Chapter 11 – Chap 11

This first letter is written from a solider under the command of Captain Juan Paolo Sanchez. Written in August 31st, 1635

What is this new world we set foot in ? I have heard tales from across the sea, but they where all superstition. We settled on this land in the name of the Crown of Castile. We were to make this territory a new branch of the empire.

Captain Sanchez has refused us to send word of what we discovered the existence of the creatures. Hairy beasts, resembling man-like apes. We have heard from refugees for years of these creatures that have taken and eaten men, women and children from villages, and settlements, led by a man wearing gold. Any other survivors were taken to an unknown fate.

Sanchez refused to believe these “superstitions”. He thought them nothing more than the work of savages, and propaganda by the British. Even when our own settlement was ransacked, we thought them men of armor.

As of the past few months, we’ve suffered a decrees in our monthly supplies. Our riches, our spices, our gunpowder. The goods we need to keep our Fort stable. The Captain ordered us not to document what we have found, but I must speak. Our latest shipment was severed heads, belonging to the creatures described by our refugees. Our goods were taken for ransom by one trader named Jaralath Caulfield.

We were ordered to acquire at the address Caulfield spoke of. We were told he worked for a fishing village and trading settlement at the seas edge. Locals described him as a hermit living at his own trading post with a savage wife. A bruja some say. How one man had the means to steal so much from the empire was beyond us, as was where this plague came from when our expedition reached the village.

When reached the settlement, they refused us entry, as the have with the British soldiers and their mercenaries. We were warned that a sickness overtook the village, many begging for plague doctors. Captain Sanchez spoke with the British captain, and reached an agreement due to mutual trouble caused to us by Caulfield, we agreed to take this village by force to get answers.

The village looked desolate, but we could hear its people. They hid from us, so the Captains ordered us to search their houses. When we broke the doors, we saw it’s people. The were half dead in appearance, and feeding off of blood. Some from their hunting and fishing game, others from themselves.

We asked around of what happened here. They consistently answered “Bloodletter”.

They repeated these words describing how a man who was a walking pestilence, brought his disease with him and inflicted it onto the village. They didn’t know what to do and the man tried to take them into the woods to heal them, but they refused. They believed the rumors that he married a witch, and refused to be touched by dark powers.

They have been surviving off of their game, but that would not satisfy them. They feed off the blood from their own veins, but that wasn’t enough. They wanted something warmer. I couldn’t tell who struck first, but the day turned into a blood bath. Walking corpses, for lack of a better word, attacked us, and neither gunfire, knives or swords could barely phase them. They would get back up, chase us, and fought us like animals.

Many of us took to hiding in a farm house at the villages outskirts, and the dead surrounded said farm house. We, and several of the British soldiers had to barricade the doors and windows as they tried to break in, shooting or stabbing at them was they reached through. Never in my life, could I dream such a nightmare. It was the night the dead lived.

Many others where bitten, their throats and arms drained of blood for the ghouls. And they would awake too become these very fiends. Sanchez was among those of us who hid. Late into the night, he happened upon barrels of oil and gunpowder, yet to be traded off. We concluded this farmhouse was was for storage of sorts.

Sanchez ordered us to take these barrels and put them onto the main floor. We were to make a break for it through the back door, several of us were elected to stay behind, to keep the ghouls busy, and to ignite the flames.

He deemed the Brits expendable.

The night was lit up, and the farmhouse went up in flames, and we watched as the ghouls screamed and howl, as we ran just out of range.

Sanchez led us back through the villages smoldering ruins. Many of the ghouls were still alive – breathing, moaning. Some still walking, some could barely move many of them were still talking, or trying to talk. Many of them tried to hide from us, and didn’t attack despite having a clear opportunity.

Those who didn’t die, Sanchez had executed. By the time the sun rose, there were few who lived that were not soldiers. The remaining ghouls have since fled into the woods.

