Oculus

by S. E. Akers

  I made my way around the room with a sluggish creep that kept pace with the sheer bewilderment tugging my eyeballs. Stacks of iron balls and clusters of plates, all arranged by their sizes and weights, lay in numerous racks throughout the room. The thick gray mat I was standing on took up most of the floor space. The soles of my feet may have felt comforted, but my brain remained confused. Several curious-looking apparatuses hailed my attention, firing off their warnings — and those bad-boys screamed far more “pain” than “gain”.

  My hands dug into my hips. “Um, it looks like . . . a gym.”

  “Nothing gets past you,” Tanner remarked as he breezed into the room.

  I’d heard countless teachers claim on numerous occasions that, “There is no such thing as a stupid question”. So despite my misgivings about what I feared his reaction would be, I thought, Screw it and let it rip.

  “For what precisely?” I asked.

  “Conditioning,” my mentor announced. “It’s part of your training.”

  Lines bearing the depth of tractor ditches sunk into my brow. “WHY?” I was already strong — supernaturally strong. Between that, honing my combat skills, and learning what made these monsters tick, what timely value was there in hitting the gym? After seeing the number of volumes I had to peruse over the next ten weeks, if I needed to hit anything, it was the books. Tanner folded his arms until they had a resolute lock. It seemed my need for elaboration had taken my mentor off guard.

  He approached with a pair of darkened amethyst eyes leading his charge. “Because some of the creatures you’ll encounter possess a degree of brawn that you currently can’t match,” Tanner explained. “AND on a further note, you never know what will come to pass. It’s possible that one day you might find yourself without the use of your diamond wand or any other magical aid. After all, weapons are only as sharp as the mind or body that wields them, and despite the supernatural power that the diamond affords you, there is always a great deal of room for improvement. It’s time you gave a little effort back.”

  “How much conditioning do I need?” I probed. “Exactly?”

  Tanner gave his shoulders a casual shrug. “Two to three hours every day.”

  I made another ocular orbit around the room. I wasn’t outright opposed to working out, but this place looked like a torture chamber fit for a fitness-fanatic’s worst nightmare, and e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g was cast from iron. Come on — IRON? Talk about some seriously grueling “resistance training”. I was already blanching at the mere thought.

  I frowned. “That much?”

  “Believe me, Shiloh. There are things roaming out there that pack more of a punch than anything you’ve experienced, including your recent encounters,” Tanner advised. “You need every advantage at your disposal. It will even help you build up some resistance to iron. That’s a valuable benefit alone.”

  “And I’ll be overseeing your progress, Ms. Wallace,” Silas interjected. “I’ve already structured a strict regimen capable of working miracles in a short amount of time . . . for anyone’s lagging level of fitness.”

  Perfect. I pictured him in my mind, standing over me wearing a black hooded cape and twirling that skin-melting, hair-shedding kukri in his hand instead of a whistle as an incentive. I would rather have an evil, supernatural PMS-ing version of Jillian Michaels after a case of Red-Bulls breathing down my neck — anyone other than the house steward playing the role of “my coach”. I glanced at my toned figure. Visions of water balloon-sized muscles fueled my fearful reservations, followed by a long parade of professional women weightlifters flexing their freakish biceps in what amounted to wide strips of dental floss that covered much tinier private body parts.

  Crap… There goes my boobs, I grumped, my shoulders caving and head shaking.

  My mentor finally gave me a nudge. “SHILOH?”

  It seemed he’d been trying to hail my attention, but my mind was inescapably held captive by a barrage of sadist thoughts. The “molding” was bothersome enough, but I couldn’t stand the idea of whose hands would be at the helm of “shaping” my form.

  Ugh. Prick-casso’s…

  I snapped out of my vexing vision and pulled my mentor off to the side. “Can’t you oversee this part of my training?”

  My flat-out beg seemed to have amused my mentor, which was more than evident from the sweep of his grin. “I could, but I’m not going to,” he assured. “Silas is the best choice.”

  “I don’t think we’ll mesh,” I protested.

  Tanner stepped closer, his brow fully arched. “Do you think you’re going to like everyone who helps you along your path?”

