{"id":198,"date":"2013-11-29T22:20:28","date_gmt":"2013-11-29T22:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/?page_id=198"},"modified":"2018-11-07T17:41:23","modified_gmt":"2018-11-07T17:41:23","slug":"spells-and-silver-screens-chapter-one","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/?page_id=198","title":{"rendered":"Spells and Silver Screens: Chapter One"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><center><a title=\"Black Mark Book Two: Spells and Silver Screens\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00DGJEPD0\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B00DGJEPD0&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=briarhenge-20\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-45\" src=\"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/02-SS-small.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"187\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Azarola\u2019s long fingers danced over his guitar strings while the falling rain drummed a steady rhythm against the pub\u2019s windows. Bouncing with the music, the end of his long black ponytail hopped and swayed. From his chair in a dim corner, he relished the warmth of the room and the visage of his lovely company. A fashionable beauty with bobbed wavy red hair tapped her T-strap heels to his music. Her fur-collared coat and yellow cloche hat draped over the back of a nearby chair to dry. Rohita\u2019s knees daringly peeked out from her skirt and her painted beestung red lips curved up in a smile.<\/p>\n<p>Both visitors caught the eye of the sturdy, workaday men who ate their evening meals and drank their fill of beer. Enjoying the attention, Rohita\u2019s grin turned mischievous. \u201cAz, do you think any of these men would dance with me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Not pausing in his playing, the musician answered, \u201cMaybe, but you might have to teach them a few steps. This isn\u2019t a nightclub in Ixpoli.\u201d His eyebrows rose over his green gaze. \u201cYou might have to teach them what a taxi dancer is, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One man sitting nearby, earthy in clothes and complexion, set down his beer. \u201cTaxi dancer?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rohita giggled and leaned over the table. \u201cI dance with the poor, unfortunate men who come to the nightclub without a partner. They buy a ticket and we share a song.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAin\u2019t that like whoring?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her smile evaporated. \u201cHardly.\u201d She speared the chuckling Azarola with a glare.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat? I never heard it described like that, either,\u201d he defended.<\/p>\n<p>Rohita leaned back in her seat and crossed her shapely legs. \u201cIf the men don\u2019t behave, a rather large gentleman escorts them outside,\u201d she explained, \u201cNo funny business allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, no whoring.\u201d The regular looked around the pub. \u201cNot much room to dance in here and there aren\u2019t any nightclubs around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her violet eyes regarded the room and she pouted. \u201cI think you\u2019re right on that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The regular lifted his beer glass again. \u201cSo, what is a nightclub dancer from the big city doing all the way out here? With a Senviran of all things?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rohita grinned at Azarola. His long black hair identified him as part of the traditionally nomadic Senvira, an underclass group that ranged through the whole of Inexa and beyond. She wasn\u2019t surprised that the pub customers here could not tell that he also bore Inexan blood in his veins. While the Senvirans were darker and sharper featured than most Inexans, few ever looked closer than hair and costume at Azarola. This was especially true when he played the fiery music often associated with the Senvirans. \u201cAz and I are traveling the whole province of Aestas for the season,\u201d she answered, \u201cWe\u2019ll entertain at festivals and resorts. Though, with the weather like this, we\u2019ll have our work cut out for us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Azarola turned his head to face the window, still playing his songs. \u201cIt\u2019s still early. We\u2019re not at spring equinox, yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re almost there,\u201d Rohita reminded, \u201cI\u2019m willing to bet that the weather will stay wet. There\u2019s a reason why Aestas is famous for being green.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A plain woman brought out a couple bowls of hearty beef and mushroom soup with large slices of dark bread for the musician and dancer. \u201cYou\u2019ve played long enough for your keep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Setting his guitar in its scuffed and battered case, Azarola smiled with well-practiced charm. \u201cThank you! It smells good and I\u2019ll bet it tastes even better.