Howard was approaching the small town of Wendel on the Salten Coast. A quaint little fishing town with many small houses around the outskirts. Most were made of a combination of stone and wood. The stone being the first four feet as a foundation and the wood was built atop it. The road through this section led to a small gatehouse set into a wooden wall that surrounded the inner area of the town.
As he approached, he walked down the hard packed dusty road as many of the residents welcomed him as he passed by. Most of the people here seemed warm and inviting. Occasionally stopping him to try some of the local produce. There was one fruit that he found particularly delicious and decided to buy a dozen from the farmer. He placed them into his storage and continued toward the walled section to find an inn.
Small town people are wonderful, Timothy thought. This was nothing like he was used to. Philadelphia was always so busy that no one ever stopped to talk to a stranger while they were walking down the street. It was a nice change of pace.
Howard had been tracking Desmond from the Cole’s hometown of Vencana to this tiny village. Vencana is on the small continent of Murrsai to the east, about 120 miles away. Vencana is where he found out that Desmond caught a ship to Brenton across the Nurral Straight. He missed him by about a week in Brenton. Brenton is the major port to the southeast of Wendal. Then, when he reached a small travelers inn on the road between here and Brenton he found out he missed him by two days. The innkeeper there was kind enough to tell Howard that Desmond was talking about heading to Wendal and staying there for a while.
He continued down the road to the walled section to find a bed and a tavern. The salt air was pleasant to his senses, the smells brought memories of the beach back to Timothy. After passing through the guardhouse the street changed to cobbled stone lined with various types of shops and taverns as it led down to the docks. He picked one of the nicer taverns and made his way inside. The place was well kept, cleaned and polished, giving all of the wood surfaces a reflective sheen to them. He took a seat at the bar as the bartender approached him and took his drink order.
It took some time but eventually he was sharing stories about sailing the oceans with some of the locals. Most of the patrons were boat owning fishermen or captains of trading vessels that moved up and down the coast. After a few hours of this there was a comradery that formed between him and the locals. The commonality being the ocean. Eventually he started to hit it off with a woman named Narissa, the owner of a large fishing troller. The conversation led to her asking a question of Howard.
“So, what brings you into town?” she asked.
“Eh, looking for my estranged brother,” Howard told Nerissa.
“Oh? What does he look like? Is he shadowborn like you?” The tone of her voice said she was eager to help.
“Na, I was the only one in the family born on the eclipse,” Howard replied.
Shadowborn are born during the lunar eclipse of Bianca, unfortunately the eclipses are unpredictable, and the moon stays invisible during an eclipse. This makes it impossible to predict when an eclipse is going to happen. Howard gave a vague description of Desmond as he continued.
“My brother is rather plain looking. He has brown curly hair about shoulder length and brown eyes. He is about my height but a bit wider in the shoulders. I have heard he has a taste for an Itzel Waylen blend. Ever hear of it?” An Itzel Waylen blend is a combination of whiskies that burn on the tongue but smooths out as it goes down.
“Sorry, no,” Nerissa said.
That is when the bartender cut in, “Ya, I have heard of them. Want one? They ain’t cheap.”
“Ya, sure,” Howard pulled out a silver coin, but the bartender shook his head. Howard knew that a single silver coin was far more than an Itzel Waylen blend was worth. This was an information exchange disguised as a bar transaction. Howard added two more.
The bartender turned around and started pulling various bottles from the back of the bar. He poured each into a measuring glass before adding it to a copper mug. When he was finished, he slid the drink to Howard and took the three coins. Howard lifted the mug and gave a slight nod to the barkeep before taking a sip.
Timothy’s mind raced as did Howard’s! The heat from the drink on his tongue was intense but the instant he let the liquid slide down the back of his throat it became light with a hint of caramel and toffee. It was delicious!
“Wow! That was unexpected. Where did you learn this recipe?” Howard asked.
With a gruff voice the bartender answered, “A friend of mine owns a bar down the way called Castoff. She invented it a few days ago.”