  “Well, no,” I conceded. “But he didn’t like me first.”

  “And does everyone have to like you?” he asked in that all-knowing tone of his.

  Even after picturing the neon sign over my head flashing a big fat, “YES”, I kept my sunshine hopes to myself. “I have enough enemies. You wouldn’t expect me to endure three hours of their torture if I could avoid it, would you?” I skirted.

  Tanner backed up and shot me an unsympathetic glare. “Is that all you’ve got?”

  “No.” I wasn’t sure how this one was going to fly…or land. “Just how bulky am I going to get?” And I didn’t hide an ounce of my sneer.

  Disbelief swept across his face like a flashflood. “You’re not seriously weighing vanity against survival, are you?”

  Well, when you put it like that… “Yeah. Maybe a little bit,” I nodded briskly.

  “End of discussion,” he grumbled.

  I could feel the little girl in me emerging, and she was feeling mighty ornery. “And if I say no?”

  Tanner took a sharp step back, eyeing me from head to toe. I breathed a subtle sigh of relief after glancing at his waist, grateful that I hadn’t spied even a trace of tin on his belt.

  Silas approached our heated huddle. “Is there a problem?” The house steward pretended to look between the two of us innocently like the nosey bastard hadn’t been eavesdropping a bit.

  One focused and fiery violet streak scorched a lone circle around Tanner’s irises. I wasn’t even sure what to make of that. Creepy, but positive? Or positively creepy? Either way, I flinched. The next thing I knew, my mentor was ushering me away from Silas.

  “All right,” Tanner whispered. “I’ll humor your lunacy and make you a deal. If you can best the strongest beast down here, you can forget this part of your training altogether.”

  His offer may have sounded sweet, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that a hoodwinking was lying right around the corner. “I don’t—”

  “And I’ll send Silas on vacation,” Tanner added in a much louder voice, upping the ante.

  The house steward immediately exploded into a round of swift claps. “I have so longed for a holiday,” he simpered and gave his hands several delicious rubs. “I think my impending stressful summer is about to get a bright turnaround.”

  I hate him. I never thought I would use the H-word in regards to anyone except the things that had already tried to kill me, but I was making an exception for someone so hell-bent on making me feel as miserable as they possibly could. I bet he kicks puppies too.

  “I accept,” I blurted, jumping at a chance to be alone with Tanner, especially without any ill-timed interruptions from a mean old coot.

  “All right,” Tanner grinned. He swiftly grabbed my arm and led me straight up to the dungeon floor. I started walking towards the cell that housed the chimera when he placed his hands on my shoulder and whirled me around in the opposite direction. “No. No,” he corrected. “You’ll be facing the balegore.”

  Its name struck a foul chord. “What is it?” I asked.

  Tanner boomed a hearty laugh. “You should have bargained for that sort of intel before jumping on my offer.”

  “Didn’t you promise to answer ALL of my questions? I figured full disclosure was implied,” I countered with a curt roll of my eyes.

  “Fine,” he sighed and stepped clo
ser. “A balegore’s not the smartest creature, and its only power is its supernatural strength. So it’s the perfect beast to test your need for training. Go ahead and use your diamond wand. Conjure all the wind you want. Try poisoning it with your lapis lazuli. Turn invisible to your heart’s content. It won’t make a difference if you can’t match its muscle.”

  An ominous vibe coursed through me as I stared at the closed door. Just how strong is this thing?

  Tanner positioned himself behind me. “There’s no shame in backing out,” he whispered in a rustle that sounded just as foreboding. “But you’ll have to make the best of Silas’ taunts and promise not to buck any of my requests ever again.”

  Wouldn’t you know Mr. Perfect-Timing came strutting down the hall with a pompous gait, fanning the flames of my dilemma. Go in there and possibly get my ass kicked or send his out the door…

  Silas placed a crate he was carrying down on the floor. “Oh good. I haven’t missed a thing. I wanted to be here to root you on!”

