by H B Lyne
'See you next weekend, I expect,' Ben smiled. 'Cocktails at the new bar by the river.'
'Of course.' Ariana made a gallant effort to give him a broad smile and they said their goodbyes.
She set off walking quickly, she lived on the opposite side of St. Mark's. She knew the route like the back of her hand and although she was eager to get home as quickly as possible, she decided against taking the little short cuts through alleys that she knew so well, instead sticking to the bigger, well-lit roads.
A low snarl behind her made her pick up the pace, afraid to glance over her shoulder. Her heart hammered in her chest and she started running. There were more unfamiliar noises behind her and she let out a frightened cry and picked up the pace. At the next corner she grabbed hold of the iron fence and used it to pivot around the corner with extra speed and agility. She chanced a glance back and saw two huge dogs sprinting down the pavement towards her.
Ariana leaped up onto the wall next to her, still clinging to the iron fence that topped it and watched in stunned silence as a rangy fox leaped out of the shadows on the opposite side of the road, followed by a long haired dog that looked suspiciously like a wolf. The two new arrivals intercepted the vicious dogs heading for her.
Snarls and sharp barks filled the air and teeth snapped in warning. It was a stand off. Ariana watched, open-mouthed. The two dogs that had been chasing her were definitely wolves, as was the other canine that had come to her rescue, she was sure of it. The pursuing wolves slowly backed down, they turned and jogged back the way they had come. Her wolf saviour followed them, his nose to the ground, apparently escorting them off his territory.
The fox turned to look at her, his eyes were amber and glistening under the street light. She stared into the familiar eyes, a nagging sensation of a lost memory tugged at her and she slowly stepped down from the wall and took a few cautious steps towards the fox.
He stared at her, breathing heavily and sending out little puffs of hot breath into the cold air. She stopped and watched him, trying to read him, there was something about those eyes.
Suddenly the fox snapped his jaws and jerked towards her. Too much, too long. She understood him instantly and she stepped back, acutely aware of her surroundings once more, the spell was broken. She turned and walked briskly away, desperate to get home.
She didn't look back, but she knew he was following her, seeing her safely home.
10th November
Ariana hadn't told anyone about the encounter with the wolves and fox in the street. It was all too strange and she instinctively knew it must be kept private. Not just because it made her sound crazy, but she felt the inexplicable need to protect these strange animals by keeping their existence secret.
She went to work each day, aware of the hooded stranger's eyes on her. He never left her now. She felt safe, protected. She decided he was her guardian angel, not her stalker. Even when she had gone with Ben and Marcus to the new bar as promised, her guardian was there, hooded and hidden from view. He blended into the background somehow, but she knew he was there.
As she left work that Saturday night it was raining, the rain seemed relentless now that November had taken hold, she pulled her coat around herself and set off at a brisk walk. She looked around, waiting for him to appear from the shadows and follow her home.
After a block there was still no sign of him and she started to feel anxious. Her eyes darted around, searching the darkest corners, the deepest alleyways as she walked quickly through the wet streets.
A passing car shone its lights into the mouth of one such alley and she was startled to see two yellow eyes fixed on her. The lights quickly passed and the eyes were gone, but Ariana knew the fox was still there, hidden in the dark. She took a cautious step into the alley, her hands open at her sides, hoping that the fox would accept the gesture.
'Where is he?' she asked. She laughed a little at herself, surprised by the question, surprised at saying anything to the fox that she couldn't even see. For a moment she wondered if she ought to be embarrassed at herself, but decided quickly that it felt right to talk to this fox with the amber eyes. 'I'm worried about him. He's been there every time I've been out on the street for days now. Is he okay?'
She felt movement in the alley ahead of her and she took another cautious step, engulfing herself in the shadows, away from the orange glow of the street lights. Her eyes began to adjust to the darkness and she latched onto a shape nearby that seemed about right to be the fox. She knelt down, bringing her eyes level with his and slowly his form became more clear.
He stood looking at her, his eyes not quite making contact with hers, there was no other light to catch his eyes, so they were dark too. He let out a small noise in his throat, so dog-like and normal that Ariana was startled; she had almost expected him to speak. She stood abruptly and shook her head. What was she doing?
Without another word, Ariana turned and walked quickly back onto the street. She wasn't far from home and she finished the journey shaking her head and scolding herself.
Chapter Four
She was being chased by a dog that she couldn't see, but the world was wrong: twisted and frightening. She was running on four paws again, but she was in a panic, terrified of something she couldn't identify with her conscious mind. Maybe she was only scared of herself. She was sprinting along the street on all fours but she was wrong. Her run was more of a gait, glancing at a shop window as she sped past she caught sight of a twisted creature; part fox, part human, part bear. It was some awful combination of creatures and she howled in terror.
The dog chased her down, she couldn't outrun it, she found herself backed up a dark alley. She turned to face it as it prowled slowly towards her. It wasn't a dog, it was a sleek fox, shrouded in darkness, but for those yellow eyes. Suddenly she was not afraid. His eyes were soft, familiar and so comforting. Then just as she relaxed enough to feel her horrific form shifting into something more human, the fox shuddered and twisted before her and disappeared. In his place was a huge cobra. It launched itself at her and bit her arm.
