Part 2 - Twilight Mists

Just as foretold, the Twilight Mist departed from the port at Illios as the sun crested the horizon. The cargo ship, painted in shades of purple and red, sailed gently past the two guardian statues of the gods Atala and Veisu, sea and fire, coercion and conflict. The rising sun set the ocean on fire with brilliant shades of pink, and orange, and red. All crew watched in silent reverence. As it seemed Atala and Veisu were blessing their journey.

It took them three days in total. The weather was unusually kind, and Kai aided their journey with his skill as a sailor. Sailing with an Aquan was a novel thing for a Terran crew. Not only could he scale the rigging with the best of them, but 3 times he dropped with the anchor to make sure it was well secured.

Kai hunted for fish. Once anchored, he would swim through the ocean and chase them down. With the retractable gills about his neck, he could live underwater. Many Aquans did. The crew ate well for three days, though they were extremely reserved in how they showed their gratitude.

So fortuitous was the wind in their sails that they could have perhaps made port by mid-day. However, Arimnestos’ emissary insisted on keeping the anchor down until after the sun had reached its highest point on the third day. He asserted that his timing was the surest way of avoiding a pirate’s route.

The emissary explained in his ancient way of speaking, that pirates would not sail past Bris in the twilight hours. So, they waited. They waited until the sun had left its zenith and then they finally pulled anchor and set sail for Bris. They made good time and soon enough the island of Bris rose up out of the water before them.

The sun began to set, and a cold mist rolled out over the water. Unlike the brilliant sunrise they had witnessed on the day of their departure, the sunset they viewed now was cold and eerie. Muted shades of purple rolled across the gentle swell and hung in the mist that grew thicker the closer they travelled toward their destination. Eventually the fog became so thick it seemed as though they sailed through an ethereal plane made entirely of dull purple fog and cloud.

Clio looked nervously to Daphne while rubbing her earlobe. Even Kai, an accomplished sailor with an Aquan’s resistance to cold, could not supress a shudder as a chill swept up his spine. The crew however, seemed calm as they navigated the bulky cargo ship through the mist.

The emissary said nothing as they arrived. He simply stood at the bow with a grim expression on his face until they had docked at a small rickety structure. It was only when Daphne, Clio and Kai stepped onto shore that he finally spoke.

“Follow that road, and do not veer.” He told them quickly. Already, his crew were pushing off.

“Where are you going?” Kai asked as the ship was pulling away.

“We cannot leave our vessel here for fear of pirates. My sincerest apologies that I will not be able to introduce you to my master. I pray I see you all again very soon.” The emissary called in an uncharacteristically apathetic tone as the boat sailed away.

“He didn’t seem particularly apologetic.” Clio said.

“Why do I get the feeling that we’ve just been duped?” asked Kai

“I think you’re both wound far too tight.” Daphne replied, before turning to Kai with a cheeky smile. “Let’s share some of that smoking leaf you bought last night. I’m in the mood to enjoy a gorgeous moonlit stroll through this strange and foreign land. I have a feeling we’re all about to be very rich.”

And so, they did. They passed a pipe between themselves and talked on the intricacies of how the stars shone and the trees swayed. They walked closer together when wolf howls filled the air and laughed when frogs began croaking in a chorus of harmonies.

Daphne told them a story of how she had stolen a dagger from a wealthy aristocrat in Ketros. Then she showed them the dagger itself which shone silver like the moon. Clio was impressed enough to release a small gasp. Kai laughed and clapped Daphne on her shoulder.

As they continued down the road, Kai began to notice faint whisps of fog at the edges of his vision. Although, whenever he tried to focus on them, they always seemed to evaporate only to reappear moments later. From the way Clio waved her hand before her face, he gathered he wasn’t the only one to notice.

They had been walking for quite a while when Kai stopped suddenly. “Do you smell that?” he asked.

“What?” said Clio, stopping a few paces ahead of Kai. She was working a burr out of her thick blonde hair.

“Rot.” He said. “Death.”

Daphne stopped then too. “I can smell it too.”

“It could be an animal.” Clio said before they all stood in silence for a moment. “The Emissary said not to veer from the path.”

A chill wind blew through the forest and the stench of death became more pungent. Clio clutched her holy symbol and looked to Kai who had his eyes nestled between the trees. It was then that Clio experienced a push. It was like a whisper uttered behind her ear. It was almost as though the Goddess Iros was teasing her into the forest. As any devout priestess would, Clio followed her Goddess’ guidance.

Kai spared Daphne a glance. She shrugged. Tentatively, the two of them followed Clio into the forest. Though Daphne moved with confidence, Kai could see her tail curled nervously about one leg. Carefully, quietly they wound their way through thick trees and sparse underbrush until they reached a small clearing.

