Cold. It was cold.
He felt the freezing metal against his skin and moist air through the fabric of his flannel shirt. His breath came out in puffs of white steam, pale in the grey light of the cave.
How long had he been there? Weeks? Months? Years? He had never felt so disconnected to the world. The endless hours of torture, mental and physical and scrambled his brain for good. He couldn't separate reality from nightmare, numbness from agony, heartache from pain. He was a shell of the person he once was, nothing but a body without a mind.
Seth Sorenson, after years of torture, was finally broken.
When Seth had left the house earlier in the day, he hadn't expected it to be the last time he would see it.
It was going to a normal day, walking around the woods, venturing further out than ever before, investigating places he had never went to. Finally, after months of pleading, Seth had gotten Grandpa to relent and let him get his privileges to wander around the preserve and he had taken advantage of it immediately.
Pushing aside the thick foliage, Seth adjusted the straps on his emergency satchel and stepped over a fallen tree. He hadn't found anything interesting in the last few hours of walking and it was getting quite boring in a way. Where were all the demons and wraiths and action? He'd be exatic if he saw an imp appar from under a pile of moss.
Checking his watch, Seth sighed. He'd have to turn back soon enough, so that he wound be home at the right time. If he disobeyed, Grandpa had said sternly, he wouldn't be allowed into the woods on his own anymore. The rule made every moment precious, with so little time ina day. And now all that was wasted on nothing.
He went on for about a mile or so, before he finally decided it was time to turn back. Just as he was about to begin walking away, the faint sound of whispering reached his ears and his heart began thumping for an unknown reason and his stomach felt queasy. It wasn't the normal excitement of something happening, but a warning of some kind, a instinct deep down, telling him something was about to happen.
He searched in the surrounding area, bracing against a tree as he did, blending into the shadows with his powers. To anyone, who didn't know he was there, he would be nearly invisible.
Soon enough, two figures walked into view. Seth scrunched his brows at the centaurs, despise in his chest. Both centaurs were men, their torsos a reddish brown fur, their hair black.
Brothers, Seth realized and pressed closer to the tree. One of the brothers was holding a golden rimmed box with gems littered across the top. Seth couldn't help but wonder how much money he could get for them.
"Get a move on, we're already running late," one of the centaurs said to the other with a deep and commanding voice. The other one, slightly younger, huffed.
"You're not the one carrying the heavy box."
"Don't bother me with your sixty-year-old's back pain, I don't want to hear it. We have a schedule and we will not run late because you were too weak to carry a single box."
Anger flared in the younger centaur's eyes and he came to a halt, only a few steps from where Seth was standing. "How dare you accuse me for being weak, Aburnmane?"
"Watch your next words closely, Bayfur. I am your senior. Do not stand against me."
The two glared at each other for a moment, before Bayfur finally relented. "Like you said, we're wasting time. Move. The Society has been waiting long enough."
Seth felt his throat seize up as the centaurs continued their way. The Society? It was back? What was in the box? Why was it so important? Where were the centaurs going to meet with the Society? Should he follow?
He knew if he now turned back and went to the house for help, the centaur would be long gone, even if he ran. But if he followed them, he might be able to find a secret base of the remaining members of the Society. But the others wouldn't know where he was and he'd be in trouble.
The centaurs were walking further and further away, and soon Seth would lose sight of them. He made his mind, and quietly, staying in the shadows, crept after them.
For nearly an hour he trailed some ten meters behind them, carefully avoiding dry twigs, and moving through the thicket gracefully. Once or twice though, he suffered a minor heart attack when a branch snapped or his foot sent a rock flying, alerting Aburnmane and Bayfur that something was there. But they didn't know who to look for, so he remained unseen.
The sky was getting darker fast and his legs were getting tired. Who would have thought that moving slowly and silently would take more effort than moving fast and carelessly? Seth had to stop to catch his breath and then rush to keep up with his targets. The centaurs were bigger and stronger than him! They could most likely walk days on end, whereas he needed breaks! When would they reach their destination.
The answer to that question came quite abruptly. Almost literally. So focused on his own internal questions, Seth failed to notice that the brothers had stopped and nearly ran into Aburnmane's hindquarters. In fact, he came mere inches away, and would see his own breath shift the brown coat on the centaurs bum.
Backing off and retreating behind a tree, Seth took in his surroundings. They were in a part of the forest he had never seen, most likely near the outer edges of the preserve. A few meters ahead, a large clearing opened up. Around ten people stood in a half circle, dressed in long, black capes, facing the two centaurs who were now entering the clearing. As the two approached a man walked forward to greet them.
