The Change

by Lori Aisling

  “Damn it, imbecile! Go catch that fucking horse! We need him!” Caspian heard a female voice behind him as two, dark-clad men ran after his steed.

  Attempting to rise to his feet, Caspian’s runes began to throb, and a deep, green glow filled the air around him. Reaching over his shoulder to manifest a weapon, he felt a sharp blade dig into his back.

  “Easy there, soldier,” he heard the female voice say. “You should have taken me up on my offer, it would have been much more pleasant for you. Stand up; but don’t make any sudden moves or I’ll use this handy blade to sever your spine. Do you understand?”

  Caspian nodded and struggled to his feet, his vision still cloudy. “What do you want from me? I have nothing of value,” he said.

  Walking in front of him, he saw the woman from the eating house. Instead of the chocolate brown eyes she had batted at him during her flirtations, they were now solid pits of black. “We know who you are, Caspian. And we know who you are looking for. What we don’t know is where she is; you are going to help us find her.”

  “I would rather die, and you know that,” he spat.

  “I would never ask you to betray your beloved Balance,” the woman cooed. “But she needs you, all four of you. Fear knew we would be able to find at least one of you. That idiot let Ristan slip through his fingers. But now that we have you, we know that as soon as the Balance has awoken, she will need all of her Others if she plans on defeating Chaos. We will plant clues to your location and once our trap is in place, she will come for you. It is of no concern whether she is alone or has the other three. She won’t have her full strength and will be completely unprepared. We’ll kill her, and any of her Others that she has with her.”

  “Who are you?” Capsian asked.

  “What does it matter?” The woman asked as she walked around him and slid the blade lightly across his stomach.

  “I like to know who I kill,” Caspian snarled.

  “So violent! Don’t you know that violence against women is frowned upon in this shitty realm?” She smirked.

  “You are no woman, demon. I see your black eyes. Let me send you back to the hell you serve,” he growled.

  “You will see who I serve soon enough. In the meantime, let’s get you settled into a more fitting environment. We wouldn’t want one of the VIP players of the precious Balance to have anything other than five-star accommodations.” Nodding her head, Caspian watched two more men, also dressed in black, move behind him.

  “Watch him closely. He is quick, powerful, and twice the man any of you will ever wish to be,” the woman smirked. “One mistake and he will have your head on a plate and your still-beating heart in his hand. Get him moved to the location we secured. Do it quickly. Here’s an idea; knock him in that thick head of his again- that’ll do it,” she shrugged, turned-heel and walked out the door.

  The second she exited the building, Caspian spun to his left and grabbed the closest man by the throat. Digging his fingers in deep, he squeezed hard and twisted. Hearing a pop, the man issued a garbled cry as Caspian jerked, ripping out his throat. Spinning towards the second man, he swung his fist hard, connecting with the assailant's solar plexus. A whoosh of air left the man’s lungs as Caspian grabbed both sides of his head and spun it, breaking his neck. Seeing three more men circling him cautiously, he reached behind him and manifested a sword. Smiling at the three men, he motioned them towards him.

  “Come on, boys. It’s three against one. You aren’t scared, are ya?” He mocked them, slowly advancing on them.

  “Oh for fuck’s sake! Do I have to do every God damn thing myself! I swear you all are fucking worthless!” The woman shrieked as she re-entered the stables. Raising her hands in the air, then pushing them towards Capsian, he felt a sharp blast of power as it slammed into him. Picking him off the ground and hurtling across the stable, he hit the wall, hard, then slid to the ground. Seeing three blades pointed at him, he glared at the woman as she walked between the men.

  “Like this, you fucking idiots,” she said, as she swung a thick board, connecting with the side of Caspian’s head. His vision swam, then everything went black.

  Bristol

  Under the cool night air, Bristol let out a contented sigh. Naked and laying on her back with Ristan and Bror on either side of her, she let her fingers dance over each man’s bare chest. Hearing a giggle, Bristol bolted upright and looked behind her. Jessie stood a few feet back, surveying the scene of lovers.

