When William first began healing people, he feared he'd botch it. Then he'd enjoyed it. He'd like to see sick people rise and be healthy. Eventually, he'd viewed it as a kind of heroic cause. One man against all the plagues the world could muster.

Now William was just sick of it.

Jehair rarely assisted, usually spending her time scouting and collecting herbs. She was able to teach him a thing or two about the use of medicine. But since he never ran out of healing power, that was of no use. So it became a miserable slog through the mud toward a destination he would never reach. With enemies all around and flies biting.

He sent those who were filthy to be washed after he healed them, but he hardly had time himself.

And at last, they entered Blackfear.

It really lived up to expectations. There was no gradual fading of the trees or natural barrier. One moment they were walking in healthy woodlands, free and unencumbered. Then the next, everyone was black and terrible. The trees twisted, made several more attacks, and had to be fended off. The roots groped at their feet, and it took many prayers from Jehair to drive them off.

And finally, they emerged blinking into a far, blackened country under a cloudless sky. It was a simple void, with swirling vortexes of green the only mark and red. Dark things peered down on them, or William was a fool. And the land, though there was no visible source of light. It stood in perpetual, half-lit illumination. The ground was alive but black and tainted by the feet of evil things. And everywhere they went was the stench of rotting vegetation.

At a spring that Jehair brought them to, they refreshed themselves. Yet the cold water seemed to claw at their faces. Though it did not hurt the flesh, William felt it pained him more than a thousand fly bites.

"Well, you've become quite the charmer," said Felix.

"That is Elranor working through me, Felix," said William.

"Are you alright?"

"I admit, I took some personal satisfaction from watching this place fall to bits," said Felix.

"Well, Antion does treat slaves exceptionally poorly," said William. "At the rate we are going, we may miss the tournament." And assault came on him to his spirit, and looking about, he saw the hills of Blackfear leering about them.

Low snarls could be heard, but Jehair paid them no mind, looking helpless.

"What do you care about the tournament, Felix?" asked William. "You've never had much interest in swordplay."

"It's a good opportunity," said Felix. "You can take the measure of the nobility there and learn the nature of their character." More snarls and William went for his sword, but Jehair caught it.

"Drink," said Jehair.

William did so. The water pained the tongue, and an air of hopelessness fell on him. It was crystal clear, but it fought his enjoyment. Getting it down his throat was pain incarnate, and he swallowed as though it was bile. It refreshed, but no joy was given.

William hated every stone of this place.

"Yes, I suppose you are right," said William. "But we've got to do what we can to help against the troubles that have been happening. It would be no good if the whole place collapsed on itself while we won the tournament."

"You overestimate your part in things," said Jehair sadly.

William said nothing. He remembered well Jehair's secret councils with King Faras. And with that, her many offhand statements. However much he might want to trust her, he did not. She might be his guide for the moment, yet she had some other agenda here. The only question was, what?

And keep moving, they did.

But it only got worse as the ground seemed to grip at their feet, and they brought stenches of rotting corpses. They walked and saw festering, stinking marshlands but no people. Only an occasional burnt-out husk, long abandoned, where people had once dwelled.

"Bah," said Massacre, sniffing as she loped forward.

"Massacre, you've returned. What news?" asked William.

"Bah," said Massacre.

"So, there have been problems with disease in the domain of Neral Dinis?" asked William.

"Bah," said Massacre.

"I see," said William. "Then we'd best hurry there as quick as possible; one Jehair has gotten back. I want to be able to come back from Gel Carn before the fighting starts."

"We might still join the King's Road by moving west," said Jehair. "Neral Dinis has no bandits in his domain, for undead stalk it instead, preying on those who live. So we would be safe on it."

"Are there no militia?" asked William, surprised.

"No, or very few," said Jehair. "This area saw the use of militia fall by the wayside in favor of farming and mercantile. Neral Dinis exploited it when he was given power."

Eventually, they came to where the earth was rent and pitted. Here it was difficult to move without going through creators. Jehair knew the way, however.

And then the snarls became roars. Shambling, mottled, decaying corpses came forward from the ground. Their hands might as well have been claws. Their tongues lolled from broken teeth. The air around them stank with decay, and their eyes were wild when they weren't rotting.

William hardly got his sword out before they rushed at them.

Jehair spun her scythe in one move, yet three lost their heads. Another strike cleaved two more down, and a third a final one. William knocked one away with his shield and finished it with a low. Felix hewed two while darting between shadows. Jehair slashed down two with hardly changing positions. Then three more as they came at William.

