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Yeah, Names' Xyercies, and well, i dont know if one could consider this a poetry type topic or not. but still. This is a book i'm in the process of writting. I'm still in a, learning state - so to speak - of my writting career. So if it's not exactly Perfect, give me a break. (Oh and if their are spelling mistakes which i couldnt get the ******** computer to fix, dont blame me.)

I also aplogies for the length...but it is a book in progress...so its ment to be long. And jsut to those who might scorn this and think it stupid. if you are going to insult me for lack of talent or other such reasons or jsut because you want to , please at least save the other people from reading stupid remarks and just send them to me directly that way i can jsut reply and get them over and done with.


The
Reddening

BY: Xyercies D. Cain



Chapter One:Incremented Pain


Those eyes , their cold red irises. The dark bottomless wells of hatred, lust, mercilessness and self contrived darkness within the confines of the pupil. The long, damp black hair covered his face like a mask of darkness struggling to overtake the light. A long gash like sliver of black eyeliner fell from his right eye, indicating the gang of which he was from.
The boy stood still in front of his mirror, observing himself. Shrugging, he picked up his cigarettes, lighter and cell phone; began walking through his pitch-black room to open the door. However as he was shutting the door, a black and white blur flew out of the opening without an in to spare.
“What do you think your going Thalwar?” The boy cooed in his soft voice, as Thalwar’s sleek fur glided against his leg. Opening the door again, he scooted the cat back into the depths of the dark and desolate room. Thalwar looked up at him reproachfully as he closed the door a second time.
Sliding down the banister of the stairs, he landed in the hall below with a thud, his chains on his pants jingling slightly.
“How many times do I have to tell you not to slide down the banister Xyercies?!” Xyercies’ mother, a stern elderly woman around the age of 50, wearing a long blue cooking apron and a hair net, stood at he opposite end of the halls. Tapping her foot impatiently, glaring at her son. Xyercies stood slowly, the chains on his pants clinking ominously, turning slightly to look at his mother out of the corner of his eye. He turned around fully and looked at her for a few moments. His red eyes bore into hers. She stared at her son, mesmerized by his eyes. Xyercies saw her give an involuntary shudder and smiled slightly. His mother watched as her son began to walk towards her, then past her. She stepped into the kitchen just as he walked out the door.


Xyercies glided down the front steps, through the garden and out the on to the sidewalk. He stopped, pulled out his cigarettes and his red lighter and light one up. Shoving the pack of cigarettes and the lighter back into his pocket, he turned to the left and made his way down the sidewalk in the direction of his school. As he walked he tried to remember what the Speaker had said about the meeting place after the summer. Xyercies glanced down at his watch,
“11:02, I should see her any minuet now.”
As he rounded a corner, he passed an alleyway, which was littered with trashcans and stray bags. A Girl clad in black clothing like him. Walked out of the alleyway and fell into step with him. Without looking at her he spoke as if he knew her, which in this case, he did.
“Know where the group’s meeting?” His voice was just as soft as it had been when he had spoken to his cat. Th Girl dug into her pockets, pulling out her own pack of cigarettes and a light. She took her time in lighting one and blowing out a plume of smoke before answering.
“Docks, Pier 22, wharf 32, isle 54, Cabin 68” She listed off the places so fast, it sounded as if she had repeated them to herself thousands of times. Xyercies took a drag from his cigarette and blew out a stream of smoke, which trailed behind the two of them.
“Do you have the requested item.” He looked at her for the first time since she had joined him. She nodded, and looked at him, smiling slightly. Xyercies smiled, and looked to his front.
“It‘s good to see you again Lilly.” He smiled briefly to himself, it felt good to back where he knew things would be the same.
“Missed you too Xy.”

