Part Two
- I am overjoyed by the fact that I met you, said Trebor.
- Thank my dad, if he would have not picked you up from there we would have never met, a girl's voice answered to him.
- Your father is a big man with an even bigger heart.
- Yes, but I have the feeling that if he finds out what we do in the barn almost every time, he will forget about kindness and feed you to the pigs, the girl answered giggling.
- I think that if I talk to him, he will understand that the love between us is huge and that we were meant to be together.
- No, please, don`t do that, not yet. He does not believe in love, he keeps me for an interest marriage, for the one that is wealthiest, so he can raise his rang. He has already a few knights on the list, he gave me one year to choose one of them.
Trebor's heart broke in thousands of pieces.
- Promise me one thing Tina, said Trebor with a low voice.
The girl's big and green eyes, that were sparkling enchanting, looked deep inside Trebor's brown eyes. She was waiting for the rest of the sentence.
- Promise me that you will wait until my return, promise me that for one year you will not choose someone, and I will come back in that time, buying you from your father.
- I promise that for one year I will not look after another man.
Trebor felt a little better after this promise but he did not knew how he will make the money to satisfy her father. Trebor was playing with her light brown hair, when Tina got up fast, got dressed and left towards the castle, after she stole a goodnight kiss from her lover and telling him she will come again tomorrow to continue the discussion.
Trebor remained alone in the barn, at the first floor on hay, where was actually his bed, thinking at what to do, and smiled knowing that the discussions Tina said they need to finish another time, will end same as today. He fell asleep shortly after.
He heard the barn door opening. Thought it was Tina that was returning sometimes in the middle of the night. Smiling, he was waiting for her to come up, but the steps were taking too long to creak. He sharpened his hearing to understand what was going on. Nothing. He opened his eyes and crawled to the edge of the platform. No one was downstairs.
„Must have been my imagination when I heard the door opening?"
But it was not so, because the barn door was slightly opened. He knew very well that Tina always closes it behind her. Then he slowly got up from his straw bed. Looked carefully downstairs, no shadow, no movement. He wanted to go down there when he heard something behind him. He turned fast with heart biting fast. The sound was coming from a corner. It was a crunching sound. Carefully got close to that corner, he could not see anything so he lifted a hand and formed a light ball.
It was a ghoul that has been attracted by the smell, strong for him, of a dead rat.
These creatures were worthy of all despise, walking in small groups and very easy to manipulate, being always scared. They were not very dangerous, hiding always from humans, coming out from crypts or where they were hiding, only at night. Weak creatures, ugly, mostly walking on four legs, only skins and bones, but capable of nullifying the laws of physics and walk on walls. They were once humans, poor that could barely live from day to day, the hunger pushed them towards cannibalism, eating the bodies freshly buried. With time, they're hair fell, most of the teethes fell and the ones that remain got sharp. The skin became as white as the cadavers they ate. Shortly after the change, they're heart die, but the being continued living.
The creature turned towards Trebor when he formed the light ball, a gut, from the rat he was waiting, was hanging from the corner of his mouth. He yelled shortly, he covered his face with his free hand, trying to hide from the light, than started jumping on the wall and leaving through the ventilation hole.
The priest got scared also, being the first time he meets such a creature. In that moment he started remembering what happened at the monastery and everything, things about his life that he has forgotten, his entire past became clear. He did not had time to contemplate upon the things remembered, because the barn door opened again. It was the blacksmith of the village, a huge man, with curly hair and a belly, but strong. Trebor wanted to yell at him asking if there is a problem outside, but something in his movements made him shut his mouth. He was keeping his head in front, looking around. His hands were hanging weakly around the body. When the blacksmith turned its head, Trebor saw that a big chunk of meat was missing from his neck. The blood in Trebor froze.
„Zombie!"
The plank under Trebor's feet screeched when he tried to back out. The sound attracted the blacksmiths attention that growled and jumped up to Trebor. Looking at each other, Trebor could see the same wry face as on Iosif. The blacksmith leaped to hit with the right hand, but Trebor lowered himself passing underneath the hand. The zombie turned fast trying to hit with his left hand, but the priest was outside his hitting range, landing on his bottom on a haystack. Jumped towards him, but hit only the haystack, the priest rolled away from his way. Trebor moved his hand at the chest trying to grab the cross, but it was missing. Then he remembered that he gave it as a present to Tina in their first night together, he did not knew it had powers when he did that. The blacksmith jumped on him, Trebor was keeping him at bay with his knees. The zombie was growling. Spit was dropping from his mouth, and he was biting the air. He positioned his hands on the zombie's chest, his palms lightened yellow, and when the light exploded the zombie was thrown off, he used his feet at the same time to propel him even further, throwing him outside through the wall. Trebor got up fast and left on the same ventilation hole the ghoul did earlier.