Massacre breathed her flames at them and roasted them. Yet they ran forward with the flame nonetheless. William cleaved another, then another, bashed down a third, and then was born down. Flaming jaws were over him, and he nearly lost his grip on his sword as they were on him. They bit at his armor, trying to pull it off, and a deadly chill fell over him. But he thrashed, smashing and throwing them off. Rising up in his armor was difficult, even with the blood haze, but he was desperate and mad.

Hewing wildly, he cleaved down too, and another for good measure. Massacre breathed her flames behind him, setting them afire. And her mighty paws smashed down several more. Felix was slashing from the shadows. But the ghouls were coming mostly at Jehair, and William saw she was yielding ground. No matter how fast her strokes, they were encircling her.

He slashed wildly, cutting limbs and heads as black blood spewed. A feral rage poured from the wounds, or so he thought. Felix came to him, and Massacre smashed through the things. Jehair hewed the enemy down like a graceful assassin, her scythe killing them in waves. But there were always more, and soon the ghouls were going at Massacre too. Slashes were appearing on her.

Enraged at this, William rushed forward and attacked like a berserker. He was cleaving skulls and limbs and killing them. Yet they did not fear death and accepted it as readily as flesh. Cutting the head from one biting Massacre, he turned to shield and bash another. There he saw Jehair coming toward them. She left behind a trail of bodies, and so much the better.

The land seemed to grow angry, and their numbers seemed limitless. Finally, William healed Massacre and then defended her with Felix.

"This is no good," said Jehair, slashing them down all the faster. "We must withdraw to higher ground. "And raising a hand, she caused the land to grip the ghouls before cutting her way free of them. All of them followed and fled up a hill. As they did, a mist surrounded them, hiding their enemy. The clouds had come down to cloud their presence and their enemies. They groped forward through the filth.

Then came the music.

Joyful, beautiful music resounded, and it lifted their hearts.

"The music of Isriath is playing throughout the land," said Felix, voice slightly awed. And the mist cleared to reveal much undead falling to death. The joy that washed forth became bitter and sicky-sweet as it resounded.

"Music or no, we should move from here quickly," said Jehair. "There is more undead coming from there."

"No, undead do not tire. So we should make a stand," said William.

"These undead are pathetic," said Felix, cleaving them down. "They outnumber us immensely, yet they can do nothing to us."

"What are these creatures?" asked William, cleaving down two. The outpouring of joy seemed less bitter with the strokes of his blades.

"Ghouls," said Jehair, cleaving down many more. "They prowl the lands of Neral Dinis, hunting at will."

William now felt unbearable sadness as he cut down one after another. With each blow, he felt like he was feeling some ancient tree that had lived for ages. The memory of it pained him, but these creatures meant to kill them. So three times, the undead assailed the hill. And three times, they cut them down in droves.

At last, the undead drew back to gather. Jehair nodded and drew the wood she'd gathered from falling branches from her pack. "Quickly, we must start a fire, put down the firewood we prepared.

"It should ward them off and slow them for a while. After that, they do not come near towns or venture into places lit by flame."

And setting about it, they set kindle from dried leaves and burned them. As they did, the flames roared to life, bright and shining. Beneath the darkened sky, they were beautiful and spoke of hope. Enraged by the light, the undead attacked with greater fury, only to be slowed by the light. The flames burned ever brighter.

The spirits of the land swirled around them in hatred and fury, seeking to quench the fire. The ghouls attacked ever swifter and more aggressively, desperately seeking to reach them. Why were they not afraid of Massacre's flame?

Perhaps because her flame was not from the land but magic.

A spirit of formless, white malice rose skyward above them. A hand was outstretched as the tides came in, and William saw what might have been a face. More came in from behind, but Massacre withdrew to halt them and kept moving to tear them apart. Soon they were driven closer to the light of the fire, and the undead was weakened further.

No matter how many they slew, there were more.

Perhaps William could call on Isriath for support?

But that was not his way.

"Elranor!" cried William. "Elranor, grant us victory!"

The specter took on great form, appearing now humanoid, perhaps elven. Tendrils reached forward, and William began to tire. Felix's attacks were not as strong or swift, and Jehair was also tired. All of them had suffered minor wounds that he'd healed. Not their feet were right by the fire, and they could no longer maneuver.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

'Call on us,' said a voice. 'Call on us before it is too late.'

William thought about invoking Isriath, Maius, or Chun Xi of calling them down to rescue him.

No.

