by Lisa E Parry
Warwick intruded on my sombre mood, “Don’t worry, I won’t be feasting on your neck in the night,” I didn’t answer but felt embarrassed he’d heard that. “Stop worrying, your fast heartbeat is giving me a headache.” He sat beside me on a log and rested his arms on his knees. “I heard you talking to Cheri; I think I can manage another two days.” I looked at him, knowing it would be difficult for him. He looked off into the distance. “I’ve had worse.”
Thinking back to Henrik’s place, I remembered him almost losing control and feeding off one of the hurt boys in our class simply because he was bleeding. I had fought him off. “Yes, you have,” I agreed. I traced the scar on my wrist beneath the bracelet concealing its damned presence.
Warwick took a hold of my wrist and looked at the bracelet with the dragon charm attached. A small laugh. “We all do it you know. Toy with our scars when we think back.” His voice was gentle and sympathetic, and I wanted to give in to despair. Tears swam into my vision and I looked away. Sympathy right now would be my undoing.
“You know what, Warwick? I think that place broke me. I can’t seem to escape the memory of it.” To my surprise I felt his cold hand slide into mine and I looked back at him, “Maybe I could handle all this better if I wasn’t so … unstable.”
“I think you’ve done well to get this far. Perhaps going through what you have has prepared you; otherwise this would have been more than just a culture shock.”
I wiped away my tears, “I suppose.” Uncomfortably, I took my hand out of his. After all, Viola had informed me somewhat of Warwick’s affection towards me.
“Bad news, I’m afraid.” Oliver popped into existence, startling us both. Cheri, Neil, Aidan and Adhelm came over to listen in. “I decided to see Dorian and he wasn’t happy.” He turned to Aidan. “He’s way ahead of us by the way and is going to ride through the night.”
“Let’s go then.” I was the only one who stood. “Come on you lot!”
Adhelm stood and walked over to me, his white hair almost glowing in the fading light. He placed an old gnarled hand on my shoulder, “It is his path, not ours. We must stay and get some rest so we can move on tomorrow, my child.”
“Sod our paths. We need to stop him from getting himself killed.”
“Melissa, show some respect and remember who you are talking to!” Cheri cut in. This silenced me. I couldn’t believe I had lashed out at someone so powerful.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Are we just going to let him die? I’m sorry but I can’t let that happen.”
“It is not in our power to help him now. We must trust in his abilities to keep himself alive.” Adhelm replied gravely. He strode over to Oliver and I felt him draw power in so he could grasp the ghost’s shoulder. “You must keep an eye on him, my friend. Let us know which direction he is going in and keep us informed that he is well. Will you do that?”
Oliver eyed Adhelm’s hand then looked over at me and nodded. He would do it for me. None of that was good enough for me though. I wanted to take immediate action. Distraught, I walked away to sit alone behind an outcrop of rocks and tried to gather my thoughts and control my temper in solace. I closed my eyes and focused on the part of my mind that Dorian occupied. I poked and prodded at it until an image flashed before my eyes ...
His horse thundered beneath him - I could almost feel its muscles bunching under his legs - and the cold wind whipped his hair around his face. His eyes were focused on the horizon and I felt his hell-bent determination. Fatigue flooded through our bond. His surroundings were so different from ours - he was miles ahead. It was rockier and Dorian meandered through bushes and mounds of rock. It was difficult territory and Dorian really was rocketing at high speed. The vision left me and I raised my knees up to hug them. I never imagined in my life that anyone would do something so selfless for me and now I might very well lose him.
The sun was sinking beneath the horizon and a light fog had rolled in out of nowhere to blanket the hills. I foolishly searched the fog for any sign of Dorian in the distance, but I knew I wouldn’t see him. A thought occurred to me then and I searched with my mind for Dargon, that beautiful dragon.
“Are you there?” I looked to the horizon.