  “Payback for all the times you boys have seen me naked!” She laughed. Turning and looking away to give them privacy, she addressed the group as they grabbed clothes and began dressing. “I agreed to take the first watch, remember? It’s about that time. I’ll make myself scarce and check the horses. You three take your love triangle back to the cabin and I’ll come to get Ristan when it’s his turn.”

  Bristol burned a bright red and Bror and Ristan just chuckled. The guys pulled on their pants and boots as Bristol dressed. Once in the cabin, they quietly made their way to the pile of blankets that served as their make-shift bed. Boz was already softly snoring on his cot across the room.

  “When all of this is over and we save the realm, we are going to get a big house with separate rooms for everyone!” Bristol said to both men.

  “Just make sure our room is the biggest. There is no way any of your Others will be delegated to a room away from you, love.” Bror said, arching his eyebrows at her.

  She felt her body flush, thinking of her two Others she had yet to meet. Her feelings for these two had grown so much, she couldn’t imagine how full her heart would be if Caspian and Bane were as well-suited to her as Ristan and Bror. But then again, they were made for her. Four men, just for her. The thought made her smile and butterflies flitted in her stomach. Even though they had huge battles and a terrible responsibility, she was grateful to the gods for giving her men that she could not only fight with, but love. Wait- love? Did she love Ristan? Bror? How could she love not just one man, but two so soon after meeting them? Reflecting on her feelings, she thought of all they had been through so far and everything each man had done to help her. Add to that their tender touches and unquestionable devotion and Bristol had no question that if she didn’t love these two men now, she was falling fast. She had never been in love before, so how would she know now? As they settled into the blankets and pillows, she pushed her butt into Ristan and he curled up behind her. She had her head on Bror’s chest and he was stroking her hair, each of them content and lost in their own thoughts. Bristol closed her eyes and felt her body relax as sleep crept up on her.

  Without warning, an image flashed, blindingly bright and sharp in her head. A large man with a short-trimmed reddish-colored beard and deep green eyes had a smaller man dressed completely in black in a vicious chokehold. Green runes danced up the big man’s thick arms. In the next image, the same man was being hurled across an open room, maybe a barn or stable. Bristol saw him hit the wall with force and immediately she felt a sharp pain in her head, causing her to wince. The next image was a woman with solid black eyes and an evil smile on her face. The woman swung a big chunk of wood and at the second of impact the image went black and Bristol’s eyes shot open. “Oh, God!” She cried out as she shot out of bed, grabbing her head between her hands. “What do Bane and Caspian look like?” She asked the guys.

  “Bristol, what’s wrong?” Worry was etched on Ristan’s face.

  Bror stood and gripped her shoulders, concern in his eyes. “Tell us what’s going on, love,” he said.

  “Which one has green eyes, a short beard with a little reddish hue to it and longer hair, about like both of yours?” She cried out, tears filling her eyes. “And runes! Green ones.”

  “Gods, Bristol. What did you see, woman?” Ristan stared at her, his worry turning to astonishment. “That is Cas.”

  “They have him, Ristan. They have him and they hurt him.”

  Ristan’s jaw clenched and fury filled his eyes. “Who has him, Bristol?
What did you see? Tell us everything, every little detail.”

  “How can she know any of this Ristan? Our Other has never had foresight. Bristol, did you see this through his eyes or as an onlooker?” Bror asked.

  Boz raised off his cot and looked over at the trio. “Whoa, guys. Look above you. That might answer some of your questions.”

  All three of them raised their eyes to the ceiling where Boz’s gaze was captured. Swirling above them was magic. It was dim as if it were about exhausted, but it was there all the same. Bristol’s yellow, golden glow, Ristan’s amber, and blue from Bror.

  Ristan and Bror looked at each other in amazement before looking back at Bristol.

  “By the gods. That’s the magic Bristol sent ta her Others,” Bror said, astonished. “I have never seen magic return ta its caster.”

