Icy Betrayal

[Dol]

Chapter I

The walls flickered with the late night reverie of thoughts from the fireplace. The fire in the place was large, and wispy orange tongues of flame licked out onto the external brick. Jacob huddled close to the source of warmth, but goosebumps still spread across his skin. He covered himself with a thick wool comforter, but he still found himself shivering in cold. It was the middle of summer, yet frost crept across the windows in long, spindly fingers.

A frozen breeze crept in from under every door and from beside every window. An unforgiving shiver took over Jacob and he shook violently, despite his size. Jacob was an ox of a man, in physical strength and fortitude as well as demeanor. His brutish size was kept in check by his loving and caring nature. His large and powerfully built hands felt just as comfortable gripping the hilt of his sword as they did carrying his young daughter Sarah.

Perhaps Jacob was ill-suited for his position as Captain of the Guard. Some of those envious to his achievements said he was too soft. While it is true that he may have been lenient on certain occasions, he was a voice of reason in the corrupt machine that was the city watch. Through Jacob's actions, many more innocent bystanders who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time were spared than guilty men set free.

But here he was, huddled on the atypically cold stone floor of his rather comfortable house. His eye sockets were black and purple, and his eyes glazed and slightly blood shot. The man hadn't slept in days. His cheeks were sunken in, and the corners of his eyes were moistened from tears. His hands gripped his woolen fortress greedily. He hoped by staving off the cold, he could stave off that accursed man. Though this man, who called himself Dol, only exposed the truth to Jacob; ignorance is bliss.

“No... no... no... no,” Jacob repeated to himself. He slowly and gingerly shook his mighty head from side to side and began to weep. Deep and powerful spasms attacked his diaphragm and the powerful knight keeled over even further. He was here.

“You know, Jacob...” That voice. It was smooth. Composed. Comforting. That voice was a venom. It was poison to Jacob's ears. “Some of the Guards are beginning to concern themselves over you.” A tall and foreboding hooded figure silently strode towards Jacob. His gate was flawlessly smooth. It was almost as if he wasn't stepping at all but was floating, his feet barely grazing the ground. The sharp tendrils of frost followed him into the room, and a sublimating fog fell low to the floor.

“They will discover your secret, Jacob.” The figure ceased his movement. The fireplace began to flicker. A cold wind cut through Jacobs blanket and he began to violently shudder.

“Damn you, Dolor... Damn you...” Jacob said softly. He exhaled small clouds of moisture with his words. His will had been broken. His voice cracked with the burden of a thousand sins. “This is your fault, you wretch,” His voice began to increase in volume and intensity. “You did this to me!” Jacob's deep and forceful voice had returned. But only for a brief moment.

“Fool.” That single word cut even deeper than the icy razor of wind that accompanied Dolor's presence. “You know as well as I that I was merely an informer. I did nothing but point you to these ends. The decisions were all yours.” There was almost an air of joy in the Shade's voice. Jacob turned his head, defeated, back to the fireplace. He watched it extinguish. Thin wisps of smoke trickled out of the mantle and the room darkened, dimly only by the embers that remained.

[Dol]

Those faint, dull-grey tufts of smoke increased in volume as the embers slowly died. The smoke poured out of the fireplace, the final dying breaths of the flame. Jacob was still lost in thought, struggling to force Dol out of his mind. The plague was already set. It was growing, consuming every waking thought. The presence of the revenant was like a drug. Despite the cold sleepless nights and the hatred; despite the icy tendrils polluting his mind, Jacob was glad Dol was here.

Jacob sat now in near-total darkness. The only source of light emanated from Dol. It was a cool blue light, much like a winter day during a waning moon. The misty fog continued to roll out from beneath his feet. It was clean, and soothed Jacobs throat, raspy from nights of tearful solitude. The only sounds that broke the empty silence were Jacob's slow sniffling and a slow humming echo, like the wind among trees.

