by Dave Ferraro
Chapter Ten
The cave was dark and damp, moisture glistening on the rock face as Shanna ventured deeper into its yawning mouth. Her footsteps seemed to have a mind of their own, for they were confident and sure, which Shanna herself did not feel in the least. If anything, she wanted to slowly back away until she was out of the horrid place. Waves of foreboding screamed at her that something very bad was in there, lying in wait. But obviously she was not in control of the present scenario, which was how she realized very quickly on this occasion that she was having another vision. She let it play out for her, not fighting against it. It was inevitable, after all. No amount of wishing or trying to control her actions would change things. She was trapped in the body of this person who had her face. In the past, she’d seen this woman as an innocent girl, as a calculating killer, and during her last vision, a confused girl in between. But she could tell by the movements that were slightly predatory, by the cockiness in how she held her head, that she was the vampire Diana at this point, having already grown comfortable with her life as a vampire. Remorseless, cold, calculating. Shanna felt sick at having to witness this creature’s atrocities, and wondered again how they came to be. But very quickly, she was jostled from her reverie by a presence in the cave.
It had been several minutes since Diana had entered the cave, and the tunnel had narrowed before opening up again into a room with stalactites and stalagmites reaching toward each other from their positions in the floor and ceiling like lovers, the smell of something rotten thick in the air.
Diana suddenly stopped, and through her vampire eyes, Shanna was able to see in the darkness. And she did not particularly like what she saw. Scrambling over rock very silently, a large creature on six legs approached, so black that it was almost hard to distinguish from its surroundings. It slowed as it grew near, as if inspecting what had trespassed into its den. It hesitated, as if it knew what she was.
Lifting the torch at her side, Diana quickly lit the cloth soaked in kerosene, illuminating the little room, and the creature, bringing it into horrible focus. While most of its body was positioned low to the floor, the black scorpion was still six feet tall, for its tail hovered just over Diana’s head threateningly. It clicked together its massive claws as its large beady eyes seemed to glare out from its alien face. A small dew drop glistened menacingly from the end of the barb on its stinger. The poison was a dark green and could be seen through the stinger, where more was housed, although it could hardly have taken much of the venom to kill its victim.
If Shanna could have done so, she would have looked away, but Diana didn’t waver in the least. In fact, if anything, she drew herself taller and managed a smile for the creature.
“I am Diana,” she said clearly. “I have come to speak with you, shape shifter, on behalf of the Highland Trolls.”
Immediately, the tail drew back, and Shanna cringed, expecting it to strike her. But instead, the tail shimmered, as did the rest of the creature’s body, melting into a liquid before becoming solid again in the form of a woman. The woman had pale skin and black hair and was dressed in a plain white dress. And while her eyes were completely black, without any whites to them, her most disturbing feature was her lips. They were a dark green, much like the poison in the scorpion’s stinger had been, with small green veins leading up to her mouth. She smiled cruelly with those lips, and with Diana’s eyesight, Shanna was able to see the poison that beaded from them.
“The Highland Trolls?” the woman repeated, watching Diana carefully. “I don’t believe you. The trolls speak an archaic language. Half of what they say is lost to the unintelligible sound of rock grinding rock.”
“They have a unique way of communicating,” Diana granted. “But I can understand them just the same. It is a gift of mine.”
The woman crossed her arms and took her in slowly from head to toe. “I sense truth in your words. Let’s say this is true. What is it that they want from Muriel the Great Scorpion?”
“They have a proposal for you.”
Muriel snorted. “A proposal?”
“Yes. They would like your protection against the humans that are migrating to the area, who destroy their natural habitat.”
“They do seem to be coming in droves. Go on.”
“Your shifting abilities will allow you to…discourage the humans from settling in the area, but also defend yourself, and them, should it come to that. The Highland Trolls haven’t that ability, as the tallest of them are ten inches tall. Even with their numbers, the humans overwhelm them with size and their swelling ranks.”
Muriel smiled. “Yes, The Highland Trolls are rather puny creatures. But what would they offer me in return for staving off this impending doom to their homes?”
“They would be your eyes and ears. As I said, they are many in number, and may gain access to places that many can’t with their size.”
“I am a shape shifter. I can gain access to any place I desire.”
“But you can’t be in more than one place at a time. The Highland Trolls can keep you one step ahead of your enemies, spy for you in multiple locations at once, travel to distant lands.”
Muriel considered. “And in return they only want protection for their homes?”
“That is all. But do consider that with the humans’ numbers increasing so significantly, it will only be a matter of time before they stumble upon your domain. Unless they have a reason to stay clear of this land altogether.”
Tapping her poisonous lips, Muriel watched Diana for a moment, her dark eyes unreadable. After a moment, she nodded. “I accept these terms. But how will I convey my directions? I can not speak to them as you can.”
Diana nodded. “One of their kind is gifted with telepathy that will allow you to converse freely. They were afraid to approach you themselves, so enlisted my aid.”
