EverBright: The Darkness Pool

Interlude:

The pain. The searing agony. It was a thing the Vorlox hadn't felt in so long. The last time it had known that pain was just before it had been caged. The memory of the pain did not compare to reliving it. When it had been attacked with fire in the past, it could use cover and smother it with more of itself and quell the pain.

This was the first time one of its “pets” had been attacked though. It was an altogether different proposition. There was no way to put out the flame. It was forced to endure. Even though the pet was physically separate, it was still wholly part of the Vorlox. It was still imbued with the will and mind of the Vorlox, so when it was burnt up, the sensation could not be understood by any other being the Vorlox had ever known.

It was not a question of regrowth. The Vorlox grew and contracted all the time. It was the fact that part of itself had been taken against its will. The act could not be borne. The Vorlox vowed its revenge.

To this point, the humans had only experienced the Vorlox acting out its curiosity and tempered desire for power that it had kept sated with only slight acts against them. Not so any more. Now, humanity would know the Vorlox in its true power. They had dared to take something of the Vorlox, and it was now determined to rid the forest of their presence entirely.

__________

Mayor Linkston sat at her desk, alone in her office hunched over a sheet of parchment, blank and clean for the moment. Next to her on the floor, dozens of similar parchments, stained with words that weren’t quite right, lay in a disheveled heap. She knew that what she wrote may be the end of her career. That’s why she had waited so long.

She loved her job. She loved EverBright more, though. She had watched it grow and prosper through her gentle guidance. It was no time for gentleness now. It was time for strict decisiveness. Even if it cost her the next election. Was she too young to retire? Probably not. Was she too driven? Yes, but that probably didn’t matter at this point.

She had to think of the good of the city first. She always thought that was what she had been doing, but this decision made it obvious that her choices before always kept her own well being in mind beside the good of the city. She was not a selfless martyr. It wasn’t in her nature. However, she chose long ago to eschew family and treat EverBright as her child, teaching, nurturing, and guiding it to greatness. Now that it was threatened, she realized she was willing to put her own livelihood on the line to see it safely to the other side.

She didn’t expect that many of its citizens would understand. They were naive and short sighted most of the time, but she was working for their best in spite of their criticism and ignorance of the work of governing.

Did they realize that when she became mayor, EverBright was less than half its current size? Did they remember when the whole town was two streets making inroads from the docks. Sure, the docks had always been busy. She couldn’t take credit for their success. It was her, though, that saw the potential they represented now, 32 years ago.

She remembered running unopposed that first time. Most people in EverBright at that time spent their days entirely working the docks, and did not have time to spend on government. They wanted growth though. They accepted the taxes that came with it and appreciated the roads and industry, the civilization she brought with her governance.

They didn’t know, though, how much she loved it. They didn’t realize that all that work represented her heart and soul. They didn’t realize how much it hurt her to write this edict. It didn’t matter if they realized it, though. Once more, she would do what was best for the city without most understanding and with many openly objecting to it.

That’s why it hurt so much. She was giving up everything to keep it safe, and very few appreciated it, instead chafing under her harsh plan. She wouldn’t let it stop her, so she wrote:

Henceforth, and until the forest is rid of its vile threat, citizens will no longer be allowed to enter, and will be blocked by the army contingent present in the city. No more escorted trips will be made, and anyone arriving will not be allowed to leave again through the forest. All outgoing traffic will be limited to the docks until further notice. Anyone caught breaking these rules will be jailed for their own good.

Efforts are being made to end the threat. Have patience. We will get through this and come out the other side an even more glorious city because of the unity these events will bring out in us.

-Mayor Linkston

Chapter 8- Retribution

Tiernan was in the infirmary checking on Wallen when the news of the mayor's edict reached him.

“Here’s some water. How are you feeling?”

“Thanks. I think I feel pretty okay, but it’s still hard to walk. I get sore after only a little way. Everyone here has been great though. Yesterday, Widdershins volunteered to take me for a walk. He was going to take me to see some laundress, but I couldn’t make it that far. Heh. He tried to hide his disappointment, and did a pretty good job. Anyway, it’s been…”

”Attention!” Tunny, only two days away from his return to the capital, bellowed into the infirmary.

On reflex, Tiernan stood,and Wallen clipped the end of his sentence.

Tunny was standing in the door with an underling holding a document in front of him for him to read to everyone there. “The following is from Mayor Linkston..”

As he read, Tiernan felt a growing sense of disbelief mingled with dread as he realized the practical implications of the announcement. People were already afraid, and this was going to spread the fear. People were going to be angry. Tiernan expected that those who already felt indignant with the current restrictions were going to lash out against this decree. He had a feeling soldiers would soon be policing unruly townsfolk instead of safely escorting them through the woods.

"Think this will be bad? I know it would be in SeaCray." Wallen's question brought Tiernan's thoughts to his lips.

"Yes. It will be bad. People like the Mayor fine when she is bringing in new commerce and building roads. Anything that looks like a demand on them gets pushback though. There's no shortage of people who will decide this is exactly the kind of decree they need to ignore. The trouble is, the Mayor is right. People aren't prepared. You're the only attack survivor we've been able to save, but people just don't get it. They see their freedom being stolen, and that's it."