The body was simple enough to find. The smell made sure of that. It wafted across the clearing and even from the distance they stood, they could see its source.

It was a man. Pale skin and travelling clothes both torn and bloody. One sandal lay in the middle of the clearing along with a walking cane. Daphne gingerly edged closer to the body. Kai followed until he noticed the ground was scattered with claw marks, blood, and paw prints. As if on cue, a wolf howl rung out of the night.

“Let’s get back to the road.” Kai whispered.

“He has something in his hand.” Daphne said, just as hushed.

“Forget it.” Clio tried to whisper across the clearing.

Daphne was already wrestling with the dead man’s hand. Prying stiff fingers open to reveal a crumpled letter inside. She held it aloft victoriously. A second howl rung out of the night. Kai waved for Daphne to get moving. Clio was already making her way back toward the road. Kai waited until pink skinned Tainted had passed before he followed.

Kai saw the road and at the same moment, he heard a growl low and threatening. Less than a few hundred metres away a wolf prowled quickly toward them. He didn’t need to search the forest to know that more would be closing in.

“Wolves!” He called.

Clio and Daphne began to run. The three of them breached the tree line with barks and yips biting at their heels. On the northern side of the road, Kai could make out 3 shapes moving through the trees. He pointed them out. Daphne already had a short bow drawn and in an impressive feat of skill strung it mid-stride.

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“There!” Kai called.

A moment later there was a twang, an arrow flew into the darkness. There was a heartbeat of silence before a yip told them that Daphne had hit the mark. Growls followed, low and angry. Clio whispered some holy words and clutched her magic symbol. At her command, a light burst into the trees, illuminating the area. Daphne fired another arrow at the same wolf who they could now see was limping. Between Daphne’s arrows and Clio’s illumination the wolves fell back, nervous and agitated.

“Run.” Said Clio.

They ran. Their legs pounded the dirt road underfoot. Kai, bringing up the rear spared constant glances over his shoulder. Daphne’s tail waved erratically and more than once Clio had to swerve to avoid being tripped. They ran hard and fast and didn’t stop until they breached the tree line.

Breathless, they finally exited the forest and found themselves at the edge of a vast sloping valley that dropped away toward a twisting stream to the south. The wolf howls that had hounded their escape now called from farther away. A crescent moon cast long shadows across the land making it impossible to decipher its exact features.

The whole landscape was painted in muted colours and grey scales. It was far from the beautiful description the emissary had painted for them full of colour and life. Fog hung steadily in the air. It seemed now that the Triumvirate was deep enough into its lands; it had no reason to curl like fingers onto their skin and into the backs of their minds.

“What does the letter say?” Kai asked, taking a sip from his water skin. They were a few hundred meters from the tree line and agreed it was safe enough to stop to catch their breath.

Clio straightened it out and turned it over. The wax seal was different from the one the emissary had shown them. While they waited for her to read, Daphne took Kai’s waterskin from his hand without him realizing and drank. When he looked at her in surprise, she stuck her tongue out. Clio opened the envelope gingerly and extracted the letter.

“I pray this letter may do what Matu may not,

I, humble servant of my people, write to you in our darkest hour. For as long as our people’s history has been recorded, a foul creature has sucked the life from our veins. Now he sets his sights on my daughter. We are powerless to his evil whims. I know for certain that my family’s end is close at hand.

The wanderer that I entrust this letter to assures me he knows a way off this island, though none of our people have ever been able to leave its shores. If he speaks truth, I beg of you, surround this land with your priests and priestesses. Pray this Vampyr back to whichever hell he came from. The fate of Bris is doomed, but I hope with this warning your world may be saved.

Sincerely,

Aristo Arimnestos of Bris.”

“That can’t be right.” Daphne said grabbing the letter from Clio. She quickly read over the parchement.

Clio took out the first letter the emissary had given them. She looked between the two letters. “Do you think the writing is different?”

Daphne checked them both. “They’re definitely written in different hands.”

“There you have it. We’ve been had.” Kai said. “That’s what was wrong with the emissary. He was luring us here like bait on a line.”

The other two looked nervous.

“I knew there was something wrong with him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Fuck!” Kai swore loudly.

“He couldn’t…” Clio trailed off.

“Put the pieces together, it fits.” Kai said.

They stood in silence for a long while. Daphne took a seat on the side of the road. Clio closed her eyes and whispered a hurried prayer to her Goddess. Kai kicked a stone into the valley that sloped away south from the side of the road.

They discussed their options quickly and quietly. A powerful vampire was not something to trifle with or so folk tales told. From what they’d heard, no one had truly seen a vampire for hundreds or thousands of years. Their stories were so ancient that they now traversed the line between myth and legend.

“I don’t think it’s worth going back to the dock.” Daphne said at length.

