Behold! A Free Thing to Read!

Just a Note

            I did not forget about you blog, I just had a case of the blahs which is a thing I believe happens to everyone. Then you go to work on a thing and it’s like my brain… just cannot do this thing right now. You decide, for your mental health, that it is okay to not work on that thing right now. About an hour later you are beating yourself up for being a lazy piece of sh*t. What? You mean not everyone feels that way? If you do, I’m sorry. If you don’t, consider yourself lucky.

Cursed

            I released a book a few years ago on Halloween (because I’m a tool). I self-published it and I was very nervous to do it. It was the first time I had ever shared original writing in such a way. I’m a notorious fan-fiction writer which I shared regularly but that’s a different beast entirely, at least for me. That being said, my stance on writing is if you write you are a writer, regardless of the content. I know a ton of really talented fanfic writers who create worlds just as intense and vibrant as authors of original content.

            Anyway, I got off track, so I have learned a great deal since I published Cursed. One of those things has been editing myself. I had a tendency to over explain, to switch character point of view, and to put in information unnecessary to the reader. That being said, I have worked on all of that. I’m definitely still learning everyday and I’m sure that I’ll feel like I have come much further a few years from now but that being said: I am pleased with this edit of Cursed.

Please Read!

            Cursed is a story I have worked on since my youth, it’s been rewritten and rethought out to death but I’m happy with the world and the story I created. I hope that you will give it a chance. It takes place in a world where magic has long since died but is on the brink of return. Khadrim is a young man struggling between what he wishes his life could be and what it truly is. It's mostly a story about challenging your fate and acceptance of who you are. It is also a story about elves, demons, angels, wicked intent, and the value of kindness and compassion.

Next Week!

            I’ll get back into the idea of world building and maybe, together, we can actually build a world. I have a few stories where I’m still in that process and if there’s any interest I will start that on here so I can show the process I go through. It doesn’t make it the only process or even the right process, it’s just how I do things!

Here We Go

Night One

Central City of Gii

Benwo

            The concrete was cold against his cheek.

            His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness but he did not recognize where he was. Why was he on the floor? Fear gripped his chest and cold sweat dripped down his forehead, his heart beating as though he’d run a mile. Slowly he got to his knees but the effort seemed too great for his small, frail body.

            No, no that couldn’t be right.

            Khadrim was not a boy anymore; he was a grown man. He’d be celebrating his twentieth birthday in a few weeks. There was no way this could be real. Or perhaps his adult life had been a cruel dream. Could dreams be so vivid? As the darkness lessened and his eyes adjusted Khadrim remembered, like dusting off an old memory. His childhood bed sat next to him, the one his mother tucked his sheets into every day. A half empty toy chest stood at the foot of the bed. There was a window on the other side of it where earlier that very night he’d drawn the curtains in fear.

            Maybe the life that had followed had been a dream. Maybe now, this moment, was real. Closing his heavy eyelids Khadrim listened for any other signs of life. For the sound of his mother quietly shuffling down the halls as she often did in her slippers when she couldn’t sleep. But Khadrim heard nothing. Absolutely nothing. Even the insects that were usually quite loud this time of year were silent. What time of year was it again? The details were hazy, like they always were.

            No, this was not real.

            He was having that dream again.

            Insecurity bit at the rim of his thoughts. Carefully, Khadrim crept to his knees and touched his face. Not even the slightest hint of stubble though his dimples now seemed even deeper than usual on his young face. They’d become less prominent with age. For now, he would do all he could think to do: crawl back into bed. When he woke up next, he’d know which reality he belonged in, or at least he hoped he would.

            These were terrible thoughts for a child.

            Curling his legs beneath him, Khadrim stumbled onto his knees but then lurched at a terrible stabbing pain spreading through his back. Burning, searing ache spread through his shoulder, his chest, through his arms and he was forced forward, barely able to breathe. Trembling breaths urged the pain to silence and he groped his left shoulder in search of a wound. But there was nothing there. His skin shifted beneath his fingertips as though something was crawling through his muscles beneath his flesh, digging with terrible claws. The pain returned in full force, burning, white hot, blinding!

            He collapsed onto his stomach with a thud.

            His back arched and his mouth hung open in a scream but no sound came out. Sweat dripped down his face, filling his mouth with its sick saline taste. Whatever was crawling beneath his skin moved behind his shoulders, piercing his muscles, spreading them apart, twisting, manipulating them in ways they never were meant to stretch.

