Whispers In The Dark

Part 1

By Nesciri

- Prologue -

The Ivory Coast, Africa, 1756

Ntaka watched in horror how the white men dragged his family away from the village, screaming and wailing in vain against their attackers. The anger steamed in him as he prepared himself for the attack. When he’d returned to the village after his hunt and he’d found his family missing he’d looked up the Bone man for advice. Nobody went there in normal cases since seeing the man was to expose your family and yourself to evil. But now he had no choice. White men had captured his family and Ntaka needed the old evil man’s help to get them back. It had been a long time since the last time the white men came to his village but he remembered the stories of these men, who were taking family members, women and children alike, with them never to return. Nobody knew where they went or where the white men came from, but the stories told of horrors across the wastewater from which nobody returned. Some claimed the white men used them to feed the monsters of the waters so they would let them travel on the water. Maybe even the monsters of the sea built the ships that they traveled on. He’d seen them once, huge boats with big trees growing on them. Certainly no creation of man, he pondered as he watched the men dragging his people along the shore. He clasped the amulet the Bone man had given him, ensuring him that it would protect him against the white man’s weapons.

Ntaka was scared of the Bone man, as he’d every reason to be – there were tales of how he’d put a hex on people that he didn’t like and then the people lost their minds and became slaves or worse. Some walked up to the mountain never to be heard of again. He’d seen men falling sick and die after the Bone man simply had pointed at them. His powers were not to be taken lightly. The oldest in the village claimed that Bone man was more than 300 years old and had came walking from the east to their village, where he’d settled himself in a cave on the mountain. He didn’t look like them, so maybe it was true that he came from somewhere else. But he was old when he came and he’d been living at the mountain as long as Ntaka remembered. He didn’t seemed to age, and this in itself was enough to convince the villagers that he was a sorcerer or a witch, and most certainly evil. Ntaka knew this, yet he’d walked up there hoping that the Bone man could help him. He’d been scared but even more scared of losing his family.

The Bone man had welcomed him, said he’d been expecting him. The man’s grin had sent chills down his spine, but he had not dared to do anything but sit down and listen. The Bone man had told him what he needed to do to save his family and get his revenge on the white men.

"If you fail," the Bone man had continued, "you shouldn’t worry. My powers will get your revenge anyway." Ntaka had wished he could ask the man what he meant by it, but dared not. He wasn’t interest in failing, all he wanted was his family back. But to oppose the Bone man would mean a horrible death and therefore he was now squatting in the edge of the forest ready to act in accordance to the Bone man’s instructions. Suddenly Ntaka felt himself go numb as he heard the Bone man’s voice in his head: "Attack them now – kill them." Unable to resist the order Ntaka started running down the shore.

"Get them moving, I want to be out of here before dark!" The man on the horse called out to the men on the shore who were pushing the slaves forward.

"Doin’ our best Mr. Allistair, sir," the leader said grinning at the man before he turned to his companion. "He should try it himself, the bastard," he whispered to him as a loud yell could be heard from the edge of the forest. "What the hell?" the man called out and turned only to see a black man emerge from the shadows, spear in hand. Forced as if carried by an invisible hand the man continued his attack oblivious of the bullets around him.

"Kill ‘im! Kill ‘im, you stupid bastards!" The panic in Allistair’s voice was clear and his men fervently tried to reload their guns. But with their guns it took some time and before they could fire again they man was close to them and he threw his spear with deadly accuracy at the man that had responded to Mr. Allistair. The spear went straight into his chest and the man fell to the ground with the spear protruding from his chest as it slowly moved from the force behind the throw.

The attacker, Ntaka, continued his assault using a large knife and the men that met him ran in fear of the crazy look in his eyes. His family, recognizing him, called out in fear for him when he seemed to come to his senses and quickly moved along the line until he reached them. Ntaka cut the ropes that bound them when a bullet hit him. The man who’d fired looked in horror as Ntaka turned around with something that sounded more like an animal’s growl than a human voice, seemingly unhurt. The rifleman watched into Ntaka’s eyes and when he saw the yellow gaze and the hatred behind it he froze in terror. Unable to move he saw the knife enter into his body and then being withdrawn and with it most of his intestines. Apparently unharmed Ntaka continued his deadly assault as more bullets found their way into his body, but none were able to stop him. The screams of the slave traders echoed towards the hills that surrounded the shore as more and more of them fell for the Ntaka’s knife. Suddenly Ntaka froze and begun clawing at something around his neck. Nobody moved as Ntaka screamed out in agony and desperately tried to get something off his body.