As we recuperated, Sanchez spoke with the British Captain over what the next course of action. As far as Sanchez could figure. it was a matter of finding the stolen goods, and how the hell we were to explain the slaughter of a trading village full of civilians to the royal families. Particularly the fact that the people of this village were living dead fiends trying to drain blood were they could find us.

Sanchez wasn’t one who would propagate superstition, and the prince he answered too wasn’t such a person either. But we knew this “Bloodletter” as he was called was still out there. He was certainly the source of this disease, and he was the one who called us here.

We spent the day looking over the bodies, to see if any matched the description of the Bloodletter. It was said he had scars across his face; the left side looked as if it was clawed by a bear, and burn scar off a cross on his forehead.

It wasn’t until the sun began to set we aw something else approaching the village. It looked like a simple man, wearing ragged clothes, and a hood covering his head. He quickly surrendered when surrounded, and removed his hood to reveal the face of the Bloodletter.

“I believe I am the one you are looking for.” It spoke to us.

Several soldiers fired at him, but their bullets only seem to drop him. After several moments, he got back and asked “I wouldn’t waste your bullets further. People have shot me for years.”

Captain Sanchez walks up to him, staring the Bloodletter down as he addresses him “Jaralath Caulfield ? You are the one that’s been causing our settlement some grief.”

“I have been a bit of a trouble maker, haven’t I ?” it answers “But I felt drastic measures were necessary.”

The British Captain also approaches the Bloodletter “Drastic measures ? You killed these people!” he gestures to the fallen ghouls.

“No, I was trying to save them!” The Bloodletter shouts “What happened to them was hardly within my control, but I tried to help them. They didn’t trust me or my wife to treat them.”

“Figures, that they’d have the sense not to trust the witch to save hem” one of our soldiers interrupts him.

The Bloodletter stares daggers at my comrade “Mind your tongue grunt, or I’ll feed it to you.” He turns his attention to Sanchez “You want your goods, follow me, and I will explain everything along the way, but you and yours should surely know by now of the creatures that haunt this new world.”

“The ape men ?” We hear the British Captain speaks up “My men and I have been spotting them for some time. Put quite a few of them now.”

“What did they look like ?” The Bloodletter asks suspiciously.

“They all looked the same to us.” we hear a British soldier answer.

Mahalia’s Written Testimony

When I was a child, I was told that when the leaves turn red, it was the time of dying. My forest father always had a flowery way with words, or he would if he spoke any human language.

But he is right. As I grew, I learned that winter was the time of death, the leaves rot and die, and life seems to disappear from the woods.

I remember of how he spoke of ice, and how he spoke to me of fire, being both destroyers and creators in life. The first part always made the most sense to me; whenever winter comes, spring follows, but fire always confused me as a creator.

Due to recent events, I began to recall the tale of when the Devourer was first defeated. It began with an ocean of blood, and ended with fire. For the longest time, I never understood what the story meant until now.

As we come closer to the winter months, I have been seeing more and more fires start across the forests. For some time our scouts have been hunting the Tainted, and we have seen that they are the only ones being hunted.

For the past few weeks, I have seen my father tending to wounds he sustained from gunfire, and carrying the bodies of my brothers and sisters over his back for our clans burials. He was too angry to speak to me, aside from warning me not to follow our troop into battle. At the time, I didn’t know why. The day before, I spotted him leading two humans to my stead.

I recognized them almost immediately. One was Anya Mueller, and the little one beside her must have been Edith.

I ran to them as soon as I saw them and pulled Anya into a hug. It took them a moment to recognize me and both look like they’ve been through hell.

As my father disappeared into the forest, I took Anya and Edith into our home, where they told me everything.

“Chase had us exiled,” Anya starts “He found of we have been trying to undermine him. No one wanted him in charge, and we’ve been killing his scouts.” Her voice was barley a whisper “I don’t know what he’s planning for the rest, but he sent Edith and I out to punish Erik.”

“Erik ? He’s stood up to him ?” I ask.

