A Search For The Unknown

The Mark

Asher woke to a strange sound. He was still too sleepy to recognize what the sound was. He looked around the unfamiliar room, confused and unsure of where he is. He slowly blinks trying to force his sleepy mind to remember where he is and to forget the bad dream he was having. As the bad dreams fog slowly lifts over Asher mind he begins to remember that he is still in the Grand James Hotel, that he and his father had stayed the night there after Thomas insisted they not drive home this late at night. Asher scanned the room for anything that could have made the nose but didn’t see anything that might have made the nose. So he fell back into a restless sleep.

Asher woke with the distinct memory of the nightmare he had just had of a creature with claws attacking him in the forest. Asher couldn’t tell if it was a premonition of what was to come or of a bad memory of a past job. He blinked his eyes slowly and pushed back the memory of the nightmare deciding it didn’t matter which one it was. He looked around the room slowly trying to find his father, but failing to find him. Instead he saw a note folded in half with his name on it. As he went to get out of bed  he felt a burning sensation on his left arm. He looked down at the burning spot and saw a strange mark in his skin that looked like some kind of brand. He rubbed at the strange mark and it felt like a bug bit. It didn't hurt from his touch, but it hurt when he moved his arm. Asher decided there was nothing he could do about the mark right now so he got up and got dressed. Then he picked up the note, opened it and read it. It was written by his father letting him know that he was down in the dinning hall and that they got a free breakfast with their stay.  In the letter Eric asks Asher to join him in the dining hall when He was ready and to come eat breakfast. Asher looked down at the mark again and decided to put on a sweatshirt and would ask his father if he knew anything about it when they were alone.

When Asher walked into the dinning hall he looks around at the large room, his eyes stopping on the large rows of food on the side of the room. Every type of breakfast food you could think of they had in large metal dishes. Throughout the room there are many round tables with people sitting at them eating breakfast. As he continued to look at all the people eating food his eyes landed on his father sitting at a table with Thomas Winters and Ivan Winters. Asher got his food and joined them. As Asher sat down Everyone at the table looked up at him. When Asher walked over to join them he heard them talking about the area around the facility that they would be going to soon.

“It's in the northern western part of the country, it is a bit colder there and it is the rainy season up there right now so you will want to pack accordingly. There are stores there as well, that will have things for your basic needs. But, they won't have any sort of hunter gear or anything for spell work, besides some basic herbs like people use for cooking but the woods around the area have a lot of different plants and some that are rare to the country. Oh, hello Asher, I was just telling Eric about the location of the facility you two will be going to hunt for us at. Is there anything you would like to know about it or know of anything that would be there or would not be there so that you know what to pack?”

Asher looks at Thomas as he smiles at him after finishing his sentence. Asher began to think about all the different things he could ask or may need to know about the place.

“Are there any types of restrictions on things we are allowed to bring into the area, any kinds of dried herbs not allowed in the zone, or magic restrictions?”

Thomas looked upward deep in thought trying to remember all the regulations and restrictions of the zone. Asher took a bite of his bacon. Thomas then looked down at his phone to look something up.

 “As far as I can remember and from a quick check on my phone the only restrictions for the zone for magic are the same as the universal restrictions. That you can't use dark magic there. And for dried herbs there aren’t any restrictions but you can’t plant anything there or leave any dried herbs on the ground when doing spell work. The zone has several rear herbs that grow there and the government wants to keep them safe and not have any new species introduced there.” 

“So what zone is the facility in?”

“It is located in the state of Farfang. It is the most northwestern state in the country and the nearest town to the facility that will be on the maps is Goldvermer but there are many small villages in the area and the town we built for our workers at the facility which is a large town but the government won't recognize it as a real town because it doesn’t have a local government. The town has a lot of amenities that you will need during your stay like a groceries store, a diner,, a little book store, a hardware store, and other little businesses that the Winters International Corporation has at all the small towns we build for our workers to live in.”

Asher looked at Thomas a bit confused at the notion that they built towns for their workers he knew that a lot of the facility that the Winters International Corporation owned had a place nearby for workers to live since the facility are so remote, but he had no idea that they built whole towns for their workers with stores and everything.

“Why do you build towns for your workers to live in? Aren’t they all locals from the nearby villages and towns?”

“Well yes some are locals but some are also specialists that we have flown into the area to work at the facility. But it is a long trip even for the locals to the facility. With the city they have everything they need for themselves and their family right by the facility so they don’t have such a long commute to work and they have more time for their family. We even have a school system for the children.”

“I guess you make a point, it just seems like so much extra work on your part.”

Ivan clears his throat to speak up

“That's what makes the Winters International Corporation a better business to work for. We think of our employees' needs before we think of ourselves.”

They finished their breakfast without any more discussion and Eric and Asher headed home to begin packing for their trip.

“What time does our flight leave dad?”

Eric looked at the tickets that Thomas had given him before they left the Grand James Hotel.

“The tickets say ten P.M. tonight. And that we will arrive at Farfang at two A.M.”

Asher took off his sweatshirt to look at the strange mark again and to show his father to see if he had any idea what it was or how it got on his arm.

“Dad, do you know what this is? I woke up this morning with it and it has burned all day whenever I move my arm.”

Asher showed his father the mark. Eric lifted up Asher’s arm and turned it from side to side to get a good look at the whole mark.

“This is a covenant brand. Members of covenants get it from the leader of the covenant to keep them safe. It allows the leader of the covenant to find the one who has it and to give some of their energy to the one who has the mark and to know when the one who has the mark is in danger. It’s rare to see them anymore; few covenants still know how to do it or are willing to bind themselves to their members. By the looks of it a really powerful witch did this one. When did you get it? And who gave it to you? Why didn’t you talk to me about joining a covenant?”

“I didn’t join a covenant. I woke up and this morning with it I never okayed getting a covenant brand or joining a covenant. Who could have done this and why would they do this to me? Can I get rid of it?”

Eric pinched his nose between his eyes and walked off toward his bedroom. Asher watched him walk away not following him and stared down at the mark on his arm filled with a new form of anxiety. Questioning to himself why would anyone want to do this to him. What witch would even be that Concerned with him to go to such lengths to keep track of him. After several long minutes Eric came out of his room holding a very old and very worn looking book.

“This was your mothers book of shadows. It comes from her family when she was exiled for being with me her mother gave it to her so she had something of the family’s to pass down to you. It has a lot of information about her covenant in it. She had asked me to wait until you were 18 to give it to you but I think it has information about her covenant and different covenant brands. You can read about it on the plan and when we get there. Right now we need to get done packing.”