Nightfall (Book 1) (8 page)

“Oops.” He bolted, but I was quick enough to smack the back of his head with a wad of mud. “That is it.” He turned back and ran toward me, but in the process I was able to hit him with a few soggy missiles. Then ensued a very unorganized affair involving the exchanging of a large amount of mud and unwanted contact with feet, fists, and elbows.

“Alright boys, I think we shall leave you now,” Eskarne warned.

“Wait, I missed one spot.” I landed an enormous handful of mud on my friend’s head and it slopped down on every side. “Perfect.” I smiled and almost got a mouthful of the stuff. Our audience started laughing when we slipped on the mucky ground as we attempted to stand.

“You do recall that we still have to hunt nook rats?” Ekaitz asked as Arrats and I rejoined them.

“You are bound to scare them off,” Eskarne added.

“Arrats already does
that all on his own,” I replied with a smirk. She punched my shoulder and I grunted. Arrats had kicked me in the exact same spot, so it was a bit sore.

After I expressed my concern of being seen in public and of the Guards coming after us, I finally gave in to Eskarne’s suggestion that I tie my shirt around my eyes. Since she was the one to suggest it, she got stuck as the one to lead me around like the blind person I was pretending to be. Once that was solved we continued on our long walk to the hunting grounds.

The hunting grounds were actually a portion of an unfinished system of sewage tunnels. The system’s construction was said to have been begun by the previous King, because the original ones were supposedly having problems, but for some unknown reason the work on the new tunnels had been stopped. Luckily, the old ones were still working well; it would not have been a pretty sight to have sewage scum pouring out through people’s houses, or cracks in the huge underground pipes and into the streets we walked through daily.

The one and only entrance to the tunnels took hours to reach, so it would be long after sunrise of the next day that we would return home. Though it was a long trip, having the four of us together made it bearable and often quite interesting. Afternoon was the best time to hunt in the tunnels, but only because there was an influx in the quantity of rats. The light made no difference, seeing as it was foggy and rather dim at any given time, down below the reach of sunlight.

As we headed through the streets of Caernadvall, the sounds of waking people began floating on the air and we were beset with a multitude of noises. The lack of sight heightened my remaining senses and they nearly went into overload as we squeezed through the thickening crowds. I was glad that no one was looking for me because there was no way that anyone would think I was blind when they saw how edgy I was toward each sound and every touch.

At one point I lost contact with Eskarne and I almost panicked while I stood there, yelling her name and feeling like a fool. I was about to rip the shirt from my head when her hand dropped on my shoulder and she said repeatedly that she was sorry. After that we stayed to the least populated streets—as often as was possible.

“Can I please take the shirt off now?” I begged, yet again, but Eskarne ignored me as she had the past few times. A familiar smell of bitter herbs wafted over me and I let go of Eskarne’s shoulder, racing toward the shack which my instincts told me was just ahead. My friends shouted at me to stop and I did so, right in front of the hut’s door, upon which I briskly knocked. From within the hut I heard someone grunt loudly before granting us entrance to her home. I pushed the door open and my friends followed me into the single, dusky room. An old woman sat cross-legged on a reed mat, her piercing blue eyes greeting us warmly as we entered her domain. Long, clean, white dreadlocks hung to the sides of her brown, weathered, and ever-smiling face. She wore an old grey robe with faded blue sashes tied loosely around her hips and her forehead bore a black mark ending on the tip of her nose. Below her eyes, similar tattoos marked her cheeks; three vertical, black streaks on each side.

“Ah, one of my favorite boys finally has his elf eyes,” the old woman said as I hastily removed the shirt from my head. I started to ask how she had known my eyes would change, but she kept talking and I soon forgot the question. “You get more handsome every time I see you.”

“You are not too bad yourself Alazne,” I replied, playing along.

“Tch, do not try and use flattery on me, boy.”

I chuckled. “Can we go down now?” I asked.

“Will Eskarne keep me company?”

“Yes,” Eskarne said—as usual—though it seemed that she would rather be the one hunting, not chattering away while the older woman mixed and brewed her different healing potions and random concoctions.