“Everyone did. Or at least tried too.” Anya sighs “But, Chase is still in control of the beasts, and we can’t exactly fight them en mass.”

“Jaralath has been trying to seek out help for some time.” I try to explain.

“Jaralath’s alive ?” Anya chuckles, before she goes back to a frown “We’ve heard terrible things about him. That he was Chase’s favorite pet monster.”

“Was is the key word.” I say to them “How long has it been since you’ve been exiled ?”

“Four days,” Anya answers “He had a particular ire towards Edith.”

“Edith ?” The little one turns her attention back to me. No longer was she the little girl just beginning to walk and talk. I wasn’t sure if she even recognized me, so I ask her directly “Edith, do you remember who I am ?”

Edith nods before she answers weakly “You’re the one Chase wants. He thinks you have power like he does. He thinks you’re a witch, and that’s why he wants you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh “They still believe I have magic ?” I shake my head “No, only knowledge. I was simply raised among nature, I don’t have power over it.”

“Like me ?” Edith asks.

This perplexed me “Like you ?”

Edith continues “When I was little I was having dreams. In these dreams, I saw into the past. Mahalia, I saw the Devourer, and it said-“

“I interrupt her, how is it you’ve been seeing such things ?” I ask of her.

“I have been touched by the spirits. And they tell me that we have to escape. Everyone has to leave Awesiaki, and it’s has to burn..” Edith starts “I don’t want this world to burn again, so Awesiaki has to burn. We had to stop this war before it starts.”

“It wasn’t enough to exile us,” Anya shakes her head “He sent the dog creatures onto us. We spent days trying to lose them, before the silver furred one and others like him been picking them off. The silver one, approached us, and I didn’t have it in me to fight. He didn’t attack us, but gestured us to follow him. We didn’t trust him until Arf turned up, and we just knew. That’s when we came here.”

At this point I began to explain what Jaralath and I have been doing for the past few years; my father wanted Jaralath to find people to make like him. I’m not sure if Jaralath wanted too, or if he even had control, but he accidentally spread the disease he was carrying, and has been trying to find the means to treat them.

Jaralath had other plans, to get the bringing the British and the Spanish armies into this. He stole supplies from their trading posts, and sent them the severed heads of the Tainted in an effort to get their attention. There was no way he could build an army from what he had, so he planned to bring actual armies onto Chase.

For the next few hours, Anya, Edith and I sat, spoke and waited. Today was the day Jaralath expected the armies to arrive.

That night, we see Jaralath approaching our homestead, followed by hundreds of armed and uniformed men. He noticed Anya and Edith as he made his approach.

“And so gentlemen, I’m sure you understand the gravity of the situation.” Jaralath addresses the men at his side.

“It is what you owe us that we are interested in. At best, the plights of your people are of little concern to the empire.” A man with a British accent answers.

“You’ll get what you’re owed and more, good sir.” Jaralath explains “But good things come for those who wait, and better things come for those who work hard for it.”

“And what do you expect us to work so hard for ? We have made it clear the people of you’re little-” A Spanish man starts. I assumed him to be their Captain, but Jaralath interrupts them.

“That’s why I offer you a prize.” Jaralath starts “It’s no secret that you two and your little empires are no friends. It is also no secret that you two are looking to expand your territory. As for Awesiaki ? It is a rich land build upon a rich foundation; gold, farming land, hunting game. The very temptations that brought these good people to this land in the first place. Consider it your prize should you choose to overthrow a tyrant.”

“You would have your people subjugated ?” The Brit starts to ask before Jaralath interrupts.

“No, I intend to take them out of that accursed land. Your empires can have it.” Jaralath says “I also intend on seeing the head of Greeshawn Chase on a goddamn pike, if you’ll accept it.”

The two captains step away to discuss among themselves, as Jaralath turns his attention to Edith, Anya and I, walking up to us. A sad smile forming on his face.

