The dark passenger (book 1)

T D P HE ARK ASSENGER By Joshua Thomas T D P HE ARK ASSENGER Copyright © 2013 Joshua Thomas All rights reserved CONTENTS Chapter 1: The Night-Mahr Chapter 2: Five Candle-Made Maidens Chapter 3: The Dirty Sacrifice Chapter 4: A Boy Returned Chapter 5: Of Dreams and Beans Chapter 6: The Lucent Speaks Chapter 7: The Cost of Magic Chapter 8: Blind With Fury Chapter 9: Blue and Red Tickets Chapter 10: An Imp on the Road Chapter 11: A Conversation in Blood Chapter 12: An Injury Best Not Seen Chapter 13: The Winter Fair Chapter 14: Nothing But Ash Chapter 15: Truths and Consequences Chapter 16: A Home For Mischief Chapter 17: A Pinch of Spice Chapter 18: The Fallen Roger Goodfellow Chapter 19: Three Tests Chapter 20: The Umbrage Box Chapter 21: A Meal to Remember Chapter 22: Through The Black Keep Chapter 23: The Great Herald Chapter 24: Preparations at the Gate Chapter 25: Parlor Tricks Chapter 26: A Boy Taken Chapter 27: Borrowed Magic Chapter 28: The Skeleton Key Chapter 29: The Host's Tomb Chapter 30: The Gates of Newick CHAPTER 1: THE NIGHT-MAHR As the woman ran, the mahr felt her anxiety, her desire to move faster Stairs of uneven height lined her path, and each step was a trap, threatening what she worried would be a fatal fall Even though she heard nothing but the slapping of her bare feet, she knew others were near, coming for her She took solace in the mahr, drawing on its strength while letting it absorb her fear With the mahr, she was calm The darkness may have made the path more difficult, but she was glad for it Her pursuers couldn’t see either Each step was quick and confident; she had given herself to the mahr and was following its intuition The staircase was narrow, steep and had no railing, and the rock was wet and warm to her touch She could only guess what the cavern looked like around her, but she stopped herself when she began imagining how far she would fall if she tripped or missed a step Instead, she focused on counting stairs From the mahr she knew that it would be only a few more steps before she turned up another stairway that crisscrossed its way up the cliff By the time she reached the last stair, she was out of breath and covered in sweat Her stamina wasn’t what she remembered it to be, and the pain in her stomach was growing worse Feeling along the edge of the wall, she found the crack that she knew to be there It was the edge of what the mahr had seen when it was alone, before she had called for it Until that moment, she had focused only on getting to this crack in the wall, but she was unsure of what she would find once she stepped through As her pace slowed, she felt forward with one hand and anchored herself to the side of the cave with the other The mahr helped her take slow, controlled breaths, which helped her focus her other senses The air smelled damp, and the ground beneath her bare feet was covered in a downy coat of moss Her hand was still pressed against smooth, wet rock, and it seemed to lead straight in one direction She had no sense of time in the darkness, but she knew she had been walking a while when her hand hit a different kind of rock These rocks were cut and jagged, like they had been placed there She also felt a change beneath her feet The moss suddenly ended, and she was walking on cobblestone The wall started to turn slightly to the right, and she turned with it When her shin hit rock, she found that the wall had stopped turning, and that she had come upon another staircase She was heading straight again, up stairs How close her pursuers were now, she couldn’t guess, but she feared the worst and stumbled quickly up the stairs, feeling wildly above and in front of her with her outstretched hands She counted one hundred fortyseven steps before she found wood above her A trapdoor The hinges protested loudly as she opened it, and the sound of the falling door echoed in the large chamber Her heart quickened when she realized she could see Much had changed since the last time light had reached her eyes Moonlight shone through a huge, broken window at the far end of the hall, as well as through a gaping hole in the ceiling She stood there stunned, but only for a moment As she approached the window, she saw a trail outside leading away from the building Closer now, she saw the dull outline of a door in a shaded antechamber Going left, she ran to the door and pushed It was twice as tall as she was and its hinges were covered with rust She leaned into it with all her strength until it gave and lurched open She was outside now, and it was a new world Everything was a soft blue in the moonlight There were moss-covered boulders all around her, and she saw the statues of a man, a woman, and a box Having suddenly realized where she was, the woman fell to her knees and wept Looking behind her, she stared at the remains of the Black Keep, the broken building that had once been her home Feeling a pang in her stomach, she forced herself up She had more than just herself to consider, and this knowledge gave her new life Ahead, far in the distance, she saw a man’s silhouette “Stop!” a man commanded “Surrender now You have nowhere to run.” She