Prologue: Porter

A Chapter by J. R. Graham

Prologue of my current novel.

Ithecia during the late hours of the night, far past curfew, was a bit unsettling. It was likely unhelpful that a highly illegal journey was underway. Porter Amiston and his two closest friends, Julian Brighton and Aubren Hyle, were on their way to break into The Ithecian Historical Museum to steal an ancient metal book with a title that read, ‘Tauszh ohk bru Athshebre.’ Curse of the Immortal. According to Aubren’s mother, who was a curator at the museum, the book contained a ritual to free a fabled ‘ancient evil’ from a prison of sorts. Porter thought it would be amusing to take the book and perform the ritual as intended. Julian was recognized for his cowardice, and the boys wanted to give their friend a good scare - especially considering it was the eve of Hallowe’en.

“You’re sure you can translate this, Aubren?” asked Porter as they crept around to the back of the museum. “You’re positive you know this language? Whatever it is? I mean, if we’re going to release an ‘ancient evil,’ we may as well get it right.”

“It’s called Shunuq, and I told you I can do it,” Aubren retorted. “I feel like I’ve told you this repeatedly, dude. My mom knows Shunuq. She taught me.”

“What the hell is Shunuq?”

“My mom says it’s a mythical language,” Aubren explained. “Used in a lot of the folklore we hear about. You know, like the world of Andlis?”

Porter shook his head. “Well, whatever. I just want to get it right.”

Julian looked uneasy. “This is a really bad idea.”

“Stop being such a p***y,” Porter hissed. “It’s just a joke. Do you really think that this is legit?”

“Who knows?” Julian growled. “People mess with myth all the time, and you always hear about it going awry.”

“Damn, Julian,” Aubren laughed. “You really are a p***y, aren’t you?”

“I don’t think caution is such a bad thing…”

Porter rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Julian.” He unlocked the employees-only door with the keys Aubren had handed to him. The three of them slipped inside and moved to the mythology exhibit; which was full of artifacts that supposedly belonged to fabled creatures and Gods alike. There was an entire wall dedicated to tribal masks, several showcases of handmade jewelry, and untranslatable books. The boys stopped outside of their targeted book’s showcase. “How old do you think this thing is?”

“Mom says nobody knows,” Aubren shrugged. “Let’s just get it and go.”

“Guys, c’mon, this is a bad idea. We could get in a lot of trouble for this. This is so illegal,” said Julian.

Porter and Aubren decided to ignore him as they unlocked the door of the showcase. Aubren slipped inside, grabbed the book, and quickly followed his friends out of the museum. “This book is ridiculously heavy,” he said to them. “Is this thing made out of steel?”

They walked for a while before arriving at Narta Park, just outside of Ithecia’s city limits. While it was generally a busy park stockpiled with running and screaming children playing in the equipment; it was eerily barren during the late hours of night. “Cops never patrol out here,” Porter said to them. “We can read the book here without having to worry about getting busted or anything. Julian, did you grab the flashlight?”

His friends sat upon a bench underneath a dimly lit streetlight, but Julian stood in defiance. He was silent. Porter looked at him crossly. “Did you grab the flashlight or not? If you didn’t, I’ll kill you. You literally had one job.”

“Yeah, I grabbed the damn flashlight,” he replied, hard. “I still don’t think this a good idea. Let’s just take the book back.”

Porter leaned his head back and groaned loudly. He wished, even just for one moment, Julian would stop being such a crybaby. His anxiety frequently got on Porter’s nerves. “Christ, Brighton. You’re super whiny. If you don’t want to do this, then go home. Just give me the flashlight, and you can go. This is literally a joke; it’s just good fun.”

Julian reluctantly handed over the flashlight. “Your idea of ‘good fun’ is screwed. I don’t want to go. This just makes me nervous.”

“Well, be nervous in silence.”

Aubren took the flashlight from his friend, shined it down on the stone pages, and began to look over the words. He read over them a few times, grimacing at their details; while Porter and Julian waited for him to read it aloud. Though, with Aubren’s changing expression, Julian became noticeably more antsy.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Aubren said suddenly. “I think we should return the book.”

“Oh my God,” Porter grumbled, rubbing his temples. “You guys are so lame.”

“I’m serious, dude. Here, listen to this: ‘Within these words lay instruction to releasing the greatest evil that this world has ever known. The process to releasing this evil will be horrific and traumatizing. Blood must be shed for this ritual to be completed in full, and thus your soul will blacken. May the Gods have mercy on you.’”

Porter was smiling. Julian was frowning.

“That sounds awesome,” Porter said.

“It sounds fucked up,” Aubren argued. “I mean, who knows what it’s going to ask for, right? What if we have to kill something?”

“You’ve never gone hunting?”

“Porter, hunting is a hell of a lot different than sacrificial killing!” Julian snapped. “This had gone far enough!”

“Okay, whatever. If you guys are going to be b*****s about this, then go home. I’ll do it by myself.”

