Chapter 1
Lo, a shadow of horror is risen
In eternity! Unknown, unprolific,
Self-clos'd, all-repelling: what demon
Hath formed this abominable void,
This soul-shudd'ring vacuum?
William Blake, The Book of Urizen
There is a man… and he is running.
To where, no one can tell, all one knows is that he is doing so. From what, however, one can only surmise. Fear darkened the man's continence, throwing a pallor of sadness and death upon his brow. His footsteps crunched snow beneath as he ran, and he slowed ever so slightly with each one. Every so often, he would look back, and each time he did, he let out a small whimper and charged forward with more determination. The wound on his thigh spewed forth blood with every ghastly pump of his still-beating heart, and the blood flowed freely to mix with the luminance on the ground.
A soft laugh resounded across the morning air, sparkling with radiant life as it touched the dew on the trees. At the sound, the man fell, hopelessness entering his mind. His pants were covered in blood, the precious elixir flowing out of him and inciting his pursuer to violence. The shadows beneath the trees took on a menacing shape as a figure coalesced into light, the shapes taking on a malevolent appearance. Hoping that the shape was a natural occurrence, the man let a moan to his god, whispering a prayer over and over.
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil," the man mumbled. The man raised one leg, then the other, and stood to his feet. He staggered a few feet in the direction he had been going, then stopped, knowing that he would get no farther by running. He had to face fear, his fear.
"My God! Give Me strength!" shouted the man.
"Your god? Where is he now?" the shadow asked.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want," said the man. "You have no power in the light of God, demon, I know your kind, and I will destroy you."
"Funny, I was sent here to kill you. Well, thank you for telling me that you would be destroying me, now that I know that, I better leave," the shadow said mockingly. "Goodbye, now," the shadow finished. His form then sank back into the ground from whence it came.
"Thank you my…!" the man's last words were cut short as a dagger cut across his midsection from behind him. A shadowy form coalesced behind him, holding the offending weapon. "How?" the man said, trailing off as he sank to the ground. His last coherent thoughts were of a burning abyss, lapping at his heels as he ran.
"Your god has abandoned you, as he has the rest of the world, and I am here to judge you. Illos, talambra nab kin. Human blood, love of life, destroyer of all!" shouted the shadow form, intoning a series of mystic words that reverberated across the trees surrounding him. His blade grew dusky as he finished, and with a quick motion, he plunged his dagger into the heart of the running man. "It has been done," the man said, his blue eyes growing black as the spirit of the dead man moved through him and into oblivion. "You have been judged, and have been found worthy of my sword, may you find peace in the next life."
The shadow form solidified in the brightening morning sun, and the vague figure of a man formed atop the bright snow. He looked to the waiting shadows and moved into them, transporting himself along the shadow edge and back into the city from which the man had run. He appeared in a small room, his shadow clinging to the wall.
"Hello, Rentruil, I have completed the task," said the shadow form. The man whom he addressed fell back, surprised by the coming of his assassin. He looked about the room, and not seeing the form of his hireling, he snapped his fingers. A bright light filled the room, dispelling any darkness in which the shadow form could hide. The shadow form lingered in shade for a moment and then the figure of a man - albeit a dusky one - appeared along the west wall.
"Welcome back, Aeron, quick as always. I trust that you completed the task to your usual standards?" the man asked, though he clearly expected no response. "I know you can enter here at will, an unfortunate thing, but you know that I prefer you enter through the normal fashion."
"Of course, sir," said Aeron with a snarl, "But I merely wished to retrieve my payment as quickly as possible, the other way wastes too much time." His shadowy form moved forward slightly, not enough to be menacing, but enough to get his point to the other man. Rentruil did not like the game that they both played, and if not for Aeron's considerable skills, he would have destroyed him long ago. He was not certain, however, that such a thing was possible. In any event, he motioned to a bag sitting on the mantle. Aeron moved over to the bag, his normally quickened movements slowed by the intense light. He hefted it in his palm, then attached it to his belt. As soon as he did so, the bag disappeared into the same darkness as his clothes.