didn’t stop, but she dreaded the man’s words As she ran she whispered a word she knew well, and a blue-white bolt escaped her outstretched hand Its power was less than she had expected “Your magic will not work here, witch,” said the man, the last word a curse “Witch? I’m no witch,” she said, momentarily taken aback She raised her arms and, through the mahr, pooled energy into her hands like opposite ends of a pole When she brought them together, another bolt leapt towards the man, stronger this time, but it didn’t explode as it should have Instead, it reached the man and disappeared The woman cursed and muttered, “The hallow tree’s amber was rare in my time and only given to a great warrior What else has changed?” But she kept running and didn’t slow down; she felt with her entire being that there was no time Again she said the word, louder now, directing its energy to the cliff above Rocks tumbled down the cliff and sideswiped the man, who only had time to let out one brief shrill scream Over the ledge she saw the village below and was horrified to see it so close to the Black Keep It wasn’t until she passed the rubble and crushed man that she saw the pass leading up the cliff She had a choice to make now The desire to be free and out in the open would lead her up the pass, but that’s what they would expect What their intent had been in settling the bottom of the crater, she could only guess, but she knew instinctively that whatever she found down there would be better than what she’d find above That only left the option of approaching the village below head on The pass weaved back and forth but was easy to see After running for what felt like an eternity, she found herself surrounded by a small outcropping of trees at the bottom of the crater Leaving the trail, she ran through them directly, thankful for the little light that made its way through their branches Holding her engorged belly, she ran past boulders and around fallen trunks, feeling awakened by the clean, crisp air hitting her face Between the trees, she caught sight of flickering orange lights from the village itself They were close enough that she could smell their smoke The pain in her stomach was growing, and she knew what would happen soon Although she was breathing heavily through clenched teeth, she kept reminding herself that she had to keep moving There was no wall between her and the village, but the houses were stacked on each other, leaving her no breaks to the other side Following the perimeter, she ran past locked doors and blackened windows until she hit a small alley—a vein into the village From her first step into the village, the mahr’s energy within her dampened She worried its power might be gone, but she was afraid to test her reserves Any show of power would only attract attention, so she continued on Seeing no one, she stumbled through the empty paths with only the slightest hint of a plan, but while it formed, she meant to lose herself and maybe her pursuers for a short while The pain in her stomach continued to grow, and her steps became more labored Turning down one road after another, she lost track of where she was And then, in a moment of pure joy, the woman sensed what she was looking for She allowed herself to fall at the house’s doorstep and grab her stomach Having given everything in her escape, she was relieved to no longer have to hold it in Her stomach kicked beneath the weight of her hands, and she knew that it was time for her baby to come Clenching her eyes shut, she gasped for the air she would need to push, but held her hands over her mouth when she heard herself scream Luckily, it was a quick delivery Not allowing herself time to hold her son, the woman wrapped him in her shawl and whispered a word that turned it into the warmest of blankets Also wrapped in the blanket was a book that she had carried out of the cave and down the pass With her baby born, she held him in one arm as she let herself in the stranger’s house Walking silently to the room where she sensed another baby, she knelt down and gave her boy one kiss on the forehead She then picked up the other baby, whispered a few horrible words, and put her own baby in its place Knowing the book and blanket would be conspicuous, she hesitated a moment, but there was no time to anything else In the gray moonlight, the small pile of ash that had once been another woman’s baby looked like liquid at her feet Leaving the house as quickly as she had entered, she closed the door behind her and crossed the street Looking back a minute later she saw the outline of three figures heading towards her Running now, she glanced behind her and saw that they were running too Weak and covered in cold sweat, she ran with energy she didn’t even know she had, energy that came only from the hope of luring her pursuers away from her baby Taking a quick turn, she ran down a narrow street, and houses with little orange lanterns flew past her Once again she was letting the mahr guide her, knowing that it had long ago sensed where she needed to go An explosion of sound suddenly filled the air It sounded like a horn, and its cry carried across the village, stirring people