\u201d He pulled a steaming bowl closer to him and inhaled the savory aroma. \u201cHere\u2019s the other reason why I like traveling through the summer in Aestas. They have good food and good beer. You might be soaked to the bone on the outside, but the fire will never go out inside.\u201d He lifted his spoon in a cheery salute to the god of drink and celebration. \u201c<em>Sabazen!<\/em>\u201d Both he and Rohita dug into their bowls and filled their bellies.<\/p>\n<p>Sated, Azarola and Rohita dashed through the rain to the hotel where they rented a room for the night. Unlike the brightly painted stuccoes and stone found in the metropolis of Ixpoli, the Aestan town of Renwald sported drab brick and wood facades and the mossy rooftops common to the area. The wide muddy streets and swept wooden boardwalks glistened under the light of the new and modern street lamps. Parked automobiles lined the avenue, some still sporting crank start handles.<\/p>\n<p>With the flick of a switch, the warm glow of an electric lamp filled the small hotel room. A pair of suitcases peeked out from under the bed and a wood and canvas packboard sat along the wall. Azarola set his guitar case next to the backpack and picked up the newspaper on the nightstand. The bed creaked under his weight as he settled down on top of the covers. Green eyes scanned over the headlines and squinted at the small newspaper font. Azarola held the paper as far away from his face as he could and frowned. \u201cEvery now and then, someone decides to use the extra tiny print,\u201d he groused, \u201cI\u2019d like to get past the byline about gang warfare.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rohita set her chin on his shoulder and peered at the columns. Skimming over the advertisements for radios, tires, and a new talking picture, she found the article that caught Azarola\u2019s attention. Her fingers ran through his waist-length black tangles as she read aloud. \u201cUnrest erupts into gang warfare. The Senviran District of Ixpoli is under police enforced curfew following a bloody week of fighting between local gangs.\u201d Rohita\u2019s pale face turned towards Azarola\u2019s darker one.<\/p>\n<p>Azarola set the newspaper down on the nightstand and took a breath. \u201cI\u2019m glad we\u2019re long gone from there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rohita pecked a kiss on his cheek. \u201cAs am I, <em>dear<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lean young man grinned and stretched out on the bed. \u201cI wonder if anyone is going to catch on that we\u2019re not really married?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI wonder what my father would do if he heard about this?\u201d Rohita flopped down onto her pillow. \u201cHeart attack? Aneurysm? Oh, he\u2019d probably disown me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen it\u2019s a good thing I didn\u2019t marry you for the money.\u201d Azarola smirked when she swatted his arm.<\/p>\n<p>Rohita rolled onto her belly and kicked her up heels. \u201cOn the way here this morning, I had a thought about what I could do to help make money. Instead of singing when you play your guitar, like I first planned, how about I do fortunetelling? I have the cards and a book on it. I was even taking lessons on it from Madame Zuri before we left the city.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSounds like it might work. It would save on your voice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would need to dress up and look the part. Perhaps get a little tent to set up outside to protect my cards from the weather. A little table, a couple of folding chairs, maybe even a little lantern.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat sounds like a lot to carry,\u201d Azarola remarked, thinking of the weight his backpack already carried.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ll figure something out.\u201d Rohita yawned and cradled her head on the pillow. \u201cI should change into my pajamas before I fall asleep in my dress again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCalling it a night sounds like a good idea.\u201d Azarola unbuttoned his dingy white shirt and tossed it onto his backpack. A black tattoo of Senviran design embedded into his left arm at the shoulder advertised his previous gang allegiance. It was a small reminder of a rough winter in the vast city of Ixpoli. Three spirals within a circle reached out of the black ring with long hooks suggestive of scythes. Dots marked the center of each spiral, the center of each of the three large gaps between the spirals, and six dots followed the curve of the ring under the scythe blades. He poked at the sharp, bold lines. \u201cI wish I could go into the public bathhouses without covering this up. With the way the news is right now, something like this won\u2019t earn me any kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Paying no mind to her modesty, Rohita slipped out of her dress. \u201cStrangely enough, I\u2019ll bet that it will cause you less grief here in Aestas than in Ixpoli. Not as many people know what that mark means.