Adamagika: The Spirit Within - 29. Ch 29: A Deal with Death

CHAPTER 29: A Deal with Death

Jacob was waiting for me when I got back to our room.

“How’d it go?” he asked as soon as I entered. He seemed almost strange in asking it. Considering that he was in tears in our last meeting, he seemed unusually… upbeat. He kept smiling in a way that suggested he had gotten over what was troubling him earlier. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was feeling something different deep inside.

Perhaps I was just overthinking things.

“It was okay,” I responded ambiguously. I wasn’t quite sure yet if I was going to tell Jacob what had happened with Brian, at least the latter part of our meeting.

“What was it about?” he asked as I took my seat next to him by our window. Outside, I could see the darkness slowly quench the light.

I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to tell Jacob. I didn’t dare ask Brian if I could tell Jacob about what was hidden beneath Arantiva, maybe because I was afraid he would say no. And I really wanted to share what I learned with Jacob, at least at the time. Now though, I wasn’t sure if it was something I should tell him. Perhaps I was feeling guilty, but who wouldn’t be?

“I’m not sure I can tell you, Jacob,” I said in as apologetic a way as I could.

Surprisingly, he nodded with a smile and said it was okay. “If it’s a secret you must keep, I can respect that.”

I actually expected him to be more curious and somehow his lack of enthusiasm over it was quite disappointing. Maybe I was hoping that he would pester me enough that I would have no choice but to tell him. That way I wouldn’t feel so bad about it – I could blame him for being too nosy.

“What have you been up to?” I asked, wanting to steer my thoughts elsewhere.

He smiled, almost nervously. “I got sandwiches and drinks for us.” He pointed towards the hardly used table in our room and I saw a paper bag I somehow didn’t notice earlier. Two drinks were sitting beside them. I guess I was that distracted. “Hungry?”

I looked out the window. “Not really, got a lot on my mind. I think I’ve lost my appetite for tonight.”

“You should at least have a drink,” Jacob said as he stood up, presumably to get the drinks.

I reached out to his arm and stopped him. He looked back at me, almost nervously again and I began to wonder if he wasn’t telling me something or perhaps my indiscretion was that obvious. “No, it’s okay. Just sit with me, please?”

He retook his seat beside me and looked uncertainly out the window. He was watching it as though waiting for something to appear there.

“Is something wrong, Jacob?”

He looked over at me. “You mean besides an army that’s coming towards us to destroy us all? Nothing.” He smiled.

I laughed a little despite how true and grave his statement was. “I mean other than that. You seem a little nervous, maybe even a bit jumpy tonight.”

Again, he looked out the window. “I’m just worried about what’s going to happen. What if we can’t win this war?”

“It’s not like we’re going to be alone in this Jacob. I’m sure the other cities will come to our aid. We’re going to get help.”

“Going to get help,” he whispered softly.

“Yes, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.” I watched as the last rays of the sun finally disappeared from the sky. Night had come.

“I think we should eat,” Jacob said.

“Go ahead and eat. I really am not hungry.”

“Aww, but I bought those for you,” he said with a kicked puppy sort of look. He was just so cute I couldn’t help but smile. “Are you not going to eat something I bought for you?” he said with batted eyelashes, that were seriously out of place.

“Alright, fine,” I chuckled. “One bite and I’ll eat the rest tomorrow.”

“Good,” he said as he stood up and went to the table. I looked out the window watching the twilight. I must have been looking outside for a full minute before I finally turned around to see Jacob fixing something on the table. “What’s taking so long? Now, you’re getting me hungry with anticipation,” I said with a laugh.

Jacob laughed half-heartedly before finally turning around and handing me a sandwich and a drink. “Here you go.”

“Are you sure nothing’s wrong?” I asked as I unwrapped the sandwich. “You’re not acting like your usual self.”

“Everything alright,” he said then almost correcting himself added, “everything’s going to be alright.”

I couldn’t help but think that he was trying to convince himself as much as he was trying to convince me. I really didn’t want to eat anything but I didn’t want to make Jacob feel bad either. After all, he did go through the effort of doing something nice for me.

“This is delicious,” I said as I offered him my sandwich after taking a bite.

“I have the same one,” he replied with a smile.

I was about to take a sip of my drink when Jacob quickly said, “I love you.”

I smiled the best smile I could manage considering the food in my mouth. “I love you too, Jacob.”

