Chapter 4

The cold weather came earlier than expected. A vicious cold-snap affected GlenShadow almost overnight. Some of the newly planted crops had been affected but not all. Still, it would be a meager winter harvest. The people began to take special pains with the care of their own backyard gardens. It would be a winter of self-reliance rather than communal.

Anya stared at the piles of snow on her front walk with distaste. It would take ages to shovel all this away, and it was backbreaking work. Grumbling, she made her way to a small tool shed and rooted around for her snow shovel. She didn't have two, so Andi would not be able to help her when she got back. Pity. It'd go much faster with two people working at it. Anya began the arduous chore with an unhappy expression.

She was a bit more than halfway done when she began to look around in search for Andi. The girl had gone down to the stream a bit ago to hopefully catch a couple of fish for tonight's supper. She'd been gone for quite awhile. Taters had gone with her of course. In the two months or so that he'd been with them, Andi and he had become inseparable. And, much to Anya's pleasant surprise, Andi had indeed kept her word that she would pick up after him and care for him properly. She hadn't missed a day of feedings, Taters was now also completely housebroken and had learned a selection of simple commands. All at the hands of her little sister. Perhaps she was growing up a bit. Anya was proud to see Andi showing such responsibility to be able to care for another living thing. Maybe she would give in to the girl's pleas to go out on a date with a boy.

Maybe.

She had almost finished when she heard faint barking coming from the trail. She turned, both relieved and a bit cross that Andi had been gone for so long. She opened her mouth to perhaps give a bit of a scolding but fell silent. Andi was bounding up the trail stark white and wide-eyed. She raced up the walkway and caught hold of Anya, pulled her inside and slammed the door shut.

Taters was barking excitedly at the commotion. Andi leaned back against the door and slid down until she was in a sitting position. She was breathing heavily and shaking.

"What?? What is it? What's happened?" Anya knelt by her sister and looked her face over, shaking the girl gently.

"I-I saw ... down by the stream, he was watching me. I saw h-his eyes and they were glowing!"

Anya furrowed her brow, trying to make sense of Andi's broken explanation, "slow down, Sweet. Tell me again. Who did you see? Whose eyes were glowing?"

Andi gulped and took a deep breath, attempting to slow her thundering heart. She glanced up into Anya's worried face and trembled again. "I was fishing on the big flat rock. You know the one where the trout like to hide?"

Anya nodded and Andi continued, "I was having rotten luck and was just deciding to pack up when Taters started growling. I looked over to see what he was upset about and saw this ... this man."

"You saw a man? Who was it? Did he threaten you? Are you hurt?" Anya fired one question after another, outraged at the thought of someone attacking her sweet little sister.

She shook her head, "no. He wasn't doing anything. He was just standing there ... staring at me. And he wasn't a regular man. He wasn't ... I don't ... I can't..." she began to stutter with the effort of trying to explain what it was she'd seen.

"What do you mean, 'he wasn't a regular man'? Was it an elf perhaps? They live in the forest as well-"

Andi shook her head forcefully, cutting Anya off, "no! He wasn't an elf and he wasn't a human! I don't know what he was! I never saw anything like him before in my life! All I know is that he was just looking at me and when he noticed I'd seen him it looked like he got surprised. Then angry. His eyes began to glow and then he just like ... backed away into the trees and was gone!"

At this point Anya had sat back on her heels and was giving Andi a quizzical look, "are you sure you saw something? Perhaps you fell asleep and-"

"NO!"

Anya jumped, surprised at the force behind Andi's shout.

"I didn't dream this! Taters saw him too! He was growling and that's the only reason I looked over there in the first place. And you know what? When he disappeared into the trees he was still there. I could feel him watching. It felt like that night when we were walking back from town a couple of months ago."

Troubled, Anya rose to her feet. Andi was not known for telling tales, if she said she'd seen something then she had. Even more upsetting was the reference to the night that someone - or something - had followed them. She'd taken extra care to lock the place up at night after that had happened.

"You say it felt the same? What did this ... man ... look like?"