            Grasping desperately at the floor, Khadrim scratched blindly, struggling to find relief from the pain. But there was no escape from whatever nightmare this was. Back arching unnaturally, spine bending, pain tearing through his stomach, down his hips, his legs went numb. Something was ripping him apart from the inside out! If it continued like this he would die.

            The sound of him thrashing on the stone floor and choking for breath was interrupted by something wet and sticky dripping next to him. Warmth trickled over his shoulders and onto the floor. His blood was dark, thick, black. When he’d scraped his knee that morning his blood had been bright red but now it was like ink. What was happening to him?

            This was it. The end.

            This was what death felt like.

            With a terrible crack Khadrim’s bones snapped and pushed through the flesh of his back. A second crack followed and another bone pushed through accompanied by the sick sound of tearing flesh. Some unseen force was killing him. The bones pushed further, stretching through muscle that moved along them. But they weren’t breaking.

            No, his bones were growing.

            Someone had to hear his struggle. His mother? Father? Weren’t they in the room next door? Couldn’t they hear him suffering?

            “Mama…” Khadrim managed with a strangled cry but his voice was barely audible. Making to his knees in an attempt to crawl, he instead collapsed on his stomach. Pain radiated through him with a shudder. More than bone pierced his flesh and that same black blood dripped over his shoulder, pooling beneath him. It was sticky and hot. Vision blurred with tears, Khadrim desperately tried to drag himself toward the door. It was only a few feet away but the task seemed insurmountable, the distance growing before his eyes.

            If he could get his mother’s attention, she would save him. She always saved him. He’d managed to call for her once- he could do it again. Mouth agape, only a squeak of a sound came out before his throat tickled uncomfortably and he gagged, coughed, choked. Something was lodged back there, moving, choking him. Not only that but his mouth was shifting, changing. Every inch of him was on fire. It was as though someone was driving a nail right between his eyes. Closing them tight he tried to breathe through the pain and when he opened them again, he saw only fire.

            Blinking in panic he saw once again the dark shadows of his room, the fire fading as quickly as it had appeared. Coughing, choking, whatever was in his throat would not come free. Even as he gagged, he still tried to call for his mother. Even if he couldn’t manage her name if he could make one sound loud enough to wake her, she would come running. But he did not succeed.

             The pain was too much and his vision, already blurred by tears, began to fade around the edges. He was losing consciousness. His eleven-year-old body couldn’t withstand much more.

            Exhausted with effort, Khadrim pushed onto his knees and silently screamed as the pain shook him. Whimpering, he tried to cry but instead of sound, the heat of vomit burned at his throat. Splattering onto the floor it was mixed with blood making a sickly swirl of color. Hands shaking, he barely managed to stay up as his stomach churned.

            “Mama!” Finally, he managed to cry loud enough for someone to hear him but he would never know if she answered his call. His vision darkened as he collapsed to the floor in a heap. Then there was only pain.

            When Khadrim opened his eyes next he was floating above the body of the boy he’d been. His white hair was matted and stained with black blood, face contorted in agony. Still, he writhed in a pitiful attempt to combat what had overcome him. Khadrim could see it now, this terrible monster he became. A monster he knew all too well.

            The boy on the floor disappeared as dark wings emerged from his back, scaled and feathered, oozing with blood. Horns sprouted from his head, long and curved. There was nothing human left of the boy on the floor nor of the man watching it happen.

            Khadrim was a monster.

            He knew he was a monster. Khadrim tried to shut the image out of his mind, of this nightmare. It was just a dream.

            Always the same dream.

            When he opened his eyes again, he bolted upright in his bed, cold sweat dripping down his face. Vision blurry still, he frantically wiped the sweat away from his eyes. His hands were as he had remembered them; large and scarred with use. He needed more than that, proof that he was safe at home and not in the rubble of a small village far to the north.

            Exhaling deeply to calm the racing in his heart, Khadrim leaned his head back and blinked his reddish-brown eyes as his familiar bedroom came into focus. It was the same as it had been before he’d gone to sleep. Relief flooded through him.

            How long had it been since he’d had that nightmare?

            Days? Weeks? Time was fuzzy.

