Chapter 6: All In My Head
“I should have stopped him!” Isuko fumed.
I understood his worry. In order to have turned Yamato into an insect, the man would need to meet a grim fate first. A knife in the back from Matsuo would have done the job I imagined.
Learning that made Isuko more concerned for Ino’s well being. Saying he was in a hurry to catch up with his father would be an understatement.
“If you push that horse any harder it might break,” I warned him, but Isuko either ignored me or the wind was in his ears.
He was determined to get to Ino as fast as possible, which would have been up here with me ( I mean, I’m having zero issue keeping up with his steed).
But he chose to travel the old fashion way instead.
He followed the muddied tracks of numerous horses all the way from Ishikawa. Ino and those soldiers were hours ahead of us with no clue of what Matsuo was leading them into. I wondered that myself.
A long, narrow road prompted a slower pace. One wrong move and Isuko’s horse would meet a twisted and bloody end down a mountain side.
Of course, I’d never allow that to happen. After Isuko climbed to more favorable grounds he noticed what I did; plumes of smoke. That was our destination.
Isuko starred longer than me though. “We’re too late.”
The closer we got to the city the stronger the potpourri of burnt wood, metal, and death smelt. It was a massacre. Was it naive of me to think that Damnation was the only pure evil there was to worry about?
“I hope my father wasn’t a part of this,” Isuko said, somberly taking in the scene.
“How far do you think Matsuo is going to go?” I asked.
“Maybe as far as Yokogawa? They didn’t help us during the Great Fog either.”
“How far away is that?”
“It’s a few days' ride to the northwest. But Yokogawa has a massive army, hundreds of archers on fortified walls. Ishikawa’s men would be slaughtered there.”
“Maybe, if they were still men.”
Isuko’s eyes widened with even more concern. “How fast can you get us there?”
“Instantly, if I were more familiar with the land. Since I’m not, I'll carry us to Yokogawa with the wind.”
“Right! Let’s get going. I -- “ Isuko paused and turned his attention to the open road. “Did..someone just call me?”
I looked the same way. “I didn’t hear anything.” Or see anything.
Isuko started for the road as if something or someone was there. No one was. “Where are you going?”
“Don’t you see him?”
“Who?”
“My father!” Isuko ran off, anxiously. “He’s okay!”
“There’s no one there, Isuko! It’s a trick!” He ignored my warning and kept running into the evening shadows calling for his father with longing excitement. But I was either blind or Ino was nowhere to be seen.
“Isuko, get back here!” I commanded and I was fully prepared to make him turn around but then I started hearing voices, a voice.
Farah’s.
She took me by the arm and turned me around. She was as beautiful as ever and alive! But...how?! “I’ve missed you Aiden. When are you coming home?”
Before I could respond, or even begin to wrap my mind around what was going on, we were in the middle of an intimate embrace. Her touch was inviting, so intoxicating; I couldn’t get enough. How could she not be real?
At that moment, nothing else mattered. Not Isuko, Yamato, Nihon, Damnation, the stinginging sensation in my chest; I was with Farah and that’s all I could ever want.
♪Heheheh♫
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
***
....
...?
Farah?
♪Go back to sleep♫
...ok..
No..
..can’t..the..pain..so much.. ♪It’ll be over as soon as you sleep♫
..need to..open my eyes..s..something..hurting.. ♫It’s nothing♪
I can..hear it..the..the breaking..slurping..Why’s it a battle to open my eyes? ♫Stop TRYING♫
“GET BACK!” a loud, grizzly voice shouted. “THE SPICY ONE IS FOR ME!”
My eyes flew open and that’s when I saw it; a giant mouth of bloody teeth was in my face then it latched on to my neck. Eating me alive! I tried to move my arms but that didn’t work. The freak was coiled around me so tight, it felt like my lungs were going to pop.
“Burn!” I demanded, setting the toothy snake ablaze. It exclaimed with a mix of a beastly hiss and a woman’s frightful scream. It slithered away, engulfed in hungry flames and I fell face first in a pool of water.