Xyercies and Lilly arrived at the docks. Walked through them to pier 22, walked down it to wharf 32, climbed the stairs to isle 54 and stopped at a dingy looking hall with a plaque at the top of it.
“Cabin 68, good to be back. Wouldn‘t you say Xy?” Lilly spoke as they walked under the hood of the hallway, which lead to a dead end with a door.
“Indeed, it does feel good to be back, yet..” Xyercies cast a glance behind them, then looked forward again,
“I can‘t shake this feelings, as though something‘s gone horribly wrong while we‘ve been away.” They were quite as they continued down the hall, the light fading ever faster. They reached the door, Xyercies looked behind them just as a precaution, Lilly knocked on the door.
There was a golden eyepiece on the door, made for checking who was there. The door itself was thick dark oak, embossed with a seal, which portrayed an eagle with its talons through a cross. The golden eyepiece slid back and a hazel eye appeared it was almost immediately replaced with the eyepiece once more.. The sounds of Locks and chains could be heard, being removed from the other side of the door. There was a pause, then a final click was heard. No sound, no movement, Xyercies quickly glanced at Lily who returned the look, quizzicality written quite clearly on her face.
Xyercies reached for the door handle just as it turned, allowing the door to swing, ever so slowly, open. A small girl in a black/white Gothic Lotia dress stood waiting for them; Xyercies smiled bleakly. Still the same I see Xyercies thought glibly as he passed the girl, looking around; slightly annoyed to find his the rest of his friends weren‘t here to greet him.
“Miai? Where is everyone?” Xyercies looked back as the small girl shut the door, turning to face him.
“They will be returning shortly Master Cain.” At that moment there was a knock on the door.
“Ah, this must be them now.” Miai said.
“Wonderful, now I can see my friends and we can go and have, our...what in the name of Odin, are they wearing?” Xyercies thought, his expression one of shock and amazement. He watched as a group of teenagers walked into the room, lily was watching intently from the corner, her eyes wide with astonishment.
“Close the door Miai, it‘s bloody cold outside.” A stout boy, 15 years old by the looks of it, stood in front of the group, brushing his sleeves unnecessarily. Xyercies narrowed his eyes in disgust.
“Vairis? Why would they be with Vairis? More to the point, why would Vairis be with them?” He whispered to himself. Trying to mull things over in his mind quickly. Xyercies watched as the group began to move forward, passing Vairis, who was carefully relieving himself of his coat and gently putting it on the coat rack. The group of teens continued to move forward, talking to each other in soft tones, not noticing his and Lilies presence.
“So tell me,” Xyercies said, standing straight, his fists clenched, his face ridged with annoyance. The group stopped and looked up, startled.
“Since when did the Nivartus Clan, wear the drab clothes of the Christians?” Lily, came out from the shadows of the corner and stood slightly behind and to the left of Xyercies. Everyone just stared, their mouths open slightly. They recovered quickly, turned to each other and whispered themselves, shooting furtive looks at Lily and Xyercies.
“No reply, fine. How are you these days then, my, dear friends?” His voice became sarcastic at tail end of the sentence, a tone that was very noticeable in his speech.
“Lighten up Xy, it’s us, we’re your friends. No need for the rudeness and formalities.” A longhaired boy by the name of Josh stepped forward, holding his hand out smiling. Xyercies Frowned slightly, looking at Josh’s outstretched hand. He had reason to be suspicious, something was wrong here, and he didn’t like it.
“I would have expected you of all people to not step forward and act as though you know me Josh. I know you too well to fall for that.”
“I, you, I mean...what are you talking about Xy, you know I never turn down the opportunity to meet someone.” The smile had begun to slip off of Josh’s face. Xyercies stared hard into Josh’s eyes, searching for an answer as to why he was behaving so awkwardly and why everyone was dressed so...plain.
“Tell me, now. Why the change?” Xyercies red eyes pierced Josh’s, causing him to stutter, trying to avert his sight from the fiery stare.
“Well, you see Xy, it’s, it’s like this. We...,”
“You will tell him nothing, Josh. Lest you wish to make your master unpleased.” A smooth voice came from the back of the group.
Xyercies stepped back from Josh, and felt his arm touch lilies. He glanced at her, confirming what both had been thinking. Something was wrong, very wrong from the looks of it. Lily, turned her attention back to the group and noticed a girl standing in the back, glancing at her every couple of seconds.
“Amy? Amy is that you?” The girl ignored her, pretending to bend down to tie her shoe. Josh looked at Lily, watching the expression of confusion pass over her face to mild enjoyment. Josh turned his eyes back to Xyercies as he him begin to speak.
“Where is the Speaker?” Xyercies asked calmly, one could even say he spoke uncaringly. But his voice was touched with a hint of anger, something none of the occupants of the room seemed to pick up. The group of friends began looking at one another and glancing back to Xyercies and Lily.
“Don’t they know?”
“No, of course not. They were both gone when it happened.”
“But surely someone told them, right?” The teens whispered to one another their backs turned to Lily and Xyercies. One of the teens however stood apart from the rest. He unlike the rest of the teens wore a pair of baggy black Tripp pants. A pair of black combat boots and a dark purple shirt, with a broken skull on it. He looked about 14 years old.
“The speaker is dead, Xy. They killed him in his chambers.” The Boy who stood apart from the rest, spoke. Getting the attention of everyone in the room. The group of teens looked over at the boy. One of them hissed at him,
“Kyle, your not supposed to speak of it.” The boy named Kyle glared at the group, then walked towards Xyercies, who stared at him, disbelief written in his red eyes.
“D-dead? Where was his guard? Why didn’t anyone warn him?” Xyercies narrowed his eyes, practically hissing at Kyle. Kyle seemed unaffected by this. On the contrary, if anything he seemed pleased with Xyercies reaction. Xyercies reached into his back pocket, opening the red velvet bag in it and grasping the snakeskin hilt of the dagger within.
“They were all killed, throats slit and all.” Kyle mimed having a knife being driven into his stomach. Lily, put her hands behind her, slipping one into her back pocket as well, opening a similar red velvet bag and grabbing on to the snakeskin hilt within.
“So why are there no traces of a struggle? I see no cuts in the walls no dents in the floor. Xyercies let go of the dagger, allowing it to slide safely back into the depths of his pocket.
“Take me to his chambers” Kyle nodded, peering back at the others. They were all shaking their heads in unison. Xyercies looked over at lily, who glanced at him in time to see him mouth something. She nodded slightly and watched Xyercies and Kyle walk out of the room and down towards the overhangs, which were situated in a large, abandoned warehouse.





