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1:27

The Road of Shadows created

1:31

by Mark R Healy. A

1:33

Beyond the Dark production. Season 2,

1:39

Episode 2, Emissary.

2:04

You okay, Amber? Damn. You

2:07

look like hell. I'll

2:10

be better once I can lie down. We're

2:13

here at the motel. I'll just go book us

2:15

a room. Will you be

2:17

all right to stand up on your own? I'm

2:19

fine. Fine. Go. Good

2:31

morning. Morning. I'm looking

2:33

for a room. Sure thing. How long are

2:36

you staying? Just overnight. Well,

2:38

the rates are right here. I think

2:40

you'll find they're pretty reasonable. Can

2:44

I get one of the rooms along the front here, looking

2:46

out this way? Sure. You

2:49

can take number seven if you like. Lucky

2:51

seven, I call it. That'll

2:53

do great. Mind if I take one of these

2:56

two? Town map? Sure

2:58

thing. There's quite a lot of history of

3:01

Mosquito Falls, you know. Did you come

3:03

out this way especially to visit some of our landmarks

3:05

or just passing through? Just passing through.

3:08

Well, be careful. This town

3:10

gets its hooks into people real fast.

3:13

You might find yourself falling in love with the place

3:15

and end up not wanting to leave. Are

3:17

things usually pretty quiet around here?

3:20

You ever

3:21

get any trouble? Around here? Not a chance.

3:24

Peaceful and serene. That's Mosquito

3:27

Falls in a nutshell. Great. If

3:29

you're the adventuring type, there are some whitewater

3:32

rapids less than an hour's drive from here. You take

3:35

the highway east and the... No, that's okay. A

3:37

bit of quiet time sounds good to me. Well,

3:40

you've come to the right place. Here's your key. Thanks.

3:43

There are some nice woodlands

3:45

right at the back here. If you feel the need to unwind,

3:47

get in touch with nature, just let me know and

3:50

I'll be happy to point you in the right direction. Appreciate

3:52

it.

3:57

Amber, come on over. It's

3:59

just in here.

3:59

here.

4:07

What's that you've got with

4:08

you? Oh, this? It's

4:10

a map of the town landmarks. Going

4:13

sightseeing? Not

4:15

exactly. I like to get a grip

4:17

on my surroundings whenever I've just arrived in town. Figure

4:20

out exits, dead ends, that kind

4:22

of thing.

4:23

Usually I drive around and sketch out the streets, but

4:25

this will save me the trouble. I think... Oh!

4:29

Be careful there. Shit! I'm

4:31

sorry. Don't collapse on me. Just...

4:35

help me over to the back? Yeah. Here

4:37

you go. Lie down there. You

4:41

okay? Yeah, this is... this

4:44

is good. Thanks.

4:51

I've just gotta... rearrange

4:54

some of the furniture here. Get everything

4:56

the way I like it. The

4:59

chair over by the window again, huh? Can't

5:01

live without it. You've got this whole

5:03

thing down to fine art. I've

5:06

had lots of practice. You don't

5:08

feel more reassured about things after what

5:10

happened last night?

5:12

I feel more confident, sure, but I'm

5:15

not about to let my guard down just because of one small victory.

5:18

The shadows will strike back at us. I

5:20

have no doubt about that.

5:21

And when they do, it'll be in some way we're not expecting.

5:25

It's probably

5:25

not a good idea to get complacent, is

5:28

it?

5:28

Against these things? Never.

5:31

But don't worry about that now. Feel free to take

5:33

a nap. I'll do the first watch. Uh-huh.

5:35

Thanks. I'll be right here.

5:38

Don't worry. Nothing's going to get past me. I'll

5:41

be right here. Don't worry. Nothing's

5:43

going to get past me.

6:00

Hey sleepyhead, welcome back.

6:01

Shit. Sorry,

6:04

I must have dozed off. You

6:08

are allowed to sleep now and again, Daniel.

