As promised in the last post, here is ‘The Traveler’.
Enjoy!
~~
THE
TRAVELER
Another
flash of lightning struck. A second later he heard another monstrous peal of
thunder. The wind was getting stronger and the rain continued to fall.
Johnathan Carstein was thoroughly soaked to the bone and was getting quite
chilled. He pulled his ragged, patched and sopping wet cloak tighter about him
and tried to push his discomfort from his mind. That was easier said than done.
More lightning illuminated his surroundings and through the trees he caught a
glimpse of a house in the distance. Johnathan’s hopes soared.
The
closer he got, the more detail he could see in the house. The first glaringly
obvious fact was that it wasn’t a house at all, but a mansion. Shutters clanged
miserably against the windows in the wind and shingles were missing from the
roof. The grounds were overgrown with thorny, twisting roots and vines and tree
branches scratched at the siding and exposed windows of the building. It was a
very gloomy and worn mansion. But whatever it may be, it was shelter and
Johnathan only thought of it as such.
A
huge double oak wood door guarded the sanctuary. A knock on the door echoed
throughout the ground floor. Painted flaked off from his knock and he brushed
his hand on his cloak. He waited. And he waited. Johnathan knocked again. Some
of the windows were lit. He knew there had to be at least one person home.
Just
when he was about to give up and leave to search out some other place the door
was opened. A stooped old man peered out. “May I help you?” he asked in a
quivering and wheezy voice.
Johnathan
spread his arms wide and said, “Pardon the interruption, but I would greatly
appreciate the chance to get out of this rain and perhaps a hot meal and a room
for the night.”
The
old man squinted and scrunched up his face and looked Johnathan up and down
from head to toe. The rain poured from Johnathan’s hood and caused him to
shiver. After a long pause that seemed to last for ages, the old man came to a
decision. He nodded and stepped aside for the shivering Johnathan to enter. “It
is not for me to decide,” he croaked “but we shall see what can be done.”
“Who
decides?” Johnathan stepped inside and took his cloak off, water dripping from
the heavy fabric.
“Lord
Akkorah will decide. He is the master of this house. You are inside Akkorah
Manor.”
It
was a long walk to the dining room, where Lord Akkorah currently was, and
Johnathan found the old man’s shuffling and uneven gait annoying. The hallway
was coloured with pictures of long dead ancestors, or so Johnathan suspected.
Oddly though, many of the pictures looked to be the same man with varying
settings. Ancient busts sat in alcoves and only dim flickering lamps
illuminated the trek.
He
was led into a large room with a fire blazing off to the side. Large
floor-to-ceiling windows that shook and rattled with every peal of thunder
dominated the far wall and a giant dining table occupied the very heart of the
room.
At
the head of the table sat a burly middle-aged man. Strong and broad shoulders
were covered with a long fur cloak and muscles strained against his shirt as if
seeking release. Dark eyes stared out from under heavy brows in hostility and
annoyance at the interruption. All said, this was not a gentleman to be messed
with.
But
what really caught Johnathan’s eye was the most beautiful woman whom he had
ever seen. She wore a very flattering gown and dark hair cascaded down past her
tanned shoulders, bathing her in a brunette halo. A cute button nose and full
lips added to her attractiveness and he was instantly lost in her clear blue
eyes.
The
old man who answered the door briefly explained the situation to the master,
who responded with a glower and a grunt. The servant quickly took his leave.
Lord Akkorah looked Johnathan up and down, evaluating him.
“You
may stay the night, traveler. Our servants will bring you a hot meal from the
kitchens and conduct you to a room.” The Lord growled.
Johnathan’s
eyes had not left the young woman and Lord Akkorah cleared his throat. “I
regret that my daughter and I will not be able to attend you.” He snarled.
Emphasis on the word daughter got Johnathan’s attention. “Our servants will now
see to your comfort.”
The
Akkorahs took their leave of the traveler. From the master’s hostile attitude
Johnathan had no trouble envisioning the father and daughter performing some
dark rituals. As the family left the room the daughter flashed Johnathan a
smile. The smile did not seem quite right. It was a dark smile. Was it supposed
to be mischievous? Perhaps hungry? Johnathan did not know and all contemplation
ended when food arrived.
What
a meal it was! A succulent broth started things off which left a warm feeling
in the traveler’s stomach. The broth helped to lift the last vestiges of cold
from Johnathan. The main course was an exquisite roast duck with seasoned
potatoes and sweet caramelized onions. The smell alone had Johnathan salivating
and the presentation looked like a piece of art. Lastly he was served a
collection of fresh fruits and vegetables that he picked at contentedly.
The
room that Johnathan was led to after his dinner was the envy of rich people all
over the world. A fire was blazing and a comfortable high-backed chair was
beside the hearth. More floor-to-ceiling windows covered the far wall which
showed a splendid view of the grounds behind the house, or would have had the
weather been more cooperative. A massive four-poster bed finished off the room.
