The White Apple Campaign 12 - The Flip

Vasher woke and could not move. This happened sometimes. Like his eyes were awake but his body was still dreaming. Sometimes it was like a presence was holding him there – interrupting the signals his brain tried to send to his body. Over the years, he had learned to break out of it by holding his breath. He did so and with a gasp his body kicked back on. It still was hard to move. Getting up was a stiff trial when you were older, let alone after a hard fight the day before. The uniform coil of hard roots this forest called a floor did little to help and it seemed everything snapped inside him like dry twigs as he dressed and prepped for the day.

Emerging from his tent, he found his companions just rising as well. Everyone still had a white diamond mark on their foreheads after the fight with Matsaka, whose head still accompanied Lenny’s travel goods. What was more disturbing, however, was the circle of neatly prepared white food in a ring at the center of camp. 

“Good morning all. I made you all breakfast.” Jacobin droned in his version of a cheerful greeting.

“I’m just having water, thanks.” Vasher said, still feeling wary of Jacobin’s “promises” but also genially not hungry due to his aching state.

“More for me then.” Hemswick said, grabbing Vasher’s plate and digging in.

The others joined as well. Lenny eating her usual mouthfuls and Jr. picking around the plate. Johnathan was taking notes again but would grab the occasional white sausage between paragraphs.

“We’re going to get some assistance today.” Jacobin said as he broke the tents down.

“After yesterday, I called a few friends to meet us at the edge of the wood.

Great, more wardens. Vasher thought. Watching everyone eat. Unlike the days before, it was quiet this morning. Resigned. When before, there would be conversations of where the group would go next, or how to interpret some lich head advice, everyone ate in silence until Jacobin had finished packing. When it was time to go, the group simply fell in step with Jacobin towards the northern edge of the Greenwood. Vasher hated it. They had made it to the wood. And for what? More suspicious food? More enigmatic people? The point was to get off the island and here they were off to slay some lich just because an apparition called them chosen. 

Come to think of it. Vasher thought, What was it that lich said when we first arrived? Walking was beginning to loosen his body back up, and with it his mind. Through the clearing fog Vasher remembered the rasping voice that spoke directly in his head. “Im sorry,” it had said. “I cannot permit you to land on this island. I am sorry.” 

Vasher nearly stopped walking as the implications began to make their way to understanding in his mind. I have to tell the others. He thought, making himself keep pace and hide the epiphany from his eyes. Luckily, he had been lost in thought so long, they were already nearing the edge of the wood – a golden ribbon of light winking between the trees ahead. As the group drew closer, Vasher could see silhouettes leaning on a couple of the trees straight ahead. They straightened up when they saw Jacobin and Vasher could tell now there were three of them. All white robed and clearly part of the Greenwood bunch.

“These are my esteemed colleagues,” Jacobin said as he gestured to each of them individually. “Carla and Kayla Taft, and Kalkara.”

Two of the group were clearly related and Vasher took them to be the Taft sisters. The third was a man the same age as the sisters but could have been from a different continent. The three were a nomadic looking bunch. Their white robes were made of a more canvas like material and covered in pockets and ties like caravan clothes though they were still pristinely white. Unlike the people from the village, this batch looked seasoned, even like they were already in the midst of a quest. They were also silent. Even as the two groups joined, the three said nothing of greeting other than a few pretentious grins and knowing glances. Vasher already didn’t like them.

“Guess you three don’t talk much.” Lenny said after trying to introduce herself.

The three just smiled at her and shared knowing glances again.

“Let’s just go already.” Jr. said, causing the entire party to look down as she pushed herself past the new comers and broke out into the light.

Lenny sighed at the sky and dragged her feet, but joined Jr. in the sun nonetheless. Vasher did not leave the wood until everyone else was out. His mind still burdened by what he was remembering from that first fateful day on this island. I have to tell them all at lunch. He thought, then stepped into the light.