6:11

It's fine.

6:13

What time is it?

6:15

Mid-afternoon. You've been out of it for

6:17

a couple of hours. Did you end

6:19

up eating anything? Still

6:21

don't have the stomach

6:22

for it.

6:23

Really? That's not good.

6:26

I'm okay. You

6:27

haven't eaten in close to a day. You must be

6:29

starving by now.

6:31

Yeah, I might have something later. In the

6:33

meantime, you should take a look

6:34

at this. I've been taking more notes.

6:39

You've been reading more of the compendium?

6:42

Yeah, and I think I

6:44

found some juicy shit here. Show

6:47

me. Okay, so you

6:49

remember back at the lake house how I told you that

6:52

Pete and the other shadows took turns in

6:54

tasting me, sampling my blood?

6:57

Yeah.

6:58

At the time, I assumed they were just

7:00

doing it for the enjoyment or because they

7:02

were hungry or something.

7:05

But

7:06

I think there was more to it than that.

7:08

What's this illustration? Shadows standing

7:11

in a circle?

7:12

This? This might be the answer.

7:15

The author calls it a Congress. Congress?

7:19

Yeah. The word literally

7:21

means to come together.

7:23

One of the shadows. Shilling,

7:26

I think it was. Mentioned a ritual.

7:29

Is that what this is?

7:30

Listen to this passage. And

7:32

through the sacred conduit, the wicked

7:34

ones did come together. With the innermost

7:37

parts of them entwined, the strength

7:39

of one became the might of many. It

7:42

is through such a devious and unholy

7:44

device that they formed a Congress

7:46

in order to smite the foe that was unfortunate

7:49

enough to cross their path.

7:51

The might of many?

7:53

Is it some kind of bond?

7:55

Oh, there's more. The sharing of the one

7:58

gives strength to the many.

8:00

Sharing what?

8:02

Blood.

8:03

My blood. I think that

8:06

was the ritual. Each of them consumes

8:09

the blood of a single victim in order

8:11

to create some sort of link. It allowed them to grow

8:13

stronger in preparation for the fight.

8:16

They gave each other a boost in strength

8:18

by performing the Congress.

8:20

And from what I've read here, the

8:23

final part of the ritual must have been to consume

8:25

my body. That somehow

8:28

removes the link again.

8:29

But they never got around to that part.

8:32

Oh.

8:33

They must have been waiting until they'd

8:35

accomplished whatever

8:37

they had in store for you before removing the bond.

8:40

Something went wrong for them when I managed to kill the first

8:43

one, right? Selina,

8:45

I think her name was, when she went

8:47

down, that seemed to put the rest on tilt.

8:50

Yeah.

8:51

There's another paragraph here. Um, uh, okay.

8:54

Got it. Once the wicked do find

8:57

themselves under the thrall of the Congress,

8:59

every thought and breath between them must remain

9:02

unbroken. If any part of the whole

9:04

is diminished, then the bond itself will

9:06

be torn asunder, and the might shall

9:08

flow from them like an ocean turned to

9:10

desert.

9:11

Uh, translation?

9:14

If you kill a shadow while it's bonded with

9:16

others, they all lose

9:19

strength. Damn. It makes

9:21

sense.

9:22

Pete looked like he was spent by the time the others were

9:24

dead.

9:25

So the Congress is a bit of a gamble for them.

9:28

If it works, great. But if

9:30

it doesn't?

9:31

They're left vulnerable.

9:33

We already knew they didn't want to phase you one-to-one.

9:36

The Congress must have been an extra piece of insurance.

9:39

And it still wasn't enough.

9:41

They had no idea what you were capable of.

9:43

This would also explain why Schilling went running for his

9:46

life. He was left weakened, like

9:48

the others.

9:49

Yeah. He must be

9:51

shitting his pants right now.

9:53

Does the Compendium say how long the weakness lasts?