Howard nodded to the barkeep and finished his drink. He knew that was not accurate, but it let him know what bar Desmond frequented. That drink was invented by one of the bar tenders that worked for the Cole family. The most likely way it got to this town is if someone in the Cole family’s employment brought it here. After he was done, he excused himself from the bar and made his way back out to the street.
It only took him a few minutes to find Castoff. It was a half dozen blocks down the same street he was on. He slid into the shadows as he approached and settled in to wait. It took a few hours before he saw a man exit the bar that fit Desmond’s description.
Howard followed him back to the inn he was staying at by keeping to the shadows. The magical enchantment on his armor added to his natural ability to blend into the darkness. After Desmond entered the building, Howard left to find a room for the night at a different inn.
When he woke up the next day, he went down to the docks to procure a boat with a cabin large enough that he could comfortably spend a few days at sea in. The salesman was eager to show him around and let Howard look over each boat for as long as he wished. After about three hours Howard found a boat he liked and went back with the salesman to his office to make the transaction.
It was costly but he didn’t care, the money wasn’t his. When the man behind the desk told Howard to visit the garrison, he took all the most expensive items that he could fit into his shadow storage space. The space was roughly equivalent to a large pantry now that he passed the first wall. He then sold most of it for coin. He heard it pissed off the man behind the desk, that made him smile, he found a perverse pleasure in aggravating that man.
Howard gave the salesman the coin and a little extra for a slip at the dock. He went to his new boat to move it to the slip he had rented. The salesman accompanied him to help him get underway and then moor it to the dock. After he finished docking, he shook hands with the salesman and bid him farewell. He spent some time resting in the cabin of his new boat as he awaited nightfall.
It took Howard a few days of watching the Castoff before Desmond returned to the bar. After a few hours Desmond exited the establishment somewhat tipsy from drink. Howard settled into the shadows and followed him again. After a few blocks he pulled out his rope and dropped into a nearby patch of darkness and used his races shadow step ability to appear next to Desmond. Desmond was startled at the sudden appearance of Howard next to him.
Timothy reacted immediately and punched the man in the throat, preventing him from making a sound. Desmond grabbed at his own neck as he started to back up. Howard charged, but as he did, Desmond went to kick him away. Howard sidestepped the kick and wrapped the rope around his leg as it passed. A brown gem on the one end of the rope lit up as Desmond’s leg was pulled to the ground, all but cementing it to the cobblestones. He decided to try and punch Howard instead. Howard didn’t move and let Desmond’s fist hit him in the chest. The punch barely made Howard move. It was as if he had punched a brick wall.
Howard slowly looked from the fist in his chest to Desmond’s eyes and gave him an eerie smile as the rope extended and wrapped around his wrist. The gem glowed again and pulled his fist to the ground and attached itself to the bound leg. After that, Howard had him. He quickly finished binding Desmond and then placed a rag over his face. The rag had a white and green gem on it that glowed softly as a green mist seeped out. Desmond’s eyes immediately went heavy, and he fell unconscious. Howard took a step back and spared a glance up and down the darkened street.
Good, no one was watching, he thought to himself.
He reached into a nearby shadow and pulled out a small, round metal cage with a clear gem in it. Timothy thought that this looked an awful lot like the sphere that Nigel used in the last door. Howard touched the sphere to Desmond’s back. Desmond went ethereal and was sucked into the gem at the center. Timothy extended his control of Howard and accessed his knowledge.
Yep, these are relatively common, though highly controlled. They are called dimensional prisons, and it should hold him for at least a few hours.
This would give him plenty of time to get back to the boat before the duration wore off. Howard used his shadow step ability to make his way back to the docks unseen. Once there he used his last shadow step of the day to get to his boat.
