Ch. 10
“Adversity”
What a turn of events this all spun out to be. To be here, outside of the castle that held me for years, in the endless forest I dreamed to explore and see, with my favorite wolf creature Halfy…who still hasn’t come back yet…and with a standing, almost close enough for a swift flick of my wing to knock him on his ass, mortal now vampire than man who talks way too much, but keeps leaving me with more questions…and I want to know all the answers…I need to know.
“Only if you answer mine.” I finally say to him. “I already answered a few of yours.” I motion my hands down myself and glance back at him.
He simply nods. “More than you realize actually.” I snarl and look around…no small rocks close by. Don’t test me, mortal vampire man. He smirks and continues, “Ask away.”
“What were you really doing in the forest when we met?” I feel my eyes narrow. Watching him carefully. Looking for any signs, any lies, any clues. Devlyn’s lessons truly did come in handy. She has trained me well, and I didn’t really have anything better to do some days.
“Meeting with Muma Padurii…” He pauses, “And that got interrupted.” I stare at him, not blinking, not breaking, you know what I am asking. Of course, I need to ask questions a certain way, smart ass. He continues, “The forest is changing. Creatures are changing. Creatures…people are missing. Muma Padurii had information.”
“What information?” I ask. The binding rune burned into the Samca’s wrist running through my mind, and on my wrist now.
He raises his hand and shakes his head. “Mihaela, little bat…” Tsk, Tsk, usually how this works… is a question answer and switch.”
I feel my eyes glare into him. I am being tested. Nyx, give me strength. “Don’t call me that.” He is unfazed or at least can look that way. He simply dusts his ripped shirt as it blows in the wind. As if that is going to make a difference. “Ask your ridiculous question then.” I say as frost fills the air around my words…
He taps his finger to his chin and spins around on his feet. Like this is all some big game. I could snap him like a twig. He ponders for a moment. “What are you?” A loaded question. I muse over my options and realize at this point, most of my secrets already lay in the open, exposed to this mortal vampire man. I look around before answering, the tree line is quiet. And where is Halfy?
“You called me a woman...” His eyes flicker, that flame igniting again. He has moved closer to where I am sitting on the rock. A mere few steps away. “My true lineage is unknown.” All of this is true.
Mother was an orphan before building the empire of the clan. I never knew my father, Mother refused to talk about him, and I got to a point where I stopped asking. Even with all the information in the grand library, Oana and I have found nothing. My hands runs across my neck an attempt to self sooth, those past feelings, past thoughts. “and a shifter…” Flashes of creatures tattooed on my hand peek past the sleeves of the tunic I wear, and I pull my sleeves further down, one after the other. “My turn.”
He is just a few feet away now. One wave of my hand could snap him into pieces, much like the clothes he still wears. He is looking at the sky.
Black ink gracefully moves up his arms, shoulder, and then ends at his neck, I can’t quite make it out…The concaves of his neck lighting up with the moonlight as it is almost passed the horizon. The scar along his jawline, I saw earlier, follows his jawbone, past his chin, and ends at the edge of his neck as well. I can’t tell what it is. My eyes glide over it as air passes from his lungs with each breath.
Halfy has finally started up the bank of the lake in front of us. Thank Nyx.
Drag marks still along the sand from the Samca. Halfy’s body twitching as he moves behind me. He must be so tired. I beam at him as he passes. He helped me with many of those past feelings, those past thoughts. With a loud thud he lays next to the rock I sit on. Each breath from him, heavy and hard.
Thank you, Halfy. I say down our bond.
I then look at Zanir. “Are you part of the Vampiric clan that lives within this forest, somewhere?” I tilt my head toward him. We can both play games.
He smiles now looking at Halfy and then slowly moves his gaze up to me. Brave mortal vampire man. “In one of them…” He runs his fingers through his hickory dark hair. Hmm… There is more than one? Do the scouts know? Does Mother know?
He spins around on his heels again and not even giving me a chance to think about what he just said before asking, “What are the markings all over you?” I shove my hand deep into my tunic pockets, the only exposed part of me other than my face. The markings, the tattoos, never touched my face. Thank Nyx, who I have been thanking a lot lately. Where was she when I got myself into this whole situation to begin with?
“Death.” I say flatly. That is not telling all about how they are creatures, things that have met an end because of me. The bonds do not even come close to the number of dead creatures inked all over my body. “And a few bonds…” I look down at Halfy, and his breath can be seen in the cold air with each exhale. Is it getting colder? “Does being mortal feel the same as before?” I ask and my eyes flick up to him, my face still facing toward Halfy.
He does not say anything for a few moments, the cockiness, gone. “Honestly…” He shifts his weight and crosses his arms against his chest. “Mortality is not something I am familiar with. I have memories, thoughts of a past life, but nothing more.” Quickly his body changes and he whips himself to face me. His hands landing on the rock I sit on, his hands near my hips. His face mere inches from me. He is so close, and I cannot move. “My turn…” Zanir whispers, his words moving past my ears… “Are you mortal?”
My eyes widen. Shocked at how nonchalant he became and asked such a loaded question that could burst me from the seams. How nonchalant he became after I threatened him, numerous times.
Halfy next to me lets out a low growl. At first, I assume it is directed at Zanir who wisely has taken a step back. But Halfy’s golden ginger eyes are staring straight to the lake, the center. Deep within the lake, the water is surging. Waves are crashing into the shoreline now. The wisps once again, gone without a trace. Darkness filling the center of the lake. I faintly see not one, not two, but three large shadows breaking through the rising water surface. Their yellow eyes glimmering against the darkness surrounding them. Water running down their powerful reptilian faces.
FUCK.