Andi wrapped her arms around herself and shivered again. She swallowed, "scary. I only saw him but a minute, but it was the longest minute ever. He was tall and broad with strange armour. He had two huge - and I mean huge - swords strapped to his back. His ears were really long and really pointed, even more than an elf's. His skin was this weird light violet color and really smooth, like glass. He had white hair but not like old-people white. This was pure white and it was done up in a strange way. His eyes were the scariest though, Anya. They were like almost electric green and they glowed. When I saw him, his face got angry and his eyes flared yellow. I know how it sounds Anya, but it's true. I swear it is."

She managed to get back to her feet and continue, "he was bad, Anya. That's the feeling I got from him. Really, really bad. And that feeling followed me all the way home. I think he was too. Just like that night only it didn't go away. I think they might be out there right now." She shivered again and started to sniffle.

Anya's skin went cold. Outside right now? They? "More than one?"

Andi nodded. "Yes. Definitely. I only saw one but there are at least two."

Anya hadn't wanted to tell the girl that she had felt that she was being spied upon at least once before as well, praying that she was just being paranoid. But what Andi was telling her had a very similar ring to what had happened to a few weeks prior.

She'd been out in the clearing, gathering the last of the berries and enjoying the last of the warm weather when she sensed something was amiss. She paused in mid-pick and tilted her head frowning, unsure what was the matter. Everything seemed quiet enough and-

That was it. There was complete silence.

The forest was never silent. Always you could hear birds chirping and small mammals rustling and jumping from tree to tree. Unless there was a predator nearby of course. Anya straightened up and held her breath trying to hear something. Anything.

Nothing.

She felt that almost tangible heaviness in the still air once more, and invisible eyes bored into her again. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck try to stand on end and her heart skipped a beat. She tried to swallow but found her mouth was dry. Irrational fear stabbed at her, sending little prickles up her spine. Trying to act nonchalantly, like she'd noticed nothing out of the ordinary, she bent to pick up her berry basket. She backed out of the meadow slowly, casually, attempting to conceal her mounting alarm.

A soft chuckle issued from the trees. Menacing and amused all at once. Anya let out a small shriek and sprinted away at top speed. All the way home. And they followed. She could feel them just as Andi had described, and the vibe was not friendly.

Without realizing it, she began telling her story to Andi, who listened with her eyes growing bigger and bigger. "Anya," she began haltingly. "What's happening?"

"I-I don't know. But it seems we are being stalked by something and I don't know what to do. I've never dealt with anything like this before. I'm open to suggestions." Anya began surveying the house, wondering how they could possibly arm themselves.

"We could always-" Taters' low growl issued forth, effectively silencing Andi.

The two young women clutched at each other and stared at the dog. His puppyish growl was hardly threatening but succeeded in sending arrows of fright into the pair nonetheless. The hair at the scruff of his neck was standing at end and he was poised in attack stance at the front door. The womens faces were identical moues of terror.

"What do we do," Andi squeaked.

"I don't-" loud pounding at the door made the sisters scream in chorus.

"Oi! Are ye ok in thar, Misses? Tis t'sheriff! Open up!"

They glanced at each other, eyes wide and then they both burst out into relieved giggles.

"Only the sheriff. Gods we're children," Anya breathed, opening the door.

The older man who stood on the porch steps had his old shotgun drawn in preparation for the worst. Anya held up both hands and froze, surprised at his response to a woman's scream. He lowered the gun immediately when he realized all was well. "I heard screaming. Dint know what t'expect. My apologies Miss."

"You startled us is all. We're unaccustomed to visitors way out here," Anya replied with a demure smile.

Andi lurked in the doorway, unsmiling and still upset. "Why is the law here, Anya?"

That was a good point. Anya furrowed her brow and nodded, "yes. Why are you here, sir? Have we done something wrong?"

Sheriff Brown shook his head in negation, "nah, nah. Wasn't y'all. But somethin' wrong did happen. Is why I came. Invite me in, please?"

Anya nodded and stood aside. Brown tipped his hat to her and Andi as he walked in and took a seat on the sofa. He gestured that the two women ought to sit as well. They did quietly and he heaved a sigh.

"I dun wanna alarm you young ladies but you should know."

Andi paled, "know what? What's going on?"