“Then get out of here,” Alazne commanded. We walked over to a round trap door buried in the dirt floor and Arrats lifted it to uncover the tunnels’ entrance. There was a warm glow at the bottom of the shaft, right against the walls fifteen feet below us, where Alazne always kept ten torches lit. I jumped to the first of three ledges—each five feet lower than the previous—and on down to the floor of the tunnel. Arrats and Ekaitz followed right behind me and each of us grabbed a torch from its stand on the wall. With my sight enhanced as it was I no longer needed the torch, but the action was so familiar that I spared it no thought. We walked side by side until we came to a fork in the tunnel and split up; Arrats took the tunnel on the left, Ekaitz the right, and I the middle.

The rats mostly lived beyond the fork and it was a distance beyond that before you would find more than one rat at a time. Nook rats were a large breed of rodents, the average being three feet long from the tip of its nose to the tip of its tail, the latter consisting of half of the creature’s entire length. It was rumored that someone had actually seen an eighteen-foot nook rat, though it was very rare for them to reach more than six feet.

Eventually the tunnels teemed so thickly with rats that, in order to keep from stepping on any tails, I had to slide my feet along the stone floor, nudging the furry creatures to the side as I did so. The tunnels were lined with blocks of stone and cement which had sustained multiple cracks over the years and the smaller rats used the fissures to scamper into the world above where they would hunt for discarded delicacies. I had never witnessed it myself, but I assumed that the larger rodents must feed off of their inferiors in order to stay alive.

~ ~ ~

I flipped the latch on my rat cage and leaned back on my heels, staring into the small, beady eyes of the rat whose nose and whiskers twitched periodically as it sniffed the bars. The echoes of a yell raced along the tunnel toward me and I turned my head in its direction, as did a number of startled rats. Ignoring the recently caged rat I walked in the direction of the noise, wondering what was going on. The yell reverberated along the stone walls a second time, laced with pain. I hesitated not a second longer before running down the corridor to wherever my friend was. The claws of the enraged rats whose tails I had accidentally trampled were too slow and swept through nothing but air as I was already far from them by the time their minds could register the pain.

At the fork in the tunnels I stopped, unsure which direction the call had come from. Shortly the yell came again from the far left corridor and I caught a glimpse of Ekaitz as he ran toward me, also following the sounds. I took the far corridor, not waiting for Ekaitz to catch up with me.

When Arrats came into sight I noticed some small, colorful things prancing around him. He wielded his sputtering torch as his only defense, although the small, bouncing, orb-shaped creatures did not seem to be antagonizing him in any way other than annoyance. He yelped in pain, though none of the things had approached close enough to touch him. I called a number of steel chips from Lietha and sent them arcing toward Arrats’ antagonists. The wounded beasts gurgled in pain before flopping to the ground and a number of those remaining hopped toward me, seeing another creature to irritate.

A sword appeared in my hand just as it swept away the first row of knee-high assailants, then I cut down another of the three beasts, who had spread out so that I could no longer extirpate them all at once. A stream of acidic liquid hit the back of my left calf, eating through my pants and into my skin. The stinging spit felt like liquid hot metal searing my flesh. I yelped at the unexpected pain and lashed out at one of the hopping pests. The thing bounced out of my way and spat at me, the acid burning a line across my right cheek. A quickly summoned dagger buried itself through the beast’s midsection and it fell to the ground, hissing at me until it finally died.

The last creature attacking me hopped back down the tunnel toward its remaining comrades and I followed close behind. Ducking below another arc of spit I kicked the beast toward the far wall where it broke against the stones. Ekaitz caught up with me as I approached Arrats, who deftly caught the sword I tossed him. Ekaitz sent a swift stream of water through the bodies of two of the beasts, cutting through them as easily as a blade would have. The remaining creatures were soon reduced to carcasses littering the stone floor and Ekaitz asked the question running through each of our minds, “What on earth were those things?” All we could do was wonder. I returned the swords and Arrats got rid of the small bodies, enveloping them in flesh-consuming flames.

