The dark passenger (book 1)

After spending a moment smacking itaround her gummy lips, she spit it out, and then scooped a new pile of dirtinto her hand, which she lifted to the air and watched trickle back to thegr

T HE D ARK P ASSENGER

By Joshua Thomas

THE DARK PASSENGER

Copyright © 2013 Joshua Thomas

All rights reserved

Chapter 1: The Night-Mahr

Chapter 2: Five Candle-Made MaidensChapter 3: The Dirty Sacrifice

Chapter 4: A Boy Returned

Chapter 5: Of Dreams and Beans

Chapter 6: The Lucent Speaks

Chapter 7: The Cost of Magic

Chapter 8: Blind With Fury

Chapter 9: Blue and Red Tickets

Chapter 10: An Imp on the Road

Chapter 11: A Conversation in BloodChapter 12: An Injury Best Not SeenChapter 13: The Winter Fair

Chapter 14: Nothing But Ash

Chapter 15: Truths and ConsequencesChapter 16: A Home For MischiefChapter 17: A Pinch of Spice

Chapter 18: The Fallen Roger GoodfellowChapter 19: Three Tests

Chapter 20: The Umbrage Box

Chapter 21: A Meal to Remember

Chapter 22: Through The Black KeepChapter 23: The Great Herald

Chapter 24: Preparations at the Gate

Chapter 25: Parlor Tricks

Chapter 26: A Boy Taken

Chapter 27: Borrowed Magic

Chapter 28: The Skeleton Key

Chapter 29: The Host's Tomb

Chapter 30: The Gates of Newick

CHAPTER 1: THE NIGHT-MAHR

As the woman ran, the mahr felt her anxiety, her desire to move faster.

Stairs of uneven height lined her path, and each step was a trap, threateningwhat she worried would be a fatal fall Even though she heard nothing but theslapping of her bare feet, she knew others were near, coming for her She

took solace in the mahr, drawing on its strength while letting it absorb her fear With the mahr, she was calm.

The darkness may have made the path more difficult, but she was glad for

it Her pursuers couldn’t see either Each step was quick and confident; she

had given herself to the mahr and was following its intuition.

The staircase was narrow, steep and had no railing, and the rock was wetand warm to her touch She could only guess what the cavern looked likearound her, but she stopped herself when she began imagining how far shewould fall if she tripped or missed a step Instead, she focused on counting

stairs From the mahr she knew that it would be only a few more steps before

she turned up another stairway that crisscrossed its way up the cliff

By the time she reached the last stair, she was out of breath and covered insweat Her stamina wasn’t what she remembered it to be, and the pain in herstomach was growing worse Feeling along the edge of the wall, she found

the crack that she knew to be there It was the edge of what the mahr had

seen when it was alone, before she had called for it Until that moment, shehad focused only on getting to this crack in the wall, but she was unsure ofwhat she would find once she stepped through

As her pace slowed, she felt forward with one hand and anchored herself to

the side of the cave with the other The mahr helped her take slow, controlled

breaths, which helped her focus her other senses The air smelled damp, andthe ground beneath her bare feet was covered in a downy coat of moss Herhand was still pressed against smooth, wet rock, and it seemed to lead straight

in one direction She had no sense of time in the darkness, but she knew shehad been walking a while when her hand hit a different kind of rock Theserocks were cut and jagged, like they had been placed there She also felt achange beneath her feet The moss suddenly ended, and she was walking oncobblestone The wall started to turn slightly to the right, and she turned withit.

When her shin hit rock, she found that the wall had stopped turning, andthat she had come upon another staircase She was heading straight again, upstairs How close her pursuers were now, she couldn’t guess, but she fearedthe worst and stumbled quickly up the stairs, feeling wildly above and infront of her with her outstretched hands She counted one hundred forty-seven steps before she found wood above her A trapdoor The hingesprotested loudly as she opened it, and the sound of the falling door echoed inthe large chamber Her heart quickened when she realized she could see.Much had changed since the last time light had reached her eyes

Moonlight shone through a huge, broken window at the far end of the hall,

as well as through a gaping hole in the ceiling She stood there stunned, butonly for a moment As she approached the window, she saw a trail outsideleading away from the building Closer now, she saw the dull outline of adoor in a shaded antechamber Going left, she ran to the door and pushed Itwas twice as tall as she was and its hinges were covered with rust She leanedinto it with all her strength until it gave and lurched open

She was outside now, and it was a new world Everything was a soft blue

in the moonlight There were moss-covered boulders all around her, and shesaw the statues of a man, a woman, and a box Having suddenly realizedwhere she was, the woman fell to her knees and wept Looking behind her,she stared at the remains of the Black Keep, the broken building that hadonce been her home

Feeling a pang in her stomach, she forced herself up She had more thanjust herself to consider, and this knowledge gave her new life Ahead, far inthe distance, she saw a man’s silhouette

“Stop!” a man commanded “Surrender now You have nowhere to run.”She didn’t stop, but she dreaded the man’s words As she ran shewhispered a word she knew well, and a blue-white bolt escaped heroutstretched hand Its power was less than she had expected

“Your magic will not work here, witch,” said the man, the last word acurse

“Witch? I’m no witch,” she said, momentarily taken aback She raised her

arms and, through the mahr, pooled energy into her hands like opposite ends

of a pole When she brought them together, another bolt leapt towards theman, stronger this time, but it didn’t explode as it should have Instead, itreached the man and disappeared The woman cursed and muttered, “Thehallow tree’s amber was rare in my time and only given to a great warrior.What else has changed?”

But she kept running and didn’t slow down; she felt with her entire beingthat there was no time Again she said the word, louder now, directing itsenergy to the cliff above Rocks tumbled down the cliff and sideswiped theman, who only had time to let out one brief shrill scream

Over the ledge she saw the village below and was horrified to see it soclose to the Black Keep It wasn’t until she passed the rubble and crushedman that she saw the pass leading up the cliff She had a choice to make now.The desire to be free and out in the open would lead her up the pass, butthat’s what they would expect What their intent had been in settling thebottom of the crater, she could only guess, but she knew instinctively thatwhatever she found down there would be better than what she’d find above.That only left the option of approaching the village below head on

The pass weaved back and forth but was easy to see After running forwhat felt like an eternity, she found herself surrounded by a smalloutcropping of trees at the bottom of the crater Leaving the trail, she ranthrough them directly, thankful for the little light that made its way throughtheir branches Holding her engorged belly, she ran past boulders and aroundfallen trunks, feeling awakened by the clean, crisp air hitting her face.Between the trees, she caught sight of flickering orange lights from thevillage itself They were close enough that she could smell their smoke Thepain in her stomach was growing, and she knew what would happen soon.Although she was breathing heavily through clenched teeth, she keptreminding herself that she had to keep moving

There was no wall between her and the village, but the houses werestacked on each other, leaving her no breaks to the other side Following theperimeter, she ran past locked doors and blackened windows until she hit asmall alley—a vein into the village

From her first step into the village, the mahr’s energy within her

dampened She worried its power might be gone, but she was afraid to testher reserves Any show of power would only attract attention, so she

continued on Seeing no one, she stumbled through the empty paths with onlythe slightest hint of a plan, but while it formed, she meant to lose herself andmaybe her pursuers for a short while The pain in her stomach continued togrow, and her steps became more labored Turning down one road afteranother, she lost track of where she was And then, in a moment of pure joy,the woman sensed what she was looking for She allowed herself to fall at thehouse’s doorstep and grab her stomach.

