Started: January 28, 2004
Finished: February 3, 2004
Revised: July 18, 2005
Chapter 3: Stolen Thoughts
"I'm scared."
There were rumblings of thunder and lightning outside the window. The tree branches thrashed noisily against the windowpane, spilling shadows into the room with every flash of light. Two forms huddled in one bed, the older of the two with a comforting arm around the younger's shoulders.
"Don't be scared. It can't hurt you."
The little boy, no more than five years old, sniffled and buried his face against his brother's chest. "Make it go away, Albie."
Albert sighed as his little brother clutched at him, holding him close as lightning illuminated the room again. "… You know I can't do that."
Caesar sniffled as Albert rubbed his back soothingly, shutting his eyes tightly. Albert smirked as an idea came to mind, extracting himself from his little brother and burying himself under the blankets. Caesar squeaked in confusion and followed him underneath, looking at the 11-year-old quizzically. "You're gonna hide under the blanket?" he wondered aloud. It was usually him that darted under the blanket first.
Albert shook his head slowly, a grin stretching across his face, and launched himself at Caesar. The younger Silverberg laughed in surprise and delight, forgetting the storm raging outside the window as he was tickled half to death.
It was hardly a bad memory, but Caesar found himself frowning and stuffing his hands in his pockets as he tromped through Kuput Forest after Apple. He fixed the leather hood he had picked up from the Duck Village, scowling at the rain that accompanied the churning storm. Despite the fact that the rain had not stopped since it had started late last night, Apple had decided it best for them to finish the journey to Chisha. The thunder overhead reminded him of his childhood, and every part of his childhood eventually ended up connecting to Albert.
His thoughts were dispersed as he stepped into a deep puddle, and he let out a low growl in annoyance. Annoyance at Albert for distracting him, annoyance at the storm above for making the puddle, and annoyance at those damn ducks for having their natural affinity to water and not needing cloaks and water-resistant boots. He seethed a little louder and stomped in the puddle like a little boy throwing a tantrum, only succeeding in drenching himself even more.
Apple turned to study her young charge, adjusting her rain-stained glasses. "Are you all right?" she inquired, raising a brow as he saw the redhead with one foot in a puddle.
"Yeah, yeah," sighed Caesar, kicking out his drenched boot futilely and frowning a bit more. "Let's just hurry up, okay? I'm getting tired of this; I'm gonna require a long nap after we get there." The last comment was made weakly and without much feeling, but it would set Apple's mind at ease for the time being. He simply did not feel like venting his frustrations to her.
The woman watched Caesar for a moment longer before turning around, the wet hem of her dress flopping heavily with each step she took. Stuffing his hands back in his pockets, the young Silverberg wearily trudged after his mentor.
He sat in the corner of the underground tavern, his slender fingers curled around a glass of milk as his gaze traced the moss growing on the stone walls. Lady Sana had taken it upon herself to shelter him temporarily, buying him clothes and feeding him both dinner and breakfast despite his protests. The aged clan leader even accompanied him to the tavern, wanting him to be exposed to the other villagers in hopes of someone recognizing him.
"Thinking hard, Luca?"
His green eyes flitted to the kind, elderly face, taking in the slight smile before returning it. "Of course, Lady Sana," he acknowledged quietly. Because of his lack of memories and name, Sana had chosen to call him by the first name that came to his mind. He drank the contents of his glass and shifted his gaze to the other people in the room. The old woman had introduced him to several of the townspeople, hoping that the interaction would help jog memories. Unfortunately, her efforts were largely fruitless.
Luca pushed away the empty glass, rubbing the back of his right hand. The skin underneath, as he had noticed while removing his gloves to wash that morning, looked greatly irritated - a dark and angry red. When he had shown his hand to Sana, the woman had told him that it may have appeared red because of the strange brand that appeared nearly black against his skin. His hands, uncovered now, looked like strange cousins of one another; his left was fair and free of blemish, while the right looked so horrid he found himself unable to look at it for long.
There were few clues to his past; his all-black clothing that he had stumbled through the plains - the Grasslands, as Sana had called them - in, the simple earring clasped on his left ear, the name 'Luca Blight,' and the brand on his hand. No one in the village had been able to help him beyond telling him he was a foreigner; his red hair and green eyes were, apparently, very uncommon traits for the area. He was hesitant to share any of the glimpses of memories that he saw, as there was little he could discern in the midst of … haziness and light. Light from … fire? No… Sunlight through windows, over tiles, and over-
He blinked, a blank look capturing his face once again. Luca shook his head in confusion, shutting his eyes and bowing his head. Was I thinking about something?
"Luca?"
Green eyes flickered open, averting to focus on Sana. She smiled gently down at him, flanked by two teenage boys. "Would you like to see where we keep the sheep while it rains?"
An unfamiliar feeling stirred inside him, the name coming to mind before he could describe the sensation. Faint indignation. Her tone is for a little boy… I'm not a little boy. I'm-
No.
"… Of course, Lady Sana." A smile stretched across his face at the prospect of seeing something new even as the first glimmers of indignation and identity in his eyes were smothered.
Civilization. Chisha Village, if he remembered correctly.
The man in black stood a fair distance away from the cluster of buildings that made up the village, Silverberg's white coat still slung over one shoulder. He frowned in annoyance at the heavy rain, adjusting his hat and the load on his shoulder. If the boy had left the forest in the direction he had followed, the closest place he could arrive at would be Chisha.
