The Changing

by Jeremy Laszlo

  Taking his place upon the floor, Seth shifted to lift Sara’s head as the last of the evening’s light began to fade from the room and the remaining bats began to stir. It was then that the creature, Seth’s ultimate failure, began to thrash about wildly. Seth looked, expecting to witness the beast’s death throes, but found that it had indeed managed to heal, though the process had drained the creature of an immense amount of life, so much in fact that it was unlikely it would survive the night. So diminished, Seth wondered if the beast would have enough life left to have his intended effect upon Sara. Doubting his prisoner would be enough, Seth turned his gaze upwards to the now stirring bats, just as they began to drop from the ceiling and take wing, one by one fleeing through the portal in the stone above, disappearing into the night.

  No time to waste, Seth jumped back to his feet and reaching out with his mind stole one of the last bat’s wings mid-flight. Careening into the wall the beast came crashing down from above where Seth caught it before releasing it upon the ground below him. Looking back up, Seth watched as the final bat climbed through the air, flapping its great wings, to exit the chamber. Seth targeted this beast as it made the hole in the ceiling, and as it cleared the hole it too dropped from the air wingless, bouncing off the floor of the chamber above before it came spinning down through the portal and through the air into Seth’s waiting arms below.

  Having two more subjects to work upon, Seth gauged Sara’s progress. With the current rate of her dwindling aura, she had until sometime in the early morning. Feeling assured he could complete them both before dawn, Seth went to work transforming his latest two victims. Seth worked on through the night, perfecting his transformations, and two hours before the sun rose Seth was finished. His first completed creature had expired during the night, so Seth had used the belt to bind one of his latest mutations and the tunic to bind the other. This time however Seth was careful and kept them well enough away from him and Sara, as well as from each other, so that no one accidentally got bitten. Seth felt assured that one of the small creatures would suffice, but having a back-up couldn’t hurt his chances. Now Seth was ready, and his plan was simple.

  Seth needed to join the once-bat creature’s life force with Sara’s when her own life force was near diminished, making the larger portion of her aura like that of the bat creature, giving her the optimum opportunity to heal quickly. But the risk was twofold. Not only was she losing her life's power at an alarming rate already, but the healing process itself would consume a large portion of her life force. If Seth did not time the transfer precisely Sara would be lost to him forever.

  Gauging once again Sara’s remaining time Seth made his last preparations at an attempt to save her life. Reaching across the circular stone room with a tendril of his magical mental power, Seth snatched the altered life force of one of his creations and contained it within himself, holding the life prisoner. Seth then reached inward and drew out several small portions of his own immense life force and too held them at the ready. Prepared as best as he was able, Seth waited for the precise moment he would need to take action.

  * * * * *

  Sara remained in darkness lost to the world, lost to the man she loved and lost to everything and everyone she had ever known. She wished only that she had been able to tell Seth goodbye, for even now she knew she was faltering. Sara had no idea how long she had been swallowed in this eternal darkness, only that it felt to her an eternity had already come and gone. She assumed that she had died at the battle with Seth clinging to her body, but she hoped that somehow he had managed to live and that even without her he could somehow find happiness and peace.

  Sara alone knew the thin line Seth walked in entirety, and was aware that it was her love and encouragement that kept him from faltering and falling into despair over his many responsibilities and loyalties. Seth was an uncommonly burdened man in a vicious balancing act where any false step could lead him down a path of ruin, not only for himself but for all those to whom he swore his allegiances. Sara feared that in her absence Seth might lose his way, becoming obsessed with his newfound power, and destroy the relationships he held with all he loved and cared for. There were others who loved him and looked out for him, but Sara loved him like no other ever could. Although it would be so easy for Sara to now let go of her tenuous hold to this incorporeal plane of darkness between the world of the living and the abyss of the dead, she could not let go of Seth. It was her love for him that kept her here, and his love for her that lent her the strength to remain, but something was slowly wasting away from her and with it her grasp upon this plane began to loosen.

