The Darkness That Hunts
Chapter 17

Damp earth.

Blood.

Carrion.

Zakk sneezes and Dace usesthe hem of his T-shirt to cover his mouth and nose. I barely notice the aroma.I’ve grown used to the scent of decay from my previous venture into Ater. Roundedwalls of soil crowd around us. Pale light reveals a small foyer with crumbledstone flooring. Wreaths and streamers of bones, stone and dried herbs danglefrom the low ceiling.

“You sure about this guy?”Kamiron bristles.

“He helped me. I trust him.”I motion towards the macabre charms. “But like everything else, he is trappedhere and cannot afford to attract attention.”

I start down a very narrowtunnel that leads further into the knolls. Though I’ve only been here once, Iintuitively know where to go as if I am a pigeon that can hone in on Divine’spresence. I’ve always been good with directions and can sense how to get aroundonce I’ve gotten a feel for a place. We walk in silence. At regular intervals thetunnel opens up to alcoves, rooms, and other dark passages, but I do not waver.Copper orbs, similar to the wisps bobbing outside the knolls, sway inside glasslanterns and provide more than enough light to navigate Divine’s home.Unfortunately, the smell doesn’t seem to get any better.

“Shari, stop!”

It’s Z who pulls me up shortand knocks me out of my daze. He scoots in front of me and holds out a hand asif he is placing it against a wall. A wispy black barricade throbs around hislong fingers. When Zakk pushes against it, it shoves back almost like a spring.I place my hand beside his but it easily passes through the barrier.

“How’d you do that?” Dacesquints at the dark tendrils with naked interest but he and Kamiron maintaintheir distance.

“Some are sensitive to theinner workings of magic. I am pleased this one can sense it.”

We whirl. Emerging from thetunnel behind us looms the druid. He towers over us, standing at least a foottaller than Zakk. Tattoos, Celtic and tribal, cut across his bare torso andcurl down his spine to the hem of his trousers. Oval beads of oak and whitefeathers tangle in his thick hair. A few bones taken from fingers dangle fromhis stretched earlobes and loop about his neck.

I step between the guys andthe druid. His tangerine eyes lock on me, taking in the swollen left side of myface. He nods, grim but satisfied.

“This way.”

He strides down a tunnelthat wasn’t there before. We follow at a slower pace.

“So that’s our hobbit,” Davewhispers at my left ear. “He’s ripped.”

“What were you expecting?”

“Some old guy. Glasses, longrobes, pointy hat--you know, Dumbledore. Not this Chuck Norris lookin’mother--”

I hear the thump of a palmhitting flesh and Dace grunts and rubs his shoulder. “Sorry, Chameleon.” A mischievousglint steals into his blue eyes. “Speaking of Chuck Norris . . . I hear he hasa grizzly bear rug in his house but it’s not dead--just afraid to move.”

“Ugh,” Kamiron huffs. “Notthe lame Chuck Norris jokes, dude. This really isn’t the time.”

“I don’t know about that,Kam,” Z murmurs as he brings up the rear. “Did you know that Mr. T once beat aman to death with his own corpse?”

“Oh, God, here we go,” Kam groans,shoulders dropping. For the next five minutes as we navigate the narrowcorridors, Zakk and Dace keep our growing apprehension at bay with ridiculous“facts”. I learn that:

As a joke, Chuck Norris onceurinated in a semi-truck’s gas tank--and that semi-truck is now known asOptimus Prime.

Mr. T. never learned how todrive, roads simply moved to be where he is. A road oncefailed to move prompting Mr. T to pity it until it became the Grand Canyon.

When Chuck Norris does apush up, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.

The last time Mr. T. andChuck Norris fought, the Big Bang occurred.

Oh, and Mr. T is a “NightElf Mohawk.”

Whatever that is.

Their banter ends abruptlywhen we emerge inside a small room. A stone fire pit sits in the center, itsflames eating the air and heating a cast iron pot. Mats of woven grass line thefloor. Embalmed creatures sway from hooks in the ceiling, their jaws, beaks orpincers splayed wide in death to reveal yellow, jagged teeth or bloatedgray-black tongues.