“Oh, really?” Aubren scoffed. “How do you suppose you’re going to do that? I wasn’t aware that you could read Shunuq.”

“Well, I’ll figure it out,” Porter shrugged. “I don’t know, guys. I just thought that this would be a fun prank. You know, for s***s and giggles - but you guys are being really lame about it.”

“For good reason,” Julian intervened.

“It’s myth!” Porter shouted. “It is literally a story - a fairytale! It’s fake! These were just scary stories passed down through generations to scare the piss out of little kids. That’s it.”

It was clear that going through with their plans was important to Porter. He figured that his friends wondered why it was, but it wasn’t really important. All that mattered was that the prank was a well-needed distraction for Porter.

Aubren sighed in defeat. After eyeballing Julian for a few moments, he shrugged. “Yeah, fine. If you really want to do this, I’ll go with you, but don’t force Julian to.”

Porter’s attitude immediately subsided. “Yeah? Alright!” he cheered, then looked to Julian. “Hey, man, I’m sorry for riding your a*s. If you want out, you can be out. That’s totally fine.”

Julian shuffled his feet and shifted his weight, looking thoughtful for a long moment. “I know you want to do this, Porter, and that’s fine… but I don’t think I want to. So, I hope you guys get your fill of Halloween spooks, but I’m going to go home, and play video games until I pass out from exhaustion.”

Aubren shook his head with a chuckle. “You live a wild life, my friend.”

“Yeah, I’m out of control,” Julian chortled as he took a step back. “Well, you guys have fun. I’ll be at home if you need me.”

Porter raised a hand to Julian as he walked off. “See ya!”

After walking for what felt like years, Aubren and Porter finally arrived at the peak of what was said to be The Asailles Mountains. It was an eerie sight - a mountain of black rock and ash; stained with what appeared to be age-old blood. At this point, both of the boys felt extremely tense; especially considering the fact that they had to lure an entire horse along with them. Despite his inflexibility with this fun little ‘prank,’ Porter was starting to have second thoughts.

“I think Julian may have been right,” he said, looking warily at the horse. “I didn’t realize the, ah… goriness behind this whole thing… and I’m not sure how comfortable I am with killing a horse.”

“Yeah, it’s… kind of weird,” Aubren laughed awkwardly. “The people in these fairytales were definitely macabre.”

“Macabre?” Porter scoffed. “Sadistic is the word I was thinking of, actually. I mean, who would kill something to lock up some sort of ‘ancient evil?’ It’s disturbing, to say the least.”

“Disturbing,” Aubren agreed with a nod. “At least it didn’t specifically state that we had to kill a person, right? It was pretty ambiguous… We can turn around and go home if you want.”

“In a minute,” Porter said, taking the book from Aubren’s hands, opening it, and lying it atop a flat rock before them. “I just want you to read what this is saying. Like, what are we even supposed to do?”

“Kill a horse,” Aubren answered.

“Besides that,” Porter rebuked. “We’re not doing that. I just want you to read all of it. I just want to listen. We’re not actually gonna do this.”

“Fine,” Aubren sighed. He gently pulled the horse forward and tied the rope keeping it in tow around the rock the book sat upon. “I’ll read it.”

Porter sat with his back against the rock as Aubren knelt before it. He sucked air through his teeth and looked down to the words etched into the pages. “Before this ritual is enacted, you must truly realize the magnitude of these actions. To complete these steps and say these words will subsequently release the greatest terror that Andlis (See? From the stories.) has ever known. The power behind this magic is primeval and sinister, and it will undoubtedly take a piece from your soul - from your being. Caution, above all, must be administered with the words to follow. You, undoubtedly, will regret your actions. If not now, surely down the road.”

Porter cocked an eyebrow and glanced to Aubren. “Wow, our ancestors must’ve really believed in this nonsense. Enough to keep an entire book locked up, anyway.”

Porter could tell that Aubren felt apprehensive, though he suspected that his friend wasn’t aware of the vibes he was putting off. Aubren’s mother had always been superstitious, and Porter wondered if that had rubbed off on Aubren, as well. “Well, it’s an artifact at this point. That’s probably why it was showcased, but… I’m sure they did believe in these things,” he said. “Well, next is just the chanting; followed by the sacrifice.”

“Read it,” suggested Porter.

Aubren stared at his friend for a long moment, wishing he could say no, but finding himself unable to deny him. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

“Demon of darkness,

Demon of blood,

We call upon you.

Unleash thy unholy terrors,

Return from beyond.

Release unto us never-ending night,

Reinvigorate the black.

Demon of darkness,

Shadowy as you rise,

Come forth.

Arkaedus Kaerav,

Be freed from your prison.”