Searing pain woke her and she leapt out of bed and went straight to the window, searching for her guardian, but he was nowhere to be seen. Staring out of the window at the empty street her arm gave a twinge. She looked down at it, eerie in the orange street light and saw wet blood glistening on her skin. With a small cry she dashed to the bathroom and ran cold water over her arm. The blood ran off down the drain and she watched as strange marks were revealed.
Scared, she went back to bed, wrapping a cloth around her arm and wincing with pain. She told herself that she had grabbed her arm while she was sleeping and that her finger nails had left those marks. But she didn't really believe it and she lay awake, afraid to close her eyes.
11th November
Ariana woke with a start. She had fallen asleep despite herself but still felt shaken. It was just beginning to get light outside, and the dull light was enough to see by. She looked carefully at her arm. Clear as day were fresh puncture marks on her skin, not deep, it had only been a nip by the looks of it and they were healing cleanly and remarkably quickly. She tossed the bloody cloth that she had wrapped her arm in into the laundry and paced her room. She searched her memory for something, some tangible explanation. She couldn't remember leaving her flat in the night, the fox definitely hadn't bitten her in the alley and the marks on her arm were clearly not the bite marks of any kind of dog. They were two neat puncture marks from a snake. She had to make sense of it all. The nightmare still felt as vivid as it had when she was in it and when she looked at her hands they were shaking.
Ariana dashed to her flat door, tried it and found that it was still locked, there was no way anyone or an animal like a fox could have followed her into her home and bitten her in her bed. But a snake could have found its way in without having to use the door. Ariana looked around her precious little flat cautiously, peering into corners and under her bed. There was no sign of a snake anywhere, but she knew it c
ould be hiding. She collapsed, her back against the bedroom door and closed her eyes. Tears began to leak out of the corners of her eyes, she made one small effort to stop them but quickly gave into it, sobbing loudly into her hands.
She felt so confused and afraid. Vicious wolves were chasing her in the street, bold as brass, a strange man was following her almost everywhere she went, and now she was turning into some monstrous creature in her nightmares and had woken with a real snake bite on her arm. How could this be happening? Was she going insane?
Anger fired up inside her, frustration both at herself for being so self-pitying and with the lack of available answers. She was the sort of person who always needed an explanation and who was self-sufficient. She felt anger towards her so called guardian, what use had he been in her sleep?
She strode to her bedroom window and looked out. He stood there, in his usual spot, looking right at her, his clear grey eyes sharp and bright. At his heel was the fox, his yellow eyes fixed on her too.
Ariana's anger faltered as she looked down into their eyes. All in one moment, she finally consciously acknowledged the possibility that the man and the fox were one and the same; then dismissed the idea, now she had proof that they weren't. The fox looked sad and concerned for her and so deeply apologetic.
A sudden urge to go to them took hold of her, she turned from the window and dashed for the door, grabbing a rain coat on the way and shoving her feet into her running shoes. She charged down the stairs two at a time and burst out of the building into the rain. They were gone. Her eyes flew up and down the empty street, she ran across the road and into the alley opposite. A metal bin lid was spinning its final circle before landing flat with a clatter at the far end of the alley, but they were already gone; over the tall, wooden gate.
She was about to turn and go back to her house when her fierce determination asserted itself once again and she sprinted for the end of the alley. She leaped up and vaulted the gate, landing squarely in her neighbour's overgrown back yard. With just a moment's pause she followed her gut and charged for the opposite fence, climbing it quickly, if a little clumsily, and dropped down into the next street. She ran blindly for a few seconds, the street was empty, but for a passing car. It was barely daylight, people were still in their dry houses eating breakfast before greeting the wet, November morning.
With a frustrated snarl, Ariana turned and trudged back home, sticking to the streets and keeping out of her neighbours' gardens.
Why had they run from her? If they were there to protect her and were sorry about the bite then why couldn't they talk to her?
Some dark and deeply buried memory began to stir as she reached her front door. She stopped and looked at the alley and then up the street. She remembered a blackout and strange animals fighting. She reached into her memory, clawing at it, searching for the rest, but it was like a wispy thread, just too thin and too swift to grasp.
12th November
I'm taking you out tomorrow night. Wear something warm and comfortable and practical shoes! R xx
Ariana found a smile as she read the message over a few times. Something stopped her from replying, some sense of wrongness with the world that made her want to hide away from it. She looked out of her window at the empty street. Had they abandoned her? They hadn't returned.
All the way to work that afternoon she looked around for a sign of either the man or the fox, but found none. Throughout her classes she was distracted and foggy, half remembered images of an inky blackness troubled the back of her mind.
Her last class of the day was a private lesson in Banshay and she went to fetch her precious swords from her locker in the staff room. The other instructor had finished and cleared out, but she could hear her manager, Ron, talking on the phone in his office. As she slid the dha out of their case, Ariana felt the steel humming within their scabbards. Ariana took the swords through to the small studio and unsheathed one of them. Running her fingers gently along the blade, she felt at peace.