The blacksmith returned angered, breaking down the door. Jumped back up but did not found anyone. Finally he observed the ventilation hole Trebor got out, he jumped through the roof on the sealing searching for him with his eyes. But he searched in vain, because Trebor has hidden himself behind the horn of the house next door. The blacksmith began to search for him in the opposite direction, jumping from one rooftop to another.
The priest waited until he was sure that the blacksmith was far enough to not see him, then started moving towards the castle, jumping also from a rooftop to another, being close to each other. He was hoping he will not be too late to save Tina.
He was running carefully to not slip and to not attract the attention of the creatures that were wandering the streets, entering from house to house. Not all of the town's folks were yet transformed. There could still be heard human screams, but he knew it was way too late to save them. He had to continue. At the window of one house on the other side of the street, at the second floor, there was an eight years old girl screaming for help and hitting her small fists on the window, looking behind her often. Trebor was trying to find a way to reach her. Decided to jump. Started running down the inclined roof, when at half way there he seen the door behind her brake open. The girl screamed of fear and a shadow jumped on her. Trebor stopped at a few steps from the edge. The girl's window was splat by her blood. Trebor stood shocked a few moments than continued his road before he would be seen by a zombie.
Reaching the end of the village, he finally had time to look at the castle. It was surrounded by a red fog. He made sure that no zombie was around, jumped off the house and ran up the path to the front gate of the castle that was wide opened. The main hall was empty. He ran up the stairs to Tina's room. Everything was ravaged and a strong smell of sulfur was predominating in the air.
„Demons?! What could they do here? This attack could be led by them? Damn it, I have to find Tina!"
He searched around the room for clues. There was no drop of blood, which it was good, Tina could still be alive. A pile of sulfur was in front of the fireplace. The fire was recently put out because the live coals were still lid. The pile of sulfur was followed by a trace down to Tina's bed.
„They probably took her while she was asleep. She must still be alive. She has to."
He remembered that the demons that travel through fire are nothing but acolytes. They initialize rituals to call much stronger demons trough portals.
„And what better place there is to initiate a ritual than a holy shrine?"
The shrine could be found in the opposite side of the castle, next to the queen's chamber.
Approaching the shrine, he started hearing voices, incantations probably. The ritual has begun already. He stopped at the shrine entrance, peeking inside. Six acolytes were around the room. They had a hole in the dark robe, for their sharp tail and split in two at the top. They had red skin, hard as stone and a sharp face. Black eyes and two small horns in forehead. They were singing with a deep voice. Looking carefully around the room, he could not see Tina.
"She's probably on the shrine."
He could not see the shrine because an acolyte was blocking his view. He was thinking what to do, to enter in the middle of them was stupid and reckless. They were just some acolytes, the lowest rank in Inferno, but still hard to defeat in one on one battle, and they were six this time. The only way to kill them it's with a sharp weapon, preferable from pure steel and with holy water on the blade, so the water can enter in the acolyte once scratched, and the only place where they're skin was not as hard as stone was at the base of the foot.
He was out of time to search for a blade, he did not want to lose one more second from Tina's life. Peeked once more from behind the corner. The acolytes had their hands raised, and from the shrine suddenly Tina raised. She was levitating above the shrine with the head lowered as if she was asleep. Her hands raised imitating a cross. The head moved backwards and she started to scream. From her eyes and mouth red sparks started lighting.
His mind got black and could not think about anything else when he saw Tina crucified above the shrine and got out from behind the corner. The acolytes did not saw him until one of them dropped on the floor screaming from all his lungs. Trebor used the most powerful healing magic he had remembered. It was not killing them but provoked them apocalyptic pain, pulling them out of the equation. When the second one dropped rolling in pain, the priest already got tired.
- Rash'hal mor ir corhal!
While one of the acolyte continued the ritual, the three remaining ones started walking towards the priest, determined to kill him. Trebor ran, turning right.
- Coward, he runs, said one of the acolytes.
The first one that passed the threshold and turned towards the direction Trebor went, stopped suddenly. Right in front of him, at short distance, he had the priests palms pointed towards his face. A white light smacked him over the face. The other two, that were still in the room, had to cover their eyes from the light. The eyes of the one hit exploded like two balloons. The screeching sounds he was making were horrible, even for Trebor's ears. But he did not stopped, showing him no mercy. When the light faded, the one hit fell on the ground, dead, with the face burned and still smoking. It seemed that Trebor found a new way to kill the acolytes. The forearms of the other two were badly burned. If they would not cover their faces, they would have met the same end as the other one.