from their sleep Still running, she didn’t look back, but she could hear the steps slowly gaining behind her In every house she passed now lights were beginning to illuminate small windows A minute later she found herself out of the narrow streets and in the middle of the large village square There in the middle she saw what she and the mahr needed It was a tree, bigger than any she had passed running down the pass, and it marked the heart of the village She ran to it and stopped, and when she turned around she saw that her three pursuers had stopped with her One man slowly approached and the other two moved off to her side, keeping their distance while cutting off any escape around the tree Other people were also beginning to fill the square: men, women, and children, all of them holding weapons The villagers moved cautiously, like they knew that she had already killed one of their own Some people, including the original three following her, had swords at their sides, but they kept them sheathed Most of the people, though, held a wooden staff in one hand and a spear in the other The small bloodstones at each spear’s end glistened in the moonlight Holding the spears above their heads, they watched the woman intently, ready to strike And then, for reasons she barely understood, she started laughing “You think the gift we gave you will protect you? How much time must have passed! In my time one of my kind would never be allowed so close to the hallow tree.” She backed towards the tree while the villagers looked on dumbly, as though too scared to make any sudden movements “It doesn’t matter how long you have had to stockpile your weapons,” she continued “Yes, I see the bloodstones set atop your every spear You are a race of fools, and I shudder to think the damage you’ve done.” At last her hand landed on the tree Muttering a word, the bark began to glow black and ash rained down from above The villagers were charging her now, yelling, but she was no longer inhibited by the tree and was already casting a greater spell Feeling her skin scaling, her limbs stretching, and her teeth growing, she let out a scream, only it was a monster’s voice, not hers When the men grew near, green fire erupted from her mouth Some splashed on the ground, sending a sulfurous smoke into the air, but most hit its mark: the many villagers before her But even with the tree dead, the bloodstones, fruit of human sacrifices to the tree she had just destroyed, still retained their power and absorbed her fire Charging forward, the woman snapped at a row of men, all the while trying to crush the villagers behind her with her tail One of her claws connected like the wind and water before it, the fire couldn’t penetrate his cloak Pyre met her sisters’ eyes and together they laughed “Your cloak can’t save you,” she said “You only prolong our fun.” Mina stood behind her sisters hugging her shoulders, rocking back and forth on her feet “This has to end The boy must die The boy needs to die!” Gretchen yelled, “Mistral, Pyre, Meryl, no more games! You heard Mina Something’s wrong Kill the boy now, and Sam too if necessary.” Still holding down Sam, a grin broke out across Walt’s face “Are you ready to die?” he asked Sam, or Edwin, or both The sisters were running towards Edwin now, and he sent a bolt at the ground The wood splintered and cracked, and then the whole floor gave way and they were falling into the rooms below Edwin heard the sisters getting up in the other rooms “No more tricks, little mahrling,” Pyre yelled While the triplet taunted him, Edwin saw that Sam had used the fall to wiggle free of Walt Now trading punches, Walt and Sam threw on their masks and disappeared The sisters appeared in the splintered doorway, and they advanced on Edwin quickly Together, with a single swipe of their hands, they also put on their masks and disappeared “What will you now, little one?” a triplet asked She was too close, and Edwin quickly backed towards the shattered picture window The brownie held tight to his cloak but never made a sound The room was filled with the sound of shuffling, and a triplet on his left said, “You’re trapped.” There was a cackle to his right “Enough!” It was Gretchen’s voice, and she was close—perhaps right in front of him Edwin turned and ran Outside the cottage, he sprinted towards the boat, only to find that it was no longer there His first thought was that the halflings had moved it, but then he saw its faint silhouette in the distance It was moving back across the lake fast, carried away by the nixies Not daring to stop, he ran around the island and jumped at the nearest large statue It was a mammoth horse-like creature, and he straddled its neck as he grabbed for its horns Rock began to fall from the statue, and the creature began to shake the battle-axe in its hands Then there was a cutting sound, and the creature’s head, still partially rock, slid from its body and fell to the ground As Edwin leapt from the statue, he grabbed the creature’s battle-axe and ran Behind him Gretchen said, “I can break rock with a thought, but only if you make me There aren’t many of that creature’s kind left How many others must die?” On