In Lost Dreams the Four Were Bound

33 - Davnian- A Dismal Start

[That could have gone better,] the other in his head growled, awake from its slumber as Davnian struggled into the great arbor's spiral hall.

[I brought too many things to the surface last night,] Davnian replied.

[You kept your word to her.]

[I did, which only made it that much more biting,] he said as he felt at the clay covering beneath his leather soles. Small window ports had been notched into the giant tree to let light into the winding path. Only a half turn down the opening between the great tree was where his temporary quarters resided. Stumbling downward, he looked out at the treetops as they shed the dim glow of morning. The bright sunlight lit up the forest as talvuo scurried across bridges and terraces outside. [The vista is impressive.]

[Truly.]

[And the miasma is all but gone now.]

[Yes, it is,] the rocky voice said as Davnian surveyed his surroundings. The dense haze that drifted and bubbled throughout the spiral incline had all but dissipated overnight. Though he was tired, at least he could breathe at ease. [Strange, don't you think?]

[I was certain it was related to the structure,] Davnian mused as he limped toward the wall.

Propping his back against the smooth grain, he eyed the path back toward Neris's room. All night the stuff seemed to bubble within the halls. Yet it refused to swallow the space within her abode. With Neris unaware of anything off, he surmised that whatever he sensed was similar to the wraith haunting the little girl whom Elis kept by her side.

[Perhaps it's nocturnal.]

[Maybe.]

Narrowing his eyes, Davnian watched as a brown-haired talvuo male rounded the bend in the corridor. For a moment, they met each other's gaze, the pale, thin-nosed man's eyes wide with paranoia as he stopped and then ran off down the spiral. As Davnian watched him pass, he caught the afterimage of the same man lurch into frame. It turned and leered at him, its mouth screaming as a writhing blackness filled its mouth. Then its head snapped forward as it was dragged onward like an unwilling shadow.

Before he could interrogate his cohabitant about what they just witnessed, he heard faint footfalls approaching from farther up the corridor. Looking back, he expected to see Neris emerging from her room. Instead, he saw a white-garbed maiden.

The woman's pale skin was like thin milk, whiter than the thin cotton cloth that draped her frame. Nothing was hidden beneath the translucent weave, the faint spots of her chest visible as the sun illuminated her garb. Behind her, an obsidian-skinned talvuo male strutted, his black hair slicked back with grease as his hound-like ears hung limply beside his long, hawkish face. As the pair whispered to each other, Davnian's muscles tightened. His right hand motioned for a blade he did not possess while his claw curved like a jagged hook.

The pale woman's head turned from the dark-skinned talvuo, her green eyes fixing on Davnian. Following her gaze, the rusty-eyed male stared at him. Together, the pair froze in the hallway.

"Nerin Delvori." The name rolled off Davnian's tongue as he studied the two of them. Standing there near the gaping causeway, every fiber of his being told him to run, but he stood his ground.

"Sael Virage." Nerin's voice caught in his throat as he stammered out the demonic title. Beside him, the pale talvuo woman clenched his arm. Farther behind the duo, Davnian saw three other white-clothed maidens pause along the spiral. "It's been a long time."

"Indeed." Davnian's voice was still as his blue eyes danced over each figure.

A gaunt, eyeless shade clawed relentlessly at the exposed flesh of the nearby talvuo woman, its hazel hair fluttering in and out of time as its own existence seemed strained. Parts of it were broken and missing, writhing, black emptiness replacing much of its form. As it flailed, its visage turned to him. Remorseful, pleading eye sockets stared deep into his soul as the shade crawled toward him.

[It's emptying me . . .] a voice whispered from every side.

Turning his gaze from the dismal shade, Davnian spotted three other ghosts writhing toward him. The ephemeral clones of the three other maidens were gelatinous as they slid upon the ground, their faces stretched across a contorted blob of emptiness. Worms and slugs were made of sterner stuff.

"And to whom do I owe the pleasure, naisure Nerin?" Davnian gestured his hooked claw toward the nearest talvuo maiden. His heart pounded as adrenaline flooded his blood. In the back of his brain, an overwhelming sense of malice overtook his sensibilities.

"Thaimi Hyunisti, good man," the talvuo woman said with perfect placidity.

"Naisure," the other maidens behind Nerin whispered in unison.

[Betrayer.] The word worked its way across his brain as Davnian felt his eyes dilate.

He refocused, shaking his head as his senses gave way to dizziness. Reality seemed to bend and warp for a second, and in that brief moment, he glimpsed another world. Where Nerin stood, uncountable green embers burned as emptiness boiled in space. Stretching from the void, tendrils of erasure filled the places of each maiden as their ghouls were gnawed away by the vulgar shroud. Buried deep within the embers, the dissolving skeleton of a child tore at the floor. Then, just as fast as it started, reality solidified around him once more.

Burning hatred and disgust erupted within his breast, straining his resolve as he stood and stared at the procession. He didn't need a weapon. His claw would do. Five strikes to tear down the profane things before him. Five blows to feed his bloodlust.

[Not here, Davnian. Not now,] the other said, its voice breaking through his frantic analysis. Flames of renewal erupted throughout his mindscape, searing away his vengeance.

"A pleasure to meet you, Thaimi," he said, offering his hand to the talvuo woman.

Without a word, she reached out and accepted his gesture. His blue eyes fixed upon her, Davnian bent over and touched his forehead to the back of her hand. Pulling back, he looked into her empty green orbs.

"If you'll excuse us." Nerin shifted in place, his dark hand closing around the maiden's other arm. A grimace worked over Nerin's features as he tugged at the Hyunisti woman.

"Certainly, naisure. A good day to you," Davnian said as the man stormed past.

The other maidens hurried behind the departing pair. Just as the other pale talvuo's shade had done, the pleading shadows tried to claw free but were dragged down against their will.

[What was that just now?] The other's voice was empty of earth and fire as it spoke.

[I don't know,] Davnian replied.

It was clear to him that what he had mistaken for an oddity with one little girl was instead a plague that touched many, perhaps the entire village. But what possessed Nerin and his cohort, Davnian could only begin to imagine. His gut twisted into knots as he pressed himself back against the wall. It had taken everything he had to quell the anger and vengeance welling up within.

"Neris needs to get here soon," he said under his breath, holding his claw against his chest.

Closing his eyes, he slid down to the floor. With a deep breath, he cooled himself and waited.