Without warning, the moon disappeared, and the temperature plummeted. Porter and Aubren were suddenly shrouded in frigid darkness. The boys stood swiftly and leapt back from the book on the rock, which had begun glowing the color of blood. Even darker than the world around them, obsidian smoke - almost like shadow - began circling their perimeter. The ground began to tremble beneath their feet, and the noise of something opening - something ripping - sounded in the near distance. The horse that had been tied to the rock was unexpectedly overcome with necrosis and crumbled with death before their eyes. They grabbed each other’s hand and held on ferociously. Admittedly, they were scared.

Before the darkness, the night had been cloudless. Yet, above head, rolled in black clouds that flickered with maroon lightning. The ripping noise returned, and the sky seemed to split apart. The same red-hued light beamed through the opening, onto the rocks below. It grew brighter, blinding, before abruptly snuffing out. Standing where the light had shone was a pale man with dark hair, light eyes, and a black suit. The world was unexpectedly normal again.

The horse, however, still remained - blackened with the disease.

Never again would Porter Amiston be a skeptic. Whatever they had just unearthed was very much real, and very much horrifying. The two teenaged boys took further steps back as the man before them turned and let his ghostly eyes fall upon them. The man raised his arms, moving forward.

Now, they were frozen in terror.

“Boys,” said Arkaedus Kaerav with a voice like venom. “I am so grateful to you. Such lengths you two had to have gone to… all to release me. I was never very humble of a man, but I must admit… I am forever in your debt.”

Porter could feel Aubren shaking through their linked hands. They were both speechless.

Arkaedus’s expression dropped. “Well, are you going to say something? Or am I going to remain ignored?”

The boys shook their heads. “Of course not,” Porter said. “N-Never, sir.”

Arkaedus’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Well, I did say that I was forever in your debt; after clearly expressing what little humility I possess. Does that not warrant a response?”

“I-It does,” Aubren nodded. “T-Thank you. W-W-We really a-appreciate your… ne-newfound modesty.”

An unnatural smile spread across the man’s face. “Now, that was the response had expected.” He took several steps forward, now far too close to the two. “Let me ask you, boys… how did you manage to free me?”

Aubren pointed shakily at the book, which was now closed, and sitting peacefully atop the rock. “We took that book from a museum.”

Arkaedus narrowed his eyes. “A museum? Where?”

“I-Ithecia,” Porter stuttered.

The man snapped his head in the boy’s direction. “Ithecia?” he laughed, darkly. “The human realm? Ah, Taryn. You were surprisingly cunning, even for someone so dimwitted.”

“Humans?” Aubren asked.

“Yes,” Arkaedus barked, almost mockingly. “You are human, are you not?”

“Y-Yes,” Porter confirmed, but paused. “W-We are, but what… what does that make y-you?”

“A Shadow,” Arkaedus replied, seeming displeased with the lack of recognition. “The God of Shadows.”

Porter shook his head. “I don’t know what that means.”

That same smile appeared on Arkaedus’s face. “It means… this.”

Before Porter knew it, there was a black-bladed knife driven into his stomach. The flesh around his wound felt as though it was cracking; like poison coursed through his veins. It was the most painful thing he had ever experienced. He collapsed.

Aubren tried to run, but Arkaedus appeared before him in a cloud of smoke - smoke that had red lightning streaking through it. He had the knife in his hand and was poking at his fingertips with it. “Now, where do you think you are going, Aubren Hyle?”

“How… did you…?”

“How did I know your name?” Arkaedus asked, playfully. “Well, that is one of my many abilities, Aubren. I know things.”

“Please… please don’t kill me.”

“Now, you see, the trouble with that is… I have to. Nobody can know that I am back.”

“I won’t… I won’t tell.”

“Why is that?” Arkaedus asked patronizingly, stepping dangerously close. “Would it be because… you are scared?”

Aubren nodded erratically.

Arkaedus shook his head, feigning regret. “Even if I had a choice, which I suppose I do… the fact is - I want to. I want to kill you. Do you want to know why? I want to kill you because it’s fun.”

Instead of using the knife against Aubren, he grabbed ahold of the boy’s neck and clenched it with such force that it was truly miraculous that his bones didn’t snap beneath his strength. Arkaedus opened his mouth wide, sucking in white wisps that emerged from the human’s body. He swallowed them, causing the veins in his face to thicken, blackness slithering through - before returning to normal. Arkaedus breathed deep and dropped the body. “Oh, how I love the taste of pure human souls.”

The man adjusted the collar of his suit and looked to the scene before him. “Well, this just will not do!” he said aloud. “Too much evidence.” He then waved his hand, and the bodies of the boys, as well as the horse, disappeared. With another flick of his wrist, the book flew into his hands. “You will be safe and sound with me.”

Arkaedus Kaerav turned and looked ahead, over the lands of Andlis. The clouds had cleared, and the sight was unadulterated. He stood upon the mountaintop where he had been banished, and then released, and thought of all the destruction that was coming Andlis’s way… all from him. The thought of the fear was intoxicating.

With darkening eyes, he smiled.