the other side of the island he could still hear Sam and Walt fighting, but the other four sisters hadn’t made a noise and could be anywhere Though he had never tried to lift so much, Edwin circled the lake with a new determination and reached for the water with his mind Feeling its presence, he conjured it towards him, and clouds swept up and into the air, swirling, filling the sky And then it began to rain Sliding to a stop, Edwin turned around The witches’ silhouettes appeared in the raindrops, and he could see that all five of them were fast approaching Meryl threw up her hands and said, “I cannot stop this rain, sisters The spell is too strong.” “Clever Host,” Pyre grumbled “Hurry, kill him!” Gretchen yelled “I have an axe What are you going to do, kill me with your bare hands?” Edwin asked The sisters smiled wickedly, the contours clear in the rain “Of course,” Mina said “That axe in your hands is a nuisance, but it will nothing to save you.” “We’ll see,” Edwin said, and he tested its weight in his hands The sisters were circling him now Suddenly he heard Sam’s voice cut through the air: “Edwin, run! Come to me!” “…or maybe we won’t,” Edwin said, and he charged the sisters and dived between two triplets They scrambled to catch him, but he was already past Their feet splashed in the mud as they raced to catch up As he again rounded the cottage, Sam saw him and cried, “The stick-bug! Grab Walt’s stick-bug!” Sam and Walt’s masks were strewn across the ground, and Sam had Walt pinned but couldn’t move for fear of Walt breaking free Unconcerned by the commotion, the stick-bug had crawled out of Walt’s pocket and was making its way slowly across the ground Without stopping, Edwin grabbed Walker the stick-bug and kept running The ground was wet and slippery, but the rain-shower was losing strength Now that the bug was in Edwin’s hands, Sam had jumped up and was running with him “I always thought you didn’t like me,” Edwin said to Sam Farther behind him, he heard the sound of footsteps trailing off as the witches and Walt split off to circle both sides of the island He knew that soon he and Sam would be trapped “I tried to tell you to leave,” Sam said, “but now’s not the time.” “Idiot!” he heard Pyre yell “How could you let them take the double’s key?” Edwin glanced at the bug, and its little eyes stared back up at him He asked Sam, “Why we need Walker?” “That bug commands the imp It used to be a Host’s mahr.” Edwin realized immediately what that meant “How does it work?” “Give it to me There’s no time to explain,” Sam said Edwin handed Walker to Sam, but Walker’s beady little eyes continued to follow him, only once leaving his face to glance at the brownie still hanging onto his shoulder Edwin was starting to feel the strain of conjuring the rain, and he commanded it to stop Sam began speaking in the Hosts’ tongue, and chills went down Edwin’s spine as he realized just how little he had known “Why’d you only tell it to steal their masks?” he asked “They’re my family,” Sam said The imp appeared from under the surface of the lake, and its tentacle-like hair began scouring the island Edwin heard a yelp to his left, another one behind him, and three more to his right With their masks hanging from the imp’s tentacles, the witches stopped running The witches and Walt approached cautiously, and Edwin saw pure hatred burning in their eyes “It’s over,” Sam said with a conviction Edwin wished he shared “We command the imp, and you’re only half-blood witches Don’t test to see whether the imp can harm you.” “We should have dealt with you years ago,” Pyre said Sam’s face was unreadable “You know Mina’s prophesy Neither twin may live without the other.” “There are other ways to deal with such problems,” Pyre retorted “Enough!” Gretchen said “What you want, Sam?” She smiled her most alluring smile, but Edwin could only wince “Your plan failed, but we will let you leave,” Sam said “We will?” Edwin asked Nodding, Sam said, “Yes Now go, live your lives, but never try to find us.” Gretchen shook her head “You know we can’t that We need the magic contained in these walls to live.” “No,” Sam said “You have fed off the magic of others long enough Go and live whatever time you have left in peace Try to make amends.” Gretchen smiled wickedly “Is that your final word, Sam? You wish to live without us?” Walt looked genuinely upset “Sam, no, please,” he pleaded Sam’s face remained expressionless “It’s for the best Now go before I change my mind.” Behind them, the imp’s tentacles limply in the air Bowing her head, Gretchen said, “Come, sisters We have lost.” Edwin felt only a moment’s relief before the witches started cackling, and the air filled with light as they wielded the elements in their hands Fire flew in thick molten columns from beneath the lake, swifter than Edwin would have thought possible The rainwater on the floor began coalescing into a huge ball in the air The wind grabbed wood, glass, dirt, and anything else it could Shards of rock pooled at Gretchen’s feet Lightning crackled between Mina’s hands Next to him he heard Sam whispering words to the stick-bug Then, as one, the sisters attacked Edwin didn’t even