2 Months Later

 

Ander

 

Ander woke up and immediately wished he hadn’t. His body complained strenuously, ensuring he knew the full extent of the aches and pains that had accumulated over the night sleeping on his pallet made of lumpy straw.

He opened his eyes and examined the dark interior of the cave he was sleeping in. It was rather small - more of an alcove than anything else, and the space inside was empty except for a few changes of clothes and the makeshift pallet he had created.

Ander tried to adjust his body into a more comfortable position, but it was useless. He eventually gave up his futile struggle and sat up with a groan, stretching out his aching body.

The stiffness he felt made him reconsider Cyrus’s offer to stay on the farm, though it didn’t take long to reject the idea. If Ander stayed with the old man it would only bring trouble. Cyrus didn’t deserve the inevitable problems that would arise from the situation.

Ander put on a new set of clothes, then fumbled around in the darkness before he found and opened the door that he had painstakingly made at the small mouth of the cave. It had taken a huge amount of work to create the door, but it kept most of the pests out of what had become his home.

He stepped into the cool air, looking at the horizon. It was slowly becoming lighter, heralding the sun that would rise within the hour.

Ander let out a sigh as he started walking toward old man Cyrus’s farm. Perhaps it was a good thing that it was impossible to sleep too long on his uncomfortable pallet; he was never late for work.

Walking away from his somewhat pathetic dwelling, he couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of his surroundings. Massive driftwood trees lofted branches laden with deep green leaves and delicate threads of purple moss that floated lazily in the gentle breeze. The trees’ colors were just starting to show their true splendor as the sun slowly rose in the horizon.

Purples, oranges, and yellows painted the sky as the sun crested the hills to the east, adding further color to the scene.

Then, in almost direct counterpoint to the surrounding beauty, Ander almost stumbled over a mutilated carcass. He had been so distracted by the breathtaking view that almost none of his attention had been directed toward the ground beneath his feet.

It was a deer, but it had been savaged so thoroughly that it was hardly recognizable.

Ander noted with a chill running down his spine that the creature hadn’t been dead for long. It couldn’t have been more than just a few hours since the animal had been killed. Worse, he had no idea what could have done the deed.

Not even a dreadmaw would have left a deer like this, Ander thought as he examined the wounds. It doesn’t even look like it was eaten, just torn to pieces and left as carrion.

Deciding to look around for clues to discover what might have killed the poor creature, Ander started to inspect the area. He noticed something strange when he looked at the soft ground around the body. There were several footprints that looked almost human, except these prints were elongated and each one ended in sharp points that must have been claws.

Ander frowned at the sight. He would talk to Cyrus about this discovery and see what the old man thought of it. Cyrus had traveled far more than anyone else from Payra. Perhaps he would know something about whatever creature had savaged the deer.

Ander continued walking towards Cyrus’s farm, the beauty he had appreciated so greatly just a few minutes earlier was now obscured behind his troubled thoughts.

Internal speculation weighed on his mind so greatly that the remaining distance to his destination was gone before he knew it. The small farm appeared before him, and Ander picked out Cyrus’s stooped form heading towards the small farmhouse. The man walked with a pronounced limp as he slowly moved forward.

Whenever Ander asked how he had gotten the limp, Cyrus just grimaced and replied that not all adventures end happily.

The man must have just finished milking the cow because he was carrying a pail with the white liquid sloshing within.

Ander ran up to Cyrus, and the man didn’t even flinch at Ander’s realm of influence. Ander was grateful for that. The invisible bubble that surrounded Ander was the source of all the prejudice he received.

Though he had never experienced the sensations that people felt when he approached them, it was quite apparent to Ander that they were incredibly uncomfortable. If it were otherwise, people wouldn’t treat him as poorly as they did.

Cyrus was the only person Ander had ever met that didn’t look at him with disgust on their face when he drew near.

Ander reached out to take the milk from the old farmer, but despite his efforts the old man kept a tight hold on the pail with one hand while warding off Ander’s attempts to relieve him of the burden with the other.

“Stop that!” Cyrus said in his gruff voice. “You’re treating me like an invalid.”

Ander pulled back smiling, and started walking with the man towards the small farmhouse. “I see you’re in a good mood this morning.”

“I’d be in a better mood if you would get to work.”

“Now that’s not fair, I just tried to work and you kept me from helping you.”

“Ha! You call this work? This is nothing compared to the effort it takes for me to make you do something useful each day. That’s the only work that actually happens on this farm.”

Ander just laughed at Cyrus’s comment. The farmer could be crotchety at times, but he was a good man. In fact, Cyrus was the only person in the entire village that accepted him, over time he had become almost like a father to Ander when everyone else in the village rejected him.

“How did the milking go?” Ander asked, gesturing towards the pail in Cyrus’s hand.