Having given everything in her escape, she was relieved to no longer have

to hold it in Her stomach kicked beneath the weight of her hands, and sheknew that it was time for her baby to come Clenching her eyes shut, shegasped for the air she would need to push, but held her hands over her mouthwhen she heard herself scream

Luckily, it was a quick delivery Not allowing herself time to hold her son,the woman wrapped him in her shawl and whispered a word that turned itinto the warmest of blankets Also wrapped in the blanket was a book that shehad carried out of the cave and down the pass

With her baby born, she held him in one arm as she let herself in thestranger’s house Walking silently to the room where she sensed anotherbaby, she knelt down and gave her boy one kiss on the forehead She thenpicked up the other baby, whispered a few horrible words, and put her ownbaby in its place Knowing the book and blanket would be conspicuous, shehesitated a moment, but there was no time to do anything else In the graymoonlight, the small pile of ash that had once been another woman’s babylooked like liquid at her feet

Leaving the house as quickly as she had entered, she closed the doorbehind her and crossed the street Looking back a minute later she saw theoutline of three figures heading towards her Running now, she glancedbehind her and saw that they were running too Weak and covered in coldsweat, she ran with energy she didn’t even know she had, energy that cameonly from the hope of luring her pursuers away from her baby Taking aquick turn, she ran down a narrow street, and houses with little orange

lanterns flew past her Once again she was letting the mahr guide her,

knowing that it had long ago sensed where she needed to go

An explosion of sound suddenly filled the air It sounded like a horn, andits cry carried across the village, stirring people from their sleep Stillrunning, she didn’t look back, but she could hear the steps slowly gainingbehind her In every house she passed now lights were beginning to

illuminate small windows A minute later she found herself out of the narrowstreets and in the middle of the large village square There in the middle she

saw what she and the mahr needed It was a tree, bigger than any she had

passed running down the pass, and it marked the heart of the village She ran

to it and stopped, and when she turned around she saw that her three pursuershad stopped with her

One man slowly approached and the other two moved off to her side,keeping their distance while cutting off any escape around the tree Otherpeople were also beginning to fill the square: men, women, and children, all

of them holding weapons The villagers moved cautiously, like they knewthat she had already killed one of their own Some people, including theoriginal three following her, had swords at their sides, but they kept themsheathed Most of the people, though, held a wooden staff in one hand and aspear in the other The small bloodstones at each spear’s end glistened in themoonlight Holding the spears above their heads, they watched the womanintently, ready to strike

And then, for reasons she barely understood, she started laughing “Youthink the gift we gave you will protect you? How much time must havepassed! In my time one of my kind would never be allowed so close to thehallow tree.”

She backed towards the tree while the villagers looked on dumbly, asthough too scared to make any sudden movements

“It doesn’t matter how long you have had to stockpile your weapons,” shecontinued “Yes, I see the bloodstones set atop your every spear You are arace of fools, and I shudder to think the damage you’ve done.”

At last her hand landed on the tree Muttering a word, the bark began toglow black and ash rained down from above The villagers were charging hernow, yelling, but she was no longer inhibited by the tree and was alreadycasting a greater spell Feeling her skin scaling, her limbs stretching, and herteeth growing, she let out a scream, only it was a monster’s voice, not hers.When the men grew near, green fire erupted from her mouth Some splashed

on the ground, sending a sulfurous smoke into the air, but most hit its mark:the many villagers before her But even with the tree dead, the bloodstones,fruit of human sacrifices to the tree she had just destroyed, still retained theirpower and absorbed her fire

Charging forward, the woman snapped at a row of men, all the while trying

to crush the villagers behind her with her tail One of her claws connected

with a man so hard that he flew back into the first, the second, and even thethird villager behind him Using her massive hind legs, she leapt to her sideand crushed many other villagers beneath her But then she screamed Therewere too many around her, and they were releasing spear after spear, each ofwhich sent a wave of intense heat through her skin The spears were poison,made from the very tree she had just destroyed.

Releasing the mahr, a mere puff of smoke outside her body, she returned to

her normal size and found herself lying on the ground, panting Blood pooled

at her side, bubbling around the spears The mahr hovered before her, unsure.

“Go,” she croaked, gasping for air “Take care of my baby.”

As the mahr fled, the woman cried out once last time before she died.

CHAPTER 2: FIVE CANDLE-MADE MAIDENS

Five hags hobbled into the village of Chardwick “Keep your heads down,”Gretchen told her four sisters She was the oldest, but even with her deepwrinkles, thinning hair and severe stoop, she was by far the least ugly of thefive

In a small, wispy voice, one of the triplets asked, “What if we’rerecognized?”

“Don’t be foolish Look at us,” another triplet retorted

The last triplet agreed “Indeed, the years have not been kind, sisters.”

“Silence, all of you,” Gretchen hissed The first triplet, who was about toask another question, closed her mouth and choked back her words

The hags walked in a straight line, each taking care to appease herindividual ailments Leaning on a wooden staff, Gretchen set a slow pace, buther sisters didn’t mind

Behind Gretchen was Mina, a waif whose cloudy eyes and nearsightednesskept her close behind her older sister, and behind Mina, in no particularorder, were the triplets In their youth, people could tell the triplets apart bythe colors of their hair—Pyre’s was red, Meryl’s an unnerving blue, andMistral’s the whitest of blondes As hags, gray had claimed even that, and allthat differentiated them now were their dresses, which were reminiscent ofthe colors of their hair But their dresses were hidden under long black cloaks

at the moment, as the hags were doing their best not to draw attention tothemselves

The cobblestone road stopped in the village square, and the hags foundthemselves walking through black dirt Gretchen stopped, turned to hersisters, and said, “This is the place.”

While the triplets gathered around, Mina bent to inspect the ground Her

knees cracked and her hand trembled as she reached out, grabbed a pinch ofblack dirt, and put it to her tongue After spending a moment smacking itaround her gummy lips, she spit it out, and then scooped a new pile of dirtinto her hand, which she lifted to the air and watched trickle back to theground.

“Yes,” Mina said in a small voice “There was great sorrow here.”

“Speak up, sister You forget that you’re speaking to old women,” crowedone of the triplets

Gretchen shot her sister a hard look; the triplets should know better than totease Mina Then, in her most encouraging voice, she said, “Tell us what yousee, Mina.”

Mina’s milky eyes stared forward, past her sisters and beyond the wornbuildings around them A tear rolled down her face and splashed in the blackdirt “There was a recent death here, a warrior slain.”

Another triplet sighed, tired after their days of travel “Yes, we know this

We all heard the Calling.”

“Hush,” Gretchen said, and then, leaning precariously over her staff, shepatted Mina’s arm “Go on, Mina.”

Mina’s distant expression hadn’t changed, and it was doubtful she wasmuch aware of her sisters’ bickering “The battle consumed great power, but

in the end it was a quick death—a warrior’s death.”

The sisters moved in closer, perhaps better to hear, or perhaps out ofanxiety, sensing that Mina’s words were growing in import

“Was there—” a triplet began before Gretchen silenced her with a quickjab of her staff

Mina said, “The warrior fought bravely, but there were too many, oh somany.”

Straining to hear, the sisters were almost audibly holding their breaths

“The warrior was not alone,” Mina continued “She had a mahr.”

The triplets gasped

“A mahr,” one triplet whispered to herself.

“After so long,” another triplet added

“But we’re too late! A chance to regain our youth, our power, lost,” criedthe third

Gretchen pounded her staff to the ground and the earth shook “Silence,”she repeated as the triplets struggled to maintain their balance “Not anotherword from any of you until Mina finishes.”

The triplets hushed.

“But the mahr was not lost,” Mina cooed Smiling wickedly, she turned to

Gretchen “The creature lives, dismissed from the Host’s service by her dyingbreath.”

Gretchen tightened her brittle fingers around her staff “But… How? No

mahr can survive alone Surely the villagers didn’t let a Host escape.”

Mina squinted blindly at her sisters “That I don’t know,” she replied “I

can only see that no mahr was vanquished on these grounds.”

Giddy speculation filled the air, with each sister fighting to be heard It wasMina’s quiet voice that silenced them “I sense a trail, but it grows weak Thecreature is feeble, little more than a puff of smoke.”

“The mahr is near?” a triplet asked.

“Hurry,” said Gretchen “Lead the way, Mina.”