“Of course, we are kindred spirits. Your soul is troubled,”he replied. I was surprised he responded so quickly and felt warmed when he mentioned we were kindred spirits. The weight of his huge mind pressed on mine, but not in a bad way. It felt soothing to speak to him through my mind; it almost filled the gap Dorian had left by blocking me.
“I don’t know what to do.”I felt the dragon absorb my mountainous weight of worry.
“He is fine for now. I am watching from a distance.” Reassurance ebbed through my tense muscles. I was so relieved that I wept.
“Thank you, thank you so much. I am in your debt.”
“I’m just glad to have you back.”More of that warmth spread through me. Was I responding to his words or was it my previous life’s spirit?
“Possibly both,” he answered my thought. “I’ll be seeing you.” Our comforting connection dissipated. I wiped at my face and stood up. Brushing dry dirt off my cloak and dress I heard someone behind me.
“You have a strong relationship with Dargon. It’s nice to see he has a friend.” It was Adhelm.
I frowned, “How did you know?”
“Cheri and I can feel it. Only kindred spirits can have such a strong bond. I believe you do not know the full extent of his power.” Adhelm pulled his long robes up a little to step closer to me. “Did you know he can take human form?” My only reply was my jaw dropping. Adhelm nodded and his eyes crinkled at the edges with a smile making his blue eyes twinkle. “He is a Shifter.”
I finally found my voice, “I can’t even imagine…”
“No, you won’t. No one knows his true form. However, I have heard tales of the red dragon taking human form and I am told he is of such perfection, and emanates such power, that nations would hand over their countries to him just to please him.”
“Wow.”
“Why don’t you try it?” he asked.
I looked at him thoroughly confounded, “Hey, if I could improve on this, then believe me I would.” I gestured to myself, my insecurities hinted at.
Adhelm chuckled, “Try changing into an animal.”
“Oh.” My cheeks heated.
“Someone has already been experimenting, I suggest you help each other out.” I wondered who he meant, but my unspoken question was answered by Warwick rounding the corner.
“What the…? Can you change?” I asked incredulously.
“I pretty much know what to do but I haven’t actually tried it,” he said sheepishly. Adhelm gave him a wilting look that Warwick actually flinched away from. “Okay, okay. I have successfully changed into something, but it’s very minor.”
I hitched up my skirts and quick footed it to him. My heart rate picked up. If I could change into a bird or a wolf, then I could catch up with Dorian. “Show me.” The old sorcerer left us to our own devices.
I felt Warwick draw power in, a heck of a lot of power, and wondered if he was strong enough to do this. His aura began to glow, and it billowed out in a bright blue light. It was beautiful. I sent in a trickle of my own magic to see how he did it and waited to see what he turned into.
His aura took a solid form around him: instead of a soft glow it encased him, and then it seeped back into him as though it were going to shape him from the inside out. I felt his genetics mutating. He was sweating profusely and began breathing raggedly. I felt immediate concern: vampires don’t breathe unless under stress. Finally, a flash of light blinded me, my thread of power cut off and I fell to the floor.
My eyes adjusted to the dim light and I sought out my friend. He lay on the floor unchanged. It hadn’t worked. I crawled over to him and shook him, but his eyes remained shut. “Warwick!” I yelled. Still no movement so I shook him even harder hoping he hadn’t burnt himself out. “Warwick, don’t do this to me!”
I smacked his face.
Suddenly, he took in a deep shuddering breath and I sagged with relief. “Maybe next time, eh? You scared me. It’s not worth it if you could kill yourself. Interesting how you attempted it though - I believe it is possible.”
He didn’t say a word as he slowly stood up. When he had fallen he had scraped his head on a rock. I pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed the blood away waiting for it to heal instantly before my eyes. It wasn’t healing …
“What’s going on?” I asked confused. But then I looked into his eyes and they were still green, but a regular green. They didn’t have that alluring light to them. His skin had a tanned hue to it with a touch of pink. I stepped back in shock as I realised what he had done, only for him to step forwards and take my hand. The feel of his warm skin made me gasp. He took my hand and placed it on his chest. There it was - a strong and definite thudding.