Aeron smiled, then the room fell into darkness, and even the light of the candle was extinguished. When Rentruil finally finished the spell of reversal, Aeron was already gone, as was the Rentruil's staff that usually sat in the corner. Rentruil shook his head, he had known better than to try to shortchange Aeron. Still, he had tried, money was tight for the wizard, and he was losing favor in the eyes of the council. For his treachery, his staff had been taken. Realizing that he was lucky to be among the living, he sighed and returned to his studies. His brightening spell faded, and all that was left was the flickering light of his candle. A quick movement of shadow brought alarm into Rentruil's mind, but his reactions were too slow as Aeron's dark blade bit deep into Rentruil's chest. Rentruil fell into darkness for the last time, and in his mind, he knew that no one betrayed Aeron Morieth when it came to the price of judgment. The last thing Rentruil saw was Aeron, the shadow guard, smiling at him as he passed judgment.
The night greeted Aeron as he melted from one shadow to the next, passing between them as one might walk. He drifted in and out, thinking back to the events of that morning. He wondered if he had been right to pass judgment on Rentruil, and then decided that the Council would not miss their more annoying member. He told himself that Baroness would not mind the event, it would help to further her cause. With a shrug of his shadowy shoulders, he continued onward to his destination, a small tavern that kept him abreast of most situations in the city.
As Aeron neared the Inn, he realized that he was still traveling in his shadow form, so he stopped for a moment to focus his attention. He shifted to a more 'acceptable' form and then continued inside. He walked quickly past the bar, nodding slightly to the barkeep who stood waiting to serve the patrons drinks. He moved to one of the more secluded tables and sat, waiting for the woman who would bring him the information he needed for his next move. He let his eyes wander for a moment, taking in the shadows of the room, noting were each method of attack or defense was available, then he closed his eyes, certain that he could feel the approach of the woman when she neared him.
"I need your help," a voice whispered softly in his ear, "someone must be judged."
"Judgment is for God alone," Aeron replied, not looking up.
"For God and for you, my lord," she replied. This drew a smirk from Aeron, it was her custom to address him with more respect than he deserved. He finally opened his eyes and looked up at his friend, Hannah. She had helped him for a good while now, he had met her shortly after his first Judgment, and she had brought him to many more contracts as well. She was nowhere near as beautiful as Baroness, but what she lacked in beauty she more than made up for in sheer resourcefulness. As a self-proclaimed spy, she knew the underside of the city well, and he had often relied on her quick thinking to bring him to success.
"I've found our little friend, his name is Daelric, and he has just left his village, which is as much as I know at this point. If you Shadow.."
"Stop," Aeron interrupted, "is that the extent of your knowledge?"
"Aside from where his village is, yes," she replied, a look of disappointment in her eyes. "I looked into it, but he is far from here, to the west, and it would take you a while to get there, even Shadow Melding."
"But you are certain that this is the one I have been searching for?" Aeron asked, growing more eager. He had promised an ally of great power to his love, Baroness, and he planned to acquire that man, whether or not he lived far from his present establishment. Besides, he reasoned, the Council would turn a blind eye to his departure, ever since he had blatantly displayed his abilities against one of them, they were more than willing to let him go.
"Yes, there can be no mistaking him, even the Council is taking an interest. They will not make a move for another month, however, plenty of time for you to extract him and take him to the big B," Hannah said, obvious dislike entering her voice at the mention of his former lover.
"I don't appreciate our calling her that. I am grateful that you have found this out for me. I am planning on leaving tonight, will you be following?"
"No, I have things to do here, tie up a few loose ends, but I will leave as the council gives me permission, which shouldn't be long."
"You know I can take you with me, it is a simple matter."
"And you know that I don't like melding, it's too unnatural. Besides, you want to leave now, and I want to leave later, don't worry, I'll get there before you actually find him. He's on the move as it is."
"Very well, I shall await your arrival. Your presence will be missed," Aeron said, even as he began to melt into shadow. He faded away, heading off after his new target, Daelric.