Dr. Alex Nolan II's Arc

Chapter 9 of 13

The river widened ahead, the current slowing as the banks spread apart. Nolan kept his eyes on the trail, watching for roots and mud holes. His bandaged arm throbbed with each step but the pain was steady now, not climbing. The artifact stayed warm against his ribs. The robed figure stood in the center of the path, water still streaming from its dark fabric. Lavender eyes glowed beneath the hood. Behind it, a hunting lodge rose from the swamp—barred windows, rotting beams, yellow light flickering inside. Four more figures stepped from the shadows between the trees, forming a half-circle that blocked the trail south. Their robes dripped as if they'd all just climbed from the river. Nolan stopped walking. The artifact pulsed once against his chest. He tried stepping off the trail into the jungle, but the figures moved with him, closing the gap. They made no sound. He couldn't go back north—the statue had already shown him that path was sealed. The artifact grew warmer, not burning, just insistent. The figure in the center raised one pale hand and pointed past the lodge, deeper into the swamp where the trees grew thicker and the ground turned to dark water. The other figures parted slightly, opening a narrow channel through their line. Nolan walked forward. The figures watched him pass but didn't follow. He moved between them, close enough to see their pale skin beneath the hoods, close enough to smell wet earth and something older underneath. The artifact cooled as he stepped past the lodge and into the swamp path they'd opened for him. When he looked back, the figures were gone. The lodge stood dark and empty. He was alone again, but the direction had been chosen for him. The artifact had traded one trap for another, and he'd accepted the terms without a word.