by Ren Ryder
Finally, I discovered the diminutive form of my familiar, curled up atop the remains of the Ouroboros huntress, Wendy. Bell had no doubt fought beyond her limits and passed out from exhaustion after finishing her battle. Wendy’s body was covered in wounds, and her hair was matted with blood. The huntress had met the death of a thousand razors while I squeaked out of its grasp.
Gently, I picked Bell up and laid her to rest in my shirtfront pocket.
My thoughts were moving like molasses and I felt shaky and lightheaded from blood loss.
“Neil’s gonna be pissed,” I laughed. “Well… maybe he won’t connect the dots if there’s not enough evidence left after this fire has run its course.”
If he found out. If is good.
Speaking of the fire, it was retaking the inner circle that Bell had cleared for us to use as a battleground. The air was so hot and dry I felt like I was being baked alive in an oven. Sweat pouring out my body, I shuffled over to the three winged hounds sitting patiently, waiting for my return.
“So… what, am I supposed to be your master now?”
The gray-furred hound yipped in seeming agreement with my words. I cocked my head in surprise then crouched down so I was in line with their three massive maws. They eyed me curiously, then a ruddy-red-colored hound jumped on my shoulders with its front paws and started licking me.
“Ew, ah, gross!” I fell onto my back and did my best to push the massive winged hound off of me, but it was heavy. “Okay, enough. Enough!” I rolled out from underneath the hound, spat, then tried to shake my hands clean of saliva.
I knuckled my forehead. “If I’m going to leave you three be, I’m going to need some kind of assurance that you aren’t going to go wolf on me and start eating people.”
The final hound, which looked more like a black wolf with its angular snout and razor-sharp teeth, howled in response. His brother and sister took up the call, adding their voices to the chorus.
I fumbled around in my cloak to grab my etching rod. Glancing between it and the winged hounds, a bad idea started to form in my mind. I flashed through the runes in my head, settling on two that held the particular qualities I was interested in. One would serve as the “master” rune in a fetch-familiar contract, and the other rune would bind an entity to my will.
I could already imagine how angry Bell was going to be when she found out I made another contract without consulting her, but what was I supposed to do? She was dead asleep, and I abhorred wanton killing.
Pouring mana into my etching rod, I waited for the silver-alloy rod to glow with power before cutting with careful precision into the skin of my inner left forearm. The resulting rune looked akin to a bird’s foot.
“Elhaz,” I whispered the master rune’s name.
I felt a sharp lingering pain as the rune took hold and seemed to burrow into my skin at my naming it.
Bending down, I shook my finger at the attentive winged hounds and tried to inject sincerity into my voice. “This might hurt a bit, but don’t move, got it?”
I took their unmoving silence for assent. Holding each of their jaws shut, I inscribed the rune, which looked sort of like the latin “M" into their snouts. Black blood welled out of the wounds as I stepped back and watched the obedient hounds for a reaction.
“Oh yeah,” I slapped my leg. “Ehwaz.”
All four runes lit up with the light of my mana, and I felt links form between me and the three chimeras. Although distinct from the one Bell and I shared, I could feel a shared bond with my little pack come together in the back of my mind.
“Okay, now, go play in the forest or something, and be good. No eating people, got it? Go on, git,” I waved them off while playing pretend that I knew what I was doing.
The chimeras whined and bowed their heads, then howled and took off into the skies. Watching them go, I felt the last of my strength leave my body. More than anything I wanted to lay down to rest and wait to be consumed along with the remains of the apple orchard. Then Bell stirred, and when I looked down at my sylph companion suspended in her peaceful slumber, I knew I had to keep moving.
Chapter Ten
Swaying on my feet, I drew mana off my source and fed it through my mana channels, then let some of that power be absorbed by my mana skin. Feeling like I could pass out any moment, I pushed mana through the sigil on my chest and summoned a wind platform in the air above. I leapt into the air and stumbled into a crash landing on my platform forty feet off the ground. Another leap and I doubled my distance from the earth, conjuring a platform of condensed wind beneath my feet at the zenith of my jump.
From that height, I could see well the devastation wrought by my runecasting. The fire was so bright it burned away the night, illuminating the Royal Quarter in a cherry-red glow.
Several fire brigades had joined forces to create a full encirclement around the raging inferno and were working with pressurized water to combat the flames. It looked almost certain that the entire apple orchard would be consumed by the blaze, but the firefighters were succeeding at containing it. The academy grounds and residential areas nearby would be safe.
I was relieved I wouldn’t be responsible for destroying the budding new lives of Rex’s wards.
Bell stirred again, then moaned awake. “What,” she licked her lips, "what happened? Did I do good? Did we win?”
I patted her on the head. “You did great, Bell. Don’t strain yourself now, you need rest.”
Bell spluttered. “You’re—you’re covered in blood.”
“Yeah…” I trailed off, looking down at myself.
I looked, and felt, like the walking dead. I shook with exhaustion as my muscles twitched and spasmed. Despite my superior healing abilities, the merrow’s healing factor was lagging behind the sheer amount of wounds I’d accumulated in battle by sword, tooth, and claw. I wasn’t actively bleeding at this point, but I’d lost a lot of blood. So much that I wondered if there was any left inside me.
“I don’t feel so good,” I admitted.