9:56

For all we know, Schilling might be getting stronger

9:58

by the minutes, or... He could even be back to

10:01

full strength already.

10:02

Um, I haven't read anything about

10:05

that. Maybe it's in another section.

10:07

I'm putting together a list with some bullet

10:09

points about the Congress. Of

10:12

course you're making a list. Oh, you'll

10:14

be thankful for my lists one day. I

10:16

bet.

10:17

Anyway, we probably shouldn't spend too much time here

10:19

at Mosquito Falls. We need to hit Schilling

10:21

while he's rattled. Every hour that passes

10:24

gives him more opportunities to set up defenses.

10:26

You're right. I should try and get up and

10:29

get myself going. Amber! Ah!

10:32

Ah! Shit, are you okay? Ah! My

10:35

legs gave out. Um, dammit. They're

10:38

like fucking jelly. Come

10:40

on, I'll help you back up onto the bed. Here,

10:43

take it easy. It's okay. Sorry,

10:46

I... I'm not used to... To

10:49

what? To lying around helpless

10:52

like this. I

10:54

feel so stupid.

10:56

After what you went through last night, I'm

10:59

amazed you're doing as well as you are.

11:01

Yeah, but...

11:02

Every second I sit here on my ass

11:04

gives Schilling more time to... Don't worry

11:07

about Schilling. The guy is toast. I

11:09

just wasted four shadows at once, remember? In

11:11

the cabin last night,

11:13

I can handle one on his own. I

11:15

think the more important question right now is, what

11:18

do we do about your condition?

11:20

What do you mean, what do

11:22

we do about it?

11:24

I think we have to consider getting

11:26

you some medical attention.

11:28

Daniel? You're starting

11:30

to go against your own rules here. You told me

11:33

to never trust authority figures like cops or

11:35

doctors. I mean, Schilling

11:38

himself is a doctor.

11:41

That's true, but...

11:43

I can't sit here and watch you die. I'm

11:46

not dying.

11:48

You do look pretty bad, though.

11:50

I mean, it's the shadow bites. It caused... changes,

11:53

I guess? You know that better than

11:56

anyone. You took bites from five

11:58

of them, Amber. Well what happened

12:00

after you got bitten? Were you sick?

12:03

That was a long time ago. I don't

12:05

remember everything but I

12:07

went into care right away and they kept me in a room for

12:09

a few days. I didn't have the chance

12:11

to get up and walk around.

12:13

Do you remember feeling ill?

12:16

Yeah, a little.

12:17

So as it stands, everything

12:20

I'm experiencing could be completely normal.

12:23

I don't think anything about the shadows is normal.

12:27

But maybe we can

12:29

wait a bit longer and see how it

12:31

plays out.

12:31

Right now I think that's the best option,

12:34

yeah.

12:35

But if you get worse, if you pass out

12:37

and can't wake up or something like that, I'll

12:40

take my chances with a doctor.

12:42

I'm sure I'll be fine. Another

12:45

few hours rest should be all I need. And

12:49

my mosquito fall seems pretty harmless.

12:52

Well. What's

12:54

the matter? Are you worried about

12:56

the lady we saw in town?

12:58

I'm sure it's fine.

13:00

You seem edgy.

13:03

I've just been conditioned to feel that way over the years.

13:06

I've never settled. Never safe. And

13:09

sometimes things rob me the wrong

13:12

way that turned out to be totally

13:14

innocent. Do

13:15

you think that's what it was? The crazy

13:17

looking lady? Just your imagination

13:20

running away with you?

13:21

Probably. Wouldn't be the first time

13:23

I've jumped to the wrong conclusion.

13:25

Yeah. Well,

13:29

if it's okay with you, I'm gonna

13:31

take another nap. Maybe I'll feel like some dinner

13:33

by the time I wake up. There's

13:36

a vending machine out near the office.

13:37

Let me know if you feel like taking a walk. Sure.

13:42

In the meantime,

13:43

I'll be right here in the chair if you need me.