As the hags fell back into line, all but Mina saw the villagers’ eyes uponthem Several women leaned out their windows; the more discreet hunglaundry or attended to their shriveled little plants A small girl holding a ballwatched from the street, and two boys stood next to her with their hands attheir sides No one watching the hags moved

Under her breath a triplet said, “We are discovered.”

“No,” Gretchen replied evenly “They fear we are spies from Newick,nothing more Perhaps a little distraction?”

One triplet nodded, understanding Gretchen’s cue Suddenly the skydarkened, the temperature dropped, and a flash of lightning streamed acrossthe village Thunder echoed down the cliffs, followed almost immediately by

a deluge The children scattered and the women pulled away from theirwindows, closing their shutters behind them

“I hate the rain,” grumbled a triplet to no one in particular Her sistersignored her

“Good work,” Gretchen said to the other triplet The color had drainedfrom the triplet’s haggard old face, leaving it as gray as the rain To Mina,Gretchen added, “Continue on, sister.”

The sisters left the village square, one after the other The rain was clearingaway the smell of dirt and manure from the roads, as well as from the sisters’own clothes and feet The roads were small and narrow, but Mina led themwith aged confidence The hags hadn’t walked far when they stopped in front

of a dreary little building

“The trail ends here,” said Mina

The hags took a moment to take in their surroundings Like all other roads

in Chardwick, the homes here were several stories tall and piled side by side.Above them hung a tattered old sign with flaking red paint: THE BITTER HART, itread

“Shall we?” Gretchen asked

Never ones to turn down the opportunity for a drink, the five hags shuffledinside Though the sun had not yet set, half a dozen men crowded the dankpub, soaking in the smoke and alcohol

A fat barkeep stood behind the bar cleaning a mug An old stag’s head wasmounted on the wall above him, its antlers little more than nubs The lines onthe barkeep’s face would suggest that he was a jovial sort, but there was nohint of it as he appraised the hags Uneasily, he said, “Good afternoon, ladies.What can I do ya for?”

The hags walked in and took their time taking off their cloaks andarranging themselves at a small square table, indifferent to the fourteen eyeswatching their every move From a plain pigskin purse, Gretchen pulled out asilver coin and slammed it down on the table with a surprising amount ofstrength

“Five bitter malts,” she said She and her sisters sat stiffly in their chairs,water dripping from their clothes and hair, while they waited for the fatbarkeep to bring their drinks Steam began to rise from the dress of the triplet

in the red, but a look from Gretchen warned her not to draw more attention tothem When the barkeep came and laid the frothy mugs in front of them, hegrabbed the foreign coin and eyed it suspiciously

“What’s this?” he mumbled But he was closer to the hags now; he couldsee their blackened nails and smell their decaying skin, and thought it bestnot to linger

As soon as the five hags had their mugs in their hands and warmth in theirbellies, they leaned forward to whisper to each other conspiratorially Themen at the bar began muttering to each other uncomfortably, which helpeddrown out the hags’ own voices

“What do we do now?” asked one triplet

“We need to find the mahr, obviously,” said another.

“But how do we do that?” asked the first

Color was only just returning to the last triplet’s blue face “A real live

mahr,” she said, still shaken.

“Until the mahr acts I have no further way of tracking it,” Mina stated.

“Obviously,” snorted a triplet.

Gretchen said, “But where could it be? Who took the Host’s place?” Thesisters looked at each other uncomfortably while they tried to drink awaytheir concerns

With a burp, a triplet said, “Magic is scarce these days A mahr is a cause

for celebration, even if it is only the chance of finding it We could be younganother thousand years.”

“Yes,” Gretchen said “But we must proceed carefully.”

“Indeed,” said a triplet “The Host must be powerful to go unnoticed in avillage like Chardwick.”

“No,” said Gretchen, shaking her head “I dare say you’re wrong Mina

sensed the mahr to be feeble, little more than a puff of smoke And it is

unlikely a Host could survive above ground these long years.”

“I would have sensed a Host,” Mina agreed Her voice shook

Gretchen grabbed her hand reassuringly “No doubt you would have, Mina

No sisters, I suspect the Host is so weak that it goes unnoticed.” Gretchensmiled a small, mischievous smile

“Why so smug, sister? What good does a weak Host do us?” asked atriplet

“A mahr broken by the death of its old Host, its new Host weak—have the

years left you so senile that you don’t see what this means?”

The triplet’s cheeks flushed red with anger “Have you grown so senile that

you don’t remember the last mahr? Its weak, pitiful spirit hasn’t sustained us

“No,” Gretchen said “We have wasted lifetimes seeking another key We have always known the mahr to be the true key.”

The triplet shook her head, her long gray hair a tangled mess against her

red dress “But no mahr would ever serve us, no matter how weak.”

“But its new Host might, given the right incentives,” Gretchen said

The triplet’s eyes narrowed “You suggest we let the mahr live free? And

what if the villagers were to find it?”

“We must proceed carefully,” Gretchen acknowledged “Never fear, the

mahr will be ours But first we must find this new Host And if the

opportunity is there…”

“The Host’s Tomb—ours,” a triplet mused in the quietest of whispers

“Not yet, sisters,” Gretchen said She took the last gulp from her mug,slapped another silver coin on the table, and ordered another round

A drunk bearded man sat at the bar talking into his glass “Look at ’em old

hags drinkin’,” he said loudly “Don’ they know they should be buying us

drinks? Drinkin’ ’emselves sure innit gonna make ’em look no better.”

There was a modest chuckle from another man at the bar The tripletssimmered, but Gretchen turned to the barkeep and smiled her snaggletoothedsmile

“Would you also be so kind as to bring me that candle with our drinks?”she asked, gesturing at one of the small candles at the end of the bar Smilesspread across the hags’ haggard faces

An excited triplet said, “Are you planning what I think you’re planning?After so long?”

“Yes, sisters,” Gretchen said to the table “I agree that today is a cause forcelebration And look at us; it’s time.”

She reached under her cloak and into her deepest pocket From its depths

she pulled out a small black candle—all that remained of the last mahr to be

taken alive—and placed it on the table

“Besides, I think these are just the men to help us Wouldn’t you allagree?”

“Oh yes,” her sisters chimed

Moments later, the barkeep waddled over with a tray stacked with fivemore sticky mugs and the small candle After a moment’s hesitation, hegrabbed the coin and left their table, disturbed by the sight of five giddy hags.Gretchen took a draft from her mug and watched her sisters do the same.Only after the barkeep’s interest had returned to the other patrons didGretchen slowly lift the barkeep’s candle to the wick of her own stubby blackone

“Do it, do it!” said a triplet, bouncing slightly in her seat

The black candle crackled and the long unused wick sizzled and sparked amoment Whispering to it, their words harmonious and encouraging, the hags

leaned forward and breathed in the black smoke The bar was dark andalready covered in a thick haze, but still, to the sisters’ trained and expectanteyes, the black smoke left the candle in long, tentacle-like wisps, travelingfrom man to man before returning.

The men, no longer taking an interest in the workings of five tattered oldhags, remained unawares But afterwards it was said that seven men ofChardwick appeared to have aged twenty years that day

* * *

In a cold and distant land, Mina addressed her four sisters Her hands were

bloody and clutching the entrails of a fellow wanderer “The mahr stirs,” she

said Fifteen years had passed since they had stolen youth from the men at thepub, but they were still beautiful, as though time were loath to take back theirill-gotten gains

“Be careful, sister,” a triplet told Mina, her silky blue hair soaking in thesun “The candle’s magic was strong, but foretell too much and you will drainyour youth.”

“Hush, leave Mina be,” Gretchen said

The four sisters crowded closer around Mina and the young man’s body.Mina’s patchwork of gold and black hair stood on end, crackling slightlywhenever gold touched black But her cloudy eyes saw only the death beforeher

Adeptly, she moved her hands through the youth’s body, divining furtherclues Her fingernails cut flesh, and she moved up through the stomach and

on to the lungs Wiggling her fingers around the spongy tissue, she said,

“Much has happened over these last few months The mahr is still smoke lost

in the wind, but it is gaining its voice.”

