In the past six weeks, Seth had been called a liar and a lunatic. For the offense of telling people the truth about what he had seen and experienced that night on the beach, he had been ignored, insulted, assaulted, and driven away. Some people had spit on him, others had shouted obscenities at him, and a few had even thrown mud and rocks at him. But without a doubt, the worst had been when he was thrown overboard at sea.

A chill breeze blew through the dark forest, reminding Seth of that stormy night at sea, and he shivered at the thought. He held up his lantern to try to find the firewood he told Shon and Tarun that he would bring back to the campsite. Seth had traveled with them for less than a day and he was anxious to prove his worth to them. He was nearly certain they were the ones he was supposed to find, though he didn’t know why yet.

Though the daylight had already faded away, Seth found that, as usual, the light from his lantern would illuminate no further than a couple of steps in front of him. He was grateful for the magical light in the darkness, but he figured it would have been easier to gather firewood if it could light a larger area than the small focused beam it produced. Follow the light, the voice had told him that night on the beach. Let it guide you. Seth eyed the rusty lantern and sighed. For a guide, it sure had led him into a fair amount of trouble.

Seth tripped on a stump in the darkness and lost his balance. For a moment, as he swayed and shifted his weight to regain his footing, he suddenly found his mind reeling back to the rocking boat and crashing waves of that stormy night at sea. Seth had been so sure and confident in his direction that night, despite the howling wind and crashing thunder all around him. After all, how could anything go wrong as long as he was following the light and letting the lantern be his guide?

In his mind’s eye, Seth could see himself standing at the edge of the sailboat, holding his lantern high in the storm, the captain of the small vessel shouting through the wind to put it out. For once, the lantern had actually shone clear and bright in the darkness, cutting through the rain and spray. The two other sailors on the boat looked at Seth as if he were insane.

Seth had looked out into the storm and for a moment his faith in his guide wavered. Illuminated by a flash of lightning, Seth had seen an enormous scaly tail and fins several times larger than the boat he stood on. In the frothing waves, the lantern’s beam revealed a giant eye staring up at him from under the water.

“Put that cursed light out!” the captain had shouted at Seth. “Unless you want that leviathan to swallow the whole ship!”

“Trust me,” Seth had hollered over the roaring winds and falling rain, “if we follow the direction of the light, we’ll be just fine. You’ll see.”

“I don’t know if you’re blind,” the captain had shouted back, “but right over there is some land where we might just escape that thing if we’re lucky. If you haven’t noticed though, it’s in the opposite direction of where that blasted light is pointing!”

“I told you where I got this lantern from,” Seth had hollered. “How can we go wrong if we follow something that powerful?”

“Look,” the captain had shouted, “I figured you were a fool when you shared that absurd story, but I thought I’d humor you because you were a paying customer who could afford the fare for the trip. But I see now you’re more than just a fool. You’re downright mad!”

Seth had pleaded further with the captain to steer the boat in the direction of the light of the lantern, but to no avail. Seth had been so sure of their direction, that he had even attempted to take control of the rudder from the captain, reasoning that the crew would be grateful to him once he had led them to safety. Instead they had responded by accusing him of mutiny and throwing him and the lantern overboard.

Once in the water, Seth had been unable to keep his grip on the lantern, and very quickly he had no light at all. As the waves crashed over him, Seth had only managed to keep his head above water to see two more flashes of lightning in the storm. In the first flash of lightning he had seen the outline of tall, jagged rocks in the direction of the land where the boat was headed. In the second flash of lightning, Seth could see a huge serpentine shape circled all around him in the water. After that there had been no more lightning. There had been only wind and waves and rain and darkness.

When Seth had awoken on an unknown shore the next day, he had no idea how he had survived the night. Even more peculiar, the rusty lantern had washed up on the shore right next to where he lay. Seth had dragged himself far enough from the water to dry off in the late morning sun, but it had taken him more than a week to get the smell of fish and a feeling of slime out of his hair and clothes.

Since that night, Seth had been more cautious when telling people about the lantern and where it came from. The light had not beamed as brightly since. Seth had tried to reason with himself that perhaps it had been affected by the water, but deep in his gut he knew the truth. The more Seth tried to hide the truth, the dimmer the light would get, until he could be in danger of losing his guide for good.

Seth paused his search for firewood and held up the lantern directly in front of his face. “Alright,” Seth said out loud, “as soon as I get back to the camp, I’ll tell them everything. Even if they won’t believe me.”

As if in response, the lantern’s light suddenly flashed across Seth’s vision, momentarily blinding him and sending small flashing colors across his eyes. “Gah!” said Seth, stepping back and nearly losing his grip on the lantern. When his vision returned to normal, Seth saw that the narrow beam of light was focused on a small bundle of dry sticks on the forest floor. To Seth’s delight, the sticks appeared perfect for taking back to the camp for firewood.