think of a spell With the spirit, he just knew what to His eyes went black and he stuck his hands out, thinking only the word stop —and the elements stopped in front of him Halfway between him and the sisters the air was filled with earth, fire, wind, water, and lightning, but it looked as though it had hit an invisible wall The brownie scurried down his shoulder and on his back “More, sisters!” Gretchen yelled “Destroy him!” The elements attacked his shield from every direction It took all Edwin’s concentration, but the witches were powerful A visible crack began to appear between them, and a burst of lightning made its way through, hitting Sam square in the chest Sam flew backwards and the stick-bug fell to the ground “Sam!” Edwin yelled Gritting his teeth, he tried to close the gap, and he felt a black vein form at his forehead and move down his face “Walt, the bug!” Gretchen yelled “Hurry! Get it before they can command the imp.” Walt ran forward, weaving between fire and water Edwin moved a hand in his direction, said, “Back off,” and a burst of heat exploded from his hand, sending Walt flying backwards through the air As Walt hit the wall of the cottage and fell to the ground, Edwin’s shield contracted The witches’ elements had almost reached him, but not without costs; their once beautiful bodies were shriveling, their hair was graying, and wrinkles covered their faces The brownie grabbed Walker and brought it to Edwin’s shoulder With its six prickly feet, the stick-bug crawled towards his neck, where it nuzzled his skin Edwin began telling the bug to kill the sisters, but before he could finish, Sam tugged at his leg “No! Don’t kill them,” Sam croaked “I can’t hold them back much longer,” Edwin spat His black eyes were regaining their color, and nearly spent, the dark power of the spirit was receding from his face With noticeable effort Sam stood up, holding a huge, puss-filled hole where the lightning had struck Sam grabbed Walker from Edwin’s neck and finished giving Walker its orders Edwin was only able to hear the end of it, but he understood what Sam meant to “Hurry,” Edwin urged When Sam stopped talking, pink smoke began to waft up from the stickbug, smelling pungent and saccharine, communicating with the imp by smell The imp understood the smoke, dropped the masks, and took flight The sisters made one last push towards Edwin, screaming, but his shield held And then the imp was on them, grabbing at their limbs with its tentacles One tentacle reached out to the cottage and pulled Walt back to his aunts A moment later they were all writhing and screaming as the imp dragged their bodies towards the edge of the lake As soon as their skin hit water the fighting stopped While the nixies snickered, Walt and the hags turned to stone, looking no different than any of the other statues on the island Edwin fell to the floor next to Sam, exhausted The brownie sat on Edwin’s chest and chirped noisily Neither Edwin nor Sam could move Sam’s breathing was shallow “Edwin… We need to get out of here The light, the moon—I can heal myself, just need to be above ground.” With effort Edwin rolled his head to the side and met Sam’s eyes “We can’t leave The villagers are waiting for us.” “The imp The Gate’s creation spell forbids it from bringing anything in Walt was never down here Walt commanded the imp It was all a trick But the imp, it can take us out and up to the surface Past Newick And you need to absorb something You’re dying The brownie Absorb the brownie Take Walker I can’t… Nothing left to command him.” The brownie nodded solemnly and walked to Edwin’s hand, accepting its fate “No, I can’t,” Edwin said “Never again, no matter what.” He patted the brownie on the head, thanking it for its willingness to sacrifice itself “Then hurry, maybe enough time… Walker,” Sam said “What about everything here? The other creatures? There might be other Hosts.” Sam, barely breathing now, didn’t answer Edwin’s throat was dry, and the weight of the necklace around his neck was choking him He gulped, and said, “Walker, come here Come on.” The stick-bug looked at him quizzically a moment, and then hopped from Sam’s hand onto Edwin’s chest “That’s a good bug.” Then, as quickly as he could, he asked the stick-bug to have the imp fly them out of here and past Newick The stick-bug released its pink smoke, and the imp was at their side, scooping them into its tentacle-like hair A moment later they were in the air, flying past the rune-covered walls and towards the Gate The imp dropped Edwin and Sam at the base of the Gate and then flew through the skeletons unscathed, leaving Edwin to open it When the Gate opened, Edwin saw that the imp had cleared the area of a few villagers, but others were now charging with bloodstone-covered weapons, driving it back The imp grabbed Edwin and Sam and flew into the air, leaving the Gate to close itself behind them Looking down, Edwin saw that the villagers and Shades had managed to destroy all the golems and clear nearly all the trees Even so, without him there to open the Gate they would never get near the cottage or lake And then, at the top of the cavern, near what remained of the white-haired