Her four sisters waited expectantly

A minute later, Mina’s fingers found the young man’s heart “But at once

the mahr is both contented and lost and confused It is ready for us.”

Then, without hesitation, her hands left the young man’s body and moved

on to his face to pluck out his eyes Fingering the trailing nerve, she staredforward and considered the story it told

“Go on sister, what do you see?” a triplet urged, but her question waspointless Mina would not speak again until she had learned all she must.Finally, after many breathless moments, Mina said, “Very shortly, the

mahr and its Host will find themselves more lost than ever, without home in

Chardwick.”

Gretchen rose, which stirred a cloud of dust around the body “We haveprepared for this day, sisters The child is old enough to fulfill his destiny.”

“After all this time…” said a triplet

“…these years of sacrifice…” said another

“…the Host’s Tomb…” said the first

“Yes, but first we must send news to Chardwick,” said Gretchen “Ourspies must be ready.”

“Of course, I will prepare the hearth,” said a triplet

Gretchen nodded, and then to another triplet said, “Sister, dispose of this.”She turned and began leading the way down the path

The triplet in red, falling into line behind her sisters, snapped her fingers.Behind her the young man’s body burst into flames

CHAPTER 3: THE DIRTY SACRIFICE

Deep, guttural moans came from Edwin Medgard’s pillowcase He knew itwas Eigil, but he was surprised a cat could make such noise He tried not toshake the pillowcase too much, but it was hard to keep steady in the snow,especially since Edwin was short for fifteen and the pillowcase was almostthe length of his body

“It’s all right,” he lied Of course the cat couldn’t understand him, buttrying to soothe her almost made him feel better Almost

“Be sstrong,” the spirit whispered in his ear

“Get away from me,” Edwin said, swatting the spirit away The creaturehovered in front of his face, just out of reach It was nothing, only a little ball

of smoke, insignificant really; but for nothing it sure managed to get him into

a lot of trouble

Edwin would have been the first to admit that he didn’t know what it was,were he prone to discussing such things When he was little he had thoughtthe creature was a ghost, but unlike the ghosts from his foster dad’s stories, ithad no shape and wasn’t white He called it a phantom for a while, but thename didn’t stick, and he finally settled on calling it his spirit And then itbegan to teach him about magic…

“You musst do this,” the creature hissed with its ethereal voice

“Haven’t you done enough? Why can’t you leave me alone?”

“Remember Dana,” the creature said

Edwin wanted to cry with frustration Dana Medgard was his fosterparents’ newborn son The spirit had promised to hurt Dana if Edwin didn’t

do as it said, and he knew it would The spirit didn’t make idle threats

Edwin kept walking The ledge was wide here; to his right was a wall ofsteep cliffs, but to his left, several feet away, the ledge dropped off into the

crater and the village of Chardwick below.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that he had already lost sight of thelantern he’d left flickering outside his foster parents’ inn The wind picked

up, biting the exposed skin around his eyes It would be a while yet beforedaybreak; with a bit of luck his foster parents would still be sleeping when he

returned home You have to keep going, he told himself Yesterday he had conjured and done more than ever, but not without cost Every spell has a

cost That had been one of his first lessons His arm ached just thinking about

The ledge narrowed as he got farther from the inn, forcing him to walkever closer to the cliff’s edge Around him, the air was heavy with the smell

of soot, which rose from nearly every chimney below in Chardwick Over theledge, smoke blanketed the village with a hazy film, and lanterns dotted theirway across the maze of roads and alleys darting out from the village square,giving the smoke a warm, soft glow

“You musst walk fasster,” the spirit said

Edwin gritted his teeth “That’s easy for you to say You just float,” heretorted, but he quickened his step Nothing would make him happier thannever seeing the creature again

But it wasn’t long before his pace again began to slow Sweat clung to hisskin beneath layers of clothes Yesterday had left him beyond tired, and hewould need all his wits about him to perform the spell Finally, after walking

as far as he could, he had to stop and catch his breath

The creature nudged Edwin’s back with its essence, trying to push himforward “You mussn’t sstop Keep going,” it said

Edwin again tried to swat it away, but his heart wasn’t in it He had learnedlong ago that the spirit always got its way He couldn’t fight smoke It couldfit through any hole, no matter how small, and it was too smart for him totrap He had never wanted to cast that first spell, but the spirit was persuasive.First it had threatened him, but even worse was when it began to threaten theMedgards, and more than once it had almost exposed itself Edwin took theblame the time it pushed a few jars off a shelf, one after the other He took

the blame again when it tipped over a lantern and burned down the shed.Next time it could be the inn, maybe with Dana inside The spirit wouldnever stop.

“Hurry,” the spirit repeated

Over the southeastern ridge the sky was turning purple, but it would be awhile yet before the light found its way over the cliffs and down to Edwin,and longer still before it reached Chardwick But even at night Edwin’s pathforward was clear Moonlight cascaded down between the trees, formingbright patches near the barren elms His footprints left a clear trail behindhim, but that couldn’t be helped

A small flickering light over the ledge at the base of the pass caughtEdwin’s eye Someone must have begun the steep climb up the cliffs It wasdoubtful that a merchant would be climbing the pass from Chardwick up tothe village of Newick so early It must be a new guard heading up to thecrumbling Black Keep, the only other structure on the ledge besides theMedgards’ inn

“Hurry,” said the creature yet again

Edwin looked at the pillowcase Every spell has a cost.

Though he didn’t feel rested, he urged himself on He recognized the treeahead and knew where he was The tree ahead was unique in that most of itstrunk hung over the ledge, clinging to the cliff by its massive roots Itsbranches were wide enough that in the summer he could climb far out fromthe cliff and spend the whole day staring down at the village But that wasbefore magic had turned his arm gray, shriveled, and useless

“Here iss far enough,” the creature hissed, its essence fighting against thecold wind

Standing by the tree, Edwin looked down at its heavy snow-coveredbranches, at its thick roots anchored to the ledge, and wondered if he wasmaking the right decision But then he reminded himself that the spirit wouldhurt Dana If only he could tell the Medgards, but there was nothing theycould do The spirit would only hurt them too

Looking over the ledge, the village seemed small from so high, and hewondered what would happen if he jumped—whether that would saveanyone or help anything The spirit was a vengeful creature Edwinshuddered and shook away the thought

After placing the pillowcase with Eigil on the ground, he pulled the gloveoff his good hand, reached into the pillowcase, and grabbed the cat by the

back of her neck The Medgards kept her around for mousing, but to Edwinshe was more of a pet.

“I’m sorry,” he said, more to himself She was too agitated to hold close, atleast with only one good hand, and he couldn’t risk her getting away He toldhimself there was no other way

His teeth were chattering, but not from cold He was frustrated and angry,and he felt a sob coming But he couldn’t, not here in front of the spirit

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and then, reluctantly, said thewords of joining Edwin and the spirit had always shared a strange andunnatural connection As the spirit rushed into his body and they joined—became one, as the creature called it—he became filled with the creature’sdetermination He could sense that it felt none of his guilt He felt enough forthe both of them, but he again reminded himself of Dana

Still, no matter what he told himself, his arm ached, and part of him knew

he was doing this for himself The spirit had said the blackness would keepcrawling up his arm, poisoning his body until he began to feel nauseated and

a fever came, leaving him barely be able to move until, finally, the poison

spread too far and he would die Such was the cost of too much magic Every

spell has a cost.

