Bram's Hollow

Vivian was glad to see her son and was actually a little impressed that he was so accepting of her Wolfkin form.

“We’re heading to the castle.” Vivian said to her son. “You should probably come with us.”

“Do you think Isabelle made it there?” Tobias asked. “There were zombies and I was worried that she-“

“I sure she’s just fine. It’s standard for everyone to retreat to the castle should Bram’s Hollow fall under attack.”

“But the zombies.” Tobias tried to explain but Vivian already knew about the mini outbreak.

“Lycos and Dr. Donavan have volunteers taking care of them as we speak.”

“As a matter of fact that’s what we started doing when we found you lad.” The red and grey furred Wolfkin form of Rotigan added.

Together the four of them, the three Wolfkin and Tobias, headed to the castle in the hard rain and loud thunder. Vivian kept one clawed hand, on Tobias as they walked, scared that they might find a pocket of walking corpses that have not been rounded up yet. Tobias kept stealing glances at his transformed mother. It was the first time he had seen her like this, and he honestly felt okay with this version of her.

“Was that a Triune who was assaulting you?” Vivian asked.

“Yea, I guess his name is Docherty. Isabelle has had problems with him before.”

“Is that why he was after you?” Rotigan asked.

Tobias thought about the altercation carefully. “I don’t think so.” He said. “He taunted me about her but I think it was just me he was after. He seemed determined to fight me. He even called me a half blood.”

“You held your own pretty well my boy.” Rotigan huffed a small growl as he gave Tobias a little nudge on the shoulder.

Vivian brought her son in close for a walking hug. “He called you a half blood?”

“Don’t worry mom,” Tobias looked his mother in her wolfkin eyes. “I know.”

The party walked silently on toward the caste, the thunder had quieted and by the time they were walking up the winding hillside road the rain was little more than a sprinkle. The castle hummed with chatter from almost everyone from town carrying on dozens of separate conversations. They walked past the portcullis. It was like walking into a somber block party. The townsfolk huddled together in small groups of five or six and talked amongst themselves. Some groups squeezed under one of the few awnings in the castle courtyard to avoid any more contact with rainfall. The spirits that bothered to show up at the castle kept to themselves and only talked to each other in pairs. Tobias watched, he took notice of every small sect that shared private conversations. None of the groups, none of them were mixed groups. Every conversation was held by people from the same guild. Monsters conversed with monsters, beasts talked with beasts. The undead meaning the vampires and ghouls who showed up were far more secretive when they conversed.

“Something’s going on.” Vivian said to her son who was also watching the others in the courtyard.

“What makes you say that?” Rotigan asked just before Tobias could.

“Look at everyone. No one is checking if their neighbor was unharmed or any sort of well-wishing after the zombie attack. This is guild business.” Vivian paused and looked at her son with a concerned look. “I don’t think this was a tribe. Someone sent those zombies here.”

Tobias interjected. “What do you mean by tribe?”

“Zombies are creations of either environment or necromancy.” The third Wolfkin, a black furred male who was slightly smaller than Rotigan, joined the conversation. “It is a form of denial usually, when the spirit refuses to admit that its body had perished and still inhabits its decomposing corpse. Usually when a few zombies wander into town, they are members of a tribe. That’s what we call it when random zombies group together in the wild and begin traveling together.”

Vivian gestured to the third Wolfkin. “Toby this is an old friend of mine, Arthur DeNack.”

Arthur extended his clawed hand and Tobias politely shook it. Tobias couldn’t get a reading on the guy. It was hard to find kindness and honesty in an unfamiliar wolf’s face so he decided not to hold that against him. He turned his attention back to the crowd looking for other teenagers and the like hoping to find Isabelle somewhere in their ranks. There were younger kids either being held by one of their parents or quietly standing beside them, but no one his age.

Tobias could feel his heart pound harder and harder, there was no sign of Isabelle. He started to walk around the castle courtyard peering a little too obviously into the groups of people. After inspecting a few bunches of weather soaked townsfolk including Sasquatch, Wraglings and Gillmen (who were the only ones sad to see the rain die off) Tobias Finally spotted The broad green back of Isabelle’s Ogre friend Derek standing with his parents who were talking to what must have been another Triune. This Triune was quite a bit older than Docherty in fact he could have been his grandfather. All three bodies had slicked back white hair, possibly from the rain and bushy salt and pepper colored beards but not a single mustache. The only thing discerning them was one of the three bodies’ sported two deep scars over its left eye. Tobias circled around the group trying to catch Derek’s eye. He succeeded in quietly getting Derek’s attention after he waved his arms frantically and did a few small jumps. It was quiet but not at all sly. Derek backed away from his mother, whom he had defiantly gotten his looks from, and walked over to Tobias.

“You’re alive.” Derek said more as a definitive statement than a question of Tobias’s safety. “Isabelle was worried.”

Tobias’s heard lifted. Derek had talked to Isabelle so she must have been alright. “You’ve seen her, where is she?” It was hard for Tobias to hide the excitement in his voice.

“Her mom and dad were called into the castle. She’s with them.” Derek spoke sternly, not so much out of anger of frustration though. It was just the way he talked. It was his emotional pitch for almost everything.

“What are they doing in the castle?” Tobias asked.

“Not sure, but it was Lycos who called for them.”

Now that Tobias knew Isabelle was unharmed he let himself calm down a little and talked with Derek. Derek said that he and his mother saw a couple of zombies in the street and were pretty quick to head for the castle.