            Soon the nightmare would be nothing but a vague memory as it always was. The clock on the nightstand next to his bed glowed gleamingly bright. It was the middle of the night. He should have gone back to sleep.

            But yet another light from across the room distracted him. It was a strange, small glow but a familiar one. The light irritated his eyes at first so he shied away and groped for his glasses that were near the clock. He only used them to read but figured it couldn’t hurt in his groggy state. There was a soft beep, barely audible, but enough to assure Khadrim where the other light was coming from.

            Someone had left him a message on his Virtuascreen. He smiled. The message would be from his anonymous friend. It always was. At first, he’d waited for the message at night. But the timing was unpredictable so he had stopped waiting and had only checked for them when he had time.

            Friends were few and far between in Eurchiro and for Khadrim they were even fewer and further. The world was far too hostile a place for him to get caught up in socializing. Messages from a stranger on a screen were far easier to manage than highly emotional humans. There were no faces to answer to, no disappointment if they didn’t show up.

            Then again, he wasn’t sure if he would be disappointed seeing as the messages always came. At least for the last year they had. Any remnants of his nightmare had completely faded as Khadrim placed bare feet onto the plush rug beneath his bed. There was no going back to sleep now. He was awake so he would give into his curiosity and read the message.

            Ruffling his already messy white hair Khadrim yawned and stretched as he dragged his feet across the room. Sitting in his chair he spun toward his desk and tapped his fingers in front of the glowing light. Lazily he waved his hand over the glow. The Virtuascreen came to life, the small light stretching and displaying several windows before him, spanning the length of his large desk. Some showed the weather in several parts of Eurchiro, financial reports, news stories, anything of interest going on in the Central City of Gii and other cities of importance. There were still many places on the furthest reaches of the five continents that didn’t have the technology to report every little story. Technology was a luxury of larger cities controlled by powerful governments.

            On the far right end a scroll blinked. Grabbing it with his index finger he spun it into the middle of the screen and then opened it with a touch. Reclining in his chair he watched letters appear on the scroll before him. Just as he had suspected, this message was from his anonymous friend. Khadrim had made several attempts to discover who sent these riddles each night but had little success. That was saying something considering Khadrim’s mind was far from average.

            Yet these messages seemed to come from different places each night and none of the sources could ever be confirmed. This had, of course, only intrigued him further. Khadrim had always been fond of puzzles.

            Now the words hovered before him, glowing in the darkness of his room.

            “If there’s safety in numbers then why do we fear for those we care for the most?”

            Khadrim turned the words over in his mind, tasted them on his lips but as usual they made very little sense to him. This, however, was unlike the other riddles. For a moment he felt as though he was being watched and a chill ran down his spine. He did not check behind him. Khadrim didn’t care. Even if there was someone sneaking up behind him it didn’t matter. His was not the right house to break into. He’d long since learned to defend himself.

            “Nonsense.” Tapping the desk, Khadrim mulled over the words. Usually he came up with a clever response but there was little that came to mind tonight. It was difficult to relate to the scenario, even. Khadrim didn’t associate with many people, at least not enough to call them friends and his family had died long ago. There were familiar strangers but Khadrim hadn’t even bothered with their names. It was easier that way. Relationships would only get him into trouble. Khadrim was okay with that, he’d never been the type to be lonely.

            Slowly he dragged his fingers beneath the scroll and before him a keyboard appeared. Brushing his fingers over the letters artfully, he replied with the only thing that came to mind.

            “There is no safety with such fear. It’s every man for himself.” With a smack of his hand on the desk the lights receded into the machine and the room was drenched in darkness. Reclining again in his chair, Khadrim pondered the odd question. Perhaps his anonymous friend didn’t know him as well as he’d expected after nearly three hundred messages.

            Then there was another blinking light. A second message. That had never happened before. Khadrim opened it quickly.

            “Alienation isn’t strength. It’s weakness.”

            Immediately flipping the Virtuascreen off, Khadrim turned away from it. He’d never once gotten a response before. Maybe someone was watching him. Carefully scanning his room, he saw nothing but the usual furniture. His desk, bed, two nightstands, wardrobe, a bookshelf, and the trunk at the foot of his bed. Nothing unusual. Satisfied that things were exactly as they should be, Khadrim slowly trudged back to his bed. The air was chilly now that he’d stopped sweating so he grabbed his discarded t-shirt from the floor and pulled it on over his head. Maybe he could still get some sleep.