The layer of dead white animals was thinner on this side of the forest but still had to be traversed to get back out into the dry plain. To save time, Lenny scooped Vasher and Jr. into her arms again without asking and simply carried them over the uneven terrain. She had a strange tight smile on her face that may have been hiding nausea, but Vasher didn’t care. This was the perfect opportunity.

“Hey you too!” Vasher hissed a whisper.

“What?” They hissed back.

“I have to tell you something.” Vasher looked around to be sure the others were out of earshot. “When we first landed here, do you remember the lich on the shoreline?”

“Yeah the one that tried to kill us with undead sharks, how could I forget?” Jr. replied.

“Wasn’t that him we just saw yesterday?” Lenny asked.

“No, that was a new one.” Vasher answered. “Anyway, remember what he said to us? He said he was sorry. That he couldn’t let us reach the island.”

“So?” Jr. asked. “He still tried to kill us just like everyone lately.”

“That’s the thing!” Vasher perked up. “The sharks attacked the boat first. We could have just abandoned ship. He was trying to keep us from landing. No one actually started trying to kill us until we started making our way to the Greenwood!”

“What are you trying to say?” Lenny asked, hefting Vasher up a bit closer to her face.

“What I am trying to say is that… what if this Mother thing is like a kind of virus or plague and the Liches are using their death magic to contain her?”

“People always told me that you got sick from the wind or filthy animals. What do you mean quarantine a plague? You can’t stop the wind here.” Jr. asked from Lenny’s opposite arm.

“Oh, right.” Vasher said. “That’s not actually how people get sick. Most sickness is caused by tiny living things getting into your body and sort of… hijacking it. They use you to reproduce and your body fighting that is what makes you sick.”

As he said this, Lenny took the final step over the most decomposed white animal body at the edge of the dead ring. Causing him to explain further as Lenny set him down.

“You are right, some are so small they can spread on the wind. If that’s true here, it’s already too late for us. But Constance kept talking about ascension and the apples. I think that is a key part of all of this.”

Lenny put her hand to her stomach. “But she said the seeds had passed.”

“Yes, but they have lied to us before. No sense getting all worried for a hunch. All I am saying is that I don’t think we have these liches figured out yet and I think we’re dealing with something that wants to spread.”

“Oy, you three done playing piggy back?” Henswick’s voice came from behind.

“Yeah!” Lenny chimed right in. “These two’s legs are too short, I got impatient.”

“Well let’s keep going. I only got my wife for one night. I don’t want to be gone to long again.” Hemswick boomed a laugh and pushed forward into the desolation ahead.

Im still not used to him laughing. Vasher thought and found himself quite hungry after the morning. After walking a good distance, and making sure no one was looking, he took a nibble from the rations in his pocket. Then, almost with to-perfect timing, Jacobin called to the group.

“We are well beyond the ring of rot and the day is moving quickly. Let us stop for lunch.”

The entire time, Kayla, Kara, and Kalkara had not said a word. At Jacobin’s command however, they began helping him unpack white bundles of meals and place them in a ring where the barren ground was level. Vasher caught a strangely threatening smirk on their faces every time he glanced their way. Its not like you trusted them to begin with, he thought, and then sat with the others to complete the lunch ring.

Everyone dug in gleefully but Vasher. The meal was an attractive (albeit all white) rendition of a provincial lunch. Dried nuts, cuts of meat and bread, a few fruits. Vasher simply stared at his for a bit until a chill went up his spine. Looking up, everything was normal until Vasher blinked. Suddenly, Jacobin, Kayla, Kara, and Kalkara were all staring directly at him. No expressions. No blinking. They looked at him like tigers watching deer from the bush: unabashed, intense, and deeply unnerving. When Vasher blinked again, they were all suddenly back to normal – looking busy around Jacobin’s packs. No one else seemed to have noticed at all. Hemswick was face first into his plate. Johnathan was buried in notes. Lenny was talking to Jr. about bootlaces. No one had seen it. 

“Are you not eating?” Jacobin said to Vasher, noticing his staring.