Gripping the cat tighter, Edwin spat out the necessary words There was abright light, and the cat died instantly in his hand As it turned to dust, he feltlife returning to his dead arm Lifting it, he bent it at the elbow and wasrelieved to feel no pain

Yet at the same time, he realized it hadn’t been enough Most of his armfelt healed, but there was still something wrong with his hand Taking hisother glove off, he saw that most of his hand was still shriveled and gray

“No…” he moaned, feeling more wretched than he had ever felt in hisentire life

Hearing a gasp, he looked up, away from his outstretched arm He couldn’tbelieve that he had been so distracted that he hadn’t noticed anyone behindhim Anne Medgard was staring at him, and their eyes met Her eyes andmouth were wide with disbelief

CHAPTER 4: A BOY RETURNED

It was a clear day, but a small dark cloud hung over The HawthorneOrphanage—so small, in fact, that it seemed to go unnoticed This in itselfwas normal enough; most clouds tend not to garner too much attention if theyaren’t causing some sort of commotion But had anyone bothered to noticethis little cloud, one might have also noticed that it was behaving ratherstrangely Instead of languishing in the sky, which is what any self-respectingcloud lucky enough to be out on such a nice day would be doing, it wasfloating near the top of The Hawthorne Orphanage, circling the buildingslowly After watching the cloud circle the building once, then twice, then athird time, one might have been inclined to wonder if it was even a cloud atall

But no one noticed this cloud, as it was far less interesting than what washappening inside of Hawthorne at that moment Word had spread quickly ofthe Medgards’ climb down the cliff, their much talked about boy in tow Fivepeople had found themselves on the other side of Hawthorne’s closed doors,and, well, they were an unfortunate lot indeed

One person inside was the Headmistress of The Hawthorne Orphanage,Headmistress Vanora Headmistress Vanora had assumed the misleading title

of “headmistress” years ago, but she managed Hawthorne alone, the head of

no other mistress Hawthorne consisted of just one large building near thebase of the cliff, and it was a point of pride that it was hers alone Thebuilding was plain, an old distillery, but like the Headmistress, it was stoutlybuilt It had two stories, her on the bottom, children on the top, and its oldgray bricks were worn enough to give it the appearance of melting snow.Hawthorne made no pretense of being a happy place, and the drearinesscontinued inside From the front door ran a long but simple hallway that

stretched to the back of the building where the base of the one staircase stood.Hawthorne could house up to fifteen children, which was a lot for a villagethe size of Chardwick, but even full, it was a clean and orderly place, a placewhere the serious business of childcare was taken, well, seriously Besidesthe occasional door, the walls were bare, all except for a small plaque next tothe room at the end of the hall It read “Office of Headmistress EdnaVanora,” and below it was a lone iron chair.

Edwin sat sulkily in this chair wrapped in a blanket and holding his bag tohis chest, looking tired and uncomfortable He had wrapped his body in hisblack blanket and covered his hands with gloves, but Hawthorne was tooclean, too sterile; ever since he hurt his hand, cleanliness had a way ofmaking him feel light-headed

With his ear pressed against the wall to the Headmistress’s office, helistened to the Medgards and the Headmistress talking

“Yes, of course we’re sure,” said Willem Medgard Both of the Medgardswere smartly dressed in their best clothes, and Edwin could hear Willemshifting uncomfortably in his chair But it wasn’t only their clothes that madethe Medgards uncomfortable They were honest, simple people, and theyweren’t used to having to explain themselves

“But this is all very unorthodox, you understand,” the Headmistressdemurred “It’s not often we have a child returned after so long I see herethat Edwin turned fifteen over the summer? Very unorthodox indeed…”

“We’ve already explained this,” said Willem Medgard “Edwin isn’t likeother children You know what most boys are like at his age When I wasfifteen all I cared about was girls and training with the Fury.”

“I remember you were quite the force with a bow and arrow,”Headmistress Vanora said “I’m not sure Chardwick has seen as good abowman since you moved up to the ledge But Edwin—”

“Edwin hasn’t shown an interest in any of that,” Willem interrupted “Heneeds special care that we can’t give him.”

Edwin felt himself blushing fiercely He wasn’t used to such attention,even if it was on the other side of a door

“Please have compassion,” Anne Medgard said, her voice shaking slightly

“We’ve done the best we could by Edwin, but we have to think of the rest ofour family.”

“Yes… yes, indeed.” Headmistress Vanora paused “But so many years is

a long commitment.”

“It has been a long time,” Willem agreed “But Anne and I have done ourduty by Chardwick We asked no questions and took the boy in when theLucent’s ward brought him to the inn We’ve done all that was expected of

us, but no more Surely there is someone else.”

Edwin sat up straight, wondering who this “Lucent’s ward” was TheMedgards had always been very secretive about where he had come from

“These are dark times, the worst that I’ve seen in my forty years atHawthorne,” Headmistress Vanora said slowly “I would never questionLucent Weston’s wisdom, but he wanted the boy out of Chardwick, and yourinn on the ledge is the best we could hope for Is there something you’re nottelling me?”

Edwin gulped No one had ever told him he was wanted out of Chardwick

“Nothing The boy isn’t a troublemaker,” said Willem, choosing his words

carefully “It’s… complicated.”

“We just had two more children brought here last month, you understand,and Hawthorne has never been so full.”

“Yes, we heard about what happened to the Morriseys in the mine,”Willem said “We could almost feel everyone’s fear as we walked throughChardwick today.”

“So you can understand why this is most unfortunate timing,”Headmistress Vanora said

His voice strained, Willem said, “Yes, Anne and I have heard rumors thateven those who are taking on new apprentices can’t afford to open theirhomes, but Edwin…” He stopped, and Edwin could tell he didn’t know what

to say next

“Edwin’s changed,” Anne explained “He used to be such a good boy—soquiet, so sweet, and he still is, mostly—but when he’s not, he—” She paused

a moment “We tried to help and encourage him, you see, to teach him how

to be normal, really, but I think it must be hard on the boy not having any realfamily or friends And Edwin is shy, really, really shy The inn isn’t the placefor a boy like him, so far away from other children He can’t learn there Henever has much taken to other people.”

With only the slightest trace of impatience in her voice, HeadmistressVanora said, “I don’t understand It sounds like you care for the boy So whyare you trying to return him? What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing… nothing really…” Willem lied Edwin could picture Willemchewing on the inside of his cheeks, which he always did when he was being

less than honest Sometimes Edwin caught himself doing the same thing.

“Go on,” said Headmistress Vanora She sounded like she was trying to get

a confession out of a misbehaving child

Willem said, “We don’t really understand it ourselves He talks to himself

He sees things We thought it was harmless at first A lot of children haveimaginary friends growing up We’d hoped he would grow out of it, but hejust started hiding it instead We still hear him talking to himself sometimes,and when we ask him about it he lies He’s become very secretive lately, and

—”

“Edwin scares us,” Anne Medgard interjected, her voice strained “I can’texplain it, I just can’t, but Edwin’s not himself Sometimes he’ll be his oldself, sure, but when he’s not—I have my own child to worry about now Iwon’t raise my little boy around him Even if the Lucent himself were tocome to the inn and demand it, I just won’t.”

Even muffled through the door, Anne Medgard’s sobs echoed down thehall Edwin felt himself shaking; what his foster mother had said was treason

“Interesting… very interesting,” said Headmistress Vanora “It is yourchoice, of course I can’t force you to keep the child against your will, thoughthere are some formalities You will have to write a declaration to LucentWeston, for my own protection, you understand.”

Even Edwin knew of the Lucent He led the Council of Nine, was thereligious leader of Chardwick, and presided over all work in Chardwick’ssacred mines, which made him the most powerful man in the whole village.Defying the Lucent’s will should have at least given the Medgards pause, butWillem only said, “Yes, of course, whatever you need.” Anne blew her noseloudly into a tissue, and outside, Edwin wrapped himself tighter under hisblanket

Aside from the sound of some occasional paper rustling in theHeadmistress’s office, the hall was quiet for several minutes Edwin thought

he could sense the spirit nearby, and he felt his heart quicken From his chair

he tried to peer out the little window cut into the door, but it was too high.Suddenly, a few papers caught in the wind drew his attention They floated

up and around the small window for a few seconds, seemingly caught in avortex, and then smacked against the door, where they remained, flat andimmobile A minute passed and the page turned Edwin sat at the edge of hisseat and waited, knowing that it was the spirit taunting him Another minutepassed and another page turned And then another He watched this until

there weren’t any more pages and the papers dropped to the ground.