“Why did you not try and blast them with fire?” I asked Arrats.

He looked away, as if ashamed, and said quietly, “I could not. I tried but I could not summon the flames.” I clapped him on the back and said something to cheer him up as we walked back through the tunnels to gather our caged prey.

~ ~ ~

“I wonder if Alazne will know what those toads were,” Arrats mused as he pulled himself onto the first ledge ascending to the trap door.

I chuckled. “They did look a bit like toads.”

“I just hope she has something for the stinging. My arm still feels like it is on fire,” Ekaitz said. Arrats and I heartily agreed and then we were filing into the room.

Arrats was the first to enter and he had more acid burns than Ekaitz and I put together, so before any of us could say a word, Alazne was lathering us in salves and asking what exactly had happened. I pulled my shirt off so Alazne could tend to the strip of raw flesh on my shoulder and back, and once she was done I tried quickly to pull it over my head before Eskarne could stop me. “Nope,” she said, holding the shirt so that it could not pass over my head. “It goes back over your eyes.” I moaned, despairing that I would have to do so for the rest of my life.

“Alazne, can I stay with you?”

The old woman chuckled. “What would you do here? You would go mad being trapped in this little building.” She smiled and ran her fingers through my hair as a grandmother would with a young child. “But,” she paused for a moment, “keep your clothes on and I shall give you a strip of cloth for your eyes.” I sighed, having been hopeful that she had a much better solution. “You will survive a few more sightless hours.”

“I do not want to,” I grumbled.

“Tch. Go on now. All of you.” Under Eskarne’s glowering gaze I wrapped my head in the strip of cloth and followed her and the others out the door. We headed home in what I knew would be the dawn of a new morning though, for the first time, I was unable to see it with my own eyes.

I tossed some breadcrumbs to my rat and watched as it sniffed the proffered food before scarfing it down, while I lay on my stomach on the cold stone floor next to its cage. The other two rats were already gone and their cages sat empty in a corner of the cellar. Ekaitz crouched down beside me and we sat in silence until he asked, “What are you thinking of?” I remained silent for a short time before sitting up and turning to my friend.

“That man who bought the nook rats from you and Arrats knew there was something wrong with me.”

“How do you know that?”

“It was obvious from his behavior.” Ekaitz gave me a strange look and Arrats joked that he had never seen me so self-conscious before. I scowled back at him and said, “I was hiding in a cloak on a hot day. No normal person would do that.” Ekaitz then objected that I could not just go walking around the kingdom without a cloak or something to hide my eyes. If I did there was no doubt that I would soon be killed.

“I hate hiding,” I muttered under my breath as I stood and walked over to my pack, though I did not miss the worried glance Ekaitz sent in Arrats’ direction. I pulled a small Lietha stone from my pack and dropped back to the floor, slumping against the wall. I gazed at the entrancing maze of deep blue, purple, green, and yellow veins on a backdrop of pale grey which comprised the surface of the stone. When night set in the veins would begin to glow with an ethereal light and with the waxing and waning of the moon the light would increase or decrease.

Lietha stones were created when a wielder of magic called forth something beyond his or her magical strength and ability to control and was overcome by the raw power of their summoning; such a feat left one unable to retain hold on their physical form and the only remains of them were in the form of the small stones. Koldobika had given the Lietha stone to me just after he had taught me to call metal instruments from the land of magic and with it there had been a message; with the most stern, and yet caring, look on his face Koldobika had said, “Beware of the powers you have gained, they are much deadlier than you could imagine. Eternal suffering will be yours if you abuse your gift.” My fear of magic had taken a while to wear off after that, but eventually I had grown comfortable with the newfound connection to Lietha.

The silence around me became deafeningly obvious and I lifted my head to see that Ekaitz and Arrats were gone. I did a quick search of the cellar and surrounding clearing and after turning out unsuccessful in finding them, I began to worry. The problem was not that they had failed to tell me that they were leaving, they often did—and so did I, for that matter. What bothered me was that I had not heard a single sound; it was as if they had simply disappeared.

