After a few moments, he returned to Kian who was rubbing the back of his head but otherwise looked just fine. \u201cWho was that fellow?\u201d Aaron asked, glimpsing back the way he had come.
\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Kian admitted. \u201cBut I\u2019ve never encountered someone so strong.\u201d
\u201cOr so fast.\u201d
\u201cYou don\u2019t think he could be a\u2026 Dark One?\u201d Kian asked, finally moving his hand off the back of his head.
\u201cNo, I don\u2019t think so,\u201d Aaron said quickly, though he wasn\u2019t sure. If Ward really was a Dark One, wouldn\u2019t he have destroyed them? Why would he offer an explanation for the English\u2019s reaction to the Dark Ones? No, he didn\u2019t seem to be evil\u2014just leery of trusting anyone. And definitely not human, though what he might be, Aaron had no idea.
\u201cCome on,\u201d Kian insisted, tugging on Aaron\u2019s sleeve. \u201cLet\u2019s go visit our parents and then head back to our loving wives.\u201d
Aaron held back a chuckle at his sarcasm, and with one last look at where the dark-haired man had disappeared, he followed Kian back the way they had come.
His mother had been in a better mood than Aaron had seen her in several weeks. She\u2019d just received a letter from Genty, letting her know that she was doing well. Having married an American man a few months ago, she was expecting her first child, and Aaron couldn\u2019t be happier for his older sister who had always taken such good care of him.
While his mother was doing better, Granddad\u2019s health was rapidly deteriorating. Lack of nutrition and rest had paid its toll, and Aaron realized it wouldn\u2019t be too much longer before he\u2019d have to find a way to take care of his mother and grandfather as well as himself and Aislyn, which wouldn\u2019t be easy with no potatoes. He considered approaching his older brother, Channing, to see if he could also help, but Channing\u2019s wife had just given birth to their third child, and Aaron couldn\u2019t imagine trying to provide for three wee ones with all that was going on around them, let alone being partially responsible for two elders.
Aaron and Kian took off for home by way of the road that meandered past a few small ponds and a stream, thinking they might try their hand at catching some fish. Though most lords forbid anyone from fishing on their property, there had been no such decree here just yet, and occasionally a family might make it another day on the grace the water provided. They had no poles and knew their chances were slim, but they may as well take that path back as opposed to the other route; it was only slightly longer and much more scenic.
\u201cWhat do you make of that man in the alley?\u201d Kian was asking as they wound their way over the rocky terrain. \u201cNow that you\u2019ve had a chance to think about it.\u201d
\u201cI don\u2019t know what to think,\u201d Aaron admitted. \u201cIt does slightly remind me of something you said, though, years ago.\u201d
\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d Kian asked, glancing back over his shoulder as he led the way down the narrow path.
\u201cSomething about a\u2026 hunter,\u201d Aaron recalled. \u201cI wasn\u2019t quite sure what you were talking about back then, but it stuck with me.\u201d
Kian looked confused. \u201cI don\u2019t recall that conversation.\u201d
\u201cIt was when we were kids, a long time ago. You said your grandmother mentioned that the agreement between the Dark Ones and the Order had something to do with hunters.\u201d
Stopping to turn and face him momentarily, Kian shrugged. \u201cHunters?\u201d he repeated, \u201cHuh.\u201d He turned and continued on his way, Aaron following. \u201cWell, I believe I said it, but I don\u2019t know what it means.\u201d
\u201cMe neither,\u201d Aaron reluctantly admitted. \u201cI wish we could have caught up to that Ward fellow, though. I think he may have been able to tell us more.\u201d
Kian nodded in agreement. \u201cMaybe we could go back to the tavern in a day or two and see if he\u2019s around. The others seemed to know him; they knew his name, anyway.\u201d
Aaron was just about to agree when they came over a ridge and froze. There at the base of the line below where they were standing, in a clearing near the lake, stood two sinister figures hovering over three little girls who were backed against a tree, their wee bodies shaking in fright.
The two larger figures were dressed like villagers, and in fact, Aaron thought he recognized one of them from church, but their appearances were altered, and once they realized they were being watched, their heads slowly turned to face the interlopers.
Their eyes were sunken black holes, their mouths deformed and elongated. Sharp white fangs glistened in the daylight, and their mouths were coated in a thick red substance. They were taller than any men Aaron had ever seen before, but their bodies were stretched out so that their necks reached out in front of their chests, their heads bobbing above them. Even as he stared, Aaron realized one of them was shifting his shape again, becoming even taller and more drawn-out.
Aaron looked at Kian whose eyes were like saucers. Though he could tell his friend was just as terrified as he was, there was no question both of them knew what they must do. Having taken the attention off of the children, Aaron shouted to the girls, \u201cRun!\u201d and then without thinking of the consequences, sprinted right at the closest of the two Dark Ones. Kian followed suit, and Aaron could hear his footsteps pounding the rocks behind him.
The monsters looked confused at first; even though the children would be easier prey, the men seemed to be taunting them. They turned to face the approaching pair as the girls scurried behind the trees and off into the ridge-line, and just as Aaron and Kian neared the undead, the two friends turned and began to sprint away toward a copse of trees, running as fast as humanly possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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