The Change

by Lori Aisling

  “Chayn!” Jayson yelled.

  A group of about a dozen or more chayn was headed straight towards them. Ristan swung off Phase and manifested a long sword. “Kill ‘em all,” he snarled as he felt his beast rising to the surface. “But keep an eye out for the cats. We don’t need them surprising us.”

  As if they have been doing it for years, the group moved into a semi-circle as the chayn approached. Bristol unfurled her whip and readied herself with Bror and Ristan on either side of her. Jayson had morphed, allowing the vampire to emerge and Jessie stood next to him, growling deep in her throat. Boz took his place next to Ristan, his demeanor calm and focused. As the first chayn came into range, Bristol flicked her wrist and the whip snaked out, slicing into the chest of the creature. It screamed, and stinking black ooze slid out of the wound and onto the ground around them. The rest of the horde was close behind and the team engaged them with ferocity. As Ristan disemboweled one, he saw another fall in a noxious heap, beheaded by Bror. He could hear Bristol’s whip as it cracked and snapped in the air, ripping chayn apart. The vampire had impaled another and ripped its head off with his other hand. Ristan felt his beast purr with satisfaction as the horde fell, one-by-one, at their feet. Hearing a beating of wings, he looked up to see large forms in the night sky above them, making a rapid descent. “Empurin! Get out of the way!” He yelled as Hecate’s demons headed straight for them. The group scrambled, trying to fight the remaining chayn yet get themselves away from the sharp claws of the Empurin as they reached for them. Finding himself separated from Bristol, Ristan felt a wave of panic as he surveyed the chaotic scene in front of him. Jessie had moved to the outer edge of the group, keeping away from the Empurin she couldn’t fight in her cat form, but continuing to scratch, bite and charge at the chayn as they advanced. Hearing the snap of leather, Ristan found Bristol in the dark. Her whip was wrapped around the front legs of the nearest Empurin, its blades cutting deep into the demon’s muscles. Poisonous blood ran down her legs as Bristol pulled back, trying to force the beast to the ground to even the odds. She hovered a few feet above the air, and Ristan ran straight towards her. At the last second, right as he came into the range of her deadly bite, he slid under her, cramming his sword into the stomach of the goddess-spawn. He let his body weight and momentum of the slide rip the bitch from the top of her stomach to her ass. Rolling aside quickly, the Empurin crashed to the ground and took two steps before her guts fell out of the gaping cavity. Screaming in agony and fury, the viper at the end of her tail hissed and struck at Ristan, missing its mark. He grabbed the snake behind the head and with his other hand ripped the head off the writhing serpent. His beast growled, satisfied and enjoying the battle.

  Leaping to his feet, he and Bristol ran to help Boz and Bror as they took on the second Empurin that had landed and was swiping her massive claws at them while the viper danced above their heads, looking for an opportunity. Jayson had stayed with Jessie fighting the remainder of the horde of chayn. Feeling confident of their chances for success, Ristan swung his sword and relished the feeling of it sinking into the demon’s shoulder. Hearing Bristol cry out in anger, he swung his head to see her whip singing through the air, striking the head of a third Empurin that had entered the fight. His stomach clenched, their odds of victory had just taken a turn for the worst. Hearing Jayson yelling at them over the fray, Ristan saw two chayn floating across the field, making their way for the trees. “Stop them!” Jayson screamed. “One of them may be a communicator!”

  Ristan quickly manifested a bow and, stepping away from the fight with the Empurin, he took aim. Letting loose the arrow, he heard the twang of another bow and turned to see that Boz had shot as well. Looking back to the chayn he watched them both fall. Spinning back to the battle, he and Boz loosed several arrows into the bodies of the two Empurin. Seeming to have little effect, they both waded back into the fray, leaving Jayson and Jessie to finish off the remaining chayn.

  “Get her out of here,” he demanded to Bror. “We might not win this.”