The slave traders watched in horror how the man fell to his knees in what seemed to be the throws of death, when suddenly his eyes went blank and the man fell face forward onto the beach. Smoke formed around the body when panic broke out among the slaves and they started to run for the hills. Allistair suddenly saw his fortune disappear and out of fear and anger he ordered his men to fire at the running people. The slave traders followed his orders and soon shots were heard over the coast. None of the slaves survived.

"Let’s get out of here!" Allistair yelled, frightened over the development. Whatever had happened on the beach, he wanted to forget it as soon as possible. He could get slaves somewhere else. He ordered his men to leave.

One of his men, a young boy, walked slowly past the body of the man that had attacked them. Unable to contain his curiosity he looked around to see if anybody noticed him. When nobody seemed to notice, he turned the body over only to immediately back away. The man’s eyes had lost all their color and were nothing more than a white hood beneath the eyelids. Sick to his stomach, he turned away and ran after the other. Another man, older and whose eyes had seen more of the world stopped and looked at what had made the young boy run. What he saw made him pull a face, but then something caught his eyes. Next to the man lay an amulet, a well-done piece carved in wood with ivory details. It was delicate piece, well made, and would probably fetch a good price in one of the ports. Driven by greed the man picked it up and put it in his pocket.

From the hills the Bone man watched the events on the shore with a malicious smile.

"Told you so," he chuckled, "told you you’d be together with your family, Ntaka, and now you are." He continued to watch as one of the white men stopped by the body and placed something in his pocket. The grin broadened on the old witch.

"I believe that we’ll be making a journey, you and I Barak", he whispered to himself. "That’s might be interesting. Maybe we can find ourselves another soul to help us in our search of revenge." He chuckled. It would take time, he knew that, but time was something he had enough of – more than enough.

Well hidden in the pocket of the sailor an old wood amulet started to shine with a soft red light as a cold breeze carried the words of the old man across the beach.

Chapter 1. The Return of Darkness

Nebraska, North America, 1861

"Thank God that’s over!" Cody grinned at his companion.

"What? I thought you liked transporting a tiger across the plains, especially since it was in the company of a young lady," Noah teased him. "You’ve must have been taken with her to let that tiger go---"
"Hey, you were in on it too!" Cody objected.

Noah sighed.

"Don’t I know it. I bet Teaspoon will have something to say to us when we get back."

"Pete just got away remember? He can’t hold us responsible for not wanting to hunt after a dangerous tiger now, would he?"

"Hope not. The company might object though."

"Come on, Noah. We did the right thing and you know it."

Noah nodded and looked at Cody.

"Whatever you say Cody – just as long as you promise to be the one to tell Teaspoon. And for God’s sake don’t call that overgrown cat Pete when you tell him."

"Don’t worry I won’t. Besides, I can’t wait to get back, being out here sure means you miss a lot of good meals."

"Speaking of food, we need to get more supplies if we’re not to starve on our way back."

"That’s why I like you Noah, we think the same way," Cody smiled. "There’s a small town ahead of us. We better stop there – why don’t we stay the night too? I sure could use something to drink and a bed to sleep in---"

"There a time when we stop thinking alike I think – if you don’t mind I’d prefer if we head straight back."

"That’s fine with me as long as we get them supplies."

******

"Gentlemen, what can I help you with?" The storeowner smiled amiable at the two riders that entered the store.

"We could use some supplies," Noah replied looking over the shelves as Cody slowly walked around the small store in hope of finding anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly he stopped before a small box with a glass lid.

"Why don’t you write down what you need," the owner suggested.

"All right," Noah agreed and took the offered pen and paper as the owner turned to the couple that just walked through the door. Before starting Noah looked around and spotted Cody watching something at the other end of the store.

"You could give me a hand here you know," he observed.

"Come here, Noah," Cody replied and realizing that he wouldn’t get any help from Cody until he had walked over to him, Noah obliged.

"What’s it this time?" he asked lightly. "Come on Cody, we should be on our way---"

"Have you ever seen anything like that?" Cody pointed to an item below the glass surface. Noah sighed silently and with a brief smile he looked over to where Cody was pointing.

"What?" he asked.

"That amulet over there. Ever seen anything like it?"

Noah looked through the glass at what looked like a round object carved out in wood with some markings on it, some looking like inlays of another material, white as boon.

"Can’t say I have," he replied. "What’s your interest it?"