Falling to one knee, William smashed a ghoul across the skull. It reeled back, bleeding copiously. But it snatched up a flaming brand; he brought it around. Again, the ghouls reeled back, and many caught flame and were burned away. "Elranor! Elranor, God of Death! Kiyora, Kiyora Goddess of Dreams!"

"The Flower Maiden," said Jehair, casting aside her scythe and grasping two brands of her own. Felix kept his sword and hewed all the faster.

Now the ghouls reeled back, for the fire that had been kindled had an unnatural brightness. And the brands burned them back, reeled back, hurled by the light more than any blade or mace. Finally, consumed in fire, their body was burned to ashes.

Light emanated from those brands. William perceived below many villages and hamlets, walled in. There people dwelled in fear. Looking up, they saw the brightness momentarily, and he wondered what they felt. Fear? Hope? Joy?

It did not seem they'd ever find out.

The visage now took on a horrific form of a mutilated and terrible corpse. And it was descending toward them. Yet, at the very moment their lives would have been claimed, bells came ringing. Recoiling, she looked up as if in alarm, then returned to them. Yet another bell was rung, and she turned in hatred. Finally, the last bell rang, and she screamed in rage, her voice the howling of a thousand restless dead.

Thus, the sun was dimly visible for the first time, a faint light at best. And though all the darkness flurried to quench, William sensed it felt fear.

"What is this?" asked William.

"Sylvar," said Jehair.

Then, slowly but surely, the sun faded, and the world returned to a dim, unnatural twilight.

"Let's get the hell out of here," said Felix.

"Why do you insist on starting fights with every unholy creature we meet?" asked Jehair.

"I am a Paladin," said William. "I am supposed to start fights with evil creatures."

Felix shrugged. "He has a point."

And off they went, down the hill and past an abandoned and destroyed farmstead. Beyond, he could see a small, unwalled settlement with hopeless-looking people. They gazed at him with indifference and apathy. William wondered for a moment if they were undead themselves. But they were alive; he could see them breathing.

He wondered if the light had helped them.

But, soon enough, a mist of a different kind began to rise up, of red, and their feed was taking them elsewhere. William couldn't even see his own feet. "What magic is this?"

"You've gotten the attention of a powerful person in Blackfear," said Jehair. "Keep your hands near your swords."

William chose to follow.

"Are you alright, Massacre?" asked William.

"Bah," said Massacre miserably.

"Yes, I know we're approaching the enemy," said William. "No one ever achieved greatness by running away."

"What about messengers who bring word of approaching armies," said Jehair. "Or men who retreat to regroup?"

William considered that. Glory resulted from personal power and growth, which would be an act of strength. But a greater glory was to master one's own agenda for the sake of another. "I see your point.

"But I think people have been running in Blackfear their entire lives."

They came out of the mist, and William saw the oddest thing he'd ever seen before him.

It was a majestic carnival with a red, yellow, and violet-colored cloth. There were lights and music in the air, and he could see strange figures dancing. Beautiful women, and also jugglers and dwarves and others. Yet something was wrong here; the more he looked at it, the odder it seemed.

And he noticed a cloaked figure to one side, face hidden, writing.

The people here had... empty eyes.

"Welcome to the Carnival of Souls!" said an voice. And above them, perched on a wire, William saw a beautiful blonde woman with a long mane of hair. Only now she had faintly tanned skin and a new outfit. Her huge bosom was packed into a white corset that bared her shoulders. She wore a short, violet skirt beneath it and long leggings. A violet cloak surrounded her, tied around her neck by yellow cloth. "A place of pure emotional experience awaits you."

Light flashed through her. She was obscured on the wire before appearing on the ground where the light had ended. Her eyes were closed, showing off her long, dark lashes and violet-painted lips. "Every emotional experience under the sun is available in this place." Her eyes opened, and she smiled as she drew out a deck of cards. "But it is in the cards that you decide which one.

"I am Mai Valens and I am your hostess, kid."

"What is this carnival?" asked William.

The woman fanned out the deck before shuffling them with one hand. The act sent many mesmerizing colors into the air. Those around her seemed attuned to the energy as the shuffling continued.

William fell silent.

"This is a domain of the Sorcerer's Guild," said Mai. "But beware that it is formed from the darkness of Blackfear.

"When one slays undead, the life energies of the undead go into the air. Usually, they flow loose and settle somewhere else.

"Yet because the undead are so common, it tends to flow into neighboring lands. Crops are lost. This place is a realm of experimentation. It draws that energy here and filters it back into Blackfear.