“Charming,” Dace mutters.

Divine removes the lid fromthe pot and stirs its contents. He nods for us to sit. Producing wooden cupsfrom a dusty shelf, he ladles a gray broth into each cup and disperses themamongst us. He motions to a trough filled with water in the corner of the room.Another ladle dangles over its wooden sides.

“If you are thirsty, drink.”Tangerine eyes flicker to my bruised face. “Or clean yourselves.”

He straightens and the bonenecklace dangling from his neck crackles like dry leaves. The shadows from thefire makes the blue tattoos across his face and body seem to sway.

“For now, rest yourselves. Iwill bring you fresh clothing and then we will speak.”

He disappears into theshadows of the underground channels.

“Chatty fellow,” Dace observes.He cautiously sniffs his food. “For once it doesn’t smell like ass--I’m sold.”

Using the tip of his finger,Kamiron pushes around some of the more solid ingredients in the stew. “If thereare no animals like at home, then what’s this meat-like stuff?”

Eyeing the dead creaturesthat sway from the ceiling, Zakk immediately sets aside his cup. “Think I’llpass.”

I blow across the surface ofthe soup and watch as steam disperses over the lip of the cup and the thickbroth ripples with tiny waves. I take a sip. It’s bland but hearty and moreimportantly, filling.

“Don’t ask where it camefrom, just eat it. It might be a long time before we can get another meal andwe’ll need the strength for what’s ahead.”

For a moment I think theguys will argue with me but either it’s the memory of how starved I was when Ifirst came to Camp Genki, or the fact that I haven’t collapsed on the floor,foaming at the mouth and twitching, the boys to take an experimental taste.When nothing happens, they tear into the meager meal. It’s only until we starteating that we realize how hungry we are. When we left Camp Genki, we didn’thave enough time to get any food or supplies for our trip. Foolish, butunavoidable. After the death of the security guard, Sandra, and the destructionof the J.B. Rhine Auditorium, there was no way we would have been able to sneakoff to Lake Andy.

Taking turns at the narrowtrough, we spoon ladles full of water into our mouth, guzzling our fill.Despite the slightly gray tint to the liquid, the water is cold and delicious.Hunger abated and thirst quenched, we wash off the worst of the blood and filthand turn to the concerns at hand. We take a closer look at the room Divine has leftus in. It seems to be a makeshift kitchen with the pit serving as the stove. Notables, no chairs, no windows. Smoke from the fire drifts up into a series ofholes in the curved earthen ceiling. Shelves with wooden dishes and a bucketof--I wince and back away, retreating to my mat. Apparently dinner was once somesix-legged woodland creature with tufts of sickly green fur and pinchers.

I pat my stomach to keep thefood down. This will take some readjustment.

“So I thought all things inAter are dead, Shari,” Kam ventures, folding his legs under him in the Japanesestyle while Dace and Zakk sit with their legs crisscrossed in front of them.

“Most things are, thoughthey may look otherwise.”

“The druid looked alive tome.” Zakk nods to the kitchen area. “The dead don’t need to cook.”

“I am one of the few things not dead here.”

We all jump and whirl towardsthe doorway. Divine stands there gripping bundles of dark clothing.

“Jeez--could you not do that?” Dace growls, patting hischest. “Nearly scared me to death.”

A ghost of a smile flittersacross the tattooed face. Divine tosses each of us a bundle. “Change into thoseand we will begin. We will burn your soiled clothing later. When you aredressed, come into the hallway.”

Before anyone can respond,he disappears. Kam rolls his eyes. “He’s laying on the mystery a little thick,don’t you think?”

My outfit is a rough-hewncotton shirt the color of a moldy pumpkin and a black aketon so dark it seemsto devour all light. I slide on the supple leather breeches and replace mytennis shoes. My belt loops around my waist and dangles against the flare of myhips. My friends are dressed similarly though their undershirts are differentcolors. Dace’s is the shade of coagulated blood, Kamiron’s the hue of gangrene,and Zakk’s the color of stagnant water. Black leather breeches and aketons withcorded belts complete their look.