The water hadn’t even settled when another one of the snakes attacked from behind. Then another one chomped on my chest, quickly coiling its body around my body, sucking the life out of me.
“IT’S MINE! MINE!” they shouted, fighting over me like wild beasts.
Come on, Aiden! Wake up! ♫Isn’t it easier to let go♫
“..no..no..No!” I exclaimed, summoning an explosion of fire that torched every living thing around. The snakes retreated down a dark tunnel, chased by living flames.
Still felt faint, sleepy; I couldn’t afford to pass out here. I kept the fire burning around me as I stumbled out of...
I stopped and looked back at where I came from. A cave on the side of a hill? No, a mountain.
Where the Hell am I?? What happened to Farah? Was...was she only a dream?
I took a seat, feeling too weak to stand. Not being with Farah was more disappointing than being lost. I took another curious look at the cave and wondered if Isuko was a victim of those snakes too. Well, I wasn’t leaving until I found out.
***
After healing my wounds ( it’s going to be a long time before I forget the feel of those prickly teeth biting me ), I went searching for Isuko. And some two dozen fried & diced freaky oversized snakes later, there was still no sign of him.
The cave exited to a beach that seemed never ending. Those toothy snakes, smaller than my shoe this time, followed each other into the dark cave as if they were on some kind of mission.
Big or small, I’ve had my feel of their blood sucking ways. With the Earth rune’s power, I brought as much of the complex down on their legless bodies ( which was the most satisfying thing I’ve done all day ).
Looking around the evening horizon, I searched for clues of where I was. Soon I spotted rising plumes of smoke in the distance, and ( to my surprise ) there was another trail of smoke ascending much farther away. Matsuo’s chaotic quest for revenge on his neighbors was spreading.
I hoped Isuko wasn’t under his power now, too. I really wasn’t looking forward to fighting him, Ino, and bugged out Yamato.
“Why was I making Nihon my problem? It’s not my home; what’s happening here has nothing to do with me! If I keep using these runes I’m going to lose control; I can feel it!”
And just when I thought noone was around to hear my ranting, I noticed a figure out of the corner of my eye. Not this time. Ready for anything, I quickly turned to face whoever it was.
She stood where the sea and sand met. If I didn’t know better, I’d brush her off as a harmless young woman dressed in a bright long dress. But her gold laced attire and jeweled forehead clashed with all the locals I’ve met on Nihon and back home.
I clutched the hilts of my swords tightly. “Who are you?”
She gazed at me with a pair of eyes as gray as a full moon. “Who do you think you are, Aiden?” she asked, without moving her lips. “Why must you insist on being something you’re not?”
Whoever she was, she was already stirring up my nerves. “Whatever, lady,” I said, dismissively and turned my back on her. I’ve had it with this madness and I’m not falling into any more mind traps!
A light flashed behind me, then I felt the temperature drop and I felt numb. “I’ll do it myself!” she exclaimed, her voice in my mind. She was in my mind.
Who the Hell..?!
“I..won't.. let you...!” I ordered, grasping my head. It turned dark in an instant; completely black. What happened to Nihon? The throbbing in my head wouldn’t stop and my heart was racing to keep up.
“You have no say in the matter!” she said, grabbing me in a pair of oversized claws, piercing my body.
All..in..my head..! She was as big as a mountain; a fearsome fire cracked in her eyes.
“I’m taking over this vessel!”
Vessel.
That... word again... I hated it! I’m not some glass waiting to be filled; I’m no one's tool! I’m...Aiden..!
“Don’t call me a vessel!!” I exclaimed, summoning enough strength to break her grasp.
"Now!"
"Get!"
"Out!"
"Of!"
"My Head!" Her eyes widened with a mix of shock and disbelief as she dispersed into dozens of atom sized lights.
Then she was gone ( or so I hoped she was ) and I was back in Nihon. Trying hard to catch my breath, I caught a haunting glimpse of a...of something; a runic symbol in the palm of my hands.
Was that..?
Was it..?
A burning hamsa....?