So why have you come here, Silverberg? There's nothing here of interest anymore.
Mismatched eyes narrowed as a howl resounded across the plains, and he raised his head as the cry was lost in the rumble of thunder. It had been years since he had heard such a howl - an unnatural sound from an unnatural animal. He turned away from the village, concentrating on locating the source of the noise. Another piercing howl caught his attention, and he began to stride in the direction. He was reminded of a mad prince with an appealing thirst for chaos and the deaths of thousands, as well as the pieces of the Rune of Beginning that governed the war.
Not once did he stop to think about his original goal, his senses ensnared by the howl of a beast. It did not occur to him that he may be being led away from the true source…
"I'm pleased that you could make it here. I was worried you wouldn't be able to get here with the weather."
Apple smiled at the Chisha Clan elder, hanging her cloak and trying to clean her glasses. "We're more resilient than some think," she replied with a quiet laugh, looking over her shoulder at her grumbling charge. "Caesar, don't be rude!"
Caesar wrung out his soaked hood and sighed, stepping forward and offering a wet hand in a handshake. "Hello again," he greeted Sana, "it's nice of ya to invite us here for a party."
Sana blinked once in surprise as the bespectacled woman thwacked the teenager, laughing a little at their combined behavior. She shook Caesar's hand briefly. "I'm glad to have you back here, Sir Silverberg," she said. "Your help here in Chisha was greatly appreciated, and there's only so much we can do to repay you."
Caesar withdrew his hand to scratch his damp hair, a whimsical smile on his face as he replied. "Well, first off, I'd like a nice, long bath," he said resolutely. "And then a nice, long nap."
"Of course, of course; I had thought as much," Sana complied, smiling at the young strategist's refreshing attitude. "If you take the stairs down, I'm sure you can find the bathhouse. I have already asked for it to be readied for your use."
Apple thanked the older woman on behalf of herself and her pupil, as Caesar had immediately started down the stone steps as soon as the words were out of Sana's mouth. The clan elder watched her two honored guests disappear from view, turning as she heard the front door open and shut. "Is that you, Luca?"
"Yes, it's me," answered Luca, removing his coat and cap and hanging them as he had been shown earlier in the day.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" the old woman inquired, moving across the room to greet the young man.
"As much as I could," Luca replied wryly, taking notice of the cloak hanging beside the door. "Visitors?"
Sana nodded in confirmation. "A young man and his teacher; they both helped protect the village about a year ago." She looked Luca over, realization in her dark eyes. "Sir Silverberg shares your hair and eye color. You may want to ask him where he is from."
"Silverberg?" The name grabbed Luca's attention, and he stared at Sana in surprise.
"Yes - Caesar Silverberg," Sana said with a nod. She took one look at the redhead's face. "Do you recognize the name?"
"Caesar Silverberg…" He shut his eyes, trying to gather the flying thoughts that had been triggered by the name. "I…"
No.
The old woman frowned slightly as Luca trailed off. "Do you recognize the name?" she repeated.
The green eyes that opened lacked something that had been present before they had been shut, but neither were able to notice. Luca gazed dazedly down at Sana. "Name?" he whispered quietly. He rubbed his forehead, shaking his head slowly.
"You must be tired," Sana sighed, abandoning the question upon seeing the weariness in the redhead's eyes. "You might want to go lie down, Luca."
He nodded slowly in agreement, turning to enter the next room even as he felt a headache coming on. "Will I get to meet these visitors sometime?"
"You can meet them tomorrow." She nodded at his back as he started away. "Goodnight, Luca. Good dreams, helpful dreams, all right?"
Luca smiled faintly, glancing over his shoulder as stood in the doorway. "Of course, Lady Sana. Goodnight."
The rain had finally stopped, and the clouds had begun to part to reveal the starry night sky. Under the pale moon and the shining stars, a figure moved through the still Grassland village. It loped past stone buildings and the sleeping people inside, knowing quite well that it was too weak to deal with attacking humans. It had been a long time since it had been free to eat … and now it knew of a good source of nourishment that it had not known about the night before.
There was nothing standing between him and his prey other than a unique fencing system that may have dealt with other predators. Unfortunately for the docile and oblivious sheep on the other side of the barriers, it was unlike any other predator to have laid eyes on them.
It took the sturdy wood into its maw and pulled hard, growling as the wood gave way with sharp and satisfying splintering. The beast tore through the fencing, snorting softly and advancing on to the next barrier. This one was a fair deal stronger than the first fence, but still stood no match against the beast's powerful teeth. Beyond the gates, the sheep began to stir, shifting and looking for the source of the disturbing sounds. Without a smell to be identified by and with the aid of silence, the beast had managed to get this close to its prey without being sensed.
One sheep raised its head to bleat in warning, but was quickly silenced as the beast lunged forward and brought its jaws around the hapless creature's windpipe. With animalistic brutality, it tore the sheep's throat out, alerting the others within the broken pen. Within moments, what had once been their only protection from predators became their cage, as the bloody-faced creature raised its head and growled.
Blood. It has been a long time.
LET ME GO.
Silence.
The beast's eyes glittered green as it advanced on its prey, the frightened bleating of its victims tearing through the night air as surely as its fangs soon would.