Ethan Wright and the Curse of Silence (6 page)

“Will he be alright?” asked Ethan intently. “I mean, you can fix him, right?”

Wegnel did not answer right away; he used a small knife to make a short incision where the spike had gone in. He squeezed the area and a clear substance leaked out. Wegnel then applied the green paste over the wound. Loki didn’t flinch and was very cooperative. Soon the leg was bandaged up and Wegnel gave him a pat on the head.

“He will be fine, he just needs to rest,” said Wegnel. “Did you see, did you see what he did? That is an alpha if I ever saw one, my boy — yes indeed. Now then boys, how about some tea?”

Chapter 7
Here’s Pepper in Your Eye!

Ethan was relieved. His large-framed grey and white cat looked tired, but appeared to be in good spirits. Ethan sat down by Loki and sipped his tea while Auren took a seat in a big comfy chair. He looked as if he would pass out at any moment. Wegnel was looking over their collections from the evening. He took the spikes and placed them all in a leather pouch, along with some herbs. He rolled it up and fastened it shut with twine. He took a seat across from Ethan and prepared a pipe for himself.

“I know you have been through a lot this evening, but I need to ask a favor of you — I need you to deliver this pouch to me,” said Wegnel.

“You … want me to … do
what?
” asked Ethan as he ran Wegnel’s request through his head again, but remained confused.

“Well, I can’t possibly take this and deliver it to myself, now, can I? How can I possibly know and expect myself to show up to receive the package while waiting for me to get here?”

Ethan thought this whole adventure had been a dangerous waste of time. Odin would be upset that Loki was injured, and Tothyll was probably right in saying Wegnel was not to be trusted. But how could he refuse — what would the alchemist have him do, take the satchel and give it right back?

“Sure Wegnel, I can do that,” said Ethan in a tired voice.

“You will, that’s great, you are one heck of a lad Ethan, yes I knew as soon as Odin asked me to take you along with me that he saw something special in you, yes sir I told him that I did,” spouted Wegnel in one long breath.

Wegnel took a couple puffs from his pipe, stood up and walked to the center of the room where there was an odd-looking chair. He removed the clutter from around it and placed it aside. There were straps on the chair that got Ethan curious as to what the alchemist was up to.

“Ok, my boy, jump in the chair and we will get you on your way,” said Wegnel.

“On my way?” asked Ethan.

“Ahhh, you ask too many questions you do, it’s not hard at all you see, you simply sit down in the chair and we can get you started on your journey to deliver this satchel to me, and then you can ask me all the questions you want.”

Wegnel gave Ethan a small push toward the chair and Ethan sat down. Odin wouldn’t have sent him to a loony to get cooked on a spit with some herbs and a dash of seasoning, he thought. Wegnel fastened Ethan’s arms down with the straps and presented a small vial of red powder.

“What are ya doin’ to him?” Auren asked threateningly as he stood up.

“Calm down now, you’re just like your father you are, with your short temper and such. Everything will be fine, just fine.”

“So what now?” asked Ethan as he tested the tightness of the straps.

“Just relax,” replied Wegnel. Then he dusted the powder in Ethan’s eyes.

“AHH!” yelled Ethan. “What … is that …
pepper?
” He was panicking, but the straps held fast. “IT BURNS!”

“Well, yeah it’s pepper, of sorts — ran out of the old stuff, I didn’t really expect it to
burn
, really,” replied Wegnel with a slightly puzzled look.

“Ahh,
I can’t see a thing!
” exclaimed Ethan.

“Oh, perfect then,” replied Wegnel, smiling.

Ethan felt a sting in his forearm, followed by a burning sensation. He fell backwards, his body twisting. He felt disoriented. Darkness came and went; he was falling through space and his mind grew dim. Ethan started feeling sick. Pressure was building up in his stomach as he fell and fell, until he could not bear it any longer … and then it stopped. Ethan opened his eyes to see a blurry figure standing over him.

“What …what just happened?” croaked Ethan.

“Well if I didn’t see it with my own eyes …” said a familiar voice. “Are you alright, Ethan?”

Ethan started to focus his eyes and saw Wegnel, but the old man was wearing different clothing. Ethan looked around and realized that the hut seemed to be decorated a bit differently as well.