"I understand them though. Their freedom is being stolen. Is there a better answer though?" Wallen was resigned and exasperated, and Tiernan couldn't help but notice that he never stopped looking at the bandage on his leg. He sighed heavily. "I don't think something like this would have stopped me though before this." He pointed to his leg. "I didn't REALLY believe the stories until I saw it for myself. Even though I knew some of the soldiers who had seen it before, I still couldn't bring myself to completely believe the stories. I assumed they were exaggerating. Now, I know better."

Tiernan stood there, wondering what to say that would be encouraging and not patronizing. He was honestly at a loss. Then, he breathed a sigh of relief in the growing uncomfortable silence as it was broken by a nurse coming to the bedside.

"Time to change those bandages. Back up, please. I need to get by you." She was abrupt but not uncaring. Tiernan stepped back and watched.

It hadn't looked like much bandaging at first, just a few layers wrapped around his leg. However, once she removed that outer layer, Tiernan could see that it had covered wads of bandage, packed into the wound. They weren't red or pink as Tiernan would have guessed, but a light gray, the color of mud dried after it had dried on shoes or clothing.

When those had been removed, the leg underneath was a long gash, furrowed from the back of his knee to just above his ankle. The center of the crevice was black, the exact shiny black of the thing that has been attacking him. It faded to gray as it moved to the edges. The entire wound was ringed in blistered pink where it was clear that Wallen's body was fighting back against the invasive darkness that was trying to eat away.

Try as he may, Tiernan couldn't hide the look of revulsion on his face. The nurse looked up at him and laughed. "Hah. You should have seen it when he first got here. The center was white then. Bone white, with the blackness clutching the bone like a bird with a fish in its talons. We scrubbed those away, again and again until they didn't come back and the flesh regrew over the bone. Now, the black covers the flesh and we scrub it away everyday, but he's healing. It can take weight. He walks better every day."

Tiernan nodded.

"I'm going to heal up and there won't be any more caravans to lead. They'll have me running laundry in earnest then. Ha. I'll meet Widdershins' girl then I guess."

Tiernan laughed as well. "Don't let her hear you call her that. She's done everything can to make him understand she's not interested. He's just not good at taking a hint."

"So, you're saying she's available?" Wallen bobbed his eyebrows mischievously.

"You're bound and determined to get yourself in trouble, aren't you? That's it. I'm done with taking any responsibility for you. You'll just end up dragging me down with you."

"Now, don't say that. Who'll I ever look up to. Well, look up to, as long as I'm lying down."

"Short jokes? That's the best you've got? I honestly expected better." Tiernan bent down and grasped Wallen's shoulder as the nurse backed away after applying the new bandages. "I'm ready to help with whatever you need."

"I know. Honestly, I doubt I'll ever serve again in the field. They'll give me a job in town or kick me out entirely. I don't think anyone believes this leg will ever be reliable again. I don't know what I'll do. I don't think I'm going back to SeaCray anytime soon. I don't have much there for me anyway. My parents are here actually. They bought a farm west of the city and sell fruits at the farmer's market at the docks."

"Really? I've probably met them then. I've been selling game up and down the docks and markets for many years at this point. Well, if you decide to stay in the city, I can probably help you find some work."

"I'll think about that. Thank you." Wallen's gratitude was apparent though it was hard for Tiernan to gauge his actual level of interest.

Suddenly, Widdershins rushed into the room. "Tier! There you are." It was clear from his panting that the search had been frantic and urgent. "The last group is now many hours late. We're getting called to mount a rescue mission. It's time to go. Major Druse is leading it himself. Come on!"

With that, he rushed from the room. Tiernan looked back at Wallen and nodded. "See you soon," and followed after, gaining speed as he exited the building.

He fell into a line with seven other soldiers beside Widdershins. Standing at attention, they looked on at the Major waiting for him to speak. The major looked at them, a hint of trepidation creeping into his normally stoic features. There was no sense of urgency in his mannerisms, and it was obvious to everyone that he expected this to be clean up and not rescue.

Tiernan noticed that there were only seven of them present plus the Major. It was clear that he expected them to travel fast and light. He saw that Tunny and Alika were there even though they would be leaving the next day. This wasn’t the sort of assignment Tunny would usually volunteer for, so Tiernan figured it was Alika’s prodding that had him joining in. With the Major taking point, though, there was no reason to worry about Tunny’s overbearing tendencies. He never acted that way around Major Druse.

“Tiernan and Widdershins will take the front. I want you two scouting ahead, but stay close enough to be within shouting distance. This thing doesn’t seem to care how loud we are, so stealth is not a concern right now. Tunny and Alika, I want you in the back. Alika, be ready to shoot, and Tunny be ready to light the end of her arrow. It’s the only thing we’ve seen that had any effect at all on the thing. Let's move out."

As they entered the woods, Tiernan felt a growing sense of dread, certain they would find a scene of slaughter. Clearly, his last trip down this path was still haunting him from the back of his mind. When he first entered these woods, he was the hunter, and the things living here ran from him. Then, when he'd first encountered the thing, even in its violence it was docile enough to fool him into believing it could be beaten. But after seeing that thing ripping at the flesh of Wallen's leg, he wasn't sure of himself anymore. It was a visceral image that he couldn't escape. He would be going about a normal daily task, eating, cleaning, then suddenly the image would intrude, searing itself into his thoughts like the glowing red brands the cattle keepers use to mark their herds.