“Ah, no. Im still feeling sick from the, what did you call it? Ring of rot?” Vasher answered.

“Ah, yes. I will save yours then. Large dinners are good for the elderly when exerting themselves.” Jacobin replied and sent Kayla to wrap up Vasher’s food.

“So considerate of you.” Vasher said through a clenched smile.

Then he grabbed his lute from its pocket in the air and began tuning. I can’t drop this act yet. I need to tell the others more. He thought, and launched into No Quarter, a song about soldiers denied rest in a blizzard from home to home. He doubted Jacobin would be familiar with such a commoner’s song. Before to many more songs could be played, the party was up again and making its way further west into slowly sinking afternoon sun.

Something about being out in these dead planes again dilated and diluted time. Hardly anyone spoke and the only sound other than the trudging feet were the occasional scribbles of Johnathan’s quill breaking through. Walking west into the setting sun contributed to the washed out feeling of the world until a dull susurrus started to grow ahead of the party. Soon, what Vasher thought was the red pooling of the sunset proved to be the red river once again. The only monument in the crossing of the dead planes. Excited, Vasher looked to Johnathan to pick his brain about why the river might be red and caught a glimpse of a drawing from the wizard’s notebook, which Johnathan had folded in half to allow him to write, or draw, in landscape on the other page. On the folded over page, Vasher could see what looked like some kind of plant but had draconic notes written all around the drawing. The intensity of Johnathan’s note taking completely drew Vasher’s attention away from the river. Each step let him catch a new word: “every plant”, “genesis”, “seamless reproduction”, “parasitic?”. Before he knew it he was nearly stepping on Johnathan’s feet to see better.

“What kind of plant is that?” Vasher asked with a feeling of DeJa'Vu when Johnathan still didn’t notice him.

Johnathan snapped the book closed like a triggered mouse trap.

“Didn’t mean to startle you! Did you find some botanical interest in the Greenwood? Well, other than the entire forest?”

“No.” Johnathan said.

A single word answer? Interesting. Vasher thought.

“You know I read a little draconic myself. What does Genesis mean?” Vasher pushed.

“It means beginning or source, like how you are the source of all my annoyance right now and beginning to become a nuisance.” Johnathan replied, more irate than Vasher had ever seen him.

Then Johnathan used his long legs to quickly leave Vasher long behind him.

Shocked, Vasher found himself looking to the other travelers like he had told a bad joke at a party. Jr. and Lenny had heard Johnathan’s change in tone and were looking worriedly between him and Vasher. Lenny walked faster than Jr. and made her way over first.

“What was that?” She asked in amazement. “I’ve never heard Johnathan get so loud!”

“Yeah, did you stick your finger in his butt or something?” Jr. asked arriving.

“No I..” Vasher cut off and looked at Jr. “No, I didn’t. Why would I… Oh, never mind. Anyway, I just asked about what he was drawing! Some kind of plant like usual but when I read the draconic around it, he got like that.”

“Well then I’ll go find out what it is.” Lenny said without a word more of explanation from Vasher and immediately walked away to grab Johnathan’s shoulder.

In moments, Vasher and Jr. heard Johnathan begin to yell again, then he rooted in the spot and turned to face Vasher and Jr. too. Face red.

“I have been nothing but polite with you all for this entire miserable journey and all I ask is to take my notes in peace. But no! Questions, questions, no matter how private, I find your noses in all of my business. Do everyone a favor and do not ask me again!”

With that, he made his way to Hemswick, placing the large man between him and the rest of the party and did not speak again. By now the red river was roaring and the sun nearly set. Everything in the world seemed roiling and red from Johnathan to the horizon. A sense of general emotional confusion settled over the party but seemed not to affect the members in white. As if nothing happened, Jacobin’s even tone finally broke the lingering pressure of Johnathan’s outburst.

“We are very near our boat. We should cross before dark so we can set out on the other side first thing tomorrow.”