He made his way below deck and grabbed another item from his shadow storage. A thick wooden chair with iron bindings on the legs, arm rests and chair back. He set that in the center of the room and retrieved Desmond from the sphere, placing him in the chair. He slipped Desmond’s arms and legs through the bindings and then connected the bindings on the back around Desmond’s waist, chest and head. Howard touched the chair back and impressed his will on a black gem at the top. The metal bindings tightened on Desmond, straightening him up from his slumped position but did not wake him. Howard turned and left the room, locking the door behind him.
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Howard went to the side of the boat and released the ropes tying him to the dock. He used his foot to give the boat a little shove from the dock as he made his way out toward the lagoon. He set the sails and made way for the open ocean.
Desmond was awakened by the gentle rocking of the boat on the sea. He couldn’t move, every appendage was locked down tight. He started looking around with his eyes only and noticed that he was in a small plain wooden room with minimal light coming in through two small port windows. There were three stairs in front of him that led to a door. The door lock clicked, startling him for an instant before the door slowly creaked open. There was no one there. Then from behind him he heard a voice.
“Desmond,” the voice said in a low hollow tone. Then the voice moved to his right side.
“You have questions to answer,” Desmond jumped at the voices change of direction. Then it was on his left.
“How honest you are with me will decide how this goes,” he tried to recoil from the voice, but he was still bound tight. He couldn’t even move his head for more than minimal shakes or nods.
“You have the wrong guy. My name is not Desmond, I am Ben,” Desmond said to the room. Timothy slapped the back of Desmond’s head. Not too hard, enough to make it sting but not enough to cause any lingering damage.
“That was your first lie to me. It only gets worse from here,” Timothy said through Howard.
“I am not lying! You have the wrong guy!” Desmond begged.
Howard pulled a blade out of his belt and placed a small cut on the back of Desmond’s neck, causing blood to trickle out and run down his shoulder blades. Then he reversed the blade and stabbed it, hard, through Desmond’s right hand and into the chair arm. “That was two and three,” Howard shadow stepped out of the cabin and closed the door slowly, locking it with a loud click. Desmond was screaming expletives to the empty cabin.
Once Desmond calmed down, Howard gave him a few hours before unlocking the door again and letting it open slowly as he shadow stepped behind him for the second time today.
“Desmond,” he said again in a hollow tone. This caused Desmond’s body to go tense.
“You have questions to answer,” Howard said to Desmond’s right side. Desmond let out a soft whimper.
“How honest you are with me will decide how this goes,” Howard said to Desmond’s left, repeating the same mantra from the first time.
“Like I told you the last time, you have the wrong guy. I am Ben,” Desmond pleaded.
This time Howard struck him on the back of the head with enough force to make Desmond woozy. Then quickly moved in front of him and pulled the knife through and out of Desmond’s hand. Slicing the skin and severing every muscle and tendon between the middle and ring finger. The blade left a deep gouge in the chair’s arm rest under his hand.
Desmond screamed in pain.
“That was four and five,” Howard threatened. “Desmond. You are running out of chances. Are you ready to answer my questions?” Howard taunted in an ominous voice.
“I don’t know what to tell you,” Desmond said between heavy breaths. “Yes! I will answer your questions, but I am Ben. If you are looking for answers from this guy Desmond, you will need to find HIM!”
Howard stabbed the knife into Desmond’s left hand this time, “That was six,” he scoffed before shadow stepping back out of the room and closing the door then locked it. Again, he gave him time to calm down and then waited a few hours before initiating the next round of interrogation. Howard did not want to give Desmond too much time to rest. His plan was to keep him sleep deprived for a while.
The lock clicked and the door slowly opened.
This time Howard was on Desmond’s right, “Desmond,” he said in the same hollow tone.
Desmond tried to recoil to his left with no success, his bindings were too tight.
“You have questions to answer,” he whispered into Desmond’s left ear.
Desmond started to shake from fear and sweat trickled down his brow. His spirit broke, “I will, I will.”
“Good,” Howard’s voice was as smooth and cold as ice, “Who are you?”
“Desmond,” he responded.
“Desmond who?” Howard continued in the same voice.
