The Ardent and The Bard

Chapter 13: Nightmares and Dark Thoughts

"What is with this place?" Shade shook his head "ever since we came to this section of Aisling'Am we've only met death and unease."

"Nightmares, I assume," Cole was making notes in his journal.

"The land of nightmares," Unwise fell back on her back, "this is the point I usually turn back. You see some messed up stuff the further into this place you go."

"It's all still illusion though, right?" Cole asked.

"Oh yeah. You can't be physically hurt, but sometimes it's not the physical pain that stops you" Unwise's voice trailed off as a memory flashed in her eyes.

"I wonder why the more disturbing dreams are closer to the center," Cole said to himself.

"It's a moat" Shade said.

"A barrier to entry?" Cole rephrased the statement. He chewed on his fountain pen. "Now there's a disturbing thought."

Unwise and Cole soon fell asleep. Shade assumed it was sleep. That was one of the things that confused Shade when their first day of exploration ended. How Cole felt the need to sleep as if he was back on the Prime plane. According to Cole it was a "dreamless sleep" where he woke feeling rested, but it was distinctly different from sleeping on any other plane. He would later liken it to a brief hibernation. The first night they spent with Unwise she mentioned that she had spent so many nights in Aisling'Am that she was used to it by now. In fact, she said sleeping in this plane felt faster because as soon as you fell asleep it seemed like you were waking up.

This was all a moot point to Shade, who couldn't sleep and had to wait the the hours that seemed to fly by for his companions. Meditating generally helped the time pass, but he was unable to access the Astral Plane from here. When he attempted the image was fuzzy, as if viewed through delirium. Perhaps Aisling'Am was so far removed that his connection wasn't strong enough to access it. Hopefully it would be something he could overcome in his time as Ioun's champion.

In the distance a scream rose from the black mountains in the distance. Shade's body tensed up, but he did not act on his instinct to investigate.

"It's just dreams" he reminded himself.

The scream was joined by others. Each a distinct voice calling out in pain and terror. Shade wished he had ears to cup to block out the sound. He looked to his companions, but they slept on.

The chorus ended abruptly. The land was as silent as the grave now. Shade wondered if the three of them were the only truly living things in this part of the plane.

A rustle of leaves behind him. Shade was so on edge that he immediately sprung to his feet and summoned his psiblade. He cast the blue light of the blade in all directions.

"Show yourself."

He did not shout. His words came out as a stressed hiss. He wanted there to be something in the shadows so that his fear could be justified.

Nothing.

He looked away from the noises. He forced them from his mind and looked to the dark landscape. He cast his ardent vision as far as he could. He was searching for any signs of life. What he found made his body go taught.

The malevolent aura he had detected a day ago was moving across the field. Shade took a step towards it, but he soon realized the aura was not alone. There was at least four others moving with it at different intervals. All five moved with the same speed in the same direction, though as far as Shade could tell they weren't coordinated.

Shade was stiff. He was afraid if he took his eyes off them they'd vanish, but they were moving so swiftly that if he did nothing they'd escape entirely. He sent a psionic pulse that immediately jostled Unwise and Cole from their sleep.

"Gah. Don't do that" Unwise rubbed her head.

"What's the matter?" Cole was quicker to realize Shade wouldn't wake them for nothing.

"The-" Shade started to speak, but his words vanished in his throat. He felt like he was about to give the creature a name, but his brain stopped him.

"It's back, and it's not alone."

"More?" Cole looked to where Shade was looking, but still saw nothing.

"At least five. No, seven. Eight." Shade realized more specters were joining the procession.

"And you know it's what you saw before?"

"Absolutely." Shade could not take his eyes off the red auras scurrying across the field.

"Then we have our targets. No time to pack up camp."

Cole quickly shouldered his pack.

"We're gonna hit the ground running are we? I just woke up." Unwise was still sitting.

Shade pressed his hand into her shoulder and flooded her with feelings of alertness while consuming her stupor. Unwise's eyes perked up and she sprang to her feet.

"Shit. That's better than a gnomish coffee. Just warn me next time."

The group abandoned their campsite, taking with them only the supplies left in their bags. Whatever was left behind could be easily retrieved later, or replaced. They did not move towards the entities through an open sprint, as Shade did not want to attract their attention. They trailed the pack for a mile before Shade pulled the other two into a patch of foliage.

"Three more behind us," Shade explained.

With his abilities applied to their maximum, his ardent senses could expand to a 360 degree vision that made him a clairvoyant. The three creatures passed them without even a consideration that they were there or knew of their presence. That made eight in the herd.

"We're losing them" Cole said to Shade.

"There's one more on the rear."

"The runt of the pack" Unwise was still tired. She took a shot from her flask to wake herself up.

"That's the one we'll tail."

While they waited for the creature Cole prepared a spell that would make their movements silent. They would be able to pursue at full speed if needed.

"What if the bastard has eyes?" Unwise asked the obvious.

"These things have had ample opportunity to notice us. So either their sight is abysmal, or unnecessary. In the event that I'm wrong I do have one or two bottles of invisibility somewhere in here."

Cole looked into the depths of his pack to confirm that he had indeed packed them. Shade focused all his attention on the single creature. He felt like a runner waiting for the race to start. He did not know which anxiety was greater: The feeling that they might lose it again, or that they would follow it to the ends of this realm.

The red mist passed them. Shade forgot that his allies could not see it, for they stumbled a bit when he took off without them. The creature had passed closer than its fellows. Close enough that Shade could've touched it if he had lunged. It was in this proximity that he felt a chilling thought pierce his mind. The creature knew he was there. It just didn't care.

The chase was on.