  “She sent it with her wish. Perhaps her desire to know the state of Caspian and Blane made it return to her and that is where the vision is coming from?” Ristan questioned.

  “I don’t know what’s going on, but I know that Caspian is in trouble! And we need to find him. We need to go.” Bristol stated, her decision made.

  “You need to rest, Bri,” Boz stated. “You worked really hard today on your powers and traveling is going to exhaust you further. Shouldn’t you rest and we can leave at first light?” Boz asked.

  “There is no way I will be able to sleep knowing that he is captured and hurt. You guys rest. I will start getting our stuff packed up while you unwind.”

  Boz crawled off his cot and started folding his bedding. “That isn’t how this works, lass. I will help you. There isn’t one of us that is going to go to bed to sleep knowing you are worried and doing all the work.”

  The door flung open and Jessie stood in the doorway holding her clothes to her chest to cover her nakedness. “Holy shit, you’re all up- good. We have two large cat-creatures out there. I saw them about 50 clicks from the cabin.”

  Jayson walked into the room, bare-chested, his jeans hanging low off his pelvis. “What’s going on out here? It sounds like a fucking convention with all the damn noise. And how far, exactly, is a click?” he grumbled.

  “Suck it up, vamp boy. We got big-ass white cat things out there. I shifted and tried to trail them for a bit and they just friggin vanished. I hauled ass back here hoping they hadn’t circled back around me,” Jessie said.

  Filling Jayson in, Boz paraphrased. “Bristol had a vision. Caspian is captured and injured. Then Jess came in and,” he spread his arms out as in presenting Jessie’s entrance.

  “Well, shit. Looks like we are moving out. Let’s get goin’,” Jayson said, running his hands through his messy hair and grabbing a saddlebag off the floor. “I’ll get the room packed up.”

  “Tell us what you saw of the cats, Jessie,” Ristan said.

  “Bristol was right. They are big, for sure. But way bigger than fucking dogs, sorry Bri. They look like male lions. Except their body hair is longer too. Not as long as the manes, but shaggy more like the dogs she spoke of. Their manes aren’t white, though. I know it’s dark, but my cat has great night vision. It looked like their manes are actually like a navy blue color. I know that sounds weird, but it wasn’t black or brown. It was friggin blue. And they have blue striping on their front legs, but it’s more faded. And shit, when I say they are big, I mean big. Like kick-my-ass, no doubt about it, HUGE,” she answered. “But just like last night, they didn’t seem to be acting aggressively. They avoided the horses and the house. Like they are just scoping the place out. I think they were on to me when I started to tail them and that’s when they disappeared. One second they were there and the next, they just vanished in the trees. That’s when I got creeped out thinking maybe they had circled back around me and I was going to get my tit in a wringer so I hauled ass back here.”

  “Jayson and Boz are right. We need ta load up and go. There will be no rest tonight. We would need ta address the cats even if Bristol had not had her vision. Knowing that my brother is injured will weigh heavy on my mind until we find him.” Bror said. “We can watch for the cats as we travel. From what Jessie has described, they are obviously other-worldly, although I have no recollection of anything matching that description in all my time, regardless of the realm or Re-Order.”

  Ristan ran his hands through his hair, lacing his fingers behind his neck. “This Re-Order is unlike any other. We are going to have to be extra vigilant as we are basically traveling blind. There are just too many unknowns.”

  Shoving supplies in a saddlebag on the counter, Bristol replied. “Welcome to our world, boys. You guys have gotten used to knowing what was going to happen, which foes you would face and how the Balance, or me, whatever, was going to behave and react. If this shit seems new and unnerving to you, imagine how we feel.”

  Ristan

  Once the horses were loaded, Jessie once again slipped out of her clothes with Bristol following suit.

  “No way, woman,” he growled. “Mount up with me or with Bror, but I will not have you unprotected in your shifted form with two unknown predators lurking.”

