The pair spent the night taking shelter under the boughs of a thorny-leaved tree. The black night had led into a dull, gray morning.
Sera, begrudgingly, packed up her sleeping blanket. The ground on which it had lain had been wet despite the cover of the tree. That moisture had soaked into the fibers causing it to plump like an overripe peach. She struggled with the wet bundle for some time. Eventually the tightened rope confined it to a size that could be mounted on the saddle.
I’m already tired, she thought, and the day has just begun.
With a yawn, she climbed atop Buck. Sera winced as the pressure went directly onto the blisters along her upper thighs. Saddle sores were an unexpected and unpleasant development. She hoped that soon they would turn to calluses but today they were painful reminders of the ride still to come. With gritted teeth, she urged Buck back towards the trail.
The path could hardly be called a road. To Sera it seemed more akin to a gouge made into the forest. The path was winding and covered with fallen logs, loosened cobble stones, and overhanging branches. It took Sera’s full attention to navigate Buck through the thicket. Even still, there were frequent stops as obstacles had to be removed to allow Buck’s passage.
The journey had been very strange. Sera had expected to find abandoned farms and houses along the trail but none had presented themselves. There were no offroads leading to different clearings nor signs to assure the rider of their path. It was just one lonely, winding path through the forest that drew her ever closer to the mountains.
All sense of time was stolen by the constant ducking, dodging, dismounting, and clambering onto Buck’s back. Time in that cage of branches had become a measure of the angle of the shadows hanging off the tree trunks in the dimming light.
It was surprising to her when the thinning canopy revealed the midday sun shining brightly above them.
As the trees grew more sparse, the path opened into a wide clearing. It was not the kind that Sera had discovered during her jaunts into the woods but a clearing made with purpose. All of the trees had been stripped and rooted. Paths of cobblestone webbed out to reach the very edges of the artificially circular clearing. A singular Sangrance stood in the center. Along the cobblestone paths lay long poles of wood, discarded rope, and bits of charred canvas. Everything looked as if a great fire had raged over it. Underneath the overturned canvas were piles of gray ashen dust.
If there was a fire here, she reasoned, there may be nothing left to find.
Rows and rows of ruined tents lined the cobblestone. The abandoned poles sat in the ground. Where they had sagged with mud and time they fell over one another. They formed obscure symbols in their jumbled structures. Bits of bone poked out of several of the larger piles. Sera averted her eyes.
Strange headstones for a strange graveyard, she thought, at least they died in a churchyard.
Trying not to focus on the thought, Sera instead cast her eyes up to the grand building in the center of the settlement.
The Church had once been a grand building, she was sure. Though the bell had fallen from its tower and the stained glass had been long since broken, the stonework was intricate and still stood due to its grand craftsmanship. The stones made a smooth curve to frame the doorway in an arch. The stonework would’ve been more impressive had it not had streaks of soot rising up from its broken windows. The black scars served as a grim reminder of its final moments. The double doors which would’ve been thick and clad in iron were nowhere to be seen. Pages from a journal lay scattered inside and plastered onto the steps by the rain. A mangled spine hung off the edge of the church steps.
Anything worth learning would probably be on those papers, the thought was a fleeting hope in Sera’s mind.
With a few clicks she led Buck over to the side of the building. Leaving him in front of what she hoped was a tasty bush she began to gather up her things. She grabbed her journal out from her saddlebag first.
If there are this many bodies here then perhaps the townspeople were right, she mused.
Digging a bit deeper into the pack she retrieved her knife. Pulling the dagger out from its leather sheath, she saw the metal shining brightly in the daylight. It was no longer than her two index fingers laid tip to tip and had thinned considerably from Sera’s resharpening. On days where the farm work was light Sera would spend hours dulling the blade with throwing practice and then rehoning the blade at the whetstone. Now she could see her eyes within its sheen, reflecting the green from her hazel eyes. Burying it deep into its holster she strung it, too, to her belt before moving towards the Church’s door.
The papers on the steps had long since bled any ink out onto the steps leaving tears of lost knowledge streaking down. Whatever service this place had once provided had given away to a hollow silence. As she ascended the steps it felt to her that she was transgressing on some kind of hallowed ground.
Light streaked in from the broken windows casting shafts of radiance into the interior. Clouds of dust kicked up by the breeze went fleeing from their corners leaving them streaking through the light. The walls were all covered in thick, smokey tar. Where it had gathered on the ceiling bumpy stalactites had descended. The steel hoop of a chandelier still hung though the chain connecting it to the ceiling looked tarnished and worn. Several of the links could be seen slowly bending with rust and age. Some half burned candles still laid in their holders. The arms and cast iron shades were adorned with many small spikes which all pointed downward in a menacing fashion to those inside.