“What’s going on Kyle? Why is everyone acting so, common?” They walked down the ramp to the overhang room, in which they would find the path to the Speaker’s quarters. Kyle sighed and glanced behind them.
“Over here.” He grabbed Xyercies by the arm and dragged him on to a converging overhang. He let go of him and looked Xyercies in the eyes.
“Ok look, everyone, except me, was put under the control of, ‘The Curse’.” He said, he fists clenched.
“From what I can figure out, there was an attack on our group by the Godden Crew. They were like this when I returned from vacation; I recognized the symptoms almost instantly, “The Curse” was one of the curses we studied last fall in our teachings.” Kyle ran his hands over his face, leaning forward on the railing of the hangover.
“Bu-,” Xyercies began to speak but Kyle cut him off.
“No, let me finish, it makes more sense if I do.” He paused and sighed,
“When I learned of the Speaker’s demise, and at the hands of the Godden Crew too, I figured out what had happened...to an extent anyway. They attacked the guards, killing them off, seeing no need to keep them alive. They broke the door down, then ran into the Speaker’s Chambers, where i’m guessing the Speaker was having worship. They, well, you know already.” Kyle looked down at a point on the surface of the warehouse floor, which was only just visible.
Xyercies crossed his arms over his chest, thinking hard, about tactics that the Speaker would have used to defend himself when caught in such a situation, but so far, he was coming up blank. He began to pace up and down the overhang, his eyes closed. After a while he stopped, Kyle looked around to see where Xyercies was. He stood looking at a point on the ceiling. His expression one of shrewdness.
“Xy, what is wrong?” Kyle looked up at the ceiling trying to find what Xyercies was looking at.
“Xy?”
“What happened to the ‘Crucible Diction’? Is it still in its place?” Xyercies’ eyes flicked down to stare at Kyle, who was frozen his mouth wide in shock. Xyercies looked at Kyle, grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him slightly, Xyercies’ red eyes bored into Kyle’s.
“Is the ‘Crucible Diction’ still here!” Xyercies hissed.
“I...” Kyle broke free of Xyercies grasp, ran to the cross sections of the overhangs. Xyercies could feel the overhang guttering and shaking. Xyercies waited another second, then pelted after Kyle. He reached into his back pocket and, with some difficulty, pulled his dagger.
His attention now off his dagger he could run faster and catch up to Kyle, who was far ahead. Kyle took a sharp right, tripped, fell down and rolled. Using the momentum that he already had, Kyle continued to roll, pushing himself up his feet and continued to run. He ran back and took a left this time, getting onto the overhang he had meant to take, eventually reaching the door at the every end.
He stomped to a stop, clutching the stitch that now pained his breast. Closing his eyes, Kyle bent over to wheeze and catch his breath. When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a pair of booted feet, apart from his own. Looking up he saw Xyercies, standing slightly over him. Xyercies didn’t appear to be out of breath at all; Kyle noticed the dagger in Xyercies’ right hand at that moment.
“I see you haven’t gotten rid of the old order’s chosen weapon.” Xyercies smirked,
“And I see you haven’t been training properly.” Kyle straightened up, panting,
“Yeah, well, when you’ve had a summer as busy as mine has been, then you may come and comment my lack of physical fitness, then and only then will i think about retorting to that.” Massaging his ribs, Kyle turned to the stone-framed door, and grabbed the doorknob. Xyercies held his breath as Kyle opened the door, letting it swing in. A second later both Xyercies and Kyle were shielding their eyes as a blazing bright light radiated from the room.