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Azarola turned his back to give her some privacy. \u201cAestans aren\u2019t very friendly to Senvirans to start with,\u201d he reminded, \u201cI only get away with playing my music in this province during the summer because people will let themselves enjoy it during the festivals. It\u2019s good money in the resort towns, but then again, they\u2019re usually full of tourists from all over Inexa trying to escape the heat.\u201d He put on a wide grin and peeked over his shoulder. \u201cI like tourists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They settled down under the blankets for the night, listening to the rain as they fell asleep. Azarola savored every second of content comfort. Though the ebbing touch of winter chilled the room, the blankets soon warmed with shared body heat and the couple drifted into slumber.<\/p>\n<p>The soft, gentle stroke of a hand caressing Azarola\u2019s tattooed shoulder pulled from him a deep sleep. Smiling in the dark, he pressed his cheek deeper into his pillow. \u201cThat\u2019s nice,\u201d he mumbled to Rohita. The rhythmic rubbing against his shoulder continued and then shifted to tracing the pattern embedded into his skin. \u201cCan\u2019t sleep, huh?\u201d A murmured reply brushed against his ear. Azarola stifled a yawn and asked, \u201cWhat was that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rohita responded groggily from the opposite side. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Azarola\u2019s eyes snapped open in the dark and he jumped out of the blankets. Flicking on the lamp, he stared at the bed with only a bleary-eyed Rohita in it. His frantic search of the room confirmed no other occupants. \u201cIf you were on that side, who was on the other?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d she repeated. This time she was a little more awake and sat up. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Azarola stared into the dresser mirror, searching for anything odd in the room\u2019s reflection. \u201cYou weren\u2019t on the side I thought you were and someone was touching me!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d Rohita repeated again. \u201cDid you have a bad dream?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Finding nothing of interest in the mirror, he paced the room. \u201cI don\u2019t think so. I\u2019m sure I was awake.\u201d He rubbed at his tattoo. \u201cSomeone was really interested in this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re sure it wasn\u2019t a dream?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rohita\u2019s hands dived into one of her suitcases and pulled out a small gold disk amulet inset with a sunstone. \u201cYou wake up because an invisible someone was touching your tattoo? Do you think it\u2019s Enuri? Do you think she got away and followed us out of Ixpoli?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI hope not, but you might be right. She used my tattoo to try to curse me and she had wandering hands.\u201d He shuddered at the memory of the old witch. \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething Madame Zuri taught me.\u201d She rummaged two small poppets out of her suitcase and set them down next to her. \u201cTake the mirror off the wall and prop it up on the floor against the bed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He obliged her, while she opened her makeup box. On one of the tiny white cloth dolls, she dabbed a little of her lipstick onto it and plucked a wavy, red hair from her head to wrap around its neck. On the other doll, she hastily drew a copy of Azarola\u2019s tattoo with her eyeliner and wrapped one of his long, black hairs around its waist. She set the dolls down in front of the mirror and then scrawled a Senviran glyph onto the mirror with her lipstick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere,\u201d she beckoned to Azarola, \u201cSit with me and hold onto that edge of the mirror.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again, he obliged, wrapping his arm around her lithe waist. \u201cWhat is all this?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rohita unclasped the amulet, put her head next to Azarola\u2019s, and then secured it around both of their necks. Her slender fingers wrapped around the edge of the mirror. \u201cMisdirecting magic. Madame Zuri helped me put it together when we were dealing with Enuri, but I never needed it until now. I don\u2019t even know if it works.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCard reading, witchcraft&#8230; Anything else Madame Zuri teach you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Just as Rohita opened her mouth to reply, the thumps of footfalls echoed down the hall. Cloth rustled against wood as the poppets slid across the floor to the door, pulled by an unseen hand. Azarola spat an obscenity. Rohita pressed her ribs against his and he felt her heart racing keeping pace with his own. The dolls jammed against the door and then slid up to its center. There they stayed, held by something that the couple could not see. The footfalls continued down the stairs and out onto the street.