For the first time Vasher could recall, everyone silently set to doing what Jacobin instructed. The group walked to the rosy shore and quickly found the boat, pushed it to the bank, and loaded everything and everyone inside. A few depressed moments passed and Vasher noticed Kalkara looming over him.

“I need to switch with you.” His voice was as sneering as he appeared.

“Why?” Vasher asked, tired and confused.

The looming white figure thumped his oar on the floor of the boat and said, “You’re too short.”

Short? Vasher thought. Then it hit him.

“Oh! Don’t you all have magic to cross this river? Uru just flew us across, he had a white robe too.”

“No.” Jacobin interjected from the prow. “My brother was gifted in different ways. We have to row. And do it before full darkness. Taft siblings, get to it.”

Kalkara shoved Vasher the rest of the way off the bench and the others, including Hemswick and Lenny all took a spot on the 6 oared boat, relegating Jr. and Vahser to the stern to wait. There was no bench, so Vasher settled next to Jr.’s things and made it look like he was covering is face from the bloody spray of the boat as the oars began to beat the water.

“Jr!” Vasher threw his voice into her mind.

Jr looked up a bit in surprise but kept placid as usual.

“While they’re distracted I have to tell you something.” Vasher went on

Jr. lowered her gaze knowingly, keeping her attention well off Vasher.

“When we ate earlier, I caught the white robes all staring at us.”

Jr shrugged as she pulled some twine out of her packs.

“It almost felt like I wasn’t supposed to be able to see them. It certainly seemed like you all couldn’t. It has me even more worried after Jacobin’s sneakiness and that old new lich we met. Are you willing to help me with an experiment?”

Jr continued fiddling with her twine.

“Im going to stop eating the food again and see what happens. I think, given your talents, maybe you can do the same with some sleight of hand?”

Jr looked up to watch Jacobin and the other white robes for a bit and hid a nod into the movement of biting off a section of twine. The deal was made.

Returning to his private thoughts, Vasher spent the rest of the boat ride in a haze of rest from his body taking advantage of the seated part of the day's journey. By the time the boat crunched against the opposite bank, he was struggling to stay awake. The sun had already set, and the roar of the river was a constant susurrus of soothing noise. The party barely made it past the banks of the river before collapsing into bedrolls and tents. While Vasher accepted little Jacobin offered him, the tents were a welcome bit of privacy. Once inside, Vasher could eat some rations to keep up his charade of fasting to Jacobin. The suspicion would win out eventually, but maybe now Jr could be the failsafe. Taking little comfort in the plan of resistance, Vasher fell asleep.

It was a horrid night. Full of more bad dreams and hunger pangs. When Vasher woke and drug himself out of his tent, everyone else clearly had endured a similar night. Furthering his morning disgust, Jackobin had already set out neatly set plates of white food just outside the flaps of everyone’s tent. Like a butler, he stood in the center of camp, hands folded neatly in front of him with an eager smile on his lips.

Vasher heard a gagging sound from his left and turned to see Lenny looking a the food and covering her mouth. Shaking her head a little, she finally spoke.

“I cant even look at this stuff after my dreams last night. I appreciate the hospitality and all but…”

Trailing off, she pulled out her white cloth from her bag and used the same trick she had used the Greenwood to summon food to fill the white cloth. Seeing this, Jacobin glared and made towards Lenny with the other white robes close behind. Suddenly and fiercely, he slapped the food from Lenny’s hands and proceeded to stamp it into the ground with the help of his companions. Aghast, all Lenny could do at first was stare at the smashed food as distant thunder rumbled in the distance. All pretense of nicety was now gone from Jacobin, Kayla, and Kalkara. The truth of their cold, jailer like disposition was now completely plain. Lenny’s face was growing red but Vasher felt that same rage well up within him that he had felt when he first took on Jasper. Before he knew it, he was feet from Jacobin. It was silent all around so he spoke softly at first.

“I told you back in the village that you had one more shot. One more chance for us to trust you on this savior quest you apparently need us for.”

