Chapter One: RunAway

 

Chapter One: Runaway

Matlus lay sprawled across his bed, which was sheeted with the finest silk made from gossamer. His mice friend scurried to him and nibbled on his ears until he woke up, “Thank you fellas.” He patted them all on the heads and dashed into his wardrobe and quickly changed into his servant clothes, he slung his pack onto his shoulders and rushed out of his room. He ran past Eldwin who stopped him, “Where are you going in such a hurry Matlus?”  Matlus grinned, “I’m just going to pick some fresh flowers to place on the master’s dinner table.” Eldwin crossed his arms, “I’m not stupid anymore Matlus, this isn’t book one anymore.”  Matlus pulled his notebook out behind his back and fondled his pen until he had it to where he could write without messing up, he summoned a strong piece of rope and pounced on Eldwin and tied him up.

Dragging Eldwin into his bedroom, Matlus opened his wardrobe and tossed Eldwin inside, “I’m sorry Eldwin, but I have to find Rollo and you guys tricked me.” Matlus dashes out of his room and out the front gates of the castle, down to the village below.

DarkSide Village was filled with many go lucky citizens that were well…they were legit shadows; they are known as Shadelens, think of them as moving silhouettes. Matlus dashed for the train station and banged on the bell to get the clerks attention, “Hello welcome to DarkSide Station, will this be a round trip or a one-time pass?” Matlus looked over his shoulders and up at the castle, he knew he’d miss being with Sparks and Eldwin but he needed to find and be with Rollo.

Matlus looked down as he handed the clerk money for a one-time pass out of DarkSide, the clerk printed the pass and handed it to Matlus, who sat on a bench waiting for the train to come.

Back at the castle Sparks sits at the breakfast table waiting for Eldwin and Matlus to serve him, he looks at his hourglass and notices that almost half an hour has passed, he rises from the table and calls for his man servants, “Eldwin!, Matlus!”  Sparks climbs up the stairs in the main room of the castle and continues calling for his servants, he stops walking when he gets to the fifteenth floor and listens to what he swears is the sound of Eldwin bound and gagged and trapped in a dark place, a sound that he was oh so familiar with.   

As Sparks approached Matlus’s bedroom the sounds got louder and louder, Sparks tried to turn the knob but the door was locked, “Flame Breath!” Sparks inhaled and then expelled a flame that burned the bedroom door to a crisp, “Eldwin are you in here!” Sparks yells and his yelling causes the wardrobe in the corner of the room to shake and the groaning was coming from inside it.

Sparks slowly approached the wardrobe and grabbed hold of the handles with one powerful jerk the doors of the wardrobe flew open and Eldwin fell out, tied up with a dirty sock in his mouth, Sparks untied his man servant, ‘Who did this to you?!” Eldwin coughed for a few seconds getting over the foul odor of the dirty sock and its taste as well, “Ma…Matlus” Sparks obtained a shocked look on his face, “Matlus tied you up and locked you in his wardrobe?” “He Sure as hell did!” Eldwin yelled, Sparks shakes his head, “Blizzard was right about him in book one, Matlus is into S&M s**t.”

Eldwin explained what Matlus said to his master and Sparks immediately raised his hands and summoned his scythe to him, he held it between his legs and tossed Eldwin on his shoulders, “Scythe Fly!!” his scythe began to rise off the ground and Sparks and Eldwin flew out the window and headed towards the train station.

Matlus stood and began to board the train heading out to Moonlight City known as the “Dream Chaser” he looked over his shoulders to get one final glance at the castle he would never return to without Rollo in tow, when he looked back he saw what appeared to be Sparks and Eldwin on a skeleton’s gardening tool, heading straight for him, “Oh great, what the hell their going to chase me?” Matlus climbed aboard the train and it closed its doors and began to chug away from the station.

Sparks channeled his powers and made the scythe speed up, he watched Matlus lower the window in the car he was sitting in; Sparks flew over to the window and yelled from his scythe, “Get off the train now Matlus leap out the window and I’ll catch you.” Matlus rolled his eyes, “You may fully have Eldwin under your contract but if you paid close attention before book one ended you’d see I signed my last name as Rollo’s not as my own, I’m not under your contract a*****e!”  Sparks reached into his vest, which was unbuttoned exposing his hair chest and battle scars from his fight with Tywana, he pulled out the contract of servant-hood and looked at where Matlus had signed it read, “Matlus Arvon…” Sparks clenched his fist, “You tricked me you mage b*****d!” Matlus smiled, “Hey you tricked me to, you never were planning on helping me find him,  you just wanted another slave to boss around.”  Sparks was speechless he didn’t think Matlus would see through his plan, “How does it feel now that the player got played?” Matlus laughed.