  Chapter 4

  Unlikely Allies and Unwanted Responsibility

  Borrik awoke slowly just before dawn, and although he felt rested he could not bring himself to open his eyes, wanting just a few more moments’ reprieve. The night had been odd for Borrik, filled with strange dreams and nightmares, but even the nightmares seemed to deepen his rest. He had dreamed of many normal things throughout the night, if you could truly call the dreams of a half-man half-wolf normal. Some of his dreams were even enticingly pleasant, arousing urges within him he had not felt in many years. Borrik had dreamed of a pack of wolves racing through some unknown forest in an unfamiliar land, and also of rutting with more than one of the bitches in his pack. It was an odd dream for a human priest, but not odd at all for an alpha wolf. But those dreams were fairly normal Borrik supposed, remembering them both fondly, his eyes remaining closed.

  It was the vision of Seth and Sara that seemed an oddity to him. During the darkest hours of the night, as Borrik lay asleep upon the naked ground, he had had a vision that to most would have been described as a nightmare of his master and the woman he loved. In the vision both Seth and Sara had been altered into vicious monsters that ravaged members of their own kind, feeding upon their flesh with insatiable hunger. Though the vision had been a dark macabre thing filled with blood and gore, it had brought a form of peace to Borrik as he slept, lending him a deeper belief that his master had managed to survive his magical blast, and beyond that, had somehow managed to resurrect his fallen lover.

  As Borrik lay upon the earth, his eyes closed, he slowly gained higher levels of consciousness and the details of the night's dreams began to fade. With the fading came a rush of images from his pack, each of them more urgent than the last, but such was the jumble of thoughts and emotions, Borrik could make no sense of them. Against his will he opened his eyes and was caught completely off guard. Unsure what had ensued as he slumbered, and looking around himself, the immense wolf man found himself surrounded with dozens of pairs of eyes locked upon him.

  It was by far the most unpleasant awakening Borrik could recall in his entire life, and he could not believe he hadn't awoken sooner. But startled to complete wakefulness, Borrik regarded his men gathered around him. Finally beginning to make sense of their onslaught of unspoken messages, Borrik turned his gaze to his own feet, or rather the two forms that slept curled into one another at his feet.

  Sometime in the night Seth’s two feminine feline creations had crept into camp unnoticed even by the watch that had been set. For some reason or another, probably to cause mischief, the pair of exotic beauties had curled up at Borrik’s feet, where they now remained, themselves just beginning to stir. Borrik’s troops were at a complete loss as to what to do with the pair of feline girls. They had allowed the intruders to slip through their defenses, a huge failure on their part, but the pair had done no harm either. The pack of two dozen of Seth’s magnificent wolf men and women were at a complete loss. Their feral instincts told them to kill and perhaps eat the girls, their human instincts told them to leave the girls alone as they had done nothing to warrant mistreatment, but none had been given any orders as how to react to such an intrusion and as such each looked to Borrik for some guidance.

  Borrik could feel his troop's dilemma, and more or less it amused him as he waved them away with a gesture, not only answering their questioning gazes
with the gesture but also sparing the girls the shock of waking amongst a ring of feral men with lusty hunger in their eyes. Seth’s second-in-command watched as the two young women began to stretch their muscles and joints, their bodies entwined with one another. Unlike his kind, these feline women wore bare chests, their humanly breasts and abdomens all the way down to below their navel remaining naked, leaving no curve or portion of their anatomy to the imagination. The remainder of their body, apart from a great portion of their faces, was covered in a short soft coat of golden honey-colored fur, with spots shaped like rings of a darker, richer color akin to that of copper. The girls stretched and yawned together for long moments before either bothered to open their eyes. Borrik observed as, disentangling themselves, the girls petted and caressed one another erotically, taking both comfort and pleasure in the other. The show aroused Borrik unnaturally and he was forced to turn his gaze elsewhere lest his feral urges overcome him. Calming himself, Borrik rose to his feet and began to stretch his own muscles, wishing he had taken the time the night before to remove his armor. Finally, after long minutes of purring and pawing one another, the feline sisters opened their eyes, and leaning into one another sat upon the ground staring at Borrik, a mischievous smirk on both their faces.