Seth set the lantern down on a nearby stump, but as he moved the lantern, the narrow beam of light stayed fixed on the bundle of sticks. As Seth bent down to pick up the sticks, he noticed that one of them was in fact a small wooden flute. After picking up the bundle, the beam of light from the lantern shifted, so that it was now pointing in the direction of the camp.

“Curious,” said Seth. “I suppose it’s time for me to head back.”

***

Tarun had finished setting up camp and sat on a large boulder as he waited for Seth to return with firewood. In all honesty, he didn’t need the firewood. He and Shon had a small reserve of small firewood in the wagon that they kept dry in case of rainy nights. When Seth hadn’t returned before sundown, Tarun had decided to start their fire with some of that reserve so he could use its light to finish putting up the tents.

But although the extra firewood wasn’t essential, it would be appreciated, and what Tarun appreciated even more was the opportunity to collect his thoughts without Seth nearby. Tarun’s first instinct was to trust this new stranger, but he had no evidence to back up the idea that Seth was trustworthy, and Tarun wanted to see if his favorable first impression still held up while he was away.

When Tarun had asked Shon about what he thought of Seth, the wizard had furrowed his brow before responding. Tarun had realized this was usually an indication that Shon was still making up his mind while answering. Several times, Shon inhaled and shifted his weight as if he were about to speak, but then stopped after opening his mouth.

At length, Shon said, “From what I’ve been able to sense from his mind, he certainly doesn’t seem to mean us any harm. If anything, it’s just the opposite. That’s what has me confused and a little worried.”

“What do you mean?” Tarun asked. “You’re worried that he doesn’t want to hurt us?”

“He’s known us for less than a day,” Shon said, “yet he seems so eager to help us, it doesn’t make sense to me. Why was he so quick to ask to join us? And how in the world was he able to heal your arm so quickly like that?”

“Perhaps he is a healer like that woman Tam who nursed me back to health when I came to Life’s Edge,” said Tarun.

“Tam is a gifted healer,” said Shon, “but she mostly uses natural remedies like herbs, salves, and bandages. I know she keeps a few magical potions on hand, but nothing that could mend an injury as quickly as what Seth did. I’ve only heard of healing magic that potent in old stories. That was unbelievable. How do you feel, anyway?”

Tarun shrugged. “I don’t really know yet,” he said. “My arm is still tender, but it doesn’t burn and sting as bad as before. Mostly I notice that I’m not as furious as before. I mean, I’m still angry when I think about Krall and the others, and I can feel that rage kind of bubbling under my skin all the time, but it’s not making me crazy like it was before. It’s as if my head was stuck inside a beehive and I couldn’t even think with all the buzzing and stinging. And then he pulled the hive off my head. Now it’s like there’s still a few bees buzzing around my head, but nothing like before. Does that make any sense?”

“Not really,” Shon admitted. “But I have noticed a huge change in your mood and behavior since this morning, and I’m glad you’re feeling so much better. I suppose I should be willing to show Seth some gratitude for…” Shon’s voice trailed off as his attention shifted to the dark woods outside of the firelight.

“Is everything alright?” Tarun asked.

Shon stepped towards Tarun and lowered his voice. “Do you hear those whispers coming from over there?” Shon asked, pointing to a clearing to their right.

Tarun was silent for a moment before responding. “I don’t hear anything,” he said. “Perhaps you are hearing the thoughts of someone in the woods. Is it Seth’s thoughts?”

“Definitely not Seth,” said Shon. “I can’t tell who the voices are or what they’re saying, but I get the impression they aren’t friendly.”

“On the contrary,” said a voice from the darkness, “I’m probably the most friendly person you could ever meet in these woods. In fact, I’ve come to offer both of you a most hospitable invitation.”

The voice was cold and sharp, and yet it seemed to have a hint of secret amusement. Tarun felt a chill on his injured arm, and the buzzing in his mind began to return. Something felt very wrong.

“Tarun,” Shon whispered, “whoever that is, he’s not the source of the whispering I was hearing. Those voices aren’t in front of us anymore. Their moving to surround us.”

“Who are you and what do you want?” Tarun shouted into the darkness. “Show yourself!”

A thin pale figure stepped into the dim firelight, the flickering shadows accentuating his high cheekbones and sharp features. The stranger stepped so lightly that he nearly seemed to be floating just above the ground. “I am merely a humble servant,” said the stranger. “My name is Laronius, and I’ve come to offer you an invitation that I don’t think you’ll want to turn down.”

Seth
Art by Ryan Salway