<\/p>\n<p>Azarola urged Rohita to move with him towards the window. Still clutching the mirror, he peeked past the curtain to the unlit street below. Barely visible dark shapes traveled the avenue, all going the same direction. \u201cMaedra\u2019s fire,\u201d he muttered under his breath, \u201cIt looks like the whole town is heading out. What do you think the odds are that this isn\u2019t just a weird local ritual event?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s very good odds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He blew a harsh sigh. \u201cJust our luck.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat should we do about it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat can we do about it? Run after them? Ask them what\u2019s going on? Shake some sense into them if they don\u2019t have a clue? That\u2019s if we don\u2019t get caught up in the migration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t very well do that while we\u2019re stuck together like this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow long do we have to sit here?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rohita gave her shoulders a slight shrug. \u201cI don\u2019t know. Until whatever is going on ends, I suppose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Minutes slowly ticked by and the inn and town fell silent. Azarola\u2019s free fingers flexed and twitched against Rohita\u2019s waist as he longed for the comforting weight of his pistol, despite knowing that gunpowder and bullets did nothing against the strange forces he faced. \u201cIf I had to rank all of the weird things I\u2019ve seen lately, it\u2019d be hard to choose which one goes on top,\u201d he remarked with his gaze fixed on the poppets. They dropped to the floor and lay still.<\/p>\n<p>Rohita relaxed her grip on the mirror. \u201cI think it\u2019s over.\u201d She unclasped the amulet and held it firm in her hand. \u201cLet\u2019s go, Az.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGo? Where?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She stood and planted her hands on her hips. \u201cAfter the people! We should find out where they went. If it really is Enuri, then they\u2019re in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow are we going to do anything about it?\u201d When Rohita crossed her arms and pinned him with an expectant stare, he rubbed at the back of his neck and picked up his discarded shirt. \u201cWe\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d As they dressed, he remarked, \u201cWe\u2019re going to have an early night tomorrow. I won\u2019t have the energy to stay up late.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know, but if we don\u2019t do this, I won\u2019t be able to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou weren\u2019t the one being petted,\u201d Azarola countered, \u201cI won\u2019t be sleeping tonight no matter what.\u201d His shoulder twitched and he rubbed at it. \u201cI guess doing anything will be better than staring at the ceiling for hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI knew you would see it my way,\u201d Rohita chirped with feigned cheeriness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe should hurry and remember to bring a lantern. There aren\u2019t any streetlights where they\u2019re going and it\u2019ll be pitch black if the clouds thicken up again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The couple stepped out into the chilly night and followed the migration. Azarola saw his breath billow into the air and pulled up the collar of his jacket. \u201cThey\u2019re not talking,\u201d he observed of the silence, \u201cThere should be some chatter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clutching her coat closed, Rohita kept pace with him. \u201cI wonder what we\u2019ll find.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He chuckled uneasily. \u201cA whole coven of witches with a giant pot to make townie stew? A naked dance party of workaday Aestans? I don\u2019t know which would be worse.\u201d His grin faded away under the lamplight. \u201cI hope it\u2019s not Enuri.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The drumming of many feet ahead of them led the couple towards the migration. Azarola wanted to quicken his step, but he was mindful of Rohita\u2019s shorter strides and unseen hazards in the dark. He was sure that they were gaining on the group, but the sound of their footsteps grew fainter and fewer, until they disappeared altogether. The silence that fell upon them unnerved him. \u201cThis isn\u2019t right,\u201d he muttered and found himself thankful to hear the sound of his own voice. The weight of the pistol in his jacket pocket holster was comforting and he touched the cool metal to reassure himself that it was still there and real.