Jacobin turned to meet Vasher to regard him with continued apathy.

“We know there is something going on with this food. Now that Lenny knows how to make her own, we have no reason to follow you. We would have left the Greenwood the moment she figured it out if you hadn’t found us so fast, but you knew that didn’t you?!”

Thunder rolled closer this time and the first pip of rain struck the cracking earth. All around people closed in on Vasher. His companions to be by his side, the white robes to encircle the party. Already, Hemswick had his hand on his sword.

Still Jacobin simply stared down at Vasher and the tension grew, and grew. Suddenly, Vasher heard Johnathan’s voice in his mind.

What are you doing? Are we going to fight free?

This made Vahser break his eye contact with Jacobin and take in his surroundings. Lenny still looking queasy and shocked. Jr itching to fight but completely surrounded. The nervousness in Johnathan’s voice. Hemswick’s twitching sword finger. Now was not the time.

No. Vasher replied internally. But don’t eat the food no matter what. Jr. is already onboard. We push on, but should we ever outnumber them or get a chance for surprise, we make for freedom. Can you pass this on to Lenny?

Yes.

Good. Ill handle this for now.

When Vasher met Jacobin’s gaze again, nothing had changed. The noose was still tight. So, thinking of nothing else to do. Vasher started marching the direction they had been going. As he did this, Jacobin turned to stalk him and made a gesture for Kayla, Kara, and Kalkara to begin collecting the tents and following along. Having received messages from Johnathan, the others stuck close to Vasher now fully aware of their imprisonment on this “quest”. If they lagged to far behind, one of the white robes would soon be close by to keep them surrounded.

After just a few minutes of walking, the rain was fully on them, soaking Vasher to the bone. It didn’t seem possible, but this was the most miserable he had ever been. Even the liches hunting them felt better than this sodden, spiteful, open air imprisonment.

Vasher’s gloom was interrupted by a sudden weight in his pocket. Reaching in, he found one of Lenny’s pastries in his pocket. Looking around he caught Jr. slipping food into Johnathan’s pocket next who was still dry and writing in a book due to some invisible spell over his head. Reverse pick pocketing. Vasher thought with an inner grin. It was always nice to see skills turned around to become a whole new kind of use.  Unsure about when he could eat it, Vasher decided to continue on through the miserable rain until, again, Jr. came close bringing Lenny with her this time.

“Hey.” Jr said drawing close. “Johnathan is still working on that letter he got mad at us about earlier.”

“Oh?” Vasher replied, eyeing Jacobin who was now walking as far away from the group as he could. Seemingly furious. “Why is he so angry again?”

“We tried to peep his scribbles again.” Lenny answered. “We noticed the letter was from someone with his last name. Edmond Sable. It talks about that tree he is after. But damn, it sure upsets him to be asked about it. We can’t even get close enough to sneak him food anymore.”

Why didn’t he react that way when I was snooping his books back on the boat? Vasher mused as the rain began to fall even heavier. Does he think we are against him somehow? He decided to voice his concerns to the others.

“This is concerning.”

“Why?” Asked Lenny. “He was like that yesterday too.”

“Yes, but when we first met on the boat, I joked about his journals and he was very amicable. I think we’ve done something to make him suspicious. Maybe accepting this mother quest to kill the liches was against his motives somehow. I mean, he is awfully light-hearted talking about liches and all.”

“But they’re always evil.” Lenny said, ever the Cleric.

“Johnathan might be too...” Jr said. But then snorted and started a pantomime of his awkward gait, sticking her neck out and scribbling in her hand with her finger.

“Ha! Yeah.” Lenny agreed. “Hes been nothing but helpful and awkward. Hes just very private apparently.”