“You two are a sight for sore eyes, but I can’t say the same for myself.” He says, crouching down to Edith’s level “…You don’t remember me, do you ?”

“My uncle Jaralath.” Edith nods “I hope you can help us. Help my papa.”

Jaralath’s face twists to one of concern “Where is he ?”

“Greeshawn Chase has him, and more than half of the village imprisoned in his mines. I don’t know what he intends to do with us, but he exiled us. He didn’t like that we didn’t like him.” Anya explains.

“Edith says she’s been seeing things,” I explain to him.

“What things ?” He asks.

Edith begins explaining what she told us; of how the time is coming for Awesiaki to burn, as the country was burned to break the Devourer’s hold on the world. Of how Edith was touched by the spirit, as they put it.

“Touched by the spirit ?” Jaralath glances down at Edith “Like Chase was ?”

Edith shakes her head “I seen the Devourer and other spirits. They talk to me, and tell me about how Chase didn’t listen to them.”

Jaralath looks towards Anya with a questioning expression “For the past couple of years, Edith says that she’s been seeing and speaking to things, like Greeshawn. Unlike him, she wanted to use what she knows to help us. That’s why Chase exiled us, Jaralath. We were winning.”

“Were ?” Jaralath chuckles “Are you implying we don’t have a fight to win ?”

“How can we win ?” Anya says.

“I brought forth forces of the British and Spanish army,” Jaralath gestures to the men, who spoke among themselves “Depending on the deal we get, we could overthrow Chase in the span of a night. There’s very little simple hunters can do.”

“It wants me,” Edith says. What she said next confused and surprised us. It was the language of the Forest People, a language I never heard other people speak and have not taught others; she was saying “It wants a queen to it’s name.”

“What is she saying ?” Jaralath asks once again.

“Beats me, she’s been speaking to herself like this for some time. She tells me she doesn’t understand the words herself. It has to mean something.” Anya says before she looks between Jaralath and I “It’s the same language I hear the creatures speak.”

Jaralath looks at me “Your father must know about what this means. Maybe you can help them understand.”

I nod, and turn to Anya and Edith “Come with me. There are things you must learn.”

“Is Jaralath coming with us ?” Edith asks.

“I have a deal to make little one, but hopefully,” he sighs “You won’t be there to join me.”

“Where are we going ?” Edith looks at me.

“My families home,” I answer her “It isn’t that far a walk, just stick with me and stay on the trail.”

Anya and Edith didn’t have any belongings to pack in a haste, and they where already ready to move. Before we headed off, Jaralath takes me hand. He has a grim expression on his face.

“Mahalaia, in case the worst happens, I want you to know” he started.

“You don’t have to tell me, I already know.” I answer him.

“No, I have to say it Mahalia.” he says firmly “I love you. As much as the ocean is deep and the stars are high, I love you. Meeting you was like meeting the better half of myself, one I didn’t know I needed, and now know I cannot live without. I love you Mahalia. If there is one truth I know, that is it.”

“I love you too Jaralath,” I nod at him, still reading his eyes “Something is stirring you.”

“Two things,” Jaralath nods “Number one, something is trying to get to that little girl, same as Greeshawn. The last thing we need is another Greeshawn Chase running around in this world. You and I have both seen Edith from when she was swaddling, to crawling to when she walked. We both have years missing from her, but the fact of the matter is if spirits are visiting her, whose to say the Devourer isn’t going to tempt her like Chase ?”

“It won’t if it’s link is severed.” I answer him “What is the other thing ?”

“The soldiers ? I’ve been listening in on them. They want to have me tried for theft, among other things. Want me to pay for taking from their empires, and my previous work with Chase. Want me to compensate for what I’ve taken.”

“They can’t possibly kill you.” I shake my head.

“They’ll try to find a way. They made quick work of the village, and they where afflicted the same as I. And I am going to have to agree to their terms.” He explains.

“Jaralath you can’t say-” he interrupts me.