“Desmond Vicar,” he replied.
“Good. Two for two. See what honesty gets you,” Howard changed his tone, now sounding like a cat playing with its food. Then he shadow stepped out of the room and slammed the door, locking it.
“What do you want from me!?” Desmond yelled to the empty room. Howard just leaned against the outside wall of the cabin and smiled as he used a knife, that he summoned with his magic, to carve the skin off a piece of fruit before eating it. Desmond continued to scream.
Desmond continued to yell, ‘What do you want,” for about fifteen minutes before he became horse and started coughing. Howard unlocked the door and flung it open, letting it slam on the cabin wall as he shadow stepped to the side of Desmond again. “Who are you?” he asked again.
Through a coughing fit Desmond said his name again, “Desmond Vicar. I told you that already,” his voice dry and raspy.
“You sound thirsty. Drink,” Howard said as he held a canteen to Desmond’s lips, but he would not open his mouth. “Really? If I wanted to kill you, do you think I would poison the water? If I wanted you dead, you would be dead. What could you do about it.”
Desmond still refused to drink.
“Fine,” Howard said.
He stepped in front of Desmond and raised the canteen to his own mouth, then pulled it back an inch. He tipped it so Desmond could see the water flow out of the canteen and into his mouth then offered it back to Desmond. Desmond licked his lips and took a drink.
“Are you hungry? You must be. Would you like something to eat?” Howard asked.
Desmond nodded his head as much as he could with his head bound. Howard pulled out another fruit, showing it to Desmond. Desmond’s eyes lit up with anticipation. Howard nodded and felt at his belt, his hand started moving franticly around it. Then he slowly looked at Desmond’s left hand. Desmond followed his gaze. A deep fear entered his eyes as he looked at the blade in his hand.
“Whew! For a second there I thought I misplaced my knife, but it looks like you had it the whole time,” Howard palmed himself on the forehead as he chuckled. “Are you sure you are hungry? I promise I will wash the blade before I use it on the food. No need to be uncivilized.”
Desmond’s head started shaking franticly from side to side as much as it could.
“You’re sure?” Howard watched him nod, “Okay then,” he placed the fruit on Desmond’s lap then stepped behind him before shadow stepping outside. He slammed the door and locked it.
Howard could hear him sobbing as he sat on a bench against the cabin’s outside wall. He chuckled to himself, happy with the way this interrogation was going. He should have all the information he needs shortly. He could feel that the end was near.
Howard waited about an hour then he unlocked the door and opened it without slamming it this time. He started to walk slowly down the steps, “Hungry yet?” he asked. Desmond shook his head again. Howard just shrugged, “Okay. Next question. Who did you work for six months ago?”
“The Cole family,” Desmond said, his voice still raspy.
“You still sound thirsty. Need a drink?” Howard asked.
Desmond nodded.
“No worries then,” Howard held the canteen to his lips, but he didn’t drink. “Seriously? This again,” Howard admonished but gave another shrug and took a drink before holding it to Desmond’s lips.
This time Desmond drank.
“Oh! I almost forgot. I caught a fish about half an hour earlier. I am going to need that knife back sooner or later. Are you sure you are not hungry?” Desmond started to shake with panic. “Not yet then, huh? Okey dokey,” Howard turned and walked up the steps, gently closed the door then locked it.
Howard gave him another two hours before unlocking the door and opening it before walking down the steps, at a normal pace this time. “I tell ya, I am starting to get hungry, you?” he asked Desmond. Desmond looked at the knife and then back at Howard, repeating this multiple times as Howard walked slowly toward Desmond’s left.
“Yes! I’m hungry!” Desmond said quickly.
“Very good, because I told a little white lie. I am not getting hungry,” Desmond paused and his voice darkened, “I am hungry,” he said menacingly to Desmond. Then Howard’s tone changed and became amenable, “Just to confirm, you want me to pull the knife out, correct?”
Desmond nodded.