“Does it happen often?” Tobias asked. “The zombies I mean.”

“Not really.” Derek grunted. “Fifth time I remember in my whole life. But never this many, it’s just a few normally.”

They chatted for a bit longer, Tobias found talking to Derek pleasant once you got past the fact that he was bulky and green. Tobias joked about being able to get into the castle without being thrown in and they shared a shot laugh. The rain had finally died down completely and the groups that were chatting under the small awnings were moving around the courtyard.

One of the heavy wooden doors leading into the central square tower opened. A tall, hair covered Sasquatch in a suit exited the castle and was walking toward the stone slab that the Arcane Chamber had stood on during the meeting that Tobias had snuck in to. Tobias recognized Byron, Lycos’s assistant, from back at Rotigan’s house on his first day in Bram’s Hollow. Byron stood in the center of the stone slab and called for everyone’s attention.

“I am sorry for the long night, and even sorrier to have to ask you to stay for just a little while longer.” Byron’s voice was stern but lacked confidence.

“What is taking so long?” Derek’s mother yelled from the crowed.

“Everything is being done to clear out all the zombies. Once we get the all clear from the volunteers, you may return home.”

Another lady, this one was a Wragling and looked like a hairless cat in a rain slicker, also shouted at the Sasquatch. “Why were there so many?”

“This can only be necromancy!” Added Mr. Sloan the baker.

The statement caught Byron off guard. “Now, there is no proof of Necromancy.” The words came out a little high in pitch that Tobias was used to hearing from a Sasquatch. “I am sure this was an isolated incident and nothing to panic about.”

“Then where is the Arcane Chamber?” Another ogre shouted.

“They are busy investigating the situation at hand.” Byron was rebuilding the sound of authority in his voice.

“But you just said it was an isolated incident.”

The authoritativeness in Byron’s voice crumbled. “It…it is. But they have to take the proper precautions.”

“Is it connected to the amulet of Rymun?” Asked one of the few spirits that attended.

“I have no way of knowing that.” Byron said defensively. “Please just be patient and you will be able to return home soon. Thank you.” And with that he jumped down from the stone slab. His large, bare feet splashed rain water and mud on the surrounding crowd and himself. Byron straightened out his suit jacket and walked over toward Vivian, Rotigan and Arthur.

Tobias quickly weaved his way through the crowed in an attempt to beat Byron to his mother. And though he got close the Sasquatch was there first.

“A fine speech.” Rotigan said sarcastically to Byron.

“Yes, well public speaking was never my strong suit.” Byron said as he flicked bits of mud off his pants.

“Does he want to see us now?” Vivian asked.

“Yes, you are to go to his chambers straight away.”

“Then we better get to it,” Arthur said as he walked past Byron. “Before you talk the people into a riot.”

As they walked past Tobias locked eyes with his mother who motioned for him to follow. He did. The five of them, three full formed Wolfkin, the Sasquatch and Tobias, walked through the door Byron used earlier and headed into the entrance hall. The place sent shivers up Tobias’s spine. He remembered his encounter with Lycos the last time he was in the castle. He was sure that Lycos was going to attack him. And he wondered if that was going to happen again. The group walked upstairs and a few twist and turns later they were walking down a long hallway with two red cloth cushioned benches on either side of double wooden doors. Isabelle was sitting on one of the benches.

Isabelle looked up and saw that Tobias was soaked and barefoot but unharmed. Tobias had the overwhelming urge to run to her and give her the same hug she had given him the night he met her parents. He thought better of it. Byron opened the double doors and Rotigan and Arthur entered. Vivian turned to her son, he cut her off before she could speak.

“It’s alright mom.” Tobias said. “I’ll wait out here.”

Vivian gave her son a pat on the head with her fur covered hand and walked into Lycos’s chambers. Byron closed the doors and as soon as Tobias had turned Isabelle had beaten him to the hug.

“You really need to stop worrying me like this.” Isabelle joked. She pulled away and looked his up and down for injury. “Are you okay? Did you have any trouble with the zombies?”

“Not really.” Tobias tried to play it cool. “They got into the house but I jumped out by bedroom window.”

“You did what?”

“I’m fine, it didn’t even hurt.”

“But after that you were fine. Right?”

“Well, I went to your house to make sure you were fine.”

“Why didn’t you go to the castle?” Isabelle asked. “That’s what we’re told to do.”

“Yea, well I didn’t know that. And I kinda got into a fight With Docherty.”

“You did what?”

Tobias filled Isabelle in on the night. He told her about his run in with Docherty, and the cloaked man that he saw. He asked her if she knew who that might have been, she didn’t know.

“What if he was a Necromancer?” Isabelle asked.

“I don’t know.” Tobias said “Is that possible?”

“I’ve never seen one. But I heard they wear cloaks like that. And with the zombies and all.” Isabelle looked Tobias in the eyes. “It sounds likely.”

Silence hung in the air for a minute before they heard muffled voices in the next room. The voices grew louder as if one or two of them were shouting. Tobias and Isabelle looked at each other, each trying to determine who was doing the yelling. The voices died down and a few seconds later the doors opened. Rotigan was human once again and poked his head out of Lycos’s chambers. He looked Tobias in the eyes buy had a grim look on his face.

“I suppose you better come on in lad.” He said in a somber tone. “This concerns you too.”