“I have to do what must be done. No matter the price.” he stares me down “It won’t be safe for you if the worst comes. I will do what I can to help the people of Awesiaki, and must do what you can to make sure Edith doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. I figure we owe as much to the Mueller’s.” Jaralath says.

I nod once more, before I pull Jaralath into a kiss. It hurt more than it comforted.

I never broke eye contact with Jaralath, as I walked into the forest with Anya and Edith, and he walked to the soldiers.

….

It did not take long to reach my family’s territory. I haven’t been here in weeks, but the last time I was here, there was dozens upon dozens of the forest people. Now there was about six, including my father.

He had them gathered around a fire, as he walked up and sprinkling flowers, ash and spices around the fire. I recognized the noise they made together as a chant of mourning and grief. He noticed us in the midst of his chant, but I advised Edith and Anya not to approach him until he was finished. By the time he was finished, the sun has set and he approached us himself.

I know I haven’t taught our language, but a translation of his words go as such.

“You…I didn’t want you to see this, child.”

“You didn’t want me to see what was happening to the family ?” I ask him.

“Didn’t want you to worry.”

“All I can do is worry. You told me not to follow your troops against the Tainted. You never told me what was happening, or how many of my brothers and sisters died at the hands of the tainted.” I try to contain myself “Father, you only made me worry.”

He exhales softly but deeply “It wasn’t my intent child. Things have never gone as planned. It’s been that way for some time.” He stares up to the moon and stars and I look up with him.

“This wasn’t the life intended for you. A human child, should have been raised their tribes. What good does it do humans to mourn something that isn’t human ?” He asks me.

“Would you have mourned me ?” I ask him “You never taught me emotion is weakness, you always said these feelings are natural.”

He lets out a soft bellow “It’s funny, something that is natural shouldn’t be. To feel too much compassion, it only makes the loss bring greater pain.” He looks down at me “What is natural about a great-grandfather, burying his clan ?”

He drops to his knees with a harsher bellow and a long mournful cry. I crouch down beside him, placing my hand through the fur on his back and shoulder, and ask “How many did we lose ?”

“Far too many, but it was not the Tainted that took them.” He looks at me, immediately seeing my confusion “Humans from other lands. They see us, and shoot us. We have done our best to avoid them, but for the past few weeks, they have been finding us. Killing us, like any other animal.”

“Greeshawn Chase’s men ?” I ask,

“If they serve the Devourer, they do not know this. The came here on their ships, and brought forth their armies. Some hardly treat the human tribes here any better.” He answers me.

“The Spanish and the British!” I realize “Jaralath has been gathering them, they are set to lay seige on the Devourer’s land.”

“No doubt they will want to use his deathless curse to their advantage. Make it a weapon, make it their strength. Do not think they care for they people you wish to save child; it’s always the land they want.” He looks towards Anya and Edith “There is another reason you are here.”

I gesture the two to come to us. Anya hesitantly leads Edith over, standing protectively in front of her. “The little one, she has been seeing things. Hearing things. She tells me she has been dreaming of the past, and how the Devourer speaks to her.” I explain to him “She has been speaking our tongue father, but she doesn’t understand what she’s saying.”

My father gestures them to follow us into the caves. They do so, and I rely what he’s saying to them.

…..

“It was centuries ago, when the Deathless first appeared on these shores, with the humans they subjugated. They were led by a man and a woman, whom they held in reverence due to their conquests and power. It is said they were drawn in by the blood spilled by the Devourer. There was a great war, but it was the deathless that united man and beast against their tyrant.”

He gestures to them the paintings on the caves walls, showing the legend as we described it.

“Is this what you’ve been seeing, Edith ?” Anya point to an image of the Devourer, surrounded by flames. Standing before the Devourer was a man and a woman holding hands.

Edith nods “It tells me it’s tired with Greeshawn and wants me. The others have been telling me other things, about how to fight it, and I try to listen to them mama.” Edith takes a breath “But I want Chase dead too.”