Nothing happened after that, and Edwin caught himself tapping his feet

He wondered what the spirit could want now, and put his ear to the wall.Hearing nothing in Headmistress Vanora’s office, he talked himself intoputting his bag on the floor, getting up from his chair, and going to the frontdoor

Outside, in the still air, the papers were still on the ground, and his blankethung flat over his shoulders It was a bright day, and he picked up the papers

to shield his eyes from the glare off the snow With nothing to see, he closedthe door, but as he walked back to the iron chair he couldn’t help but thinkabout how easy it would be to leave and strike out on his own He shouldn’t

be around people, but he knew he wasn’t ready yet—not while it was stillwinter, and not until his hand healed

Back in the chair, he rocked back and forth and closed his eyes Finally heheard the sound of some shuffling in the Headmistress’s office A momentlater his foster parents were at the door, followed by Headmistress Vanora.Anne Medgard lingered a moment “We never meant for this to happen,”she said, wiping under her eyes with a tissue

Edwin stood up and noticed Willem eye the spirit’s papers

“I understand You were both good parents,” Edwin said, and he madewhat he hoped was a smile But he knew his voice lacked conviction, eventhough he felt that what he said was true Edwin knew they had done theirbest by him, but he wasn’t sad to see them go While the Medgardsexchanged a few last words with Headmistress Vanora, Edwin stood there,his breath becoming rapid and shallow as he let relief wash over him

He was free The Medgards were going to head back up the pass to the innand Dana, safe from him and the spirit He was alone Only the reminder ofhow he got here kept a smile from creeping up his lips

Willem Medgard gave the Headmistress a respectful nod before grabbinghis wife’s arm and leading her through the front door

“Be good, Edwin,” Anne said, looking back “And Headmistress Vanora,please take care of him Oh, and I know the children at Hawthorne wearuniforms, but please let Edwin keep his blanket It’s his favorite.”Headmistress Vanora nodded, and Anne turned back to her husband Thedoor closed behind them and they were gone

Headmistress Vanora gripped her hand around Edwin’s shoulder, and said,

“All right, that’s enough of that.” She was a woman of more girth than

height, but Edwin was so short that she still towered over him To intimidatehim better, she bent down to one knee, and Edwin stared into her round face.She was standing so close that she slapped Edwin with the heat of her breath,and he did his best not to flinch “I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me whythe Medgards returned you, are you?”

Edwin stammered, but no real words came out

“That’s what I thought,” Vanora said gruffly “Whatever it was, be sure it

doesn’t happen again I don’t like seeing children, I don’t like hearing children, I don’t like smelling children, and I’m all that stands between you

and a cold alley.”

Edwin found himself nodding along

“The Lucent’s ward seemed to take an interest in you as a baby, but shehas no authority as long as you’re in my care Cause no trouble, stay out of

my way, and your stay here at Hawthorne will go smoothly until we can findyou a new home Do You Understand.”

It wasn’t a question, but Edwin said, “Yes, Headmistress I’ll do my best,Headmistress.” Sensing the spirit drawing closer, he gulped

Headmistress Vanora either sneered or smiled—it was hard to tell “Theother children will tell you anything I’ve neglected Now follow me and I’llshow you to your room.”

She let go of his shoulder and started towards the stairs, then turned back

“One last thing As your former foster mother said, children at this orphanageare to wear the Hawthorne uniform at all times You will find the appropriate

clothing in your dresser, so you can make yourself presentable before the

other children get back from their apprenticeships I will allow you to keepthat nasty blanket of yours, but you may not wear it like a cloak as long as

you live under this roof.”

She didn’t turn back again, and Edwin followed her up the stairs Since thestaircase was winding and narrow, he struggled to carry his bag with just theone hand But he didn’t allow himself to fret over his other hand He worriedthat just by thinking about it he would rouse the Headmistress’s suspicion.Despite her large size, Headmistress Vanora moved quickly up the stairs,and the stairs made a point of complaining loudly Mindful not to bang hishand against the railing, he kept it close to his chest For days his fear hadkept him from taking off his gloves even once, and his hands itched to be setfree

Down the hall on the second floor, Headmistress Vanora stopped and

opened the third door on the right “This will be your room for the timebeing You’re lucky and will room with two boys With so many orphanedchildren these days it is an unfortunate truth that we sometimes have nochoice but to room boys with girls.”

Unceremoniously, she turned to leave

Edwin hadn’t meant to ask so early, but the words were out of his mouthbefore he could stop himself “I do have one question, Headmistress, if youdon’t mind I was wondering if you knew anything about my real parents.”The Headmistress scowled “That’s another rule: no questions.”

“Maybe just my last name, then?” he asked He couldn’t make eye contact

“I don’t guess it’s Medgard anymore.”

“Indeed it is, and will be until we can find you a new family Now that’senough.” She turned fast on her heels and left

Standing under the doorway and still holding his bag to his chest, Edwinwatched her go

* * *

The furniture in Edwin’s room was plain but adequate; three beds filledmost of the space, each with a small wardrobe resting at its foot The lines onall three beds were crisp and he couldn’t tell which was to be his, so hepicked the bed in the middle, figuring it to be the one no one would want.After placing his bag on the bed, he took his blanket off his shoulders andwatched its iridescent black folds glittering in the sunlight coming in through

the window Bitterly, to himself, he mumbled, “I don’t like seeing children, I

don’t like hearing children, and I don’t like smelling children Psh Old bat.

And my blanket isn’t nasty.” A twinge of cold air began crawling up his leg,

and he froze The spirit It floated up to his ear and whispered, and he noddedhis head almost imperceptibly “I know you’re here,” he said to the room

“Don’t talk so loud,” a small voice whispered back “She’ll hear you.”Edwin knelt down by the bed closest to the window and saw a pale boy.The boy looked to be around his age with unruly blond hair and fat chipmunkcheeks He wore a gray uniform, was lying on a pillow, and his hand heldopen a book, in front of which was a plain brown stick—a bookmark, maybe.Edwin felt the spirit distancing itself The boy was staring at him, and Edwinfelt his face burn red

Trying not to stutter, Edwin said, “Erm I didn’t think anyone was

supposed to be here Headmistress Vanora said something aboutapprenticeships?”

“I’m sick,” said the boy, who then, for show, coughed a little “But theHeadmistress doesn’t believe in excuses I don’t think she much believes thatpeople can be sick either I’ve never once even seen her with a cold.” Hecoughed again

“Oh,” Edwin replied His voice cracked He had never met another boy hisown age before

From beneath the bed Walt reached out for Edwin’s hand “I wish I couldcome out and introduce myself properly Hiding under a bed isn’t usuallyhow I like to meet people, but I can’t move Vanora would lock me up for aweek if she heard me moving around up here.”

“Lock you up where?”

“The cellar This building used to be a distillery, you know They used tokeep the spirits in the cellar ’cause the temperature stays cold down there.The cellar can get pretty lonely pretty fast… Wait, don’t go.” Edwin stoppedpulling away from the bed Walt continued, “It’ll be a while before the othersget back Stay, chat a little.”

Edwin laid his stomach back on the floor “Chat?”

“You know, talk You come from the Medgards’ inn, right? They don’ttalk up there?”

“No, not even with g-guests They said getting away from people was part

of the reason they moved to the ledge Managing the inn was only a way tomake money.”

“I used to look at the lights from the Medgards’ inn from my roof at night.Lots of us down here do that When it’s cloudy the Medgards’ inn is the onlything in the sky to see, unless the guards outside the Black Keep have theirlanterns on, of course But that’s less often Light isn’t cheap.” Edwin didn’tsay anything, so Walt continued “Me, I’m from here I probably knoweveryone in Chardwick And then last month my parents disappeared You’veheard of the disappearances? A lot of people have gone missing lately Dark

times, the Lucent says.”