13:48

Thanks for watching!

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14:23

This

14:33

way, that's it.

14:35

Let me

14:38

guide you. You'll

14:45

stay here with

14:46

me now, won't you? Stay

14:50

in my embering.

14:55

Shit.

15:05

Amber, did you leave the door open? It's

15:08

the middle of the night. Amber?

15:13

God damn it. Where's

15:15

the ax? Okay.

15:23

Outside,

15:26

a chill wind drifts across the motel parking

15:28

lot.

15:29

I pick up the bare scent of something out there in the darkness,

15:32

but it's not bloodlust.

15:34

It's something strange that I've never experienced before.

15:38

It's the smell of something decaying. The

15:40

smell of death.

15:42

Amber! I

15:47

follow the scent. It's stronger around

15:49

the back of the motel. As the

15:51

wind gusts, I sense it. Something

15:54

out there in the woods.

15:56

What the fuck have you done with her? In

16:20

the clearing ahead, a figure stands

16:22

motionless, silhouetted against a bonfire.

16:25

Amber, what are you doing out here?

16:28

Stop

16:32

there. Don't come any closer.

16:36

Or what? Or

16:39

I'll put a dagger through her chest.

16:41

Try it. You'll be

16:43

signing your own death warrant. That's

16:46

a trade I'm willing to make. What's

16:51

wrong with her? Nothing.

16:53

I called

16:54

to her. And she

16:56

came.

16:56

That's all. She

16:58

looks like she's in some kind of trance. She's

17:01

sleeping. Once

17:02

she wakes up, she'll be perfectly fine.

17:04

What do you want from us? There's

17:08

no need for this hostility, Daniel.

17:11

I've come to you in good faith. I'll

17:14

buy that for a second. You're a shadow.

17:17

But not like any other you've encountered,

17:19

am I?

17:20

No. How

17:23

was it you recognized my

17:25

true nature, then? You

17:28

don't look the same. You don't even smell

17:30

the same. But underneath,

17:33

there's something unmistakable. It's

17:36

hard to put my finger on it, but I'd

17:38

know it anywhere. So don't think you

17:40

can fool me. Your

17:42

instincts are well honed. I

17:45

had my suspicions this morning when I saw you watching

17:47

us from the street. Ah, yes.

17:50

I anticipated your arrival here

17:52

and wanted to make my presence

17:55

felt. So that our meeting

17:57

here tonight would not come as a complete shock.

18:00

Why don't we get to the point? Who

18:03

are you? Of course. My

18:05

name is Vicella. I

18:08

am in a misery of the Vespierrene. Pete

18:11

said that word back in Colton. Vespierrene.

18:15

Is that what you shadows call yourselves? It's

18:17

not what we call ourselves. It's

18:20

our true name.

18:23

I come to you on behalf of

18:25

the Vespierrene

18:26

with a proposal. We

18:29

ask for a truce. A

18:32

truce? Are you shitting me? You

18:34

can't continue on your current path,

18:37

Daniel. Each step

18:39

takes you deeper and deeper into

18:42

ruin. Surely

18:44

you understand this? What

18:46

I understand is that I finally have the

18:48

upper hand on you fuckers after years of running

18:51

for my life. There's no way

18:53

I'm changing course now. But you don't

18:56

have the upper hand. That

18:58

victory of yours back

19:00

in Colton, when it was fleeting, trivial,

19:04

and it will soon be forgotten. Yeah,

19:06

okay. Convenient that you want

19:08

to make a deal all of a sudden, right after I

19:11

butchered four of your friends. You're doing

19:13

this for me, right? I'm simply

19:15

trying to avoid further bloodshed.

19:18

Bullshit! But you're just dying

19:20

to sink your teeth into me right now. I

19:23

have no taste for flesh.

19:26

Like hell. You yourself

19:28

agreed I was not like the others.