“Even his master wants him gone ?” Anya smirks “That’s almost pitiable.”

My father begins to speak, and I had to once again translate “For centuries, we have tried to walk with one of foot in the spirit world, and another in this. A feat few of us could hope to achieve. In this family, it was always his ancestors, who have kept these legends alive.” I explain for him “The spirits live through us, by both blood and legend. The deathless who came here sacrificed themselves with the night the sky burned; only a daughter of their masters survived, as did a boy she took as a lover, but they have since disappeared. My father’s bloodline carried the task of walking in both worlds, and yet none of his children couldn’t.”

My father points to Edith directly, and I continue to explain “I believe the spirits choose you, and Greeshawn Chase before you. The words may vary; prophet, shaman, someone who walks with the spirit world on their shoulders. To carry their word. The Devourer, see’s another tyrant to use as a puppet. Chase made his choices when he reached adolescence, and Edith could become another Chase, but Edith is young and less clever. Easier for the Devourer to prey upon.”

“Is there anyway we can stop him ?” Anya pleads, looking back and forth between my father and I.

My fathers answers, and I translate “Only when your land is burned, and those it tainted are destroyed. The army Jaralath assembled, if it doesn’t fail, is only going to become tainted and consume the lands as Greeshawn Chase has. They only care for fueling the power of their empires, and don’t care if they have t rip the world apart to do so. The cycle will only continue, unless broken.”

“That’s what Jaralath is out to do ?” Anya says.

“Jaralath will stop at nothing to see the death of Greeshawn Chase. There is little he wouldn’t sacrifice.” I answer.

Our train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a distant explosion, and gunfire. The sounds of man and beast alike howl through the night. I just knew, then and there that something bad was happening.

I turn to Anya and Edith “Do not leave this cave! Do you understand me ?”

I rush into the trees, followed by two of my forest brothers. My father ordered the rest to stay behind, before he too joins us.

I couldn’t tell how long we followed the sounds of battle, or how fast we were running, but a million thoughts flowed through my head at once. There was no way this battle could have started already. There was no way I would let Jaralath throw his life into something this reckless, or this quick. And there was no way my father would let any more of his own be slaughtered on his land. All we could do was follow the smoke.

….

By the time we reached a clearing, about a half a dozen trees were burned.

There where the bodies of dozens of soldiers dead; some impaled on tree branches; some mutilated, and partially eaten. A few bodies of the tainted, laid dismembered or shot on the ground. Severed heads were stuck on makeshift spears.

Entrails and blood painted the ground red, as the smoke and ashes from the burnt trees colored everything else dark. My family and I searched over the bodies. A few unlucky ones where still alive, but my father and siblings swiftly uttering our word for “murderers”.

I made sure to look at each one of their faces. Jaralath wasn’t among them, and neither was Greeshawn. I heard a man coughing. It was one of the Spaniards. One of his legs was missing, and his innards were spilling out

I take his head into my hands and force him to face me “Can you still speak ?” I ask him.

He was gasping, barely managing to get a word out. “They came…” he gasps “The wolf beasts…the ape beasts. They took the lot of us alive, and did…”

He cries out, it seemed the agony was getting to him. But I needed to know where Jaralath is.

“Where is my husband ?” I ask him.

“The Bloodletter…he was taken with the others.” he coughs up blood “They swarmed us by the dozens, and not even he could fight them off…they took them.”

“Where ?” I ask him.

He coughs again “Please…just let me di-” Before he can finish, my fathers large hands wrap around his neck, and ended his life with a loud crunch.

“He still had more to say!” I call my father out.

“He said plenty.” He bellows out “There was only one place Chase could have taken them.” He inhales deeply “In all my years, I was sure I would see this day, when the sun sets on these lands. I did not think, my clan would be facing it’s end…do you know what this means child ?”

I nod, speaking as the realization dawns on me.

“The time has come, to bring death to Awesiaki.”