bats, they flew into a hidden tunnel and over a hidden staircase, and Edwin realized they were following the same secret path his mother had taken all those years ago On they flew, up the mine, above the stairs, up and into the Black Keep The imp’s grip on their bodies was gentle but firm A short while later they were out of the Black Keep and high in the air, flying above the ledge and the Medgards’ Inn, up the cliff, and away from Chardwick Edwin grabbed Sam’s hand, and Sam turned and very softly said, “We just need to rise above Newick Past there, you can start a new life.” A new life, Edwin thought It was something he had always wanted… but he wondered what that could mean now Looking down, he watched the wheel-and-spoke shape of Chardwick fade in the distance A thin trail of smoke rose into the air; the village was almost completely burned now Above him he caught sight of Newick for the first time, and it wasn’t a village—it was a fortress Built on a hill, it towered over the hole in the ground And the cliffs, which had always looked so big from the ledge and Chardwick, now looked insignificant compared to Newick and the valley stretched out before them The valley seemed to go on forever, but in the far, far distance, he thought he saw some kind of wall circling them in every direction The imp reached a field just outside of Newick and dropped them on the ground Then it left, probably to find new life to carry out its duty of fueling the Gate As the last of its tentacles left their bodies, Sam grabbed Edwin’s hand The sun was setting Without giving it much thought, tendrils of smoke flew from Edwin’s hands and turned the grass around him to dust All the while Edwin knew he had never felt more lost, or more free CHAPTER 30: THE GATES OF NEWICK The first thing Edwin noticed was the sweet smell of rotting fruit Moving slowly, groggily, he felt blades of hay poking against his skin, and when he opened an eye, he saw sunlight peeking around metal bars “Woah, slow down,” Sam said soothingly “We’re all right.” “We’re in a cage!” Edwin shrieked He grabbed at his neck and was relieved to find that the necklace and his cloak were both there The cage rocked slowly back and forth, and he could hear the horses’ hooves slapping against the dirt road Pieces of fruit clung to the metal bars, and a wood plank meant to protect the drivers separated them from the front “We’re being rescued,” Sam explained “You collapsed in that field, and I carried you as far as I could It was three days before I found anyone.” “I was out for three days?” Edwin asked Squinting against the light, he noticed that Sam’s black hair and clothes looked even dirtier than before “Yeah I thought I might have to leave you somewhere and go out on my own, only I was worried you wouldn’t be there when I got back, and I couldn’t find any shelter There was only grass out there, not even a tree.” “How’d we end up here?” “It was the next day, but I was still tired, so I laid down to rest,” Sam said “A blacksmith and his wife woke me up When I told them you were hurt they went to get their horse and cart.” “But it’s a cage,” Edwin repeated “It’s all they had The blacksmith said he made it to take prisoners to Newick They’re taking us to their home now Don’t worry, they don’t know who we are and they only seem to want to help us.” Edwin sat up against the bars and held his knees He felt that the spirit shared his concern—he had never released it—but it seemed content where it was Keeping his voice low, Edwin looked up from his knees, and said, “Sam, what happened back there in the mines?” Worried they might overhear, Sam looked uneasily at the wood plank separating them from the drivers, and scooted in closer to Edwin “What you mean?” “Everything! You, Walt, your aunts, this necklace, the imp, Walker, my mother, the Gate, the Host’s Tomb, the cottage, the dead bodies, the nixies and statues Why did you help me?” Sam took Edwin’s hand and rubbed it soothingly “I always wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t I was worried you might just be interested in magic and power, like the Hosts Walt and my aunts tried to make the Hosts sound powerful and noble, but I don’t believe that for a second No one who thrives on the death of others can be good And Walt and I are connected—well, were connected—and if I had helped you he would have known.” “Connected how?” Edwin asked, wanting to steer the conversation away from all the horrible things he had done “My aunts—they weren’t really my aunts They created us, and they chose the Morriseys because of their ties to the Lucent, but they really only needed Walt Walt and I are opposites, but we need each other It was all part of their spell They couldn’t hurt me without hurting Walt, and Walt promised them he’d look after me and keep me out of trouble, and I told them that if they tried to lock me away I’d kill myself.” “I thought Walt was my friend,” Edwin said, unable to hide the hurt in his voice “Why’d he lie? What did the witches need him for?” “For you,” Sam said plainly “It was always about you They wanted you to get them past the Gate to the Host’s Tomb, but it had to be your idea They were