“Not well.” Cyrus said, a frown appearing on his face. “Betta was acting nervous this morning. I almost took a hoof to the chest. All the animals are agitated for that matter. Something has them spooked. Even more than when they’re within your realm.”

That was surprising. Whenever Ander came close to the livestock, they became quite skittish because of his aura. If Ander spent enough time around the animals, they would eventually accustom themselves to the feeling, but they were never truly comfortable around him.

If something was causing the animals that much distress it had to be something incredibly dangerous. Cyrus’s statement reminded Ander of the deer that he had stumbled across earlier in the morning. He had forgotten momentarily when he caught sight of the old man, but now the encounter wouldn’t leave his mind.

“I think I might know something about it,” Ander said, remembering what he had seen in detail.

He quickly explained his discovery, of both the carcass and the strange footprints, all the while hoping that Cyrus would know what might have happened to the deer.

“Have you ever seen anything like that before?” Ander asked, after he finished his story.

When he turned to look at the old farmer, the man wasn’t there. Instead, Cyrus was standing motionless several steps behind Ander. The scowl that had been on his face had been replaced by a look that Ander couldn’t quite describe.

Cyrus finally opened his mouth to answer the question, speaking with a thoughtful tone to his voice. “No lad, I’ve never seen or heard of anything like any of this before. Even Shael doesn’t have something that can do this sort of thing.”

“Are you sure?” Came Ander’s quick reply. “After all the stories of adventure you’ve told me, you must have run across this type of thing before.”

“Lad, I’ve seen things that you wouldn’t believe, but never in all my years have I witnessed something like what you described.”

Cyrus had a far-off look to his gaze, as if the memories of each and every one of the adventures he had gone on as a youth were playing out before him.

At that moment Ander realized just how old Cyrus was. His wispy white hair and furrowed skin on a stooped frame were only a small piece of what Ander saw. It was the man’s eyes that truly showed his age. Looking into those eyes, Ander could believe that Cyrus had seen the unimaginable.

Ander felt a chill as he noticed the look of worry that was now clearly visible on Cyrus’s face. If the retired adventurer was worried, then this was serious.

Cyrus’s gaze sharpened as he focused on Ander once more. He looked to be considering something before he opened his mouth to speak. “Lad, I know you won’t want to hear this, but perhaps you should go warn the village about what you found.”

A sinking feeling grew in Ander’s stomach as he opened his mouth to speak. “You know that they don’t want to see me there. There was practically a celebration in the streets when I finally decided to leave.”

“Yes lad, but this could be important. Imagine if whatever attacked that deer did the same to one of the villagers. Do you want that on your conscience? Knowing that this information could have saved a life, but you selfishly kept it to yourself.”

Ander sighed as he contemplated the choice laid before him. This would all be so much easier if Cyrus could warn the village, but both his age and his pronounced limp made it difficult for him travel the distance. Not to mention that the old man wouldn’t be able to defend himself well from any of the dangers that might appear along the road.

If Ander were to return, he would have to face the ridicule and scorn that he dealt with all twenty-two years of his life. Only in the past month had he finally decided to leave an escape the abuse.

His new freedom had been so liberating that returning to Payra ground at his spirit like a millstone on grain. Even so, the thought of someone being hurt because he was hesitant to return was equally unpleasant.

His decision was made when he looked toward Cyrus and met the man’s gaze. If Cyrus wanted him to do it then he would.

That was reason enough.

“Alright,” Ander said with a halfhearted smile, “Can I at least eat some breakfast before I go?”

The old man let out a chuckle and started walking towards the tiny farmhouse, the wrinkles on his face becoming deeper as he grinned.

“Lad, what I said earlier was wrong. The only work that happens on the farm when you’re around is what I do to keep your stomach full.”

After a breakfast of broth with a side of hearty bread with cheese Ander set off towards the village of Payra. The small town was set in the center of Tenzen Valley while Cyrus’s farm stood near the western rim.

With a great deal of dread growing within him, Ander began the three-hour walk towards the place that had rejected him.

__

Ander felt a strange mix of relief and apprehension when he finally caught sight of the thatched roofs of Payra. The walk had been uneventful – too uneventful. Everything was deathly silent as he made the journey to the village, almost as if all the wildlife had fled the coming of some great predator. The quiet set Ander on edge. The feeling was so strong that he was almost happy to see the small town off in the distance.

That did nothing to keep him from feeling trepidation from the knowledge that he would once again see the people who seemed to hate him for his existence.

Ander reached the edge of the village and started walking quickly. His plan was to speak to the Warden and pass on what he had seen and leave before the general population realized he was in town.

His determination was for naught. A group of children noticed him almost as soon as he set foot inside Payra. Jeering cries rang out and many of them even threw small stones at him, though they took care to keep out of the range of his realm.

