Black Crystal Part 1 - The Origin

Chapter Thirteen ~ Malevolent Benevolence

November 3rd, 1809.

Rogue Mountains, Oregon Province.

Garen woke up in a panic. It took him a few moments to realize that he was still out in the forest. Lenora, Lucius, and the Bishop were all awake for the day, and the Bishop cooked over a new fire. The rain had seized, though there was fog starting to roll into the forest. "Well, good morning, Garen!" the Bishop said with a kind smile. "I'm making some breakfast for all of us; I figured we could relax a bit before we began walking once more. We're nearing another village, so perhaps we'll settle down there for a little while and see if we could acquire a ride to the Capitol."

"We're already almost at another village?" asked Garen, sitting up and yawning as he stretched his arms. "We must be moving pretty fast."

"Right you are, my friend." Lucius chimed in while trying to look ahead. "Dear me... with all this fog rolling in, we might get lost. Bishop Sleadd, if you don't mind me asking, could you perhaps wrap up breakfast? We should probably get a move on, and soon."

"Oh, relax," the Bishop scoffed. "You worry too much, Lucius. I know where I'm going, even in the autumn fog. Now, please have a seat. Breakfast is almost ready." Garen turned around and shook Peter awake. Peter mumbled something about purple potatoes and the apocalypse before opening his eyes.

"The Bishop made breakfast," Garen told Peter. "You wanna eat, or what?" Peter almost immediately got up, but his eyes were still closed.

"Hell yeah, I wanna eat," he said, slurring his words.

"Hey Garen," Lenora began, "are you okay? You seemed a little frightened in your sleep. It was like you were having a nightmare."

"Was it?" Garen rubbed his eyes and shrugged. "Maybe I did have a nightmare. I can't say I remember what exactly happened, though. I feel like I didn't get much sleep at all as it is."

"We'll get more time to rest when we make it to the next village," Lucius said, preparing plates of eggs for everyone. "Now, eat up. This fog is starting to worry me, and I really think we should get going." As Garen ate, he started thinking about the dream he had that last night. Who was that woman Anita? How did she know who Garen was? And why was she worried about leaving Garen with the Bishop? All sorts of questions started running through Garen's mind, but they all stopped when he realized that the Bishop was looking right at him. There was a strange look in his eyes, almost like the usual kindness had faded away.

You're starting to understand... a woman's voice suddenly spoke in Garen's mind, causing him to jump a bit. The voice continued. You, Peter, Lucius, and Lenora are all in grave danger. The man who calls himself the Bishop is not who he claims to be. Now he knows that YOU know, Garen... he'll start to come after you. You must abandon him as soon as the opportunity comes up. You, Peter, and Lucius must take Lenora to the Capitol without that impostor. And if he tries anything, you are to kill him. Do you understand, my son?

Garen's eyes widened and he breathed in deeply as if he had been holding his breath for a long time. His eyes were still locked with the Bishop's, and their regular kindness had returned.