I returned to the cellar and grabbed my nearly forgotten cloak. I pulled the hood over my face and glanced quickly up at the sun before heading in the direction of Eskarne’s home. If I was going to find out where my two friends had gone, she was the best to start with.

~ ~ ~

I climbed the stairs in the cellar below Eskarne’s dwelling as fast as I could and then burst in without any forewarning. Eskarne swung around, a cruelly twisted dagger in her hand. “Oh, it is you,” she said and slipped the dagger into her belt.

“Where are they?”

“Who?”

“Arrats and Ekaitz.
They sort of disappeared on me,” I said.

“I have not seen them recently.”

“You do not know where they are?”

“You ought to know that I do not stalk their every move.” I chuckled, despite the odd, nagging doubt that was seeping through my thoughts.
How did I not hear them?
“Do you know why they left?” I shook my head ‘no’.

“One minute they were there and then they just disappeared without so much as the sound of footsteps.” Her left eyebrow rose in curiosity; she had come to realize the heightened senses that the strange stone from Alaia had brought upon me and knew it was near impossible to sneak up on—or away from—me.

~ ~ ~

As dusk was nearing, I was losing hope that we would find Arrats and Ekaitz that day, already having scoured every likely location, and asked every scamp we knew if they had seen either of the boys. Neither boy had been seen throughout the course of the entire day, it seemed. We were walking back through the huge market far to the South of the cellar when I caught sight of Ekaitz just as he was turning away from me. I watched for a moment so that I would not be racing after another Ekaitz look-alike, but the sudden appearance of Arrats confirmed their identities.

They conversed for a second and started walking hurriedly in the direction opposite from me and I started running toward them, ignoring the nagging thoughts of worriment that continued even after I had found my disappeared friends. I was frustrated with having spent the entire day searching for them, only to find that they were sneaking about the markets and I was not going to lose them just after finding them, without letting them know how irritated I was. I recognized Eskarne’s voice calling after me and barely caught the last of her words: Stop. But it was too late.

The girl’s call distracted me and I ran straight into an old woman who was carrying newly bought goods to her home. I managed to keep from bowling her over, but in so doing, I completely lost my balance and toppled to the ground. When I hit the ground my hood flew from my face and those closest to me in the crowd got a good look at my face. In a short moment I went from a normal person who had accidentally run into an old woman, to an evil, green-eyed creature of destruction who would abolish any peace remaining in their lives.

Deathly silence spread like an onrushing wave and then people began screaming, crying soon followed from young children worried by their mothers’ fear. Above all the sounds clamoring within my skull, I heard one person cry out—clearer than day—the words I dreaded to hear. “The mark, he bears the mark.” It was an older woman with greasy, greying brown hair which fell in matted locks around her crazed face. “We are all doomed,” another woman cried and then a man shouted, “Kill him.” The call to kill me was taken up by the crowd. I noticed a scant few silent people, amongst whom were Arrats, Ekaitz, Eskarne, and a few people who knew and still recognized me. I stood and the people backed farther away from me, then they parted as two Guards ran to capture me.

I bolted. People fell to the ground and possessions flew through the air in my wake. I knew my only
chance was to make it through the hole in the Wall and escape into the forest, but I had to go without any of my belongings, otherwise the Guards would have an even greater chance of catching me. I ran as fast as I could through the crowded streets, easily leaving the Guards far behind in my wake. Behind me I could hear the Guards shouting at those people who had recovered quickly and were inadvertently blocking their path.

I sped through the corn field, leaving behind me a visible trail of bent and broken stalks, speed was of the essence so I paid no extra attention to detail. At the edge of the field I bent toward the ground, hiding myself from searching eyes as I raced alongside the Wall. When I finally reached the hole, I dove in, ignoring the scrapes and bruises that would soon come. I turned and draped the hanging vines over the entrance and sincerely hoped that I had gone in unseen. There I awaited the Guards’ approach, which would determine my next move.