This isn’t going to go well for me, will it? He asked himself as he dodged away from the small hail of rocks thrown in his direction.

He took the most direct route towards the warden’s office in the center of Payra. The children eventually gave up when he didn’t react to their attacks, but he knew that his ordeal was far from over.

The children had drawn the attention of the rest of the Payrans, and they weren’t as easy to ignore. They didn’t call after him as he passed, and they didn’t even throw stones at him. What they did was worse.

Ander tried to keep his eyes down, but each time he lifted them to navigate himself through the streets they landed on one of the village’s residents staring at him in disgust. First it was the blacksmith who completely stopped his work to sneer at Ander. The sound of hammer on steel didn’t resume until the heavily muscled man was well out of sight. The next person was the baker who wore a look of such hatred that Ander was almost surprised he couldn’t feel it on his skin. After the baker, Ander spotted the thatcher giving him the same look.

This treatment was far worse than he had ever received before leaving to live in the cave. They had tolerated him before, but now the hostility was shown openly. That’s strange, Ander thought as he saw yet another villager eyeing him. Did so much change since I left? It’s been less than a month!

Several more Payrans gave him dirty looks before he finally rounded the final corner that led to the Warden’s office.

Ander had to hold himself back from sprinting the rest of the distance to the small building. As he walked up to the door the single overweight guard stationed at the door looked on suspiciously. The man suddenly flinched, then spat at Ander’s feet when he came into contact with Ander’s realm of influence. Despite it all, the sentry let Ander enter without any more trouble. Not even a shaper could be barred from speaking to the Warden.

The office inside the building was clean and tidy. Books lined shelves at the sides of the room, and neat stacks of paper stood on a desk of ebony wood that took up much of the room inside. The woman sitting behind the desk looked just as tidy as the surrounding office.

The Warden looked startled, looking up sharply when she started to feel the sensations from the realm of influence, but before the village official could speak, Ander took the initiative.

Speaking quickly and respectfully, Ander explained both what he had found in the woods and what Cyrus had said. He added that both the animals on the farm, and the wildlife on the road were acting strangely. Ander concluded by suggesting that the Warden inform the village people to be vigilant and to travel in groups for safety.

When Ander finished, somewhat breathless from the words that had surged out of his mouth, the Warden examined him carefully. The examination went on for an uncomfortable amount of time before the official finally asked a question that Ander wasn’t expecting.

“Do you know anything about the men who came to town searching for you today?”

“What? Who would be searching for me? I’ve never even left the valley before.”

Pursed lips were the Warden’s response to the disrespectful outburst, but despite her displeasure, the official’s next words were calm and exacting.

“Yes, I thought it was peculiar that they would be searching for you. It was especially strange that these three men seemed to be exceptionally dangerous. However, it also seems odd to me that you should come to town with stories of a creature on the same day. One can grow suspicious at these kinds of coincidences.”

Ander was taken aback. Was this the reason why everyone in town was acting so hostile? Because this group of men was stirring up trouble in the village. Anger started to well up in Ander for the covert accusation the woman had leveled.

“Warden, how could you possibly believe I’m working against the village? I’m trying to tell you to be safe, how can that be so wrong?”

“I don’t know, but when the warning comes from someone as… disreputable as you, it makes me suspicious. Nevertheless, I have heard similar rumors from visiting merchants, and we shall take the proper precautions. Leave now, I have a great deal to do and you are a distraction.”

Ander turned to leave, anger seething within. Drawing near the door, he stopped short to ask one final question.

“Where are these men that are searching for me?”

The Warden gave him an annoyed glance but replied quickly. “They are staying at the inn of course, now go away.”

Ander walked out of the building and a glob of spittle hit one of his worn boots, courtesy of the guard. The overweight brute was obviously quite fond of spitting. Ander hardly noticed as he considered who these people looking for him might be.

Perhaps they were simply after him because he was a shaper. That was the only reason Ander could think of why they might be looking for him out of everyone in Payra, though why they wanted a shaper he couldn’t imagine.

Shapers were useless. There was nothing to gain from their strange ability to affect the sensations of other beings within their realms of influence. As far as Ander knew, shapers were universally hated.

He eventually decided to go back to the farm instead of trying to investigate the strangers. Ander didn’t want anything to do with them, and there was a decent chance that they wouldn’t bother to look for him out at the farm.

On the way out of the village the same scowls appeared once again, and the same children threw stones his way, but none of it could keep his mind off the men searching for him. Nothing except the voice that rang out just before he stepped out of town.

“So, the freak decided to return.” The statement was proclaimed with excessive disdain.

Ander’s thoughts fragmented at the sound, and he looked up to see his brother standing in front of his parents. Every single one of them wore thunderous expressions that gave Ander a sense of foreboding.

This is going to be ugly, was the only thought that came to his mind.