shoved the heart into my chest. Life flowed hungrily back into my veins and the red sky was no more.
“You idiot!” shouted Tsaeb, finally dragging me back into the carriage before falling against the wall.
“Hey, he lasted longer than most,” said Gorg from the front. “Usually they go loopy after day two.”
My eyes crept open, but all I could see were traces of light and color from Tsaeb’s movements.
I lost consciousness.
No dreams came. I slept in blackness. A quiet, peaceful blackness. And when I awoke later, I thrust my hands to my chest, gasping for breath as if waking from a bad dream. My fingers desperately probed my lips, my eyes and the skin of my face. I fell against the carriage wall, the shrunken head dangling overhead; a jagged piece of wood poked me in the small of the back.
“They had no faces....”
Tsaeb looked across at me awkwardly, one brow raised.
“Oh, you saw them too?” said Gorg.
I leapt up and moved to the little window, ripping the rotted curtain from it completely.
“Yes...strange faceless, sexless people in the field,” I began, stumbling over my words. “Y-You saw them?”
“No, no,” said Gorg from outside. “I’s didn’t see nuthin’, but you ain’t the first traveler to go loopy like that and see’s naked people with no faces out there.”
I sighed miserably and fell back into a slump.
“You’ve been unconscious for hours,” said Tsaeb. “Gorg said most people start hallucinating by the second or third day. You made it to five !”
Tsaeb patted me on the shoulder proudly.
I was still very much dazed. I stared off at the carriage door and all I knew were the anomalies in my memory.
“Imagine what would happen if you had to walk through it.”
I came back, but my words were slow coming. “Why does the field only affect me?”
“Oh come on,” said Tsaeb. “You really have to ask that?”
“Yes, I do!” I reached out and grabbed a hold of Tsaeb’s throat. “I don’t care about why you can’t tell me anymore than you have! If you don’t start talking, I’m not going to help you!”
“Uh oh,” I heard Gorg say from the front.
Tsaeb snarled and bore his human-like teeth, but he hardly seemed like he was choking when clearly he should’ve been.
“It affects you because you’re human — now let go of me!”
“That’s not good enough.” I squeezed tighter and glared down into Tsaeb’s angry little face. “Tell me what’s going on, or I’ll kill you!”
“Clearly you’ve gone mad. I-I can’t tell you anything...let-me- go !”
Finally, Tsaeb showed signs of discomfort. He gripped my wrist, trying to pry my hand away.
“The witch...in Fiedel City...she’ll tell you everything....”
I held on for a moment longer before releasing my grip. Tsaeb fell backward, his hand covering his throat.
“Once we get to Fiedel City, my job is to take you to her and she’ll tell you everything you need to know.” He hesitated. “But before she tells you anything you have to give her something.”
I glared at him suspiciously.
“Your seed....” Tsaeb winced.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Your...well, your seed. You know, you have to knock her up.”
A swarm of nervous bile churned in my stomach. Replay the words over in my head. Let it register. Replay them once more just to be sure. In a jerking movement, I had Tsaeb’s throat in my hand again, pressing the demon against the carriage wall. The shrunken head swayed back and forth. The carriage jerked around, almost enough to knock me from my feet, but nothing could get in my way now.
“This better be some sick joke, or you’ll regret not telling me this sooner.”
The whites of Tsaeb’s eyes rolled into view. He gasped and choked for air that just did not want to come.
“I have...nothing to do with...that. I’m...just doing my part.”
I would not let go this time. No way. I had gone completely mad. But then the sound of Tsaeb’s horns bursting through
“You idiot!” shouted Tsaeb, finally dragging me back into the carriage before falling against the wall.
“Hey, he lasted longer than most,” said Gorg from the front. “Usually they go loopy after day two.”
My eyes crept open, but all I could see were traces of light and color from Tsaeb’s movements.
I lost consciousness.
No dreams came. I slept in blackness. A quiet, peaceful blackness. And when I awoke later, I thrust my hands to my chest, gasping for breath as if waking from a bad dream. My fingers desperately probed my lips, my eyes and the skin of my face. I fell against the carriage wall, the shrunken head dangling overhead; a jagged piece of wood poked me in the small of the back.
“They had no faces....”
Tsaeb looked across at me awkwardly, one brow raised.
“Oh, you saw them too?” said Gorg.
I leapt up and moved to the little window, ripping the rotted curtain from it completely.
“Yes...strange faceless, sexless people in the field,” I began, stumbling over my words. “Y-You saw them?”
“No, no,” said Gorg from outside. “I’s didn’t see nuthin’, but you ain’t the first traveler to go loopy like that and see’s naked people with no faces out there.”
I sighed miserably and fell back into a slump.
“You’ve been unconscious for hours,” said Tsaeb. “Gorg said most people start hallucinating by the second or third day. You made it to five !”
Tsaeb patted me on the shoulder proudly.
I was still very much dazed. I stared off at the carriage door and all I knew were the anomalies in my memory.
“Imagine what would happen if you had to walk through it.”
I came back, but my words were slow coming. “Why does the field only affect me?”
“Oh come on,” said Tsaeb. “You really have to ask that?”
“Yes, I do!” I reached out and grabbed a hold of Tsaeb’s throat. “I don’t care about why you can’t tell me anymore than you have! If you don’t start talking, I’m not going to help you!”
“Uh oh,” I heard Gorg say from the front.
Tsaeb snarled and bore his human-like teeth, but he hardly seemed like he was choking when clearly he should’ve been.
“It affects you because you’re human — now let go of me!”
“That’s not good enough.” I squeezed tighter and glared down into Tsaeb’s angry little face. “Tell me what’s going on, or I’ll kill you!”
“Clearly you’ve gone mad. I-I can’t tell you anything...let-me- go !”
Finally, Tsaeb showed signs of discomfort. He gripped my wrist, trying to pry my hand away.
“The witch...in Fiedel City...she’ll tell you everything....”
I held on for a moment longer before releasing my grip. Tsaeb fell backward, his hand covering his throat.
“Once we get to Fiedel City, my job is to take you to her and she’ll tell you everything you need to know.” He hesitated. “But before she tells you anything you have to give her something.”
I glared at him suspiciously.
“Your seed....” Tsaeb winced.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Your...well, your seed. You know, you have to knock her up.”
A swarm of nervous bile churned in my stomach. Replay the words over in my head. Let it register. Replay them once more just to be sure. In a jerking movement, I had Tsaeb’s throat in my hand again, pressing the demon against the carriage wall. The shrunken head swayed back and forth. The carriage jerked around, almost enough to knock me from my feet, but nothing could get in my way now.
“This better be some sick joke, or you’ll regret not telling me this sooner.”
The whites of Tsaeb’s eyes rolled into view. He gasped and choked for air that just did not want to come.
“I have...nothing to do with...that. I’m...just doing my part.”
I would not let go this time. No way. I had gone completely mad. But then the sound of Tsaeb’s horns bursting through
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