The Poisoned Crown (SyndiSparklez)

13: Comedic Tragedy

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear. And the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown" ~H.P. Lovecraft

The library was just another dark building against the nearly pitch black sky. The electric lamp had gone out in its area, flooding the building and street in blackness. Black clouds drifted overhead in the sky; stealing what light the moon could have offered on the situation. The lone exorcist in the night stumbled through quiet streets.

It was times like this he thought about having a small drink to calm his nerves. Yet, Jordan remembers the one time he accepted a drink and with a dry smile he also remembers the following events. He doesn't allow himself to delve further into that memory, but rubs his arms where he remembers the nail marks at.

Jordan sighed and felt his way along until he reached the door of the library. He only knew it from the others by the smell of wax and the pang in his heart at the sight of his home. It almost felt like a crime to knock on the door of one's own home.

No one answered. Irritated, Jordan knocked louder, rapping his knuckles hard against the dark wood. The door must have became unlatched, because it swung open slowly and eerily. A cold feeling settled in Jordan's stomach, but he walked in anyway and closed the door behind him. Ghosts were hardly a threat on any level; not any such ghost that walked the Earth. The library was darker than outside; he could hardly see, much more feel his hand. A creeping feeling churned up his spine; to fight away the wave of anxiety, he conjured a light spell.

Why are you so scared of the dark? Was it, because of how dark the room you and Jeriah were in?

It was that voice again. Jordan rubbed his temples and let his light spell glow brighter. He tried to ignore the voice, but it spoke louder.

Stop. Please. Stop. It mocked in Jordan's voice and the man swung around. The voice sounded like it was coming from all directions and he couldn't place who was saying it. It sounded silly to talk out loud to the trouble that couldn't be named, so he kept his mouth shut and tried to think of a stronger thought. Desperately, he tried to recite to himself a list of herbs or the list of towns he had been to to keep the voice from covering his thoughts, but it did not give. Or is the dark something more to you, a part of you, a part everyone tries to bury, but me.

That dream...That dream had triggered whatever this new found annoyance was.

Annoyance? Common sense you called me earlier. The only real annoying ones are those people that claim they're your friends. Why are Tucker and Sonja still here?

Why were they—Jordan closed his eyes and for a moment he could see Jeriah again, but the vision was gone almost immediately as he managed to crash into someone. His eyes opened briefly, but the person had side-stepped him, only catching his arm to keep him from falling. Before Jordan could turn to see who it had been, they'd vanished. The voice disappeared with the touch, suddenly dimming to a dull mutter in the back of his mind. It was comprehensible and soon drowned out by other thoughts.

Jordan wasn't going to pretend that one was coincidence. That man... He had half a mind to go after the man and it was currently winning, but he heard a new set of footsteps and turned to them just in case it was another mind-altering stranger.

Botan appeared moments later, glancing in the direction of the door, then to Jordan. "Are you alright?"

Jordan stood confused for a moment, his mind spinning with the strangeness of what had occurred. Abashed, he feigned tiredness and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, just..." Jordan glanced back at the door as well, regretfully realizing they could already be long gone. "Out of it."