Around the room, five skeletal bodies lay in various positions of fear and pain. Their black vestments with red trim, the silver jewelry that still shone despite the dust, and the medical tools scattered about the room marked them as Chuchly healers. Sera had seen such men in town during their yearly tour of the villages. Much of the bone and garments were charred and reduced to charcoal in whatever great blaze had befell this place. Medical bags lay open and burned to a crisp, their contents having been scattered around the room. Bonesaws, broken syringes, and shattered jars with the dried husks of leeches littered the room. There were so many that Sera had to walk with her feet shuffling through the dust to ensure she would not step on something that could pierce her shoe.
Sera took all of this in with fearful attention. Her eyes became transfixed, however, when they came to rest on the table at the center of the room. A body was laying there, motionless and near pristine. A ray of sunshine shone down onto the body bringing out the gold in what remained of the copper hair on its head. The corpse had skin as pale as a cloud that was laid tightly over an emaciated form. As she approached closer she could see that the blue dress that she was still wearing hung off the side of the table in billowing folds. Bending down she etched the details of the face into her mind. She was beautiful in an ephemeral way. It could almost be believed that the person was alive, if a bit sickly, were it not for the distinct hole in the center of its forehead. A single rivulet of blood traced down a crease in her forehead from the wound.
Surely, it couldn’t be my mother…? The thought was like ice in her mind.
Approaching the table she saw a bit of paper peeking out of the closed hand of the woman hanging down off the side of the table. With a bit of effort the paper came free.
It was crumpled but as Sera unfurled it she could see that there was very tiny and precise handwriting scrawled across it:
It is still unclear the level of danger necessary to invoke the clot. Despite our best attempts Fostaine has remained resolute. Not a word has passed her lips in the two weeks we have been documenting her.
Sera’s hand covered her mouth. She felt tears begin to well in her eyes. Rereading the scrap of paper did little to dissuade her surprise. Fear had kept her from believing that her mother was dead but she could think of no other reason that this page would be left here. Holding onto hope she went to examine the body more closely.
She wore a dress that you would see any woman wearing in one of the small Astrian towns. Her features were sharp which was only accentuated by the tightening of the skin. The copper hair, so much like her own, crumbled at Sera’s touch, dissipating into dust. The body was incredibly stiff but it had once been lithe. Sera ran her hand down along the arm which hung off of the table. Sera’s brow wrinkled as she looked down at the hand. Upon a second examination the hand seemed to sparkle in the light. Running her fingers along the sheen revealed a dark purple powder that came off in specks onto her hand.
Mother? She questioned. Luck had never been at her side but this would be uncannily lucky. What were you doing before you died? When did you even die? It certainly wasn’t at the same time as these priests, but…Maybe you came here later? Perhaps when you came here this place was already burnt out. Sera nodded her head. If that’s the case then what would’ve still been here to kill you?
A fearful whinny echoed out through the open window of the Church and off of its high roof. Sera turned and saw Buck begin running past the windows towards the back of the clearing.
“Oh no!” she yelled but she stopped in her tracks as she turned toward the doorway.
WIthout her notice a large, looming figure had made its way into the doorway. The creature looked nothing like anything that Sera had ever seen before. It was taller than any man and had to crouch down to begin entering through the doorway. One of its arms had its hand resting just inside of the doorway while the other’s fingers hung far below its knees. Both of the unnaturally long hands had sharp nails of a pitch black color with wicked points. Covering its body were wiry black and brown hairs. As her eyes drew upward she saw a mane of matted tufts encircling the head. Twisted horns of a blue-gray color pushed back against the mass spiraling upwards. The eyes were a spiraled mix of red and yellow that faded into the blackness of a star shaped pupil. An upturned nose like that of a pig sat above a grin which stretched to the beginning of its triangular ears. Sera could almost see joy in its face as they locked eyes.
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There was a moment of silence as they both stood there in stillness. As Sera pulled in a panicked inhalation, the horror began to move. It crossed the room in only a few bounds as its gangly legs kicked long in abnormal circles. As it did so, a monstrous cackle began to emerge from it. A choking, sputtering gurgle that her mind barely recognized as a chuckle.
As she turned to run, uttering a curse as she did, she felt long fingers latch onto her ankle. With unworldly strength the thing pulled her down to the ground and began sliding her towards itself. The cackling didn't stop, but as she grew closer the mouth began to open. The jaws began unhinging like that of a snake. There existed a black void behind its teeth where a tongue should have been. Several rows of fangs twisted at unnatural angles to form a bed of spikes on each of its gums.