"Don’t know, I’m just curious I guess." Cody looked up just in time to see the couple leave and the owner looking at them.

"Excuse me, but what’s this?" Cody called out as the man approached them. The owner looked at the amulet.

"Oh, that. I must confess that I’m not sure myself. Got it off a one of them mountain men when he was short of cash. He claimed it came from Africa. I thought I could get something for it, but so far nobody shown any interest in it. You wanna buy it?" The owner looked at them with hope in his eyes.

"From Africa?" Cody asked unbelievingly. "Then how come this mountain man had it?"

The owner shook his head and opened the lid to show the amulet to them.

"I don’t know – I didn’t ask. Figured he got it from a slave ---" he interrupted himself and looked at Noah, uncertain of how to continue.

"We know what you mean," Noah replied a bit harshly, realizing that the amulet probably had been stolen or offered as a way of getting out of slavery. The owner held out the amulet to Cody for him to have a closer look at it.

"What’s that white inlay?" he asked.

"The man said it was ivory – pretty expensive stuff. Are you buying it or not?"

"How much is it?" Cody asked as he handed the amulet over to Noah. Noah took it hesitantly, not sure of what to think about it. It was different from anything else he’d seen and he supposed that the markings had some meaning but to him it was just a delicate handcraft. It must have taken years to form those delicate markings, he thought to himself when he suddenly felt as if the amulet got warmer in his hand. Almost dropping it, he heard Cody argue with the storeowner over the price as if they were distant from him. Watching the amulet he could have sworn that the tree glow for a second and he felt a strange feeling float through him that seemed to be emancipating from the amulet. Shaken he returned to the present at Cody’s words.

"Ten dollars? No wonder you can’t get rid of it then."

"That ivory is very special I tell you," the owner retorted and Cody shook his head.

"Give it back, Noah. No way that piece is worth ten dollars."

"I’ll buy it." His words seemed to surprise himself as much as Cody.

"Are you out of your mind? Why do you wanna spend ten dollars on that?" Cody looked at him with surprise.

"It might have been worth more to someone else once." Noah replied still uncertain on why he’d said he’d buy it. But now he couldn’t very well back away from it and he took out ten dollars from his pockets. All of my savings and I don’t think we’ll get paid for losing the tiger, he thought miserably, as the owner wrapped up the amulet and handed him the parcel with a big smile on his face.

"Well, it’s your money. How about getting those supplies now?" Cody said as he shrugged.

Noah nodded and placed the small parcel with the amulet in his pocket. This must be my worst buy ever, he thought to himself as the storeowner started to get them their supplies for the way home. Maybe the amulet will bring me luck, he thought, smiling at the unlikely thought. Noah had never been much for superstition and he assumed that the thought of what the amulet might have meant to another black man just made him sentimental. And that’s why he had bought it; he was just being sentimental.

******

"I suppose this is as far as we go today." Noah held in his horse. Cody yawned and pushed his hat back.

"I don’t get this Noah. You know we could have been spending the evening with a nice dinner in that town and then retired to a couple of clean beds in the hotel instead of being out here, with nothin’ much to eat." Cody shook his head. "And I’ve seen more comfortable places to sleep."

"But at least we’re closer to Rock Creek this way," Noah objected as he dismounted and removed the saddle, preparing for the night. "I thought you enjoyed the outdoors Cody," he continued, "or was that when you’re reading about it?"

Cody dismounted and looked at him with dismay.

"There are times when you should be outdoors ENJOYING the nature, but then there are times when it’s wise to use the possibilities open to you, such as a good nights sleep."

Noah laughed softly.

"And here I thought you were as eager as me to get back to Rachel’s cooking."

"Well, that’s one aspect that could make this bearable," Cody admitted as he placed himself on the ground. "Are you or I gonna fix the supper?"

"If you start on the fire I’ll fix the food," Noah suggested and grabbed the saddlebags with their supplies.

The fire had slowly diminished and the two riders rested after the small meal. Cody yawned audible and looked over at Noah.

"Think we’ll need any guards?"

"Out here? I don’t know – what do you think, you’re the expert on Indians right?" Noah said jokingly, referring to their incident earlier when Indians had tried to steal Pete, the tiger.

"Ain’t no Indians around here," Cody replied confident, ignoring the gibe. He leaned back onto his saddle and placed his hat over his head. "You can keep watch if you like, I’m going to sleep."

