by N M Thorn
They walked into the forest heading toward the sound. The howl rose above the trees again. Hungry and dangerous, it spread through the area, accompanied by roars and growls that didn’t sound like typical wolves. Abruptly a new sound broke through the cacophony of animal voices.
“A horse?” whispered Yaroslav, stopping in his tracks.
“I’ll be damned,” hissed Gunz, his fingers wrapping tighter around the hilt of his sword. “Sounds like a horse neighing. If there is a horse, there is possibly a person there too. Let’s go.”
Silently they ran through the woods, avoiding making any sounds, until they reached a small open space surrounded by low hills. They stopped at the edge of the forest, keeping behind the trees and looked down. An enormous pack of wolves spread around the clearing. They were barking and howling at something at the opposite side of it, but neither Gunz nor Yaroslav could make out what it was.
But it wasn’t the pack that drew their attention. Standing on their hind legs, stretched up to their full height, five giant brown bears were leading the wolves. With their mighty roars combined in one earth-shattering rumble, the animals were slowly advancing toward the edge of the clearing. The wolves were shifting from side to side, hiding behind the massive bears.
Through the discord of their voices, Gunz kept isolating a different sound – something that sounded like the neighing of a horse. The neighing became deeper and louder, but it didn’t sound fearful. It mostly sounded infuriated and a little annoyed. Wondering if the horse and its rider were in trouble, Gunz turned to Yaroslav, pointing at the other end of the clearing.
Yaroslav shrugged. “Well, I had enough rest for the night,” he whispered. In the blink of an eye, Yaroslav was gone. Moving almost at full vampire speed, he ran around the perimeter of the clearing and a moment later, Gunz saw him appear at the other end with his katana at his shoulder.
“Gunz, there is a horse here, but I’ve never seen—"
Gunz heard Yaroslav’s voice in his mind and flinched. “What the hell?”
“You forgot, we have a psychic connection,” reminded Yaroslav. “Just think, and I’ll hear you. Anyway, there is no rider, but we can’t leave this horse here. It’s not your regular animal.”
At this moment, the bears noticed the new threat. They stopped what they were doing, all of them turning in Yaroslav’s direction at once. Their roar became deeper and more sinister as they gaped at him. The wolves stopped shifting and came to a silent alert.
“Oh, shit…”
A heartbeat later Yaroslav became a blur of a slicing and stabbing blade as he attacked the wolves closest to him. The dead animals as well as their severed heads and paws fell around him in a terrifying bloody mess. The angry howls rose in the air and the pack came into motion, advancing at the vampire from every direction. Gunz decided not to wait any longer and ran downhill. Igniting his sword, he attacked the animals from the rear.
He didn’t move as fast as Yaroslav, but his fire magic gave him an extra advantage. “Ignius,” he hissed setting the ground in front of him on fire, hoping to scare the pack into a quick retreat. To his surprise, the animals didn’t shy away from the flames. If anything, they got angrier. A few wolves jumped over the fire, attacking him. He met them with his flaming sword, cutting their bodies and setting their fur into scorching flames.
Gunz wasn’t sure how many beasts he destroyed when he heard a mighty roar and Yaroslav’s desperate call in his mind. Gunz swung his sword, clearing a path in front of him, so he could focus on what his friend was doing. Yaroslav was surrounded by bears, getting pushed from every direction. As fast as he was, the mere size and ferociousness of the beasts was dominating him.
“Gunz, I’m losing my strength and speed. The collar…” Gunz heard his desperate voice in his mind.
“Hang in there, Slavik!” Gunz shouted, gathering as much of the fire power as the gray stone jewelry would allow him.
He knew that he couldn’t revert into the natural state of the Fire Salamander, but despite the controller’s settings, he was able to tap into the pure flow of the elemental powers of the magical nexus. He didn’t know what prompted it – the advancement of his own power as a Fire Salamander, or the fear for the life of his friend – but in a split-second, his whole body was ablaze with smoldering flames.
“Slavik, when you see me approaching, take cover!”
