Shadows of Home Read online

  "That doesn't sound dangerous." Ean turned his attention to the villagers. They had gotten the fire under control and were putting out the last few flames. They had managed to save all the homes that had caught fire, although a few of the wooden walls were scarred black and had a few holes burnt through them. Those would have to be replaced, but none of the homes looked unsalvageable. It still pained him that any damage had been done at all, but at least it was manageable, especially in a town whose main focus was wood and lumber. Ean spotted Dao amongst the crowd, his face and missing clothes covered by a brown strip of cloth. The man was bent over with his hands on his knees, his back rising and falling as he took in deep breaths. Hopefully, the man was out of breath from helping and not acting like he was helping.

  "There." Azalea gripped his shoulder and twisted him around until he was facing the main body of the village.

  A few houses down, one of the villagers had an imp cornered between a few boxes and the side of a house. The man carried a spear, its point swiveling to the left and right whenever the imp tried to dart past it. Apparently giving up on the ground, the imp turned and tried scrambling up the wooden wall of the home. It only made it a few feet before the man stuck the spear head right through its back with enough force to make a thunking sound as it dug into the wall. With a jerk, the villager pulled the spear free with the imp still skewered near its tip. He waved it about, a triumphant grin spread across his face.

  The imp exploded without warning with such force that it slammed the man to the ground, shattered the wooden shaft of the spear, and covered the area in a pink mist. Even from far away, Ean felt the impact of the explosion. Except what he felt wasn't the force of a concussive blast. What washed over his body was the barest whisper of Abysmal energy. A minute amount, but if he felt it at this distance, Ean couldn't imagine how much had actually been released at the center point of the exploding imp.

  It just took a few more moments, but then Ean didn't have to try and imagine.

  The villager impacted by the dying imp had gotten to his hands and knees. Hands that stretched out, his knuckles and joints letting out small pops as his fingers tripled in length. The skin changed as well, turning gray before disappearing under a fast-growing layer of thick, black fur. When the man lifted his head a few moments later, the face that stared out in horror barely looked human anymore. Ean had to turn away from the sight of the black furred and deformed face.

  "That's why they’re dangerous." Even though Azalea spoke to Ean, her eyes were looking past him.

  "Go," Ean said trying to hold down his churning stomach. "Kill as many as you can."

  She left without a sharp remark at being ordered around. Either he looked as sick as he felt or he was feeding a ton of sickness and regret through their bond. Ean took a deep breath and tried to settle his stomach. There still was a lot to do, and he needed to get started before things got worse.

  "By the gods, what happened to him?" someone yelled from behind Ean.

  "It infected him!" a woman screamed.

  "We have to catch and kill the monsters before they do the same thing to us!" another man shouted over top of her.

  The courageous villagers, who were organized enough to quell the fire that threatened to destroy the town a moment ago, fell into chaos.

  Chapter 9

  "Azalea!" Ean had to shout over the screams and yells of the villagers. "Kill them before the people here make things worse!"

  The Yulari was already moving, a blur in the low light of the moons. The scattering villagers were blurs as well. The man who had changed let out a howl and ran off into the night. The others who had been outside fighting the fire ran into homes. Some returned with lamps and torches. The more rugged of the villagers came out with axes and swords. Even the ordinary folks, both men and women, young and old, came out armed for battle with pots, pans and hoes. Ean would have smiled at the sight of one matronly woman bouncing a rolling pin in her hand if he wasn't so afraid of what might end up happening if she actually killed an imp. While most of the villagers ran off on their own to hunt the burst imps, some formed into small hunting parties. They moved about with a bit more purpose, winding their way between buildings and waving their lights around to illuminate any dark corner or crevice before moving on.

  One such party, however, marched directly towards Ean. A group of six men, each dressed in the similar plain clothing common in the village, stomped towards him with dark looks. They all carried blades that looked well maintained and polished.

  "That's the one!" one of the men said as the group approached. "He was fighting against the man who was tossing flames about."

  "And I saw him walk right up to that Scar," another man spoke right over top of him, although he stuck to the back of the group. "Stuck his hand in it, then poof, it was gone."

  "I'll handle it," the man at the center of the group replied. They all stopped as they reached Ean, with the leader of the group a step ahead of the rest. His sword hand rested at his side, gripped into a tight fist "Who are you? Why did you bring your fight to our village?"

  "My name's Ean. That man attacked me--"

  "How come?" one man cut in, which opened things up for the rest of the group to chime in.

  "A person who can shoot flames sounds like one of them Heroes to me," a short man said while pointing an accusatory finger at Ean. "Which would make him a criminal."

  "Hey, that looks like my shirt!"

  "If the flame thrower wasn't a Hero, he at least had to be a bounty hunter."

  "This man's probably an outlaw, or worse..."

  "Enough!" their leader bellowed.

  "Sorry, Mayor Senstone," the men replied in unison like a group of boys being scolded for talking back to their elders.

  The mayor gave the men a stare that would have frozen wine before returning his attention back to Ean.

  "The man who attacked you—is he dead?"