The priest felt on one knee, breathing hard. This attack almost drained his entire energy even so untrained for a few years now, almost killing him also. When he lifted his eyes, the two acolytes were besides him, even angrier than before. He did not had the energy to dodge the foot of one of them and received straight in his chest, throwing him into the wall. He felt himself lifted off the ground, by his neck. The acolyte started slapping him over the face, scratching him with the knobs in his palms. Finally, when the priest's face was full of wounds, the acolyte was prepared to snap his neck.
- I want him alive, a thick voice could be heard from inside the shrine.
The acolyte smiled satisfied, grabbed Trebor by his hair and dragged him inside the room. Lifted him, with the help of another acolyte, holding him from under his arms. Trebor looked at the person in front of him and a pain more horrible than what he felt until that moment, multiplied by a few times, invaded him. Tina was sitting in front of him, but she was different.
Her eyes were red, she was smiling, her gums were bleeding and the teeth sharpened. Her face became wider, with sharp edges. On a few spots on her hands, her skin was burned to the bones, and it was still smoking, eating slowly the rest of the skin.
- So I have you to blame for the reason why my vessel is not a virgin anymore? Too bad, it would have lasted much more, I would have enjoyed wasting some time in this perfect body. But it will keep enough, until I will find another resistant vessel. You are probably wondering if she can feel these burns on her arms and legs and she has a few more on the body. The answer is, yes, they hurt and they hurt a lot. I can hear her screaming from all her guts.
Every spoken word, every spoken letter from every word, Trebor felt them like an arrow shot straight into his heart.
- By the way this is just a renting space, as you call it. I just habitat in this body. I saw you a little disoriented so I felt the need to enlighten you towards this thing before I kill you.
Tina jumped down from the shrine approaching the priest, grabbing him by his chin and forcing him to look into her eyes.
- It hurts, no? Perfect, I enjoy provoking pain. By the way, I have one more thing to thank you for, said Tina and lifted the cross given as a present by Trebor.
He grasped a moment's spark in the eye the priest that could still keep open.
- O, yes! exclaimed Tina smiling. It's becoming more and more interesting. You have no idea what this cross does. Old Iosif did not told you what it is?
- Who are you and how do you know Iosif?
But he regretted that he asked the question before even finishing it. The pain that covered his face, pain that stayed numb until that moment, made him shed a tear.
Tina stared on one side and the other, at the two acolytes hit earlier by Trebor with the healing spell. They were still struggling on the floor.
- Pathetic, brainless servants, weaker than a human.
Tina spitted towards one of them, directed a hand at each of them and shot with a red beam, exploding the heads of the two acolytes.
- Old Iosif you say? asked Tina turning again towards the priest. Well we are friends since he was young. I am the one that cursed him to raise from the dead, right before he sent back to Inferno. But you can stand still I will not do the same to you, you are way too insignificant. I don't win anything by turning you into the undead, even if it would amuse me for a while. You I will send straight to hell where I will let the executioner torture your soul until there is nothing left of it and all this just in twenty-four hours, than, puff, you are hole again, and they will have to take care of you on all over again. Day by day. But you will not be alone, soon, the soul of this piece of meat will be following you.
Tina turned with the back at him. He observed a change in her movements, she was more uncertain.
- It hurts, it hurts awfully, said Tina.
Trebor whitened, it was Tina, the real one. The demon brought her to the surface to torture her even more. An irresistible pain took control of the priest's, already heavy heart.
The girl turned, her eyes were not red anymore and the face was not sharp, but she was crying blood.
- Trebor, what is going on? She asked approaching the priest.
- It's going to be fine, he said trying to calm her down.
The two acolytes that were holding him laughed shortly from their throats.
- My entire body hurts, it burns me.
She was next to the priest now grabbing his face with both her hands. Even if the touch physically hurt him, it was the only touch he desired in those moments, the only one that could take away the pain. Tina could not observe the face of the two acolytes because they had the hoods over their faces, covering their entire face.
- What is happening with us?
Trebor could not answer Tina's questions, because he was clenching his teethes as hard as he could and he was trying with all his powers to restrain his tears. He could not restrain them all. A huge tear was rolling once in a while on his hurt face.
- Soon everything will be fine, he managed to say.
Trebor tried to escape from the acolytes grip but it was like his arms were in a stone block, they were unmovable.
Tina's right hand slipped off the priest's face and rested on his chest, with the top of the fingers touching his chest. Then she pushed, slowly breaking the skin. Priest's eyes enlarged with surprise, his face got red, he was holding his breath, trying to not scream of pain. He was surprisingly looking in Tina's tearing eyes.