Gunz dropped his sword, expanding his arms wide. The grass went up in flames on either side of him and the blazing trail ran all the way to the edge of the forest, setting the nearby bushes and small trees on fire. The heavy clouds of smoke veiled the dark sky, rising up in dark swirls. The sparks and burning embers twirled around him, as he moved forward, allowing the hungry flames to devour everything in his path. The wolves didn’t have a chance to run. The fire didn’t just burn them but instantly obliterated their bodies into piles of hot ash.
The animals realized the danger and squealed in terror, trying to get away from imminent death. Gunz walked forward, the mighty wave of death and destruction spreading around him. In the meantime, Yaroslav was still struggling alone against four massive beasts. One of the bears was lying on the ground in a motionless heap of bloodied fur.
“Yaroslav, run!” Gunz yelled, raising his arms up above his head, accumulating more of the fire energy between his arms. Yaroslav made one last effort, piercing one of the bears with his sword and rolled on his shoulder, escaping the deadly circle of the beasts. Quickly he climbed up the hill and disappeared into the darkness of the woods.
“Fire Salamander, go!”
Gunz heard Yaroslav’s command and brought his hands together. As soon as his palms touched, a powerful blast expanded around him. He wasn’t sure how he was doing it with his partially suppressed magic, but it wasn’t the energy of his elemental power. It was a blast of unadulterated flames. It swept through the clearing, killing everything in its path, starting a raging forest fire.
A moment later everything was over. Gunz waved his hand, ordering the fire to cease. The land was blackened, all the grass gone, and the trees around the clearing stood naked, marred by hungry flames. All the animals were gone too, devoured by the fire.
“Slavik, are you okay?” Gunz asked, heading toward the hill. The vampire didn’t reply, and worry gnawed at him. He sped up, running as fast as he could in his current state. He wasn’t hurt, but such a significant use of his magic drained him physically. As he reached the foot of the hill, he noticed a large hole in the ground. He peeked inside and his mouth fell open.
A large stallion was chained inside the hole with iron chains, each chain as thick as his forearm. The stallion had the most amazing coloring. His body was dark-gray bordering on black, which slowly transitioned into a dark-chestnut shade toward his legs. But it was his long mane and tail that drew Gunz’s attention. In the surrounding darkness, they shone like pure gold. He lifted his head, staring at Gunz with his deep slightly purple eyes.
“I’ll be right back,” said Gunz, as if the horse could understand him.
“Sure, I count on it,” replied the stallion and Gunz almost jumped, gaping at the horse, flabbergasted. The stallion snickered, displaying a healthy set of large choppers and asked, “What? Never saw a talking horse before?”
“I can’t say that I have,” Gunz managed to reply. “I’ll be right back. I need to check on my friend.”
He ran up the hill and quickly searched the area. He found Yaroslav a few feet away from the edge of the clearing, behind the thick trunk of a fallen tree. He was lying on his back, his katana on the ground next to him. Gunz kneeled by his side and carefully touched his hand. It was cold.
Of course, it’s cold, he thought frowning, he’s a goddamn vampire. No pulse, no checking for vital signs.
“Slavik.” He shook him gently, noticing a few cuts and deep claw marks on his skin that weren’t healing. Why is he not healing? He’s a vampire, he is supposed to heal almost right away. Gunz opened his magical sight and quickly scanned hi
m. The dark magic of the collar was a lot heavier than it was just a few hours ago. Dammit, Novak, what the hell are you doing?
“Slavik, open your eyes,” he demanded, shaking him stronger.
Yaroslav cracked his eyelids open and gradually focused his eyes on Gunz. “Gunz,” he whispered, hardly moving his dry lips. “What’s wrong with me? I feel like…”
“Like a human?” asked Gunz, giving him an arched stare. “I think Novak set your controller to maximum. From now on, no more fighting for you. No more speeding or lifting heavy weights. Until we get back to LA, except for your diet, you need to behave like a human.”
“I don’t think I remember how to do it,” whispered the vampire, closing his eyes.
“Can you walk?” asked Gunz, wondering if he could donate some of his blood but then decided against it. He was too weak as it was.
“Give me a few minutes and I’ll be fine,” promised Yaroslav, closing his eyes.
