Jiron can see a subtle change come over Dave, his rage beginning to subside and something else taking its place.
Dave’s voice gets a far away quality, “The darkness.” His eyes get wide and tremors seem to shake his entire body. The crowd around them begins to sense things are not going toward the fight they had been expecting.
Looking at Jiron, his eyes almost get a pleading look, “Pain in the dark. The biting and tearing. Voices, voices saying words you don’t know, but yet do. I…” His eyes dart around, almost as if he’s looking at something that’s not there. “They come for you. They are coming for you but you can’t escape. Wh…” He backs up several steps and then…
Noooooooooo!
…a blood curdling scream is ripped from his throat and the crowd nervously edges back from him.
James is suddenly there running past a shocked Jiron as he comes to his friend’s aid. “Dave!” he cries as he grabs his shoulders. “Dave, it’s James,” he says as he looks into Dave’s panic stricken eyes.
Noooooooooo!
Dave’s scream again echoes through the night. James strikes him across the face with the palm of his hand and it seems to bring him back to the here and now.
His eyes focus on James’ face and he asks in a raspy voice, “James?” then passes out.
James is quick to catch him before he falls. Looking to Jiron he says, “Help me get him up to our room.”
Nodding, Jiron comes over and between them, they carry him up to the room James and he are sharing. Removing the wet clothes from him, they lie him down on one of the beds. Again they see the patchwork of scars and burn marks from his time as a slave. James looks to Jiron and asks, “What happened?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” he says. “We were arguing and then he started talking about his time as a slave and then things went from bad to worse.”
“He must have had a flashback,” explains James. Using a finger, he pushes a lock of Dave’s hair that had strayed across his face to the side.
“A flashback?” Jiron asks.
Nodding, he says, “In his mind he was reliving his time as a slave.” Looking up, he sees the others there gathered in the doorway. “I think he’ll be alright,” he tells them.
“You need anything?” Miko asks.
“I don’t think so,” he replies. “Maybe some ale for when he wakes up.”
“I’ll get some,” he says and leaves to head downstairs.
To Jiron, he says, “It might be best if you all weren’t here when he comes out of it.”
“You going to be okay?” Jiron asks.
“I think so,” James assures him. Then looking to Dave, he says, “Him I’m not so sure about.”
Jiron moves to the door and before he leaves says, “If you need something I’ll be in the room next door.”
“Thanks,” he says.
Jiron closes the door and James can hear them outside as he relates to the others the gist of the conversation he and Dave had out front of the inn and what happened after.
A minute later a quick knock on the door and Miko walks in with a pitcher of ale and two glasses. “Thanks Miko,” James says.
“Anything else you need?” he asks, casting a quick glance at the comatose Dave.
“Nothing right now,” he replies.
“Alright.” He moves to the door and pauses before opening it. “Are we still leaving in the morning?” he asks.
“Maybe,” replies James. Nodding to Dave he says, “We’ll have to see.”
“I’ll let the others know,” he says as he opens the door and walks out.
When the door closes, James creates his orb for light and then sits there with his friend.
He must have fallen asleep for the sound of sobs wakes him up. Dave is there, lying in a fetal position sobbing into his pillow. “You okay?” James asks him.
Dave’s eyes glance to his friend and another sob wracks his body. James gets up from the chair he’s sitting in and takes his place on the bed next to his friend. “It’s okay Dave,” he says.
“I’m sorry James,” he says between sobs. “I don’t know what came over me!”
“I understand,” he replies soothingly. He puts his arm around him and pats him on the back.
“You’re all I have here,” he says despondently. “I want to go home.” His sobs are beginning to quiet down.
“Don’t worry Dave,” James assures his friend. “I’ll always be there for you.”
“No matter what?” he asks.
“No matter what,” he says with conviction.
The rest of the night they stay there in the room together, talking of old times. They tell each other favorite scenes of old movies, remembrances of food long gone, and things they once did together before that fateful trip downtown. Sometime around midnight they finally fall asleep and when they wake up in the morning, Dave seems to be more of his old self. Still wearing a solemn expression, he at least can crack a smile when James tries to joke with him.
It’s a little after sunup when they leave their room, the others have already congregated downstairs. When they join them Dave is quiet, casting occasional glances to Jiron and the others while he eats.
“Everything okay?” Fifer asks.
“As well as can be I suppose,” James replies.
“We leaving?” Uther asks.
Nodding, he says, “As soon as we finish eating.”
Standing up, he says, “Me and Jorry will get the horses ready.” Jorry comes to his feet and together they cross the common room and exit through the door leading to the stables out back.
Much to James’ relief, no one makes any mention of the events of the night before. They finish their breakfast quickly and are soon on the road. The rain from the night before has stopped, leaving the world wet and soggy, their horses splatter mud as they move along the road. The sky above still threatens possible rain with dark, ominous clouds.
Taking the road leading north, they soon leave Crystal City behind them and after but a half hour, the lake as well. Coming to a crossroads just north of the lake, Fifer tells him they need to continue along the north road, that it will lead them to the northern pass.
“A fellow back at the inn said the road would follow along the Three Sisters,” he explains. “It’s a series of three lakes set against the foot of the Silver Mountains connected by a single river.”
“Wonder why it’s called Three Sisters?” Miko asks.
“Who knows how anything gets its name?” Jorry says.
An hour after the road begins curving to the east, they see the first of the Three Sisters to their east, the spires of the Silver Mountains rising majestically behind it. The lake looks to be of fair size, nothing as grand as Crystal Lake.
“Might be a good spot for fishing,” announces Uther.
“Perhaps when we have time we can do some fishing there next summer,” James says. “A campout would be fun.” Looking to Dave he asks, “Wouldn’t it?”
“Sure,” his friend replies.
Throughout the rest of the day they continue along the road, passing the second sister and reaching the third by nightfall. Raindrops have peppered them occasional while they rode, but not with the intensity of the night before.
With the light failing, James decides to pull off the road and camp at the last of the sisters. It’s neither the largest nor the smallest of the three, perhaps a mile or more across at it’s widest. Trees dot the area and they find a suitable spot to make camp along its shores.
While Miko takes his crossbow along with Uther and Jorry to scare up some dinner, he and the others begin gathering what dry firewood as can be found. “Not much to start a fire with around here,” comments Fifer as he brings in his first load.
“We’ll get a fire going then set wood around it to dry,” Jiron says. He was fortunate to have found a section