  I turned my glare from him and directed it towards the door. Then where’s your pom-poms? My limited encounters with actual creatures had all of my synapses firing. This has to be a trick…

  “What’s wrong, Ms. Wallace?” Silas asked, noting my stalled stance. “Why are you dawdling out here in the hall? Don’t tell me all that eager washed off and drained down the tub.” He shook his head slowly. “What a shame. I’d already taken a fancy to spending my days in Patagonia. I love skiing, and the Andes are particularly snowy this time of year. Should I abandon the daydream and forgo my perfect summer plans?” he goaded.

  Why should we both SUFFER, my mind blared like a bullhorn…and I really, really hoped that he’d heard it too. My head rocked towards my mentor, who happened to be leaning against the wall, casually observing our exchange. “Open the door,” I demanded.

  The only fingers he had to lift were the ones he held up and snapped. It flew open with the “click” still vibrating the air. “Done,” Tanner confirmed, never breaking his gaze.

  With the deepest of breaths, I started to head for the door. My determined stride was abruptly halted when a “bwalk… bwalk… bwalkkkk” sound clucked my feet to a dead stop. I spun around to spy Silas holding of all things, a live chicken in his hand. I could feel the gaping stretch of my mouth while I watched him stroking the daggone thing like a beloved pet. It seemed he had brought something festive and feathery to cheer me on after all.

  Now that’s real cute, I grumbled. The longer I stared at the house steward soothing his squawking pal, the more my blood boiled. My stare alone could have deep-fried them both without a single drop of oil.

  Silas chuckled, “Oh, dear. Excuse me, Ms. Wallace. I intended no such pun. It’s simply about time for lunch. We try to accommodate all our guests’ needs.”

  I turned to Tanner. “You feed them?”

  “You wouldn’t want to face them hungry,” my mentor assured.

  My teeth sank into my bottom lip while I contemplated my dilemma. Go in…or dare I say, “chicken out”.

  “So?” Tanner posed. “What do you think?”

  “I think you want me to get my butt whipped,” I grumbled.

  Tanner grabbed my shoulders. “What I want is for you to stop acting like a stubborn little girl,” he grumbled. “Roll those blue eyes all you want. Your willfulness always lands you into trouble. It did last night. And do I even need to bring up Lazarus? Or everything that happened in Mexico?”

  “You might be onto something,” I agreed. One confusing instance came to mind: Me, an empty bottle of alcohol-laced Emerald Eyes, and the ever-present stagnant situation that came from that damn kiss he had planted on me. The more I thought about how nothing had come from it, the more I realized how truly aggravating it was.

  Tanner glanced at his watch. “I should have put an expiration on the offer.”

  Ugh… I sharpened my scowl. “You know I’m only doing this to prove you wrong,” I sounded off, finger cocked.

  Tanner’s expression melted like a warm stick of butter. “And here I thought it was to send Silas packing?” he asked, playing wounded to a T. “My mistake.”

  My head whipped towards the door, well away from the track of his seductive gaze. Tease. Trepidation began devouring me from within. After an encouraging suck of air, I took one calculated stride towards the door. I can do this. I glanced back at my two cheerleaders, both standing there reeking of smug, imminent victory. I turned back around and extended my blade with a white-knuckled jerk. I HAVE to do this!

  I began another steadfast approach, only to be halted at the threshold by an irksome thought. “You’re certain this balegore isn’t that smart?”

  Tanner extended his hand. “Yes. See for yourself.”

  I started to cross through the containment spell when something else popped in my head that whirled me back around. “Wait! Shouldn’t I bring the oculus?”

  Neither of them could hide their skepticism, but that didn’t keep the pair of bad actors from trying. “If I see you’re actually going to need it, it won’t take me a second to have it in your triumphant hands,” Tanner humored, doing his best to suppress his amusement. Silas’ expression was to simply cover his mouth and avert his head. Even still, I knew the S.O.B. was snickering. A good right hook could have helped him with some restraint. I was certainly eager to oblige that.

  “Any day now,” Tanner egged.

  Ugh. I went to officially enter again when yet another notion emerged, but this one was serious — definitely need-to-know. “Can it break my bones?”

  “No!” he replied, quick and huffy. “Nor can it punch a hole through your skin. And its teeth are so dull I doubt it could make the first mark, even if you offered up your own arm for an hour — so quit stalling.”

  “Does it fly, too?”