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt wasn\u2019t ever right,\u201d Rohita replied.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was sure that we were catching up to them. So, where did they go?\u201d Azarola slowly spun around, searching with his ears. \u201cWe should be able to hear the whole herd stomping around out here. We would hear it if they walked off a cliff. It just stopped and I don\u2019t see or hear a single one of them.\u201d His boots stopped short of a cluster of toadstools, spooking a tiny frog out from underneath. \u201cIt\u2019s not like they walked through a magical witch\u2019s gate, either. I mean, there\u2019s no doorway or anything here! Nothing! Poof! Gone! When I said that I hoped it would be nothing, this isn\u2019t what I meant!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI miss Madame Zuri,\u201d Rohita remarked as she surveyed the grove touched by her lamplight. Pale moths flitted around the glow. \u201cMaybe I should write a letter to her about this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Remembering the Senviran fortuneteller who helped unravel the curse he was under during the winter, Azarola nodded and backed away from the trees. \u201cMight be a good idea. I don\u2019t know how she would get a message back to us, though.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf only she had a telephone, then we wouldn\u2019t need to wait around for a letter.\u201d She turned her back to the grove. \u201cSomething will work out. Let\u2019s go back to town. I don\u2019t like being exposed out here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Azarola and Rohita walked by the light of the lantern, they searched for any sign that they were not alone. The musician kept his hand on his hidden pistol. At each house, he detoured to investigate, and found an open door to an abandoned building. Warm air wafted out of the entrances, testament to recent occupancy. Dogs cowered within the homes and growled at Azarola\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n<p>Widening his strides, he explored the town at a faster pace. \u201cNothing and nobody!\u201d His boots thumped a noisy rhythm on the sidewalk. Every window was dark, every interior devoid of people. \u201cIf this is Enuri, then she\u2019s really brought out the big guns. She could have cleaned out entire districts of Ixpoli with something like this!\u201d He continued along the street, venturing closer to the lantern light\u2019s edge. \u201cNow that I\u2019m thinking about it, why didn\u2019t she do something like this before? Clean out an entire neighborhood of people and then have Rijan\u2019s gang go through and take their pick of everything left behind. Money, food, whatever you wanted. Just go through and take anything without anyone to stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At Rohita\u2019s scream, he twisted around and bolted towards the light. Azarola could barely see her past the man who was trying to pull her away towards the woods. She kicked and hit him in a furious barrage, shrieking unladylike obscenities. The musician grabbed fistfuls of the larger man\u2019s jacket and pulled him off Rohita. \u201cI\u2019d like to know why- <em>Hey!<\/em>\u201d Azarola scrambled back to keep some distance between him and the man who was now wielding a screwdriver like a stiletto. In a mad backwards dance, Azarola struggled to stay out of striking range.<\/p>\n<p>Azarola drew his pistol and automatically flicked off the first safety. He didn\u2019t dare fire his gun with Rohita so near and the assailant so close. \u201cHey! We\u2019re not thieves! I wasn\u2019t saying that <em>we <\/em>would steal things!\u201d he managed to explain between ragged dodges, in hope that this was all just a misunderstanding. The man didn\u2019t seem to hear a word Azarola said and continued his relentless attack.<\/p>\n<p>Azarola noticed Rohita aiming her pistol at the attacking man. \u201cNo! Ro! You might hit me!\u201d He stumbled and the screwdriver point scraped against his side in a glancing thrust. Of all the ways to die, he never once considered such a common tool as an agent of his demise.<\/p>\n<p>The next lunge drove Azarola off balance and he fell onto the ground. Without a thought, he pointed his pistol up at the man and fired. The crack of gunfire rang in his ears and he rolled to one side without looking to see if he hit. Instead of the man falling down onto the dewy grass, he turned to stab at the musician again.<\/p>\n<p>Azarola fired twice more in quick succession and the man staggered and dropped, spasming against the embrace of death. The musician watched while the seizure ran its course and kept his gun pointed at the dying man. When all was still, Azarola stared down at the body prone at his feet, listening to his own heart pounding in his chest and his breathing heavy and ragged. He turned to face Rohita and her horrified expression. He followed the path of her eyes to the pistol in his hand and the dead man on the ground. His chest hitched once and he flicked the safety back on his gun. \u201cRo, I-I\u2019m sorry. I never wanted to&#8230; You shouldn\u2019t have seen that.