  "No." Ean kept his voice calm despite his desire to sprint off after the escaped imps. Best to give these men the answers they needed so they could get to what was important. "I knocked him out. You can probably find him right outside town amongst the scorched areas of grass." Ean motioned in the direction he thought he had left the flame hurler.

  The mayor nodded towards one of the men. The man sprinted off towards where Ean had gestured while the mayor returned to his questioning.

  "Now," the mayor said, "we will take this man and you into custody. After the creatures have been hunted down and slain, we can get to the bottom of what--"

  "No, killing them with knives and blades isn't the answer." The mayor scowled at him after being interrupted but Ean kept talking. "That's what released the energy that changed your man. You have to stop the rest of your people from stabbing the creatures. If they are going to kill the creatures, the only safe way is to break their necks. The safest thing to do would be to get everyone inside and let me and those with me find and kill them."

  "Excuse me if I'm not quick to believe the words of some stranger, especially one who’s--"

  "We don't have time for this." Ean pushed past the mayor and his men. Either surprise or uncertainty kept them from stopping him. He felt for Azalea. She was easy to find this close and now that the Scar was gone, at least the general direction she was in. Excitement and anticipation flowed through their bond. And annoyance. That was all for him, of that he was sure. Ean pitied those poor creatures once she caught them.

  "Wait!"

  Ean had hoped the villagers would have stayed surprised long enough for him to lose them in the chaos. Of course things wouldn't be that easy. Why was it that whenever he was trying to do the right thing, people chose that opportunity to get in his way? He turned to find the mayor behind a wall of swords pointed in his direction.

  "Didn't you hear what I said?" The mayor made it sound as if he believed that was the only possible reason Ean had pushed right past him. "You are to be detained. These men will take you--"

  "Nowhere." Ean d
rew in energy. The tattoos on his forearms flared, adding more light to the villagers’ many torches. The ones on his biceps grew brighter until they shined through his shirt.

  The men in front of the mayor drew back a few steps but kept their weapons pointed his way. Ean's first instinct was to swat them all aside with a burst of energy, but that would be foolish. Besides being seen as an attack, there was no grantee using the energy in such a way wouldn't be just as dangerous as the exploding imps. So instead of lashing out, he took a deep breath and continued to speak.

  "Unless you want more people getting twisted by the energy those imps release, your best bet is to let me take care of them. Safely." He waved a hand to take in the gathered villagers. "You'd be better off rounding up the rest of your people and stopping them from making things worse."

  "You caused this," one of the mob in front of Ean squeaked. When the rest of the gathering mumbled their agreement, it gave the man a bit more confidence. "Why should we listen to you?"

  "Because I caused this," he growled, "and I'm the best one suited to fix it. I need to be out there trying to make sure as little harm comes to Rensen as possible. So, you can either let me try, or you can try and stop me, which would end in all of you getting hurt and potentially more people stabbing those imps and causing them to explode."

  As if on cue, a tiny boom erupted in the night. Ean spun around just in time to see a fading blue light from deep within the village. A few moments later, another flash followed immediately by another boom echoed out from another section of the village. It was soon followed by men yelling and screaming.

  "Mayor," one of the men said, "what should we do?"

  "Maybe the stranger is right," another joined in.

  "I don't know," the mayor stammered. He glanced around, as if the answers could be found behind one of the nearby homes or in the eyes of his scared men. His mouth continued to work but words seemed to fail him. The man was wasting time they clearly didn't have.

  Ean said, "You need to call your men and women back. Order them to return home immediately, where they should lock themselves inside. Let my friend and I catch and kill as many of the creatures as we can. It’s the best way to keep as many of your people as safe as possible."

  Blank eyes stared back at him. Ean had no idea what else to say. It was obvious they weren't as scared as they should be, but how could he convince them? Even back when the village had been attacked by murderous raiders, the people of Rensen had stuck together and showed admirable courage. In fact, the only time he had seen fear in any of Rensen's inhabitants, it had been caused by a single woman...

  That was it.

  "The more people who are changed by the energies released by the imps," Ean almost stumbled over his own words as he tried to get them out, "the more likely the Seekers are going to be drawn here. If they come, who's to say they won't raze half the village. I'm sure you know how thorough they can be."

  His words finally hit a chord. Without waiting for instructions from their mayor, the men took off. Ean watched them go before rounding back on the mayor.

  "I need you to find anyone who might have been exposed. Everyone who was here putting out the fire when the Scar opened or was close enough to see one of those bursts. Even the slightest trace of energy in them will be a death sentence from the Seekers. Round them up and bring them here with those obviously affected. If they have even the barest touch of the Abyss on them, I'll be able to tell."

  "And what will you do to them?"

  "Take them somewhere I can protect them."

  The mayor nodded, his eyes vacant. When he continued to stand in place, Ean gave him a little push that at least got him moving, leaving Ean alone on the edge of the village.

  Alone while all of his nightmares came to life. Ean's stomach burned, not just from the still healing wound in his side, but from guilt. He had been so careful this past year, ever since the first time he had visited Rensen and accidentally transformed that bandit. The image of that man, his skin covered in scales, was forever burned in Ean's mind. He had been an evil man, about to rape an innocent girl, and he had almost killed Ean, but the bandit had deserved the justice of this land, not to be turned into some hideous monster.

