Chapter 3

It was a dark night.  Almost the entire sky was covered in thick black cloud.  No stars could be seen.  The moon peeped out from behind the clouds every now and then, but for the most part, it was a dark night.

The mood suited very much how Maruska felt inside.

Maruska and her young apprentice, Fog, were now standing before a lone house.  The house was on the outskirts of Manangatang village.  They had come down the mountain a few hours prior and asked some locals the whereabouts of Anton DiManlen.  Maruska had told them she was an old acquaintance come to pay him a visit.  This was not really a lie, and was an approximation of the truth.  However, had the villagers known the true intent of her visit, they surely would not have given her such thorough directions.

"This looks like the house," said Fog, "There's the big elm tree, and over there, the cows."

Their eyes had become accustomed to the darkness and they could both see the dark shapes of the cows asleep in a fenced off paddock.

"I feel like going to push one of them over," said Fog, "I hear you can do that when they are sleeping."

"Nay," said Maruska, "We didn't travel all this way for you to push cows.  Silence now, as I focus and mentally prepare myself."

Fog obediantly went silent, for as long as she could; which was about ten seconds.

"Mistress," said Fog.

"What!" said Maruska.

"Can I look at the orb?"

Maruska reached into her robe, and pulled out a small glowing sphere and handed it to Fog.

"Be careful," said Maruska, "Words can't describe what I will do to you if you break it."

Fog nodded slowly, but was preoccupied with staring at the orb.  It looked amazing.  It was small, about the size of an orange.  The outside was made of clear glass.  Inside the orb was a pinkish-purpley liquid that was thick like honey, and glowing faintly in the dark.  Suspended in the liquid was a dark grey cloud of ash, that looked like a mini thundercloud.  If you looked carefully, you could see small crackles of electricity sparking all the time within the cloud.  It was fascinating to look at.

Fog's fingers were trembling a bit.  In her hands, was one of the deadliest objects in the world.  She handed it back to Maruska, being extra careful not to drop it.  If that thing did break, she did not want to be anywhere near it when it did.

"Do you really think that thing will work?" said Fog.

Maruska tucked the orb safely away into her robes before answering.  "It will work.  I did everything correctly when I made it.  Now," said Maruska, "It is time for you to leave.  This thing I must do, I must do alone.  Go back to our camp up in the mountains.  I will meet with you there when I am done."

"Maybe I should hang around," said Fog, "I can hide up in that tree there.  What if you need help or something?"

"I will not need help to deal with Anton," said Maruska, "Now leave.  That is not a request."

"Okay," said Fog, "I'll meet you up the mountain.  Don't make me wait too long!"  And with that, she turned and left, disappearing into the night.

Maruska stood there for a while, the cool breeze blowing on her face.  She would have liked to have stayed there a while longer, but just then, the front door to the house opened.  And a man walked out.  He was walking towards her.  He hadn't seen her yet.  But she could see him.  There was no mistaking who it was.

It was Anton DiManlen.

Reviews

[thuaners]

thanks so much scarlett! :) its so helpful to find out how someone else sees the story :D

[ScarlettTheDreamer]

Its like watching a movie. A good one though :) I think you should use 'mistress' instead of 'master'. I love the names you used, they fit so well with the plot.