He smiled, “I’m human.”
Chapter 13
Coherent thought evaded me. On instinct I wanted to pull away from him, but I couldn’t. Curiosity had me touching his warm soft cheek, noting his breath on my face and I took another look at those human eyes. Just to double check, I placed my fingers at his neck, and yes, a steady pulse was present. I jumped back as though physically shocked.
“I’m hungry for… a burger or something. No, make that pasta, mmm. I’ve missed pasta, and Italian cuisine, and wine …” He spun off at an Italian tangent. With no idea what he was saying, all I could do was listen to his normal voice - no alluring tone to it.
Coming back to my sensibilities, I shook my head. This is crazy and against nature. I ran back to camp, my shaking legs making me stumble over hummocks of grass in the disappearing light. “How did you know he could do that?” I demanded of Adhelm.
“Do what?” Cheri enquired. “What were you two doing back there? It felt…powerful.”
“I aided him with the theory of transformation,” Adhelm interjected and I glared at him. On cue Warwick joined us - out of breath.
I pointed to him. “He’s human! He can shift into human form!” My voice shook with its implications. What he had just done was a game-changer. Everyone stopped what they were doing and gaped at him.
“I don’t believe you,” Cheri replied nonplussed, but I spied uncertainty in her face. Warwick approached her and took her hand to place it over his heart. Cheri’s face paled and her eyes popped open. Neil had joined her, possibly seeing Warwick as a threat, but after observing Cheri’s expression he felt for a pulse on Warwick’s wrist.
“My God,” he marvelled. Shell-shocked, he retreated a step from the phenomenon that stood before him.
“At some point, you have to teach me this.” My eyes found both Warwick’s and Adhelm’s.
Someone had not expressed his surprise though. Oliver was present, and the look on his face frightened me. He looked furious - I had never seen him furious - even his fists were clenched at his sides. As everyone gathered around Warwick, Oliver took a few steps back and then another two. For a moment he met my eyes and I shrank away from the ferocity in his usually playful clear blue gaze - then he disappeared. The exchange had left me breathless. Something had changed within him.
We rode hard for another two days. As the second day began to draw in I caught a glimpse of Grassmire. We rounded a gently rolling hillside and paused at the sight of the small village, nestling in a shallow valley. It was already in shadow because of the height of the surrounding dominant mountains, but on the facing hillside the shadows of sparse trees were long and stretched out. The few cirrus clouds above us took on an orange and golden hue as if slowly catching fire. I marvelled at them. The sinking sun surprised my face with its welcome warmth, and I smiled, feeling a little comforted. It reminded me of Dartmoor.
“We shall arrive at the village by nightfall. There we can find lodging and supplies.” Aidan turned to me, “I shall pose as your warrior from now on. It is imperative that I am not recognised, or even noticed.” I nodded to him, but felt the vacant presence of Dorian.
“I am in good hands.”
We cantered steadily down the sloping knoll. The cloak of night wrapped itself around us and the temperature dropped considerably. We were all in a pensive mood, still stewing on what Warwick had accomplished earlier that day. He couldn’t maintain it for long, but it was momentous nonetheless, and we were stunned by it. Both Adhelm and Warwick had been teaching me how to transform. A fear of the process going badly stopped me from trying. I had the demented image of being a mash-up of two animals - and unable to turn back. My mind began cooking up twisted and bizarre combinations; half chicken, half elephant…
We entered the village, and it felt like we had stepped back in time. The roads were packed dirt and the buildings for the most part were timber-framed and ramshackle. They became larger as we ambled further in - two storey constructions leaning precariously at odd angles. No chance of me setting foot in one of those death traps. Some of them must have had the help of magic in defying the law of gravity.
There weren’t many people around because of the lateness of the hour, but those who were invariably stopped and stared at us. So much for keeping a low profile…
We came upon the local tavern, called ‘The Boar’s Tusks’. Neil went in under Aidan’s instruction and secured our lodging for the night. The plan was to rest and buy supplies in the morning. I was disappointed to find I would be sharing a room with none other than Cheri, so I sat feeling melancholy at our table.
