FOREVER KNIGHTS: #6 Malevolent Attentions

Feglen Forest, Dread Country

RAESE

Raese couldn’t even recall falling asleep tonight. Rodger had kept him out late and he’d returned exhausted. Figuring he’d be too tired to even dream. But, thankfully, I was mistaken.

He was laying on a soft bed of leaves with a dancing fire warming next to him. Stars glinting above him. I’m camping in Feglen. He recognized the triangular leaves of the trees unique to Feglen. A trademark of the softer wood.

The leaves were thin in the canopy and allowed a pretty view of a starry night. Painted with a few dusky clouds beyond the swaying leaves. There was only a mild breeze stirring through the trees.

It’s peaceful. What woke me? He’d clearly been sleeping. I never sleep. And when I do it’s not lightly.

Why am I awake? Questions filled his mind.

What am I doing out here? He recalled walking through Feglen with Calisto checking traps this afternoon. And wandering far into the woods. But he couldn’t remember walking her to her cottage as he always did.

He sniffed and caught the faint scent of lilies. Calisto? His head reflexively turned to his right to look beyond the fire. Because a part of me, knew she lay opposite me. Beyond it. On the bed of leaves I’d piled for her. He recalled it even as his head turned.

But once his eyes adjusted to see past the dancing orange and glinting sparks he took in the image before him with a hissing breath. He was quiet as he assessed the situation. What in Ardae is that?

There was something white crouched over Calisto. Straddling her torso. As his eyes adjusted to the image, he realized it was a man with oddly twisted limbs. Kneeling with his knees not touching the ground. His weight on his bent knuckles and the tips of his toes. His skin was touched with dark veins. And eyes glowed faint orange in the dark.

It, he, straddled Calisto while she slept, face up. Groin nearly resting on her flat belly as he bent his elbows to lean near her shoulder. Sniffing at her shoulders and neck with loud inhalations.

Savoring her scent.

“What the hell are you?” He whispered through gritted teeth. Sensing it’d hear him.

Get away from her! Or I’m going to kill you. But he sensed its actions toward Calisto wasn’t a threat to her life. But it was clearly considering preying on her.

I’ll kill you first.

It spun its head sideways. Tilting it at an extreme horizontal, nearly disconnecting his neck to look at Raese.

Disturbing…

“Essius…” It hissed.

Essius? What the hell is an Essius?

It scrambled toward him on its feet and hands, moving ludicrously fast.

Raese’s hand reflexively gripped his staff lying next to him. As he twisted to his knees. Stay away from me, you hideous bastard!

Just as the pale creature caught the orb of it between his palms. Raese leapt into a crouch, to yank on the staff while the white being lurched back onto his butt pulling the orb toward his lap. Wrestling with Raese over it.

Let go! Raese was getting progressively more furious. Glaring at the creature, his green eyes narrowed. He blinked only a moment to send a surge of energy through the wood and surging into the dense glass atop it. A green lightening current hopped out of the orb into Essius’ chest. Tinier green waves jolted from it, singeing his hands. Squawking in pain he released it. Didn’t like that!

Once the staff was freed, he reflexively bopped the creature atop its head with the weighted orb. Don’t touch my things, Little Devil!

It scrubbed the top of its head in pain and scampered backward. “Owie! Owie! Owie!” It whined. Shaking its head like a wounded animal.

“Unnice! Unnice man!” It turned to growl through its teeth. Eyes burning orange.

Unnice? It sounded like a disfigured, ugly, depraved child…Which someone had starved, left in the dark, demonized, and possibly twisted the joints of. A very, very, ugly child.

The ugliest child ever born.

Some kind of Firoque? Though Raese had never seen one quite like him, if so. I don’t like it.

I’d rather deal with a Sarabi. But he found himself anxiously scanning the dark trees for the eerie white figure. Hopefully I never see it again.