"Well, I dunno how t'say it but t'jus' say it. Ole Farmer Schmit was killed t'other night."

Anya gasped. "He's the fellow that lives way down the road from us! I always gave him eggs in trade for milk. My Gods! What happened?"

"We arrested several robbers that had made camp in t'woods not far from yer cabin here. We figger they t'ones that done it. They're bein' questioned at t'kingdom now. It's when we got em that I remembered that you ladies lived out yonder as well. Thought it'd be best I come check on the two o'yas." Brown cleared his throat and reddened slightly.

Andi still couldn't believe it, "he's dead? I can remember him from when I was really little. He always had a cookie for me. How did he die? Was his house robbed?"

Brown's mouth thinned. "Naw, that's th' thing. Didn't look like nothing was gone from his place. Was strange He was just ... dead. I can't tell ya all about it, confidential an all, but it wasn't a pretty sight. Never seen anything like that afore."

Anya frowned, "but if it was indeed bandits that raided his place, wouldn't there be valuables stolen as well?"

"Ayuh, that's what I figgered too. An that's the weird part. I wanted to ask you if you ladies seen anything unusual lately. We arrested four men, maybe you've seen a few more around t'woods?"

The sisters glanced at one another and reluctantly told their stories. Brown looked incredulous. "Well I never heard nothin' like that afore. Are you sure you saw this creature, young lady? Maybe you just fell asleep an' dreamed it?"

Andi was insulted, "why does everyone think I just randomly fall asleep during the day and have nightmares and then confuse them with reality? I don't! I never have! I was awake! Sheeesh!" She slammed herself back into the couch and crossed her arms, sulking.

Brown gave Anya a questioning glance, surprised at the younger sister's reaction. Anya shrugged, "I asked her the same thing. But I can assure you, sheriff, Andi does not tell stories. And from our other experiences I will tell you, something odd was happening. Perhaps there are a few more robbers out there that managed to escape you and your men. It would be wise to be diligent. Especially after Farmer Schmit-"

"Ayuh, got my men doin' patrols now. Can't have this happenin' again." He stood and tipped his hat once more. "I'll have one of my officers drop by tonight. T'make sure you and the young Missus are ok. Meantime, be careful outside. Don't go off by your lonesome until this thing is wrapped up. You savvy?"

They nodded and Anya saw the man out. "Thank you again, sheriff Brown. And thanks for looking after us."

Andi was still pouting but Anya felt better, "there you see? The police are out there right now protecting us. And one is going to check up on us later."

"That still doesn't explain the man I saw in the trees, Anya. He looked like he could probably whoop a deputy."

"I hardly think a bunch of random crooks would be able to beat an armed officer, Andi," Anya replied, obviously much more at ease.

Andi twirled a strand of hair around her finger and didn't reply. She kept recalling that strange, sullen-looking male -thing- standing there glaring at her. Anya hadn't seen him. She didn't know just how foreign the stranger had actually appeared. Had Andi the adequate vocabulary to describe him, perhaps Anya would have been just a little more careful. And maybe she would have remembered Miri's cryptic warning, from months earlier.

5. There was a fire crackling merrily away in the hearth. The two young women had just washed up for bed and were sipping some tea in front of the fireplace. Outside a fierce wind billowed, shaking the little cottage. Fitting enough weather, it didn't at all increase their uneasiness.

"Of all the nights for a blizzard," Andi complained nervously. "What if the police had to call it a day without checking up on us?"

Anya shook her head and scoffed, "do you suppose the King is just willing to leave murderers on the loose because of a bit of a storm? How would it look to the public? They'll be here."

She seemed certain. So certain that Andi visibly calmed. If worry-wart Anya wasn't scared, she shouldn't be either. She absently reached over to pet Taters, who was napping on the couch next to her. The little mutt had become a good friend and Andi was thankful to have him. He opened one eye drowsily and thumped his tail once or twice before appearing to drift back off to sleep.

Soon, all three had fallen asleep. Too nervous to actually retire to their separate rooms, the sisters had cuddled up together on the sofa.