"You may gain much here. Or lose much. I'm here to give you a tour."

"What is the meaning of this gift?" said William.

"What meaning you gain by it is yours alone," said Maius as the lights died and the cards returned to her hands. "Follow me."

"You rehearsed that line, didn't you?" asked William.

"Of course, I rehearsed it," said Maius with a smile. "I am an entertainer."

And they did follow. But before they did, Jehair put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen to me now. Take nothing. Eat nothing, speak to no one in this place.

"Those who enter this place often return changed and warped. It is connected to the realm of the Caliph, or I'm a fool. Learn by observation, but this is no time to enjoy yourself. View it as academic, just as those men do."

William nodded and looked again at the women. Many were giving him amorous glances, too many at that. Then he looked away and decided to simply view the people here as props. Looking to his friends, he decided this was his to deal with.

"Jehair, Felix, Massacre, remain behind and do not enter," said William. "If I am not back, plan a rescue or other matters."

"Is this wise?" asked Jehair.

"I am a Paladin," said William. "I am supposed to enter the darkness that I might redeem fair ladies."

"Then follow me," said Mai. "You'll follow many of them."

William followed and he saw places were vast numbers of delicious food. There were piles and piles on it, but it was poisoned. Jehair knew enough to know that, and William agreed. It was taken from the stolen energies of the undead. One that ought to have gone to the people and land.

It was theft and poison.

Dancing girls moved before him, swaying hips sensually, and he found himself drawn to them. Among them, he thought he saw a glimpse of the blue girl from before, walking through them with gaze on him. Then he saw their eyes, empty, as though they were without spirit. These women were acting as they had been trained, like dogs. What horrible wrong had been done to them to make them like this?

Would that there was something he could do for them?

The Babarassians had been his enemy.

Walking ever further onward, William saw a girl of twelve years old dressed as a prostitute. Bile rose in his throat, and he narrowly kept from throwing up. Technically he was only a few years older than her, but...

That was not the point.

"Am I not good enough for you?" asked the girl in a perfect rendition of offense. But her eyes were empty like machines.

"Get out of this place," said William. "Take everyone you know and run. Go anywhere else."

And he moved on, praying that these people would get away. As he walked, he saw men making notes. Yet he saw no one else enjoying the festivities. "Where is everything?

"How can this place continue to operate without patrons?"

"This place," said Mai. They were withered, but looking hard, they seemed fake. "Has a lot of people. They are all around us. You are simply one of the vessels by which they are experiencing it.

"Some come to this place on other journeys and never know they walk it. It's a lot of fun to watch, not so much to be part of." She turned to eye him with a smile. "If you lose.

"The Carnival of Souls is not always a carnival. Sometimes it can be a world.

"Think of it as a universe of... wish-fulfillment."

"What do you think of my solution?" asked William.

"Eh, treating the whole thing as hostile territory is a good survival technique," said Mai. "Other than not going in at all. But low risk means low reward.

"If you don't gamble, you never win big. Like in that tent, see those people."

William did look and saw no one. Just empty machines were running with many spinning wheels and rolling dice. Slowly he began to discern figures; however, ghosts focused totally on the board. "Who are they?"

"They're the losers in this tent," said Mai. "They rolled the dice and kept rolling. They gambled their memories, their hearts, and a lot of other things. Every time they lost, they appreciated what they used to have a little less.

"Now they're ghosts, gambling the dice because they've always done that. They don't even know why they're doing it. But it makes for a nice way to set the stakes."

"Can they not be freed?" asked William, wondering at this side to Mai.

"They don't even know what that is," said Mai, winking at him. "You'll see in there a couple of fallen priests. Some would be saints. And a lot of businessmen came here from off-world.

"See, they come to Erian to indulge in forbidden pleasures. They do so without fear of consequences where they're from. We draw them here, and they find out that consequences don't need to be feared to happen."

"Does this connect to the experimental crossings in Antion?" asked William.

"Yeah," said Mai, who seemed to be adapting a persona. "The Sorcerer's Guild created this realm on behalf of Neral Dinis. It was a way to prevent starvation for the humans here.

"They use it to experiment on the people who come down here. If you look, there's a tent where people drink themselves into nothing."

William saw another empty tent. But as he gazed in longer, he saw spirits gnawing at their limbs with hunger. Several beautiful girls were standing by with empty eyes. They were as vacant as the ghosts ate themselves. When they devoured a limb, they'd go to another, and it would regrow. Their eyes were wild, in agony and looked famished with hunger. Yet the only thing real to them was their food.

