Fire of the Inquisitor

Lucia found the widow plant looked more like a forest. A sea of green vines stretched out before them, pulsing and slithering like a living thing. As they got closer the humidity rose making it unbearably uncomfortable. Lucia eyed the silver blade like thorns that grew out of the vines and imagined that even the plant was sweating.

“How do we get in there?” Lucia asked.

“We are,” Sable said. He was holding a large torch in front of them.

Lucia turned around to see that there was indeed vines rising behind them. The young soldier shook her head, getting tired of constantly being surprised by this place. She looked at Sable, wondering how he always managed to stay calm and how he could stand being covered in so much clothing in this hot place.

“Why is it so humid here?” She said, hating to sound so whiney.

“The plant gorges itself on water.” He pointed his torch to a rodent that had been impaled by the plant’s thorns. “It sucks the water out of the air and from the blood of anything that comes near it.”

Lucia considered the possibility that they could find the rest of her squad being slowly drained by the plant’s thorns but quickly blinked it out of her mind. She withdrew her sword, though it was so jagged that she doubt it cut anymore she didn’t want to be surprised by a vine crawling up her leg. The faster they could leave this place the better.

“Up ahead,” Sable said.

Lucia didn’t see anything, but she could hear what sounding like human moaning. She was tempted to run ahead, but Sable’s caution gave her pause. He waved his torch in front of the thorny walls scattering the shadows within. The feeling of someone watching them was strong, Lucia hoped whoever it might be was wearing a uniform like her own.

Sable motioned with his torch to a slight gap in the vines, a good place for someone to be hiding. Lucia took a deep breath and lead them into it, figuring that her face might be a more welcoming sight than the skull Sable wore as a mask. Lucia entered the vine cave immediately identifying the signs of a legion camp laid out before her, but no was standing waiting for them. Instead, there were three bodies on the ground, one tied up and the other two lying with the signs of sickness in their skin. Lucia immediately recognized the tied up man as Flavius, the frustrating self-proclaimed second in command.

“What happened here?” she asked him.

“Mmmmm,” his voice was stifled by his muzzled mouth.

She looked at his bloodshot eyes as kicked and rolled on the ground, obviously begging her to untie him. She wanted to, but she also wanted to know more about what was happening here. Her gaze traveled to Sable who was examining the motionless bodies of her captain and the soldier known as Decius.

“Are they dead?” she asked.

Sable shook his head. “Near death.”

Despite her misgivings, Lucia sheathed her sword and reached for a knife on her belt. She kneeled by Flavius and placed the knife between his cheek and the rope that was inserted into his mouth. Before cutting she sighed, remembering how unpleasant the man had been to her before she was separated from the group. He grimaced as she twisted the knife and cut the rope.

“It’s about time you little witch.” The man spat at her, causing Lucia to take a step back from him. “No, get the rest of these ropes off me.”

Lucia wiped her face on her sleeve. “Not until you tell me what happened here.”

“How dare you talk to me like that,” he cursed. “I’m ordering you to free me.”

Sable stood up and moved to Lucia’s side. “I would also like to know what is going on here.”

Flavius looked like his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. “Who the hell is this.”

Sable regarded him. “He is not a very smart person is he.”

Lucia smiled but thought better of adding to the comment. “Someone had a good reason for tying you up Flavius, I want to know why.”

“I don’t answer to livestock,” Flavius growled.

Lucia shrugged. “Then, we can only assume that it was you who attacked these men and should keep you tied up.”

To Lucia’s surprise, the man closed his eyes tightly and started to cry. “Why won’t anyone believe me,” he thrashed on the ground, “It was the shadow that attacked them.”

Something about what Flavius had said caused Sable run to the two men. He hovered over them, swinging the torch in front of their faces. He looked back. “Which one has the shadow in him.”

Flavius opened his eyes and moved his head in awkward position so he could see. “It has to be him,” Flavius pointed with his chin, “he was the one who knocked me out.”

Sable retrieved his sword and held above the heart of Titus. The incapacitated man started to moan loudly and started to toss and turn.

“Wait!” Lucia held out her hand.

Sable turned to her, his sword close hovering just about the groaning man’s chest.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” she said.

Flavius thrashed on the ground like a dying fish. “Don’t listen to the girl just kill the shadow.”

Lucia shook her head, now positive the shadow wasn’t in Titus. “He knocked you out and then tied you up?” She turned to Sable. “Why wouldn’t this shadow just kill him?”

Sable turned again, but this time, he brought his sword down on Decius. The seemingly sleeping man reached up and grabbed the sword before it completed its fall. Lucia watched in horror as the sick man started to rise from the ground. Black liquid pouring from his mouth and eyes.

“Where is your body shadow?” Sable wrestled his sword back from the soldier’s ugly hand.

Titus moaned louder than ever before.

“My name is too complex and elegant for your simple minds,” the man, spilling the black blood from his mouth. “You may call me Rectifier.”

“Very well Rectifier,” Sable pointed his torch at the being, “where is your real body?”

The face of Decius contorted into a gruesome smile and jumped at Lucia. The young soldier fell back and tried to remove her sword, but the shadow man was on her, pulling at her wrists and trying to bite into her flesh. A bright flash erupted from the creature’s back and the eyes once belonging to Decius opened wide. Lucia kicked the nearly dead man off of her and rolled to her side.

She watched as Sable fought Decius with flame and sword. The fire of the torch jumped out like a burning whip, catching his enemy attacks before they could land. With no weapon of his own, the shadow controlled man was quickly brought down by the powerful inquisitor. On the ground, the so-called Rectifier tried to crawl away from Sable but was met with the flame in each direction.

Sable sheathed his sword. “Where is your body?”