  That's when his nightmares had truly begun and they had followed him around all of Ven Khilada and the Deadlands. Now, they were coming to life in a village that had treated him well. One that had called Ean a hero after all of the work he had done helping heal the people after the bandit attack. They had barely recognized him in his new body when Azalea had proclaimed to the whole tavern who he was the second time he had come through. It might have been for the best since his fight with the Seeker had destroyed the front doors of the inn.

  Rensen had been the one place where he felt more people were grateful towards him than feared him.

  And now it was all falling apart.

  Trying to push everything from his mind, Ean focused instead on the problems he could solve: finding the burst imps and anyone changed by the energy they released. A few steady breaths helped him focus. He tried to feel for any of the energy from the Abyss in the surrounding area. It was more difficult than he thought it would be. Abysmal energy seemed to float around in every direction. Two large deposits sat nearby where the Scar had been; the surrounding ground and even the air was saturated by it. The concentration of energy was high, but it was also dissipating at a fast rate.

  The next largest concentration sat a few houses in to the village, either right outside one of the homes or inside. That would be his first destination. Ean moved as silently as he could towards the buildings, placing his hand on the first wooden wall as he peered around the corner. Nothing moved in between the building he leaned against and the one to its immediate left, so he continued into the dirt alleyway. He moved between the houses, the tattoos on his arms shedding enough illumination to light his way. Out in the night, he still heard people shouting out orders and calling to one another, but he thankfully didn't see any more flashes of blue light.

  By the time he had moved close enough to where the large amount of energy resided, the wound in Ean's side had reduced to a dull throb. He approached the home with careful steps, his eyes scanning the building. Not a single light shone from inside. Pressing his ear to one of the shuttered windows, he couldn't make out anything. His heightened hearing, however, did catch the sounds of heavy breathing from around the right side of the home. Moving to the corner, Ean found a large number of crates and small boxes stacked up haphazardly. He could feel the energies of the Abyss somewhere in the pile.

  Tensing up, Ean prepared to spring on whatever was hiding. He took a few soft steps and rounded the stacked containers.

  What he found wasn't a burst imp.

  Soft high-pitched whines were coming from a feminine-shaped form huddled in the darkness. As he moved closer, he realized it was a woman. A long forest green dress with long sleeves covered her petite frame. Her knees were gripped to her chest, but as she rocked back and forth while hugging herself, Ean got a good look at the rugged leather boots on her feet. They had a lot of wear--either from travel or perhaps they were all she could afford. However, most of the woman's details were overshadowed by her striking ruby colored hair. It covered her face and cascaded in waves down her slight shoulders. She had the potential to be pretty, but he only cared about helping her.

  "Um," Ean began. "Are you . . ."

  Furry pointed ears poked up out of hair at the sound of his voice, making him freeze. Except for the black tips, her ears were the same color as her hair. She straightened her back, causing her beautiful ruby mane to fall away from her face, revealing a mesmerizing pair of golden eyes, and a canine-like muzzle with a coal-colored nose.

  What Ean had thought was heavy breathing, turned out to be sobs. He was unsure of her species, but he knew fear and sadness when he saw it. She took one look at his glowing tattoos and recoiled deeper into the shadows.

  "Get away." The woman's voice was low and had a gut
tural growl to it, but there was still enough femininity to the voice for Ean to conclude his initial assumption was correct. In fact, it almost sounded familiar. "I'm a monster."

  "Listen," Ean crouched down to her level but kept his distance as to not frighten the woman. "You're not a monster. You've just been changed by energies from the Abyss."

  "Oh, is that all?" she whimpered as she turned away from him further. "I've seen it happen before. He deserved it, but what he became couldn't be considered human anymore."

  A lump formed in Ean's throat. No, not her.

  "What's--" Ean already knew the answer but struggled to ask the question. "What's your name?"

  "...Paige."

  The lump dropped into his gut like rotted fruit, making it twist and churn. Not Paige. Not the first person who had been kind to him when he walked into Rensen a year ago. She had served him his dinner with a smile and offered to show him around the town. How could he say no to such beauty and charm? That day with Paige was one of his fondest memories when he had first left Rottwealth--at least, until raiders showed up in town. Ean had saved her that night by accidentally unleashing his energy into the man and changing him into some kind of scaled creature.

  And now he had done the same thing to Paige.

  "I--" But what could Ean say?

  "Just leave me alone," she growled, folding in on herself even further.

  "Paige, I'm sorry. It’s my fault..."

  "Your fault?" She turned back towards him, confusion twisting her vulpine face. The light from Ean's tattoos lit up her eyes, which widened as she finally took a good look at him. "Those tattoos, I've seen similar ones before on a young man--" Her breath caught for a moment. "Someone who stopped a raider from assaulting me."

  "That was me, Paige." Ean felt a little swell of emotion. A mixture of pride at what he had done in the past and shame at what he had inadvertently caused in the present.

  "Evan?"

  Pride fled at the misspoken name. "No, my name is Ean--"

  "You did this!" she shrieked as she sprung at him.