He took his drink into his hand and raised it as though to offer a toast. “To the future,” he proposed.

I raised my cup against his. “To us,” I offered. He smiled towards me although it looked somewhat like a sad smile.

We clicked our cups together and I took a few gulps. Something tasted odd though. I looked down into the contents of my cup. “Is this orange juice?” I asked.

“Yes, it is. You like orange juice, right?” he asked.

I didn’t really so much but for some odd reason I did at that very moment. “Yes, I think I like orange juice.”

“I think you should drink a little more,” he said.

For some odd reason, I suddenly wanted to drink more of it. “Yes, I think I should,” I said as I took a few more gulps. I didn’t notice any strange taste after the first.

“I think you should drink all of it,” I heard Jacob say three times. At least, I think he said it three times.

“Yes, I should drink all of it,” I heard myself say as I finished the whole cup. A few minutes passed or maybe just a few seconds and I suddenly felt very sleepy.

“I think you should go to bed,” I heard Jacob’s voice echoing many, many times in my ear. “I think you should go to sleep,” he said again, and again, and again.

“I think I should go to bed. I think I should go to sleep.” As soon as I heard myself say those words, I felt the soft feel of the bed beneath me. I looked up and saw many Jacobs swirling in front of me. They were all talking at the same time.

“I love you Adam,” they said over and over again. “Everything I do is for you.”

I think I smiled and agreed with him before I fell into a gentle sleep.

* * * * * * * * * *

I was floating. Or at least I think I was floating. I couldn’t feel the ground with my feet although I did seem to be on the ground. I was in the middle of a grassy area at the very edge of a forest. The wind was blowing roughly against the trees though for some odd reason I couldn’t feel it on my skin. I looked down on my hands and I realized that I didn’t have any. I could feel myself moving them and even opening and closing my fingers but if they were there, then they were completely invisible.

The wind was picking up around me if the swaying of the trees was any indication. It was having absolutely no affect on me though as I seem to not exist in that place, wherever it was. I could hear the whispers of the wind get stronger though.

Wait… whispers?

The wind does not talk or at least it shouldn’t. But I could distinctly hear words being carried in the wind. It sounded like a woman’s voice – a very familiar woman’s voice that I first heard when I was young.

“Are you there?” I yelled to the wind. Although I didn’t seem to have a mouth, I had no trouble shouting or talking over the wind. “Ho-o, is that you?”

I heard the whispers grow louder although I still couldn’t make out what she was saying. She sounded like she was saying something in a hurry though.

I looked around to see if she was anywhere around me and I couldn’t see her. I couldn’t see anyone actually except…

I looked out into the grasslands and I realized that I was looking at a very familiar city.

“That’s Arantiva,” I said unnecessarily since there didn’t seem to be anyone around to hear me anyway. Yes, I was looking at Arantiva. It was night and the city glowed with the dim lights that came from the houses. The silver towers gleamed in the moonlight. Even at night, clouds never disturbed the skies of Arantiva. It was so beautiful and peaceful from this distance that you wouldn’t think anyone or anything would ever want to do it any harm. I felt a sense of melancholy enter me and I gazed at the place I had come to know as home.

A few minutes must have passed before I saw a shadow pass around me. I became curious as to what it was and experimented with moving my foot forward. As I took a step, I realized that I could move forward but it was a slow and steady movement. No matter how big a step I tried to take, I just floated slowly towards whichever direction I was facing. I was no more than an object rolling slowly with the wind.

I saw the shadow move again. It was a cloak slowly gliding across the grassland. It moved with purpose and each step the person inside took seemed to be heavy as though he was struggling against the wind, as if nature itself was trying to push him back towards the city. The cloak billowed around the stranger revealing a thin, muscular frame underneath before it disappeared once again as the stranger hugged the material around his body. I kept floating slowly towards the person in the cloak but hardly fast enough to close the distance between us quickly.

The cloaked person stopped at the edge of the forest, a good distance away from me. With my progress it could take a long time to get to him. I could hear him murmuring something. The wind seemed to carry his voice with it but like Ho-o’s voice, it came out distorted. I struggled even harder to move towards him. For some reason, I knew that I had to get to him.

A few minutes passed as the cloaked figure stood there just watching the forest. When I almost thought that nothing was going to happen, another shadow moved from the forest. This time, he wasn’t shrouded in darkness like the cloaked figure but he moved with an eerie green glow. He was also several feet taller than a normal person. I found this very odd until I realized he was on a horse.