Sparks got closer to the window and commanded Eldwin to try and grab Matlus from the window and pull him out, as Eldwin’s hands reached for Matlus he reached into his backpack and pulled out his mouse friend, he let the mouse run up Eldwin’s hand, causing Eldwin to freak out and make Sparks lose control of the scythe, but they did a loop-the-loop and landed on the roof of Matlus’s train car.

“These persistent b******s!”  Matlus summoned some bullets for his pistol and loaded them into it, “Come on you guys!” Eldwin crashed through the roof using his superhuman powers, Sparks jumped down after him and grasped his scythe, “Matlus come quietly, I don’t want to hurt you.”  Matlus grinned, “Hurt me, don’t you remember I beat the s**t out of you on Mt. XnoSnow?” Sparks surrounded himself with flames, “Yeah that was before I gained my demon powers!”  Matlus rushed at Sparks and kicked him across the face, sending Sparks into a corner in the train car, “Seems that I’m still more powerful?” Matlus laughed.

Eldwin grabbed Matlus by the arms and squeezed them, causing Matlus to fall to his knees, “F**k…..!” yelled Matlus as he felt his bones weaken from Eldwin’s unnatural strength.  Eldwin smiles as he waits for Sparks to get up and deliver the finishing blow, “BANG!” Matlus managed to squeeze the trigger on his pistol and shoot Eldwin in the chest causing him to release Matlus and try to pull the bullet out.

Matlus runs to the door that leads to the outer area between his car and the one over and Sparks trips him with the wooden end of his scythe, “Oops you fell down buddy.” Matlus grabs Sparks’s legs causing Sparks to fall as well, ‘Oh my, you did to.” Sparks smiled, “Does this mean you are coming back with us?” Matlus smiles and stands up extending his hand to Sparks, “Of course it does buddy, what could I possibly want more than to serve the most powerful half demon I know.” Sparks is impressed and flattered by Matlus’s words and takes his servant’s hand, Matlus flips Sparks and tosses him into Eldwin who was still trying to pick the bullet out of his chest, the impact from Sparks landing on him caused the bullet to go in deeper.

Matlus dashes for the door and quickly bars it with a conveniently placed crowbar on the side of the door, he then jumps across the small gap to the door of the second train car, he shoots the coupling that is holding the two cars and the caboose together, the coupling breaks and the car containing Sparks and Eldwin gets left behind.

“Is it just me master or has the train stopped moving?” Sparks stands up and looks through the window on the exit door, he sees the train is driving off into the distance and Matlus is beyond reach of him and his scythe, “D****t, he got away, we have to find a way to go after him, lets walk back and buy tickets for the next train to Moonlight City.” With that the two begin their journey back.

Matlus goes into the chat car, which was a car for the passengers on the train to sit and converse with one another, Matlus sits down at a table with a beautiful young “Jarvin” (Half Latina, Half Japanese ) girl sitting at it. She hands Matlus a cigarette which he takes and she lights it for him with the candle on the table, “Thank you Miss.” The Jarvin girl looked at Matlus and smiled, she then spoke she had a soft-voice like butter on bread, “Please call me Akina, my name is Akina Suicida” Matlus looked at her again and noticed that she was only around eighteen years of age, “My name is Matlus Retu.” She smiled again, ‘Are you traveling to meet your girlfriend?” Matlus chuckled at her, “Well actually I’m going searching for someone that means a lot to me, and I figured I might as well visit the biggest city in all NetherSpace.”

Akina sipped on a glass of wine and crossed her legs, Matlus noticed she had a tattoo of dying rose on her ankle, and she was wearing blood-red heels. Akina was wearing a short skirt that clung to her legs and barely covered her private area, she wore a half-shirt and she had beautiful shoulder-length, coal-colored hair. “So what are you going to Moonlight for?” Matlus asked her. She smiled at him again, “I have a job interview.” She giggled when she said job.  Matlus couldn’t help but think that there was more to this young lady than could be seen in plain sight.

Akina pulled out an hourglass and looked shocked, “I have to go to sleep, this interview is very early for me.” She grabbed her purse off the table and dashed out of the car, Matlus noticed she dropped a small paper fan with a dying rose pattern on it, he picked it up and figured she was gone and placed it in his backpack.

Matlus ordered a tall glass of wine and drank the night away…….

Akina retired to her room and shut the door; a hooded figure emerged from the darkness, “Is everything in position, the master wants to know.” The figures voice was deep and almost booming. “Yes I am on my way to meet him and I have the flask for him.” The figure grabs her and begins kissing on her neck, “You are so beautiful Akina, I want you.” She lets out a moan, “Take me!” the figure lays Akina on the bed and climbs on top of her…..

Matlus is carried to a replacement room by the conductor and bartender, he is fast asleep when the close the door as they exit.