afraid that if they came to you themselves you would see them for what they were, and their one chance would be lost And so they created Walt as someone you could trust and someone who could look after you You were being raised by Nemain’s sister, and our parents were the Morriseys So you see, we were supposed to grow up together, but then Rona Goodfellow died and you went to live with the Medgards.” “The hags did all this for a necklace?” Edwin asked, lifting the necklace from his chest to his eye It no longer held the luster he had seen in the cottage before he picked it up “It doesn’t look like much, not anymore It looks… dead What you think it is?” A troubled look crossed Sam’s usually expressionless face “I’m not sure I have a guess, but it’s only a guess… My aunts called it the Host’s Tomb They fed on magic, you see They have little of their own, only their elements, and they needed ingredients for their spells And they’re impossibly old, and they’ve stayed alive all this time by creating candles that steal youth The candles are made from mahrs.” “But if all they wanted was my mahr, why all the trouble for this necklace?” Edwin asked “That’s what I’m trying to explain I think all the creatures and everything the Hosts were trying to protect are in that necklace I think you and your mother came from that necklace It’s like a sanctuary of sorts All the magic, all the creatures, and even some of the Hosts are locked away in that necklace Did you see all those statues by the lake? The Gate was never supposed to last this long—it was only supposed to protect the necklace until the threat passed Then, I suspect a Host like your mother was supposed to release them all.” “So as the Gate aged things got released over time?” “Exactly,” Sam said “Maybe that’s why the Hosts put the necklace on an island surrounded by nixies While nixies are another barrier to thieves, they also keep creatures in Nothing can leave that island if the nixies turn them to stone.” “I thought only a mahr could get past the Gate.” Sam thought a moment “Then maybe they’re there to keep things from causing trouble, or from dying in the tunnels.” Edwin pulled his knees close enough to his chest to bang his head against them “I don’t understand,” he mumbled “If the necklace is the Host’s Tomb, why did my mother leave the protection of the Gate? Why didn’t she take it with her? Why’d she only bring that stupid book? Why did she leave the Gate at all?” “I don’t know,” Sam replied Edwin sighed, but before he let himself get lost in his own thoughts, he asked, “What happened to the brownie?” “She held onto your cloak all the way up to Newick, but as soon as we were safe she flew away I haven’t seen her since.” Rocking back and forth, Edwin didn’t say anything a while When he looked at Sam again, he said, “What about Walker and the imp? I don’t even know if I want to know It’s not over, I can feel it.” “Walker’s right here,” Sam said “I’d guess the imp went back to the Gate It wouldn’t stay after it dropped us off Trust me, I tried It would have been a lot easier to have it carry you instead of me.” “Is that normal? For the imp to ignore you?” Sam shrugged “Walker was always Walt’s Walt hated it, and all I know is that the imp’s duties to Walker come second to its duties to the Gate Walt panicked when you got attacked by the villagers that first time in the mine, and at first the imp wouldn’t obey Walker’s commands, not even after you got hit by the pickaxe and almost died.” Edwin shook the thought out of his head “When can we leave here? I want to get as far away from Chardwick as I can.” Sam swallowed and looked away “Erm… That’s going to be a problem for two reasons… You see, I need your help…” Edwin’s body tensed “You need me for something? You want to use me, like Walt and your aunts.” Sam’s eyes watered “It’s not what you think I’d never hurt you, but it’s like I said, Walt and I are connected.” Edwin worried he was going to be sick “What does that have to with me?” he asked “You know what it’s like to always have someone else in your head, to not be in control of your own mind, but you can help me You’re a Host, you can break my connection with Walt.” “I don’t know how to anything like that,” Edwin said “Herald might know—he’s this book my mom left for me—but he’s back in Chardwick I wasn’t able to take him with me.” “We could go back and get it Or you can learn! We’ll figure it out.” “I’ll help however I can, but—” “That’s all I ask!” Sam interrupted Uncomfortably, Edwin nodded “You said there were two reasons?” “It’s something the blacksmith told me He said there’s a barrier, a magical barrier, that prevents anyone from leaving—” “Magic? Here?” Edwin asked “I don’t know,” Sam said “I think it might have something to with Spice, but I didn’t want the blacksmith thinking I was too interested.” Edwin shook his head, and, changing the subject, said, “Maybe we should get out of this cage I feel fine now.” “Be patient, let the blacksmith take us to his town There’s nothing else out here.” Edwin peered through the metal bars and knew Sam was right Edwin saw a wall of fog in the distance, but an endless field of yellow grass separated them, and