The Rabbit And The Raven

by Melissa Eskue Ousley

  “Well, how did I do?” David asked her.

  “You were perfect,” his mother smiled.

  “Thanks.”

  “How do you feel?” she asked.

  “Terrible,” David sighed, “but I’ll be okay, once I get some sleep.” He was weary, but they still had a long ride home. “I’m glad we were able to help.”

  “I think what you did today went a long way toward earning the trust of the Plainspeople. I imagine the story of how you rebuilt their village will spread far and wide,” Eulalia noted.

  “I didn’t rebuild their village,” David yawned. His eyes felt heavy with fatigue, but he managed to keep them open and focused on the forest path. “I just raised their barn.”

  “Nevertheless,” Eulalia smiled, “it was spectacular.”

  When they arrived back at the castle, Abby and Cael helped David off his horse and up to his room. He was leaning on them so heavily that they were bearing most of his weight, nearly carrying him. He looked exhausted, his eyes half closed.

  “I need to make security rounds with Phelan,” Cael said, helping David sit down on his bed, “but do you need anything before I go?”

  “I have him, Cael,” Abby reassured him. “Thanks for your help.”

  Cael nodded and closed the chamber door behind him.

  David lay on his bed, too tired to change his clothes. Abby pulled off his boots and then sat beside him, stroking his hair. “Why don’t we get you under the covers?”

  “Okay,” David yawned. He rolled to his side so Abby could pull the covers down and then rolled back the other way, so she could pull them up over him.

  Leaning in, Abby kissed his forehead, caressing his cheek. “I should let you rest. Sweet dreams.” She turned to go.

  He reached out and grabbed her hand, his grip surprisingly strong, considering he was so tired. “Stay with me. Please?”

  Abby looked at the chamber door for a moment, considering. “Okay,” she agreed, and lay down beside David. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer.

  She lay awake, watching him, listening as his breathing deepened when he drifted off. She was worried about him. He was new to using his power, and he was getting stronger, but it seemed like he had paid a heavy price for using it in the village. What kind of price would David have to pay when they finally went to battle? What toll would facing Tierney take?

  Abby closed her eyes, but when she opened them, she was no longer lying next to David. She was no longer in the castle. She was sitting on the steps at the beach below the Newcastle Beach Inn, wearing the gown she had donned the night of the Autumn Ball. The crests of the waves were glowing bright white in the light of a full moon.

  “Is that seat taken?”

  Abby looked up to see David coming down the steps as he had that night, dressed in his suit. “All yours,” she said, smiling.

  “For how long?” David asked.

  “For always,” Abby said.

  David took her hands and helped her to her feet, pulling her close to him, like he had done that night. Then he grinned. “Fancy meeting you here, stranger. I like this dream.”

  She laughed. “Me too. Let’s stay a while.”

  “Only if you dance with me again,” David bantered.

  “I think I can manage that.”

  There was no music this time, but it didn’t matter. Abby settled into his arms happily and they shuffled around, her head nestled against his shoulder and her eyes closed.

  A moment later, a shriek pierced the air—it sounded like a woman’s scream, and yet somehow also like the screech of a bird of prey, honing in on dinner. It made Abby’s skin crawl.

  “What was that?” she whispered.

  The night sky seemed to darken. “Look,” David said, pointing at the moon above the ocean. A dark, winged figure was silhouetted against the circle of white.

  There was a rustle behind them, and Abby looked over David’s shoulder to see thick, black smoke rolling down the steps like a low fog. “No,” she said. “Not again.”

  David whirled around, saw the smoke, then looked up at the sky again. The winged thing was diving toward them. He turned Abby to face north, pointing her in the direction of the old mansion. “Get to the portal. Run, Abby. Run!”

  Abby started to run, but turned back. David had vanished, and in his place was the white lion. The lion growled a warning to her as the smoke gathered in drifts around their ankles. Then she turned and ran.

