The Ancient's Vendetta
Chapter 4: Pestis Arrives
They dove out of the way as the tree’s descent concluded with an eruption of splinters and dust. As they coughed out the dirt from their lungs they heard a quiet voice but with incredible resonance.
“Hmm, well that was underwhelming.”
Everyone looked around shocked, the sound seeped from the trees, almost as if the trees were speaking.
Priya shouted, “Monty what the hell are you doing!” She paused to pull a twig from her hair, “get down here, now!”
“On the way dear…” said the voice from the trees. Then there was a quiet click followed by absolute silence.
Priya folded her arms and tapped her right foot on the ground while she mumbled to herself. Remy motioned for Joaquim to join him as he walked towards Pyotr. The three of them huddled up. Remy turned his head to watch Priya and whispered to his brothers, “I’m not sure what she’s gotten us into. I don’t have a lot of confidence in our uncle’s soundness of mind.”
Pyotr cocked his head, “you think he’s crazy? Well yes, he’s obviously crazy.”
Joaquim looked elated, “so, are you guys ready to leave now?”
They all turned when something rustled nearby. Out of the bushes approached a man with Priya’s likeness. He was leaner and stood a bit taller, but the resemblance was uncanny. Priya rushed Monty, then punched him hard in the center of his chest.
“What were you thinking?!” she screamed
Montgomery took a step back and rubbed his sternum, “I meant no harm, it as a simple test is all, I wanted to see their powers”, he said pointing at the brothers.
Priya slapped him on the shoulder then embraced him, “you gave me a heart attack”, she said feeling more and more relaxed as the shock wore off.
Monty stepped away from Priya and turned towards his nephews, “it’s been such a long time! Last time I saw you all, you had to look up to see my face. Those days are long gone, huh?”
The three brothers just stared at him, then Remy turned and pointed at the split tree, “how did you do that?”
Monty laughed, “ahh so we’re playing the question for question game? I’ve been tinkering with some explosive munitions, that was the latest version, what did you think?”
Pyotr stepped in Monty’s direction, “I think I’d like to know why you would shoot it at us.”
Monty slowly raised his hands, “I was just testing a theory. But, you were absolutely safe, there was almost no chance you’d be injured. I think…”
It took Pyotr a second to close the gap between him and his uncle. He stared down into Monty’s face. Monty tried to retreat but his feet hovered an inch off the ground, useless. His shirt was bunched up in Pyotr clinched fists. Pyotr took a deep breath then released Monty with a friendly warning, “I’d advise you to never do that again”.
Monty straightened his shirt and gave Pyotr a sheepish grin, then announced, “well we should get going, we have lots to talk about.”
The brothers hesitated as Monty walked away. They all waited for Priya to follow him first, she gestured for them to move along but they wouldn’t budge. So she mouthed, “come on let’s go”.
Remy raised one eyebrow and mouthed back, “you first”.
Priya rolled her eyes and fell in line behind her brother.
When Monty reached the house he left the door open and walked directly to the stove to put on some hot water. He had a beautiful home, but he was used to it, he no longer noticed how, the entry way opened to a vast wooden interior with lofty ceilings. He didn’t appreciate the spotless oak table to the left, adjacent to the beautiful chic and modern kitchen. He forgot how impressive the massive hearthstone and fireplace looked to first time visitors. If Monty really lived here they couldn’t tell by the way this living area appeared. Everything seemed to be untouched, his home looked vacant.
Pyotr, Joaquim, and Priya gawked for a moment and then made their way toward the large empty table, Remy didn’t move so fast. As his eyes moved over their surroundings his gaze stopped on a door to his right. The door was left slightly ajar and the darkness within pushed into the living room, escaping into the light. Remy cocked his head to the left and walked toward the door, when he opened it farther he realized why the larger living space appeared to be so unoccupied.
The room was both smaller than the open area and far more cluttered. There were papers scattered about the room. They covered the floor, stuck to the walls, and were stacked high on the desk. The room’s only other piece of furniture, a modest couch stood tucked away in the corner, and was covered in books. Just below the couch sat a single pillow and a pathetically thin blanket. Next to the ‘bed’ sat a plate with remnants of an aged meal. Suddenly, the papers fluttered in response to a breeze that transited the room. Remy watched the wind make a trail through paper and followed the movement back to its source. A single cracked window provided the room with a vital source of ventilation. Remy shuddered to think what this room might smell like if not for the mercy of this fresh air.
Monty plowed into the room, not at all bothered by the look on Remy’s face. He yelled over his shoulder as he walked to the couch, “I’ve got something for you guys!” He jogged past Remy carrying three very large, and very heavy books. As he exited the room Remy saw the book on the top of the stack, a single word furnished its cover, ‘Remy’.
As he sat down and waited for Remy he explained the books, “fourteen years ago, well I guess it’s almost fifteen years ago now, your mother left me in the field after she adopted Joaquim. We can get into the details of my expeditions later, but since your mother left I’ve been collating these tomes, there’s one for each of you.” Monty paused to hand each brother a book embroidered with their name. “I want you to read these, I want so badly for you to read these that I’m not answering any questions until you do.”
Joaquim blinked, astonished, “how long is that going to take?”
“Does it matter?” Monty asked.
“It sure does, we’re out of here tomorrow morning at the latest” Joaquim said with a condescending grin.
Monty scrunched his face and looked at Priya, but replied to Joaquim, “you’re actually going to be here for three years, minimum.”
Now everyone stared at Priya.
However, a pair of eyes far above the house, which belonged to something perched on the highest point of the tallest tree in the forest, stared at them all.
A low guttural snarl pulsed from Pestis's throat and was followed by a crisp snapping sound. Without notice, it had cracked the neck of one of the forest’s recently collected birds, then it hurled the bird hundreds of feet across the forest. These birds weren’t killed for sport, or for sustenance, they were harbingers of a dark message. A warning provided not out of benevolence but out of disdain. There was nothing more entertaining than a panicked human. So each day the forest floor below was decorated with an increasing number of bird remains. Breadcrumbs to elicit despair, and yet the human Montgomery appeared to be ignorant of these ‘gifts’.
Pestis was irritated and would be mocked by the others for failing to rile these humans. So far, subtlety had been ineffective, and now, it was time to try something a little more brash. The creature dropped from the tree, falling fast at first, but then adjusting its speed mid descent, and pivoted into a leftward glide until it hovered right in front of the study’s window.
Its face donned a twisted grin, then it slammed a bird through the window. The force was so great that the bird’s tiny body broke the glass, careened through the room, and then stuck into the opposite wall. Pestis nodded in appreciation of the effort then disappeared beneath the soil.