Divine waits for us in thehallway. He turns and we follow.

“Exactly where are we?”Kamiron’s voice is immediately swallowed by the dark expanse. Only the smalllights strung from iron chains in the ceiling break the night. I avoid lookinginto the shadowy alcoves and sunken craters that we periodically pass.

“My domain, the knolls.”

The druid swings right andwe start up a flight of dirt stairs hollowed out of the hill. “This isconfusing for you but I am sure Shari has explained to you about the BloodShield.”

We arrive in a room muchlarger than the kitchen. Rimming the chamber are four braziers who flames donothing to brighten the space. Straw mats form a tight circle around a tin basinof clear water and the druid motions for us to take a seat.

Divine splays a hand acrosshis chest. His nails are black with dirt and ink. “I am known as Divine. Mytrue name I forgot long ago. I used to be a Druid, a priest. It was my duty tocommune with nature and spirits.”

“Since you’re here, I takeit that didn’t end so well.” Kamiron has no qualms and doesn’t hide hisskepticism. I shoot him a warning look that he pointedly ignores.

To my relief Divine doesn’ttake offense, or at least he doesn’t show it. Instead his beads clack and hisfeathers rustle as he nods. “It did not.”

“Then how did you end uphere?” I dare myself to ask. I had never had the courage to question him about hispast life; I had simply taken Gjinna’s word that he could be trusted.

“I hail from an Arveni tribeand I lived in a small village south of Gergovia. For generations my family hadbeen farmers and it was expected that my brother Eadoin and I would continuethe tradition when we were of age. We would have except that when I was ninesummers, a Druid took notice of me. I was taken from my family to be trained forthe priesthood, to become a medium between the mortal and the divine. Eadoingrieved. To be a Druid is to have no family, no one tribe. Eadoin and I were asclose as brothers could be but when I became a Druid he became dead to me.

“Years would pass before Isaw Eadoin again. Soon after my departure, he left our farm and became awarrior for our king. At this time, the Romans were invading my homeland Galli.Eadoin fought in countless campaigns but sensed that we Gauls would inevitablycome under Roman rule. He felt the only way to preserve our way of life was toseek help from elsewhere.”

“Elsewhere being a spirit ofsome sort?” Zakk concludes.

With a grimace, Divine shutshis unusual eyes. The tattoos drip across his cheeks and jaw. “We worshippedgods and goddesses but also nature. There existed an entity we knew as‘Braedan’ which means ‘from the Dark Valley.’ Nowadays he is referred to as TheDarkness-That-Hunts, or simply Andhakar.”

Around me the boys tense.Sensing their discomfort, Divine offers a wry smile. “My domain is heavilywarded. It is safe to speak Andhakar’s name here, but I would advise against itonce you leave least you attract undesired attention.

“I advised Eadoin againstsummoning Braedan, but he demanded I perform the ritual. Because he was once mybrother, I did as he asked but I cautioned him that I would not be privy towhat happened afterwards. When Braedan appeared, I left him and Eadoin to theirarrangements. Some time later, Eadoin became one of the greatest warriors ourtribe had seen. He had driven back the Romans and rumors spread that he couldnot be defeated in battle.”

Divine pauses for a momentand gazes into the basin at his side as if he is looking back on his past life.Despite the confidence coursing through his powerful body, he seems weary, asif he wrestles with a great burden.

“Years passed before Eadoinonce more sought me out. Despite his success, fame, and fortune, he was aging.With each year, his fear deepened. He had made a bargain and soon Braedan wouldcollect. Swallowing his pride, Eadoin begged me to replace a way to free him. Icouldn’t.” Divine’s voice is passive but his eyes hold a muted pain. “Instead Imade a deal of my own. My soul in exchange for that of my brother. Braedanlaughed. He found my loyalty to Eadoin . . . ‘quaint.’ He agreed to my requestand as a ‘bonus’ promised to keep me alive. Because of my martyrdom, he dubbedme ‘Divine.’ A joke. A perversity like this realm of his.”

I’m well acquainted with TheDarkness-That-Hunts’ perverse humor.