The shadow inside Decius laughed. “You’re fighting on the wrong side inquisitor, these humans are not your friends.”

“Neither are you, cold one,” Sable said.

The creature laughed again and then started rolling. The inquisitor tried to stop him with the torch’s flames, but this time, the shadow possessed man simply went through them, letting out a high pitched scream as he did. Then, he was in the vines, impaling himself on their large thorns. The vines curled around him, wrapping him up like hungry serpents, blood starting to seep through the spaces between them. Lucia felt sick.

A large shadow danced in front of Sable’s torch, and the air started to freeze. Lucia could swear she saw two ruby colored eyes floating in the darkness. Then, the fire from the inquisitors torch burst into a large wave and burned away the threatening darkness. The faint sound of laughing floated away above them. The torch flame grew smaller and Sable turned to help Lucia off the ground.

“What was that?” she asked.

“Didn’t you hear?” Flavius laughed madly. “It was a shadow.”

“A dragon’s shadow,” Sable said. He walked over to where Flavius was bound and started to cut away at his ropes.

“The dragon you’ve been looking for?” Lucia said.

Sable nodded. “I have to find him.”

Lucia looked at Flavius. “We can help you.”

Titus started moaning loudly.

Flavius dusted himself off and frowned at her. “Are you forgetting our mission and our sick captain over there.”

Lucia’s heart sank. “You’re right.”

Titus moaned even louder. Lucia rushed to his side and placed her hand on his forehead. He was ice cold.

“Is there anything we can do for him?” Lucia turned to Sable.

“I’m surprised he is still alive,” the inquisitor said. He knelt down next to Lucia and moved his warm hand over the captain’s head and down over his heart. “The other man had the dragon’s shadow keeping him alive.”

There was the sound of shuffling feet behind them and everyone turned to see what was coming. Flavius found a sword on the ground and slowly walked toward the noise. Out of the shadows, a small gray boy walked out and approached the group.

“Great, I thought you that thing killed you.” Flavius sighed loudly and put the sword in his sheath.

“Who is that?” Lucia asked.

“No one.” Flavius waved his hand. “He’s our bad luck charm.”

However, Sable stood up and walked over to the boy, speaking to him in a weird clicking language. The boy responded in kind with a short reply.

“He hasn’t been gifted with your tongue by our lady yet,” Sable answered Lucia’s question before she could ask it.

“What did you tell him?” she asked instead.

“I asked him if he had seen a dragon.” Sable looked at her like she should have known the answer. “He had not.”

“Great,” Flavius interrupted, “You two have fun looking for your dragon, while Lucia and I carry the captain back to the village.”

This time, Titus’s moaning was joined by some violent shaking. Lucia tried to comfort him, but it only seemed to make it worse.

“Maybe we should just head for the village alone,” Flavius said.

Lucia frowned. “I think he is trying to tell us something.”

“Are you insane.” Flavius pointed at him. “He’s clearly dying.”

Lucia gave the older soldier a dirty look. “Every time we talk about going back, he starts moaning.”

As to make her point the captain let out a load groan.

“You see,” she pointed, “he’s trying to get our attention.”

“Even if decanus is, he can’t even talk,” Flavius said.

Lucia turned to Sable, “What if we gave him the carrion thistle?”

“You have it,” Flavius gasped.

Sable shrugged. “It should cure him of his affliction.”

“You can’t give it to him.” Flavius spread his arm out. “That medicine is for the governor general, we have to get to him right away.”

Titus started to shake his head back and forth. Lucia reached for the pouch on her belt that carried the thistle, she then grabbed a small bowl of water she found close to Titus and started removing the thistle’s leaves over it.

“You traitorous wench,” Flavius said. The soldier approached where Lucia was preparing the medicine with raised fist, but Sable caught him by the wrist and shook his head. Flavius was forced to back away. “You’ll be executed for this.”

After Lucia had removed all the leaves she took the bowl and placed it to the captain’s lips. Most of it spilled around his neck, but some of it did make it into the man’s mouth. She could see his throat start to swallow the concoction and his skin started to regain its color. After only a few seconds his eyes shot open and the captain sat up, coughing some of the water up.

“The village,” he said, panting. His eyes were greener than Lucia had remembered, almost glowing. “He’s there, I saw it in the darkness, through his eyes.”

Sable ran to his side and kneeled by him. “You saw the dragon?”

“Yes.” Titus didn’t seem disturbed by the inquisitors presence at all. “I don’t know if what I saw was the future, but he told me he was already there.”

“That’s not possible,” Sable shook his head. “He wouldn’t be able to survive that much light,” the inquisitor suddenly looked up, “without a different body.”

“Silence’s palace.” Lucia caught on to his line of thinking. “She said that she had been experimenting on humans.”

Sable and Lucia’s eye met. She said what he was thinking, “We have to get there right away.”

“How?” Flavius watched as Sable and Lucia rose to their feet. “It took us days to get here.”

“I won’t be taking your route,” Sable said.

“You have to hurry.” Titus tried to get up but was unsuccessful. “I saw him killing the people, destroying the town.”

Lucia rushed to him and helped him lay down again. “Don’t worry, Sable will know how to stop him.”

Titus nodded and pointed to a sword partly covered with dirt. “Take my sword.” He reached out and grabbed Lucia’s hand. “At least a part of me can be there with you.”

Lucia nodded and squeezed the older soldiers hand. Sable was talking to the small boy when he turned to Lucia. “Worth will stay here with your captain,” Sable explained. “Once he is strong enough to travel he will show him the way to your village.”

“You have to be kidding me,” Flavius said.

Sable threw his torch into the wall where the empty shell of Decius had been devoured. The wall of thorns erupted in flames and quickly turned into ash. Sable turned to Lucia and Flavius.

“Please, try to keep up.”