He'd been marked, and he knew it. He would not be rid of the fear until he saw the creature defeated. He wasn't just afraid for himself either. He feared for his family, friends, neighbors, customers, everyone who was forced to avoid the woods, and everyone who risked their lives to take people through them. Even so, he separated the fear from his duty. He was a soldier, sure, but more than that, he was a hunter. This was a hunt. The motions, the mannerisms, the postures were so ingrained in him that they came without thinking. Even though he feared what he would see when they reached their destination, his feet kept going, knowing it must be done.

He was sure that they would find the group in the silent aftermath of destruction. He was preparing himself for that eventuality when he heard a scream. It was faint, but Widdershins looked at him immediately because he'd heard it too. They stopped and waited for the rest of the group to catch them and Major Druse could help them decide how to proceed. The rest of the group hadn't been close enough to hear the scream that first got their attention, but it was followed by others that were audible to everyone as they regrouped where the scouts had stopped.

"Alright, let's stay in a tighter bunch now. Advance quickly and quietly. We need to try and help, but let's not throw away our lives recklessly. I want torches lit, and fire arrows at the ready. If you've got a shot, take it. Stay in your pairs."

They took off swiftly then. 4 of them holding torches, and Tiernan, Druse, Alika, and Rowly with their bows ready. They rounded a bend just before the clearing where the teams from EverBright and SeaCray always met on these trips. In the center of the clearing, they could see three wagons in a slapdash defensive triangle, men, women, and horses in the center with weapons or farm implements attempting to bat aside the black tendrils questing in, trying to grab them.

The black ooze had surrounded the wagons on three sides. It clearly followed the group from SeaCray and looked like it had pounced when the group stopped for the transfer to the EverBright soldiers. The onslaught was tremendous. The screams from the civilians huddling within the triangle of wagons was nearly constant at this point. The wagons were rocking and shaking as the ooze fattened tendrils like giant maces and hammered them. The wagons held but the sounds of wood beginning to splinter could be heard amongst the banging.

As they were approaching, they saw a tendril shoot into the triangle from between two wheels and pull out a kicking, screaming woman, silenced only when her head was entirely covered by the ooze. In moments, even the indentation of where her body had been was smooth.

Tiernan shuddered watching. They were within striking range now. He'd kept his fear at bay to this point, but there was a tremor in his hand as he aimed his crossbow.

"Are you okay?" Widdershins asked. "I won't be able to get the arrow lit if you don't hold still."

"I'm fine," Tiernan said, shaking his head and focusing on his breathing. He tried to push the thoughts of what he'd just seen out of his head as he focused on his target.

"Fire at will!" Druse commanded, and Alika loosed her first arrow. It hit the center mass of the ooze and extinguished almost immediately. The ooze showed no sign of noticing. Its pounding on the wagons continued. Unfortunately, the rest of the first volley was already in the air before they could assess the situation in light of Alika's shot, the other three arrows landing in a similar fashion with a similar result.

"Halt!" The call from Major Druse was redundant as the other three shooters stared, assessing. Previously so sure of their plan against the enemy, they stood nervous and dumbfounded. For a moment, they just watched as the ooze continued battering at the wagons and working its way entirely around them.

They heard reports of this behavior before. The ooze would slowly work toward completely encompassing prey, so slowly that the prey would not notice it was being surrounded until it was too late. Then, it simply closed the circle and consumed everything inside it.

At the same time, the ooze had taken notice of them, and a tendril was darting in their direction, retaliating against their useless strike. On reflex, Alika loosed another arrow directly at the incoming tendril. The flaming arrow struck its target, this time with a sizzling report. Though the tendril was only momentarily covered in flame, they watched as the tendril curled into itself and retreated.

"Okay! Move in closer and aim your fire at points where the ooze is narrow. Clearly, shots to the center mass are ineffective. Focus on the tendrils attacking the wagons if you can. Fire at will!" Major Druse's command refocused the group and they sprang into action.

Flaming arrows began to fly through the air. This time, though, since they aimed at the tendrils, the flames were effective in beating back the ooze. Its work to encircle the wagons was arrested as it focused more tendrils on the wagons.

The trade off though was that the tendrils were harder to hit, and with only four shooters and limited arrows, this confrontation would not last long. They needed to press in as they forced the tendrils back.

Sometimes disaster and salvation come wrapped in the same package though.

One of Tiernan's arrows flew just wide of its mark, and the targeted tendril batted it from the air. The batted arrow landed in a wagon that had been carrying grain. The top of the wagon was covered in grain dust and immediately ignited.

At the sight of the flames, the horses spooked, charging through the still open section of the triangle. Two took off cleanly down the trail toward EverBright, but one was tripped up by the ooze. It fell on its side, quickly consumed.

The screams from the people inside the group of wagons redoubled as the flames spread, quickly consuming the cart.

The wall of flame proved to be too much for the ooze. It pulled back from the flames, retreating in the direction it had come from and left behind a partial skeletal mass that looked very little like the horse it once was, the flesh floppy and peeling away as if it were molting.

Tunny almost immediately retched at the site. The rest of the soldiers rushed to get the survivors away from the fire.

Though all the remaining people inside survived, none were free from smoke damage and minor burns. There were eleven of them, including seven soldiers, four from EverBright and three from SeaCray. Once they were clear, they just stood watching the fire take the second and third wagons as well.

There was no water at hand, but since they were in the clearing, the fire didn't spread beyond the sparse grass in an area that was mostly dirt from years of being traveled.

Major Druse addressed the soldier who was taking charge while they watched the flames dance on the irreparable wood. "What's your name, Soldier?"

"I'm Jonan, Sir."

"What can you tell me, Jonan?"