  “NO!” Tanner snapped and charged to the doorway, only to send me on through with a push. “One head, two arms, and two legs. Much more maneuverable anatomy than the chimera’s.”

  I shook off his shove with a jerk. Good to know, I affirmed and then turned to scope out the murky mess I’d gotten myself into. My surroundings lightened in an instant, almost if someone had turned up the dial on a dimmer switch. This chamber wasn’t anything like the chimera’s. Mystified, I stroked my sneaker across the soft, grassy ground. A forest lay before me, filled with leafy green plants and towering trees of all kinds. I followed their reach to what appeared to be the makings of an early evening sky — not too dark, not too bright. Some sort of magic had lent a hand in its fabrication. Not only did they feed these creatures, but I was also guessing their habitats had been tailored to their tastes as well. Suddenly the painstaking way my bedroom had been decorated didn’t seem as special, just a hospitable act to “accommodate all the guests’ needs”, quoting the house steward’s exact words.

  I ventured noiselessly through the soaring columns of pines with my eyes and ears on high alert. The air was hushed and heavy. There wasn’t a single sound that could steer me to wherever this balegore might be. A wary vibe inched down my spine. Despite the fact that I’d come in here looking for a fight, my suspicions feared that this thing might be watching me, right now. I rectified that real quick.

  Invisibly, I crept my way across the wooded terrain. My eyes surveyed the dense landscape relentlessly with each and every step. I had no idea what I was searching for. It would’ve been nice to have a more detailed description to go along with the name, something more helpful than “not the smartest creature”. At least it didn’t fly. That allowed me to concentrate the scope of my focus on the ground. I carried on with my hunt for several more minutes. I wasn’t sure how far this chamber reached. If it defied the laws of physics like Beatrix’s armoire, then I was in for one hell of a hike trying to track this thing. I spotted a modest rocky cliff up ahead. It wasn’t that high, maybe twenty-feet, but it would serve as a decent lookout tower. Both of my hands were needed to scale its side. With a speedy wave, I retracted my blade, hol
stered my hilt, and gave my palms a good & ready rub to prepare for my climb. It didn’t take too long to reach the top. One good thrust and I was back on my feet panning the woodsy scene. I scanned the valley three thorough times, but all I saw were the same stationary trees and static vegetation — no movement, no creature, not even a rousing breeze. As much as I wanted to avoid a butt-kicking, I was a touch disappointed.

  Where is this thing?

  I plopped onto the ground, resigned like any seasoned hunter to the notion that I would have to wait out my game. At a time like this, I kind of wished my diamond blade were the size of a dagger. Passing the time filing my nails sounded a lot more entertaining than twiddling my thumbs in wait.

  My lips puttered out a sigh when I caught the time on my watch. Twenty-five minutes had passed and still no sight of this balegore. My patience was waning at a gnawing rate. To move things along, I retracted my golden veil. Tanner had said it wouldn’t matter anyway. Whatever that meant. Might as well get the party started.

  Fifteen more minutes had ticked away, and I was no closer to my face-to-face with this creature. Surely it knows I’m here? Who knows? Maybe it’s scared? Maybe this balegore is never coming out of hiding? The volumes of books I had to pore over swirled in my head, followed by numerous lectures about gemstones yet to be covered, and even learning how to concoct witchy potions. Excuse me, “alchemic” potions. And I couldn’t forget the Latin lessons. This seriously felt like a huge waste of time. Time I could be learning. Time I could be fine-tuning my combat skills. Time I could be spending with Tanner.

  Maybe I should head back and concede defeat? I’d pulled more hard-time with Charlotte. I could put up with a meanie for a couple of hours. A rumbling sigh rolled through my mind. EVERY DAY… Tanner wouldn’t have ordered “conditioning” if he honestly thought I didn’t need it. I could suck it up and surrender to his demands. Less the man-muscles, I affirmed with a stout nod. A girl’s got her line. My stubborn hide idly sitting here wasn’t getting me anywhere, especially where I wanted to be, in front of my mentor. With my concession finally settled, I rose to my feet. Even if it did paint another sanctimonious smirk on Silas’ face, I was simply that determined to get going with my training and just that damn bored.