“If that's all you've come to say, then begone,” Jacob attempted to assert some authority. His response was a chilling laughter. It seemed to reverberate unnaturally throughout the confines of the room. Jacob peered over his shoulder, where the shade stood. Dol was gone. Jacob's gaze returned to the blackened fireplace. The laugh continued to echo for a few brief moments, and a shadowy apparition swooped in front of Jacob. He was slightly startled, but not by Dol. For the first time in his life he had caught gaze of the wraith's eyes. And for the first time in his life, Jacob was terrified.

That one brief moment where their eyes met, Jacob felt a horror unparalleled by anything he had ever felt before. Fear, regret, loathing and every other hateful emotion the man had ever felt welled up inside of him and exploded into a single moment that lasted an eternity. A skewed and distorted version of his body appeared before Jacob's eyes. He witnessed himself from the third person and analyzed every facet of his visage, but there was something wrong with his face.

His eyes were white and lifeless. His normally fair skin was marred by a huge purple and red bruise that covered from his face from cheek to forehead. There were burns around his neck, and a single noise began to rise up. It slowly rose in volume until it deafened Jacob. It only took it a moment for him to recognize it, it was the groaning creak of a thick rope.

[Dol]

Chapter II

It had been just over 3 months since Jacob first met Dol. They had met under seemingly normal circumstances and even slowly became friends. They met on a cool and crisp night. The dew had just settled. The stamping of an unsettled horse crunched into the night air.

“Here he is, sir,” A guard called towards an oncoming man. His voice sounded agitated and short. “Hasn't said a word to us yet.”

Jacob powerfully strode to the guard. His armor rattled slightly, making small metal clinks. The horses nostrils flared and it reared up. Whinnying, it reached its hooves out and clawed at the air. The guard who had addressed Jacob turned toward the beast.

“Calm him down.” Two guards struggled with the animal. It seemed to be spooked, which was very unsual. Town guard horses were usually the best in the city. It reared up again, and pulled one guard off of his feet. He fell to his knees, holding the reins tightly. The horse's whinnying echoed eerily into the night. Jacob paid it no attention. He instead walked to a hooded man. The man was resting his arms on the handrails of a bridge and observing the spanned stream.

“So, who are you? They say you won't talk to my men,” Jacob commanded. Jacob was tall and powerfully built, but this stranger had several inches on him.

Silence was the reply. The figure simply stared out on the running water. The moon light reflected upon the stream in a rather serene way. There were few clouds in the sky, just enough to briefly obscure the moon every few minutes.

Jacob advanced upon the figure, “I don't appreciate strangers in our town going arou...”

“Dolor.” The captain of the guard was cut short. “Dolor Nihilus. Please call me Dol.” there was an intruging tone to this “Dolor's” voice, assuming that was his real name. It was icy and chilling, yet comforting. It was a voice that Jacob would take to his grave.

“Why are you here?” Jacob had been startled by Dol's sudden reply. He was now on the defensive and his voice sounded slightly wavering.

“Do you inquire all passerbys so?” Dol questioned. He turned slightly to the left to face Jacob. “If so, that explains why this city is so quiet.”

Jacob was not amused. “We do when they suddenly show up after midnight. And when they don't answer to the guard.”

“I told them exactly what I told you, fine Captain.” Dol removed his hands from his pocket. Thick leather gloves covered them to the wrist. Jacob started for a moment, but soon realized Dol had no weapons in his hands. Jacob turned to the guard he had met initially and scolded him.

“That's hardly not a word, Heskon...” Jacob's tone was slightly frustrated, but still polite. He returned his attention to Dol. “And your scythe? Are you a farmer?”

“Dress't like 'at, ee looks loik Deff...” Another guard noted in a thick accent. He was hushed by a single utterance from Jacob: “Silence!”

“A farmer, no.” Dol replied smoothly. “But we each require protection on these roads. You have your preference, I have mine. Does your inn have vacancies?”

Jake thought to himself. Surely this Dol wasn't a threat, probably a passing wizard.

“Men. Back to your posts.” The other guards grunted and gathered their things. The horse still whinnied and snorted. Jake continued: “Allow me to personally take you there. I'm off duty soon. I'll buy you a drink!”

