The Darkest of Nights - Part 4

"...What a strange game the Gods play," Lombard noted.

At that, somewhere off in the distance, Beam finally made something out. A spark of light, like someone struggling to get kindling to take flame. But if this was kindling, it was certainly kindling of the oily kind, for that spark – tiny as it was, even from a distance – blossomed into a flame.

"Is that a torch?" Tolsey murmured, his voice grave. "You sensed their coming, Captain?"

"Only a moment ago," Lombard told him. "This ominous cloak that surrounds the village seems to be dulling my senses. Even knowing they're there – right there – it's as though there's a fog. A fog that dulls not only the eyes, but every organ of perception I have."

Beam was not quite following their conversation. His perception was lacking, even at the best of times. If the conditions were such that even Lombard was struggling to see, then Beam lacked even the slightest shred of a chance.