A ravenous hunger

Sometimes you just have to run.

Rhyslin stood at the window, drowsily enjoying his pipe, when darkness suddenly fell across the land.  “Well, there it goes,” he muttered, reaching out with his senses.  “That’s not good.” 

“No, it’s not.”  Marcus agreed his senses on high alert.  “By the pricking of my thumbs…” 

“Indeed,” the draoidh commented as he turned his pipe upside down and knocked the spent leaves out of the bowl before carefully sliding it back into the pouch from which it had come.

“What are you two talking about?”  Rembran asked, still wondering what was happening.  “What happened to the light?” 

“Something evil has this way come,” Rhyslin replied, drawing attention to him.  “Open your senses, Rembran, but be mindful of the danger.”

Rembran, not having Rhyslin’s wisdom or intuitive grasp of Draoidheacd, was yet the cleverest of his generation.  Upon Rhyslin’s request, he closed his eyes and opened his senses to what was around him.  “Oh, I see,” he whispered as he delved into the unnatural darkness and explored its depths.  “What is it?”

“I do not know,” Rhyslin replied, using his far greater understanding of Draoidheacd to track down the source of the disturbance. “Whatever it is, it has found the ladies and is stalking them.” 

“We can’t have that,” Marcus stated as he emptied his pipe and secreted it in the pocket of his cloak.  “How are they doing?”

“They are well for the moment; however, that thing is playing upon their deepest fears,” Rhyslin said as he picked up his staff and started down the stairs.  Or that is what Ria is fighting.  He knew the deeper the fear, the worse it robbed a person of their ability to fight or run.  I wonder how Rana is handling it.

The answer to that question would have to wait, for when Rhyslin and his companions walked out into the unnatural darkness, and were no longer protected by aged stone and mortar, they could feel the full depth of the evil around them. 

“We need to hurry,” Rhyslin said as he led the way down streets dark and dreary.  “Natolie won’t be able to protect them for long.  In fact, I fear that she’s about to engage the creature.”  And it is far stronger than she is.

“Rana, can you gather us some light?”  The question drew the spell blade from her reverie, and she traced a sigil in the air and waited for the light to shine forth.

When the darkness persisted, she shook her head, knowing that Natolie couldn’t see it.  “No.  Something is preventing it.”  She tried again, this time drawing her blade and attempting to invoke the steel to illuminate, to no luck.  “Whatever it is, it’s more powerful than I,”  she explained. 

The sealgair aisling made a rude sound under her breath.  “Until the men get here, we are on our own.”

They heard footsteps approaching in the dark, even as phantom scents curled their noses. Each woman heard the voices of men and smelt their unwashed bodies, invoking the most ancient of fears: being stalked and attacked. 

This isn’t right, Natolie thought as she recalled the lessons her father had instilled in her.  He had been a master of deceit when used in warfare.  Those lessons he had passed to her, and it was those which caused her doubt.  “Beware.  The darkness is trying to trick us.” She cautioned. 

No kidding, Rana silently replied, having already come to the same conclusion.  We can’t fight what we can’t see, and these imaginary specters aren’t making it any easier for Flur and Momma. 

“Rhyslin?” The ranger inquired as the draoidh unerringly led them into the darkness. 

“They still yet live,” was the reply from the man ahead of them.  “The time approaches, in which we still might save them.”  Rhyslin’s steps were resolute. 

Marcus counted the steps, reaching one hundred thirty before they stopped, and he heard Rhyslin’s declaration.

“Begone, abomination, your kind is not allowed here!” the draoidh said as he forced the ambient magic to dispel some of the unnatural darkness.

Beyond Rhyslin’s outstretched staff, they saw a figure come into view. It was vaguely man-sized, with arms that extended to its knees. It was wearing a cloak that appeared to contain a myriad of colored spheres, each flickering to its own internal beat. 

The creature turned, hissing, and displaying uneven rows of dagger-sharp teeth.  Baleful red-gold eyes bored into the unperturbed draoidh.  Nobody can keep me from what I desire.  Not even you.  It boasted, suddenly turning and lunging at Natolie, who barely had time to bring her shadow blade up to block the attack.

The creature cackled as her blade slid right through him, leaving no mark on his form. The sealgair aisling blinked as she carefully withdrew beyond his reach. 

Shadows can not harm me, the creature boasted, stalking toward the redhead, who wisely kept retreating.

The draoidh tried once more to dispel the darkness, only to have it roil against his control. “We need to withdraw. It is preventing the use of draoidheacd,” he informed his companions.

Upon hearing that, Marcus and Rembran drew their blades and stepped forward, forming a line with Rhyslin. 

They were so intent on the creature that they were surprised when the earth beneath it engulfed it. “There’s not much time,” Andros grunted as he worked to contain the dark creature. “Even now, it works to escape my hold.” 

Taking advantage of the moment, Rhyslin turned and called out to the women.  “Get over here. Andros won’t be able to hold it for very long.” 

Without a wasted word, Ria and the other women hurried and made their escape, running past the men and down the street. Rana was the last to disappear before the earthen shell shattered, and the eldritch creature growled at the earth elemental.

You have deprived me of my prey! It screamed in a rage.  No matter.  I will feed upon your suffering, and suffer you shall.

“Oh, shut up,” Rhyslin muttered under his breath as he fought to control the ambient power around them.  They continued the back-and-forth battle for a moment.  “It’s no good, I can’t do a thing.  It’s muddied everything up.”  He shook his head, disgusted by the slimy tendrils of darkness.  “Get to safety.  I’ll be right behind you.” 

Marcus stared at him momentarily in disbelief, then turned and made his escape, followed quickly by Rembran. 

When the others had made their escape, the draoidh turned to Andros.  “How long can you hold it?” 

“Long enough for you to get away,” the elemental replied as he closed his eyes and reached into the ground.  “Get ready,” he whispered as he buried the creature under another dome of earth.

He didn’t have to tell Rhyslin when to move, for the very instant the creature was buried, the draoidh turned and ran down the street, holding his staff like a runner’s baton. 

Nooooo! The creature screamed as it shattered the earthen dome and stared at the elemental standing in its way.  I will destroy you, and then I will feed upon your friends. 

Andros listened to its ranting and flashed a mocking grin.  “Catch me if you can,” he taunted as he sank into the ground and disappeared.