It looked as if it could fit a giant and Johnathan mused over the type of
company the Akkorahs kept.
A
young attractive girl smiled shyly at him as she drew him a steaming bath and
excused herself. Johnathan relished the sensations of soaking the road from his
bones. He couldn’t remember the last time he had had a bath. Was it weeks ago?
Months perhaps? He did not know, nor did he care. This bath was making him feel
much younger and stronger than he had felt in a long time. He stayed in until
the water was cold and even then had to force himself out.
As
he climbed out of the tub Johnathan noticed, for the first time, that there
were no mirrors in the room. Now that he stopped to think about it, he hadn’t
passed a single mirror since entering the house. Even the cutlery was dulled.
The
traveler made his way a little uneasily back to the bed and found that the shy
girl had laid out fresh clothes for him while he was bathing. He began to dress
as his thoughts turned darker and he wasn’t sure he wanted to stay.
Johnathan
reached for his cloak and looked out the window as another flash of lightning
struck and thunder rolled. When he turned around he saw the Akkorah girl
standing in the doorway. Johnathan started a little. He hadn’t seen her
reflection in the window when he was looking out. She was wet, as if she had
been standing in the raging downpour outside.
“Leaving
so soon?” Her voice was musical and it trapped Johnathan just as her eyes had
earlier.
“I
really do not want to impose upon your hospitality,” Johnathan stammered. “You
and your father have been quite kind.”
“Yes,
and now it’s time for payment.” She edged closer and closer as she spoke,
cornering him so he could not leave.
Johnathan’s
mind started reeling. What payment? What could he possibly have as a lonely
traveler that they could want? Visions of demons and blood sacrifices came
unbidden to his mind. He pictured the girl with a snarl on her face and a
bloody knife in her hand, her father hooded and chanting some arcane words.
Shadows danced on the edge of his sight and chilling laughter filled the air.
He shuddered at his own imagination.
“What…”
Johnathan stuttered, his throat suddenly tight. “What form of payment?”
Her
brilliant blue eyes shone and she smiled in her mischievous way. “I just want
stories.” She said. “I don’t get out much and would really like to hear news
from the country…” she ran a finger down his chest, teasing him and his heart
skipped a beat. “If you wouldn’t mind, that is.”
“Not
at all.” Johnathan couldn’t hide his relief. He was envisioning the worst, and
it turned out that her request wasn’t so bad after all. “What would you like to
know?”
“Everything.
It has been so very long since we have had a visitor.”
Her
last comment made Johnathan pause and think for a moment. Why hadn’t they had a
visitor recently? He didn’t dwell on it too much though. He was just relieved
that payment wasn’t in blood. He had no doubts that he would never be able to
leave if the Akkorahs had decided that he couldn’t. Lord Akkorah did look like
a formidable person.
They
talked for ages. Johnathan told her of the fighting and the new king in the
south. He told her of the mighty storm that hit the coast far to the west and
of the fleet of fishing ships that were lost. The terrible wars to the east
took hours to describe. He mentioned news both near and far, and he learned
that her name was Danielle.
Danielle,
it seemed, was eager to hear of all the news. Her looks were hungry, as
Johnathan suspected, but only for knowledge. She soaked up all he could tell
her like a sponge.
They
spoke for what seemed like the entire night until Johnathan ran out of stories
to tell her. Something had been nagging at him and he had to ask her about the
missing mirrors in the house.
“My
mother was terribly ill before she passed away.” Danielle somberly explained.
“My father removed all the mirrors in the house for her. She didn’t care too
much for her appearance when she was sick.” She laughed a short musical laugh.
“People in the village actually believe we are vampires because of it. Can you
imagine? Us as vampires?”
Johnathan
smiled back at her. He was thinking the exact same thing as the villagers and
relief flooded off of him in waves. He moved in closer and kissed her on the
neck. Danielle tilted her head back with her eyes closed and sighed in
contentment. As lightning struck and thunder rolled, Johnathan sank his fangs
into her neck and started to drink.
The
Akkorah’s were not vampires, but there was one vampire in the manor on that
evening.
~~
As I had mentioned in the last post, the ending to this
story came as a complete surprise to me. I had imagined that there was
something dark and secretive about the Akkorah’s, but I had no clue that the
traveler, who only wanted to get out of the rain for the night, was the
villain. Just one example on how stories and characters seem to take on a life
of their own as you are crafting their world and adventures.
Sinceriously,
-Chad
Summer. It’s more than half way over now and I haven’t
accomplished much of anything since I’ve been back home from my Barcelona trip. Not for a lack of planning, mind you. I blame a complete and total lack
of effort and motivation on my part.