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At the same moment, back in the waiting room

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Lily watched as Xyercies and Kyle walked from the room, then once again turned her attention back to the group. She gripped the snakeskin hilt of the dagger behind her back. She looked from one face to another, looking for some symptom of being under the control of someone, looking for pleading, anything. She found nothing, nothing but distaste, something that was new to her from her friends, or, what had been her friends.
“So, tell us Lily. What have you been up to lately? Where have and Xyercies been for the last three months?” A smooth voice from the back of the group, the same voice that had commanded Josh to silence himself. Lily couldn’t see who was speaking, but she who the voice belonged to. She knew all too well.
“It’s none of your damn picking business Vairis!” Lily watched as the group of teens slowly split in half, revealing a short boy, who looked no older then 15 years. The same boy Xyercies had recognized.
The boy named Vairis had his inside of the pockets of a, surprisingly bright white, blazer, with a matching pair of pants. He wore black swayed shoes with white tips and a gray caviler hat.
“On the contrary my good friends. You’ll soon see, you’re not in the right part of life. You must embrace the...”
“NO!!! I would rather be BURNED AT THE STAKE, rather than join you in your worship to your, ‘GOD’.” Lily yelled at him.
“What’s happened to you guys? Why have you suddenly become what you are? Amy? Please tell me your not...” She broke off. Lily stared at Amy disbelief written all over her face.
“Lily, we’re no the same anymore,”
“I can see that...”Lily murmured
“We don’t want to be known as outcasts any longer. I...” Amy was cut off.
“That’s enough Amy, no need to give away our allegiance anymore then we have already. Your old friend will soon realize the mistake she’s making and wish to come to us. Won’t you Lily?” Vairis sneered at Lily, mocking her for not being able to even say hello to her best friend.
“You’ll pay for what you’ve done to my friends Vairis.” Lily ran at Vairis, her dagger at arm length, ready for the downward stroke that would sever his jugular, turning his beautifully white blazer red with blood. Of course, she hadn’t her actions over before she acted upon them, so she was reckless. One of the teens stepped out from the groups and grabbed her arm as it swung down. Dodged a kick to the groin and then twisted her hand behind her back. Dagger still in hand, she struggled, tying to break free of the grip. Lily spun around as best she could without ripping her arm out of her socket and tried to reach Vairis with a well aimed Kick. But that too was blocked. Josh grabbed her ankle, causing her to loose balance, making her hop.
“Paul let go of me, you seriously think what he says is true.” All she got for a reply was a slap to the face as Vairis walked around Josh to face her. Paul grabbed her other arm as she swung it at Vairis’s face. Paul wrenched her around, so both arms were behind her. Lily watched Vairis reach behind her and felt him pluck the dagger from her twisted hand.
“Didn’t your mother ever teach you Lily?” Vairis said while he examined the dagger in his hand. He looked up at her switching the dagger to his right hand. Lily cried out,
“Xy, help me!” A hand clapped over her mouth muffling her voice.
“You shouldn’t play with knives Lily,” Vairis adopted a sweet and innocent voice.
“...you might get hurt.” He dropped the innocent voice as he plunged the dagger into her lower abdomen. Lily Screamed in pain, her muffled yells however wouldn’t be heard in the overhang room. Tears poured from her eyes, she bit down hard into the hand that covered her mouth. There was a yelp of pain, and sworn oath.