Vasher mused on this and decided to let the suspicion go. Truly, his worries of motive were less about Johnathan and more about the Greenwood quest. Now that he had told everyone about his quarantine revelation, none of this felt right anymore. Maybe Johnathan already knew all of this. Maybe his suspicions of them were well founded after their accepting of this quest. Regardless, the rain had raised to a point where talking was pointless. All was quickly dissolving into a roaring grey with mud beneath. Time fell away and the only way they knew to stop was when Jacobin called in his team to encircle the group and begin setting up tents. Due to the rain, the dinners of white food were placed in each person’s tent which made it easier for Vasher to avoid the food and eat the morsel Jr. had spirited into his pocket. It was just enough to allow him to pass out for a little while; yet, somewhere between sleeping and waking in the unknowable hours of the night, Vasher felt a presence. Then the presence tugged at his leg.

Unmoving, but able to just barely see in the dark, Vasher could make out the familiar form of the hand spider from the village. Slacking on the spider patrols eh Jacobin? Vasher thought with a sense of self satisfaction. Leaving his light off, Vasher slowly sat up to get a better look at the hand. It immediately scuttled up his shirt and dropped a small disk in his lap. Then it vanished and Vasher was left sitting alone in the dark. Still determined to leave his light off, Vasher fingered the disk to feel it out. It was like a glass coin; about the size of his palm and was clearly glazed by the feel of it on his fingertips. Finding out for sure would have to wait. If this came from the spider hand, it must be hidden from the White Robes at all costs. Heart racing, Vasher laid back down and tried to sleep. Sleep did not come but, laying there, Vasher was able to listen to the rain slowly abate and leave silence in its wake. No crickets. No night creatures moving in the non-existent trees. Just a dead silence that pressed in around him. It was then that Vasher learned that silence is actually very hard to sleep in. This took him back to his early years sleeping in bustling raucous inns and praying for silence to let him sleep. Well, here it was. All around him. And still he could not sleep.

By the morning, Vasher was quite delirious. He stumbled out of the tent to see the revolting white breakfast waiting for him. He hardly paid it any mind and, after breaking down his tent, he noticed the plate was empty. Strange, but barely a problem now. He knew he was a prisoner. Jacobin knew it too. He probably just finally let go of the pretense.

Others slowly woke as well and after breakfast, they all gathered around each other for warmth as the damp had allowed no fire that night. It wasn’t winter, so the cold was not bitter, but the wet amplified it this morning. Then, out of the blue, Johnathan came over to the miserable huddle.

“I am sorry for my behavior yesterday.” He said in his reedy voice. “You see, my research has been stolen before and I am very protective of… family business.”

Saying that he shot a pointed look at Jr. He knew what she had snooped yesterday.

“Regardless, it seems that I need to at least let you know a few things given the condition we find ourselves in.”

Sure enough, the White Robed figures were surrounding the group and smiling as they listened on openly as if they were all friends. Even Hemswick was still as strangely chipper as he had been since the Greenwood, even after all the rain. Presently, he was gathering up all the leftover breakfast to eat it himself as Johnathan regaled the group. That’s who had cleared Vasher’s plate apparently.

“Well,” Johnathan continued “You are right that I am related to Edmund Sable. He’s my grandfather. As for the genesis you were asking about Vasher, he was after an extinct plant called the Genesis Tree. I believe his quest brought him here years ago.”

The group looked dumfounded for a bit, until Vasher’s usual scrutiny broke up the shock.

“But wait, wait!” Vasher spurted. “None of us we’re supposed to end up here. Our boat was bound for port, not this place. How can this possibly be the place you were looking for? It’s not on any maps!”

Johnathan blushed for a second but composed himself and continued, “Well, that is a bit of hubris and providence in my life. Valuable things for a wizard after all but humbling all the same. You see, I was completely off the mark in my quest…. Yet, somehow, after seeing the Greenwood. Im beginning to think that this is the island my Grandfather was lost too.”

“So you were lying when you said that you didn’t find anything important in the Greenwood.” Vasher said.

“Yes.” Johnathan said bluntly.

But Vasher understood this time. The White Robes were growing closer with each thing Johnathan said but still they smiled. They wanted to hear this. They knew Vasher and his friends were trapped. Nervous, Vasher played with the disk in his pocket and the glimmer of rebellion rekindled in his heart.