Themselves.

"...What happens to the people who don't become this?" asked William.

Mai leaped into the air, backflipping up to land on some boxes. Then, drawing a baton from her bosom with one long-taloned hand, she pointed it toward a distant tent. As she did, the tent drew near them, then pointed with one gloved hand. William followed it, seeing an immensely fat man grabbing several women.

They were tied and pulled into a tent, screaming. But their eyes were empty, and then a young, boring-looking individual looked in with a sword. For a moment, William thought he was boring as he walked into the tent. His eyes widened in horror, but they were empty.

William realized that this was not illegal.

This place was, so far as William could tell, amoral.

What was odd was that the streets around them were streets. The carnival was gone, and now they stood in a prosperous villa. And the individual he saw was by the door of a tavern. His sword was out, and there was a man's scream.

Shortly after that, the individual returned with the girl clinging to his arm.

"She's a succubus," guessed William.

"Not necessarily," said Mai. "She could be the one who orchestrated the event. Perhaps she placed a spell on the man. Or she could simply be little more than a machine of flesh.

"Perhaps she was afraid because her master wanted her to be afraid. And after he was killed, she became what her new master wanted. Such is the fate of those who indulge in the Carnival of Souls too much."

Mai was having the time of her life with this act. She was really enjoying playing the part of the demonic mystic. Or was this part the real her? Once again, they walked the Carnival of Souls. William saw many strange and terrible things as he walked. But Mai walked with a spring in her step as if it was nothing. Her family all seemed to be off somehow.

Now it was completely empty.

But they came to a last, huge tent, and within it, they opened the door. Entering it, William found many observers scratching notes on a back stand. Yet he finally found other people, and they were many in number. Some William had never heard of every shape and size around them and of every race.

They were watching.

But their eyes were empty and transfixed with blank expressions on the stage.

William wondered what they saw, for the stage seemed to be empty. Then, looking at the figure, he paused. "What are they looking at?"

"Their dreams," said Mai.

"What do you see?" asked William.

Mai thought about it. Then clenching her baton to her chest, she closed her eyes and smiled. "I see myself on a huge luxury ship surrounded by friends and family. And I'd be able to get manicures and have them do my hair for me."

"So, you dream of being here?" asked William.

"No," said Mai. "Only an idiot asks for that kind of service in a place like this."

"Don't you think you should have an attainable goal?" asked William.

"Can we please focus on you?" asked Mai, violet eyes looking upset. "What do you see?"

"Nothing," said William. "I should have seen something. My desires are not yours."

Mai looked over to the empty stage. "Maybe you don't want to see anything."

"No," said William. "I've come over here by personal invitation of a God. All I've seen so far is blanket temptation," Murmurs of approval.

"Perhaps some sort of combat by champion?" asked Mai.

"Would that be appropriate?" asked William.

"No," said Mai. "The carnival theme demands presentation. You see what you take with you."

Then everything went white. The carnival was gone. William stood on that same road as if he'd never left. He felt tired but satisfied that he had done his duty. "What happened?"

"You stopped only for a moment," said Jehair.

"So, uh, are you actually going to use the gaming table?" asked Mai. "Because we have a limited time, and I brought cards."

"No," said William.

"Oh well," said Mai. "We'll call your payment the undead you'll have to kill on your way out as well as in."

"What undead?" asked William.

Mai shuffled the cards in her deck before drawing five in a moment and raising them before her face. "The cards tell me that Sylvar is furious at your earlier defiance. You're going to be heavily attacked on the road as soon as you leave this Carnival." She swayed her hip, and the cards flew from her hand to spin around her in a whirlwind. "I could call them off if you'd like.

"All you need to do is ask."

"I think I'll take my chances, milady," said William.

"You might not want to be so quick to refuse," said Mai. "A working relationship with the Sorcerer's Guild can help House Gabriel."

"Perhaps," said William. "But I will accept no favors from one who meets with me by proxy."

"Fine by me," said Mai. "But don't say I didn't warn you. I had a really good time tonight." And she leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Hope you live.

"Oh, and uh... when you learn about the traitor, remember I could have told who they were."

Traitor? So, Jehair, then. Best not to say much now; he had to learn the nature of her treachery without alerting her.

Then spinning around, her cloak wrapped around her form and vanished. And so they continued their journey with better spirits than ever. And birds began to sing and brought to mind the symbolism of what William saw.

And then the undead were upon them.