  At that moment, David startled awake as Abby sat bolt upright in bed, letting out a gasp as if she had been held underwater and was desperately trying to breathe.

  He sat up beside her and wrapped his arms around her, and she crumpled into his embrace. He lay back down, pulling her with him so that her head lay on his chest. Her skin felt cold, so he pressed her closer, trying to warm her up.

  “Shhh,” he said as he stroked her hair, breathing in the clean scent of her soft skin. “It was just a dream. It wasn’t real.”

  “No,” she said, trembling against him, “but it will be. Something very bad is coming. I saw...”

  “No, don’t,” David interrupted, placing his hand on her cheek. “Don’t tell me your dream, Abby—remember, we’re supposed to tell Eulalia first. Then we’ll know for sure if we made a connection. Even though we both know we did.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes wide. “Then you saw it too?”

  “Yes. But don’t talk about it now. Close your eyes, okay? I’ll help you fall back asleep.”

  Abby looked doubtful. “I don’t think I can sleep anymore.”

  “Just close your eyes. I’ll distract you.”

  Abby reluctantly closed her eyes.

  David focused on enveloping her within his warmth as he returned to stroking her hair. Before long, her breathing deepened, and he kissed the top of her head before drifting off again himself.

  Hours later, he awoke to a soft kiss on his cheek. “Good morning,” Abby said.

  David smiled. “Hmm, good morning. I like having you here with me when I wake up.”

  “Me too. How do you feel? I was really worried about you last night. Yesterday was exhausting for you.”

  “It was, but I’m good now. I think having you close helped.” He felt strong and refreshed, with none of the dizzy fatigue that had overtaken him after he used his power.

  “It helped me too—especially after that nightmare,” Abby admitted.

  “Yeah, that wasn’t too fun, was it? I think we need to go have a chat with my mom, and with Cael too. I need some answers about those Daughters of Mercy.”

  After finding the queen and sharing their dreams separately, David and Abby went with Eulalia to speak with Cael in the armory.

  “You are right, David,” Eulalia said as they walked. “You and Abby made a clear connection this time. You seem to be making progress.”

  “What we saw in the dream—is that going to happen?” Abby asked.

  “Perhaps not exactly, but there seem to be noteworthy elements. The figure you saw in the sky does bear a striking resemblance to a Daughter,” Eulalia said.

  “What are they?” David queried.

  “I can answer that question,” Cael interrupted, stepping out from the armory. “But not here. Come with me to the library. There is something you need to see.”

  He turned down a hallway and led them to a large room with floor-to-ceiling shelves laden with scrolls and books. They followed him to the area that housed maps and Cael selected one, unrolling it on a large table.

  “This is a map of Cai Terenmare,” Cael began. “Here you see the castle in which we stand, the forest that surrounds Caislucis, and the Great Plains on the western edge of the Barren. To the north of the desert is a stronghold used long ago in the war against the Kruorumbrae, and further north still, lies the Northern Oracle’s territory.

  “The Southern Oracle’s territory, as you might guess, is south of us, in the center of a rainforest. Here, on the eastern border of the desert
is the city of the Eastern Oracle. There have been rumors of late that the Blood Shadows have been gathering near the city. Here,” he pointed to a spot inside the boundaries of the Barren, not far from the city, “is the Eye of the Needle. It is a rock formation resembling a tower. At the top is a cave that forms the Eye. That is where the Daughters of Mercy reside.

  “Now, as to what they are…they look like beautiful winged women, but they are not women. They are predatory in nature, but pride themselves on being just, preying on those who have committed some wrong. Like some of the oracles, they have a history of remaining neutral in the battle between the Light and the Shadows. However, over the years, they have begun to reveal a darker side and are no longer preying only on the unjust.”

  “Is Erela one of them?” David asked. He thought about the way Erela had behaved during training—his intuition about her predatory nature had been spot-on.

  “She used to be,” Cael answered. “She dissented when the choice of prey began to change, and was cast out.”

