Chapter Text
Devilry compelled The Mist.
Every place. Every shadow. The thick haze, like a grey-green soup, lingered in the valleys and hollows.
Then why not just take the high roads, Bayle? my lesser-witted-self asked. Because my destination was my ship, which lay berthed within the Sovereign City of Sarburh. And that is about as low as you can get and not get wet.
Plus The Mist was rising. It had begun like a puddle, barely high enough to reach the laces of my boots, but over the last hours it had surged until it was perhaps as deep as my waist. Not that I was foolish enough to wade in to test it.
The Mist had an iniquitous quality about it, and I had the distinct feeling that whoever, or whatever, had conjured it, had done so purposely. For me. Whether to merely hinder, or to eliminate, I hadn’t yet determined. Or maybe that was just the natural family solipsism at work.
In any case, my horse liked it not He shivered any time he came near it, and had to be forced to continue. Perhaps he sensed what lay ahead for him. I wish he had warned me.
Our path led to a trail winding through a forest of thick, trunked trees, their great boughs holding a canopy so dense that almost no light penetrated down to the detritus below even in the middle of the day. I should note that this was not the route I would have chosen to travel,. A road across gentle rolling hills, would have been more to my liking, and one that I did try initially, but ever did I sense The Mist as it closed in tainting all that it touched.
The twitters of melodic birds filled my ears, as I worked my craft. I added a little here. I subtracted a little there All the while trying to find a way forth, seeking the edge of the forest and the dissipation of the haze.
However, soon the birds quietened. The hoof steps hushed. The rustle of the leaves muffled. Even the forest darkened, despite my efforts to keep away the fall of night. An ancient decay filled the air, and with it came a chill.
Snakelike tendrils, emitting a murky grey-green radiance, taunted the corners of my eye. A presence lingered just over my shoulder, like the Reaper pursuing his prey. I sensed an icy doom.
Yet still it caught me completely by surprise.
The attack punted me from my horse. I clattered into the trunk of one of the trees, sliding down its rough bark until I came to a rest within the verdant ferns that grew at its base.
There I lay, winded and completely helpless, with only the shrill cries of panic from my horse filing my ears. How long I remained dazed I do not know, but I was roused by a sudden sharp, crack of bone and the dreadful silence that followed.
Even senseless, I knew whatever had just murdered my horse would seek me out next. Despite the pain that lanced through my body, I found my way to my feet, and I ran. Although a stumble would be closer to the mark. In the dark forest, I had only one clearly identifiable direction. AWAY!
I plunged through the shadowy undergrowth, imagining all sorts of grotesque beasts pursuing me. It was a mad, desperate scramble, as the world conspired to prevent my escape. Twigs plucked at my clothing. Branches clung to my arms. Vines ensnared my feet. I forced my way through, offering the murderous creature a clamorous trail to follow. Then a particularly adroit tendril felled me.
I crawled on, keenly aware of just how vulnerable I was. Yet I dared not stop. All I could manage was to glance back. Yet within the shadows I couldn’t see the beast’s menacing form, nor hear its thundering steps over the sound of my own thudding heart. But I knew it was there. And close.
I managed, where I could, to use my craft, but I lacked the faculty and focus to make any meaningful changes. Which, in retrospect, is probably for the better. In my panic I might have tried to make too many alterations or ones too considerable. That route leads to a trail of perdition, where the wisps binding reality are weak, and the simplest thought can lead to ruination.
Then I felt the ground before me give way. I fell. Down into a deep, dark hole that smelt of freshly-tilled soil. I slammed into its sides, bouncing off repeatedly until I hit the bottom hard.
And for a time, I knew nothing more.