Ethan wondered if he had passed out, or maybe this was all a very odd dream. “I’m alright,” said Ethan. “I just feel a bit strange.”

Ethan sat up and started taking a more detailed account of his surroundings. There were many devices on the shelves, none of which were taken apart, all of which seemed to be complete and new-looking. Another thing that caught his attention was that, for some reason, the sun was now up.

“Ahh, correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t we just fight a werewolf? And wasn’t it nighttime? Where did Auren run off to? And didn’t you just dump pepper in my eyes?” accused Ethan.

“Oh my, he is not still doing the pepper bit, is he?” asked Wegnel. “No, I don’t recall fighting any werewolves with you and it has been daytime here for quite some time already.”

Ethan grew more confused and rubbed his eyes. Realizing he was no longer strapped to the chair, he stood up quickly. “Loki!” exclaimed Ethan. He looked around for his cat, but the feline was nowhere to be found. Where there had been a table with green goop, there was now, in fact, no table at all.

“Loki …?” asked the old man.

“Yeah, uh … my cat,” replied Ethan.

“Ahh, indeed he is,” stated Wegnel. “I assure you he will be safe.”

“But he was poisoned and I’m not sure …”

“Poisoned?” Wegnel cut him off. “Ah, then you have something for me.”

Ethan realized the pouch was still attached to his waist. He untied it and handed it to the alchemist. Wegnel opened the pouch and removed the contents. He seemed very pleased. In fact, this meeting with Wegnel was nothing like Ethan’s previous engagements with the man. Wegnel normally acted like a headcase, yet now, he was pleasant to speak with and seemed quite sane.

“Wegnel, can you tell me what exactly is going on?” asked Ethan.

“Yes, of course I can, but if you’d rather see for yourself, just step outside, and if you don’t mind, please call me MacArthur,” replied the the old man.

At this point Ethan did not care what the alchemist wanted his name to be; he just wanted to get out of there. He stood up, walked toward the door and pushed it open to peer outside. There were buildings lining the streets and high stone walls surrounding the city. Throngs of people were going about their business, smells of fresh fish and meat filled the air, and uniformed guards were stationed at different posts throughout the market.

Hesitently, Ethan stepped down the rickety staircase of the hut and onto the street. Cobblestone formed a near-perfect pattern and was very pleasant to walk on.

Ethan looked directly across the street and saw an enormous shop. A huge sign hung over the entrance that read ‘Lippy’s.’ Another sign in the window read ‘Home of the Lippy’s Lickable Lightning Lemon Lollipops.’ Both sides of the hut were crowded with food vendors. Some proprietors harassed passersby, while others had lines of impatient people.

In the distance, Ethan could see a lofty spire on the other side of a gate that led to the main part of the city. There was a small window near the top of the spire that would have a good view of the entire city.

He breathed in deep as smells of freshly cooked meat and spices filled his nose. Sweet desserts and freshly baked breads caught his eye. Pumpkin spice cakes with cream and fig, tart apple turnovers, and egg-whipped custard pudding were being sold from a booth right next to him.

Ethan was so intrigued by the delicious food in front of him that he didn’t notice many of the people had stopped to stare at him. And then it happened.

“Isaac…?” A guard left his post and approached from across the street. “Yeah, you look just like Isaac,” he said, louder and more sure of himself.

Ethan felt a surge of excitement and he forgot all the questions that had been torturing him about where he was.

“Isaac, you know Isaac?” asked Ethan frantically.

The guard scratched his head. “Well, you’re not him — you look rather young to be Isaac Wright. You his little brother or somethin’?”

“So you’re saying you know Isaac Wright?”

“Of course I know him. Who
hasn’t
heard of Isaac Wright?”

Ethan looked confused, but remained hopeful. “I’m his twin brother, Ethan. I have been searching for him — you know where I can find him?”

“Haven’t seen him in ages … maybe ten years….” answered the guard.

Ethan was bewildered. For three years he had waited to hear news of his missing brother. Now, a man recognizes Ethan and says he hasn’t seen Isaac for
ten years
. Ethan thought the guard must be either crazy or mistaken.

“Um … thanks then,” mumbled Ethan disappointedly.