Sera screamed and kicked at its misshapen nose as she drew closer. The momentum from the arm’s pulling made her heel connect with a sickening crunch. Grabbing towards its nose, the nightmare released Sera’s ankle. The unnaturally long fingers covered its face but the cackling remained. The only difference now was that it had gained a wet throatiness where once there was a dry crackle.
Jumping to her feet, Sera drew her knife and turned to face the creature. Holding it like a sword she presented it shakily in front of her. Her lungs felt like they were on fire as her eyes dashed around.
It would surely catch me if I ran towards the door, she thought and began to look for a window to jump out of. Her search was interrupted as the chuckling grew louder.
Looking at the monstrosity once more she could see its spiral eye looking at her, red and yellow, peeking from between its fingers. As it let its hand flop off of its face a large stream of blood could be seen dribbling down its lips from its nostrils. Then it surged forward.
Swinging its long arm, the back of its huge left hand knocked the knife out from Sera’s grip. The other arm then went to grab her. With nowhere to dodge, Sera dropped to the ground. Spotting the handle of a bonesaw peeking from a dust pile behind it, Sera made a split decision. With fear and hope she rolled forward between the creature's legs.
In an attempt to trap her it dropped its hips to the ground but missed. Snatching up the saw, Sera turned to face it. It raised its hips up and began to turn but its huge feet were still planted. Holding the saw with one hand on the handle and the other on its metal spine, she slashed towards the beast’s ankle. The teeth bit in and dragged across ripping out a spray of bloody chunks. Screaming, the thing whipped around towards her as its ankle collapsed.
Attempting to use the moment to escape, Sera took a step towards the door but found herself caught by the elbow. The creature had twisted and then flung its body toward in an unworldly lunge to grab her by the arm. The gurgling had stopped at the first feeling of pain but having Sera in its grips seemed to have reinvigorated the monster's fervor. With sadistic joy it began to chortle as it grabbed Sera around the neck. It lifted her into the air for just a moment. When she started to sputter, she was slammed into the ground. On the dirty floor Sera still grasped and clawed at its huge hand. The creature began to drag her along the floor back to the center of the room. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the twinkle of her dagger’s blade. Reaching out a desperate hand, she barely managed to catch hold of the handle before she was lifted by the neck once more.
Shoving her mother’s corpse off of the table with a careless swing, the beast slammed Sera down onto the table. Without releasing her neck the thing climbed up to join her. Its long legs bent down giving it the appearance of a hairy toad as it knelt over her. It let go of her then, but only so that it could bend its face in close to hers. With each wet chortle it emitted, a shower of blood and spittle came from the gaping mouth. Drops of blood fell from the stream leaving its nose hitting Sera’s cheek. Combining with the chuckle a demonic, high pitched shriek echoed out from its throat and Seraphina screamed.
“Why haven’t you just killed me?!” Sera shrieked at the thing. For some reason this caused it to go silent.
An even further crazed look came over its eyes as it stared deep into Sera’s. Its mouth shut and it began to grind its teeth together. Its jaw clenched with such force that it began sending shards shooting out as the teeth cracked and split. Both of the gargantuan hands then wrapped around Sera’s throat. The fingers were so long that they each covered far beyond the back of her head as they interlaced. Staring into her eyes, it began to squeeze. It was almost gentle at first but with each passing moment its hands would grow tighter. Its eyes would dart down to its hand for a brief moment before returning to gaze deeply into Sera’s.
The air was slowly fading from Sera. Her vision began to fill with stars as she struggled to look anywhere besides the thing’s eyes. Her gaze rested on the chandelier overhead.
I can’t die yet. I’ve only just begun.
Remembering all of the hours she had spent practicing, she flipped the knife’s blade into her hand. Reaching her arm back over her shoulder and the edge of the table, she flung the blade towards the ceiling with all of the strength she had left.
She heard a clang of metal on metal. Hearing was all she had left as her vision went black. For a moment she existed only inside the quiet of that inky blackness. There was nothing here but her and the sounds of the creature’s ragged breathing. Suddenly, another sound broke the silence. A creaking of metal, a clatter of chains, and a shriek from above her was cut short by the sounds of crunching sinew and metal screeching. In the darkness a small bead of light emerged. Suddenly Sera found herself rushing towards it as the incalculable pressure which had surrounded her was suddenly lifted.