“Xy, help me!” Vairis removed the dagger and rammed his free fist into her stomach. Tidal waves of shock, pain and just over all hurting flowed through her. Paul let go of her that very second, allowing her to pitch forward and fall to the ground. Lily clasped her hands to her stomach. Not so much because it hurt so badly, but because she didn’t want to loose too much blood; which is a pretty normal reaction.
“Let that be a lesson to you Lily. Don’t ever disagree with the Goddens. Understand?” Vairis drove the dagger, point down, into the floor and turned to the rest.
“Let us leave, we must be back in time to be in attendance for mass.”
Everyone nodded and walked to the door. Amy walked forward to Lily and was about to say something when Vairis cut her off.
“Amy! Come over here now!” Amy didn’t argue she turned around and walked out the door just as the sound of running footsteps sounded close to the room. Lily could hear Kyle’s voice and Xyercies’ as well.
“What about Kyle?” Amy asked once outside.
“We won’t need to worry about him, if he did his job right, they’ll both be dead.” Amy looked a little shocked and upset for a second. She paused then walked down the isle with the rest of the people, Vairis looked at Lily one last time, sneered then shut the door.
Kyle and Xyercies burst into the room a couple minuets later.
“What the hel, l...Lily? Oh dear...” Someone stood above lily, as her vision began to waver. A second person threw the door open, and began running down the isle to get help. The one who stood over her, knelt down, which didn’t help her figure out who it was. Her vision was so blurred she couldn’t even see the wooden floor beneath her properly.
The person kneeling down spoke before she lost consciousness, but she couldn’t fully understand what they were saying.
“lily wha-”
She lost all sense of where she was, who she was, what she was, anything she was as her vision blacked out, and so did her mind. She had lost too much blood. That last thing she was a puddle forming around her, of her own red blood.

My mind has dried, the pain resides as the dark consumes vision,
Lost in pain slaughtered by tears, the cries of dear ones, no longer can be heard,
The redness which overtakes all color, which provoked has come and now time for my turn is here,
now I am reddening.

“Xy? Xy is that you? Kyle?” her voice was weak, her throat her a bit. She coughed and tried again. There was a crash of metal and the deposit of a body from what she could hear.
“What the...s**t...Lily, you jumped me, I thought you were...hey your awake.” Lily opened her eyes, Xyercies sat beside the bed, behind him, was a metal chair on the floor half crumpled. She raised her eyebrows inquiringly as if asking the question, “what were you doing?” Xyercies looked back at the chair,
“I’d like to see you sit in a waiting room for 3 hours, then have sleep in that ******** thing, and not get bored out of your skull.” He glanced back at Lily, who was laughing slightly.
“Hey, Xy, how did I get here? I thought we were at the pier. All I remember is I got stabbed in my abdomen by my dagger when Vairis thrust it at me...that b*****d with pay later.” Xyercies explained that she had lost a lot of blood after she blacked out. They ambulance came and took her to the hospital where he and Kyle were allowed to stay with her. He also clued her into the fact that she had been out of it for at most a week and a half.
“Oh, and one more thing, don’t ask for any pudding from this place, I think they poison it.” Lily laughed, then winced as a slight stab of pain shot through her.
“You should get back to sleep; the doctor said you should be almost fully healed in a bout five days so get some sleep.” Xyercies, smiled at her, then turned around and walked to the door, turning off the light nearest her. Lily stared up at the ceiling thinking how lucky she had been. Slowly she drifted off to sleep.