"Sir. As we neared the clearing, it grabbed Lieutenant Linsk from right beside me. We heard nothing at all until it struck. He was screaming, pulled 10 feet into the woods and being covered in the stuff before we could even react. It was my command then, so I left him there. I knew there was no way to help him, and my duty was to save the civilians. We immediately rushed to the clearing, joining the soldiers from EverBright, and created the defensive position. We could see it slowly roiling toward us. I did what I believed was best, sir."

"You did well." Major Druse had a way of reassuring people in distress. "In similar circumstances, there have been no survivors."

"Maybe, sir, but if you hadn't come along, we would have been the next victims. Thank you, sir."

"We got here in time to help. That was our goal."

"Sir. When I was young, I played in a pond on my grandfather's land with my cousins. We were just splashing around on the edge of the water, you know. The grass had grown high and we were stomping around. Sir, a water snake shot out of the tall grass and latched onto one of my cousins arms. It was awful. We went from laughing and playing to screams and cries almost instantly.

I had never seen anything else move as fast as that snake. Not until today. Not until I saw the ooze. We need a better name for it, sir. "Ooze" doesn't do it justice. It's not fast all the time, but when it means to be, it's a blur.

I noticed something else too sir. It was pounding on the wagons. It was trying to get in, but touching the wood seemed to bother it. After every hit, there was a shiver, a shake, that made it pause for the briefest moment before it hit again. Also, those wagon wheels. The spokes are set apart pretty wide, but it never tried to go through them. We were able to fend it off between the wheels for the most part, and we never had to worry about it going through."

The Major's attention went from interest to rapt by the end of this report. "Jonan, this is significant information. Thank you."

"Yes, sir. I just wish we would have all made it."

"Me too, Jonan. Me too.

The trip back to EverBright was solemn and uneventful. The heaviness of loss hung in the air. Tiernan and Widdershins volunteered to lead the civilians all the way back to their home instead of just into town because they were still skittish after the altercation. When they got back to the barracks, even though it wasn't near time to sleep, the mental exhaustion had them both on their bunks in only a few minutes.

_____

That final disastrous trip through the woods solidified Mayor Linkstons resolve and affirmed her decision to cut off travel through the woods until the situation improved. All soldiers were now assigned to patrol the woods' most popular access points. Though they didn't have the manpower to watch every possible entry, they could ensure that no wagons would try the journey. Not even a single horse would be able to pass without notice.

Of course, there was push back. People who had never intended to go beyond their homes and jobs suddenly felt trapped. That feeling manifested in fear, in anger, and in fear masked as anger.

The woods blocked them on one side, the sea surrounded them on two others. Their only outlet was the road going south out of town, but it was a two-week ride to the next town that direction, and the large, craggy hills south of the woods and east of the road made passage to SeaCray virtually impossible that way. Traveling far enough south on the road to Cutterland's Pass could take someone over the small range and a road that would get them back up north to SeaCray, but it would take a month in the best weather conditions to go that way.

Most people simply grumbled and went on with their days. For them, the Mayor's decree was a limitation on a nebulous right that they had not really intended to exercise, so they could ignore it. For those who made their living directly from the woods, though, hunters, trappers, even some woodworkers and herb sellers, the decree put their futures in jeopardy. Without the woods, they would quickly have no livelihoods, and the necessities would suddenly be very hard for them to come by. Of course, that also meant that the people who relied on their goods would also suffer. The decree could easily usher in an economic downward spiral.

Jocnal was the loudest of the detractors. He was often the loudest in any company he kept. It was incongruous with his demeanor on the hunt though. He was stealthy and sure. His movements precise. It was the juxtaposition of these traits that made him such a sought after mentor for would-be hunters. He hadn't mentored in a while though. His last pair, the twins, Clockwise and Widdershins, had been special. They took to the hunt so well that the thought of starting again with a green kid shut down the whole idea in his mind. Plus, the thought of Clockwise and his missing hand. The thought that if Jocnal hadn't been teaching him, that never would have happened. That thought kept him from taking on someone new.

He was starting to realize though, that the solitude wasn't good for him. He started feeling anxious all the time. He had no one to talk to without students. He had no wife, no kids, just the hunt and the hunters he trained. He wasn't training now, hadn't been for several years, and the only thing that gave his life meaning now was being taken away by the Mayor and her decree.

He wouldn't stand for it. Of course, he'd been sneaking into the woods to hunt during this entire situation, and the people in charge of stopping him turned a blind eye as long as they got first choice of what he brought in. They didn't pay for it of course, but the small bribe was worth it to stay in business. The decree may make the situation untenable though.

He'd already see the shift starting in the days before the decree was announced. His "gifts" to certain people were greeted with warning.

"This can't go on."

"Be careful who you're conducting business with."

Even one who ended things entirely. "Don't come back. I'm not going to go looking for you, but if I see you, I'll have to arrest you."

As a result, he was racking his brain, trying to come up with a solution, when he went to visit Clockwise at the shop he was now tending.

"Hey, boy! How's your morning!" He always entered the shop with a jovial shout regardless of who was there. Today, there were three patrons waiting in a line at the counter.

"Hello, Jocnal!" Clockwise looked up and smiled as the woman at the counter counted out her payment. "Be right with you!"

Once the customers were gone, the two of them leaned against the counter, relaxing. "What's this decree going to do for the shop?" Jocnal asked.