Newick was nowhere to be seen “You’re sure we can trust them?” Sam nodded “I think so.” “I hope you’re right At least they can’t be worse than your aunts,” Edwin said Leaning against the metal bars, he tried to relax his shoulders He felt tense and on edge, but also tired and drained Sam still seemed bothered by something, and after a long minute, said, “Edwin, there’s another thing My aunts didn’t work alone There was someone else; my aunts called him their Master Edwin, it was Carrion.” “I heard you two talking once You said you thought it would be better if I was dead.” “I had to convince Carrion that Walt was the bad twin, not me I don’t know why he wants the Tomb; he’s not like my aunts—he’s no halfling But whatever it is, it can’t be good Master Carrion scares me, Edwin You don’t know him like I He’s ruthless Even my aunts were scared of him.” Edwin closed his eyes and bit his tongue until he tasted blood It helped him stay calm “So there will be someone else looking for us, and there’s a barrier keeping us from leaving Great.” “I’m sorry I just thought you should know,” Sam said The cart stopped once in the middle of the day so that Edwin and Sam could get a drink of water and stretch their legs The blacksmith and his wife were glad to see that Edwin was up, and Edwin was surprised that they really did seem as kind as Sam said After they climbed back behind the metal bars, the cart didn’t stop again until nightfall The blacksmith and his wife lived in a sleepy little town, but the enormous gates of Newick loomed in the distance Torches flickered across the city’s great wall, and Edwin worried who might be waiting for him there A UTHOR’S N OTE Thank you for reading The Dark Passenger This is my first novel, and I very much hope you have enjoyed it As a new author, I am especially interested in getting your feedback, learning what you liked and didn’t, and growing professionally Please feel free to email me: joshuathomasauthor@gmail.com I am writing this author’s note several months after I uploaded The Dark Passenger to Amazon, and I would like to let you know how important you, the reader, are to me and to other new authors I spent a lot of time writing and editing The Dark Passenger, and when I finally took the plunge and posted it on Amazon, at first not much happened Then, as reviews started to trickle in, The Dark Passenger began to get more attention Only then did I realize how crucial reviews are to getting discovered on Amazon Amazon provides a great opportunity for indie novelists and debut novels, but they want novels to prove themselves before they shine a spotlight on them Reviews seem to be one of the biggest metrics Amazon uses to gauge a book’s relevance, so if you have time to write one— good, bad, or otherwise—I would greatly appreciate it I will definitely read it, and hopefully it will help others decide whether they would enjoy the book Click here to review The Dark Passenger So what’s next for Edwin and Sam? The Empyrean Compass: Book Two of the Sorcerer’s Tomb Trilogy is coming soon Thanks again for reading -Josh A BOUT THE A UTHOR Joshua Thomas wrote his first novel at the age of thirteen about space, aliens and the like It was horrible, and hopefully all traces of it have been destroyed (though his family may still have a copy saved on a floppy-disk in storage somewhere) In the years that followed Joshua Thomas studied finance, worked for a tech company, lived on three continents, and continued to write He is a recent law school graduate, and The Dark Passenger is the first of his novels that he has allowed to see the light of day www.joshuathomasauthor.com Table of Contents Chapter 1: The Night-Mahr Chapter 2: Five Candle-Made Maidens Chapter 3: The Dirty Sacrifice Chapter 4: A Boy Returned Chapter 5: Of Dreams and Beans Chapter 6: The Lucent Speaks Chapter 7: The Cost of Magic Chapter 8: Blind With Fury Chapter 9: Blue and Red Tickets Chapter 10: An Imp on the Road Chapter 11: A Conversation in Blood Chapter 12: An Injury Best Not Seen Chapter 13: The Winter Fair Chapter 14: Nothing But Ash Chapter 15: Truths and Consequences Chapter 16: A Home For Mischief Chapter 17: A Pinch of Spice Chapter 18: The Fallen Roger Goodfellow Chapter 19: Three Tests Chapter 20: The Umbrage Box Chapter 21: A Meal to Remember Chapter 22: Through The Black Keep Chapter 23: The Great Herald Chapter 24: Preparations at the Gate Chapter 25: Parlor Tricks Chapter 26: A Boy Taken Chapter 27: Borrowed Magic Chapter 28: The Skeleton Key Chapter 29: The Host's Tomb Chapter 30: The Gates of Newick ... a spear in the other The small bloodstones at each spear’s end glistened in the moonlight Holding the spears above their heads, they watched the woman intently, ready to strike And then, for reasons... cautiously, like they knew that she had already killed one of their own Some people, including the original three following her, had swords at their sides, but they kept them sheathed Most of the people,... differentiated them now were their dresses, which were reminiscent of the colors of their hair But their dresses were hidden under long black cloaks at the moment, as the hags were doing their best