Dol slowly waved his hand at his side. “I don't drink, but thank you for the offer.”

[Dol]

The two made their way through the quiet town. There was a definite dichotomy between the two. The Captain of the Guard took heavy long strides. His feet pounded powerfully and determinedly into the ground. The plate of his boots rattled against the chain of his mail. He was a proud man, but not without his flaws.

Dol trailed just behind him, keeping a distance of a few feet. His footsteps were quiet, graceful and slow. He almost seemed to float behind Jacob. Dol's lifeless eyes, hidden under his thick burlap hood, scanned Jacob. His gaze pierced through the armor, flesh and bone of the man in front of him. He saw straight into the soul. And through Jacob's powerful physique, friendly demeanor and stern sense of duty, Dol saw uncertainty. He saw a black pit of mistrust and regret. It would overtake the Captain.

Within a few minutes they had reached the tavern. Jacob held the door open for his guest, but Dol returned the courtesy by motioning the powerful man to enter first. Jacob nodded, smiled a hearty grin and entered the establishment. The barkeep immediately recognized Jacob and began to pour a tall stein of lager.

“Who's the friend this time, Jacob? You know I can't afford to keep givin' me beer away.” A large smile crossed the innkeepers face. Then he broke into laughter. He placed the large mug on the table with a heavy thud and grabbed another.

“No thanks.” Dol's voice cut through the cheerful mood. The innkeeper stopped and stood awkwardly, gazing towards Dol. Several of the bar's patrons halted their conversations mid-sentence and looked towards Dol. One by one, after a heavy moment of awkward silence, they returned to their conversations, keeping a wary eye towards the spectre.

Dol sat with Jacob for a few hours as the man drank. And drank. And drank. He was a hearty fellow and out-drank many of the regulars. He became loud and boisterous when he was drunk, but maintained his friendly face and gentle hands. He offered food or drink to Dol several times, to which he replied that he was not hungry.

When the tavern closed, Jacob offered to buy Dol's room. Truth be told, he had had fun with his new friend tonight. Dol was quiet, sure, but he had that air about him. He refused Jacob's hospitality. Being intoxicated, Jacob continued to insist and Dol continued to decline. With a firm pat on the shoulder and a hearty chuckle, Jacob slurred to Dol.

“Yer always welcome.... to my town here. Well it's not my town per say, but you know what I'm saying to you. Good luck in your travels!”

Jacob returned in the morning to greet his friend with a hearty breakfast, but Dol was already gone. They wouldn't see each other again for several weeks.

[Dol]

((Time for some Thread Necromancy!))
“No...” Dol hissed into the night.

The moon was full. It cast its light down into the farmlands and valleys below, bathing them in an eerie glow. The air buzzed with the call of a hundred cicada, eager to mate and lay their eggs before their pathetic life was snuffed into non-existence. Dol stood in an open field, reveling in the gloomy night. He took long, slow strides, atypical of his usual habit of floating. The ground beneath him began to rot. The scrub grass quickly withered and shriveled, and the beautiful petals of the rare moon lotuses quickly closed, dried out, wilted and died. Even the soil died, its rich, dark luster replaced by a chalky gray dust.

“You... are beyond salvation.” he whispered.

A slight sound of rushing air began to stir the weeds around Dol. An unsettling wind started, and the calm leaves of the surrounding trees suddenly turned up, brandishing their silver bellies as if a storm approached. Dol slowly raised his arms as the winds intensified. The leaves shook violently, barely holding on to their mother branches as the evil winds sought to tear them off. The grains in the field swirled in a circle around Dol as the volume of the wind became deafening.

And then it stopped.

“You will die for your crimes...”

The wheat snapped back to attention and the leaves fluttered lightly to their original position. Dol lowered his head and growled but one word in a low and gravely voice:

“Liar...”

* * *

Jacob found himself standing on sand. He looked to his left and observed a beautiful golden field of wheat. It lightly swayed in a warm breeze. His perception was distorted. The grain seemed slow, as if it flowed through molasses. He turned his head to the left, but felt restrained in his actions. He saw ice. Tundra. The warm breeze turned cold. It chilled him through to his core as he shivered and clasped his arms around himself. Jacob noticed then he was only in his underwear. He turned back to the right, but the bleak and barren cold was all he found.

