Drawing Down the Blackness

Here is another raw excerpt from the 'thing which we shall not name'. This is near the beginning and it is the readers first glimpse at the bad guy. I need to work on his introduction a bit more, and of course, much more is revealed deeper into the story, but it is a bit of a teaser..

     Caldor had lost the trail again, too much time had passed and the residue of their passing had diminished to nothing. Once again he sighed, frustrated beyond words. He had no idea how they could move so quickly and leave such little trace and it was annoying him. Caldor tethered his horse to the tree he was standing under and walked out to the water’s edge.

      He felt he was very close this time and he did not know how long he would be able to continue before the sickness struck him down again. He had lost so much time over the years to the madness, sometimes finding himself many weeks of travel from where he fell ill. This time, he had been able to follow Krish and Sam for over four months and he wasn’t about to lose them again.

      He bent and picked up a stone and shot it across the surface of the water, it skipped once then plunged under a ripple of gray water. He had not felt this good in a very long time and wanted to see Krish and Sam, to talk to them. Of the remaining Chosen, he felt they were the easiest to approach. Maybe not, but it would be killing two birds with one stone either way.

      It had been a long time since he had seen any of them and their presence was fading. His hatred had even diminished a fraction, enough that for the first time in many years, the illness was just a dull ache in the back of his head, the voices, only muted whispers in half forgotten dreams. It was almost bearable. He could talk to Krish first. Maybe they had forgotten him,
unlikely he knew, but maybe they had forgiven just a little.

      He was feeling good if he even thought that way. Today was a good day, a nice sunset and a soft breeze through the trees. Maybe he could find a village, spend a couple days and feel more like his old self. Maybe the urges were gone or maybe it was just the equinox smoothing away all the old fears and voices.

      He pitched another stone into the lake. Grabbing the reins of his horse, he mounted and steered to the north and east. Maybe it was time to go home, maybe the wandering all these past years had been just as much a problem as the blackouts. He should just go back, he thought. Carnac was living there if he remembered correctly, the thought just a brush across
his memory.

      He would go see Carnac and go back home, his mind was made up. If the sickness would just stop for a while he would be fine. Driving the thought from his mind, he rode into the forest. Feeling better than he had in many years, he smiled.

      Evening was drawing down the blackness and Caldor stopped. He tethered his horse next to a clump of tall grass and started a fire with the sun just dipping into the horizon. A fire was necessary to keep the darkness from clouding his dreams. He gathered plenty of firewood and settled down to eat the last of his dried meat.

     Tossing another branch into the fire he felt a small stabbing pain in his temple. He quickly grabbed his flask and took a drink of the elixir the healer gave him, hoping that it was only a small headache. The liquid burned down his throat and fired his stomach, spreading the heat throughout his body. Breathing in ragged gasps, he fell onto his side.

      The pain, like molten fire, spread from temple to temple, blinding him as he screamed. The intense fire swept him into the darkness, the sickness making him retch into the dirt as he kicked out. Trying to catch his breath, the pain spiked again as he sat up, knocking him flat again on his back

      With a last glimpse at the sliver of sun over the tree tops, he buried his head in his hands. Weeping with pain and fear of the darkness he slipped down into the depths of his soul and screamed. Carnac had passed, of that he was sure with his last rational thought, then he let go, too tired to fight and the darkness overwhelmed him.

      Rising, Caldor drew his knife and pointed toward the east and north. Carnac died at home, the others would be fighting their own demons, but they would go to him. He smiled, his eyes like cold silver as he fed the fire and stroked the knife across his thigh. Time was the enemy he thought as he stabbed the knife into the ground. He looked over at his horse and smiled,
time enough to eat before he left.

      The pain seared through his veins as the blood flowed across his hands. A good fire and a full belly was just what he needed and he carved and ate greedily, fueling the inner darkness. Laughing again, he threw the flask in the fire and watched it burn. He looked around the campsite, nothing he needed there, he had his knife and a sword. Laughing softly to himself as he waved a hand at the darkness, he ran toward home.

Comments

[Ajf 6]

Music world, in the mind is free, you can go to try!

[Jenny Beans]

This is going to be an amazing novel once I get the chance to read it from beginning to end. The excerpts are very intriguing.