The Ancient's Vendetta
Chapter 8: The Day Everything Changed
The sound of the crackling fire completely faded as a growl erupted from Joaquim’s tent, “what are we eating for breakfast?! Why are we out here sleeping in tents when we have perfectly lavish accommodations in the cabin?”
Monty rolled onto his back and covered his face with both hands, “ you know Joaquim, we probably would have slept for another hour, ugh why are you yelling?”
“I’m hungry, aren’t you guys hungry, Pyotyr…Remy…”.
“Let them sleep Joaquim, I brought an apple you can have, as long as you eat it quietly - actually, why don’t you take a walk while you eat it.”
Joaquim unzipped his sleeping bag and walked over to Monty’s tent, he pressed his face into the tent’s screen and made a silly face then said, “fine..deal”.
Monty unzipped his tent just wide enough for the apple to fit through, and dropped the apple in Joaquim’s hand. Joaquim caught it, rubbed it on his sleeve then took a giant bite. He walked away singing as loud as he could between bites.
“What’s all the racquet!” Pyotr shouted.
Monty closed his eyes and exhaled loudly, “I guess we’re packing up, let’s go!”
Pyotr huffed out of his tent dragging his rucksack and a half rolled sleeping bag. He dropped both and glared at Monty, quickly Monty discreetly pointed in Joaquim’s direction.
“Where’s Remy?” Pyotr asked, as he peered into Remy’s tent, “ah, the prince still sleeps, I see. Wake up sunshine!”
Remy groaned, “okay, okay, I’m up. I didn’t sleep well, I had a really bad dream. ”
Joaquim walked back whistling a happy tune and smirking in Monty’s direction, “thanks for the apple!”
Pyotr then began to attack Joaquim with a barrage of tiny pebbles, each thrown with a modicum of revenge.
“What was your dream about Remy?” Monty asked.
“To be honest, it was all a little confusing. I think something bad happened to Priya and I remember seeing the color purple, I woke up feeling uneasy.”
Monty silently packed his things. Even though Remy’s recap lacked details, the way he seemed as he rehashed his dream made Monty worry.
Remy noticed his change in demeanor, “Monty, are you okay?”
“I’m fine Remy, let’s just get back as soon and as fast as possible, I’m now feeling a bit anxious.”
Pyotr stood up from his seated pose, “I’ll head back now, I’m sick of waiting for you guys anyway.”
“Do you mind carrying our packs, well at least mine and Remy’s?” Monty asked.
“Hey, what about me?!” Joaquim yelled.
“You’re fine Joaquim”, Monty said, then continued, “Pyotr, it’ll slow you down a bit, but you’ll still get there faster than we will and I’ll be able to move faster without my pack. I’d like to keep Remy free from burdens so he can practice moving while he’s projected.”
Pyotr shrugged, “makes no difference to me, let’s go.”
Even with three rucksacks and tents Pytor was able to move at twice Monty’s speed. Monty wasn’t feeling quite right and needed to rest at each Km mark. When Pyotr clicked the comms twice Remy made the executive decision to project himself to the 3km marker and tell Pytor to wait.
When Pyotr’s consciousness picked up on Remy’s presence he reacted less violently than the first time, but still angrily, “what do you want Remy?”
“Something is wrong with Monty, we need you to wait at the third km marker again.”
Once Remy returned to his body he gave Joaquim a thumbs up.
Joqauim turned to Monty and said, “hey old man, if there was a head-to-head race between you and a glacier, I’m really not sure who I’d bet on. Can we pick it up please?”
Monty chuckled at his nephew’s rude jab, but felt his pace quicken.
After another half hour they finally reached Pyotr’s resting spot. “You know what guys, I think maybe I should carry Monty instead, and let you guys carry the sacks and tents.”
Remy quickly replied, “that’s a good idea”, he paused to glance at Joaquim who looked overly annoyed with the proposition. Remy silently prayed Joaquim wouldn’t debate the point, and he was visibly pleased when Joaquim silently, but begrudgingly agreed.
Now with Pyotr carrying Monty the brothers moved at roughly the same speed. When they finally reached Monty’s lodge everyone dropped their packs at the door and slowly crossed the threshold.
Immediately everyone reached for a spot on the wall to brace their weight. Their legs seemed to buckle under the heaviness that permeated the inside of the cabin, something pushed them towards the floor. Their hearts raced and their breathing was labored, but no one struggled as much as Monty. His lungs rattled, each gasp of air left him weak and feeble.
“What is that!?” Joaquim yelled.
Monty shouted, “Priya!”