I felt shivers run up my spine (or at least what should have been my spine if I had one) when I recognized the man on the horse. He looked the same as I had seen him in the Hallean Mountains except that his almost skeletal body and horse was exuding a dark greenish aura around him. It almost looked like a similar shaped green drawing was veiled right on top of his body and the two objects co-existed in the same space.

I looked towards the cloaked figured standing on the ground who seemed to be watching the slow and steady progress of the rider I had come to know as Lord Raezhul. The rider said something to the cloaked figure and again his voice carried into the wind. It sounded like two voices talking at the same time. Still though, I could not understand what he was saying.

I willed myself to move forward. If I could just come closer then maybe I could hear whatever they were talking about. It seemed though that I may have inadvertently taken the form of a spirit snail.

The cloaked figure spoke again and this time I understood a word or rather a name. “Adam,” he said among other words that sounded like gibberish.

Lord Raezhul laughed or at least it sounded like a laugh before he responded. Again I heard my name being spoken among the other words that still made no sense.

Another voice was starting to get louder as I moved closer and closer to the cloaked figure and the rider. Ho-o’s voice seemed to grow stronger in the wind and this time I could distinctly make out the words wake up.

I maintained my progress towards the two figures. I could feel a sense of urgency coursing through me. Something important was happening and it was something I needed to understand… or maybe stop.

I floated closer and closer to my destination. My slow speed was starting to piss me off. The shortened distance was helping though as I could make out more words but I couldn’t form the sentences themselves.

Lord Raezhul was speaking. “… death when … price … Arantiva … spirit …”

The cloaked figure responded. “… power … protection … save … Adam …”

Ho-o’s voice was echoing stronger than ever in the wind “… wake … stop … Jacob …”

Lord Raezhul’s voice came again this time much stronger “… drink it … immortality … to have the strength … your enemies …”

The cloaked figure’s voice echoed in the wind. I realized that I recognized that voice and the thin, muscular frame I had seen momentarily beneath the cloak. It belonged to the voice of the boy I loved. “… must swear … treachery … at work … destroy … from the grave …”

Lord Raezhul laughed maniacally. “… word … mean much … swear to you … answer to … problems …” He then threw a green glowing vial into the air towards the cloaked figure who caught it easily in one hand.

Ho-o voice whispered again. This time I actually could hear her clearly. You must wake up. He is in danger. You must save him.

“How?” I yelled into the wind.

I watched as Lord Raezhul slowly turned his head towards me as though he had heard me. He seemed to be looking right at me. His mouth didn’t move but the green silhouette that was surrounding his face looked like it was smiling.

Hello Adam, he said in one reverberating voice. It wasn’t the voice that seemed to come from his mouth. In fact, it seemed to come from the green aura that surrounded him. I watched as Lord Raezhul’s dark eyes bore into mine.

I stood there unsure of what to do next when the green aura around Lord Raezhul expanded. The green smile that was hovering over his skeletal lips yawned wide. In the blink of an eye, the large gaping hole surged forward as a green wave of energy surged right to where I was standing.

You shall not harm him, I heard Ho-o yell in the wind. A fierce orange shield manifested in front of me and shook as the green aura struck against it. I could hear a loud screeching sound as the two forces of magic were pitted against each other. Slowly, I could feel the orange energy surround my body. Wake up, boy!

* * * * * * * * * *

I blinked my eyes open. I was no longer in the forest but rather I was looking up at a ceiling. I sat upright and realized that I was back in my room. My body felt really tired and I also felt sleepy but not sleepy enough to cloud my thoughts. I was also sweating profusely and a strong smell of chamomile was assaulting my nose.

Was I dreaming? Did I just see Jacob meet up with Lord Raezhul. I sat on the edge of my bed and wondered if it was all real when I suddenly got a shock ringing through my ears.

Move Adam! Ho-o said loudly. You’re not done yet!

I stood up in surprise. It wasn’t a dream. Jacob was somewhere out there and he was striking some kind of deal with a Lord of the Dead. He received a vial of some kind and it could only mean one thing…

I looked down at myself and realized that I was still fully dressed. I stormed out of our room and ran as fast as I could down the hall.

Jacob, don’t do it. I tried to say to him with the new telepathic connection we seemed to share. I wasn’t sure if it worked with such a great distance between us but I had to try. Jacob, please don’t do it. Come back to the city.