            As he laid in bed Khadrim’s thoughts continued to race. These messages haunted him. In the beginning he had ignored them and wondered if it was an odd form of targeted advertising. He’d taken apart his Virtuascreen and rebuilt it then crept through its programming to make sure there was no intrusion. Over the years he’d become quite handy with technology. Khadrim had always taken to things naturally, so much so that it had often set him outside of everyone else. That, amongst other things, but he tried not to dwell on those other things.

            Eventually curiosity had gotten the better of him and he’d responded to one of the riddles. When nothing came of it, he thought perhaps that would be the end of it. Instead the messages persisted and daily at that. They only arrived when he was home which led him to believe someone was watching him. A thorough search of his home assured him this was untrue but the paranoia still struck him occasionally and prompted a new search.

            Opening his eyes in frustration, Khadrim stared at the white ceiling. It was unlikely he would manage to sleep. The silence was deafening. The three-story apartment building was empty with the exception of him. Years ago, he’d secured it by unsavory means and had since then kept it to himself. Half of the building was unfinished and he was sure it would remain that way for quite some time.

            Khadrim had long ago gutted the four apartments on the first two floors and converted them into what was now his home. There were two left unoccupied on the third floor but Khadrim had locked them securely. Sure, it was odd for a man of his age to have secured such real estate but he was far from ordinary. Focusing on what he could do with those two remaining apartments, Khadrim drifted into an uneasy sleep.

            A knock on the door startled him awake and still groggy, he jumped to attention. Khadrim focused and listened for a second knock. Checking the clock, he saw it was very much still the middle of the night. No one in their right mind would be knocking on his door at this hour. Rarely did he have visitors. In fact, in this particular part of the city there were few people in general. The Central City of Gii was one of the most populated areas on the continent of Benwo, but as one made their way to the outskirts of the city much of the old buildings were abandoned.

            The knocking came a second time so Khadrim got to his feet and crept silently out of his room. Without turning on the light he moved down the narrow hallway and down the steps at the far end of it. Turning he found his locked door and outside of it was the source of the knocking. Did he truly want to know who was there? What were the odds that he would have a visitor at this time of night and two cryptic messages at the same time? Very slim, he thought.

            He could ignore it and go back to bed.

            But he wouldn’t.

            Noiselessly, Khadrim unlocked the door and pulled it open. But there was no one there. Absolutely no one. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting but it hadn’t been this. Stepping down the three steps of his porch Khadrim searched the block left and right. There was nothing except the old tree in front of his house. How long had he been hoping that stupid tree would die? It obstructed his view but it felt wrong just to cut it down.

            The leaves on the ground were undisturbed. If there had been someone outside, they’d left no evidence behind. The light on the corner that usually shone brightly was flickering in and out. With a loud, distracting buzzing it blared back to life, filling the night with a spooky warmth before fizzling out completely and leaving Khadrim in both silence and darkness with nothing but the wind to keep him company.

            Jaw clenched, cheeks sallow, Khadrim stepped back into his home, locking the three locks on his door before slamming his fist against it. Maybe he was losing his mind. Weirder things had certainly happened.

            Sleep now completely out of the question, Khadrim still headed upstairs. Perhaps it was time to rethink his security system.

            “A bit paranoid, are we?” A smooth male voice crept out of the darkness. The hair on the back Khadrim’s neck stood at attention. Spinning around he searched the darkness at the bottom of the stairs and found nothing. Nerves on edge, heart pounding in his ears, Khadrim clenched his fists and readied himself for a fight with a robber.

            Emerging from the shadows near his front door at the base of his stairs was an odd man, obscured by a black cloak. Even from where he stood, Khadrim could see the sparkle in his eyes and something about it struck him as unnatural. The cloak this man wore was not odd, many people wore them to keep warm, but something was still unnerving about him. Mostly the fact that he had somehow managed to break into Khadrim’s well-secured home.

            “There is no need to be so on edge, Khadrim. I am not here to hurt you.” Pulling his hood away, the man’s features remained mostly obscured by darkness but what Khadrim could make out he could see his hair was long and his face odd. Why it was so odd, Khadrim wasn’t sure. Something just felt odd. “I have waited such a long time for this moment.”

            “How did you get in here? One of the empty rooms? What do you want?” Khadrim wasn’t going to blindly trust an intruder. That was crazy. If nothing, the man’s reassurance only sent him more on edge.

