Under the Shadow of Darkness: Book 1 of the Apprentice Series by James Cardona, Issa Cardona Page A

came to a small bridge over a stream. They all drank deeply and filled their flasks, all except the dead man.
    Muolithnon was becoming more coherent. “I am dead, aren’t I? It feels really weird.” He stared at his gray arms in his gray jacket. “I didn’t think it would feel like this. My mind’s kind of foggy. I sure am hungry too.”
    The three started at that last sentence.
    “Oh. Hahaha. Don’t worry. I’m not going to bite you. Hahaha. I’ll just call a rabbit. Hey where’s my ring? And… Hey, where’s my stone?” He was perturbed.
    Nes’egrinon stood up from the soft earth he was sitting on. “Don’t worry. We have them. We didn’t know what to do. You would have removed them if it were one of us too.”
    “Aye. I would have.” He calmed down. “Well, let me have them then. I’m getting hungry.”
    “I don’t know if—”
    The dead man grew angry and cut his words. “You don’t know what?”
    “Honestly. I don’t know if I trust you yet. I’m sorry. You will get your stones. Just not yet. Apprentice, call a rabbit for your master.” Nes’egrinon gave the dead man a little honor by labeling him as such, saying he was still Kerlith’s master but everyone knew that was a lie, even the dead man, but it appeased him.
    Kerlith rubbed his stone and called. There was not much life here. Not much at all. They were coming closer to the breach and closer to where all was dead and death and decay. Anything living here had been long gobbled up by the stream of dead coming out of the doorway to the underworld. It took quite a while but a small rabbit came and stepped right into the apprentice’s hand. By that time Muolithnon’s eyes were bulging as he paced back and forth, rubbing his belly. His skin was the darkest gray. He darted to Kerlith, snatched the bunny from his hand and tore into it. Blood leaked down his cheeks. After a few gulps, color washed back into his face, hands and clothing. He laughed. “Hahaha. Whew! That’s a rush. You’ve got to try it! Whew! Hahaha. Just kidding. I know. I know. I’m dead. High price to pay for the surge. Okay, I’m good now. Let me just pour the rest of this into my flask. I know, kind of gross. You don’t have to watch if you don’t want to. Whew! Yeah.”
    Nes’egrinon looked at the two thin boys and said, “Come. We walk. It will be fine.”
    “Hey, what should I do with the rabbit? Should I bring it? I should, yeah. Maybe I can squeeze more out.” The dead man stuffed the dead rabbit in his pocket but his pocket wasn’t big enough so the head hung out.
    Bel couldn’t keep his eyes off the bobbing rabbit head and couldn’t keep his mind away from replaying that scene in his mind. He wondered if how he felt was displayed on his face. Doubt and fear. Did it show? Did they know that he was terrified and he thought that they would most surely die soon? He didn’t want to be a ghoul and especially not one happily bounding along with a dead rabbit hanging out of his pocket like it was the most normal thing in the world . Dead people should stay dead. That’s like, what did they call it at the school? A universal truth? Bel didn’t like their situation one bit. But there was nothing he could do about it. He would press on. He would fight. To the death if that’s what it took. But he didn’t have to like it.
    They walked for what felt like a half-day’s journey, no one knowing whether it was day or night, and there was less and less trees and more and more rock. The path grew steeper also. They trekked by the light of a single torch and the two boys took turns leading the way. They wanted to conserve oil. No one was to talk, Nes’egrinon told them, and they walked as softly as possible. Sound would travel far in the mountains. Many times the pathway looked to be on the top of the ridgeline but they would walk just off of it, down onto one side of the backbone of the hills and mountains so that at least the light would be somewhat blocked