  “Do you believe they were responsible for the attack on the village?” David asked.

  “Yes, I do,” Cael stated. “But, until now, they have remained on the eastern side of the Barren. The question is, why have they attacked a village on our side of the desert, and what have they done with those they have taken?”

  “How do we find the answers to those questions?” Abby asked. “Can’t we just have Erela talk with them and find out what’s going on?”

  Cael looked at Abby. “I am afraid it is not that simple. Were Erela to return to the Eye of the Needle, the Daughters would surely tear her apart,” he explained.

  “Oh. So that won’t work,” Abby said.

  “No, it will not,” Cael agreed. “The Daughters of Mercy are not known for compassion, whatever they may call themselves. However, the oracles may have the answers we seek. If we can win them to our cause, we may also convince the Daughters of Mercy to join us. Perhaps then they will release the villagers.”

  “If the villagers are still alive at that point,” David noted. “Seems like we’re risking their lives in seeking out the oracles first—they may not have the luxury of time.”

  “Nor do we,” Cael said. “But I see no other options. I do have good news, however. I received word from Nerine this morning. She accepted the nomination to be the new Western Oracle and is coming with a small cohort of her kinsfolk for the induction to the post. Her messenger said they will arrive tomorrow, soon after our training exercise.”

  “That’s great,” David said, smiling. “One down, three to go. Well, two, assuming the Northern Oracle is still with us.”

  “Excellent,” Eulalia exclaimed. “We must make preparations for tomorrow’s ceremony. I must also speak to you further about your latest dream. David, now that you have dreamed about changing to your animal form, are you ready to try the transformation?”

  “I suppose so. Fergal makes it look so easy, but honestly, I don’t know where to start,” David admitted.

  “Well,” Cael said dryly, “the library is certainly not the place to begin. I imagine Gorman would object to you running amok in here.”

  Stunned, David and Abby exchanged a look. They both stared at Cael for a moment and then burst out laughing.

  “Did you just make a joke, darling?” Eulalia asked, hiding a smile.

  “Yes, I believe I did.” Cael seemed a little surprised himself.

  “You are working your magic on him, Eulalia,” Abby quipped.

  Cael grinned—another rarity for him. “Oh, come on then—out to the training lawn.” He grabbed Eulalia’s hand and led the way.

  As they walked together, David and Abby continued their discussion of dreamwalking with Eulalia.

  “So in the dreams, I can’t really change the outcome, can I?” Abby asked. “I’ve heard about lucid dreaming, and that’s the idea there, that you take control...but this is different, isn’t it? I can’t make the Shadows I see disappear, much as I’d like to.”

  “Yes,” Eulalia confirmed. “Your goal is not to control the dream, but rather to observe so you can see what the future might hold. However, you can connect with another dreamer, and push that person with your mind as you communicate in the dream. In that sense, you do have control, and you may in some way affect the future.”

  “What do you mean, ‘push them?’” Abby queried.

  “When you are awake and someone is experiencing a strong emotion, you feel it, do you not?” Eulalia asked.

  “Yes. Like certain times when I interacted with Lucia, or the way I could sense the Kruorumbrae’s desire to feed. It was physically draining,” Abby said.

  Eulalia nodded. “Exactly—you feel the emotion and you absorb it. There is a physical effect. But you can also push back, influencing the other person. If, for example, the person was angry and you wanted to calm them, you would first discipline yourself to be calm. Then you would project that emotion onto your target, pushing them in the same way their anger pushed you.”

  “Oh man, it’s like a Jedi mind trick,” Abby said, passing under the archway that led to the training lawn.

  “It totally is,” David smiled. He stopped walking and waved his hand in front of Abby. “These are not the androids you’re looking for…”

  Abby laughed. “Wish I’d known about this before. I could have bent all kinds of people to my will.”

  “Abigail Brown, sociopathic mastermind,” David grinned. “I suspected as much.”