Chatting was making Edwin feel worse by the minute, and he couldn’tcontrol his shaking “Erm, I r-really should unpack,” he said and pushedhimself up with his good hand

“That’s all right,” Walt replied, and Edwin heard an almost silent thud as

he reopened his book

Before sitting down on his bed, exhausted, Edwin grabbed his bag off hisbed and dumped everything the Medgards had given him into his wardrobe.His hand ached under his glove Outside the window he had the familiar view

of sheer rock Snow covered every crevice, giving the jagged gray rock analmost soft pillow-capped look The Medgards had probably already madetheir way back through Chardwick’s dirty little winding streets and wereheading up the pass

“Uniforms are under Ashton’s bed,” Walt said “Ashton’s got the other bedand likes to think he’s in charge He’s hoarded all the extra uniforms, soyou’d best get one before he gets back.”

Digging under the bed closest to the door, much of what Edwin found wasunrecognizable, but he did find a pair of small black gloves In the back weretwo piles of neatly folded gray uniforms, which had been separated into largeand small sizes Edwin pulled out a small one, and Walt said, “Don’t mention

to anyone how bad they look Nemain makes them herself, and her feelingsget hurt pretty easily.”

“Nemain?” Edwin squeaked

“You don’t know who the Lady Nemain is? The Medgards sure didn’tteach you much up on that ledge Lady Nemain is the Lucent’s ward.Everyone says she was a real beauty in her day, but now she’s tough as nails.She spends most of her time training, war stuff and the like.”

“Lucent Weston only has one ward?” Edwin asked, trying to keep thestutter out of his voice

“Yep,” Walt replied pleasantly, as though glad to be helpful Only a fewminutes ago Edwin had heard the Medgards tell Headmistress Vanora that theLucent’s ward had brought him to the inn, and Edwin felt overwhelmed Hewas learning more about himself in this one day than he had in the lastdecade with the Medgards

Inspecting the uniform, Edwin could tell that even the small would be huge

on him He changed clothes quickly, but was hesitant to change gloves Hethought it would be best to wait until he was alone

Edwin lay back on his bed and again closed his eyes He had just aboutdrifted off to sleep when he heard Walt whisper, “Edwin? What’s yourstory?”

“Don’t have one.”

“What about your real parents?”

Edwin’s body tensed, and he wondered why this boy wouldn’t leave himalone If the spirit thought he had made a friend, he knew it would use itagainst him “I don’t know what happened to my parents I never knewthem.”

“And you’ve been with the Medgards this whole time?”

“Uh-huh They took me in when I was a baby.”

“I’ve met the Medgards before at the winter fair You know, when all thetraders from Newick come down Just a few more weeks before we’ll have toget ready for this year’s fair Why didn’t you ever come down? TheMedgards seemed nice, kind of stiff though So you’ve never had a realfamily? Friends?” The boy was talking a mile a minute

“Nope,” Edwin said

“That’s sad Even though my parents are gone, at least I still have Sam.Sam and I are twins,” he added, seeing Edwin’s confused look “And myaunts should be coming to get us any day now So why did the Medgardsbring you back?”

Edwin was so tired he felt dizzy “My foster mother saw me doingsomething she didn’t like.”

“Like what?”

“Killing a cat.” That was true enough

CHAPTER 5: OF DREAMS AND BEANS

Walt was no longer under his bed when Edwin woke Edwin’s head hurtand he rubbed the bridge of his nose, but he needed to get up He hadn’t evenreached the door before he heard that old familiar voice

“You wake,” the spirit hissed in its deep but tenuous voice, not even awhisper

Warily, Edwin replied, “Shut up and leave me alone.”

“Now that wouldn’t be any fun Bessides, I haven’t seen you sinceyessterday I’ve been lonely.”

“I’ve been asleep since yesterday?” Edwin cried Then, remembering hisanger, he added, “And what have you been doing? Just watching and waitingfor me to wake up so you can start more trouble? Get out and give me amoment’s peace.”

“You don’t want peace You hunger It’s written all over your haggardlittle face Don’t try to deny it.” Its words made Edwin grimace “Andbessides, you alwayss feel better when I’m near You say so yoursself Didn’tyou like our little experimentss?” Black smoke fell from the ceiling andbegan to circle Edwin slowly, caressing Edwin’s body with wisps of smoke,comforting him like only it could “You know you did A curious boy likeyou? It was beyond what you ever imagined.”

Edwin asked, his voice rising slightly, “You want me to thank you for that?Look at my hand!” With one quick movement he pulled the glove off his lefthand It was looking grayer and more shriveled than ever, and the nails hadfallen off Time was aiding its atrophy

The spirit pulled back a moment, pained “I told you to stop You pusshedtoo hard and hadn’t abssorbed enough Didn’t I tell you where ambition andpride would get you?” The smoke resumed its circling “But let’s not quarrel

Play nice and I will show you how we can fix that.”

“How? Look at it! It’s ruined.”

“Don’t assk stupid questions You know how.”

The spirit was right, and Edwin remembered yesterday when the creaturehad chosen to show him Walt Surely it hadn’t been trying to suggest….Edwin didn’t want to finish the thought

“The cat was it,” Edwin said Realizing how much he had let his voice rise,

he made himself whisper “I can’t ever do that again.”

“You can and you will It wass only a cat.”

“She didn’t deserve that.”

“Neither did yessterday’s breakfast Bacon doesn’t grow on treess, youknow But come now, I can see you’re in pain.”

“But—”

“You musst heal yoursself.”

“How are we going to find life down here? This place is dead Itscleanliness hurts my skin,” Edwin said

“This place is many things, but dead is not one of them.”

Swatting at its essence, Edwin shook his head “I told you, no people.Ever.”

“Of coursse not,” the spirit replied coyly It almost sounded like it wassmirking “But you know I’ll take care of you.”

“I don’t want you to take care of me You only know how to threaten andcause trouble Breaking things if I ignore you, the constant distractions when

I tried to talk to the Medgards or visitors at the inn… And now look at me Ifanyone speaks to me, my heart races because I’m afraid you’ll be found out.”

“But think of all you’ve learned,” the spirit said “And think of all there issmore to learn Your mother left you a book—”

Edwin’s jaw dropped “We aren’t going hunting for any lost book.”

The spirit’s essence crackled a menacing red “If you would have snuckdown to Chardwick like I said, we could have found the book and maybenone of thiss would have happened You never lissten.”

“I don’t listen because you’re evil! I’m done learning from you Andyou’re done showing me nightmares of a mother I’ve never known to trick

me into—” He couldn’t say the word

“Magic,” the spirit said for him “And I didn’t trick you You want a

family A real one I know the book your mother left you will help you findthat.”

“I never wanted that kind of family I never wanted this.” He again shook

his gray hand in front of the spirit

“You lie even to yourself, but I fear there iss no time for thiss You’re indanger.”

Edwin was surprised by the spirit’s sudden change in tone “Because of myhand?”

Gossamer threads worked its way into the smoke like lightning For amoment it looked like the outline of a face It had only started making shapes

in the last few months, and giant eyes filled the creature’s essence

“Chardwick is more than it seems Unfamiliar forces pull at my essence,” thespirit said, static coursing through its smoky essence The spirit flew underhis bed and came back with the papers Edwin had found outside Hawthornethe day before “Read thesse.”

The pages were broken up into separate articles, but in the center of thefront page Edwin saw an etching of two corpses He knew that’s where thespirit meant for him to begin reading

After a month of searching, Lucent Weston asks for calm after the bodies

of Mikel and Adisen Morrisey were found dead in the mines, their bodies drained of life.

“It happened right in the middle of the Rosen Tunnel,” said Molly Shurfot after discovering the Morrisey’s remains “I walk that tunnel everyday Almost tripped over them, I did I want to know how this could happen to two from the Lucent’s inner circle.”