“Okay. The way I pull this out depends on your answer. Got it?” Howard asked.
Desmond nodded again.
“What did you do for the Cole family?”
“I was a courier,” Desmond said.
“Well done,” Howard praised Desmond.
He grabbed the hilt of the blade and pulled it out of his hand. The wound started to bleed again but Howard put his hands over it and chanted a quick spell as two green gems glowed faintly under his cloak. He healed the wound enough to stop the bleeding but not much more.
“See what cooperation gets you? I even threw in a bit of healing for that hand,” Howard said.
Desmond’s eyes went to his other hand.
“Sorry but no. That hand lied to me,” Howard said dismissively as he turned to leave. He changed his tone to a cheerful one, “I will be right back. I need to get this cleaned up,” he waggled the blade between his finger and thumb as he went up the steps and gently closed the door without locking it.
About thirty minutes later Howard opened the door again and walked down the steps with some leftover fish.
“Thirsty?” he asked.
“Yes please,” Desmond replied.
“And so polite,” Howard held the canteen to Desmond’s lips and he drank. “Hungry?” he asked.
“Yes,” Desmond said.
“Next question. You ready?” Howard asked.
Desmond nodded.
“Were you the one that brought the summoning ritual to Jilisa?”
“I did,” he answered.
Howard picked the fruit up from Desmond’s lap and stepped back, placing the leftover fish on a small table next to him. He pulled out the knife, making Desmond flinch, and started cutting the fruit. He placed the slices on the plate with the fish and brought it over to Desmond. He sat on his haunches and began feeding him.
In between bites Howard asked another question, “Where did you get the ritual from?”
“They will kill me,” he said.
Howard gave him a hard look, “I will kill you if you don’t tell me. I am the threat closest to you right now. Worry about me,” he threatened and then beamed a smile at him.
“The bright side is, that was not a lie!” Howard’s voice was full of praise. “I ask again. Where did you get it from? Before you answer you need to know that I hate asking a question three times.”
Desmond took some time to ponder his situation before answering, “Brinn College.”
“Wow! All the way over there, huh? You are talking about the one in Highmarch, on the other side of the world, correct?” Howard asked.
“That is the only Brinn College I know of, but yes, that is the one,” Desmond said with a bit of snark.
“Don’t be a smartass, but I will let that one slide. Your tone with me was never part of my original bargain, and you answered honestly. Well done,” Howard continued to feed Desmond. “Last question. Let’s see if we can finish this up. Sound good? Of course it does! Why would I even ask that?” Howard admonished himself. “Anyway, here we go. Who gave you that ritual?”
Desmond closed his eyes, “Enchanter Pugh.”
Howard patted Desmond on the knee and stood up with a smile, “I knew you wanted to finish this. I hope you understand that we needed to know this information. Anyone with the knowledge of the ritual to summon Torrithrax…”
Desmond started to shake at the name. It looked like he was trying to push himself into the chair to hide.
“Oh? You were not aware?”
Desmond shook his head.
“I believe you. This will be quick and painless then,” and Howard plunged the knife into Desmond’s heart. Killing him instantly.
Howard released Desmond from the chair that bound him and brought his body topside. He stripped Desmond of all his possessions, including his clothes, before casting a spell. Two green and one black gem lit up under the cloak as metal began to incase Desmond’s bones. Howard rolled the body off the back of the boat and watched it sink to the dark, murky depths. He brushed himself off and sifted through Desmond’s possessions, putting items of interest into shadow storage, discarding what he didn’t into a separate pile. Once he finished with Desmond’s stuff he stood up and set the sails, making his way toward the coastline about eighty miles southeast of Wendel.
Once he was within swimming distance of the shore, he stripped all his clothes off and placed them into his storage. He was level six, and his strength and stamina were high enough that he could swim for a long time. He scuttled the ship and began his long swim to the beach. He eventually made his way to Brenton, a large port town to the southeast of Wendal, and caught a traveling vessel on its way to Highmarch.