Jeff Inlo - Nightmare's Shad

And once more, Ryson recalled the imposter, a spirit who claimed to be Lief Woodson, but clearly was not.

"Who is it that's in the dark realm? Who's pretending to be you? It's not Ingar again, is it?"

"No, it is Baannat."

That revelation turned the delver's blood to ice. Ingar was hungry for power, deranged by the sphere of his own making, but Baannat was pure evil.

"But I killed him."

"And Tabris killed me. I stand before you. There are other powers involved in this struggle. Just as I have been allowed to return through the veil of death, so may others."

"So Baannat is a spirit like you?"

"In truth, no. He is different. I cannot explain how, but Baannat was able to return to this plane of existence through deception of his own volition."

"What does he want?"

"What every evil creature wants… to cause pain and suffering, to gain power and control, to destroy and decimate. He also wants revenge, revenge against all those who defeated him."

"Will he succeed?"

"I have no idea, but I know that not all things are controlled by destiny. There is a struggle to come, and those in this world will have to make choices. It is these choices that will define them and ultimately determine the outcome of the struggle."

A struggle.

Not words Ryson wanted to hear. Words, in fact, he had grown tired of hearing. It seemed as if life was becoming a constant struggle. Time and time again he was faced with hardships.

Yes, he had overcome those hardships-him and his friends. He had succeeded in every conflict, but at what cost? The loss of friends, even a loss of himself. He couldn't deny it. Maybe he was losing patience, or maybe just losing faith, but he was certainly growing tired of the struggles.

Ryson looked across the desolate lands of the LacobianDesert. At that moment, he welcomed the apparent emptiness all around him. The desert had washed away the oasis, burned through the water, decimated life. But it was quiet, almost peaceful.

He had faced so many conflicts, would there ever be a time of rest? Maybe magic was not supposed to be in this world. He had doubts about the magic before, doubts about his part in destroying Ingar's sphere, but now those doubts seemed to double, then double again.

As a delver, he did the only thing he could. He started searching for answers.

"So… why are you here then? What is it that you can accomplish that will lead you down the path you need to travel, lead you to redemption?"

Lief could sense the desperation in his friend, and in that, he took his own hope.

"You came here because you knew I would be here," the elf stated. "For that to be true, you had to believe that I was not back in that cave where you destroyed the newly created vessel of damnation. You could not accept that I was the apparition bent on causing so much pain and destruction. Both in life and after my death, all you wanted was to help me see that my anger was misguided. You believed in me, Ryson Acumen."

"I still believe in you."

"I know, and I am here to tell you that you were right. All along, you were right. I no longer wish to argue with you for I have no argument with you. You, above any other I have met in life, capture the essence of what we should all strive to be. Do you understand what that means?"

The delver said nothing for he did not know how to respond.

The elf answered for him.

"All along, and even to my death, I have believed in you. It may not have seemed that way, but it is true. That is why I'm here. Much has been asked of you and you have given much. Your deeds have not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. Never doubt that. You are a force for good, remain so."

"And so that's why you've come back?" Ryson finally asked. "Well, why are you out here in the desert? Why didn't you come to me?"

"Unfortunately, I lack the strength of spirit to move from this spot. I do not understand it, but perhaps I was meant not to. Not everything is left up to choice, nor is it left to design. There is always some middle ground between the two. You still have many paths before you and perhaps it was up to you to seek me. I can only guess."

"So what happens now?"

"What always happens, the struggle continues. Opportunities arise to make choices, to be strong."

"And for me?"

"You already know the answer to that. Return to Enin. Tell him what you have seen here in the desert. From that point on, follow the path you have always traveled. Do what you believe is right."

"It's not Lief." Ryson stated as he leapt before Enin.

The delver had raced nonstop to reach Connel. He did not beat Sy and Holli to the wizard, but he was not far behind. He reached them just as Holli had finished explaining what had occurred in the dark realm.

Everyone looked at Ryson with pure bewilderment, and he was not surprised. He also knew there would be little joy in the news he brought.

"Of course, it's Lief!" Heteera objected before Ryson could say anymore. She knew the spell she cast. Only Lief had ever truly echoed her concerns. No one else even came close. "I focused on him specifically."

Holli did not hesitate in pointing out the sorceress' known deficiencies, but she also cast doubt on the delver's announcement.

"I know she has no control over the magic, but I sensed the spell in her."

"I think you sensed what she wanted to do, not what she actually did," Ryson offered.

That was possible. Holli never examined the true outcome of the spell, only its casters' intentions. Still, other considerations contradicted the delver's claim.

"But you and Linda spoke with Lief, and later, we both saw him in the cave. It was him."

The delver made his revelation with grave certainty.

"No, it wasn't. It was Baannat."

A silence fell on them all.

Ryson looked to Enin, but the wizard's expression revealed little. He had hoped for clarification from Enin, an immediate understanding, but the wizard only stared off into the distance as if pondering some complicated equation.

Ryson didn't wish to say anything more until Enin questioned him, but it was Sy who demanded further explanation.

"How do you know this? How can you be so sure the ghost in the cave wasn't Lief?"

"Because I just talked to Lief… his spirit, out in the desert… out where he was killed. That was the real Lief Woodson. The spirit in the cave-the one that created the vessel we destroyed-that was an imposter."

"You saw another ghost?"

It almost sounded funny, but Ryson failed to find any humor. He was not chasing ghosts or investigating haunting spirits. They were all being pulled into a larger conflict, another struggle.

"Not just a ghost, but the spirit of Lief Woodson."

Sy placed the pieces together, but found an immediate conflict.

"And why would you believe that spirit and not the other?"

"Because I could tell, and it makes sense."

That also almost sounded funny-seeing ghosts and making sense-but no one could deny the serious tone in the delver's voice, or the gravity etched in his face. One, however, would refute Ryson's conclusion.

"No, it doesn't!" Heteera claimed. "It doesn't make any sense at all and it's not possible. I didn't summon Baannat! I couldn't have. I called on Lief. I wanted to stop the monsters from coming here. I didn't want to bring one back. I would not have made that kind of mistake!"

The delver did not want to place blame, that was not his cause, but he would not withdraw what he knew to be true.

"I don't think it was all your fault," Ryson responded. "I think Baannat had something to do with it. He had to, but whatever the case, I know the truth. Lief is out in the desert and Baannat is in the dark realm. We have to accept that." He paused, and though he did not wish to speak the next few words, he knew he had no choice. "And we have to deal with it."