CHAPTER SIX

It had just turned to nighttime when Stray and the shadow made it to the cottage. Throughout the day as they walked, Stray had progressively become sick. Each step brought him increased weariness and a fever began to rage causing him to experience cold chills. His pack also seemed to become heavier and heavier causing him to stumble on many occasions. Each time, the shadow would come to his side, seemingly wanting to comfort him. Stray blamed it on the stone he carried; since from the beginning of his encounter with the artifact, he felt as if it emitted darkness. And as he had never felt ill
in his life, he began to attribute his infirmity to having the stone near him. Almost as if the blackness of the stone had entered his body, seeking to destroy him.

Opening the door, it was all Stray could do to remove the wrapped stone from his pack and put it on the table. Once accomplished, his last strength was used in flopping onto his bed still in his armor. Before his eyes closed and he succumbed to the feverish sleep that called to him, he watched as a small shadowy hand place a cool wet cloth upon his forehead. And as he fell into darkness, he heard himself say as if from a distance, "Thank you Little-Bit-thank you."

Strays dreams consisted mostly of delirious visions that night. Fever induced horrors passed through his dream world taunting him; keeping him ever unsettled and restless until he stepped into what some call a waking dream. It was exactly the same as his vision in the dungeon. So real that he could smell again the musty smell of the dungeon- the smoke from the torches that lined the walls. Even the sounds of clinking chains were crisp and clear-he was back. Standing next to the pedestal once again, he saw that things had changed since his last vision. The carved wall again was still
missing, but the place where the man and woman stood against the wall in chains; was empty and the manacles vacant. Only the little girl remained, and she was no longer crying. Instead, her face was frozen from fear and shock as she looked to the huddled shadows still standing around the dark altar.

Stray now wanted to see what was happening. After trying to ignore the happenings of the last few days with no success, he began to feel like there was some purpose in him seeing these visions. Some scheme; orchestrated by darkness or light had been thrust upon him, and would not let him go until he witnessed what it wanted him to see. So he went to the altar where the shadows stood to see what was happening-and his heart stopped cold. If he had felt sick upon going to bed, what he saw now caused him to feel like his entire being was riddled with the worst of diseases. Upon the altar was the
woman. Stripped of her clothing, she struggled against the bonds that held her tightly to the table. Her struggle had caused the ropes to bite deeply into her wrists and blood issued forth causing a thin film of red on the altar beneath her. The shadows around her were chanting as the great shadow Spike held his great hands together before him and over the woman's chest-as if holding an item within. As the chanting continued, it became faster, and the shadow voices became more frenzied. When it got to the point where Stray almost had to cover his ears to prevent the madness of the dark
verses from eating his brain, the chanting came to an abrupt stop. Upon which, Spike opened his hands to reveal a very large green glowing gem that to Stray, reeked of evil. The sickening green luminescence of the stone began to intensify within the massive dark hands as Spike moved it toward the woman's heart. Stray wanted to leave in a terribly bad way; but could not. Neither his body nor his mind would cooperate as he watched the horrible shadow with terrible force plunge the stone into the woman's chest. No scream came from the woman. Only a gasp issued from her mouth as the stone
worked its deathly magic from within, causing her body to dissipate into nothingness. Her mortal shell seemed to turn into dust, leaving only a writhing form of a shadow woman upon the altar.

"NONONO!!! You bastards!!!" Stray screamed. And as in his previous encounter, it went unnoticed by the shadows for he could not be heard.

Things started to come clear to Stray now. Little by little, pieces of the puzzle started to fit together as the events of the last few days ran through his thoughts, mixing in with what he was now watching. These shadows from yester-year were making more of their kind. Converting humankind to creatures of emptiness. Recruiting their hordes though force and dark magic's. These people were probably a family that was waylaid by these very shadows and brought to this very place of sacrifice. It was not as much the bodies they needed for their sacrifice than the souls. Forever tainted to be
slaves of whatever dark evil created them.

And then the thought came. "But what of my shadow? Little-Bit is not..." he stopped in mid sentence and then his heart collapsed. Now he had an idea why he was shown these events. And now he knew what was about to happen next; and hated whatever it was that was forced him to partake in it.

As if Strays revelation had just provided the cue to shadows before him, he watched as they pushed the still convulsing shadow woman off of the altar and onto the floor. There she landed next to another form that Stray had missed noticing. It too seemed to be in great pain and lay on the floor in what seemed like a fit of epilepsy. Then two of the shadows left the altar to retrieve the little red headed girl, brought her up in front of Spike and started to strip off her clothes.

Then Stray lost it. There was absolutely nothing he could change about what was about to happen-what had happened long ago. But the sense of hopelessness he felt, coupled with the extreme anger that had built up within him watching innocence damned, caused him to go berserk. He wildly started to flay his arms as they lifted the child and put her on the altar. He tried to go after Spike and his body passed right through the specter as if passing through a mist. As the chanting grew louder, Stray tried to pull a chain off of the wall; but along with the beings there in the room, the chains
remained hanging while his hands could make no contact.

As the color of the room changed to take on the poisonous green tinge of the soul-stealing gems' light, Stray dropped to the floor in resignation to the fact that he was unable to help the little girl. That it was too late. It was ages too late. Next to him, a rag doll lay on the floor peering up at him with a stitched smile. Seemingly mocking his impotence.

"My God." He spoke to the merciless power showing him these things. "I've seen enough. Don't make me watch anymore!" But the power did not deem to heed his cry; as he remained long enough to hear the last breath of a little girl, as her life was taken and her soul devoured by the darkness. That breath contained words that Stray could not deny hearing as it set strongly upon his heart.

"'til all ends draw nigh."

And for the first time he could remember since being a child; this man who had never shed a tear, cried.