            “Even if I told you I doubt you would believe me.” The man laughed and it was filled with warmth. Khadrim took a cautious step down the stairs hoping to get a better look at this man. His long hair was braided, perhaps a dark shade of blue. It was too difficult to make out with such little light. It was the man’s eyes that stole Khadrim’s attention and a pit formed in his stomach. They were hollow. No pupil, no iris. The space that should have been dark to take in as much light as they would allow, was swirling, empty. Yet, there was a flicker of light within those eyes, changing with every turn of his warm and round face. “You’re far too rational. I think it’s become a weight on you, actually.”

            “That’s not an answer.” Khadrim had to be losing his mind. If he didn’t know better, he would think this man’s ears were long and pointed. Maybe he was having a fever dream. He was still lying sick in bed. Yes, that had to be it. He’d read about creatures in mythology with such ears and it had to be seeping into his dreams. Creatures from mythology were, well, myths.

            “All in good time, I promise. I have waited so long to meet you.”

            “Yeah, you mentioned that. Why?” Khadrim wasn’t the type to beat around the bush. This intruder had about thirty seconds before Khadrim beat his face into the floor.

            “I spent years trying to find you and then twenty more until it was an appropriate time to meet you. Can’t we savor this moment?”

            “Savor? Are you high? You barge into my home in the middle of the night and tell me I should savor the moment? You broke into my house!” Khadrim, despite his objections, felt strangely comforted by the man’s tone. Everything in Khadrim’s gut was jumbled up. Part of him felt as though this man meant him no harm but the part that was paranoid after the night he’d had, was far louder and stronger. What were the odds of this midnight visitor again? Was there a chance this was the person sending him riddles? The thought chilled him to the bone.

            “I’m not as odd as you’re thinking. Your mind is quite brilliant Khadrim and yet your heart is so cold. I have known many incredible minds and none compare, elf nor man. Trust me, young man, that is a compliment for I have lived a very long time.” The man bowed and his long loose braid fell over his shoulder. “I am Tenameru and apologize for the intrusion but I mean you no harm.”

            “Listen, Tenameru. I don’t know if you’re a religious zealot obsessed with the world as it was in the Arc of All, but the world we live in now? No such thing as elves. Those in the tall towers may think that the world was shaped by them or whatever bullshit they preach but if you had any sense at all? You would know these are fairy tales created to keep people like you in line with some moral ambiguity sewn into the subtext.”

            “Are you so intelligent that you no longer believe in anything?” Tenameru tilted his head with a sad smile.

            “I believe what’s in front of me.” Khadrim regretted the words the moment they passed his lips.

            “Am I not proof enough?” Tenameru climbed the bottom few steps so Khadrim could get a better look at him. His ears were pointed and it didn’t seem surgical. From what Khadrim could tell those ears very much belonged to Tenameru. His face was long and his cheeks were round and there was something mystical about the air around him. Khadrim was getting caught up in the craziness of this night. Yet nagging instinct told him this could be true. Tenameru didn’t seem to be lying. Regardless of what he was, Khadrim was by no means going to allow someone to break into his home.

            “I don’t care who or what you are. You cannot go breaking into people’s homes.” Even if there was some truth to this man’s words it didn’t matter. Now Khadrim had a damn elf in his house in the middle of the night! Who wouldn’t have been threatened?

            “Trust me, if I didn’t have to bother you I never would.” Tenameru’s smile faded. “It is a dire thing that I have come to see you. Certain events have come into play and…”

            “And?”

            “You will undoubtedly play a crucial role.” Tenameru offered that smile again. The more he did the sadder it looked. He had the face of a kind man who had seen terrible things. “Both great and unfortunate.” When there was nothing to follow it up Khadrim’s stomach turned with discomfort.

            “If this is some sick joke, it’s not very funny.” Khadrim’s voice was quiet and threatening. Long ago his hands had ceased trembling. He was no longer afraid. If he needed to, he would knock this man’s lights out, leave him on the corner, and call the Peacekeepers.

            “This is no joke. I wish it was. We all do.” Tenameru hung his head. “Whether or not you believe me there are elves. Not only that but there are winged warriors of light and horned shadow creatures in the darkness. Everything I tell you is real and the sooner you learn to accept it the sooner you can prepare for what comes next.”