  “She won’t leave ya, Ristan. You should know that by now,” Bror grunted as he swung his blade. The Empurin swiped at him with her clawed foot and connected with his shoulder. Throwing him off balance, she saw the weakness and came at him strongly, swinging her other foot, the impact lifting him off his feet and tossing him like a rag doll. Screaming with fury, Bristol let the blades of her whip rip across the face of the Empurin as it headed towards Bror, wanting to finish what she started. Bristol screamed again, and Ristan could feel her anger saturate the air as she raced to protect Bror, this time letting the whip wrap around the demon’s throat. Ristan’s heart stuttered as he saw her jerk the whip tight, then run straight at the demon, her rage palatable, a short sword in her other hand. Unable to help her, he swung and stabbed at the bitch he and Boz were fighting, his inner beast mad with fury, as he watched their chances of survival shrink by the second.

  Seeing a flash of white, he yelled as the two white cats came running up from behind the winged villains. “Get back! Get to the horses! Bristol! Run!”

  Bristol ignored him, shrieking and stabbing at the Empurin as Bror struggled to get to his knees and out of the way of the viper that was striking at him. The Empurin snapped and bit at Bristol, trying to get away from the bladed leather around her throat.

  As the cats approached, Jessie snarled and hissed, heading towards the newest threat. Before she could reach them, the huge, white felines entered the battle. The tigress had been right. Their manes were blue and it shimmered lightly in the moonlight, a stark contrast to their white bodies. Muted navy blue stripes flowed down their front legs, meeting deadly, curved claws. They did resemble male lions, although Ristan had never seen one that color, or that big, in any realm. The massive beasts roared and the first one into the battle swung a deadly paw, connecting solidly with the hindquarter of the Empurin Bristol was battling. Her back legs buckling, the demon struggled to stand. Her wings began to beat and Bristol pulled back hard on the whip, keeping her head closer to the ground. The second lion leaped, landing on the back of the leviathan, sinking his teeth into her spine. She screamed and fell to her knees as her spinal cord severed. The first lion moved to the Empurin Ristan and Boz were engaging. The viper swung to meet the new challenger and striking quickly, sunk its fangs into the lion’s shoulder. Showing no reaction, the lion grabbed the tail of the Empurin in his mouth and ripped, severing it from the demon’s body. The viper fell to the ground writhing in death. The infuriated demon screamed and spun around to face the greater threat. The lion threw himself into her, his massive paws wrapping around her shoulders and rolling her sideways. Grabbing her throat in his jaws, his back legs kicking and ripping into her belly, Ristan saw the toxic blood gushing out of the life-taking wounds, soaking the lion's face and legs. As the Empurin thrashed and screamed, her attempts grew more feeble as she weakened.

  Stepping back slowly, Ristan extended his hand to push Boz back. They slowly moved away from the lion and its prey. Looking to the other demon, he saw Bror was back on his feet and leading Bristol away from the fight. Jayson came up behind them, reins in his hand. He silently passed Max’s lead to Boz. Jessie stood back, watching the lions make slow, torturous work of killing their prey. The demons howled in agony and the satisfied roars of the lions filled the air. As the group mounted the horses and turned to leave, Ristan watched the first lion rip a chunk of flesh off the paralyzed, yet still living, Empurin’s thigh and swallow it whole.

  Bristol

  As they raced off into the night, Bristol kept her arms around Bror, holding him steady. She could feel the stickiness of blood as it leaked from the wound on his arm, saturating her shirt.

  “Bror is hurt, Ristan. We need to get somewhere safe as quickly as possible so we can help him,” she said.

  “He will be fine. Your Others heal fast. It’s only a flesh wound, but we will get it addressed as soon as it’s safe.”

  Bristol’s heart beat fast in her che
st thinking about the battle. They had fought many chayn since that first night at the bar, and readily defeat one Empurin, but tonight was different. Bristol had been convicted and ready to die for her men and her friends. She had not seen them coming out of that battle alive. When she saw Bror take the hit from the Empurin she had felt her veins turn to ice. Faced with the sudden reality of losing him, she realized how connected she was to her Others. The gods would not take them from her again. She was determined to find an answer to that puzzle, but there were just so many unknowns! One thing she was positive of though; the lions had saved their lives.

  “Do either of you know anything about the white lions? Have you ever seen them before?”