Clockwise puffed out a breath of air. "It's gonna hurt for sure. We're lucky, though. Meister Ryland forced us to diversify our wares and tell people about what we had to offer. We still sell more fresh game than anything else, but we can survive without it as long as the ooze is dealt with soon. On the word "ooze," he looked at the stump where his hand ended, and his sentence tapered off.

"Who knows when that will be though?"

"Well, Widdershins told me they hurt it with fire, so maybe they will come up with something that won't burn the whole forest down."

"Fire?"

"Yeah." Clockwise told him then about the altercation where a Soldier's leg was nearly lost until the ooze attacking it had been struck by a flaming arrow.

"An arrow huh? Not much fire at the end of an arrow no matter how big you make the tip. Surely that's a plan that can be improved on...without setting the forest on fire," he added putting his hands in the air in response to the suspicious look on Clockwise's face. "Well, I'll be seeing you, Clockwise. Good luck under the new tyranny." Shaking his head, Jocnal walked out of the shop, muttering to himself.

From there, he went to find some like-minded hunter he knew to try and formulate a plan. There were 4 of them, sitting at a table in the corner of Landor's saloon, as far as possible from anyone else. They were nursing mead and talking in hushed, insistent tones."

"Fire. That makes sense." They all nodded and agreed as they heard the information from Jocnal. "How can we use it to our advantage though? Isn't the thing huge?"

Jocnal scoffed. "Big, yeah, but it's all blown out of proportion. It's nothing the 4 of us can't handle." The other three nodded like men who had no idea what they were talking about but still sought reassurance.

One of them piped up. "If we've all got torches, then maybe we can push it back, out of the woods. You know what I mean? Herd it, like sheep."

"To where though? We want it away from here, but we can't just force it into SeaCray," Jocnal challenged.

"We don't need to. There's that big sinkhole up against a cliff face in the northeast corner. We could nudge it that way, and squeeze in until it goes in the hole."

"Yeah. That might do it." Jocnal, as de facto leader, voiced the group's growing sense of encouragement and resolve. "If it won't go in, we can just divert it farther north, into the sea itself! Ha ha!" Jocnal raised his mug to his own declaration and the other three clinked mugs and shouted, certain that victory was within their grasp.

"Okay. You all know where I've been entering the woods, I've shown each of you. Well, I want you all there before dawn breaks in the morning. We will enter by torchlight and use those same torches to drive the thing out of here forever." The last word was punctuated with a teeth-gritted snarl born of the frustration that had invaded their lives.

Jocnal downed his mead, slammed the mug on the table with finality and said, "Men, we've got an early start tomorrow. I'm off to sleep the dream of the victorious!" He pumped his, and the other three cheered again.

He did just that. His sleep that night was filled with images of four of them returning as heroes. They would be cheered in the streets. The Mayor would fall all over herself apologizing for not asking them to handle it in the first place. Everyone would buy game from them then just to get close to the heroes. When he woke, it was early, but he felt refreshed. He grabbed his sling, which he always carried, and two torches. He was at the meeting spot first, so he waited.

Dawn was starting to break when the next two arrived together, looking ashamed. "What took you so long? You know we have to find the thing before we can put our plan into action right? Where's Dooley?"

The two looked at each other, not wanting to speak. Finally, the story came out in dribs and drabs.

"Well, see..."

"It was like this. We decided..."

"We just had a few more drinks..."

"Just a couple more rounds..."

"Dooley's sleeping it off and refused to wake up when we tried to go get 'im."

Jocnal could only stare, not believing what he was hearing. "We planned to tangle with a thing that's been killing townsfolk for years. A thing that's been all but unstoppable, and you decided to keep drinking?"

"Sorry"

"...sorry"

"Shut up. Well, do you think we can do it with just the three of us? I'm still willing if you are."

"Yeah, I think so."

"Why not? The idea is still the same. Three of us should be plenty."

Jocnal nodded. "I think so too. Let's go."

With that, they lit their torches and headed into the woods. Wherever it went, the ooze left a wide trail of smashed grass in its wake. It didn't take much experience as a hunter to find where it had been. The trouble was that by this point, there were very few places in the forest it hadn't been, so picking out an individual trail was nearly impossible.

So, instead of choosing to follow a single trail, they looked at a group of trails and looked for patterns. Eventually, they recognized that the thickest concentration of overlaps led in a certain direction, so the set off that way.

Gradually, they began to notice the forest itself was slowly changing. It wasn't evident in any individual tree or bush necessarily, but the tonal quality of the greens and browns around

them darkened. The hunters slowed the further down this path they got. It was involuntary and immutable. They weren't wanted where they were going.

"Steady, steady." Jocnal tried to be a voice of reason to them. "We're getting close. We just need to go a little further."

Only a few minutes later, they halted. They could see the edge of the ooze, rippling but stationary. Its black surface glistened as the scant light that made it through the trees illuminated its self-contained sea of waves.

The hunters pulled in toward one another, careful to keep their torches between themselves and the ooze. "Okay." Jocnal said. "I'll stay here. Each of you go thirty paces in opposite directions. Then, when we're all set, we'll advance together. The other nodded, turning, and walked away from him counting their steps.

When they both turn to look back at him, Jocnal signal and they began to creep closer, torches held in front of them like flaming shields. Their steps were ever quiet, and the ooze seemed unbothered by their advance. Did the thing even notice them? There was no evidence if so. They advanced, stalking their prey, deliberate as any predator.

