Bound to the Abyss (15 page)

“Ean! You’re awake!” Jaslen moved off the bed, the book she was reading forgotten as it fell to the floor. She moved over next to him and knelt down. “We were so worried about you! Well, Bran and I were.” She flashed the imp a grimace. “After you fell silent, Zin didn’t seem worried at all.”

“There was no need to be worried,” Zin replied. “He survived the growth, which was the dangerous part. After that, it was only a matter of time before he woke u…” He trailed off as two sets of eyes locked on him. Shuffling about on the post, he remained quiet for a time before continuing. “It wasn’t like there was a strong possibility that he would die.”

Jaslen’s full attention was on the imp now, her hands on her hips as she stared up at him. “Zin, during our entire trip here, you said that you had no idea what had happened."

"No," Zin said, shaking his head. "I said that I couldn't tell you what happened. I knew exactly what caused him to black out and where all the pain came from. I just wasn't allowed to tell you." The imp was looking directly at Ean now. That traitor!
 

"Why would you keep something like this from me?” she said looking at Ean, a tinge of hurt touching her voice. "I mean, us. Especially if it’s something as serious as what I saw happen to you."
 

“Uh,” Ean replied as he tried to get his thoughts in order.

"Ean, we had no idea what was going on. Your arm looked like it was on fire, and when you screamed ...” A shudder ran through her body. "You should have told us that would happen." She was quiet for a few moments. When she spoke again, her voice was low. "I thought you were dying. I thought that I was going to have to watch you die."

Heartbreak. Reaching over, Ean put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Jaslen, I really am sorry. My situation is, well, complicated, I guess is the best word." She still wasn't looking at him. "In all honesty, I don't even understand most of what is happening either. Zin apparently knows the most, but he has told me very little."
 

He tore his eyes away from Jaslen, and focused on Zin. "And it sounds like he knows more than what he has been telling me."

The imp tried to put on an innocent face. It didn't exactly fit with the beady eyes and multitude of sharp teeth that peeked out between his lips. "I have told you everything I know. I warned you about the pain." At Ean's harsh glare, he continued on faster. "Fine, after the first time it happened I did, at least. I have as little idea as you do as to when it will return. It’s simply part of the process." He clamped his mouth shut.

"What process?" both Ean and Jaslen asked in unison. While Ean had directed the question towards Zin, Jaslen was looking at Ean again. Now it was his turn to look innocent. It wasn’t difficult, since he had no idea what the imp was talking about.

“I don’t know what he is talking about either,” Ean said to her before returning his attention to the imp. “A process? I figured the pain was a one-time thing. You mean the pain is going to keep happening?”

“Yes.” The imp was looking away now. “Putting the tattoo on your hand was more of a start to the process then actually being the entire process.”

“And you were going to tell me this when?”

Jaslen cut in, snatching Ean’s hand into hers as she spoke. “What does it do?” Her voice was hushed as she stared at the designs. Reaching out slowly with her free hand, she placed a finger on the runes that grew around his wrist, tracing along one of the designs. Her touch sent shivers up and down his body.

“I don’t even know,” Ean replied, “for the most part. Zin says that it will increase my strength in using the energy from the Abyss. As of now, summoning anything feels like I’m getting my insides ripped out. These designs are supposed to gradually lessen that pain. What he didn’t warn me about was the random bursts of unbearable agony.” Ean cut off as he took a better look at his right arm.
 

The tattoo that had extended from the rune on his palm to his wrist now stretched all the way to elbow, the lines twisting around each other to the point where it was impossible to follow one path all the way from beginning to end. Intermixed in the black curving lines were little lines of blue, almost like veins.
 

That was certainly new. Returning his attention back to Jaslen, he shrugged.

“Other than that, I have no idea what else these tattoos will do. I don’t actually know what many of the runes mean.” He tried looking up at Zin again, hoping Jaslen didn’t catch the embarrassment that he was sure was written across his face. “And Zin has told me practically nothing about it since I inscribed it onto my hand.”

“I tell you what I can!” With a snort, the imp leapt down to the floor. “The lack of trust you have … after all these years …” He stormed towards the door, muttering to himself. Just as he reached it, Zin spun back around. The glare he shot Ean was less than friendly.

“I’m going to find something to eat. Maybe by tomorrow you will have realized that I’ve always been looking out for your best interests.” And with that he disappeared from sight. The door opened and then slammed shut.

Ean slumped down against the backboard. “I suppose I owe him an apology.”

“Yes, probably.” Jaslen said matter-of-factly. She rose to her feet and moved back to her bed, picking up the book as she went. “If you had any smarts about you, you would apologize to Bran and me as well. If we are going to travel together, we shouldn’t be keeping any secrets from each other.” She sat back down on the bed, and returned her attention back to him. “Especially ones as big as that.” She gestured with the book towards his exposed arm and hand.

“I am sorry, Jaslen. I just … I’ve been so used to keeping secrets, that it’s almost second nature for me. It was stupid of me to think that I could keep this and everything else a secret while we traveled together.”
 

Ean moved to the edge of his bed and sat there without speaking, his eyes on Jaslen. He tried to think about what he could say to make things better. Coming up empty, he got to his feet and moved over to the one window in the room.

Looking out, he found a village much different from his own. Across the street were houses densely packed together. Most were only one story like the houses in Rottwealth, but they were all made of planks instead of densely woven sticks, their bases stone and mortar. Each was also roofed with planks of wood, each roof painted a different color that made the rooftops look like a dark colored rainbow. Lights could be seen through many of the glass windows, fending off the darkness of the night.
 

A few streets back sat a larger building, four levels high, built of heavy logs instead of planks. There were a number of windows on each level, and even at this distance, Ean could see a large number of people moving about through the windows on each floor. Behind that building was an area of clean cut trees that eventually ended at the edge of the forest.

