Chapter 6: Husk

Awareness came slowly back to Daimon in the form of a throbbing sensation in his head. As he opened his eyes he became aware of a curious sensation in his body or rather, a curious lack of sensation. He looked around. His vision was blurred but he could make out the shapes of people as they moved about. He felt that he was in some sort of bed. He reached out with his mind. And didnt. He couldnt. Look, Adal hes awake, said a voice Daimon could make out a blurred, side shape move next to his bed. He cant be, replied a gruff voice. As Daimons vision cleared he could make out the features of the voice. It was an old man. He wore a tattered great coat, old fingerless and was fiddling with the edge of a crumpled fedora. He had unshaven chin and a stony look in his eye. He smelled of dirt and grass. Can you hear me? Well as far as I can tell you should be dead, kid. Lucky for you I was here or you would be, you were out for three days, He paused for a second to light a smoke and then continued Im no doctor, but I know a split tendon when I see one, you probably wont be walking, again, He paused to see if there was a reaction, then continued on. Daimon wasnt listening. He concentrated but couldnt feel the flow of magic; the impressions of life that all spell casters could feel. He looked into the bowl of water on the bed next to him and saw that his features were no longer shade-like. Hey are you listening?! the man slapped him. Do not ignore me. Daimons cheek stung from the hit but he looked up. Good. Do you know anything about that girl over there, he pointed to the bed next to him. It took Daimon a moment to recognise her. It was her. He shook his head and looked away. Hoping the man would leave it alone. She is interesting, she has a slash the length of her body across her chest but shows no signs of ailment, and all indications are that she got the injured from an ether. Do you know anything about this? Ive been asleep for three days? Daimon asked in a monotone. Answer the question son, Daimon looked at the girl for any sign of movement before answering No, Adal looked at him sceptically before saying to the women helping Luce, this is as much as I can do I have to leave today. I cant tell when the girl will be up but this one can leave at the end of the week, Adal walked out and closed the door behind him. The sword you were carrying is next to your bed, She waited for his response, but once again silence enveloped the room. She walked out, 1

closing the door behind her. Daimon looked at the blade. Its golden cross had vanished and it had returned to its rusty form. He reached for it but fell out of the bed. He cursed and got onto his arms, but couldnt stand up. He touched the blade of the sword and felt Nothing. Sykron, are you there? He spoke with his mind, trying to get the attention of the spirit. SYKRON! When there was still no response. He pulled himself against a wall and waited. What do I do now? No magic. I can barely walk. He sat and waited. At night he crawled to the window. The nurse hadnt returned, he guessed that she had other patients or other matters to take care after a bandit attack. He grabbed onto the window sill and pulled himself up. The building across from him was little more than burnt timber and rubble. He could hear the groans and whistles of a forge but could not make out the direction. He put some weight onto his injured leg and fell over. He grabbed onto a bedside cabinet, bringing it down with him. He cursed angrily. The sound of breaking pottery filled the room. Daimon waited for the door to burst open but nothing happened. The girl suddenly groaned and tossed in her bed. Daimon flinched; if she woke up and recognised him, he was a dead man. Fear gnawed at him. Just her existence put him at risk. Daimon knew what he had to do, and hated himself for it. He crawled silently over to her, a piece of jagged pottery in his hand. He pulled himself onto the stool next to her bed. He put the edge next to her throat and steeled himself. It touched her throat. A single drop of blood welled out of that point. Then he looked at her. He looked at her and truly saw her for the first time. She was young, probably his age. She had been changed out of the armour she was wearing and was wearing a tunic. Daimon could see the end of the point where she had been slashed by the Ether. She had auburn her that glinted familiarly in the moonlight. Suddenly white light flashed in Daimons mind. Daimon was in a clearing in a field of long grass. He heard the sound of a child laughing and turned around, in front of him was a young girl with blonde hair. She giggled and grabbed Daimons hand and put something into it. She flickered. All of a sudden she was beside him; she flickered again and this time was in the long grass ahead of him. Wait. Who are you? Daimon shouted after her but she was gone. He looked around. The landscape seemed to swirl and change the more he 2