Ch. 10
“Adversity”
What a turn of events this all spun out to be. To be here, outside of the castle that held me for years, in the endless forest I dreamed to explore and see, with my favorite wolf creature Halfy…who still hasn’t come back yet…and with a standing, almost close enough for a swift flick of my wing to knock him on his ass, mortal now vampire than man who talks way too much, but keeps leaving me with more questions…and I want to know all the answers…I need to know.
“Only if you answer mine.” I finally say to him. “I already answered a few of yours.” I motion my hands down myself and glance back at him.
He simply nods. “More than you realize actually.” I snarl and look around…no small rocks close by. Don’t test me, mortal vampire man. He smirks and continues, “Ask away.”
“What were you really doing in the forest when we met?” I feel my eyes narrow. Watching him carefully. Looking for any signs, any lies, any clues. Devlyn’s lessons truly did come in handy. She has trained me well, and I didn’t really have anything better to do some days.
“Meeting with Muma Padurii…” He pauses, “And that got interrupted.” I stare at him, not blinking, not breaking, you know what I am asking. Of course, I need to ask questions a certain way, smart ass. He continues, “The forest is changing. Creatures are changing. Creatures…people are missing. Muma Padurii had information.”
“What information?” I ask. The binding rune burned into the Samca’s wrist running through my mind, and on my wrist now.
He raises his hand and shakes his head. “Mihaela, little bat…” Tsk, Tsk, usually how this works… is a question answer and switch.”
I feel my eyes glare into him. I am being tested. Nyx, give me strength. “Don’t call me that.” He is unfazed or at least can look that way. He simply dusts his ripped shirt as it blows in the wind. As if that is going to make a difference. “Ask your ridiculous question then.” I say as frost fills the air around my words…
He taps his finger to his chin and spins around on his feet. Like this is all some big game. I could snap him like a twig. He ponders for a moment. “What are you?” A loaded question. I muse over my options and realize at this point, most of my secrets already lay in the open, exposed to this mortal vampire man. I look around before answering, the tree line is quiet. And where is Halfy?
“You called me a woman...” His eyes flicker, that flame igniting again. He has moved closer to where I am sitting on the rock. A mere few steps away. “My true lineage is unknown.” All of this is true.
Mother was an orphan before building the empire of the clan. I never knew my father, Mother refused to talk about him, and I got to a point where I stopped asking. Even with all the information in the grand library, Oana and I have found nothing. My hands runs across my neck an attempt to self sooth, those past feelings, past thoughts. “and a shifter…” Flashes of creatures tattooed on my hand peek past the sleeves of the tunic I wear, and I pull my sleeves further down, one after the other. “My turn.”
He is just a few feet away now. One wave of my hand could snap him into pieces, much like the clothes he still wears. He is looking at the sky.
Black ink gracefully moves up his arms, shoulder, and then ends at his neck, I can’t quite make it out…The concaves of his neck lighting up with the moonlight as it is almost passed the horizon. The scar along his jawline, I saw earlier, follows his jawbone, past his chin, and ends at the edge of his neck as well. I can’t tell what it is. My eyes glide over it as air passes from his lungs with each breath.
Halfy has finally started up the bank of the lake in front of us. Thank Nyx.
Drag marks still along the sand from the Samca. Halfy’s body twitching as he moves behind me. He must be so tired. I beam at him as he passes. He helped me with many of those past feelings, those past thoughts. With a loud thud he lays next to the rock I sit on. Each breath from him, heavy and hard.
Thank you, Halfy. I say down our bond.
I then look at Zanir. “Are you part of the Vampiric clan that lives within this forest, somewhere?” I tilt my head toward him. We can both play games.
He smiles now looking at Halfy and then slowly moves his gaze up to me. Brave mortal vampire man. “In one of them…” He runs his fingers through his hickory dark hair. Hmm… There is more than one? Do the scouts know? Does Mother know?
He spins around on his heels again and not even giving me a chance to think about what he just said before asking, “What are the markings all over you?” I shove my hand deep into my tunic pockets, the only exposed part of me other than my face. The markings, the tattoos, never touched my face. Thank Nyx, who I have been thanking a lot lately. Where was she when I got myself into this whole situation to begin with?
“Death.” I say flatly. That is not telling all about how they are creatures, things that have met an end because of me. The bonds do not even come close to the number of dead creatures inked all over my body. “And a few bonds…” I look down at Halfy, and his breath can be seen in the cold air with each exhale. Is it getting colder? “Does being mortal feel the same as before?” I ask and my eyes flick up to him, my face still facing toward Halfy.
He does not say anything for a few moments, the cockiness, gone. “Honestly…” He shifts his weight and crosses his arms against his chest. “Mortality is not something I am familiar with. I have memories, thoughts of a past life, but nothing more.” Quickly his body changes and he whips himself to face me. His hands landing on the rock I sit on, his hands near my hips. His face mere inches from me. He is so close, and I cannot move. “My turn…” Zanir whispers, his words moving past my ears… “Are you mortal?”
My eyes widen. Shocked at how nonchalant he became and asked such a loaded question that could burst me from the seams. How nonchalant he became after I threatened him, numerous times.
Halfy next to me lets out a low growl. At first, I assume it is directed at Zanir who wisely has taken a step back. But Halfy’s golden ginger eyes are staring straight to the lake, the center. Deep within the lake, the water is surging. Waves are crashing into the shoreline now. The wisps once again, gone without a trace. Darkness filling the center of the lake. I faintly see not one, not two, but three large shadows breaking through the rising water surface. Their yellow eyes glimmering against the darkness surrounding them. Water running down their powerful reptilian faces.
FUCK.