  Borrik, not knowing what he was supposed to do with the pair, simply waited to see what they would do next. Several more moments passed but they carried on staring at him and he gazed back in annoyed silence until he could take no more.

  "What do you girls want?" Borrik asked. His tone clearly showed his annoyance, but at least he had managed not to bark at the girls.

  "Who said we want something?" the older girl replied. Borrik realized he was unlikely to get a direct answer. Damned cats, why were they always so evasive?

  "Well then girls, why are you here? You could have been hurt strolling into camp like that," Borrik pointed out.

  "We came to see where you were heading." This time it was the younger girl who spoke, a sly grin parting her lips.

  "We're headed north," Borrik replied. "You’re welcome to travel with us," he added, knowing the girls were ill prepared to wander alone.

  "Why north?" The elder girl spoke again.

  "We're looking for Lord Seth. We believe him alive and so we search for him," Borrik responded.

  "Then why north?" the younger girl demanded. Apparently they were taking turns aggravating Borrik.

  "Our men have split up to cover all of the human lands, and seeing as those lands are primarily to the north, that is our direction," Borrik said, clearly irritated.

  "That’s a shame," the older girl replied.

  "We can't come with you," the younger girl added.

  "What? Why?" Borrik questioned, thoroughly confused.

  "Because Lord Seth isn't north, silly dog," the younger female snickered.

  Now Borrik was becoming truly annoyed with the girls’ game. If they had some information, for insanity's sake, why would they not just spit it out?

  "Listen here girls," Borrik said in a menacing tone and jutted his finger in their faces, to which the younger girl responded in a way Borrik had never imagined. As he pointed at them she raised her paw and batted at his finger half a dozen times like a kitten with a string.

  "Sorry I do that sometimes," the young girl apologized, blood flowing into her cheeks. "It's just dangly things...I can’t resist it."

  Borrik was momentarily at a loss for words, but knew he needed to question them further.

  "Why is it you say Lord Seth is not to the north?" Borrik asked. This time Borrik tried a different approach and made sure not to sound too stern or serious, playing the girls’ own game.

  "Because he's not," both girls replied in unison. They were enjoying the game immensely.

  "How would you girls know where he is, if he isn’t to the north?" Borrik asked. This time he sounded doubtful, hoping to lure the girls into answering his questions as if he didn’t believe them.

  "A kitty always knows where their master is." This time it was the older girl who answered, a cocky tone to her voice.

  "I see." Borrik answered. "If it is so simple then why won’t you tell me where he is?" Borrik questioned further. It was an odd feeling, but Borrik believed the girls. Cats were mysterious creatures, whose minds worked in puzzling ways. Borrik had watched strays upon the streets of the city of Valdadore for years, and although they always appeared to meander aimlessly, if you watched them long enough you would soon realize that they only and always moved with purpose.

  "We can’t tell you, poor li’l puppy," the younger girl replied. She was attempting to set him back on edge.

  "But we can show you," the older girl added.

  "Why can’t you tell me?" Borrik asked, honestly interested in the answer.

  "Because we have never been there, and don’t know where there is," the older girl said.

  "Please explain yourself," Borrik replied, realizing this conversation could go on for days.

  "We can feel him, and I assure you he isn’t north," the younger girl answered. She had a saddened tone to her voice now, upset that the word game was over.

  "Can I count on you two girls to lead us to him?" Borrik asked, his tone serious once again. This time neither of the girls was quick to form a response, and looking into each other’s faces, as if communicating telepathically, they sat silently for a moment before once again turning their attention back to Borrik.