19:31

The shadow that doesn't eat people. Is that

19:33

why you look like a shriveled old prune? The

19:35

wrinkling of my skin is a side

19:37

effect of my... Well,

19:40

I suppose you could say my lack

19:43

of nourishment. Let me guess.

19:45

You're dieting on celery, right? I

19:49

am old, Daniel. Even

19:51

among Vespyrin. One

19:54

of the oldest

19:55

of the kin. I've

19:57

consumed my last meal.

21:59

You will be free to go in peace.

22:01

We will pursue

22:03

you no longer. Throw

22:06

the axe in the fire. Are you kidding me? That

22:09

is our proposal. Your proposal sucks

22:12

ass. Daniel, just

22:14

with me at your own peril.

22:17

After tonight, the Kin will offer

22:19

no further proposals. Negotiations

22:23

will come to an end. I don't need

22:25

your offer. Not when I can cut you down where you

22:27

stand. We are the only ones

22:29

who can save Amber.

22:31

How do you figure? We may

22:34

have noticed that she too has

22:36

started along a path.

22:38

A very treacherous path

22:41

that has only one destination.

22:45

Darkness and despair.

22:47

She'll recover from the bites just like I did.

22:50

No, she won't. Not

22:52

when five of us have tasted

22:54

her flesh. The

22:57

toxins run far too deep for anyone

23:00

to survive. You have an antidote? Well,

23:02

there is no antidote. But

23:06

if the appropriate ritual is performed,

23:09

she may have a chance.

23:11

Forget this. I'm not making a deal with a pack

23:13

of monsters like you. Monsters?

23:17

We're no more monsters than you

23:19

humans

23:20

are. We feed on creatures

23:22

who are lesser than we, just like you

23:24

do. Vespherine just

23:26

happened to be one rung higher

23:29

on the food

23:29

chain. No deal. I'll

23:32

take my chances on my own. So,

23:36

that's the way it will be.

23:38

Yep, that's the way.

23:44

Monet, I submit myself

23:46

to thee and all those

23:47

who have come before. Take

23:49

my soul, or flee to your bosom.

23:52

Think or I'll be a place at your side

23:54

until the heavens

23:55

are far from one.

23:58

What are you doing?

23:59

Fuck! Let

24:06

go of the axe you

24:08

freak! God

24:12

damn it, no!

24:18

What's going on?

24:21

Shit! Hang on a second Amber! What

24:23

are you doing? Quit messing around in the fire! I'm not doing anything!

24:26

I'm not doing anything! The axe? Well you

24:28

dropped it in the fire? No

24:38

she took it! I think she was trying

24:40

to destroy it. Who? Vicella,

24:44

the shadow. You didn't

24:46

hear any of that? No I just woke

24:49

up. But

24:51

did we decide to build a

24:53

fire? I

24:55

don't remember coming out here. I'll explain

24:57

in a minute. Just let me check

25:00

this thing first. Is the axe

25:02

okay? It's a little singed but

25:04

I think it'll survive. That was a close

25:06

one.

25:07

Did I hear someone

25:08

screaming just now? Was

25:11

that you? Okay first things

25:13

first. Are you alright? I

25:16

think so. A little bit freaked

25:19

out maybe.

25:20

You've been in a trance of some kind.

25:23

A trance?

25:25

Yeah. I woke up in the motel

25:27

room in the middle of the night and the door was open. You

25:29

were gone.

25:31

What? I don't remember

25:33

that. The woman we saw on the

25:35

street, back at the diner. She

25:37

must have been calling out to you somehow.

25:39

A game looking out here in the woods and found you standing in front

25:41

of the fire. But it's like you were sleepwalking.

25:44

You couldn't hear me.

25:46

Oh my god. She told

25:48

me her name was Vicella and that she was

25:50

an emissary. That she'd come to make a deal

25:52

with me on behalf of the shadows.

25:54

What deal? They wanted

25:56

me to destroy the axe. Throw it in the fire.

25:59

They said they'd let us leave.

