"Iago... what is that?" Lenny frantically whispered yanking on Iago's coat pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Lenny, I don't hear anything..." Iago responded in an irritated tone before freezing as the thing pulled itself to its feet where it must have stooped on something, as for a loud crack startled all three people.
It was like in Iago's old books, grey skin, long thin horns, animal-like legs, huge pointed ears and glowing amber eyes.
"Sorry if I startled you. I'm Nauthiz Eihwaz, but you just call me Nau; and you two are?"
"Like I'd tell you." Scoffed Iago
"Lenny Oakman," Lenny replied.
Lenny rolled her eyes at Iago before saying,
"That's Iago Brown, sorry about him, he's a little paranoid about everything."
Nau looked at the two of them curiously, gesturing a hand towards his camp.
"I've got food and water, you guys want some?"
"What's the catch?" Iago glared in Naus' direction.
"I haven't had decent company in years. I'm just lonely, I mean you no harm little warlock."
Iago looked shocked and confused but he didn't ask, instead he followed Lenny and Nau into Nau's camp. It was clear he had been there for years. A small hut was built out of stone and log. A large fire pit in the middle with a pot holding structure over it. Large racks of drying meat, and runed stones hung on rope around the camp.
"What's a warlock?" Lenny asked expecting Iago to respond but he was feeling the different runed stones around the camp so Nau answered instead.
"It's a hybrid, someone whose parents hail from different realms. I hope you know about other realms?"
"Yeah I do, but Iago's parents were both human. He used to look like a near clone of his mother, but his medicine changed him."
Nau turned towards Iago focusing as he took a deep breath. It looked as if a wave of emotions crashed over him, joy, fear, shock and who knows what else. Nau got up passing Lenny and walked over to Iago who jumped and Nau walked closer to him and gently grabbed Iago's chin tilting his head up so Nau could look directly at his face.
"What in all the realms fucking rulers do you think your doing!" Iago snapped, trying and failing to pull himself away from Nau. Lenny jumped to her feet prepared to intervene.
"Are you? Four years ago did you lose your parents, then start taking Blue Blood first given to you in a bag with a note signed Nau." Nau asked releasing Iago.
"And here I was hoping it was a common name... Lenny come on we're leaving."
"No, well I'm staying! Nau may be a monster but at least he has food and water! Also we both know he knows how to survive out here and we haven't even eaten in days. You may be able to eat the mushrooms here but I vomit them up almost every time! I don't wanna starve out here, do you?"
Iago grumbled, taking a step out from under the runed stones, before the runes carved into the stones glowed a blinding emerald green and Iago let out a shrill scream as something pulled his leg out from under him. Lenny and Nau both darted over grabbing Iago's arms and pulling him back.
Panting they all stared at the spot under the glowing runes before Nau said in the voice one would use announcing one's death.
"He is here."
Iago was pulled from his feet, his left leg was screaming in pain. Trying to pull away whatever it was only pulled harder. Iago turned not expecting to see anything, but he saw who was pulling him out of the stone barrier as Lenny and Nau tried to pull him back in.
It was a spirit that glowed green, there was a line around his neck that looked as if it was bleeding green flames, and his hands were bound together with rope.
¨he died a prisoner.¨ Iago thought as he met the spirits angry eyes he wondered if they were really that bright of green eyes in life. He stopped pulling his leg back; he just stared at the spirit that had now released his leg.
Iago was pulled back under the safety of the runed stones. He just stared at the spirit still sitting there staring at Iago, all the anger in the spirit's eyes was gone.
Iago looked down at his leg wondering how the spirit managed to grab him before looking for the spirit but he was gone.
¨It's him." He heard Nau say in a mournful voice.
¨That's him?¨ Iago asked gently, poking his leg.
¨Yeah, you're lucky he didn't pull you away. I've seen what he does to his victims.¨ Stated Nau, with an annoying amount of pride.
¨He's short... and cute¨ Iago muttered quietly.
¨Of course you can see spirits; youre fucking blue blood like him! And my brother's not cute, he's the runt he's nothing he's just using people so he looks tough, plus he's only able to control people cause they cant see how pathetic he is any more!¨ Nau growled, his rotten breath made it hard for Iago to not turn away from where he guessed Nau's face was.
¨Brother? Lenny asked, clearly not phased by Nau's snarling. Nau turned toward Lenny, his tone relaxed but embarrassed.
¨Yes, that spirit and I share a mother, I have sisters as well. But Algiz as his true call is, not the call he chose for himself just to shame mother and probably support that prideless rat. His father was a born blue blood, leaving Algiz something that should never have been born. He wants me dead cause I don't mind killing random humans when needed and mostly because I wanna do what Mother should have done back when that runt was born...¨
Iago stopped listening to Nau mostly for the rest of what they treated as evening. His mind was racing about the spirit he wished he knew the spirit's chosen call, his name. That spirit and his powers, where he had touched Iago could see himself. Yeah he could see the mushrooms but that didn't help much but if he could see even just himself again...
Iago was sick of hearing Nau tell Lenny horrible things, even things about him. He was getting too close to Lenny and trying to separate Iago and Lenny.
¨He's gonna hurt her, He's gonna take her away...¨ Iago reasoned to himself, it was for both their safety.