  “My shifted form isn’t defenseless, Ristan,” she argued. “I do pretty well with the chayn when I’m shifted.”

  “We know nothing about this new potential threat, Bristol. For all we know, they could be immune to your defenses. I will not argue with you. Pick a mount and load up. I will choose for you if you fail to act.”

  Glaring at him, she stomped over to Sleip and Bror extended his hand to her. “He’s right ya know, love. We need you ta be safe. Caspian needs you safe, too,” he said. Pain filled her eyes at the mention of her Other that she had seen injured and captured. Silently she swung up behind Bror and the team headed out with Jessie taking point, weaving in and out of the trees.

  Ristan sighed and hung back. He knew she was angry with him, but dammit, he would not let her risk herself. He knew in time she would come to understand all the dangers that a Re-Order posed, but she was still so new to the risks. Thoughts of her being injured, or worse, filled his mind. His beast snarled in anger and Ristan felt him trying to take control. Ristan shoved him back and took a deep breath. Never, in any Re-Order, had The Balance affected him in this way. He had always been devoted, loyal and committed to their cause. He loved her- but this time was different. This wasn’t just a job and a woman he was made for. This was a woman for whom he would challenge the gods. He watched her riding ahead of him, her lithe, graceful body swaying to the gait of the horse. He felt himself getting hard imagining that supple body on top of him, moving in a similar motion. Her head thrown back, that look of surrender, acceptance, and bliss on her face; the look that drove him mad with want. Shaking his head to clear the image that was doing nothing for the uncomfortable bulge in his pants, he focused on the scene around them. It was dark, only the light of the moon illuminating their way. He caught glimpses of Jessie as she weaved through the forest ahead of them, ever watchful. Seeing movement out of his left peripheral vision, he swung his head in time to see one of the large cats they had been watching for disappear behind a cluster of Ponderosa pine trees and sneak out the other side. Not wanting to alert the cats that he had seen them, he reached out to Bristol and Bror silently.

  “To the left. They are tailing us. Keep the group tight. We need to get Jessie closer without alerting them that we are aware of their presence.”

  “I see him, brother. You get word to Boz and we’ll alert Jayson.” Bror said.

  Ristan sidled up to Boz and clasped the man’s shoulder. When the Fae gave him a confused look, Ristan nodded his head in the direction of the cats. Boz’s eyes spoke his understanding and he nudged Max closer to the group. Ristan saw Jayson doing the same thing, but he could see Jayson’s concerned expression as he looked around frantically for Jessie. Materializing out of the undergrowth, the tigress moved in close to the horses, looking first at Jayson, then back to Ristan. She knew- good. If they were going to engage two large beasts that size, they needed more sp
ace to fight. The tight quarters of a small trail with the dense forest was detrimental to their plight. At least this way, the beasts would not be able to isolate one member and pick them off in typical large cat fashion.

  The group traveled in close formation for another couple of hours, watching constantly. Occasionally, a flash of white could be seen, but the big beasts were generally well hidden. Ristan was confused about why they had not attacked. They were obviously following and flanking them but seemed disinterested in going on the offensive. He wondered if they were spies for Chaos. In that case, they would need to be dealt with. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Chaos realized The Balance had awakened, but he hoped to keep that secret for as long as possible. Life was going to get really difficult once that bitch knew about Bristol. As the trees started to thin out, he could see that they were headed out of the forest and in the dark, he saw a large, open expanse in front of them. Nudging Phase forward, he took point, watching for the cats. Speaking only to Bror, he made the command clear. “If they attack as soon as we hit open ground, you keep her safe. I don’t care if you have to run. Do not let her out of your sight, do you understand?”

  “Watch it, brother. Ya act as if you are the only one that cares for her. Any risk ta her will have to go through me first,” Bror growled.

  Breaking into the clearing, Ristan surveyed the scene in front of them. There was no sign of the cats. As the group moved forward into the open space, the silence of the night was broken by a piercing scream.