- No, no, I am not doing this, stop! yelled Tina trying with the other hand to pull out the one that was entering Trebor's chest.
Started crying even harder, desperate that she could not stop. She was begging for forgiveness. Blood rushed out the priest's nose, his head was shaking. The girls hand entered already to the carpals. When the fingers touched the priest's heart, he let out a horrifying scream. Tina covered her ear with the other hand.
The priest looked one last time at the female besides who he wanted to live the rest of his life. Blood was flowing from his mouth and nose. Than everything changed in Tina's appearance, the demon came back and he was smiling malefic now.
- How dramatic, killed by the same one you wanted to live with.
- You will pay for this, started Trebor with a sturdy voice and full of hate. I will hunt you and I will torture you in ways you never imagined it possible. Listen to what I am telling you, this will not be the last time you see me, next time things will be different.
- And what will you do, you will haunt me until I die of boredom? asked the demon liberating a roaring laugh.
He did not wait for an answer from the priest and pulled the hand out holding between the fingers his heart and showed it to him while it still bits, than took a bite of it. Trebor pulled off a hoarse yell. He was feeling a pleasant dizziness, looking at the demon how he eats his heart, than everything shut down.
Suddenly Trebor woke up. He was all sweaty, holding his right hand over the ugly scar from his chest. His eyes were injected. Almost three years passed since then. He grabbed his head with his palms and whispered.
- Tina.
He was in a dark wood. His steed was looking at him. The priest had the impression that he reads pity in his eyes.
- You have all the rights to feel pity for me.
The horse neighed and became irritated. Trebor jumped on his feet holding a stake in each hand.
- Same nightmare haunts you every night and every day. You should get over it once and for all, to stop guiding your life after it, a voice could be heard from the darkness.
Trebor left the weapons down and moved to a water bucket to cool himself and to remove the stinging smell of sweat.
- It's not a nightmare, it's a memory. There is a big difference between the two, but I am not going to explain it to you, that you never felt anything for anyone. Hate it's a stronger feeling and more truthful than love.
- And more dangerous.
A tall figure came out from the shadow of a tree. It was a girl. Stepped over the salt line, that was forming a big circle around the priest, without interrupting it. Her eyes were pure blue, like the summer sky.
- I bet it takes you a lot of time to place all the protections against the most common creature before you go to sleep.
- What do you want?
- Eager for talk as always I see. I thought that staying by yourself for so long, you would want to have a conversation with a normal person every now and then.
- Since when you are a normal person? What poor soul you stole this time to come here?
The only thing that was giving him away was its shadow that was showing his true appearance, having wings. Demons that were controlling humans could be revealed the same, but only if you had the special power to see it, power that most humans did not possessed.
- Where are you going? Unraed has been seen at north.
- I did not found him in Vileville. Then I got a message from a friend in Norringhton, he has something important for me. He said it's urgent. I am going that way.
- I don't care, turn this moment and get back on Unraed's tracks, he is more important than a word from someone you know.
- No, responded Trebor simple.
- You forget with who you are talking!
- I know very well with what bastard I talk, but you don't impress me.
Trebor had its back at the archangel and one blink later he was standing in front of the priest. He was visible irritated, but this was not scaring Trebor at all.
- You became stupider since I got you out of hell. You had a lot more belief in my words at the beginning.
- That until I figured out that we humans are just pawns for your kind. Angels and demons, all just generals, each with his own army trying to win a war. You want to be listened to? Go to the poor people that raised a golden statue for you and idolize you as a god, something your kind does not deserve.
- I pulled you out of Inferno after one year of torture, that for you meant the equivalent of one hundred human years. I can send you back there in a blink of an eye.
- Here you are wrong. You will not send me back there after you went through so much to get me out, you need me, I am the only one that can send Unraed back where he belongs.
- Why do you hate me so much? tried the archangel to change the way he was approaching the subject.
Trebor lifted his eyes at the archangel. He was not stern anymore. The water bucket was standing between the two. The priest turned the bucket so the archangel can see inscribed on it a circle with a cross in the middle and a different sign at each end of the cross. It was freshly written, with blood. Only than the archangel saw the bleeding wound in priest's hand.
- You bored me, get lost, said simply Trebor and he touched the sign with the wounded palm.
- No, wait ...
That all the archangel had time to say, then he turned into a white smoke that dispersed in the air.
Trebor got up, got dressed, gathered his bed and tools, prepared his horse, than jumped on him. He arranged his hat and started moving at trot, lost in his thoughts.
12