“I’ll be right back,” said Gunz and headed downhill. As fast as he could, he crossed the clearing and found his sword. With the sword in his hand, he went to the stallion and jumped inside the hole.
“Finally,” muttered the stallion, dancing impatiently. “Now, break these chains and set me free.”
“Easy for you to say…” mumbled Gunz surveying the thickness of the iron. The chains had no visible locks either. After a moment of thinking, he ignited his sword, sending some fire energy through its blade.
“Whoa!” The Stallion neighed warningly, backing away from the smoldering flames.
“Do not move!” ordered Gunz. He swung his sword, channeling more fire through it and with all his remaining strength, crashed the blade on the chains. The sword slid through the iron, melting it like it was butter. He swung it again and the second chain was gone.
“Yassss!” The stallion danced around Gunz, who slowly went down to his knees, feeling too tired to stand. “You’re one scary man! The fire and all. Wow!”
The stallion pushed off the ground and easily jumped out of the hole. Then he bent his knees, carefully lowering the remains of his chains down. Gunz seized the chain and the horse pulled him out. He dropped to all fours, breathing laboriously. This last bit of his magic seemed to drain whatever strength he had left after the fight with the pack.
The horse lowered next to him, gently nudging him on his shoulder. “Climb up,” he suggested. “I’ll give you a ride to wherever you’re going.”
Gunz raised his hand up, taking a few deep breaths and finally managed to say, “Not me… my friend…”
“Your friend?” repeated the stallion. “Are you talking about the tall man with golden mane almost as long as mine?”
“Yeah, him…”
“Don’t you know that he is a vampire? Vampires don’t get tired and they can heal almost instantaneously.”
“Yeah, no,” exhaled Gunz, “not this vampire.”
“Do you have yourself a defective vamp for a friend?”
“He’s not defective,” objected Gunz irritably, slowly rising. “He is — never mind. Can you help him or not?”
“Sure, I’ll help him,” agreed the stallion right away. “But don’t expect me to carry both of you. Nah-uh, sir. I’m not doing that.”
“No problem,” said Gunz, slowly moving up the hill. “Do you know where we can find one more horse?”
“That I can help you with,” announced the stallion proudly. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for me to go back to this place, but I’m willing to take a chance for you.”
They found Yaroslav, and with a twinge of worry, Gunz noticed that the vampire hadn’t changed his position since he left him here. Tiredly, he kneeled next to him and gently shook his shoulder.
“Slavik, wake up.”
Yaroslav opened his eyes and smiled tiredly. “I’m a little better now. If you help me a little, I can get up.”
The stallion lowered down next to Yaroslav, pushing him slightly on his side. “Golden-maned vampire, I’ll carry you. Climb up.”
Gunz helped Yaroslav to climb up on the horse. Yaroslav still couldn’t hold the upright position and had to lean forward, wrapping his arms around the horse’s neck.
“Ugh, cold,” muttered the stallion, starting on his way downhill.
They returned to their camp and Gunz reignited the fire. Even though the stallion didn’t appreciate the idea of spending a few more hours in the wilderness, both Yaroslav and Gunz needed some rest and he had to agree.
As Gunz lay down, he checked the stallion with his sight, noticing an enormous amount of magical energy around him.
“Hey, horse, how should we call you?” asked Gunz, turning to his side.
The stallion stared at him for a moment, his round eyes filled with amusement. “You don’t know?”
“Should I?” replied Gunz, suppressing the rising annoyance.
“Siv,” said the horse, shaking his head disapprovingly.
“Siv?” repeated Gunz, slowly rising up on his elbow as understanding washed over him. “Siv? As in Sivka-Burka?”
“Sivka-Burka? Yes, but don’t call me that,” said the stallion irritably. “The name is Siv now. Jeez, man, are you as ancient as your undead friend here? No one has called me that for years.”
“Fine. Siv, the magic horse,” muttered Gunz, his eyes slowly closing.