With few words exchanged, the centaurs handed over the gold and jewel embroidered box and backed away as the man examined it. For a few minutes everyone stood still, while the box was inspected carefully.
What is going on? thought Seth, peering around the tree. After a moment of silence, the man finally turned to the other nine behind him.
"The artifact the Society has been searching for has been said to have disappeared thousands of years ago, destroyed by the forces of magic itself!" The man's voice was deep and powerful and a shiver ran down Seth's spine. "Those tales have now been proven true. My fellow evening stars, may I present to you the Phobean!"
Normally, this was the point where Seth would have rolled his eyes at the overdramatics of the situation. But he couldn't stop staring.
The Society was back. The last few months after the battle at Zzyzx had been peaceful, which should have been a clear sign that something was going to happen, or that something was very wrong.
He had to tell Grandpa. He had to warn the others and that way, they could prepare the Knights of the Dawn against the Society of the Evening Star once more.
He turned around and as quickly as possible, began returning the way they had gone. Mistake number one. In his haste, he became careless and failed to notice the root sticking out of the ground next to his leg and within moments of retreating, he crashed onto the ground.
The others swirled around immediately at the sound of him crashing over, loud enough for them to see through his abilities. The man, still holding the box, reacted immediately.
"Catch him! He must not get away. There can be no proof of us still existing!"
The members of the Society leapt into action, rushing towards him some with inhuman speeds. Seth stumbled to his feet and began sprinting away, his stomach sinking with each step he took.
I'm in trouble, he thought. I'm in BIG trouble.
He didn't dare look back while running, so he didn't notice the spell, before it hit in and sent him tumbling to the ground. Chains, appearing out of nowhere, wrapped around his ankles and hands and a gag appeared in his mouth. On his way down a rock scratched his cheek and a twig found its place in a very uncomfortable position against his midriff.
Two strong arms grabbed the scruff of his shirt and wrenched him up and onto his feet. The smell of wet wool filled his nostrils and his eyes took in the bulking figure of the minotaur holding him.
They stared at each other for a moment, the minotaur with hate and pride of catching the boy and Seth with hidden fear. Swallowing as discreetly as possible, Seth kept his voice stable. "Is there some way we could talk about his?" he asked, but it came out muffled due to the gag.
Without missing a beat, the minotaur swirled around and trudged through the undergrowth towards the clearing where the cloaked members were gathered in a half circle once more. Seth was dragged into the opening and pushed to his knees in front of the man who had spoken.
Seth turned his head down as he man walked in front of him, sneakily gazing at his emergency satchel. He had a can of bug spray in it, and from experience, he knew it burned the eyes nearly is much as pepper spray. But with his hands chained and enemies surrounding him, there's wasn't much of a chance that he would reach the pack before one of them punched the lights out of him.
"I know who you are," the man said. "You're Seth Sorenson. Grandchild of the caretakers of Fablehaven, brother to the Fairykind. A Shadow Charmer. Killer of Graulas and Nagi Luna."
For some reason as the man spoke, a warm feeling spread across his chest. BEing known for his achievements and having a title as nerve racking as the one he did, somehow filled him with pride.
"Morax, are you sure it's him?" the minotaur asked. The man - Morax - glared at the bull man.
"Yes, I am positive of his identity and of the fact that you have just blurted out my name to the enemy!" The tone of voice made Seth flinch back, despite himself. Morax flicked his wrist at someone behind him and a cloaked figure walked forward. Seth, from the corner of his eyes, saw two other beings move to each side of the minotaur and hold him in their grip tightly. A third figure walked forward and pulled out a long dagger. Without a moment of hesitated, the figure plunged the dagger into the minotaur's chest. Seth froze and felt cold sweat forming on the back of his neck.
The minotaur collapsed onto his knees, still alive. He reached towards the figure that had stabbed him, but with a single swipe, his head was parted from his shoulders and went rolling on the ground.
Seth turned his head and looked away, closing his eyes. He struggled to keep his breathing steady, staying calm with only shier willpower. Morax tutted and continued staring at Seth as if nothing had happened. Seth could feel his eyes on him, the piercing stare on the top of his head.
"Now what do we do with you?" Morax asked quietly. Seth lifted his gaze and glared at the man. Slowly, a smile spread out onto Morax's face and his eyes shone with excitement. "Oh yes." He bowed down and brought his face close to Seth's. "I know exactly what to do with you."