Richard Tuttle - Island of Darkness

“Why are we stopping?” asked MistyTrail. “Let’s bang on the door and get out of this rain.”

“I don’t know where we are,” cautioned Mistake. “At first I thought we might have come out in the Qubari Jungle, but they would not have a house like this on the beach. They wouldn’t allow anyone else to either.”

“Alright,” whispered MistyTrail. “Let’s find out if anyone is inside. You take the front, and I will take the back.”

Mistake nodded and they both dashed towards the house. MistyTrail raced around to the back of the house. The windows were shuttered and the door was locked. She continued around to the far side of the house and eventually to the front where Mistake was standing by the door.

“The back is all locked up,” MistyTrail reported softly.

“So is the front,” nodded Mistake. “I am going to open the door. Get ready in case there are people inside.”

MistyTrail nodded and drew her belt knife. Mistake extracted a thin strip of metal from her belt and worked it into the lock. Seconds later a click let her know that the door was unlocked. She looked at MistyTrail and inhaled deeply as she shoved the piece of metal into her belt and drew her knife. Mistake eased the door open cautiously and stepped inside. MistyTrail followed her and pulled the door shut.

The first floor of the house was dark. Mistake and MistyTrail quietly worked their way through each of the rooms and found nothing. Mistake led the way up the stairs to the second floor. There were only two rooms on the second floor. One room had two large beds in it. The other had a table with chairs around it and a lone chair in front of the window. The window was shuttered like all the rest.

MistyTrail led the way up to the third level. The top level was smaller than the rest because the roof slanted down at a sharp angle. It was a single room with piles of used furniture and small crates. Another lone chair sat before the window at the front of the house. Mistake walked to the window and opened the shutter. She gazed out at the angry sea and watched the waves crashing on the reef offshore. She looked down at the small rowboat on the beach and shook her head. She closed the shutters and turned to see MistyTrail rummaging through the crates.

“Whoever lives here likes to watch the sea,” Mistake said. “I doubt it is a fisherman. The rowboat is too small for any serious fishing. Find anything interesting?”

“Uniforms,” MistyTrail said with a puzzled look. “Red uniforms. We are not in Omunga or Sakova. That much I am sure about. I have never seen uniforms like this before.”

Mistake walked over to the crate that MistyTrail was rummaging through. She took out one of the uniforms and held it up.

“Open the rear shutters,” ordered Mistake. “I can’t see much with the light only coming through the cracks.”

MistyTrail opened the shutters and tied them back. The sky was still angry, but there was more than enough light to see what they were doing.

“This is interesting,” commented Mistake. “I have seen just about every uniform from Khadora and Fakara. I have never seen anything like it. Who would go into battle wearing something this loud?”

“There is a city in the distance,” announced MistyTrail.

Mistake dropped the uniform and walked to the rear window. She gazed out at the distant city and frowned.

“Recognize it?” asked MistyTrail.

“No,” answered Mistake as she gazed at the nearby mountains. “The only jungle that I know of is the Qubari Jungle, and it is nowhere near the mountains when it is near the sea. We are not in Fakara.”

“And Khadora has no jungle,” sighed MistyTrail. “So just where are we?”

“I don’t know,” Mistake said as she moved away from the window, “but I am going to slip into one of these uniforms. I have had enough wetness next to my body for now.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” agreed MistyTrail. “There is some rope in the corner. I will string up a line to let our stuff dry out. We should look at your leg. It is bleeding.”

“We need to see what kind of food is in the kitchen, too,” nodded Mistake. “Everything in our packs will be soaked.”

“Why do you suppose the house is empty?” asked MistyTrail. “There were dishes on the table downstairs. Who would just up and leave like that?”

“Probably anyone who knows about storms,” Mistake answered as she listened to the rain pound on the roof. “These people spend a lot of time watching the sea what from I can tell. They must have seen this storm coming.”

“Do you think we are safe here?” asked MistyTrail.

“A lot safer than we were in that boat,” replied Mistake. “It hardly matters now. There is no way that we could reach that city before the storm really hits. We should eat and get some rest while we can. We may end up running as this place falls down around us.”

“The beds downstairs looked comfy,” shrugged MistyTrail.

“I think we should stay up here,” frowned Mistake. “I am glad that we found this house as shelter, but I will not feel at ease until we get a chance to observe the people that live here. These uniforms disturb me.”

“Alright,” agreed MistyTrail. “You tend to your wound, and I will see what food is available downstairs. I will take portions that will not be noticeable if the people return.”

“Smart idea,” smiled Mistake as she sat on a crate and examined her leg.

* * *

Temiker made his rounds of the small classrooms in the schoolhouse in Alamar. He examined the projects of each of the groups and discussed magic theory and its application with the students. He was very happy with their progress. Next, he walked into the large common classroom. One of the older students was leading a discussion on the basics of concentration. Temiker stood against the wall and listened.

A minor commotion near the front door of the school drew his attention. He craned his neck to see what was causing the distraction and saw that a kitten had wandered in off the street. The commotion died as the older student demanded the attention of all of the students. Temiker smiled as he watched the students try to listen to a lecture on concentration while the cat roamed between their desks.

Although the distraction was ironic, Temiker could see that the lecture was being disrupted. He walked over and picked up the kitten. Perhaps if the students were more advanced, he would have let the cat continue its meandering ways. He thought about intentionally providing such a distraction as the students became more familiar with the subject. It would be a good indicator of their level of concentration.

Temiker took the kitten out of the schoolhouse. He gently dropped it on the ground and returned to the common classroom. He listened for another fifteen minutes before he felt a rubbing on his leg. He looked down to see the kitten rubbing against him. Temiker knelt and scratched the kitten’s head as he continued to listen.

Suddenly, the kitten raced down the hallway. Temiker frowned as he slowly stood up, his own concentration on the lecture destroyed. He sighed heavily and followed the cat. The kitten had run by all of the individual classrooms and had entered the dining room. Temiker smiled as he pictured the kitten searching the kitchen for scraps of food.

As Temiker entered the dining room and headed for the kitchen, he heard a door close behind him. He whirled around and saw a large, gray-hooded man standing next to the closed door. His finger was raised to his mouth in a symbol of silence.

“Who are you, and how did you get in here?” Temiker asked calmly.

“I am a friend in need of your help,” the man replied softly. “Can we talk privately?”

“There is no one here,” Temiker stated. “What is it that you need?”