concentrated. He looked down at his hand; in it was his small golden ring. This I got this before He concentrated. Abruptly the world seemed to flip and he was lying on the floor in a forest of oak and ash trees. He got up. He was shorter and had no stubble. He was 14 years old. He saw footprints in the mud, leading down a path. A feeling of loss expanded in his chest, but he could not tell why. The world flipped again and Daimon was in the field. The girl stood next to him again, she smiled at him mischievously. Who are you? Daimon asked again. She laughed and tried to run away but Daimon grabbed her arm. Ill let go when you tell me who you are, She looked at him and screwed up her face in a display of anger. No, She bit his hand. OW, He let go and examined his hand and sat down. He looked up staring exasperatedly at the girl, but she was gone. What happened to your leg? She was sitting next to him and pointing at his left leg. And the thin cut visible through the ripped trousers I got that from an ether, A what? An Ether its a-The girl touched his leg and there was a flash of light. The sun went out and they were in darkness. Wind blew through the field and leaves and dust into their eyes. They girls face took a blank expression. Youll find me right?

Daimon woke up. The pain in his leg gone, he was still sitting on the stool. He dropped the porcelain onto the ground and looked at his hand. What was I about to do? He got up and paced up to the opposite wall. Iwas about to A shock rocked through his head. A disfigured corpse, its throat slashed by a sword. A schoolhouse burned, with the charred bones of children lining its hallways. NNNNNNNNNNHHHHHHHHHHHRRRGG, Daimon groaned in pain. He saw a broken homestead, its contents too dark and too frightening for him to enter. He walked in. Get out of my head! The images stopped. Daimon wiped a tear from his eye and stood up. He felt afraid. What is wrong with me. I keepHis train of thought stopped as a thought came to him. Im standing up. 3

He was thoughtless for a second, then his mind started to race as he planned what to do. I need to get out of here. He put on his gear, which was tucked underneath his blade and walked over to the window, strapping on his sword as he did so, and balanced on the windowsill. If I find another town, I can The drop was at least 10 ft, he jumped and his feet landed on the paving with a thud. He looked around to see if anyone had spotted him, then he walked down the street. I can figure it our along the way. It was early nighttime, the streets were littered with wood from destroyed houses and market stalls. The only person walking the streets was the lamplighter making his rounds lighting the few remaining street lamps. Daimon passed by him and attempted to act casual, the lamplighter ignored him and continued lighting. Daimon got to the gates and walked passed to them nodding at the night watchmen who just watched him pass by. As Daimon passed around a bend that put him out of sight, he let out a sigh of relief and tested his leg to see if it was still healed. Who was that girl? He tried to focus on her face but the more he did so, the more the image in his mind blurred. He rubbed his hands together, trying to bring feeling into them during the cold night. He wore only his apprentices tunic and trousers and a hooded fleece. The cold bit into him but he continued on. He felt unusual; he looked at his hands and immediately realized that he had left his ring behind. He made a step to retrieve it but stopped himself. His old life was gone, what purpose did a dusty relic serve to him? It is the only relic of my past, my father, my master. NO, it is not more important than survival said another, more logical voice. Daimon turned around and continued walking along the road, ignoring the aching feeling in his chest and the voices in his head. The morning sun started to creep over the horizon as Daimon made his through the roads of the empire, a sign a league back had told him another town was only 5 leagues away. He snapped his fingers. Nothing happened. He tried again; once again nothing. Damn it! He was attempting the lowest of magical abilities, to conjure arcane energy. An apprentice would channel their energy into their fingertips and the friction of the snap would cause a gate the size of a thumb would appear. But Daimons attempts yielded no result. He lost patience with himself and shouted in anger. A black spark jumped from his fingertips, and then the swirling sound of a vacuum sounded in his palm. He opened his palm and there, in the centre of his palm was a black gate. It wasnt even half the size of his fingernail, but it comforted him. He did his best to maintain his concentration as he walked; the cold blackness of the gate hidden in his 4

palm, violet runes the size of a strand of hair danced on his wrist. Finally however the gate closed, it had been ten minutes. Is that all? No, Ill try again. He snapped his finger and the gate reopened, it was still the same size, but he could sense more energy coming from it. He would keep trying.