  "We will lead you to him, though at a distance," the older sister offered.

  "Yeah, you doggies smell terrible," the younger girl explained.

  Having his answer, Borrik subliminally gave two orders simultaneously to his men. First he ordered all of his men to collect their things and prepare to leave, and second Borrik ordered four of his men to find the rest of his troops that were scattered across the lands and bring them as quickly as possible to catch up. His orders given, Borrik then relayed to his men that they were changing direction and heading east through the forest, having ascertained at least the direction in which their master could be located. Before he could even finish relaying his orders, Borrik watched as the sisters rose and raced off into the trees heading due east. Borrik was not concerned. He would be able to follow the girls' scent easily enough, and as for their own safety, Borrik did not imagine the girls would race too far ahead. In less than ten minutes Borrik and his troops broke camp and began to give chase. Borrik could not help revealing a wolfish grin when he realized the irony of a pack of wolf men chasing down a pair of feline females.

  * * * * *

  Seth remained at the ready for nearly three hours. He watched as Sara’s life slowly drained away, knowing he would only get one attempt to save her. Seth felt in his heart that his plan would succeed, and that there were no other possible options for him to choose from. Thus decided, Seth hoped he had a good understanding of what he was about to do. He knew instinctively that there could be unwanted consequences from this course of action, but with no other available options what choice did he have? He had spent all the time available to him perfecting his plan and so lowering the risks of possible side effects to a level he felt was safe for the woman he loved. So he watched, long into the night, as Sara slowly and inevitably slipped from this world into the next. Seeing Sara’s aura draining away, Seth waited until the very last possible moment when her aura was barely perceptible even to his trained eyes. As the last fading morsels of Sara’s own life diminished Seth rushed to carry out his plan.

  His hand resting upon Sara’s bare forehead, Seth released the life within him that previously sustained his first altered bat and sent it coursing through her body. Watching nervously for any sign whatsoever, Seth, in the darkness of their chamber, could perceive no change in the dying woman he adored. As he had expected the life flowed into Sara flawlessly, melding with what little remained of her own aura, and as expected it still continued to dwindle. Though he saw no immediate signs of improvement, Seth was still relieved that as far as he was able to d
istinguish, Sara had not altered physically in any way. With nothing else to do for the moment, Seth simply continued to watch with his vision of the gods as Sara’s newly mutated aura too slowly diminished. Seth did not wait long. Only moments after infusing Sara with the foreign life force, she took a dramatic, though expected, turn for the worse.

  Just as Seth had intended, the bat's ability to heal quickly had transferred to Sara. However in her dire state, with little precious blood in her veins and a gaping wound on her neck, Seth had not expected the reaction to happen so violently. Seth scrambled both in fear and excitement as Sara’s aura began to pulse faster and faster as the power within her began to drain at an alarming rate while at the same time her entire body began to give off its own eerie glow. With the glow spreading through her body, Sara’s aura began to dwindle faster and faster, and as if taken by the throes of a fever, Sara began to thrash about the floor violently. Seth tried to restrain her, using his own body weight to press her down to keep her from injuring herself further, but it availed him little. Sara, infused with the alien power, was altering in levels beyond Seth’s understanding, but the results were nearly exactly what he had hoped for. As Sara’s ghostly glow began to fade, blood once again began to flow from the wound in her neck. Then Seth realized his error. Sara’s aura was growing incredibly weak once again, her body having consumed the very power sustaining her life to recreate the blood her body needed for survival. Trying to work around her thrashing limbs, Seth tore from his tunic a scrap of cloth and pressed it firmly into the wound in Sara’s neck. If he could not staunch the flow of blood, her body would be forced to continue creating more and more blood as it flowed out to pool on the floor, never giving her a chance to mend the wound from which the blood escaped. Watching as Sara’s glowing subsided, Seth recognized there was no longer life enough within her to sustain the healing process.