Dark Soul Silenced - Parts One & Two

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As the bandit leader’s corpse sank to the floor, time returned to normal for Daniel. He pulled his sword free, wiping it clean on the leader’s clothes then placing it on the ground. He had no need of it for now.

He gestured to the remaining outlaws and they gathered in a group. He could feel his hold over them all, knew they would do as he wished. Even if he ordered them to kill each other, kill themselves. Some of the powers he’d gained were amazing. Terrifying even. In the fight his opponent had seemed to move so slowly that Daniel had been able to glide around each attack.

The control he had over the surviving outlaws… well, he was sorely tempted to use it, but he resisted. The idea of forcing them to give up their ways, forcing them to be something different than they were, felt wrong inside. It strayed dangerously close to the darkness that had been purged from his soul. Instead he formed his thoughts and pushed them out, speaking to reinforce them.

“Two of you lie dead. The rest of you I could kill with ease. But I won’t. In a moment I will send you on your way, but with one command. For the rest of the day you will think about your lives. Think about what you have done. Think of the hurt you have caused. And think of what you could be, what you could do instead.

“Can you work wood? Leather? Build? Bake? Or if nothing else, could you turn your sword arms to protecting the weak? It is up to you. For the rest of the day you will consider this, then you are free to choose your own paths. But remember this… if you don’t change and our paths cross again there will be no mercy next time. No second chances.” He met the gaze of each man in turn, then flicked his hand. “Go. Go now!”

The men turned still looking dazed but now, in some cases at least, starting to look thoughtful. They set off without talking and soon it was clear each was finding his own path, ignoring the others. Daniel was pleased. He hadn’t consciously given that command but he thought it would help their chances of turning their lives around.

He turned to the family, crouching down by the girl and smiling slightly.

“It’s you isn’t it?” she asked quietly. “The man from last night?”

“Yes,” he replied, also quietly. “I am so, so sorry for scaring you. I was… well… I was very ill. But I am better now. You helped me to get better. Thank you.”

The girl smiled shyly, then turned to her parents. The father was still sitting, now propped up by his wife. She was trying to stop the bleeding, with little success. Neither had heard his conversation with the girl, neither knew it was Daniel that had visited their camp the night before. Daniel decided that was best for now. They had more immediate problems. The man’s face was starting to turn grey. Daniel doubted the man would last much longer. He crouched by the two of them.

“Thank you.”

The man’s voice was barely more than a whisper. Daniel heard the pain in it, wished he could do something to help.

“I’m sorry,” Daniel replied. “If I had intervened just a bit sooner you would not be hurt.”

The man chuckled, despite the pain. “You turn up, face down their leader, save Sarah and our Mary from death or worse and then you apologise. You have nothing to be sorry for. I go to my rest in peace, not in torment as I thought I would. I go knowing my family is safe rather than leaving them in terrible danger. Thank you.”

Daniel shrugged. “How could I not help? I just wish I could help you now, but I cannot.”

“Well I can!” said the girl, Mary, pushing her mother’s hands out of the way. She placed her hands over the stomach wound and concentrated.

Her mother’s face flickered between relief and concern. “Be careful Mary,” she said. “Please be careful. Don’t hurt yourself.”

Daniel was fascinated. He could sense some of what Mary was doing, but not the intricacies. Energy was flowing from her body through her hands and into her father. The power was knitting the flesh and strengthening his dwindling internal energies. It was a huge task, though. Her father was so badly wounded and already suffering from shock.

After a few minutes Mary started to sway, face pale, but she kept on pushing energy into her father. Now her mother’s face was drawn with concern. Once, twice the woman lifted her hands as if to intervene, then dropped them again, helpless.

The girl was in danger. Daniel could tell that now. She was using her own life force to heal her father, and the wound needed far more energy than she could safely give. Daniel frowned. Could he take over? No. He could sense some of what she did, but not how she was doing it. But… maybe there was a way. He leaned forward, placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder and concentrated. He opened up to her, letting some of his own energy trickle through, then as she became aware of the flow letting her draw more through her to complete the healing.

While he could feel the energy going Daniel found his own energy was not being depleted as the girl’s had been. After a few moments he realised why. As fast as the energy flowed out he was drawing more energy in. From the sunlight. From the trees, plants and animals surrounding him. From the sea and from the land. Just a little, but from everywhere. Not enough to harm anything he drew power from, but taken together it was more than enough to counter the drain of the healing.

The man’s face started to regain some colour, the bleeding from his stomach and leg stopped and Daniel could sense the flow of energy through the girl slowing. Her eyes flickered open, she smiled… and Daniel caught her as she fainted, gently lowering her to the ground.

“She is all right,” he assured her parents. “She is just sleeping. I was able to lend her some strength but what she just did was still incredible work. She needs to rest.” He turned to the father. “How do you feel?”

“Tired!” was the reply, but there was a strength in the words that had been missing before. “I think I might sleep too. Just for a few minutes.”

He lay back, asleep almost the moment his head rested on the ground. The woman, Sarah, looked at her husband and daughter and burst into tears. Daniel put an arm around her and she turned into him, sobs shaking her body. Daniel just held her. After everything that had happened she needed the release. A few minutes passed before the sobs tailed off and she pulled away.

“Better?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes.” Her answering smile was shy. “It was… everything… it just…”

“I understand. It’s all right. You’ve been through a nightmare. You had to get it out of your system.”

“Thank you. For everything.”

“Really, it is fine.” Daniel was getting embarrassed by all the thanks. He sought to change the subject. “Your daughter… she has an incredible gift.”

Sarah pulled a face. “Gift maybe. Or curse. That’s what they call it where we come from. The town of Hammersgate. It’s why we’re travelling. Well, running really.

“We didn’t know she had this… gift. I don’t think she did. There was an accident, a young boy was injured by a horse. We weren’t there so we don’t know the details, but we were told his chest had been crushed. He was dying. Mary was there. She healed him. She saved him. In doing it she passed out herself, but it was clear she’d saved him. Clear to everyone in the street. Within twenty minutes the witch hunters were looking for her. To burn her!”

Sarah took a deep breath to steady herself. Daniel waited patiently for her to continue.

“The boy’s family saved her. They took her home with their son, got her out of immediate danger. She woke again a few minutes later and they found out where she lived. The boy’s uncle risked his life. He carried her back to us, warned us of the danger and helped us to slip out of the city.

“If he’d been caught with us the punishment would have been death. As it would have been for Jon and I. She’s our daughter, that’s no threat to us, but he risked his life for a child he had only just met. We don’t even know his name. He said it was best that way. He saved us. He got us out of the city, stayed with us for a day before turning back. I just hope he came to no harm.”

The two of them sat in silence for a while, a silence eventually broken by the sleeping man’s rasping snore. Sarah smiled fondly. “I never thought I’d be this happy to hear that noise,” she said.

Daniel chuckled. “You look tired. Rest a little. Do not worry, I will stand guard.” He projected feelings of safety and sleepiness.

With a yawn and a nod Sarah lay down beside her husband, head resting on his chest. Within moments she too was asleep.

Daniel sat back, enjoying the sun’s warmth, the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. For the first time since his nightmare began he felt completely at peace. He smiled down at the sleeping family. He’d travel with them he decided. See them safely to their destination. It was the least he could do. And then… well, time would tell.