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5 Days Later

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“So, how are we supposed to retaliate if we don’t have the man power?” Lily sat on the hospital bed, her pillows propped up so she could sit up. She had just crossed her arms across her chest and was currently looking from Xyercies to Kyle and back again.
“Well, we’ff goffen a feehw eole fewo oiin us. Ames fom fa icheal A. igh cool,” Kyle spoke through a mouth full of dry cereal. He was on the other side of the room, facing the windows while he sat at the table. Neither Lily nor Xyercies uttered a sound, they just stared at him. After about five minuets of listening to him crunching on his cereal, he finally noticed something was missing.
“Why do I feel as though people are staring at me?” Kyle thought, as he turned around slowly. He turned slightly so only a portion of his front was visible. His eyes were wide, as if he was scared. He had literally a full mouth of dry cereal, causing his cheeks to bulge, making him look like a chipmunk. He clutched the cereal box as though his life depended on it. The whole sight in itself made him look a deranged chipmunk who was hoarding a bunch of nuts and had a mouthful of them.
“Whaff?” Xyercies lifted his eyebrows, giving Kyle a quizzical look,
“Care to repeat that chipmunk boy?” Lilly laughed a bit then looked away from the hilarious sight of Kyle.

“Like I said before,” Kyle had swallowed his mouthful of cereal and started speaking again, properly this time.
“We got James to join us and since we have him it shouldn’t be to hard to get his friends to join as well.” Lily looked at Xyercies at the foot of the bed, his head back eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
“What information did you find out concerning the Speaker?”Xyercies sighed and propped his feet on the edge of the bed.
“Well, we all have knowledge that the Speaker stayed home this past summer, communing with our ancestral spirits in Hel.” He paused, still blinking at the ceiling. Xyercies lent back in his chair, stretching his arms and back.
“We also know, from Kyle’s inform, that the Speaker was gutted at some point during all of our absences. Upon Kyle’s return, he obtained knowledge of the Speakers demise. Sound good so far Kyle?” Xyercies glanced over at Kyle, who nodded in agreement that Xyercies’ description was accurate thus far. Lily spoke up.
“So, soon after Kyle’s return, Kyle must’ve noticed that the cage was abandoned. I went there the day I got back from vacation Deserted, almost entirely rejected.” Lily looked at Kyle quizzically. Kyle nodded,
“I did, but it was just as you found it i’m sure. Desolate and out of place.” Lily nodded again.
“Yeah, that’s how I found it as well. Except I went a couple days ago. But it’s still just as your describing.” Xyercies frowned slightly,
“I just realized something.” Kyle and Lily both looked at him,
“What’s that?” Lily asked.
“Kyle, when you came back. You said you recognized the others’ symptoms. The Curse you described sounds right, but, it’s a Municipal Curse. If they truly were cursed, which they proved to be, as Lily found out.” Lily made a noise of disgust.
“...you would have caught it long before either I or Lily retur...” Kyle cut in.
“Nope! Counturus MeZe’n Fapct. Remember? The counter curse for it. I used it on myself after the first night back that I realized they were cursed.” Kyle looked surly, his face showing pure revolution.
“Oh yeah,” Xyercies looked over at Kyle and saw the look on his face.
“Hey, stop griping about it. Your not cursed are you? Yeah, so be glad that it worked. I know it’s not one of the one of the more comfortable curses to cast on yourself, but you had no other choice. So stop whining.”




That is the first chapter of my book, The Reddening.