Divine’s hands clenches intofists before he relaxes his fingers. “I am under The Darkness-That-Hunts’control, but not entirely. There are others like me--”

“The Blood Shield,” Iwhisper, and my finger traces Gjinna’s teardrop pendant with its shield trappedinside.

His gaze caresses the copperchain for a moment, a mournful smile curving the corner of his mouth. He reachesinto his tangled hair and shows me a similar Blood Shield pendant though his ismade of stone with leather, beads and feathers braided around it. “We all seekthe same thing: freedom from this plane. For that, we need your help.”

“How are we supposed to dothat?” Zakk drags his long legs up and props his chin on his knees. “Especiallyif you can’t stop him yourself.”

“More importantly, what’s init for us?” Dace proposes. “I hate to be a dick, but you’re asking us to riskour lives for you and your Blood Shield. We have nothing to do with yourfight.”

“On the contrary, you haveeverything to do with this fight. The Darkness-That-Hunts has once again turnedhis attention to Earth. He seeks unbridled access to your realm, access withoutthe need for ley lines or summonings. Free from the confines of nightfall andcrippling shadow-forms. Once you see more of Ater, you will understand whyAndhakar must never be allowed free reign on Earth. He has tried to gain accessbefore, but he was thwarted--”

“By four shamans.” Kamironeyes his friend. “Dace, like in the Legend.”

Dace inhales sharply. “Then theremust’ve been four people before us, who came after the shamans.”

Divine nods.

Silence arches between us,broken only by the flames crackling in the braziers. Dace licks his lips. “Itake it they failed?”

“They did.”

Zakk stares at the druidwith new insight. “You tried to help them, didn’t you?”

Wooden beads clap and bonesrattle as Divine dips his head. “I did.”

“If they failed, what makesyou think we stand a chance?” Kamironpresses.

“Each of you were chosen.Your very birth was for this reason.”

“Who chose us?” Dace demands. “How could they have engineered--”

“I do not know how you werechosen,” Divine interrupts and though he speaks softly, his voice is flat. “Ionly know that it is you who can saveus. It was ordained you would arrive and you have.”

Ordained? Was my abduction, the horror I faced when Iwas first brought here, predicted by some musty old book?

“The poem.”

The druid glances at Kamironwith an approving nod. Kam turns towards us, his expression resigned. “WhenDace was possessed, the poem he read. Hamilton wrote it down, remember?”

The thought of Hamiltonshoots electric pain through my heart. I think of our last time together, atLake Shizuka, watching the night blossom, listening to his story, to himstrumming his haunting song on his guitar.

Divine turns to Dace andfixes him with a hard stare. “Earlier, you asked what’s in it for you.”

Dace pales under the druid’sscrutiny, but manages a shallow nod.

“You’re not the only humanstrapped here. Your friend, Hamilton, is here. There are countless others. Someare too far-gone, their minds and bodies broken for the Andhakar’s pleasure,but others can be saved. Will you abandon them to their suffering?”

Dace lowers his gaze inshame. Divine keeps his expression neutral, but not before I manage to catch aglimmer of . . . satisfaction?

His chains rattle as hespreads his arms. “I am not cruel. I understand what I ask is difficult, and thatit is your decision. You can help us stop Andhakar, or if you decide youcannot, then I will return you to Earth and you will not hear from me again.”

My heart slams. Divine isoffering to send us home! Home--with my family, back to my life, back to sweettea and sunshine and normal people who don’t have uncanny ESP abilities or wantto kill me. It’s almost a dream come true.

And yet . . .

Andhakar will not stop untilhe’s destroyed everything I know and everyone I love. There’s also no way that Ican leave all those people here to suffer at his hands, least of all Hamilton. WhileI may yearn for home, I know I could never forgive myself for abandoningHamilton and possibly dooming my world. And that assumes that Andhakar doesn’tjust abduct me again.

From the grim expressions onZakk, Dace and Kamiron’s faces, I can tell they’ve come to the same conclusion.They glance at me with resigned nods. Licking my lips, I voice the words thatseal our fate:

“What do you need us to do?”