Dunsage Diaries

“Do you remember it all?” Honnar asked Falmore, fidgeting as if he was nervous about what the answer to his question would be.

“Only parts. Not all,” he replied. “Why do you ask?”

“I just wanted to know if you remembered who I truly am.” Honnar’s body language made Falmore suspicious.

Falmore stopped walking and said, “You seem anxious as to the answer of your question. Why?”

He looked at his feet. “I’m not anxious. I was just wondering.”

Falmore didn’t believe him. He got the impression that Honnar wasn’t being truthful, that he wanted to know if he remembered everything because maybe...

“If I did remember everything, what would be the outcome?”
Honnar looked up. “If you remembered everything, we would be having a very different conversation, Falmore. Or possibly not even conversing at all.”

“What do you mean?”

Honnar sighed. “It does not matter. We should probably keep on going. Which way?”

That stirred Falmore’s curiosity, but he decided to leave it for moment. He would find out what Honnar meant eventually. He nodded in agreement and pointed forwards. “This way.”

They followed the road for most of the day, passing many grassy hills. Some had trees or flowers on them. The landscape was actually quite pretty. Somehow Falmore felt at home here. He smiled to himself because of how comfortable he felt.
“What are you smiling about?” inquired Honnar.

Falmore turned his head towards him and took a deep breath of the fresh air. It smelt really nice, a mixture of grass and pollen and felt good in his lungs. “This place feels like home to me.”

Honnar’s face dropped, as if he remembered something. He began to look around at the hills with a look of suspicion and fear in his eyes. “Really? No matter. We should move faster, it will be dark soon.”

No sooner had he said those words, they heard a rustling in the bushes up ahead and on all sides of them. Voices began to stir and call to each other. “Shit,” Honnar said aloud.

2 people jumped down from the grassy hill behind them. Honnar and Falmore turned around to see who they were. One was a well built man and the other was a woman, slender and quite easy on the eyes. Falmore felt like he had met these people before.

“Stop right there! What are you doing, coming this way...” the woman’s voice trailed off and a look of recognition swept over her face. “Falmore?”

“Lucia don’t be stupid,” the big man said. “Falmore is long gone.”

“I’m telling you that is Falmore Dunsage! You do remember our master don’t you, Elris?”

The big man Elris looked Falmore up and down. “You do look a lot like Falmore. Who are you?”

“My name is Falmore Dunsage,” replied Falmore. “But I do not know who you are. I have recently lost my memory.”

The two people looked at Honnar and then looked at each other. “You traitorous bastard! What have you done to our master?!” The girl called Lucia screamed at Honnar.

The only response he gave her was the familiar chant and then a thunderous bolt of lightning to the chest. The girl flew back 10 feet and landed in the dirt, twisted and smoking. Dead.

The big man Elris looked like he did not know what just happened. “AAAAHHHHHH!” he shouted. “You killed her!” Tears ran down the big man’s face as he looked at the charred body of his companion. He tensed up, preparing himself to attack when another bolt of lightning sprouted from Honnar’s fingers and hit the big man square in the face. He was sent hurtling through the air and landed with an awkward thud. The thud sounded more like bones breaking. His spine, Falmore thought.

“What the hell?” asked Falmore, starting to panic, not knowing what just occurred.

“We need to go, now!” Honnar looked scared.

As they began to run away more people protruded from the shrubbery and looked at the charred bodies Honnar had left.

They shouted after them, cursing. Falmore heard, “How could you?” and “You have betrayed us!”

They ran and ran, until they could not run any farther. Falmore’s horse was covered in white foam from the sweat. He got off the horse and walked over to Honnar. “You are going to explain to me why you killed those people.”

“They...would have...killed me,” panted Honnar, struggling for breath. “I just got there first.”

“Who were they? They seemed familiar to me.”

Honnar looked Falmore in the eyes. “They knew us. They were companions of the old Falmore. But that man is dead now. They are of no concern.”

“No concern? They called me master. I’m still Falmore Dunsage. I just cannot remember. I just stood there whilst you killed my old friends.” Falmore felt guilt stab at him.

“Listen, the Falmore they knew is gone. He is lost because you cannot remember. It will be best for everyone if you do not remember.”

He felt the anger bubble up inside him. He made a fist. As he was throwing it into Honnar’s face he notice it turning to metal. The crunch that he heard when his face came into contact with his travel partner was disturbing. Blood splattered everywhere, covering Falmore’s clothes in red splotches. Honnar landed hard on the ground grunting.

He bent down and grabbed Honnar by his collar and lifted him up. “Tell me!”

Honnar gasped for breath through the blood in his mouth. He spat it out and smiled. “Ok, I’ll tell you. You were their master. Once upon a time. You were my master too. I was just like them, looking up to you with so much admiration and respect. The Grand Master’s clan attacked my village where I was brought up. I asked you to help them but you said you had more pressing matters to attend to. You said that you were my family now”. He spat again. “That hurt. I lost all respect for you that day. You always said that you would use your powers to help those in need, and yet you just ignored my family. I hated you. You let my family die.

“I decided to go to the Grand Master by myself and face him. He talked to me and made me an offer. He told me he could teach me magic. You were the only one in that clan of yours that could use magic. I was always jealous because I wanted to know magic too but you refused to teach anyone else.

“Without your knowledge I moved over to their side. He used a chant on me to teach me magic without me having to learn. He just imprinted the knowledge into my brain. He sent me on a mission to capture you and find out where the amulet was that you had hidden from him. When I came to you I got carried away and used more magic than I should have. I was only supposed to knock you unconscious and take you to him. But I erased your memory in the process.”

Falmore was shocked. “You...you did this to me?”

“My anger got the better of me that day. The Grand Master is very forgiving.”

“So that is why I felt like I recognised you that day in the cell. That is why those people called you traitor just before you killed them in cold blood.”

Honnar laughed. “Yes, and you just stood there. It gives me great pleasure knowing the great Falmore Dunsage, He-Whose-Ass-The-Sun-Shines-Out-Of is so powerless.”

Falmore could feel the anger boil inside him, more than ever.
“You bastard!”

“What are you going to do? You don’t remember any of your powers. You can’t hurt me,” Honnar cackled an evil laugh, throwing back his head.

“We will see about that. Those creatures we saw in the town are more human than you are. I will show you no mercy.”

Falmore closed his fist and began hitting Honnar. He hit him with his metal fists over and over and over. The noised that came from him didn’t sound human. Whimpers and screams as bone crunched and flesh ripped.

After a time, Honnar was no more than a red stain on the ground. Falmore felt no remorse for what he had just done. That man was evil, he deserved it, he thought to himself.

Falmore looked around him. He saw a mountain, about a mile or so ahead of him. It had a black hole in the side of it. A cave. He looked at the cave and said aloud, “The amulet is in there. I will get it and bring it back to your Grand Master,” he spat on the ground beside Honnar. “I will bring it to him, and I will kill him.”