They finally reach the outskirts and break into a fast trot as they leave Willimet behind.
Chapter Seventeen
While he rides through the night, his mind continues going over the events during the battle with Serenna and her followers, mainly, the shadows which came from the globe. They were identical in look and feel as the ones he encountered that time Igor came to save his butt. He’s still not sure where he was. Whether it was another plane of existence, another world or maybe just a terrifying dream, he’s not sure. But after seeing the shadows appear from the globe, he’s convinced it wasn’t just a dream.
Since coming to this world, he’s encountered several forces, malignant in nature. By far the worst experience was the one on that other world. From the various books he’s read back home, he has a couple theories as to why these things may be happening, none of which will be pleasant if they’re true.
Two hours from Willimet, they come across another of the areas catering to travelers. This one has but an inn and one other building behind it which looks to be the innkeeper’s home. Both buildings are dark.
Illan brings them to a halt before coming very close. He sits there for a moment.
“What’s wrong?” James asks him.
“Doesn’t feel right,” he says. “There’s usually always a light of some kind at an inn.” To Jiron he says, “Go check it out.”
“Right,” he replies and then dismounts from his horse. While the others wait there in the road, he makes his way toward the inn.
The front door is ajar. Removing a knife from his belt, he steps toward the door. Pausing a few feet from the door, he looks inside but all he can see are shadows cast by the faint light of the moon shining in through the windows. Placing his hand against the door, he slowly pushes it open. The hinges of the door squeal slightly, giving an eerie feel to the place.
When the door is open far enough to allow him to enter, he releases the door and steps through. The stench from within hits him like a wall, death has been here. Moving inside, he tries to breathe through his mouth to minimize his reaction to the odor. On a nearby table he sees a candle silhouetted by the moonlight coming in through a window. Making his way over to it, he sets his knife on the table and removes his flint from his pouch. After two tries he manages to get the candle lit.
The candle’s light reveals a macabre scene. Several people lie dead on the floor, another is slumped across a table. A quick survey shows none of the people are still alive. “Hello?” he hollers. “Is anyone here?” Listening for a moment, he fails to hear anything and then makes his way back to the door.
Sticking his head out, he hollers to the others, “I think everyone here is dead!”
The others come to the inn where they dismount and secure their horses to the front hitching post. “James,” Jiron says from the front door, “you better come in here.”
Coming to the door with the others following, James sees the ghastly scene in the common room. “Looks like the work of Serenna’s followers,” he says. When the smell hits him, he takes out a cloth and puts it over his nose.
Suddenly from upstairs, they hear a floor board creak as if someone is walking around. Without hesitation, Jiron moves to the stairs and cautiously ascends to the second floor with Fifer and Qyrll right behind.
“Be careful,” offers James.
Jiron ignores him and continues up. At the top of the stairs is a hallway running the length of the second floor with doors lining both sides. The noise had to of come from either the first or second room on the left. The first door is open, the second one is closed.
Motioning for Fifer and Qyrll to follow, he edges toward the first door and glances through the doorway into the room. Standing in the middle of the room is a person, silhouetted by the light coming in through the window. The smell of death is in this room as well.
“Are you okay?” Jiron asks the person in the room.
Other than shifting its feet, the person makes no reply.
“Are you hurt?” When no reply is forthcoming, he hollers to those downstairs, “Bring up the candle, we need some light.”
Jiron stands there in the doorway and keeps an eye on the individual in the room as James brings the candle up from below. The others follow as well. When the light at last illuminates the room, they see the person is another of Serenna’s followers. The man looks emaciated and has the same lost, dazed look the others had when her hold over them was broken.
Illan comes behind James and when he sees the man, turns to the others and says, “Search all the rooms, there may be more.”
One by one they search the rooms and find five others in the same state as the first man. “What should we do with them?” Fifer asks.
They look to James who shrugs, “I don’t know what we can do. They may snap out of it, or they may not.”
“Are we just going to leave them here?” Jiron asks.
Nodding, James says, “I think that would be the prudent thing to do. At the next town up the road we’ll tell someone who can come back and take care of them.”
“You’re not still planning on staying here are you?” Dave asks from where he stands at the top of the stairs.
“Hardly,” he replies. “Let’s bury the dead and then get out of here.”
Dave stops him at the top of the stairs and asks, “Why?”
James looks him seriously in the eye and says, “I can’t believe you just asked me that.” Brushing past him, he goes downstairs to find a shovel.
They find several out back by the house and commence digging one large communal grave. Once it’s large enough, begin to fill it with the dead from the inn. During the process, the mind dead wander around aimlessly, one actually falling down the stairs and ends up breaking her neck. So they pick her up and add her to the grave.
When at last all the dead are buried, they have a moment of silence and then get mounted. They ride for an hour before pulling off the road and making camp near a small stream. Exhausted beyond measure, James finds a good spot to rest while the others volunteer to see to his horse. He no sooner gets his head on his pack than he falls asleep.
Early the next morning when the sun begins to rise, he wakes to find Fifer on watch. The others are sound asleep and snoring up a storm. He gets up and comes to the fire and sits down next to him.
They break out some of the food which was appropriated from the inn back in Willimet and have breakfast. It isn’t long before everyone is up and eating. Dave is the last one to rise.
“Are we heading home now?” Miko asks him.
Nodding, he says, “That’s the plan. Need to talk to Ceryn about something then may be going on another trip.”
“So soon?” he asks.
“Yes,” he replies. “Have to find out what Ironhold is and where. Ceryn’s been around so I’m hoping he may know something about it.”
“We’re probably two or three days from The Ranch,” interjects Illan.
“Can’t wait to get back,” Jiron says. “Tersa must be worried sick about me.”
Just then from the north, they see a dozen or so riders coming their way. When they get close enough, they see that they’re part of the Cardri cavalry. James comes to his feet as they approach and the officer comes forward and says, “Heard there’s some strange happenings going on around here. Have you seen anything out of the ordinary?”
Nodding, James says, “An hour or so to the south is an inn. We found the occupants slaughtered and several mindless people wandering around. Buried the dead and left the mindless to continue wandering.”
“Slaughtered you say?” he asks.
“That’s right,” he replies. “Same thing was happening down in Willimet. Those people down there need some