Closing her eyes, Ariana lifted the sword and slowly passed it across her body, under her arm and back again. She repeated the move a little quicker and gradually picked up the pace, moving around in a circle as she twisted and spun the blade ever closer to her body. It became a dance, one she knew well.
Ariana felt energised and cleansed. She sheathed her dha again, ready for her student and pulled out her phone, quickly she punched in a reply.
Sounds intriguing. Looking forward to it :) xx
13th November
Boots on and coat zipped up, Ariana was ready at 7.30pm exactly when her doorbell rang. She ran down the stairs and flung open the door to greet Rhys. They grinned at each other for a moment before he drew her into a warm embrace, kissing her cheek.
'Hi,' she breathed in his ear, butterflies soaring through her stomach and up into her throat.
Rhys stepped back and gave her a quizzical look before gesturing to his sleek, black car behind him. Ariana locked her front door and allowed him to open the passenger door for her. He looked at her curiously again as he closed the door and Ariana felt a tug at her gut. She shrugged off the strange feeling and smiled at him as he slid into the drivers seat next to her. He smiled back and started the engine.
'I have something to show you.'
'Okay,' she replied slowly. She noted his heavy combat trousers tucked into big boots and his thick, hooded sweatshirt. This was no ordinary date.
He drove quickly across St. Marks, through a particularly rough neighbourhood a few blocks from her flat. Ariana tensed up in her seat and watched Rhys carefully, intrigued and a little nervous. The deserted, industrial streets gave way to wide, leafy avenues as they entered Crossway, one of the wealthier parts of the city. The houses here were large, terraced town houses, boasting elevated positions back from the road and cars much like Rhys's sat outside each house. Tall trees lined the road, their roots beginning to burst up out of the grey concrete.
On they went, out into the beautiful suburb of Fenwick. Once a separate village, Fenwick had retained its unique identity as the city of Caerton had sprawled east to meet it. It was a very green part of the city, with several large parks and wide streets lined with old trees. It was a very affluent area, with large detached houses behind electric gates and high walls. It was right on the eastern edge of the city and backed onto large woodlands. There was only one major road through Fenwick which passed right through it and out of the city, all other roads ended before the woods, which gave it the feeling of being nestled and protected by the ancient trees.
Fenwick sat higher than most of Caerton and Rhys drove them to the topmost hill and parked up by the side of the road. The forest lay ahead of them, there were no houses in sight and it was with a growing sense of apprehension that Ariana got out of the car.
It was a clear night and very cold, but Ariana was thankful for a break in the near constant rain and she looked up at the crystal clear stars above. Rhys appeared by her side and switched on a torch, which he shone at his own face and grinned.
'Have you ever been up here before?'
Ariana shook her head in reply and Rhys's face lit up with glee.
'You are going to love this.' He took her hand so tenderly and gave it a firm squeeze before dragging her at a brisk walk towards the trees and then bearing north through the forest.
They walked in silence for a minute, Ariana was watching the ground where Rhys shone the light and picked her way carefully along the roughly trodden path. She kept pace with Rhys but it was clear that his enthusiasm was getting the better of him, as he was almost breaking into a jog, navigating the rough terrain with expertise.
Suddenly they came to the edge of the forest and Ariana stopped abruptly, her breath catching in her throat. They stood at the top of a high cliff, Caerton spread beneath them as far as the eye could see. It shone brightly in the night, lit up by a million multi-coloured lights. Ariana gasped.
'It's incredible,' she whispered. 'Obviously, I knew the city wa
s big, but to see it like this,' she tailed off, lost for words.
'I know. The first time I came up here I couldn't believe my eyes. Below us there is Burnside and the city centre,' Rhys stood behind Ariana and wrapped one arm around her, pointing down into the city with the other. 'We're facing west. In summer the sunsets from here are just breathtaking. There's your neighbourhood, St. Mark's and there's Redfield.'
'Oh look,' Ariana interrupted, 'the Telecoms tower, there!' She pointed out the tall tower with its red light blinking at the top, it lay in the heart of St. Mark's, not far from where Ben lived. Beyond the familiar St. Mark's was the river, winding right across the city. It flowed from some place inland, through the city centre and out to the docks in the north. Finally spilling into the estuary with all of the detritus that it had picked up on its course. 'I can see the river too.' She grinned back at Rhys and he returned her smile.
Ariana nudged her nose up to his and felt him draw in for a kiss. Their lips met and she twisted in his arms to face him. The kiss was deep and dizzying and when Rhys pulled back Ariana took a clumsy step forward. He caught her easily and set her on her feet. Ariana felt her cheeks redden and didn't want to look straight up at him, but there was something unsettling that dragged her eyes up. She felt physically sick, the dizziness wasn't just from the kiss, her head was pounding and she saw spots before her eyes.
'Are you okay?' Rhys put a gentle hand on her arm and she leaned into him for support.
'Sorry, I'm not feeling well all of a sudden.' She turned and looked up at the sky. The stars blinked and the slip of a waning crescent moon wasn't enough to shine any light on her tonight. Her stomach lurched and she clamped a hand over her mouth, but nothing happened, the wave of nausea began to subside.
Rhys held her by the arm and rubbed her back gently.