~ ~ ~

As sunset fell across the land I was disturbed from my thoughts by the sound of men’s voices at the edge of the cornfield. The indents on the grass from my light feet had long since disappeared, leaving no definite trail for them to follow. “We have been looking for hours and we have found nothing in either direction. I am heading back to the barracks for the night.” I crawled to the entrance of the tunnel and watched the Guards as they walked back in the direction I had come. “It was probably a prank by those good-for-nothing street kids,” one of the Guards muttered, just before they were out of earshot.

Even after I was sure the Guards were gone, I waited for the thick darkness of night to take a firm hold on the surrounding lands before I moved. I crawled through the tunnel and cautiously stepped into the vastness of the open space, stalking silently along the foot of the Wall. My footfalls were silent as the night itself, and from a distance all that would be seen of me was the green shimmer of light emanating from my eyes. I continued a distance before finally crossing the large swath of grassy ground.

“It is me,” I hissed, before descending the stairs into the cellar.

“Izotz.” It was Eskarne who jumped me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I coughed, letting her know that she was cutting off my windpipe. “Oh, sorry,” she said sheepishly and let go, though she remained standing at my side.

“I did not think you would miss me that much,” I teased and she glared back. “Well, I guess this has to be goodbye.” I did not want to leave my friends behind and it pained me to think that I might never see them again, but I knew I had to leave. There was nothing that could change that.

Eskarne looked wretched. “You cannot just let them run you off.”

I sighed. “I am sorry, but I have to go. This evening will just replay itself over and over until I leave, or until I die—I would prefer that I did not have to die.” She objected and I held up a hand to stop her words. “It is my choice.” She looked away, glaring murderously at the wall.

“Are you sure you can survive on your own?” Arrats joked, trying to make the situation more bearable for us all.

“Of course he can. It is just a matter of how long he can bear to live without our lovely personalities brightening his day.” This came from Ekaitz, who followed the words with a slap on my back.

“Many people survive without the two of you around and never even complain,” I countered, drawing grunts from them both.

“Are you going to look for Koldobika?” Eskarne finally asked, breaking her silence.

I nodded.

“How are you going to find him?
” was Ekaitz’ question.

“I have a general idea of where he ran off to.”

“We could go with you,” Eskarne suddenly suggested.

“No.
Absolutely not.” I had not meant to sounds as harsh as I had and my friends stared back at me with interest burning in their eyes. “I cannot risk losing any of you,” I clarified, though it came out muttered.

“It is just Caernadvall, for Lietha’s sake,” Arrats exclaimed.

“No. I am leaving this place.”

“What?
How?”

“She can tell you.” I glanced meaningfully at Eskarne. “But I have to leave now.”

“Oh, you would not,” she growled. “You are not leaving me with the only answer to a question that is burning on their minds.” She stabbed a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the boys mentioned and they watched our exchange with great curiosity.

“What did the two of you do?” Arrats finally asked and we immediately ceased arguing.

“Nothing,” Eskarne said. That reply only piqued their curiosity further and they folded their arms across their chests, stern questioning stared from their faces. An imposing sight, really, if you had not known them your entire life as I had. To me, the sight was almost comical.

“You will tell them?” I asked.

“Not a chance.”

“It will be fine. I have to go now, though.” We said our goodbyes and Eskarne gave me a pack filled with items she said I might find useful at some point. I was surprised by how much thought she had put into the offering, and greatly appreciated it.

“Wherever fate takes you, stay safe and remember that we will always be waiting for you to come back, so do not ever—do you hear me? Never—forget us.” I told her that I could not forget them, even if I wanted to, and then I promised to come back. Someday.

I ascended the stairs and turned back for a moment. “Farewell.” I then disappeared like a breath of air in a rainstorm; a shadow in the evening gloom.

Not knowing what strange apparitions or events might befall me beyond the Wall, I camped within the stretch of the long, cold tunnel, waiting for the light of day before venturing further. The green light from my eyes reflected off the walls of the tunnel as I lay there, wrapped in my cloak, and tried to sleep, but the enveloping embrace of unconsciousness was held at bay for a long while by my thoughts of recent events.