"You amaze me, Cody," Noah replied and he too lay down to get some sleep before daybreak. It wasn’t many minutes later that the steady breaths of Cody told him that Cody was sound asleep. Noah placed his hands behind his head and stared up at the starless sky. It was too cloudy for any stars to be seen and the darkness seemed to close in on them as the fire died away. Suddenly he remembered the amulet he had bought and digging in his pocket for the small parcel he sat up to have a better look at it. Slowly unwrapping the paper around it he remembered the strange feeling he had had when holding it earlier. He held up the amulet to see it better in the fading light and he couldn’t see anything that could have invoked that strange feeling in him. Slowly studying the delicate inlay of ivory he let his finger softly caress the surface.

"Wonder how old you are?" he mumbled impressed by the soft surface. The inlay was perfectly done and you could not feel any edges around it. The surface of the ivory had a slightly different feeling than the wood, which either had been polished or worn to an almost blank surface. He draw with the nail along the edge surprised at the hardness of the wood. He studied the patterns formed by the inlay but there was nothing that he could relate to and he supposed that they had some meaning in some sort of African tradition. Not that he cared, he wasn’t especially interested in African folklore and myths. His father had been determined to make a life for himself in the country he was born in and Noah was following in his footsteps. He, his father and his grandfather had been born in America and none of them had any memories of the country that his family had once came from. Noah had to admit that his knowledge of Africa was very basic at the best.

Sighing he was about to return the amulet to his pocket when he suddenly felt that strange warmth in his hand again. Stunned he opened his hand only to see the wood glow with a peculiar pulsing shine as if the amulet had a life of its own. Unable to do anything he stared at the amulet as it pulsated and glowed in his hands. Suddenly he could here voices whispering around him and he looked up expecting to see people close by. But there wasn’t a soul in sight. He reached for his gun with his free hand as he carefully watched the bushes. He thought about waking Cody when the whisperings sounds suddenly disappeared. Noah shook his head. I must be tired, he thought, if I can hear voices. Then a stinging feeling in his hand made him stifled a scream. It felt as if something had bitten him and when he looked down he could see the amulet pulsating with a dark red glow. He tried to throw it away, acutely aware of a burning sensation that seemed to move up along his arm. But it was as if his hand no longer was a part of him and he couldn’t let go no matter how hard he tried. Suddenly he felt himself going numb and it was as if he was somebody else and the real him was just watching the events. The whispering voices came back with renewed force and he could make out words in a language he’d never heard before. It was like nothing he’d ever came across and he closed his eyes in an effort to get rid of them. Then one voice seemed to emerge from the hope and he straightened himself as he lost all control over his movements.

With steady hands Noah placed the amulet in a pocket in the west he was wearing. He would have preferred it hanging round his neck but he had no string to attach to it. A cold stare appeared in Noah’s eyes and an evil grin shown in his face as he gazed on the sleeping Cody. Slowly he raised his gun until it aimed at the unsuspected Cody. The grin broadened as he cocked the gun and gently squeezed the trigger…

******

…and then his hand begun to shake and he felt the burning feeling again, this time close to his chest. He found it hard to concentrate and when Cody turned and drowsily looked at him he saw him as in a fog.

"Noah, what’s wrong?" When Cody saw the gun he immediately reached for his rifle. "Did you see anything?" he asked tensely.

Noah, slowly recovering to his senses lowered the gun and released the hammer on it.

"I’m not sure," he begun unsteadily not remembering anything from the last minutes. "I thought I heard voices."

"Voices? From where?"

Noah wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Don’t know. Must have dreamt or something."

"You must have. Here’s as quiet as in a grave," Cody concluded and returned the rifle. "How about getting some sleep, you look a bit pale. You ain’t gonna be sick or something like that now?" he added suspiciously.

"No, I’m all right. Don’t know what happened to me."

"Well, don’t let it happen again." Cody turned and wrapped his blanket around him. If he was lucky he’d still be able to get a few more hours sleep before daybreak. Noah looked at him then he returned the gun to the holster next to him as he lay down. How hard he tried he couldn’t recall what just had happened. He remembered looking at the amulet and then he heard those voices. The thought of the amulet made him reach into his pockets to see if it still was there. When he eventually found it in his west pocket he wondered how it came to be there. He had no memory of placing it in his west. I must have placed it there and then forgot about it, he thought. He decided to get some sleep but the feeling that something was wrong wouldn’t leave. Just before he fell asleep he imagined he heard a mean laughter echo in the air.

To be continued Chapter II