“And who are you exactly?” Muriel looked her over, unimpressed. “You seem to be a common vampire.”
Smiling, Diana shrugged. “That I am. But my gifts allow me to transcend my race.” She bowed her head. “I will deliver your answer to The Highland Trolls. They will send representatives in the morn.”
“Very well. Thank you for your aid in this manner. I suppose you expect to be paid for your services?”
“I already have an arrangement with The Highland Trolls. Have a good evening.” With that, Diana left Muriel, confidently making her way back through the cave, never worried once about Muriel or the poison her body created.
“Impressive, is she not, Hunt?”
Shanna would have frowned, if she’d had the option, but Diana didn’t give any indication that she’d heard the voice whatsoever.
Hello? Shanna asked in her head.
But the voice didn’t return, if it had been there in the first place.
Once outside the cave, Diana paused, glancing into the shadows to the right of the entrance. Another vampire seemed to materialize from out of the darkness.
“You were successful,” he said, a statement rather than a question.
“Of course,” Diana replied. “We must see The Highland Trolls for our reward at once.”
The man fell in line beside her as she walked briskly away from the cave. For a few minutes, neither of them spoke, but after a moment, the man turned to her. “You are very skilled at this work.”
“As a mediator? It’s an obvious use for my gift.”
“It seems that such a tool is wasted in trivial matters.”
Diana paused and looked at the vampire for a moment, as if wondering something about him, but Shanna could tell from the look in her eyes that her thoughts had nothing to do with the man in front of her. “Yes, it does,” she agreed, before continuing walking.
“A small errand births inspiration for greatness.” the voice returned in Shanna’s head, for she knew immediately that it had not come from their surroundings in the vision.
Shanna tried to locate the vo
ice somehow, in vain. It was definitely female, that much she could tell. Was there someone else who was forced to witness these visions with her?
“You must wake up,” the voice spoke once more. “And be made aware of your state.”
State? What state? Shanna wondered, as the world around her began to grow hazy and dark. Who are you?
“Shanna? Shanna?” A man’s voice. Not the same as the one that tried to speak to her in her vision.
She frowned, figures from her vision slipping away like phantoms, turning to smoke, her fingers going through them so that she couldn’t hold them no matter how she tried to grasp them. And then they were gone, and only vague wisps remained from her dreams.
And then she saw herself. She was floating above herself. Just inches over her own face, looking down at her body, her chest rising and falling slowly beneath her thin cotton shirt. She looked peaceful, her lips slightly parted, her hair fanned out over her head as if it had been meticulously arranged. Was that really how she looked?
Movement drew her attention from the corner of her eyes, and she turned her head to stare into a face that was watching her. It was bathed in shadows beneath a black hood, but she could just make out a row of smiling teeth that stretched from one side of its face all the way to the other, jagged teeth that came to a point and zigzagged with one another. As the hood shifted, a sprinkle of sand fell from its face and onto the bedspread.
The creature frightened her, but she somehow felt removed, just as she was removed from her body. And as she watched in fascination, he pulled at a thread that seemed to attach her floating form to her body. As she looked down at herself, she noted hundreds of thin blue threads like it. What did it mean?
“Shanna?”
She felt a jolt and she was suddenly very nauseous, and things were dark around her. She didn’t feel as weightless as before. She felt very solid.
The red light that invaded her vision told her that light was shining brightly on the other side of her eyelids. The sound of birds chirping rang in her ears. She wanted to escape the cheerfulness of daylight, and wallow in the mystery, try to decipher her night walk.
“Shanna,” a voice insisted. “You need to wake up.”
Shanna sighed inwardly, then tentatively lifted an eyelid, sunshine streaming in through the open curtains a few feet away. Outside the window, two birds twittered merrily amid the yellowing leaves of a sturdy Oak, not minding that they were assaulting her with their song. If she’d had anything in hand, she would have thrown something at them to scare them away.
And then she realized that she wasn’t in her room and blinked, recalling the voice that had cut through her dreams.
Quinn smiled at her sheepishly, from where he stood at the foot of the bed, looking down at her. His hair was wet and he smelled of soap, obviously fresh out of the shower. He was already fully dressed in Jeans and a plain white t-shirt, despite the fact that the sun was hardly clearing the horizon.
Shanna sat up, running a hand through her hair, and getting caught in a snarl. She smiled anyway. “Hey, Quinn. Good morning. I must have fallen asleep.”
“You’re a deep sleeper,” Quinn chuckled. “But you made it through most of the second movie. It wasn’t as good as I remembered anyways.” He shrugged. “Sorry I had to wake you, but I have to get going. Valor’s putting me through the wringer this morning, testing my stamina, speed, aim, etcetera, etcetera.”
“I remember doing that after my first mission,” she groaned, wiping a few grains of sand from her eyes. “Sorry I kept you up so late. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have tempted you.”
