Brian Pratt - Shades of the past

From behind them, the sphere pulsates again as another bolt of lightning strikes it from the altar. Then just as before, a figure emerges. Removing a slug from his belt, he throws it with magic behind it and strikes the creature before it takes two steps.

Striking it in the chest, the slug blasts through and out the other side. The creature staggers backward into the pulsating sphere. As soon as the creature comes in contact with the sphere, it begins to pulsate erratically. The static charges within it become more frequent and the hair on the back of James’ neck rises.

Taking Dave by the arm, he says, “We better get out of here.” Dave nods and they make for the door between the cells as it’s the closest. Static charges begin erupting from the sphere as they reach the door. Throwing it open, they hear the sphere begin to crackle loudly.

“Move!” screams James as he propels Dave through the door. He follows and slams the door shut. He no sooner puts his shoulder against the door before the sphere detonates with an immense explosion.

The concussion of the blast hits the door and knocks it off into the hallway. James is thrown backward several yards where he hits the floor hard. Getting to his feet, he turns back toward the doorway and sees electrical bolts crisscrossing the room. One enters through the doorway and ricochets down the hallway toward them.

Unable to move in time, he’s struck full force in the chest by the bolt. A moment’s searing pain and then he blacks out.

“James!” Jiron yells from the shore of the underground lake. Can’t really call it a lake, it’s not that big. He listens but no sound is forthcoming.

It took some doing but he made it down from the window. The rope is again coiled around his middle and he holds the orb high as he tries to figure out which way James went.

He sees the holes in the ground James had blasted and his footprints in the dirt. As for what he was running from, there’s no indication of anything. Moving quickly, he follows the footprints in the dirt until he comes to where the shoreline ends at a stone wall. The footprints seem to end here.

James is alive, of that he’s sure. Had he been dead, the orb would have gone out. As long as the orb exists then James has to be alive. But where is he?

“James!” he hollers again. “Where are you?”

Examining the water’s edge, he speculates James could have gone into the water. But why? Didn’t make any sense. The surface of the water is placid, only a few residuals ripples from when he left the water after descending from the ledge under the window work their way across.

He didn’t swim past me on my way here. So he had to go somewhere else. The only shore adjacent to the water is that which he is standing on now. Which leaves the stone wall he’s standing next to.

Remembering the secret doors James found in the past, he begins working his fingers along the cracks and grooves. Pushing here, pressing there, he tries to find a hidden opening trigger. After a quarter hour he gives up, if James managed to find and use one he can’t duplicate the feat.

He sits on the shore near the water as he tries to figure out what to do next. While he sits there, his mind drifts back to a time when he and Tinok had gone to recover a broach stolen from Tersa.

It was made of silver and the only thing of any value she owned. They had tracked the thief to one of the old buildings on the waterfront. The front door was barred from within and no other way was available to get in.

As it happened, one of their friends from the fight pits walked by while they were thinking of their next move. When he learned what they were up to he suggested going into the water and try to come up underneath the building. Said some buildings in the area have openings in their floor where they can access the water without leaving their homes. Taking them around to the side of the building, he showed them how it was built up to the water line.

Sure enough, when they dove under the water and swam beneath the building, they found an open section. They soon had the broach in hand and had thoroughly taught the hoodlum a lesson to within an inch of his life.

Returning to the present, Jiron looks at the way the water goes to the edge of the building and how the stone wall runs along the water a good fifteen feet. Seeing as how James’ footprints end at the water’s edge there, he takes the orb in hand and wades into the water to see if he could have gone under the wall.

Seven feet out, the water is now up to his waist. Two more steps and the ground beneath him comes to a drop. Thinking this might be the place, he dives under the water. Feeling with his free hand, he finds where the wall ends and begins working his way under the building. When his hand encounters the end of the stone above, he kicks up and breaks through the surface.

Holding the orb high, he sees where the stone is wet from where James had left the water. Tossing the orb onto the floor of the room, he pulls himself out of the water. Feeling mighty pleased with himself, he picks up the orb and follows James’ wet footprints to the door leading from the room.

Peering through the open door, he finds a hallway extending directly away from the door. James’ footprints are clearly visible indicating he had passed this way. Moving through the doorway, he follows the footprints down the hallway.

The footprints continue until they come to an open door on the left. It looks like James paused here for some time before finally entering the room. Jiron looks around the door and finds another empty room with a door on the far side of the room and another on the right. The one on the right is open.

Just before he passes through, he hears a groaning coming from further down the hallway. Glancing into the darkness, he holds up the light but it doesn’t reveal anything. “James?” he hollers as he quickly moves down the hallway toward the source of the sound. Again the groaning comes from further down the hallway.

Quickening his speed, he runs toward the sound. A light begins to be seen ahead and he’s soon to realize it’s coming from behind a door at the end of the hallway. It’s slightly ajar and the groaning is coming from whatever lies beyond.

Putting the orb inside his shirt, Jiron slowly moves to the opening and peers around the door. On the other side is a room right out of some torturer’s dream. A man is using a hot iron on a form lying bound upon one of the tables within. Another table sits closer to the door and Jiron sees what looks to be a dead body lying upon it.

The man laughs as he again presses the hot glowing metal to the man’s side. When the hot iron hits flesh, the man upon the table groans as smoke rises from his skin. Wracked with pain, the man on the table thrashes about. In his thrashing, the man turns his face toward the door where Jiron is standing.

Jiron gasps in startlement as he recognizes the form upon the table. Without thought, he throws open the door and rushes into the room. The man on the table cries out, “Jiron!” before passing out.

Knives in hand, Jiron closes on the torturer and in two lightning quick passes leaves him dead on the ground. “Tinok!” he cries as he turns to his lifelong friend. Seeing him lying there unconscious, he looks at what’s left of his friend. One hand is missing three fingers, scars and burns cover most of his body. Emaciated and thin, he looks like he hasn’t eaten anything for days.

Untying him from the table, he picks him up in his arms not caring that Tinok’s blood soaks into the front of his shirt. Surprised at how thin he is, he carries him over to where a bucket of water sits on a small table. Propping him against the wall, he pats his face to wake him.

Tinok stirs groggily, not entirely aware of his surroundings. Jiron ladles out some of the water and puts it to his lips. The feel of the water trickling into his mouth brings him closer to wakefulness and he begins to swallow. After he drinks two full ladlefuls of water, Jiron puts it back in the bucket.