Ethan turned and climbed the stairs that led back into the hut. He was both angry and confused, feeling he had been tricked somehow. Having a look around had not cleared things up at all. Not only did he have no idea what was going on, he had no idea where he was
or
how he had gotten there.

“WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?” demanded Ethan. He caught his breath momentarily and then quietly asked, “where am I?”

“You are in the spectacular stone city of Tirguard.”

“Tirguard,” Ethan whispered to himself. He knew he had heard that name somewhere before.

“Well, you had better have a seat and I will explain everything,” said MacArthur calmly as he filled his mouth with cake that Ethan recognized from one of the street vendors. “Pumpkin spice cake?” he offered.

Ethan shook his head.

“Do you mind if I?” asked MacArthur as he piled the rest of the cake in his mouth.

Ethan ignored the question and had a seat in a comfy-looking chair. MacArthur poured Ethan some tea and then walked over to a large wooden chest with metal workings on the front. It was quite a beautiful piece of furniture. He pulled from it a silk bag that he set down on the table with the utmost delicacy. MacArthur opened the bag and pulled out a scaly snake-like creature. It was rather an odd-looking creature with a dragon-like head, no arms and no legs. The creature was blue and scaly with a black belly that had a peculiar design all the way to its chin. It was in a circle and remained so, because its tail was wedged firmly inside its mouth. The creature’s fangs were inserted into its own body.

Ethan sat up in his chair and marveled at the odd-looking reptile. “What is
that?
” he asked curiously.

He was quickly answered. “He’s an Oroborus, Ethan — very rare creature indeed. In fact, he is one of only two that I know of. And, I have not heard anything of this one’s brother for a few years now. But then again, I don’t get out of the hut much,” smiled the alchemist.

He set the Oroborus down on top of the silk bag and sat down across from Ethan. They sipped their tea. The creature slid back its nearly invisible eyelids, revealing black eyes that appeared infinite. It was staring right at Ethan, and for a moment, Ethan felt he could not look away.

“You see, Ethan, this is how you got here. The place in which you come from has a Wegnel, correct? This place also has a Wegnel, which is why I would have you call
me
by my surname, MacArthur,” explained MacArthur.

Ethan nodded.

“The
other
Wegnel has been known to give a distraction because some people fear getting bitten by a creature such as this,” said MacArthur calmly.

“THAT THING BIT ME?” asked Ethan in a panic.

“Yes, he certainly did. Right there on your forearm,” replied MacArthur.

Ethan looked down and grabbed his forearm, which did not look like it had been bitten at all. “But there is no mark …”

“No, and there wouldn’t be,” interrupted MacArthur. “You see, the Oroborus is said to be the first creature in existence. He is so perfect that he does not need to eat food, breathe air, or have any senses at all. However, he has been known to get rather curious from time to time.”

MacArthur looked over to the Oroborus, who now had closed eyelids.

“How does it survive without food?” asked Ethan.

“Well as you can see he devours his own tail, but is constantly growing at the same time. He is self-sufficient,” replied MacArthur. “And there is something else that is very special about Dimon …”

“Dimon?”

“Well, he’s got to have a name, doesn’t he?” chuckled MacArthur. “As I was saying, Dimon can send someone from one world to the next — a parallel universe, another dimension, whatever you wish to call it. But the history of these creatures reveals that there are seven different worlds in the galaxy that are meant for men to explore. They are called Athani, Alfhemir, Enterom, Esurio, Inhalo, Prodigo, and Contabesco — you’re in Alfhemir and came from Enterom … god forbid you ever have to go to Contabesco….”

“Ah, ahh …” stuttered Ethan. “I think there’s been some kind of mistake here — first off, I haven’t heard of any of those places. Secondly, you’ve got a giant snake in your kitchen … what I mean to say … is … well I’m not entirely sure what I want to say. I haven’t been sure about anything since the moment I met you … both times.”

“I understand,” said MacArthur calmly. “That’s why I drugged your tea.”

“YOU
WHAT?
”

“Hold on now,” soothed MacArthur.

“WHAT IS
WRONG
WITH YOU?” exclaimed Ethan.

“In my defense, I could tell that you were going to panic. You will have about five minutes before you pass out. So you can either pass out in this hut, or out on the street in a strange world. Either way I will get you back in this chair,” said MacArthur as he held the back of the chair that Ethan had been strapped to earlier.