“Ok.” Vahser eventually replied. “I trust you again. So, what do we do next?”

“We walk on of course! To the Greenwood’s salvation.” Jacobin replied, gesturing to the group with open arms.

“Erm, well” Johnathan continued, “I was planning on asking the most recent lich head some questions.”

Saying this, Vasher noticed that, indeed, Matsaka’s head still hung from Lenny’s packs. He had not regenerated yet.

“Why ever would you want to hear from such an evil thing.” Jacobin spat. “Ashlyn did you not say yourself yesterday that they are always evil? You should not trust anything they say.”

“Well, just because you said that, lets do it right now!” Lenny said, swinging the head around to sit in her lap.

That was like a forge bellows to the glimmer of rebellion in Vasher’s heart. No more playing like he was a willful prisoner. He was with people that would fight, even in a prison. That was all he needed to know.

Somehow, this brazen act seemed to call the White Robes bluff. While disgust filled their faces, they did not attack to stop the ritual. Then it occurred to Vasher, they may be disgusted by it, but they need to know what we know to keep manipulating us. We need to choose our questions carefully.

“Well what are we going to ask it?” Jr asked.

“Johnathan wanted to know if it hurt to become a lich. Let's let him ask that this time. He’s been patient.” Lenny winked at Johnathan.

“Agreed!” Vasher said. “I want to follow up on my quarantine theory. How about “is your master trying to contain her?” The answer to that could drive the final question.”

Saying this out loud around the White Robes was the death of pretending in Vasher. The way they were acting, they had heard him voice this suspicion yesterday as well and feigned ignorance to push them closer and closer to their goal with Farside. If he was being dragged no matter what, might as well do what he wanted when he had the chance.

“I do like that question. And your theory” Johnathan replied. “I suppose then we need to decide the yes and no contingencies before we ask. Only one person can do the questioning after all.”

Johnathan stopped to ponder for a second, then said, “If he says no, I say we ask what his master’s motives are. Then we can figure out more about this quest for Mother we seem to be on. If he says yes, I suggest we ask why he joined the liches. To do something like that requires... conviction.”

“Sounds good to me.” Jr. Said as others nodded along. “I want to question this one. He had a great arm.”

It only took a moment for Johnathan to cast the spell on the severed head. Still in fairly good shape compared to the other lich heads, it was hard to tell the spell had taken effect on the placid dead face. When it was done, Johnathan beckoned everyone closer to hear. The White Robes also drew in closer and Hemswick’s sword hand started flexing and unflexing. Tension ruled the air, but Jr. Began all the same.

“Does it hurt to become a lich?”

“Only at first.” Matsaka’s head rasped in immediate reply.

Well that makes sense Vasher thought. Seeing Johnathan grin a bit.

“Is your master trying to contain her... Mother in the Greenwood I mean.”

“Yes”

It was like the air crystalized then. Vasher had been right. Uru, the need for food on a barren island, now Jacobin. It was all a parasitic ruse. They weren’t on a quest to save anyone. They were doomed the moment they had landed here. And still, they were hostages. More and more questions bloomed in Vashers mind but Jr had to continue.

“Why did you join him?” she asked more quietly this time.

“Vengeance.” Then the jaw went slack again, and the questioning was done.

Wasting no time, the White Robes began pulling people to their feet.

“There, now that ugliness is done. Shall we continue on our quest to save the Greenwood?”

It wasn’t a real question. The boldfaced continued lying grated against Vasher even worse now but they were still outnumbered. He needed to find out what the hand had given him in the night. Especially knowing what he knew now. They still had a day or two before reaching Farside. Sometime between now and then, he would do something. Anything.