  “Yeah, you have no idea,” Abby laughed, elbowing him. “I’ll be trying that evil little trick on you when you least expect it.”

  “Hmph.” David crossed his arms and pretended to be annoyed. “We’ll see about that, Master. Now, if we’re done focusing on you?”

  “But of course, my liege. Proceed,” Abby said, bowing.

  “Finally. Sheesh,” David added, sighing dramatically.

  He turned to see Eulalia and Cael exchange knowing smiles as they watched the banter between him and Abby. He wondered if they ever had conversations like that. They seemed so serious sometimes, but maybe things had been different before they became responsible for an entire kingdom. He hoped that he and Abby would never lose that sense of playfulness, even in the face of an oncoming war.

  Chapter Five

  TRANSFORMATION

  When they made it to the training lawn, David took a deep breath. “All right then. How do I start?”

  “Focus as you do when you use your power at other times, and think about becoming the lion. Let the feeling of that flow through you,” Eulalia said.

  “Okay, got it. Become the lion—simple enough.” David closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. Then he opened one eye again. “Wait—same process for changing back, right?”

  “Correct.”

  David opened both eyes and looked at her seriously. “And when I change back, I’m not going to be standing here naked, am I?”

  Eulalia laughed. “No—not at all. This is not a physical transformation—it is spiritually based, with an outward manifestation that is physical. It is as if the animal form surrounds you.”

  Abby put her hands on her hips. “Quit stalling, Corbin.”

  “Okay. Just checking.” David squeezed both eyes closed again and concentrated. He expected to feel the usual warmth radiating throughout his body, but he felt nothing. He squeezed his eyes tighter, waiting for something to happen. After a few moments, he opened them again. “Nope. Nada.”

  “Try again,” Eulalia encouraged.

  David closed his eyes and focused, but nothing happened. “Sorry—I don’t think this is working. Maybe I’m not a lion after all. Maybe I’m destined to be that ferret.”

  “It was a weasel, actually,” Abby grinned.

  David narrowed his eyes at her. “Thanks. That’s very helpful.”

  “Weasel?” Eulalia asked.

  David shook his head. “Never mind—it’s just an Abby thing, created for the sole purpose of tormenting me. I�
�ll try again, but maybe if I saw one of you do it first? Cael, do you mind?”

  “Happy to oblige,” Cael nodded. In an instant, he transformed into a beautiful wolf.

  “A wolf,” David grinned. “Of course he’s a wolf—I guess I could have seen that one coming. And he makes it looks so easy, doesn’t he?”

  Cael transformed back. “But, I am not a white wolf—just a common grey one.”

  Eulalia took his hand. “You are anything but common, love.”

  Cael smiled and held her hand to his lips, kissing it gently. “Thank you, my sweet.”

  “I have a thought,” Abby uttered hesitantly.

  David looked at her, raising his eyebrows. “A helpful one this time?”

  Abby rolled her eyes dramatically and then smiled. “Yes, dear. A helpful one. Whenever you changed forms in my dreams, it was in reaction to me being in danger. Maybe that’s what’s missing. You don’t have the same incentive.”

  “Okay, so what do you suggest?” David asked. “Should we have Cael wave a sword at you?”

  Abby shook her head. “No—I was just thinking that you could focus on that thought and channel how you might feel if I were in a dangerous situation.”

  “I remember how I felt when I thought Calder was going to kill you after I went through the mirror. I certainly felt like I could do some damage then,” David said.

  “Yes—see, that’s good. Use that.”

  “All right.” David closed his eyes once more. He relaxed his breathing and focused on an image of Calder springing up from his muscular hind legs, vicious claws and teeth going for Abby.

  David could feel the air around him change, rippling against his skin as if he were standing in a column of hot vapor. Then he opened his eyes and looked down to find that his hands had been replaced by large white paws. He stretched, testing his muscles, and then sprang into motion, bounding down the length of the training lawn.