He frantically longed for that golden meadow. He yearned for the warmth it provided. His breath condensed into the air, forming an unforgiving cloud in the bitter cold. The wind roared around him, and the pelting blizzard snow blinded him.

“Hello!” He shouted into the blizzard, but his voice was that of a mouse against this storm. “Is anybody there?”

He looked down and noticed he was now knee deep in a freezing snow. Jacob shuddered violently and took a step forward. His muscular legs strained and burned against the frostbite. His toes ached and his tendons were on fire as he desperately struggled to force himself to take even one step.

“Help me!” He called again into the dark.

“No...”

Jacob was equally taken aback by the voice's rudeness as he was its sudden appearance.

“Please help. I'm lost.” He called out again. His hair whipped into his face in the growing storm. Ice formed on his beard, and numbness began to overtake his face. Speaking was difficult.

“You... are beyond salvation.” The voice was cold. Heartless. Lifeless. Jacob recognized it, but he knew not from where.

“What is this? Who are you?” He pleaded into the darkness.

“You will die for your crimes...” the voice sneered.

At once, Jacob forgot about the snow. The wind. The cold. His frostbitten limbs. He thought of a beautiful woman. Blonde with green eyes, standing in a golden wheat field. Her laughter was the song of angels. Then he saw a man with greasy black hair and a ratty goatee. And then his vision was overtaken by a crimson red pool. His eyes were watery, and they burned against the blizzard.

“I'm an innocent man!” He shouted defiantly. The voices response was but one word...

“Liar...”

Jacob's chest heaved as he sprung from his mattress. His hand reflexively located his knife, and in one deft maneuver he unfastened it, drew it, and swung a precise slice into the air. He panted, and looked nervously around the room. The faint glow of the moon peered into his windows. Although he was covered in sweat from his feverish dream, he swore he saw a single tendril of frost upon his window.

[Dol]

Jacob awoke the next morning feeling as if he was hungover. His head throbbed and his skin was cold, clammy and pale. The sunlight that poured into his room burned his eyes and intensified his headache even more. He pressed his eyes closed hard, and rubbed his moist forehead with his powerful hands.

He struggled to remember the contents of last night's dream, but they were gone. Jacob's dreams were always like an imaginary monster that lives under a child's bed: Terrifying by night, but gone without any recollection in the morning. He stood, groaned and stretched. His tendons and muscles pulled themselves back into their rightful positions, and a loud echoing crack sprung forth from his back. He at least felt a little better.

Jacob took long, powerful strides to the kitchen and began to fix his breakfast. Several eggs and a small mountain of toast. Jacob's enormous stature required a practical feast. Usually, breakfast was one of Jacob's daily oases. A much needed time to mentally prepare for the day. To clear his mind, and meditate on his duty, his ambitions and his family.

Coincidentally, he heard small footsteps approaching from the hall. He turned around and saw his little girl.

“I'm sleepy, daddy...” She groaned, rubbing the sand from her eye. She was adorable and the sole thing Jacob treasured most in his life.

Sarah had been born four years prior, and her mother had died when she was very young. Since then, many of the local women, whom have had an eye for replacing Jacob's lost wife, were all too eager to help him in caring for young Sarah.

“Hungry?” Jacob asked. The question was purely rhetorical. Sarah's response was a quickened nod as she shuffled over to the table. Eggs sizzled in the pan, and their warm salty aroma filled the room. A smile drew across Jacob's face, and he had forgotten the nightmare of last night.

Jacob shivered as he delivered the breakfast to his daughter. He split the meal proportionately and then sat down. His chair was in the sunlight, and he closed his eyes as the morning's warmth soaked into his tired bones.

“Are you okay, daddy?” Sarah asked.

“I'm fine, dear. Just tired.” her father replied. He put a hand on her head. It was colossal, and dwarfed the girl even further. He gently tousled her hair and they both went back to their breakfast.