Their methodical progression began to pay off. As soon as the light of their torches was near enough to touch the ooze, it started to shrink away. They did not take the success for granted though. They did not rush headlong into the ooze. They kept their methodical pace, walking the ooze backward, away from their light.

Progress was slow, but they were in no hurry. This was delicate work. They continued on for more than an hour this way, the ooze seeming perfectly content to be herded.

"That's it, boys. Easy now." Jocnal smiled as he saw the cliff face getting nearer, knowing the sinkhole was within reach. The trees were more sparse in this section of the woods, and the path they were taking had them at the top of a hill working the ooze down to the now visible sinkhole. As they crested the hill, they could see the other end of the ooze, circumnavigating the sinkhole.

"That's alright." Jocnal was whispering, so his companions couldn't hear him, but he gave encouragement anyway. "There's too much of it. It'll have to seek shelter away from the fire in the hole soon.

No sooner had he spoken than the ooze covered the hole, becoming a concave disc pouring itself down. The hole was too small for the action to be fast though, and it also started piling up against the cliff face.

The plan was working perfectly, and Jocnal couldn't help but grin. He imagined how the Mayor might reward him. He noticed though, that while the ooze had been retreating uniformly so far, that wasn't the case any more. Now, there were tendrils and outcroppings left behind, forcing them to halt their progress as they turned the direction of the torches to those particular problem areas. This slowed progress even further, but they'd heard the tales of the ooze surrounded and devouring victims, so they were careful not to let that happen.

This meant though that they were focusing far more of their attention on the ground beneath their feet than on the area near the sinkhole. Steadily they continued to progress. They didn't notice until it was too late that the ooze had piled up on itself to a height of halfway up the cliff. When Jocnal saw it, he looked again at the sinkhole and breathed a sigh of relief as the concave cover of ooze undulated as it was swallowed down the hole.

"Steady!" The word would be his last. There was no foam on the crest of the wave. There were no crashing sounds surrounding it. It was a single, black wave, five times taller than them falling fast to the earth. The size of it hid its swiftness from them as all three had pause to look on. Just like that, the ooze crashed back down the forest floor. All three hunters were completely covered. Their torches swallowed, extinguished in its mighty deluge. When the ooze had left, all that remained as evidence of what had happened were three furrows cut into the ground by the force of the ooze where it had hit the hunters.

______

Tiernan and Widdershins were in a briefing in the mayor's office with the nobles who were going after the ooze when someone burst through the chamber doors. Tiernan could see it was a hunter named Dooley whom he'd spoken to in passing many times. Dooley was clearly frantic and out of breath.

"Mayor, Mayor," Dooley panted out the title like a last hope. "They went...they're not back.." He had clearly run all the way here, and wasn't taking the necessary time to catch his breath.

Mayor Linkston faced him. "Who and what are you talking about?"

"Two...days...ago.." They left to kill the ooze, so we could hunt again."

The Mayor's eyes grew wide. "Who?"

"Jocnal. He left with two others, Laks and Darl. I was supposed to go, but I didn't wake up before they left. I'm afraid that too much mead may have saved my life."

The Mayor's assistant got him a chair then, and made him sit. Once he'd caught his breath, he told them all of the whole plan. Of course, they all assumed that it hadn't worked since it had been two days since they left. It did allow the gathered nobles to factor in the presumed failure of those hunters as they refined their own search plans.

The Mayor did what she could to reassure Dooley, but everyone in the room knew the words were empty ones. She spoke into the awkward silence changing the subject.

“Tiernan, Widdershins, these are the men you’ll guide into the forest. I know it’s more to ask of you than I should, but you have more experience with the woods and with the beast than anyone else. You’re guides only though. You are not asked to put yourselves in harm’s way.”

Tiernan spoke up then, “That’s all well and good, but in a moment of crisis, I can’t imagine either of us would stand back and watch the beast hurt the others unimpeded.”

“I know,” the Mayor said. “That’s why I’m ordering you to get them in the proximity of the beast then leave before they even engage it. It’s my understanding that you have a wedding to get back for, and I have no intention of telling your mother that you’re dead when she and the Meister return. Is that understood?”

It was always a surprise how well informed the Mayor consistently seemed to be. “Yes,” they both said, but the response wasn’t as crisp as they normally give.

The Mayor glared at both of them. “I do not want lip service here, gentlemen. I want obedience.”

Looking at each other and then at her, they both nodded.

”Good. Now, is this everyone?”

”It is now.” A booming, confident voice said entering. “Sorry I’m late. It was unavoidable. The newcomer was the sixth noble in the party and, incidentally, Tiernan’s father. “I was telling my wife and son goodbye, and the little scamp didn’t want me to go.” Saying this, he turned all the way around, standing face to face with Tiernan. “Oh.” He stuttered, and looked at Widdershins instead before continuing. “You two must be the guides. Good. Well, anyway, sorry again about being late. You know how it is.”

”Not really,” Tiernan responded a bit louder than he’d planned, and looked at his shoes as the rest of the eyes in the room fixed on him.

”Is there a problem here?” Apparently, the Mayor did quite know everything. “Are you going to be able to work together considering your…history?” Okay, maybe she did know everything.

“No problem, Ma’am.”

”No. It will be fine.” The last man to enter the chambers responded, using the question as an opportunity to redirect his attention away from Tiernan.

