Festival of the Dead

Chapter 9: Euandros

Euandros waited in the lab until he could no longer hear the drumming of the rain against the fragile roof. "How can such a person live in this nearly rundown lab," he thought. Before exiting he glanced back at the body. He sincerely wanted to figure out the cause of death among the citizens, but he pushed this idea away as he remembered the argument he had with Guinevere and Lucan about magic. Guinevere didn't believe in magic and Lucan kept denying that he possessed any form of magic, even though he possessed the features of one who does. As Euandros was lost in thought thinking about how familiar Lucan looked, DING DONG! DING DONG! The sound of the clock tower in the town square struck midnight and Euandros made his way back to his shop.

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Light peaked out from the sides of the white cloth curtains that hung against the smooth stone wall. Shuffling his tangled black hair, Euandros forced himself to sit on his bed and heaved the wool blanket to the side. Eyes still heavy, he dragged himself toward his bedroom window and flung the curtains open. Squinting at the sun, he noticed that he overslept. He walked over to the wooden door in the corner of his room and pushed it open. He strode toward the pearly white sink and turned the knobs. Warm water burst through the faucet shocking his numb fingers. Gathering water in his hands, he splashed it onto his face to get rid of any sign of sleep that was left. He then slipped into a pair of black loose trousers, thick black boots, and a white cloth shirt with long sleeves that highlighted his muscles.

Satisfied with his look, Euandros closed the iron doors behind him and progressed toward the right. "Thank the Gods my shop is next door," he reflected. He rolled up his sleeves to his elbow and unloaded a bag of coal into the hearth of the forge. He then, sprayed oil on top of the charcoal which lit within a few seconds. The blacksmith picked up his hammer and got straight to work. After a few hours of pounding steel against the anvil, he looked up to see a cloaked figure collapse besides a low building across the street. Bewildered, he put his tools on the wooden table beside him. He started toward him and paused as the figure stood back up. Slowly the dark figure moved forward. "That person looked ill. Maybe he is going to die like the others," he thought. Euandros followed close behind him, watching, waiting to see what would happen to this weakened person. The figure paused and spun around quickly to face him. All he could see was black, except for the penetrating red eyes that glared back at him.

"Who...," Euandros began. Before he could finish his sentence Euandros clutched his head. "AAAARRRRRRGGHH," he wailed in pain. It was as if a thousand needles had been shoved through the top of his head to the bottom of his spine. Darkness surrounded him and he no longer could see. He felt his senses gradually drift away from him. "That's it I'm going to die right here and now .....," his thoughts ceased.

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All around him was blood, bodies thrown everywhere. His body was drenched in sweat as he searched for his family among the dead bodies. All of a sudden, he heard a sound from a distance. He ran towards the sound, tripping over the bodies when he saw a red faced child with pointed ears sobbing as his mother's body lay next to his. Euandros picked him up and ran.

Light flowed to his eyes as he cracked them open. His eyesight was still fuzzy as he inspected his surroundings. He saw the flickering light of a candle and felt that he had been lying on a platform. He turned his head to the left seeing shapes of what he thought were glass bottles and papers filled with writing. His eyes widened as he recognized the tangled brown hair and the tattered white coat of a woman who stood nearby, her back facing him. With a jerk, he got up from the wooden table and headed straight to the woman in the lab coat.

"What am I doing here?" His face clearly demanded an answer."Guinevere!"

"Impossible!" Guinevere remarked with an astonished look. "How are you alive?" she asked him.

"Listen here, I'm the one asking the questions and you are the one who has to answer them," Euandros retorted.

"I found you lying in the middle of the street next to the town's square," she responded slightly intimidated by his looming height.

"How long was I out? " he asked.

"Three days," she answered. "Now, you answer my question." He shifted uncomfortably, if he explained what had happened she wouldn't understand because of her ignorance about magic and unwillingness to believe. He cursed this situation in his native tongue.

"What did you say? I never heard you." Guinevere scowled, her hazel eyes showed exhaustion.

"I don't know. I just am alive." He rolled his eyes, trying to show that he didn't care. "Why wouldn't I be alive?"

"Your heart wasn't beating and you weren't breathing," she spoke slowly with a questioning voice. Euandros was tired of being interrogated. His eyes explored the lab and once again he found the way out. He escorted himself out. As he left, he remembered why Lucan looked familiar. The streets were empty today, barely anyone in sight, which was very unusual. He stared at the medium-sized buildings made of bricks after he took a deep breath. Before he was able to get far he heard a strangled voice calling his name.

"Help!" He screeched. A cloaked man held the young man in a chokehold. He squirmed uselessly against the man's muscled tattooed arm. As he got closer to the cloaked man, he discovered that it was Lucan he was choking. Euandros noticed the same red eyes poking out from the darkness. He winced remembering the pain he had caused him the last time they came into contact. He needed to act quick, the more time he took, the longer Lucan suffered. His head swiveled in all directions looking for a weapon. There was nothing in sight except for a few tin cups laying on the ground. He picked up the largest tin cup and hurled it at the cloaked man. The man's left hand also covered in black tattoos reached out to block the attack which he deflected with a flick of his finger. "Who are you?" Euandros asked sternly. The cloaked man chuckled.

"Someone from your past. Someone you would like to take your revenge on," a husky voice replied.

Euandros remembered the dagger that he stuffed into his pocket before he passed out three days ago. He thrashed through his pocket and growled in anger. "That damned scientist must have taken it out while observing him," he balled his fists at his sides. It was useless to use human weapons against someone who visibly wielded magic. There was one last alternative. Euandros took a deep breath, closed his eyes and concentrated. His eyelids opened revealing his glowing gold eyes and sharp canine teeth. Lucan's eyes grew wide as he feasted his eyes on the transformation of Euandros. He jumped upon the cloaked man releasing Lucan from his hold.. "Run!" he barked. Lucan ran and when he was a safe distance away, Euandros turned to face his opponent.

He grabbed the man's right arm, bit it with his razor-sharp teeth and shot bolts of lightning. The man staggered back howling in pain and fell to the ground. His hood fell back. He rose showing the back of his head. Red horns of a demon stood out of his almost white hair. The black cloak was cast aside showing the man's well-toned body along with his red claws from his light tan fingers. He nonchalantly turned around. Euandros' breath stopped for a moment as he took in the sight of the man that stood before him. His canines shrunk back in place. A chill went down his spine.

CHOICE 3

Continue reading to Chapter 10 if you would like to witness the fight.

Flip to Chapter 11 if you wish to escape.