“Anyone looking at you people would be inspired to slit their own throats,” Warwick declared. I looked around to find everyone else looking as gloomy as me. He took one last look at us and then made his way to the bar with a sigh of disgust. I thought I heard him say: “Well, at least you all fit in.”
I rolled my eyes and turned inwards - into my own world. Before all of this, I was happy - wasn’t I? I mean, I got bored, and yes, I’d imagined a livelier lifestyle; but being so far from home and with a chance of not returning, it was finally starting to sink in. I flexed my cold hand that should have been warmed by Dorian’s, closed my eyes and pictured the house he’d had built for us. We would’ve been happy there. I should’ve listened to Dorian and stayed put. Damn my curiosity! But how would everyone have coped without me?
Despair was crashing in on me when Warwick returned suddenly to our table, heaving and retching. He fell onto a stool beside me, sparks flying from his fingers. We immediately sprang into action. Cheri fell in beside Warwick to hide his powers. Aidan and Neil stood up, watchful for any possible threat. Adhelm moved in closer.
“What happened?” Cheri asked urgently. I was too shocked to find my voice.
Warwick wiped at his mouth and settled before he answered, “Something is very wrong with the barmaid I just tried to drink from.” He coughed again, “I couldn’t drink from her. Something is wrong with her blood.”
Aidan stood ramrod stiff. So much for keeping Warwick’s diet under wraps. Cheri made a disgusted grunt, “So? Maybe she has an illness?” she said dismissively.
“It’s not like that. It’s like … she’s not human. Her blood has been … mutilated, altered.”
“By magic?” Adhelm asked.
“I don’t know, possibly … or poison.”
Aidan and Neil sat back down with no further sign of imminent danger. Aidan looked to Adhelm, “Could Anarch have poisoned their water supply, knowing we would come through his way?”
I found my voice, “What would poisoning a whole village of people accomplish? How would that personally attack us?”
We fell quiet for a few breaths when Adhelm broke the silence, “They don’t look ill.”
“Zombies?” I asked feeling stupid - but hey, if I’ve learned anything, it’s that everything is possible. I received questioning looks from the Otherworlders.
Cheri sighed with exasperation, “The walking dead. The reanimation of a dead body to walk the earth once again.” The two men looked horror-struck. It would’v
e been wrong to laugh at them.
“These exist in your world?” Aidan questioned with obvious revulsion.
“No. There are a lot of stories and films … plays about them, but they absolutely do not exist.” Cheri explained. However, I couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling.
“Cheri, Anarch is a necromancer. It’s possible.” My voice shook and the resolve on Cheri’s face faltered when I added, “I should know.” I didn’t want to mention it, but I had to. “There was a spell in the Magia Ater for using the dead as an army. Bile rose in my throat at the memory of it.
“Oh yes, the Magia Ater.” Adhelm added. It was mine and Cheri’s turn to look shell-shocked. How could he possibly know of that evil book?
“What do you know of that book?” Cheri snipped, trying to keep her voice level - her cool façade cracking ever so slightly. I leaned away from Adhelm on instinct.
“I saw it in the girl’s mind,” he nodded to me. “It was the book of black magic, I believe?” I sighed with relief, although I couldn’t help but notice Warwick eying the old man suspiciously.
Cheri regained her composure. “Yes, indeed. Though I refuse to believe these people are the walking dead. They don’t even look half-rotten.”
“Maybe they only died yesterday?” I added.
“Look guys, I don’t think they are zombies,” Warwick interjected. “The mere thought of drinking from the dead is setting my teeth on edge. And besides,” he added, plucking at the blood staining his brown cloak, “her blood is blue.”
Aidan stood. “We cannot stay here; we are in danger. Someone has meddled with the law of nature - for what reason I cannot be sure - but it would be unwise to remain and find out.”
“Here, here!” Warwick agreed and stood with him.