Chapter 8

Late the next morning the group departed. Low had forgotten about the letter and the woman by the time he laid back in bed. He was the first up and gotten up the others. They ate and departed towards the Dew Village.

The two day trip was uneventful and long. The terrain became more and more desolate the farther they traveled.

The canus became uneasy, uttering unholy nickering growls of fear. A day from the village they stopped refusing to go further.

“I don't like this.” Arlette murmured as he dug his heels into the beast.

“Can't blame them.” Lukil said petting his beasts neck. “They sense foreboding, death and pain, even I feel it. I don't want to continue but we must.”

Low's beast started forward at a cautious trot. It whimpered and turned light blue eyes up to him but moved forward. The others fell behind it, it was obvious who held dominance within the pack.

When they entered the village they understood he hesitance of the best. The sky swirled with the light at dark both fighting for dominance. The border, they saw, was closer then the inn keeper had guess. Low's canus half-reared in fear as a dragon hatchling slinked by. It's color was pitch black streaked red, a dark dragon.

“This place is infested with the Dark Demons.” sneered Arlette as he pulled the reins on his canus.

A white dragon, a dragon of light, met with the dark one, they touched snouts and wrapped necks before darting through an alley way.

“This village should be destroyed it's been tainted.” Arless said turning up her nose at the site of dark denizens walking and talking with light ones. “I'm surprised it hasn't.”

“You bigoted tarts.” Came angry craggy words. An old woman hunched over nearly double walked over, a knobby staff topped off with a horse hoof and a black orb wandered over. Her sightless opaque eyes stared at Arlette. “You stand by your forbidden beliefs, but understand this, karma has a mean hand and will turn on all.”

The group looked at each other. The old women made no sense at all.

“Upon this darkened land I've seen terrors of years through these blinded eyes. I know that true light holds more darkness then true dark. I've heard so many fearsome sights that your own soul would flee the body just so that it would never hold them.” She turned her eyes to Low. “I know of what you come here for. You have come for that witch cannot be reclaimed by the hands of dead. You come for a trace of hope to save that which will die as it did before. You cannot save the dead boy, You cannot. But open your eyes and heart to see the truth in what the dark holds. Then you can reclaim what the light steals.” Se let out a gruesome laugh. Insane di it sound causing people to stop and stare in horror. Her eyes glimmered between blood red to ice blue. They widened as she laughed harder. Her shrill voice suddenly echoed for all to hear. “Search the dark, for the dark holds all! In the dark answers shall be found for all to hear! When death claims the water that sees what the dark holds then the night shall fall giving way to light fir all to feel in place of chills, and then the demons will be put in their place forced to see the horrors of the lights!” Her body vanished leaving red tattered robes behind. The symbol of the oracle was burned into the the back.

Her shrill laugher echoed all around.

Low clutched his head as words were spoken to him and alone. “The mad hatter once said to me, that what we know is what we lost and what we forgive is wha we know, what was told is what lies and what lies is truth but truth is nothing but lost dreams that flit in our knowledge like carrion birds pestering the mind. The foolish hare was told me that the Cheshire cat is what ate the mouse that slept during the ancient blood tea party. The mouse was caught between the love of a cat and the love of a dog and was forever lost in the mind of man. So lies are truth, truth is knowledge, knowledge is in our minds forever, forever our minds are lost to what can't be forgiven, what we can't forgive is truth, and truth is a mouse.” The cackling laughter faded leaving Low confused and unconscious.