Chapter 18
~ Zane Burns, a.k.a. Gunz ~
Gunz woke up a few hours later and found Yaroslav still asleep. Sprawled on the ground, he seemed to be relaxed. His face had lost its gray shade and the dark shadows beneath his eyes had disappeared. Siv was sitting on his butt, supporting himself with his front legs, staring at the last flickering flames with his purple eyes.
He can’t even sit like a normal horse, thought Gunz, suppressing an overwhelming desire to laugh.
Gunz touched Yaroslav’s shoulder, waking him up. The vampire was in much better shape than after the fight, but as soon as they started walking, Gunz could see that he wasn’t his usual self. He didn’t complain but his movements were slow and heavy. After a few minutes, Siv offered to give him a ride and Yaroslav didn’t refuse, which was an additional indication of his poor physical state.
Once Yaroslav mounted the horse, they were able to move a lot faster. After about an hour of walking, they approached the border of a small town. The town was surrounded by a tall wall, but the gates were wide open. As soon as they approached the gates, Siv stopped, doubt reflected in his every move.
“Siv, what’s the problem?” asked Gunz, stopping by his side.
“Well… you know…” mumbled the stallion, a guilty smile stretching his muzzle. “I kind of tried to steal something from the Lord of this town…”
“You tried to steal something,” repeated Gunz, incredulously.
“Yeah… How do you think I ended up in that hole in the forest? The town’s wizard cursed me…” Siv shifted from hoof to hoof, neighing uncomfortably. “Anyway, long story short, if you want a good horse that can stay up with me, the Lord of this town has it.”
“I guess we’ll have to deal with the consequences of your petty theft,” muttered Gunz. “Lead the way.”
“What petty theft? I just wanted to have a little fun,” snorted Siv.
They walked through the gates, following Siv, who suddenly lost his cockiness and happy disposition. The town was larger than Gunz expected, the main street branching out to the left and to the right. Despite the early hour, the streets were full of life. As they passed by, people stopped what they were doing to gape at the strangers with curiosity.
The main street ran into another hefty brick wall. Behind the wall, Gunz could see the roof of a large house. Siv halted in front of the gates, but then took a deep breath and knocked on the door with his hoof.
After a few minutes, the door opened up with a painful screech. An old man in shabby clothes stopped in the doorway, his pale eyes burning with fury. He ignored Gunz and Yaroslav, and stepped closer to Siv, his bony hands clinc
hed in tight fists.
“You!” he hissed, stamping his foot. “How dare you show up here, thief?”
“Whoa, old-timer,” neighed Siv, raising his hoof up. “I’m not here because I want to be. Look, just call Lord Miller. I brought him some help. These two can help him get rid of that little problem he has.”
The old man’s eyes darted to Gunz, measuring him with his heavy gaze and then to Yaroslav who looked half-dead, hardly holding himself in an upright position. He shook his head and tapped his foot irritably, planting his fists on his hips.
“These two?” he asked, notes of mockery in his voice. “One looks like he is a step away from crossing the veil and the other one is not much better. What kind of scam are you running now, Siv?”
“No scams. I swear, everything is legit.” Siv shook his head, his golden mane swiping over Yaroslav, blending in with his hair. “Call your master, old man.”
“Fine. Stay here,” ordered the old man and headed back to the house.
Gunz grabbed Siv’s long mane pulling down on it. “What the hell were you talking about, huh?” he hissed, forcing the horse’s head lower. “You brought us here? To do what exactly?”
“Take it easy, little man,” neighed Siv, shaking his head to get rid of Gunz’s hold. “Did you seriously think that the Lord of the town would give you a horse for free?”
“You don’t get to call me ‘little man’, got it?” growled Gunz, sending some of his fire toward his eyes, making them glow red. “What kind of problem does this man have? Spill it!”
“How would I know,” replied Siv, taking a step away, his purple eyes widened. “No matter what he does, his house and his yard are a hot mess. Everything goes down the drain in his household. If it’ll continue this way, soon he’ll lose everything he has, including his famous stable. And he has some beautiful mares there. Hubbu-hubbu!” Siv winked, wagging his eyebrows.
“Siv!” yelled Gunz, throwing his hands in the air. “Stay on topic. I want to know what kind of bullshit you got us into before I talk to the Lord.”