Anya was having a terrible dream. She was running through a dense thicket. Thorns scratched at her and pulled at her clothing, tearing it. Something was chasing her. Something horrible. Soft, ominous chuckling emanated through the darkness surrounding her panicked flight. Mocking her. She fell and landed hard on her shoulder, she gasped in pain and began to weep in terror. Glowing yellow eyes loomed above her and a hand snaked out from the black and began to beat against a tree-

She awoke to loud knocking and soft growling. Andi sat up blinking. The two jumped as the beating on the door was repeated.

"Must be the officer," Anya mumbled, still half asleep.

Taters began to whine and growl alternately and his scruff was bristling again. "It's ok boy," Anya began soothingly. "It's just the cops. Like earlier."

"Anya," Andi began, uncertainly. "Maybe we shouldn't answer it."

Taters began to snarl and he tucked his tail between his legs. Instead of charging the door, he was backing away from it.

Knocking. Loud and insistent. The door frame shook.

Anya frowned and flung the door open to ... nothing. No one stood out on the porch. There was only the swirling snow. She stared blankly, not comprehending.

"Anya! Close it!" Andi wailed, frightened.

Loud knocking on the back door now. Anya jumped and screamed. Andi did likewise and fled to her room. Anya slammed the front door and bolted it, heart hammering in her throat. She raced to the kitchen and grabbed a large butcher's knife from a wooden block and held it out in front of her shakily as she approached the back door. That thunderous battering on the back door began again, forcing another startled shriek out of her.

Oh Gods, what was happening?

She took a deep breath and flung the back door open, slicing at the air with her weapon. No one was there. She darted her eyes around wildly, trying to see in the blinding storm.

That horrible feeling was thick in the air again. As if it had followed her out of her dream and into the waking world. Anya slammed the kitchen door and locked it. Just as it clicked into place, the door was pummeled again, this time with enough force to burst open and knock the woman back violently against the wall. She lost the knife and and slid to the ground in a daze.

"Was your intention to protect your homestead with that laughable excuse for a weapon, woman? How utterly adorable." The voice was deep and tinged with amused contempt.

Anya attempted to scramble to her feet but before she could do so a hand entangled itself in her long hair and brutally yanked her upwards. Instant fiery agony exploded in her scalp as whoever had hold of her lifted her off the ground by her hair. She dangled in front of him helplessly as her hands struggled uselessly against her captor's.

"Pitiful. Little human females are so weak. Look at you just hanging there. I could easily eviscerate you with my other hand and watch as you bleed out in front of me. I actually just might, regardless. It's fascinating how red human blood is." He gave Anya a shake and she squealed in pain as she felt a few hairs rip from their moorings.

The tall being gave a chilling grin, revealing sharp incisors and canines. "That was a lovely sound, woman. Please repeat it," he gave her another brisk shake and she obliged as she felt even more hair tear out.

He appeared delighted, beaming and flashing those fangs again. "Tantalizing, but I haven't time to play any longer." He dropped her and drew an almost ridiculously large sword from a sheath attached to his back.

Anya's blood ran cold as she clutched her injured head. Idly, she wondered if he could even wield that heavy-looking blade with any precision at all. It didn't look like anyone could lift it easily, let alone utilize it with any skill. Her silent question was answered when he deftly flipped it around in his hand and slammed the flat of it into the side of her head.

Darkness.

"Annnyaaa," a voice whispered. Something nudged her rudely in the ribs. She mumbled grumpily and tried to escape back into unconsciousness. She didn't remember why she didn't want to wake up, only that it was in her favor not to.

"You can't fool me, Pretty. I can tell you're awake by your breathing," something about that voice was familiar but not. Like she knew it but only from recently. And it was a voice to fear.

Against her will things became less hazy and more acute. Things like the intense pain in her head and hands. She tried to shift, to release some of the pressure off of her hands but found she was unable. Confused, she finally opened her eyes and looked around blearily. She was lying on the sofa, with her hands and arms bound tightly behind her back. Her feet weren't tied but she didn't figure she could get far. Not with the demon who stood in front of her blocking the way that was.