            “Soon you’ll be telling me there are vampires, too! Oh, and ghosts. That’s why my light went out on the corner. So spooky.”

            “Are you familiar with Yobira? We have another word for it in my language but it has always made me uncomfortable to say. You see, elves rarely die from natural causes.” Tenameru drifted off then continued despite Khadrim’s refusal to answer. “The Lord there is the greatest of deceivers. Your religions here in Eurchiro refer to him by many names but where I come from, he is known as Deceit.”

            “The devil. You’re talking about the devil.” Khadrim mentally deflated and pinched bridge of his nose in annoyance. Here was some soapbox religious nut in his foyer trying to convince him there was validity to stories he’d heard from the Arc of All in his youth. “Tenameru was it? I think you’ve spent a little too much time talking to yourself in shadowy corners, okay? Those stories they tell at the Houses of Worship? That foolish people seek solace in? They’re bullshit. Stories made to convince people to follow the laws that the Peacekeepers enforce. Sorry to break it to you, man, but you believe exactly what they want you to believe.”

            “I don’t disagree with that, not at all.” Tenameru chuckled. “It is true that these cities built around your towers of worship are indeed founded on stories that are littered with moral lessons. What you don’t seem to understand is that these stories have been twisted and changed to better serve your corrupt governments. There is still validity to these stories. There is an ounce, a grain, of truth left in each of them. Isn’t myth and magic just that until proven not to be? Then you call it science and fact.” Tenameru reasoned. This had to be the very same man Khadrim had exchanged riddles with on the Virtuascreen. Every word from his mouth appeared in Khadrim’s mind as if a blip on a scroll. This somehow made the discussion less upsetting. They were debating, just as they had over riddles each night. Had that been Tenameru’s ploy all along? Had he guided Khadrim into a habitual conversation with him so that it wouldn’t scare him so much to hear him when he finally arrived? Paranoia rose in the back of his mind again. “The Great Deceiver? Your devil? He is real. He exists. The stories of him have changed over the years but one thing has always remained true. Evil lives in Yobira.”

            “Enough…”

            “Whether or not you believe in him The Deceiver is real.” Tenameru was speaking more seriously now. Khadrim knew that no matter the argument, he wouldn’t convince Tenameru otherwise. Even if his story wasn’t true, he certainly believed it to be. “I told you earlier that I came to you because certain events have been set into motion.”

            “Events involving me.” Khadrim reiterated in irritation.

            “Yes, and these events created you. I know what you are… and what haunts you in your dreams.” Tenameru’s voice grew dark. “That Great Deceiver. You and him are one in the same.”

            Khadrim took a dangerous step closer. He’d been doing so cautiously in hopes of gaining an advantage on Tenameru in case he had to subdue him. Khadrim was fast and skilled. Tenameru would be unconscious in seconds flat if necessary. He’d stop listening to his words. The talk of religions and devils had thrown him off. Khadrim had never believed any of it, not even as a kid. He’d always been hyper rational. The very idea of religion made him roll his eyes. No, Khadrim believed in the here and the now. He believed in what was tangible. Right now, this man was in front of him so he had no choice but to believe that Tenameru at least believed he was an elf.

            “What’s wrong with your eyes?” Khadrim asked without thinking. Tenameru’s eyes were stunning. The light he had noticed earlier had grown in abundance the closer he got. It was as though an entire sky’s worth of stars rested within them. They were beautiful but also intimidating. What could cause such an effect? Was there a chance he was truly an elf? He sure looked like an elf. How did he know about Khadrim’s nightmares? Fear rose again in Khadrim and he wasn’t very easily frightened. “How can you possibly see anything? No pupils, no way to take in light… it looks like…”

            “Stars.” Tenameru finished for him with a smile but the starry eyes radiated sadness. “Now that is an interesting story and very much has to do with why I am here.”

            “What happened?” Khadrim wasn’t sure he should listen to the story but if he listened to it and rejected it then perhaps Tenameru would leave peacefully.

            “In my world I was a great mage, a warrior of magic.” Tenameru elaborated. Despite the stars in his eyes they still emoted like any other. “There was a terrible war. My world, Weoyen, as it is known, had been tumultuous long before the actual war began. There was an elf who had once fought for my kingdom and had betrayed his people. He made a deal with The Deceiver for dark powers. This elf wished to plunge all of Weoyen into darkness, to fill it with sorrow and misery. It seemed he wished to spread his hatred to each elf. His mind was twisted with vengeance and for things that were unworthy of such action. His motives made sense only to him.”