His name was Harol. the “ol” ending being an affectation of his family. As Lord Marol’s nephew, Tiernan has seen him around the manner enough to recognize him on sight, but they had never been introduced, and they had never spoken to one another. He was nine years old when, upon seeing him ride up to the house one morning, his mother had finally revealed to Tiernan that the stranger was his father. In the same breath, she had made it perfectly clear that he was never to speak to him unless he was spoken to first. That had never happened. This exchange was the closest to conversation they had ever come.

Tiernan remembered, when he was small, the way his chest would burn and his heart would pound every time he saw Harol ride in. Every time, Tiernan hoped that it would be the time they would finally talk. But, the sharp pain of neglect had worn down to a small nub of regret in him, an ache so constant he usually forgot that he lived with it. It had dulled to the point that seeing him passing on the street didn’t even make his heart jump anymore. He could look at him now and feel almost nothing, or so he thought.

He hadn’t expected his father to walk through that door, and the surprise at the sight of him knocked off the cooling embers of years, once again turning the regret into a sharp, stabbing spike. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and ignored the man, focusing his attention on the Mayor again.

She reasserted her leadership of the meeting then. "I understand you have a plan?"

"Yes," Harol responded. It seemed now that he had arrived he would be the spokesman for the group. "We intend to chase it away with fire. All reports have shown that's the only thing proven to have any success. It seems to be able to stretch and shrink at will. We think, if we can use the fire to make it shrink small enough, we can burn the whole thing out."

The Mayor nodded along.

"The key is finding its point of origin. If we can figure out where it came from, we know which way to chase it. We fully expect this to only be the first outing. We will explore the woods with torches, probing for the origin spot. That's the primary goal. The secondary goal is getting out with everyone alive."

"That's not a simple thing." Major Druse inserted himself into the conversation as he walked through the door. "Mayor, I'm not a fan of this plan at this time. I don't want my soldiers going. There simply isn't enough manpower yet to achieve what they're trying to do. It may work if we have more soldiers, but until we do, this should wait."

Harol addressed the Major. "I understand your concern, but we believe that a smaller, more manageable group will be more successful. Your soldiers will never be in harm's way. They have been instructed by the Mayor to stay out of the way. Surely, you have taught them enough discipline for them to follow her instructions?"

Major Druse did not jump to the bait of this last comment, and instead continued to talk to the Mayor and ignore Harol completely. "Mayor, I recognize the distress this situation has caused the whole city, but I implore you to reconsider this course of action."

The Mayor looked at him with sad resolve. "Major, I may be the one giving the go ahead, but I am not the only one with a say in the matter. For better or worse, this is the course the majority of my advisors want to take, and it is their own risk. Each of these men is part of a noble family that makes up the advisory council. They are not risking innocents here. They are risking their own sons."

"And yet, there are still some of my soldiers present." Major Druse would not budge from this point.

"I am telling you, Major, Tiernan and Widdershins are guides only. They will be gone before the plan is even put into action." The Mayor gave the two another stern look. "Won't you, boys?"

They both nodded.

Major Druse stared at them then spoke again to the Mayor, this time stepping toward her and leaning in. "My opinion of this foolishness has been stated. The blood spilled as a result will not be laid at the feet of my army." With that, he turned and left the room.

The Mayor looked around the room. "Gentlemen, you know the task set before you. It will not be easy. It is likely that at least some of you will not return from this assault. I know you are resolved to this course, and I wish you the best of luck."

With that, they left as a group. As they were exiting the building, Harol turned to Widdershins. "We start at first light tomorrow. Be there early."

Widdershins nodded then turned to catch up to Tiernan who had continued walking when it was obvious that he would not be addressed.

_______

The next morning, Tiernan and Widdershins got to the rendezvous point while it was still dark. They were met by ten men, five on horseback and another horse with no rider. As they approached, Harol took command from atop the largest of the horses. His presence was daunting for Tiernan. He was clearly a leader men wanted to follow. He could see that in the faces of the other men present, but surely no true leader would have treated Tiernan the way he had for all these years.

"Here's the plan gentlemen. You, on foot, will enter here following the scout as he leads toward the general area where most of the sightings have taken place. The rest of us will ride to the edge of the forest where it meets the river. We will tie up our horses there and come in from the opposite direction. We have to pin it between us. Then, we can corral it and burn it out.

He looked to Widdershins then. "Can you ride?"

"Yes, sir." Widdershins replied.

"Then, you're with us. Mount up." Harol turned again to the group as Widdershins got on the horse. "Those of you going by foot, wait until first light. That will give us time enough to get started from our end." Turning to Widdershins again, he asked, "As I understand it, you two have a signal you use to find one another. Is that right?

Widdershins nodded.

"Good. We'll need that to find each other in a few hours. Once you've made contact, and we've spotted the foe, you two are free to disperse as the Mayor requested. Let's move."

With that, the riders took off down the road toward the river, while the rest stood and waited for a sign of light.

Within an hour, dawn began to break over the horizon, and Tiernan told the men it was time to begin.

"Let's go." Tiernan led the group with a near silent gait and was pleased to notice that those following him did their best to do likewise. After a while, they neared the clearing where Tiernan had last been in combat with the creature. He once again felt a nervous tension. It started as a roiling in his gut, then his head began to swim and his skin felt like it was going to float off his body. He closed his eyes, breathed in through his nostrils, and took a moment.

He looked around and saw in that empty space the ghosts of burning wagons and people he was too late to help. He heard screaming with the keen ears of memory. He felt his knees wobble, sure he would embarrass himself in front of these noblemen. Just as he thought his knees would buckle and falls to the ground, Widdershin's call cut through the memory.