He grinned, pleased. "There you are! Wakey wakey, eggs and bacey." He pinched her cheek savagely and she let out another pained moan, pulling away. "You really must stop those noises, you know," he began cheerily, "they're giving me the most wonderful ideas. Well, not so wonderful for you perhaps." A mocking chuckle, the very same one she'd heard in the trees weeks ago. "Odd isn't it? Normally your kind make me wish to vomit. I'm trying to understand it myself."

Anya glowered up at him, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. The being was nothing like she'd ever witnessed. Tall and muscled, dressed in savage-looking armour and adorned with weaponry so horrible that she couldn't even imagine what their uses might be. Stark white hair grew from his head and was worn swept back in spikes that were as pointed as his ears. Flawless violet skin almost shone it was so smooth, and his eyebrows slanted up, giving him a feral appearance. His eyes were a sinister swirling orangey-yellow. Piercing and filled with a bright alien intelligence.

Horrible beauty. Cruel good-nature. These phrases leapt into her mind and described him perfectly. Was this who Andi had seen-

Andi.

"Where's Andi?! What have you done with my sister?!" She attempted to sit up and was rewarded with a brutal slap to the face. She fell back, whimpering once again.

"That was nothing, woman. I could make you sing with agony if I so chose it," ice froze his tone. All traces of good-nature had vanished.

He studied her with cool interest for a long moment, head tilted thoughtfully. Then the jolly expression returned once more, "so then, lesson learned? Shut your damned mouth unless asked a direct question, yes? Yes. Good then! Onward we press."

He's batshit crazy, Anya thought. She pressed herself into the couch, attempting to make herself as small as possible.

The creature cocked his head to the side again, examining her behavior with intense curiosity.

"You and I are going to have massive amounts of fun, I think," he said softly, that wicked grin spreading across his mouth once more.

Dark Travelers Ch. 02

GinaTina

She didn't reply, only tried to cringe back into the cushions even more. He crouched in front of her, eye to eye, and shoved an ancient-looking parchment in front of her face. She jerked her head, startled by the sudden movement, then squinted at it, confused. It looked like the alphabet that she had learned growing up - the characters were the same - but other than that, it appeared to be nothing but a jumble of nonsense words.

"Translate this, human," he said, amicably.

His countenance suggested he was at ease. As if he knew he'd be able to get her to tell him whatever he wished, yet his posture was taut and direct. This information was plainly of utmost importance to him.

"I c-can't read th-th-" she began, stuttering in her terror.

Instantly, a dark watchful expression replaced the casual patience. "Don't toy with me, girl. This is written in your barbaric language. You will translate it for me." He shoved the paper even closer and a low, ominous rumbling issued from deep within his chest.

Anya became even more afraid, if that was at all possible. He wanted something she could not give him. The most she could attempt to do was read aloud the impossible sentences. She figured that was hardly what he meant. He wanted to know what they said, not how they sounded. How would he react when she denied him again?

"Please, listen. I-I don't know what it says! Those a-are our letters but th-they aren't like any words I've ever seen. It's just gibberish!" Her tone was pleading, begging him to believe her.

Irritably, he snatched the paper away and glared at her intently. His eyes seemed to brighten momentarily before returning to their original hue. For several long minutes they gazed at one another, neither moving. He seemed to be mulling something over as he searched her face. Finally, he sat back on his haunches and gave her a cagey grin. The sight of it sent shivers down her spine and a cold, hollow feeling began to grow in her belly.

"That worthless, screaming old fool told me the exact same thing the other evening. Perhaps he was telling me the truth after all. Shame. I could have saved myself much needless effort. And such a mess. It wasn't a total loss, though. I did get an intimate understanding of your anatomy and basic inner workings. Very educational, and such vibrant colors," he spoke in an off-hand way but his sharp scrutiny of her face never wavered.

His words were terrible and her horror was apparent as her features paled further. "Y-you? You killed farmer Schmit? W-why-" She uttered a frightened yelp as he leaned in suddenly, with horrifying, fluid speed.

"Did I not just tell you? Speak only when asked," he hissed, the tip of his nose almost touching hers.

He slowly drew a knife from one of the many he wore. It was a long, curving serrated blade that ended in a barbed hook. Anya's terror-filled eyes flickered to it instantly. It looked like an instrument made for dealing as much pain as possible.