\u201d He couldn\u2019t look at her any longer. \u201cYou\u2019re all right?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d she replied. Her gaze fixed on the corpse. \u201cAz, you killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His head drooped lower and he crouched alongside the corpse, spotting all three bullet holes. \u201cIf I were still in Rijan\u2019s gang, I would be due for another tattoo right now.\u201d His free hand rummaged through the man\u2019s pockets. \u201cI guess I should at least learn his name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, Maedra\u2019s light, Az. You look like you\u2019re trying to steal his wallet. If anyone walked in on this right now&#8230;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll be on my way to a place where I\u2019ll be the belle of the ball,\u201d he remarked, \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll keep watch. Be quick with whatever it is you\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRo? I just killed someone and you\u2019re not having a hysterical fit?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not one for hysteria,\u201d she primly reminded him, \u201cNow hurry up. We can talk later.\u201d She grumbled to herself as she surveyed her status of disarray. \u201cBastard ruined my stockings!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI <em>know<\/em> you don\u2019t have any tattoos,\u201d Azarola muttered, \u201cBut you sure sound like you should.\u201d He hastily searched for any sort of identification, but found none. Hearing a soft gurgle and fizz, he focused on the man\u2019s still face. Jerking away, Azarola stumbled backwards. \u201cHe\u2019s foaming at the mouth! Look at this! He was rabid!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d Rohita knelt down and peered at the foam wiggling out of the dead man\u2019s mouth. \u201cIt\u2019s moving!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The foam congealed into a shiny, white mass and solidified into a small ball on the ground. Exchanging alarmed and disgusted cringes, the pair backed away from the body. \u201cThat\u2019s not rabid frothing,\u201d Azarola corrected, \u201cI-I don\u2019t have a clue what that is. I don\u2019t think I want to touch him now.\u201d The small white ball shivered and crumbled to powder. A pair of pale white moths spread their wings and fluttered out of the dust and into the woods. \u201cNope, not rabies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve never even heard of anything like this,\u201d Rohita remarked. She lifted her lantern and reoriented herself towards the inn. \u201cLet\u2019s get out of this place before someone else attacks us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Azarola brushed off his muddied pants and walked alongside her. \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re going anywhere tonight, Ro.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to hear that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just did. It\u2019s too dark to see where we\u2019re going and we don\u2019t know what\u2019s out there. Besides that, I don\u2019t trust the sky not to open up on us on our way out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMeaning that we get to stay here overnight?\u201d Her violet eyes scanned the empty street through the lifeless town with distaste. \u201cLovely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo sleep for us tonight no matter what we do,\u201d he remarked, \u201cWe could take a walk in the rain, but if our dead friend has pals, we won\u2019t be able to outrun them. So, cold and wet or warm and dry when we fight for our lives? I think I\u2019ll go for the warm and dry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/?page_id=200\">Continue to Chapter Two<\/a><br \/>\nor<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B00DGJEPD0\/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=B00DGJEPD0&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=briarhenge-20\" target=\"_blank\">Purchase &#8220;Spells and Silver Screens&#8221; for Kindle<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Azarola\u2019s long fingers danced over his guitar strings while the falling rain drummed a steady rhythm against the pub\u2019s windows. Bouncing with the music, the end of his long black ponytail hopped and swayed. From his chair in a dim corner, he relished the warmth of the room and the visage of his lovely company. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":195,"menu_order":21,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-198","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P42Nti-3c","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=198"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":619,"href":"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/198\/revisions\/619"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.briarhenge.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}