For now, the group trudged on in contemplation of what they had learned. At least the day had turned dry and cool. They had clearly entered some new ecotone of the island. With this, the majority of Vasher’s time on this island was spent traversing this wasteland back and forth so he hardly remembered any details from the day. Had they stopped for a forced lunch? Was the lich questioning today or yesterday? The monotony was like being in a ship galley for a month. Eventually, everything got mixed together. Night came again and the White Robes continued to corral them silently into tents and white dinner plates. Vasher had food from Jr hidden in his pockets but had no time to consider eating with the endless supervision. More important however was the disk in his pocket. So, he concocted a plan.

While everyone else was eating, or feigning to eat with sleight of hand, Vasher actually ate a bite or two and was sure Jacobin saw. Using this ruse, he stated that he wanted to take the rest in his tent to do some reading. This seemed to work as he met little resistance taking his food into his tent with lantern in hand, already lit to further reduce suspicion.

Once alone, Vasher watched his shadow dance on the canvas wall, a shadow puppet show for all outside to see. Keeping this in mind, he made many busy gestures of tidying, taking things to the plate from his mouth, and amongst it all, took the disk from his pocket into the light. It was a simple disk of green glass. No markings or fittings, just green glass. Vasher turned it over and over in his hands trying to figure out what it could be when suddenly there was a bright green glint in the glass. Vasher turned the glass to the lantern light, but the green glow didn’t return. Confused, he turned it over and over again. There it was again. From the food? Vasher turned the glass on the food and looked through it like a monocle. The white food on his plate was glowing bright green under the gaze of the glass. Somehow, this did not surprise Vasher. It only confirmed his suspicions after all. Trying to get more detail, Vasher reached out to grab a morsel of food and froze. There were lines glowing in his hand the same color green as the food. Slowly he traced the lines up. They thickened in his arms and went all the way into his chest. He began to shake. Surely, he had not eaten enough food to get this infected. He was trying so hard. He hadn't eaten any seeds like Lenny. How could this have happened? Unable to keep up the shadow charade, Vasher blew out the lantern and curled up in his bedroll to try to stop the shaking. It was no use. It was inside him. It was probably inside everyone by now. The panic racked his body until it was completely exhausted, and he fell into the kind of stupor only known to the delirious and long abused. Somewhere in that night, he dreamt. He was being absorbed into a vast tree trunk and every part of him that disappeared into it was dissolved into pure ecstatic love. Then he remembered nothing.

The morning came cold and lonely. Silent as always. Vasher’s beard was growing back out and itching. God, it was only a few days ago that he got roasted to a crisp. So much had happened amongst so much monotony. Stepping outside, his white breakfast was waiting for him. Others emerged one by one, all shuddering slightly and holding themselves. Had they had is same dream again? For a bit he simply sat and stared at the food. His stomach growled. Did it even matter anymore? His had went to his pocket to look at everyone else with the green disk, but stopped himself as he felt a strange wave wash over him. It was a very familiar disassociative feeling he had felt often since being on the island, but this one seemed to leave his head above water. Looking around, Vasher was horrified at what he saw.

All around him, the party stared blankly forward, shoving white food into their mouths. Jacobin stood at their center with his hands raised to the sky muttering incantations. He was forcing them to eat! How long has this been going on? Vasher thought with disgust, remembering all the times that wave had made him loose track of time over the last few days. The mis-remembered meals. Why it had been so easy to “fast”. It was all he could take. Leaping to his feet, Vaher drew his dagger and dashed at Jacobin.

Smirking, Jacobin lowered his gaze on Vasher but did not lower his arms. Wave after wave of some form of spellcraft or another washed over Vasher but his rage carried him through. Before the other White Robes could even react, Vasher was upon Jacobin. All he needed was one good hit to free his friends, but his weakened panic ridden body betrayed him. Lunging with his stab, his legs gave out and he began to fall, dagger swishing wildly back and forth in the air but finding no purchase until Vasher hit the ground at Jacobins feet. It was then that Jacobin lowered his arms, and the other party members began to come to their senses. He heard them call his name in confusion, but Vasher did not rise. Not because he was injured or even exhausted. He was defeated through and through. So there he lay at his captor's feet. Unsure he would ever care to move again.