Quinn smirked. “But then I would still be wallowing in self-pity.” His smile faltered for a moment and a touch of sadness broke through, but he brightened again quickly. “Anyways, thanks for last night. And take your time this morning. Go back to sleep if you want, use my shower, whatever. There’s no rush.”
Shanna glanced over at an alarm clock that told her that it was just after six in the morning. She frowned, running her hand over the bedspread beside her, finding more sand. And then the end of her dream came to her, and she shuddered. The thing that had been watching her as she slept, floating above her body. It was very creepy stuff. And then she recalled her vision with Diana and rubbed her bare arms. “I think I will go back to sleep, but I’ll head back to my room. Thanks, though. And last night was my pleasure. We should do it again.”
Nodding, Quinn walked her out of the room. “Should I be nervous?”
“No,” Shanna said, trying to recall the rigorous training she’d gone through after returning from her first mission. “But I would probably score a little breakfast from the kitchen before meeting up with her. You’ll need the energy.”
Quinn groaned and left her at her bedroom door, humming a tune under his breath as he continued down the hallway.
Stifling a yawn, she slipped quietly into her room, stretching as she shuffled to her bedroom, where she planned to sleep a few more hours before starting her day. She had stayed up much later than she’d planned, hanging out with Quinn. She’d had fun though.
She closed the curtains in the living room on the way to her bedroom, then paused in the doorway, staring at her bed in wonder.
Cameron lay on her mattress, fast asleep.
Frowning, she glanced back at the door to her room. She never locked it, but she felt uncomfortable that someone had just walked right in, even if that someone was her boyfriend. If felt like he’d gone through her personal things, even though she was sure he’d just stopped by and hadn’t touched anything. It was her place, and she didn’t like someone just showing up when she wasn’t present.
She watched him sleep for a moment, admiring the innocence of his face, free of worry, unguarded. His lips looked soft and inviting, his cheek smooth. Then she crept a little closer and the scar on the other side of his face came into view. She had to swallow hard to keep from starting. She’d already forgotten about his glamour failing. Suddenly, she felt a little guilty for running off last night, even if it was to help comfort someone who needed her. Cameron knows people here, at least, she justified to herself. Quinn’s alone and vulnerable right now. And he just lost the only life he’s known, along with everyone in it. A scar is nothing compared to that.
But looking at the scar, Shanna doubted her decision. It was horrible. It made that peaceful sleeping boy suddenly look sinister and…frightening. She bristled as the word entered her head, but she couldn’t deny it. It made him look ghoulish, even if just past that visage, she knew he was a wonderful, warm person.
For a split second, she considered sleeping on the sofa, but decided that Cameron wouldn’t like that very much, waking to find he’d inconvenienced her, let alone that she hadn’t woken him the moment she’d arrived, like she’d snuck in. So she nudged him gently, and he stirred with a groan.
He blinked as he sat up, and smiled when he saw her. “Hey, Beautiful.” He paused as he took in the sunshine pouring in the bedroom windows. “Morning already?”
“Yeah,” Shanna said softly. “You waited up for me?”
“I didn’t think you’d be gone long. I don’t even remember closing my eyes.” There was a question in his voice, and for a moment, she felt anger rush through her. Who was he to ask her where she’d been? But, he was, after all, her boyfriend. And he knew she’d been out to see another guy last night, even if it had been platonic.
“I was up later than I expected,” she admitted, sitting down beside him. “I didn’t want to leave him just after he started to warm up to me. He’s so closed off most of the time.” She shrugged. “All I know is, I’m tired and need to sleep a little longer.”
“Didn’t get much sleep then?” he asked, watching her.
“What does that mean?”
He snickered. “Nothing. What were you doing?”
She stared at him. “Cameron, Quinn is a nice guy. He needs
a friend.”
“Did I say he didn’t?”
“No, but you…” She let her voice trail off, then sighed. “Forget it. Quinn has gone through some very similar things to what I’ve gone through and I empathize with him. Because I’ve been there for him, I feel like…I don’t know, he feels like a younger brother that I need to watch out for or something.”
“Alright, alright,” Cameron murmured, drawing her close. “Sorry, I was just concerned when you didn’t come back to the party last night.” He kissed her lightly on the lips, carefully avoiding touching her with his scar.
Shanna let out a deep breath and went limp in his arms as he pulled her close and leaned back onto the pillows. “I could use some more sleep myself,” he admitted, gently stroking her hair. “Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.” And she realized that she meant it. It felt nice in a boy’s arms. Safe. And Cameron smelled good for someone who’d just woken up himself. She shifted into a better position, and together, they drifted off to sleep. As Shanna felt herself sinking into unconsciousness, she recalled the voice that had interrupted her vision. The woman. She felt like she’d heard the voice before. However, she didn’t have much time to linger on the thought, as sleep claimed her and she found its embrace impossible to resist.