            “Back then I was a conjurer of spells and a master of illusion. I fought to protect my kingdom and when he came to me with a spell that would engulf our world in darkness, I did the only thing I could think to do. That sort of magic is built on destruction. I’d studied magic since my youth and knew the damage it would do. The only way to stop it would be to allow it to decay something other than intended. My body was the only thing available at the time so I took the magic into my being. It has darkened every part of me from the inside out. The only true visible marking I bear of it are my eyes. My physical being barely contains the evil that elf brought into our world.”

            “Even the slightest bit of natural light burns my flesh as consequence. All the dark magic requires is a chance to thrive in the sunlight and it will devour the little that is left of me. This is my curse to bear.” Tenameru closed his eyes and turned away from Khadrim. If the stranger was making this up, he was a damn good liar. Still, Khadrim stared at him as though he had several heads. This story was wild. Other worlds, magic, wars of darkness, and the devil? It was like the great epic novels of old he’d read in his youth.

            “There’s no such thing as magic. It’s as much a myth as elves are. I’m going to call the Peacekeepers to come take you away because you’re obviously either on something or not taking enough of something.” Even as the words left his mouth Khadrim knew part of them was a lie. Khadrim himself was a product of something supernatural. But the arrival of Tenameru had filled him with a much deeper fear. What if this man, this elf, was being honest? Khadrim didn’t want it to be true and so he would stubbornly refuse to believe his claims.

            “You don’t believe it exists because you haven’t seen it. Magic faded from your world with the elves many years ago, long before your existence.”

            “In spite of all the crazy shit you’ve thrown at me in the last few minutes you seem to mean well.” Khadrim exhaled, finally ready to move forward. He’d heard Tenameru out, he’d listened to his crazy story about devils and elves and was ready to go back to sleep. Just thinking about the awful nightmares he’d have after this made his head spin. “I’m going to give you one chance to leave before I use force.”

            “I’m afraid I can’t leave.” Tenameru placed his hand on the railing of the stairs and stood his ground. “I must remain here to aid you. You have no idea what lies ahead.”

            “You mean in this so-called war? That’s the thing you want to save me from?”

            “It’s so much more than that, Khadrim.” Tenameru pled but Khadrim curled his lip in ire.

            “That’s enough.” Khadrim marched barefoot down the remaining steps and around Tenameru. He unlocked the door and held it open, waving toward the street comically in hopes Tenameru would take the hint and leave him be.

            “I can’t leave. Please, if we could sit down and discuss this, I could offer you proof…”

            “Get out. Now!” Khadrim’s hands were shaking with a mixture of anger and fear. His eyes flashed dangerously. Tenameru was watching him cautiously, unaware of what he was up against. Even if he had been stalking him, Tenameru could only be aware of so much.

            “Please…” Tenameru seemed desperate to convince Khadrim to hear him out, to show him just what truths he was up against.

            “No! No more please! Get out!” The words fell from Khadrim’s mouth which remained open as Tenameru melted into the darkness of his hallway and out of existence. “What…” When he turned in search of the intruder Khadrim found him standing right next to him. Panicked, Khadrim leapt from the door. With clenched fists the shadows closed around him. In his left hand, from the gloom, something dark and red materialized. It was a blade, long and sharp, grim and strange as though it was an extension of Khadrim’s very being. “Get away from me!” Instinct took over and his voice was a howl of fury and fear.

            The blade pierced Tenameru’s side, tearing his flesh with a sickening slurp. Stumbling into the wall behind him, Tenameru coughed and held his hand against the wound, wincing with the sting of Khadrim’s blade. The anger melted from Khadrim and was immediately replaced by guilt.

            “I warned you!” Khadrim retracted the blade. Tenameru slumped against the wall, hand covered in black blood that seeped through his fingers and spread onto the dark cloak he wore, soaking it. His gloved fingers dripped blood onto the floor. “Get out! Before I do worse!” The sword moved with Khadrim’s hand without him having to grip the hilt.

            “Khadrim…” Tenameru furrowed his brow, straightened his back and looked at the boy resolutely. Even now he wasn’t backing down.

            “I don’t want to hurt you.”