Pyotr’s skin began to glow blue, the way it had during the night of the heist, when their powers first manifested. The way it does when the danger is imminent and fatal.
“Everyone, quiet!” Remy shouted.
Everyone froze, Remy waved his hands and gestured to his right ear, then mouthed, “do you hear that?”
Nedra’s incantation persisted. She swayed, her body exhausted from the effort even though her spirit was committed to the exercise. Nedra was stuck in a trance-like state; the incantation would continue until it was finished, and not even she knew when that might be. Deep inside, a tiny piece of her soul begged to be free. But that little voice was powerless against the ones who demanded this act of service. Then without warning, she stopped.
She heard faint shuffling of feet in the house, and she turned her head toward the noise. She stood and wobbled, her legs needing a minute to adjust to her upright position and quietly walked to her room door opening it softly.
Monty, Remy, Pyotr, and Joaquim all froze in their tracks when they saw her.
Monty exclaimed, “Oh Nedra, it's you! Are you okay? Were you talking to someone, is Priya with you?”
Nedra didn’t answer as she turned to stare at Monty. When they made eye contact Monty gasped, there was something different about Nedra, something sinister. He flinched when she raised her left hand, instinctively raising his right hand to counter what appeared to be an offensive spell.
Monty started to contort his hands the same way he had the day he choked Joaquim, but Nedra was faster. She swung her right hand down blocking Monty’s powers then slowly raised her right hand and violently twisted her wrist. Monty’s face turned a strange hue of grey and a dribble of blood escaped his closed lips. In a short time this trickle turned into a thin stream, until finally blood poured from Monty’s lips.
Nedra smiled in silent appreciation. Over months of deliberate action, she had patiently poisoned Monty, someone she considered no more than a nuisance. The poisoning increased the effectiveness of the spell she now used to drain Monty’s life force.
Pyotr rushed Nedra and grabbed her by the throat, effortlessly lifting her from the ground. Monty was almost gone, but he managed to dip his hand in the blood to frantically write a message on the floor.
“Stop it.” Pyotr said. “I won’t say it again.”
Nedra ignored him, so Pyotr lifted her higher off the ground.
“Wait!” Remy shouted. “She knows what happened to Priya…”
“We’re running out of time, Remy.” Pyotr said calmly, tightening his grip on Nedra’s windpipe.
“Joaquim, tell her to tell us what she knows!?”
Joaquim stood like a deer caught in head lights, but without moving a muscle he said, “tell us what happened to Priya.”
Nedra convulsed, using the remaining bandwidth of her power to resist Joaquim’s gift, then she laughed.
“Joaquim…maybe she can’t talk, we’ve never heard her speak, try asking her to show us where Priya is”, Remy said with a glimmer in his eye.
Joaquim blurted out, “show us where Priya is!”, and at that moment Remy moved his consciousness into Nedra’s mind, a second later he was back in his body.
“I know where she is!” Remy yelled.
Pyotr smiled, then he snapped Nedra’s neck and let her body fall in a lump to the floor.
Remy slammed his hands to his head and gaped at Pyotr in utter disbelief, “What did you do!? Pyotr, I know where she is, not how to get to her!”
Joaquim interrupted, “guys…it’s Monty”. Joaquim gave Monty’s unresponsive body a few more shakes and then looked up with sad damp eyes. Pyotr wiped away a single tear and Remy dropped his head.
“What’s that?” Joaquim said as he moved Monty’s arm a little to the right, “I think he left us a note.”
‘Read the books, work together, the ancient’s vendetta…’
“He didn’t finish it," Joaquim said.
Pyotr walked over and carefully picked his uncle up off the ground, “I’m going to bury him, join me if you like.”
Remy grabbed Pyotr’s shoulder as he passed by, “You did Nedra a favor, she was a prisoner. There was a name carved over and over into the walls of her mind… Havoc. It's the only lead we have to go on.”
Joaquim and Remy closed in behind Monty as he walked out the cabin’s front door. Once outside they found a small clearing and dug Monty a respectable grave. Once they put his body in the ground and marked the site with a monument of rocks and sticks, they paid their respects with a moment of silence, and silently turned to go inside…
All the windows of the cabin stood open allowing the pleasant spring air to weave through the interior, bringing with it a welcome freshness. Remy burst through the study door, “I found it!”
Pyotr and Joaquim sat talking at the giant oak kitchen table, but paused at Remy’s interruption, “what did you find?” Pyotr asked.
“I found out how we’re going to hell.”
This is the end of part one of, The Ancient’s Vendetta. The next segment will be published on March 21st, 2025.
Thank you for following along!!