 
“Just promise me one thing, and I suppose I will forgive you this time.” When he nodded, she continued on. “Promise me that from now on, you won’t keep anything from us that you know is important or will affect our trip.”

“Of course, I absolutely promise,” he said.

“Good. Now, while Bran is downstairs in the common room having a few drinks, you get to keep me company. I think you should entertain me by telling me all about the trouble you and Zin have been up to back at home. I’m curious to hear about what you two have been doing right under everyone’s noses.”

He gave a short laugh and sat down on the floor in front of her. Maybe telling her MOST of what he had been up to wouldn’t be so bad. He would just leave out the little things that involved her.

Chapter 11

NEW EXPERIENCES

Ean woke the next day to find the room empty. Both of the other beds were already made, and a quick glance around the room confirmed that Zin wasn’t present either. The imp hadn’t come back before Ean and Jaslen had gone to their separate beds the night before. He had probably stayed out all night, hunting for food and trying to make Ean feel guilty about doubting him. Well, the imp certainly wasn’t telling him everything he knew, so let him sulk.

Climbing out of bed, Ean moved to the window first. Judging by the small amount of light filtering in through the glass, it was still early morning. Down on the streets below, a few people moved about, but for the most part, the village looked empty and peaceful. Turning his attention back to the room, he noticed a piece of paper resting on one of the clothes drawers. The handwriting was clearly Jaslen’s, the lettering flowing on the page. Sitting on his bed, Ean began to read,

Ean,
 

We thought it was best to let you rest. We’ve gone out to see the village and try to find passage to Lurthalan. Bran was talking to a few workers last night that work for a caravan that might be heading north. We’re going to try approaching whoever is in charge to see if they are heading to the city and if we can arrange passage. It would make the trip that much easier since we’ve never traveled the path through the woods before. Plus, after our experiences already with that troll, it would be nice to travel with a bit more protection. We’ll meet back in the common room around lunch and let you know what happens. Have fun looking around!

Jaslen

Tossing the note to the side, Ean got dressed and moved out of his room. Having been unconscious when they arrived, Ean had no idea how the inn was arranged. The floor he was on consisted of one long hall with wooden doors to either side. It ended with steps going down, which Ean followed down two flights that ended in a hallway that ran left and right. Towards the right, a sign marked the door at the end as the living quarters of the owners, so Ean went left and through a door that led out into the common room of the inn.

The common room was what you would expect from any inn, except that it was completely windowless. Long tables surrounded by wooden stools or benches took up most of the floor, very similar to the setup of the Golden Coin back in Rottwealth. A few of those stools still held people, some enjoying a morning meal while others were slumped over a table or against a wall. A single serving girl moved about the room, delivering food and drink to those awake, occasionally poking those passed out to make sure they were still breathing. Not wanting to have anything to do with that kind of crowd, Ean moved through the room as fast as he could and passed through the double doors that led out of the inn and into the street.

Stepping outside, he stopped dead, amazed at what he saw. In front of him, across the street and on the other side of a huge grassy clearing was the largest building he had ever seen. Constructed only of large logs placed on top of each other in a staggered pattern, the building towered over the rest of the village. A pair of square doors twice his height sat smack in the middle of the side facing the inn while the rest of the wall was windowless. Ean couldn’t even imagine how something that huge could have even been constructed.

Shaking his head, he tore his gaze away from the building and looked around the rest of Rensen. Just like the inn, he had no idea what the layout of the town was like. Down the street to his left, he found what looked to be the residential area that he had seen from his window the night before. Sure enough, a few streets back he could make out the top of that large building that had been full of activity the night before towering over the other houses. Behind the building was a thick forest of evergreens. A road cut a path through it, spiraling towards the mountains looming in the distance. That must have been the road they had come in on.

To his right, he found a building with a sign hanging above the door that designated it as the town store. It sat on the corner of the street, while across from it further down the road was a large two-story house. Past that house was a field populated with different sized and colored wagons. That must be where the traders were, which meant it was also where Bran and Jaslen had gone. Not wanting to interrupt whatever the two were up to, Ean decided to head in the opposite direction. He was curious about the large building that sat in the residential area and even more curious about the monster of a building to the north. Why would anyone even need a building that big?

As Ean moved away from the inn, the streets were more or less empty. Being a logging village, he assumed the majority of workers must already be out in the forest chopping down trees or hunting game. He only saw two people as he moved towards what looked to be the residential area. Both carried large bows in their hands with full quivers strapped to their waists. Hunters, setting out for the day. They didn’t give him a second glance.

He continued on, passing a side street on his left that was filled with similar sized homes, and then another block of houses after that, before reaching the street where the larger building he had seen last night sat. He walked up to the building, his curiosity growing the closer he got to it. Not a single mark or sign indicated the building’s purpose. Every window that had been lit and filled with movement the night before was now dark and devoid of life. Dim morning light filtered through the windows, allowing Ean to make out the vague outlines of chairs turned upside down on tables.

With a grunt of disappointment, Ean headed back towards what he figured was the center of the village. Maybe the even larger building would produce something more interesting. Retracing his steps he walked down the street, glancing in the occasional window out of sheer boredom.

Ean had expected life outside of the village he had grown up in to be different, but he was surprised by this logging town’s quiet streets. At this hour, the village back home would already be bustling with activity. Maybe the loggers were already awake and were deep in the forest. Then again, maybe everyone was asleep. What were the hours that loggers kept anyway?

He brushed the thoughts out of his mind as he reached the end of the street. Straight ahead of him, across the large open field sat the massive wooden building. The side facing him and the rest of the town gave absolutely no hints at what the building could possible contain.