            “For someone who refuses to believe in magic you seem to have a pretty good grip on how to use it.” Tenameru offered a faint smile before his face twisted in pain.

            The sword dissipated, flittering into darkness, the remainder of it melting back into Khadrim’s bare hand. He was left exhausted. There was no way he was going to let Tenameru’s tales of magic and elves convince him so easily. Even so, he had never intended to hurt him as severely as he had. It had been a snap reaction in a moment of anger.

            “You probably need stitches.” Khadrim held the door open again, his face stern to mask his guilt. No matter how tough he tried to be Khadrim was never out to hurt anyone. He just wanted to be left alone. Was that so much to ask? His fingertips were wet and left a stain on the door and he knew without looking that it was Tenameru’s blood. “There’s a Healer a few blocks south of here. I don’t know if he takes house calls but I imagine he wouldn’t rightly leave you bleeding on the side of the road either. I’d cool it with the end of the world babble if you could, though.”

            “I won’t leave you.” Tenameru remained silent for only a moment before offering Khadrim another smile. He was pale and weary. Khadrim felt the pang of guilt inside of him again, wrenching his insides.

            “I just stabbed you.”

            “I came to help you. I have been watching you for so long…”

            “Please stop saying that.”

            “Not because I wished to frighten you. There is great suffering in your future, Khadrim. Horrid things are about to happen and no amount of denial can save you from them. I came from safety of the void, the darkness that exists between our worlds, to help you. I came only to be your friend, your ally, a guide when the world changes. What you will go through… it is something that no one should struggle through alone.” Tenameru whispered desperately. “Please, let me help you.”

            Unsure of what to say, Khadrim stared blankly. Guilt made his lip curl and the blood on his hand crusted over his fingertips reminding him of the terrible violence he’d committed. Was there any chance Tenameru was being honest? Could there be any validity to his claims? Staring down at his left hand he sighed and knew at least part of it was true. Magic, in some form, was real. Khadrim had summoned that blade from the shadows around him. In reality, Khadrim had no idea how he did it, just that he could. Tenameru had said he was one in the same as this Lord of Yobira, this Deceiver.

            If that was true it would explain things Khadrim had never understood. There was little chance of Khadrim reaching a conclusion in this hallway at that exact moment. The only thing he truly had to decide was what he would do with Tenameru. Would he kick him out onto the curb? And if he didn’t would it mean he accepted parts of Tenameru’s story to be true?

            The self-proclaimed elf looked faint and struggled to remain upright against the wall. Khadrim was sure that if he wasn’t leaning against that wall, Tenameru would be in a heap on the ground.

            “Damnit.” Cursing under his breath Khadrim turned away and then wiped his hand over his face. The front door swung closed with a shove and Khadrim locked it. “I have a few guest rooms on the second floor.” Khadrim had never actually intended to have guests but he’d liked the idea of a spare bed. Now he was grateful for it. Ruffling a hand through his white hair he embraced what he’d done for the night and then offered an arm to Tenameru to help him walk. “I can’t promise you they’re not dusty but it’s better than nothing.”

            “Are you certain?” Tenameru seemed genuinely surprised by Khadrim’s kindness. He must have been convinced that he’d lost him with his wild story. Khadrim pulled the elf’s arm around his shoulder and carefully led him up the stairs.

            “You can stay here until the wound heals but no longer. And only because I lost my temper.” Khadrim already regretted his sudden kindness.

            “I’ll be fine. Don’t feel guilty.” Tenameru smiled reassuringly. “I can’t say I would have reacted any differently had the tables been turned.”

            “Awfully understanding for a guy dripping black blood all over my stairs.”

            “Don’t worry about that. Elves are gifted with rapid healing that humans can only dream of. This wound is terrible but I promise you that in a couple of days it will be as though you never struck me at all.”

            “Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.” Khadrim was skeptical but was in no mood to continue arguing the existence of the supernatural. “If you try anything funny when my back is turned, I will put you in your place far beyond what any magical blood could heal.”

            “I certainly wouldn’t want that.” Tenameru chuckled then winced, forcing his legs one by one up the stairs which was a pained task from the looks of it. There was very little chance of Khadrim believing anything the so-called elf had to say, at least on this night. For now, he would allow Tenameru to rest and with any luck he’d wake up tomorrow and find out this was all a bad dream.