


    ¡°Kai, you have to jump.¡± Clio urged. It was only then that she realized he was barely conscious. He had used so much of his own weave he seemed like a drunkard; barely able to keep his legs or understand speech.


    ¡°Throw him.¡± Daphne called up.


    Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, that¡¯s exactly what Clio did. Of course, Clio didn¡¯t have the strength to lift the Aquan ¨C virtually two meters tall and thick as honeyed mead ¨C over her head. Instead, she braced her shield against him and gave a mighty push. He tumbled through the air, head over heels and heels over head.


    Though Daphne was waiting, ready to catch him, it was impossible to judge his trajectory. He flew like a ragdoll tossed by a child. When he came down on his head and shoulders it was probably thanks to Daphne¡¯s efforts that he didn¡¯t break his neck then and there. Even so, he landed heavily and painfully. Clio barely waited for him to land before leaping herself.


    She could feel the remainder of the timber crumbling away beneath her. Her foot shattered through as she leaped. Clio could have kissed Daphne as she watched the Tainted drop Kai and ready herself to catch the Dwarf.


    Clio landed in Daphne¡¯s arms and the two fell in a heap to the ceramic tiles below. Clio gave Daphne a quick peck on the cheek as thanks before raising her shield to fend off some more falling sections of the ceiling.


    As the house crumbled around them, Clio and Daphne grabbed Kai and ran to the entrance hall. Clio left the other two and took point. She charged down the hall, shield raised. Directly toward the door. She could hear Daphne groaning in her attempt to keep up. She could hear the house screaming: ¡°I AM ANCEINT. SACRIFICE ALL TO ME!¡±


    The door loomed ahead. Clio prayed to Iros to give her the strength to break on through to the other side. She put all of herself into that charge. Speeding down the ceramic tiled floor before crashing into the solid timber door.


    She heard the impact of bronze on wood. She heard the groaning of joints and hinges, but the door held. Every fibre of that wood strained against her weight, but even with the house crumbling around them, the door held. Just. She could smell the outside coming through the bursting seams.


    Then, Daphne, dragging Kai, tumbled into Clio. They fell into the Dwarf with such force that the weight of the three of them together smashed through the solid timber door. The Triumvirate burst from the house and out onto the deserted street before them.


    Clio dragged the other two forward, further into the street as the cursed house crumbled behind them. They watch the facade fall away to reveal the crumbling structure. Clio allowed herself to breathe a deep sigh of relief.


    They had done it. They had delved the depths of a cursed house. A curse so powerful she still shuddered to think of it. Between the three of them, luck, and the blessings of the Gods, they had made it out alive, if just barely.


    She reached into her pack and took out her medical supplies. Kai had passed out. He was breathing shallow, shuddering breaths next to her. Daphne was nursing more wounds than she had hands to cover.


    Clio fed Kai some water from her water skin before breathing into his mouth, so close that their lips touched. He had done similar to her once when she had almost drowned.


    She breathed the smallest of her reservoir into him and relaxed when his breathing steadied. The two of them would now be connected for all time. The effort might have killed her but it hadn¡¯t. She whispered a silent thanks to her goddess. In the state they were all in, she was acting entire out of instinct. She would have to deal with the consequences later.


    At any rate, Kai could be left to sleep in the middle of the street as Clio went about tending to Daphne¡¯s wounds. She rubbed balm on those that still bled to staunch the flow. She wrapped them all and prayed they would not infect. Daphne looked as close to passing out as Kai did.


    ¡°What was that thing?¡± The Tainted managed to utter in a whisper that reminded Clio of that horrible chamber in the basement they had just escaped.


    ¡°The monster?¡± Clio confirmed, before breathing deeply. ¡°That is the perversion that comes to exist when a sacrifice saves itself out of cowardice in its final moments. It¡¯s the twisted result of all the pain and suffering that man Petros, inflicted on his wife, and child, and maid and countless others. That thing was Petros, or a version of him. At least that is my reckoning if I had to hazard a guess.¡±


    Daphne managed a short painful nod. ¡°And the house?¡±


    ¡°The house is beyond me. Its power seemed to touch that of the gods, if only just. But the Weave is large and complex beyond all comprehension. There could be any number of explanations that I cannot fathom at this point. All I know for certain is that it was old. Old, and powerful, and evil in a way most Matu never witness.¡±


    Clio said all this as bricks fell away to reveal the structure¡¯s skeleton, and then even that began to crumble. As though all the ages that the foul power of the house had held back for so long crushed it all at once. The weight of hundreds of years condensed into a moment. Then with scream that was pain, and torment and wood and clay rent in two, the house was nothing more than rubble and dust.


    ¡°All I know for certain is that between the three of us, we destroyed something foul, something evil. And that is a sure way to find yourself in favour of the Gods. Even now I can feel a slight lightening in my heart. Don¡¯t you feel it too?¡± Clio asked Daphne.


    As she turned to see the Tainted¡¯s reaction she realized that Daphne too had passed into a quite slumber. Kai was even snoring on Clio¡¯s other side. Their breathing was so incongruous that the Dwarf couldn¡¯t hear even a hint of the chanting that had pounded inside her head moments ago. She could barely even remember it.


    So, Clio sat in the packed dirt that passed for a street in that tiny morose town on the island of Bris. She sat with the two people she loved most in the world, as they slept soundly on either side of her. She brushed Daphne¡¯s hair with one hand as a small weight lifted from her shoulder and held Kai¡¯s arm as questions of the future threated to burden her with a different weight.


    As she sat in that quiet, lonely street she was surprised once more. The thinnest sliver of dawn¡¯s rosy fingers pierced the veil of cloud and fog. Sunlight had not done so on the island of Bris since before the dawn of the third age.


    It shone, in a wisp no thicker than a hair, but it shone. It rested at Clio¡¯s feet, and in the dirt before her, Clio thought very much that it looked remarkably like the symbol of her Goddess, Iros. It only lasted for a moment, but once it left, Clio felt ¨C for a very brief moment ¨C that perhaps everything would be okay.