And again.

And a third time.

Finally, Tiernan regained his focus and responded with a call of his own. Three quick whistles. This meant for both of them, the hunt was on. Of course, usually that hunt involved game they could take and sell to hungry families. This time, though, their quarry was the terrible thing that had been terrorizing EverBright, SeaCray, and the woods in between. Success here could mean much more than a meal. It could mean a future free from fear and tyrrany for everyone in the area.

Over the years, the signals that began so simply had become more elaborate between the two of them because they were both adept at whistling. So, they'd invested time into it. They created patterns for landmarks and patterns for direction based on those landmarks. This way, they could find one another faster than most as long as they were in earshot.

Widdershins indicate their direction from the river, and Tiernan responded that they were leaving the clearing, heading toward the other group. They walked, and whistled, on and on for a few hours, continually adjusting course, trying to stay far enough apart to be on either side of the thing when they found, always working nearer and nearer to the spot where they'd first seen it, the spot where Clockwise lost his hand.

_________

The Vorlox knew they were coming, and it was ready. It relished the impending meeting. It had been a long time since it had fully unleashed itself the way it prepared to now. They only need to get a bit closer, just a bit.

_________

Through the trees, Tiernan could see the other group. They were converging on the place of that first encounter. Instead of a whistle, Tiernan held up his hand in a wave. Someone, presumably Widdershins, waved back, and both groups began quietly stalking forward. Closer and closer, they came.

Last time Tiernan had been here, they black pool of the beast was spread far enough that all the men with them were not enough to surround it without noticeable gaps. Now, though, when they finally found it, all 12 of them stood around in a circle with it in the middle, close enough to clasp hands across if they'd wanted.

Harol smiled, "Scouts, back away. Men, on three, we torch it from every side at once." The smug glint in his eye was shared by every noble there, sure that their breeding allowed them to solve a problem the peasants and soldiers couldn't handle.

"One," Harol raised his torch, and the other followed suit. Standing back, Tiernan and Widdershins looked at each other and suppressed a chuckle at the dramatic nature of the situation. All the while, though, the two of them were backing away, trying to honor the Mayor's mandate but not wanting to abandon these men if something went wrong. They were far enough away that individual faces were no longer distinct when they heard, "Two!"

As if on cue, as the men had begun lowering their torches, the pool exploded, black ooze slammed into the faces of everyone standing there. A gushing tower of ooze fountained from the ground. At the apex though, bits did not just fall back to the ground, they flew out like arrows toward the men that had surrounded them.

Men were writhing on the ground. Some were being entirely enveloped by the blackness while others had mouths and noses filled, suffocating as they tried to scrabble away.

Tiernan pulled his bow. Widdershin readied his torch to light Tiernan's arrows. Men were dying. They were helpless, and Tiernan knew he would have to choose. In that moment, though he never understood why, he chose to try and save the man who had never spoken to him. The man who did his best to avoid even acknowledging his existence. None of that mattered. In that moment, he was just a child who saw the man he knew was his father in danger, and he ached to help.

Harol was lying on his back. His face was sploched with tiny specks of the ooze, but he was still breathing. However, a larger part of the ooze had entangled his feet at the ankle, and he was not moving well, though he was pulling himself toward Tiernan and Widdershins while he was trying to scrape his face clean.

"Hold still!" Tiernan shouted to Harol, who craned his next back to see Tiernan with his flaming arrow knocked. He went perfectly still. Within moments, the flaming arrow hit the ooze between his ankles and it shrank away, allowing him to gain his feet and make his way on shaky legs back to the two soldiers.

They looked on, all three knowing no one else could be helped. The ground was littered with black chrysalises of death. Some of them still bucked and twitched. Most were still Nine of them in all. No small chuck of EverBright's rising aristocracy. The men who were supposed to be the future of the city, who were supposed to take it to even greater heights. Now, that burden would fall elsewhere.

They watched the carnage a bit longer, then without discussing it, began backing away. No one spoke until they reached the clearing, but Harol's breathing was labored. In the clearing, he bent, hands on his knees, hacking and coughing. Without thinking, Tiernan came to his side and hit him on the back several times in an attempt to help. Harol spat out a walnut sized hunk of the ooze that he'd ingested during the altercation.

They all looked down at it to see what it would do. When it began to move, Widdershins stubbed out his torch on it. There was a sizzle and pop.

"Thanks," Harol was looking Tiernan in the eye. It was the first word he'd ever spoken to him. It was somehow an even more shocking moment than what he'd just witnessed.

"You're welcome, sir." Tiernan nodded.

"Let's get back to the Mayor's office and tell her what's happened."

They trudged back to town, dejected. Tiernan was sick of knowing this feeling of helplessness. Time and time again, they had come up against the ooze with nothing but disaster to show for it. Instead, all they got was an increasing body count. He realized as they walked back, that he was losing hope. His best idea at present was to get married then take his bride somewhere else, somewhere without these problems, somewhere they could start over.

When they got to the Mayor's office, they were surprised to see that Meister Ryland was already there, moving quickly around the room, gesticulating in every direction, and talking with such speed that they could barely process what was being said.

"...that's what we've got to do! I can work the magic! We just need enough soldiers to make the perimeter!."

Ryland turned and looked at them as they entered, quieting.

The Mayor closed her eyes and kept them that way for a few moments. When she opened them again, Harol told her, "We are all that's left."