The Morriseys are not the first to die under strange circumstances in the mines these last several years One respected man, asking not to be named, suggests that Chardwick should abandon the mines all together.

“All this talk about a sacred duty to protect people from what lies within the mines is hogwash We’re down there because it’s profitable But so many

of our brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters have died in the mines that I think it’s time to say enough is enough If we all marched up the pass, surely the Caretaker of Newick wouldn’t stop us.”

Such talk, of course, is treason, and this reporter does not endorse such views Reminding us that these are dark times, the Lucent vowed to redouble sacrifices to the hallow tree…

“Why are you showing me this?” Edwin asked

“On the way down the pass my essence was drawn to the tunnel Theirdeaths left impressionss.”

“What does that mean? And what does this paper mean when it says ‘theirbodies drained of life’?” he asked, fearing he already knew the answer

“Something killed them Something—”

“Like you?”

The smoke crackled indignantly “Not like me They didn’t turn to dusst,but the life wass drained from their bodiess I senssed this other creature inthe miness This thing hass power like ours, but it’s small and alone I feltwhere it had floated, high in the air above the tunnel floor.”

“Another thing like you,” Edwin said, feeling sick at the thought

“Nooo, it’s different I’m sure of that, but there iss a connection I wassdrawn to its kill.”

Edwin moaned, and the spirit’s essence crackled in a way that told Edwinthat it didn’t like the news of this other creature much either “Did you seeanything else?” he asked

The spirit was still a moment “There was one more thing, but you’re notgoing to like it,” it said

“What is it?” Edwin asked, unsure he really wanted to know

“I found the Morriseys’ housse I wondered why this thing had chosen todrain these particular villagerss of life I didn’t find an answer, but inssidetheir house I saw a picture It wass a picture of the boy under your bed.”

“Walt? I thought he said his parents disappeared.”

“Perhapss the boy didn’t want to burden you with their deaths,” the spiritsaid as it circled and caressed him

Edwin shook his head, confused Walt’s parents were in the paper, sosurely he knew they hadn’t only disappeared He didn’t think the spirit’sexplanation was very convincing

A moment later the spirit’s movements suddenly stopped Whispering inits ethereal voice, it said: “We had better go Someone iss coming When will

I be alone with you again?”

Hastily climbing to his feet, Edwin said, “I don’t know when I’ll be able toget away.” He didn’t say that he wasn’t sure he wanted to find time to bealone with the spirit, no matter how much danger they were in

“Make it soon This place is too clean, and it hurtss my being I can takecare of freeing uss,” the spirit purred, “if you like.”

“No…” said Edwin, but his voice hesitated more than he would have liked

“I can wait a few more days if I have to.”

“Have it your way In the meantime, I suggesst you eat the beanss tonight.They will help.”

Edwin didn’t have time to ask The smoke had faded, but Edwin still feltthe spirit nearby

* * *

Headmistress Vanora held open the door and stared down at Edwin, hergirth filling the doorframe Her eyes narrow, she said, “You’re awake Who’s

up here with you?”

Edwin’s heart raced He opened his mouth, but he only managed a smallclucking sound

“Come on, out with it.”

He tried to speak, but couldn’t, not with her yelling at him He shook hishead, as if he could shake away being timid

“Answer me when I speak to you Come on now Speak!” She grabbed him

by the shoulders and shook

“N-no-no one, Headmistress No one is here.”

“Then whom were you talking to?”

“M-mys-myself,” Edwin stuttered, and Headmistress Vanora stoppedshaking him

“Don’t disturb me again,” she growled, storming away and slamming thedoor behind her

Alone again, Edwin rocked back-and-forth while holding his legs to hischest He wished he could talk to other people as easily as he could the spirit

No sooner had his heart stopped racing than Walt burst in

“You’re awake!” he exclaimed

Edwin shrunk back, surprised by the abrupt entrance “You’re really tall,”

he said

“No, you’re just really short,” Walt said, smiling

Glancing down, Edwin noticed two small eyes staring at him It was thestick he had assumed yesterday was a bookmark; it was hanging from Walt’sshirt from its legs Its eyes were clustered at one end, and when Walt pettedthe area that must have been its head, it crawled back down Walt’s shirt andinto his pocket

Walt looked from side-to-side guiltily “Like him?”

Edwin nodded but worried the spirit would think it was another life theycould take.

“His name is Walker He never comes out on his own I guess he must becurious about you.”

“What is he?” Edwin asked

“He’s my stick-bug You won’t tell anyone, right? No one knows I havehim.”

“I’ve n-never seen a stick-bug before,” Edwin said, still stuttering Downthe hall Edwin heard the sound of footsteps

“That must be the others They weren’t far behind me.” The sound offootsteps was now close enough that Edwin didn’t dare say another word

A dozen boys and girls began filing past the open door They kept theirheads down, like they didn’t trust themselves to look at each other, but theycouldn’t help but glance at Edwin as they passed Headmistress Vanora hadsaid Hawthorne was full, but Edwin was still surprised to see so many otherchildren The last boy to shuffle down the hall came in and shut the doorbehind him

He eyed Edwin suspiciously, but he chose to address Walt first In a highshrill voice, he said, “It seems you decided not to walk back with us again.”The boy was older, had a narrow face, a pinched nose, and was a head shorterthan Walt He already had a full beard that he tried to hide with closeshaving, and his face was lined with nicks and cuts

Walt shrugged and said, “The new boy’s awake.”

Edwin tried to hide that he was shaking nervously as he pulled himself offhis bed

“Edwin, this is Ash He’s—”

“Ashton,” the older boy corrected, and he extended his hand Edwin shook

it quickly and awkwardly He wasn’t used to touching other people

Walt mimicked Ashton’s tone and rolled his eyes: “Sorry, Ashton Like I

was saying—”

“Ashton Hotraben I am Headmistress Vanora’s Oculus, so I really should

be doing the introductions.”

Edwin gulped and looked at Walt “What’s an Oculus?” he asked

Ashton haughtily raised his little nose to the air “We Oculi areHawthorne’s best, entrusted with the great responsibility of keeping order inthe rooms We’re Headmistress Vanora’s eyes and ears, really.”

“It means he’s a snitch,” Walt whispered in Edwin’s ear, feigning

Ashton glared at Walt, but continued: “As I was saying, I am the Oculusfor this and another room In fact, I am the Senior Oculus for all ofHawthorne.” He pointed to a small homemade button clipped to his jacket.Edwin squinted to read it:

Ashton Hotraben Hawthorne Orphanage for Displaced Children

Oculus Superior

“Yes, Ashton is very important, senior to Hawthorne’s other snitch,” Walt

taunted, but Ashton wouldn’t be baited

“Being an Oculus is quite an honor,” Ashton said “It is a show of trust byour Headmistress Tell me, how old are you?”

“Fifteen,” Edwin replied

“Oh, you look much younger,” the boy chirped, “but that does mean you’re

old enough to be eligible You could become an Oculus yourself, in time As

I said, we Oculi are entrusted with a lot of responsibility For instance, we areallowed to leave our rooms at night, and we do so often to find rule-breakers.”

“He’s lying,” Walt whispered while Ashton continued talking “He can’thear a thing over his own snoring.”

“We also have the privilege to come and go as we please,” Ashton added,glaring at Walt “The Headmistress rewards those who follow the rules, andyou would do well to follow my example.”

While Ashton paused with self-importance, Edwin looked to Walt, hismouth open but no words would come out “What is it, Edwin?” Walt asked

“The Headmistress,” Edwin squeaked “What do you know aboutHeadmistress Vanora?”

“Oh, I know Headmistress Vanora very well,” Ashton said, clearly excitedthat Edwin had asked, “but much of it she tells me in confidence It’s not the

kind of information I can share with just anyone.” The way he said ‘anyone’

seemed to Edwin to mean the opposite, with a little prodding “But what I cantell you is that Headmistress Vanora is a great woman, like a mother, really.”