  “Never. They are something new,” Ristan responded. “Judging from their response to the battle and their immunity to the Empruin toxin, I am optimistically thinking that you just might have a god on your side for once, Bristol. And that deity that sent those lions to aid you. Perhaps the gods have seen something we have not. Something that creates an unfair advantage for Chaos and they are working to rectify it. No creature of this realm could have survived the Empurin poison, let alone consume the flesh of a demon. They are from the gods, without a doubt. We just need to hope that they stay on our side.”

  “Whoever sent them, we owe them a debt. We were not going ta survive that,” Bror said. “Chaos has really outdone herself so early in the game. Three Empurins in one location makes me think she has even more power than we thought. Either that or she knows we’re here and is sending out everything she has ta find us.”

  Bristol pondered the implications of having one of the gods in her corner enough that he, or she, would send assistance to her. “How do we know it’s not a ruse? One of the gods sending the lions only to guarantee some kind of loyalty or power exchange? You said that Chaos has to pay them with power to manifest her demons. Do we owe a god now?”

  “You asked for nothing from them. They cannot collect a debt you did not agree to pay, Bristol. You are correct in assuming that the gods only provide assistance when it benefits them, but they cannot collect that debt from you. There is more going on with the gods then we will ever know. But whatever the game may be, I am grateful that for once, we received assistance.” Ristan answered.

  The group raced on, determined to put miles between themselves and the battle that had almost been the end of them. Bristol let her thoughts wander to Caspian and she prayed that he was ok. For some reason, she felt that if she lost an Other, somehow she would know. She felt in her bones that he was alive and she was determined to find him. As the horizon began to glow with the promise of a new day, Ristan slowed the group and motioned ahead of them. Bristol saw a large rock overhang with sheer cliffs above and open land around; it would be easy to see anything or anyone approaching, but most importantly it would provide ample cover.

  “Let’s stop there and get some rest and address Bror’s wounds,” Ristan said, sounding grouchy.

  Riding up to the overhang, Bristol could see where the spot had been popular with campers and travelers in the past. Remnants of an old fire pit was in the center of the large ring and there was even a scattered pile of old firewood and kindling. Dismounting, the group silently set up some bedding, pulled out some dried fruit and nuts and Boz and Ristan unsaddled the horses and rubbed them down. Bristol pulled Bror to some bedding, pointed at it, and told him to lay down and remove his shirt.

  “It’s goin’ ta be ok, love. We heal fast,” Bror said, winking at her and giggling. Walking to the make-shift cot, he stumbled before sitting down.

  “Then you won’t care if I look at it,” she responded, fixing him with a stare.

  Pulling his shirt over his head, wincing and hissing through his teeth, Bristol assessed the damage to his upper arm. “Jesus Christ. She fucking shredded it. And you think you are going to heal fast? This needs stitches and a couple areas look like it could have damaged your bicep.”

  “Great bedside manner you got there, sister,” Jessie said, walking up to the pair. “Let’s take a look. I interned at a vet clinic for three years before The Change,” she told them. “I got pretty good at stitching up cats and dogs, I bet I can do an Other,” she winked at Bror and he smirked at her, shaking his head.

  “Honestly, ladies, I bet with a good scrubbin’ and some rest, I’ll be ready for our next aventure, I mean, adventure,” he slurred, his complexion sallow.

  “Nope. I’m not gonna take the risk,” Bristol said. “Between Jessie’s vet skills and my experience with farm animals, you are in capable hands.”

  Jessie laughed and opened the saddlebag with their medical supplies. “We have some catgut suture and plenty of disinfectant. The only thing we don’t have is pain meds. You’re just gonna have to bite down on something,” she shrugged, fixing him with a stare.

  Resigned, Bror laid down on the bedding. “Go ‘head, I canna convince ya anyhows,” he mumbled, his head rolling to face them as he struggled to focus on Bristol.

  “Ristan. Why is Bror slurring his words, giggling, and getting pale? Is this normal when an Other gets injured? Some kind of healing response or something? He sounds drunk and can’t even focus his eyes,” she said.

  “He probably got a bit of the Empurin toxin from her claws. Not enough to affect him immediately and he won’t die, so don’t worry. But cleaning it out and treating it is a good idea. The toxin will slow the healing process,” Ristan responded.