Kai nodded.

“So?” Clio asked. “We should still see if we can help Helen and Arimnestos, right?”

“If they even exist. This Vampire could have made them all up.” Daphne said.

“You’re right. It could all be made up.” Kai agreed.

“So, from here on out we operate as though everything we’ve heard so far is a lie. Let’s just find a way off this island as fast as we can.” Said Daphne.

“And if we discover that there are people who need our help? Then what?” Clio asked.

After another long pause, it was Daphne who spoke. “We cross that bridge when we come to it. Let’s approach this town carefully. Who knows what we’re walking into.”

“You’re right. The next time we rush into something, it could mean our lives.” Kai said.

Clio nodded and adjusted the pack on her shoulders. They began walking. The short twists and turns of the forest road became long sweeping curves that traced along the backs of the hills that made Brisian countryside.

Despite the monotony of its monochromatic landscape, there was a beauty in its heavy melancholy. They walked until the chill of the land reached up from inside the earth with icy fingers. They walked until fog clouded their vision and a peculiar network of shadows rose intimidatingly before them.

Between them, they could not decipher the source of the shadows. They continued forth at a tentative pace. Each was aware of every sound, no matter how banal. At length, they made out looming, ominous shapes which revealed themselves to be a withered old town.

One and two storey structures were punctuated by grander constructions. All stood weakly against the elements, their colours washed away decades ago. Most looked uninhabited or in utter disrepair. The crunch of the dirt road underfoot and a lone mournful wailing were the only sounds that greeted them.

“The whole of my states fortune as recompense.” Daphne quoted bleakly as they walked between the dilapidated structures.

There were scant signs of life among the few streets that made up the so called ‘town.’ Village was surely the proper description. The wailing continued long and low, though its source was elusive. A few taller buildings towered over the rest of the village but did nothing to detract from the depressing, derelict vibe that oozed out of every innumerable crack and crevice.

“I don’t like this.” Said Clio who had gone back to holding the holy symbol around her neck.

The Triumvirate stopped at a fork in the road. They were carefully deciding which route to take when Kai spotted a small figure. It peeked out from around a corner on the road to their right.

There were no other signs of life, apart from the wailing which came from the same direction. Carefully they followed the figure until they found themselves on a new road with a grand three-storey house that towered over its neighbours.

Like the rest of the structures, the house had been plastered in clay and painted white. Unlike the rest of the structures, the façade was well maintained. It hadn’t cracked, nor flaked to reveal rotting bricks beneath. The painted clay was still vibrant shades of white and purple.

A girl sat before the front door holding her knees and weeping. Kai and Clio could still hear a disembodied moaning that echoed out from the house and through the village. Slowly, it was Daphne that walked toward the little girl with careful steps.

“What’s wrong, lovely?” She said, reaching out slowly to comfort the child.

The girl flinched away. “A beast has entered my house.” She said. “It is a ghastly monster, and I fear for the life of my dear mother, who cries for mercy even now.” Her accent was foreign, and she spoke in the same antiquated rhythm as the emissary.

Daphne looked back to her companions. Kai was trying to pinpoint the source of the disembodied moaning. Clio made her way to the girl. She knelt beside Daphne.

“The creature you saw, what did it look like?” Clio asked gently, still holding her holy symbol.

“I know not. It could have been daemon, or beast…or worse. But it is in there with my mother and will surely take her life. Please, please, you must help.” Tears rolled down her cheeks fat and slow as she spoke.

“We have to go in.” Clio said standing.

“What?” Kai said, only just turning to take in the whole situation. His heart was beating fast, suddenly alert. “What about the town watch. We should at least let them know.”

“We have no such organization. Please, if not for you she will surely die. There isn’t much time” Sobbed the little girl.

Kai’s mind raced but Clio was right. They didn’t have time. Whatever creature was inside had plenty of time to make this sobbing girl motherless. Though as he followed his two companions who rushed through the front door ahead of him, he felt again the sensation that something wasn’t quite right.

It wasn’t until he was past the threshold that his stomach dropped. It dropped so fast that it felt as though the floor had fallen out beneath him. He was being lured into a trap, same as before.

“Wait!” He called, spinning to face back toward the girl.

He turned in time to get one last glimpse of the girl. Her form dissipating like mist before the sun. The whisps that had moments before crafted her form were sucked back toward the house. Then the door slammed shut.

Kai, Daphne, and Clio stood in silence. A cold wind blew through the house. Kai gingerly reached out for the door handle. It turned. Then it kept turning until it broke off from the door completely. Kai held the handle in his hand until it dissolved into sand which slipped between his cerulean fingers.

“Fuck.” Kai said again. Though this time, he was not angry at having been lured into a trap. Anger was for the first time, and this was the second. This time he just felt like a fool.