26:01

Daniel, tell me you didn't take that fucking

26:03

deal.

26:04

Of course not. So

26:06

why was the axe in the fire?

26:08

She attacked me, the cella,

26:10

tried to grab the axe. What happened? She

26:13

ended up in the fire, turned to ash. She

26:16

fell.

26:17

No, I don't think she did. It

26:20

wasn't an accident. As she

26:22

was falling, she pulled the axe down into her chest.

26:25

She, she killed

26:27

herself. Why would she do

26:30

that? I don't think she came here to broker

26:32

a deal at all.

26:33

I think this was a suicide mission.

26:35

The shadows are so hell-bent on destroying

26:37

this axe that they were willing to sacrifice

26:40

one of their own just for the chance. Well,

26:43

it didn't work. No, the

26:45

handle is blackened, but that's about all. What

26:48

about the bandana? Uh,

26:51

yeah, it's gone. Must

26:53

have burned to a crisp in there. Shit.

26:56

Do you think that's gonna be a problem? Maybe,

26:59

I don't know. Wait,

27:01

didn't we agree the bandana might have been

27:03

the source of the power you used

27:06

against them? Originally, yes,

27:08

but I felt the power going through the

27:10

axe, too. I think it most likely

27:12

transferred to the axe when I made the first kill. Okay,

27:16

so we should be all right.

27:19

Here, let me help you up.

27:20

There

27:23

you go.

27:25

Thanks. You look a lot

27:27

steadier on your feet. Actually,

27:30

I feel better. Much

27:32

better than before. Maybe

27:34

you just needed some fresh air. Oh,

27:36

yeah, yeah, yeah. There's nothing like sleepwalking

27:39

through the woods with a crazy demon lady to really

27:41

clear out the system. Right.

27:45

Hey, that diner in town, that

27:48

was a 24-hour place, right? That's what the science

27:50

had?

27:50

Yeah, I think so. They must

27:52

get truckers through here.

27:54

Why do you ask? If it's all right with

27:56

you, I think I'd like to get something

27:58

to eat now.

27:59

I'm dead and starving.

28:16

The Road of Shadows is created by

28:19

Mark R. Healy. Want

28:21

to delve deeper into this story? Head over

28:23

to Patreon to find character concept

28:25

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that and more is available now at

28:32

Patreon.com slash Beyond

28:35

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at TheRoadofShadows.com The

28:40

Road of Shadows Season 2 stars

28:43

Hamish Plagemarse Martha De

28:45

Silva Jimmy Yamaguchi Trent

28:48

Trachtenberg Madeline Norton

28:51

Gaviroc John Carver

28:53

Liz Morey Sally Walker

28:56

Taylor Vivian Reed Marlon

28:58

Dantz Hui Ivy Fisher

29:01

Maddie Albrecht Whitney Holland

29:04

Joshua Nicholson and Aubrey

29:06

Akers The Road

29:08

of Shadows is a Beyond the Dark production.

29:29

The Stable and Falling Network where

29:31

fiction producers flourish.

29:37

I can handle these nightmares. Yeah,

29:39

those dreams have been keeping me in stay work. Thank

29:42

you very much. The monsters are more familiar

29:44

now. There's not much sex appeal in a green

29:47

screen bodysuit. I'm not like totally ready

29:49

for that stuff anyway. Romance is a whole

29:51

other ballgame. You mean like a sleepover?

29:53

I just figured she'd be further along by now. Are

29:56

you

29:56

really going to square up two figment of my imagination?

29:59

I kind of want to make it.

29:59

Make it right. Well, he's pretty stiff competition

30:02

with all the emotional manipulation and scare

30:04

tactics. Oh! Are

30:06

you into that stuff now? No!

30:08

No! No! No!

30:12

No! No! Fuck.

30:14

I get why they usually leave this stuff for the pros.

30:17

Dreamers. A fantasy audio drama

30:20

available wherever you listen to podcasts.