  Conveying the new information to Jessie, the girls compiled all the supplies they thought they would need and gently, but thoroughly, cleaned, stitched, and bandaged Bror’s wound. Gritting his teeth and sweating profusely, he stayed silent and let them tend to the gruesome injury. Once they were done, Bristol pulled a blanket up to his chin, kissed his forehead and whispered in his ear. “All done, baby. Rest. Heal. I need you.” A smile crossed his lips as his eyes closed and his breathing became deep and regular as he drifted off to sleep.

  Finding Ristan cleaning the hooves on the horses, Bristol sat down on a stump and watched him, chewing on her lip as she attempted to figure out how to talk to him without making the situation worse. “Hey. I know you are pissed at me for quite a few reasons, but can we talk? I hate that we are both so stubborn that we drive each other nuts.”

  Sighing deeply, Ristan turned to face her. “I might get mad, or frustrated with you, but most of the time it’s for reasons that I can’t fault you for and that pisses me off even more. The spat about you traveling shifted before we knew more about the lions is nothing, woman. That’s just you and I butting heads, which is going to happen again. My real anger comes from your complete and total disregard for your own safety. Risking yourself for me when I fought with Fear was infuriating. I am supposed to be risking myself for you. I need to keep you safe! But then again, last night, you were willing to die to save Bror. You put yourself directly in harm’s way with that damn Empurin. You wouldn’t even try to distance yourself. My beast was ready to kill you himself. But, I am trying to keep my emotions in check because when I think about it, I realize that you are only doing what Bror or I would do for you. And for the first time, I see something that we have never had before. Previously, you were the pinnacle; you were everything. Your four Others were balanced to benefit you and your goal. But that doesn’t mean we were balanced as a team; you were always separate and elevated- we were expendable. What we have now is truly balanced. Perhaps that’s what we were missing in past Re-Orders. Maybe we’re one step closer to stopping the madness of being separated. But I will never be at peace with your reckless abandonment for your own welfare. So get used to me being pissed at you, but don’t ever think I don’t care. I care more than I ever have.”

  Bristol stood, walked over to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on the lips. “I care too, you big meanie. I remember my feelings for you, I remember everything, and I agree that this time is different, Ristan. I think I care more, too,” she kissed him again and smirked. “Besides, make-
up sex is supposed to be the best, right?”

  Swooping her off the ground and wrapping her in his arms, Ristan chuckled. “You are going to be the true death of me, woman. But what a way to go.”

  Resting in between watch shifts, everyone agreed it was time to get back on the road. They planned to travel into the night, but find a safe place to hole up around midnight. Ristan was still nervous that Chaos was onto them and sending out patrols, and he didn’t want to get ambushed again in the dark. Bror was acting like himself again and looking better after a hard sleep. His wound didn’t appear to be getting infected and he and Ristan were right; her Others did heal fast. The wound was already showing signs of new skin growth and the swelling around the soft tissue injury was gone. Agreeing to let Bristol travel shifted, she stripped out of her clothes and let her mare take over. It had been a few days since she had been in her horse form and it felt good to stretch her legs and work her muscles.

  The group discussed the fight and the lions. Everyone was in agreement since seeing their ferocity in the battle, they had appeared at the cabin to watch them. Had they wanted to engage the group, there would have been very little any of them could have done to stop them. The two lions took out both Empurin with little effort. Bristol still hoped that having the cats on her side wasn’t going to be something one of the gods demanded compensation for in the future. Right now, she was just grateful that they had made it through their toughest battle to date safe and basically unscathed.

  Traveling through a valley, Bristol and Jessie were ahead of the group on point, watching for anything out of the ordinary. They traveled well into the night, stopping to rest, eat, and give the horses a break. Tensions were still high and everyone was sore and exhausted from the fierce fight. Before laying down to rest, Bristol sent a message to her two Others, but it was different this time. She knew that Caspian was most likely captured and injured and she had no idea where Bane was or what was going on with him. So this time, before she sent out her power, she altered her message to them. “Never give up hope. We will be reunited.” Shoving her wish into the winds, she watched her magic as it floated across the valley and dissipated into the night sky.