"This is one of my favorites," he began, glancing at the blade fondly.

Leaning back, he ran his thumb across the sharp edge and opened up a thin cut without wincing. She watched with detached amazement as an emerald green liquid welled up along the surface of the gash. She dimly recalled his earlier statement about having some fascination with red human blood. At least it explained one thing in this chaotic turn of events.

"Observe," he went on. "You see that talon on the end there? It's designed to ensure that when the blade is retrieved more comes out than what went in."

He paused, giving her a moment to visualize his statement. The woman's eyes had not left the weapon. Good. That was exactly where he wanted them. He slowly, deliberately inched the point of it closer to her stomach until she could feel a painful pressure.

"It'd be a pity, we've only just met face to face and all, but please believe me when I tell you that I can make your insides become your outsides very quickly. My time here has grown short and I am out of patience. Now that we understand each other I'll ask you once more, what does this scroll say?"

Tears began to stream down her cheeks at this point, certain that he intended on torturing her to death for something she honestly couldn't tell him. She said nothing, only shrugged and turned her head away, unwilling to witness her own disemboweling. Issuing one hopeless sob, she began to weep silently into the couch cushions. This stopped him briefly, and he tilted his head once again to study her.

"Why do you do that?"

Bewildered, she dared to glance up at him again. Her breath hitched, "d-do wha-what?"

He reached out, raked his free hand across the wetness on her cheeks and showed her. "This. Why do your eyes leak? The old male human's eyes did the same thing when I began my interrogation of him."

Her brow furrowed as she struggled to keep up with this erratic exchange, "because I'm s-scared and upset. All humans c-cry."

"Fear and distress causes water to dribble from your eyes? A naturally built-in function that hinders ones vision? Ridiculous. It's nothing less than remarkable that your species has managed to survive all these centuries."

She only stared at him in amazement. He spoke her language flawlessly, without even a trace of an accent. Yet, he seemed to know very little else about her kind, it made no sense. None. Anya gulped and licked her lips nervously, tasting salty tears.

He seemed interested in this simple gesture as well. Without warning, he withdrew the blade, sheathed it, then leaned in again and dragged a rather pointed tongue across her lips and up her cheek. Astonished, her mouth dropped open and her eyes grew bigger as she unabashedly stared at him. She wished she was able to wipe his saliva from her skin, she could feel the trail it had left. Warm at first, then cooling and drying on her cheek. Even so, she managed to control the shudder of revulsion that threatened to rip through her. Barely.

He sat back once again, expression appraising. "This 'cry' tastes of salt. Salt water is produced from your eyes? So does it sting you as well?"

Still shocked, she nodded silently, swallowing again. "It-it c-can."

He sneered and shook his head, rising. "You are indeed built for failure, aren't you," he spat, tone thick with mockery. "And yet you flourish. Unbelievable."

His hand flashed out and took hold of the front of her night-shirt, jerking her to a standing position. She swayed, dizzy from the sudden change of elevation, then regained her balance. He gave her a shove towards the front door and she stumbled several steps in that direction.

"Please," she began softly, hesitantly. "Where are you taking me? Where is my sister?" She fixed him with a beseeching gaze, mouth turned down unhappily.

The creature considered the smaller female thoughtfully, a small smirk playing across his lips. "Your loud-mouthed, yellow-haired kin is being held as collateral. Just in case I failed to get any useful information from you. Don't you fret now, Pretty. My brother is looking after her well-being until we join them." Not bothering to pause to use the knob, he kicked the front door open, shattering the frame and splintering it down the middle. He gave her a shove to get her moving, only having to catch her by the arms when she stumbled.

"Can't even walk correctly," he muttered to himself. "I cannot wait until I am done with this vermin-infested place."

He gave her another push into the cold, snowy night.

6.

Andi wrapped the dusty horse blanket around herself and shivered violently. She wasn't exactly in appropriate attire for a winter storm. The old barn was not very weather resistant either, seeing as they didn't have any large animals to house. There hadn't been any repairs or patch jobs done in years. She didn't know why she was being held here, nor where Anya was. Or if she was still alive.