I couldn’t hear any response from Jacob but for a moment, I thought I felt some… reluctance surge through to me. I ran faster than I ever had down towards the exit. I was so distracted that I almost ran into the figure that was standing in the middle of the hall, almost as if she was waiting for me.

I stopped in my tracks when I realized who was standing there.

“What do you think you’re doing running around in the dead of night?” Madame Rooste asked testily.

“I have things to do,” I said quickly as I moved past her.

“Don’t talk to me that way, boy. You may not be a student here, but you will treat me with respect especially in this institution.”

I ignored her as I rushed towards the door. I almost made it when the large doors that led outside suddenly slammed shut with a loud bang.

“Don’t you walk away from me when I’m talking to you,” Madame Rooste said from behind me.

You don’t have time for this, Ho-o said. Blow her to bits if you have to.

Don’t tempt me, I told her.

You should. It will save you the trouble later.

I turned towards the person stopping my progress. “Madame Rooste, I’m terribly sorry for my behavior. But there really is something I need to do. So please, kindly open the door.”

She looked evilly at me and I knew just then that she wasn’t going to be letting me out soon. “I don’t think so. Given your history, whatever it is that you’re going to do is probably dangerous and a threat to the safety of the people in this city. It is for their and your own good that you must go back to bed.”

“Madame Rooste,” I said more severely. “On any other day, I would agree with you but right now I really must go through those doors. Someone’s in trouble.”

“The only one in trouble here is you young man, if you don’t go back to bed this instant.”

Adam, you must hurry. Ho-o said. You’re running out of time.

“Madame Rooste, open this door or I will open it myself.”

“No,” she said with an satisfied smile.

I turned towards the doors and tried to pull them open by magic. They opened by a few feet before they were suddenly slammed shut again.

“You dare defy me,” Madame Rooste said as she took a few steps forward. “I am a Mage Lord. You are nothing, less than nothing even. If you honestly think I will let you out after that rebellious display then you are sadly mistaken. I…”

Before she could continue, I threw another spell at the door. This time instead of opening it, I imagined it the same way like the walls Brian and I had practiced with when he was showing me telekinetic magic. Despite my previous short comings with that branch of magic, I had no trouble performing the spell at that very moment. The huge double doors exploded in the middle and were thrown clean off their hinges and bounced down the steps. The way out was clear.

I took a step towards it but before I could take another I suddenly felt myself yanked sideward and thrown against the wall. I smashed painfully into it. It did not soften like the walls and floors of the Armory training rooms. The entire right side of my body burned in agony.

“You insolent boy,” Madame Rooste yelled.

I felt anger surge through me. I pushed my hand towards her to push her back but she seemed to have seen it coming. She raised her hands and for a moment they seemed to morph into crow’s feet. As she adjusted them, the air shimmered as though two invisible forces of magic were struggling in between us. She waved her left hand out and I was hurled from my spot to be slammed on the opposite wall. I felt my wrist break on impact and I cried out in pain.

“I’ve had just about enough of you,” she said as she raised her hand in a menacing gesture towards me. I curled into myself as though that position would protect me from whatever spell she was about to use.

It was then that I suddenly felt immense pain course through my body. Every single nerve seemed to be on fire and I could hear myself screaming. But I wasn’t the only one screaming. I could also hear another voice screaming in pain – Jacob’s.

I screamed again and again as the pain coursed throughout my body like quick and never-ending waves of the sea striking against a prone figure in the sand. It felt like it would never end as the screaming voice of Jacob tore at my eardrums.

Somewhere around me I could hear other voices. One came in clearly as though the speaker was right above me. It was loud and angry. WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? RELEASE HIM AT ONCE!

I did not do this, another voice answered, almost fearfully.

As I felt the pain surging through me and I heard more of the agonizing screams of Jacob, I prayed that it would all stop. I wished that I would just die so that the pain could go away.

Just as I was giving up hope, I felt a presence pour into me. I could feel magic flowing through my skin taking all the pain away. As quickly as the pain had come, it vanished and I could feel my body go numb. A cold sensation replaced the fiery pain that was there moments earlier and all that was left was a faint tingling across my skin. Even my broken wrist didn’t feel so bad.

I half-opened my eyes to see the world around me and the last thing I saw before the darkness won was the concerned face of a man with grey and white hair and a very long beard.