Gasping for air Seraphina sputtered back to life on the table. Taking deep gulps of air seemed to fill her stomach with acid and she vomited over the side of the table. As the air entered her the stars in her vision began to dissipate. She blinked wildly as the world came back into focus. Her vision focused on the dust in the light.
Each speck of dust is moving so slowly, she thought deliriously, Like each hair's breadth of a moment were a second unto itself.
The world contracted again quickly as a pained shriek echoed out from behind her. She rolled off of the table before peering over it to look at the sound.
The beast lay in a bloody heap. The metal spikes which so often adorned the implements of the church had also been added in droves to the chandelier. As it crashed down the ornaments had impaled themselves into several places in its back, one of its elbows, one of its hands, and one of its legs which had been forced into a permanent bend as the frame pierced it through. Its other leg, the tendons cut, tried to find purchase but flailed helplessly. It uttered a continuous string of wet cries like an animal that had been speared on a hunt. All broken limbs and twisted metal, its muscles tensed but it could not escape its situation. With a few more choking gasps it finally went still.
Sera wasn’t breathing quite right either. A pinching pain in her side kept cutting her breaths short. Her throat was aching the entire way around. Her leg had a slight limp on the left side as she walked. She wasn’t sure how that had happened but she could see a stream of blood working its way down her shin.
“This is all just a nightmare. This is all just a bloody fucking nightmare,” She repeated as she looked for the glint of her dagger. Searching the room took her back and forth a few times leaving trails marked in dots of blood. Her groggy eyes caught hold of the shine and as she picked up the blade she saw that there was a large dent in the pommel.
I couldn’t have asked for a better throw, she thought with a bit of thankfulness. Her eyes flicked to her mother’s body on the ground. Now I can get us both out of here. If I can get you to a doctor then maybe they will be able to tell me more.
As she walked closer to the body she looked at it with a serious and somber expression.
“I will get you somewhere safe. I swear it. I will not leave you now that I’ve found you.” Whether it was the pain radiating up her body or the joy of finally beginning to learn the truth, tears began to well up in her eyes. She took a couple of deep breaths to fight away the tears. Leaning down as well as she could, she took the body underneath the armpits. “I am going to drag you out of here. We are going to find Buck and I’ll put you across his back. Everything is going to be just fine alright?”
The bones did not answer.
Limping, she made her way towards the doorway of the Church and into the sunlight. It was such a beautiful day that it seemed to be mocking her. Before she even made it to the top step of the staircase leading to the path her ankle gave way. Tumbling to the ground, she found herself with her mother in her lap.
“BUCK!” she called, her cry echoing against the stone of the building. There was no sign of her steed.
“Buck! Where are you?!” she cried out into the woods, “It’s safe now! We have nothing to…”
Her words caught in her throat as she looked around the clearing with searching eyes. Shambling out from the darkness of the trees were more lanky, furred forms. They seemed in no rush as they all jauntily strolled towards her. Thorny nests of teeth grinned at her from all directions.
Panic set in for but a moment before a grim resignation came over Sera.
I’m going to die here, she thought. It was almost as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders. Her wounds seemed to hurt less.
At least I made it off of the farm.
Pulling the corpse into her arms she found that it was much lighter than she had expected. Cradling it in her arms she began to sob.
“I found you, mom. I came all this way to try to find you. I wish that I could say that I did it for the truth. I think that I was mostly just angry that you left me. Now I am just so glad that I know what you looked like.” With a single finger Sera traced over the sharp bones of her mother’s face. The copper hair that was so much like hers.
Would she have been a person like me? She wondered. Would we have been the best of friends?
She could see the shadows forming around her in the corner of her eyes. In the windows behind her their swirling eyes stared. Heavy footsteps began to draw closer as their pads hit the hard stone. Still Seraphina’s eyes never left her mother.
“We are finally together and soon we will get to be together again. Then you can tell me all about what happened,” A smile crept over her face, “I’ll never have to be lonely again.”
It was then that she heard the unhinging of the jaws around her in a cacophony of crackling bone. Closing her eyes, she tensed as she heard several of the forms leap towards her.
A familiar feeling came over her. Like the air was full of crackling lightning. White light filled her world but it was quickly replaced by violet flames. It surged around her in waves letting off a heat she had never felt before. The roaring of the flames mixed with the painful sounds of the creatures in an overwhelming, discordant symphony. The noise and light was such that Seraphine closed her eyes tightly and clapped her hands over her ears. Sweat rolled down her face as she felt her eyesroll back into her head. It felt as if something inside of her shriveled in the heat of the flames.
Seraphina once again floated into the silence of the inky blackness as unconsciousness took her.