I sat down on my dense platform of wind in the sky and tried to reclaim some lingering trace of energy from my body. Blinking blearily, I let my head loll around while I fought off the exhausted part of me that wanted to lay down for a nap. I cracked my mouth open and yawned huge, my eyes watering.
Bell started licking me. “Mmm, thas the good stuff. Still fresh~”
I jolted back awake. Shaking my head, I told her, “You’re an incurable addict.”
Bell licked her lips. “What’s that? It sounds tasty.”
“It means you’re blood-crazy.”
“I’m just crazy for you~” Bell said, showing her bloody teeth.
Pushing myself up to stand on my shaky legs, I said, “That’s… so endearing.”
“I know you love me too!” Bell slapped me on my chest, and I groaned in pain.
Stretching my aching limbs, I said. “That’s… beside the point.”
“Ah, c’mon, say it, say you love me!”
I scratched my face. “I— l-love you too,” I stuttered.
Bell raised her arms and shouted with joy. “Now was that so hard? See, you can own up to your feelings. How does it feel?”
My cheeks flushed. “Embarrassing.”
Bell pinched my cheeks. “Awh, cute, he’s blushing~”
Ignoring Bell’s needling, I scanned the area around the orchard and pinpointed a small residential district set to itself. The two-story houses were near identical in construction and arranged in neat little rows. It was the Professorial Row of the Royal Academy, I had no doubt in my mind.
Leaping without thought, I flung myself out into open air, feeling revitalized by the wind rushing past me. I blasted wind underneath me to slow my descent just meters from crashing to the earth, so that all I felt on landing was a slight impact.
“You’re getting a little too comfortable with your mockery of flight,” Bell whined, her claws digging into my skin. “If you’re going to do it, do it right!"
&
nbsp; “I can’t fly like you can,” I said.
“Sure you can, you’re just not trying hard enough!” Bell argued.
Looking around, I confirmed I’d landed dead center in Professorial Row. I took my bearings, looking at the closest addresses and comparing it with the information Rex had given me. Gas-lamp street lights lit my way.
“12… 13— looks like we go this way.” I started limping in the direction I’d identified.
“Hey, don’t ignore me!” Bell said.
Bell nagged the whole way to our destination, providing a comforting bit of background noise during my search. Because walking was such an effort, it took longer than it should have for us to get there: 18 Professorial Row. There was nothing distinct about the house besides its number, as the entire development seemed based off a single model home.
Rex’s house was two-stories with big windows opening up the first floor to passersby and living spaces on the upper floor. The construction had a modern feel, with sharp lines and a tilted roof covered in shingles. The home was painted in splashes of salmon, set off by perfect manicured lawns and shrubbery, plus a waist-high white picket fence.
I fumbled with the gate until I found the latch. Letting myself inside, I dragged my feet over to the front porch and climbed the steps like an old man to reach the front door. Leaning against the house, I tilted my head back and took a deep, steadying breath.
You can do this.
I rapped on the front door with my knuckles, leaving little spots of blood on the clean coat of white-painted wood. While I waited for someone to answer my knock, I leaned against the door and let my eyes flutter closed, relishing the soft warmth I felt emanating from Rex’s home.
Without warning, the door swung wide and I fell through the threshold. Arms waving, I failed to catch myself before my upper body crashed against the hardwood floor.
I groaned weakly. “Oww.”
Rex’s rough, granular voice spoke down on me. “What in the blazes, who’s come knocking at this time of night, and covered in blood besides?!”
I waved. “Oh, hey Rex. Good to see you too. It’s been awhile.”
“Kal? What’re ya doing here, and why are ya covered in blood? Why’s it so bright? Is there a fire? I’ve gotta wake up the kids.” Rex raced off into the house, tramping up the stairs while hollering for everybody to wake up.
I got my arms underneath me and pushed myself up into a sitting position. “Yeah, don’t mind me.”
I looked around the interior of the house, noting the big kitchen and entertaining room full of plush couches and recliners. Rex had come up in the world. There looked to be a bathroom, too, so I went and used the toilet while Rex was stomping around upstairs like a bull in a china cabinet. I could hear doors slamming open and closed, and the pitter-patter of bare feet down the stairs while I was occupied in the bathroom. Seeing there was a shower, I turned the lever to activate the pressurized water system and stepped inside the stall fully clothed to rinse off all the blood and muck.
My cloak rippled and its streamers stood on end, as if the weird material didn’t like getting wet.
When I emerged from the bathroom, drenched and dripping water across the floor, I found the first floor alight with the soft, inviting glow of burning lamps.
“You’ve made a right mess of the place. Who’s going to clean that up?”
“Not it!” eight voices piped up at once.
“Pax, go and see if you can find some extra clothes of yours that’ll fit Kal here. Go on,” Rex reiterated when the teenage boy seemed lost in a thousand-yard stare focused on me.
Pax stomped towards the stairs. “Fine, but I don’t see why I have to be the one to give up my stuff.”
“You’re about his size, that’s why!” Rex called after the boy’s retreating form.
Not wanting to sit down soaking wet on one of the couches, I shifted my weight from foot to foot while the rest of the house waited, staring blankly. I panned across the seven remaining children, and my eyes caught on one boy: it was Chase, the wayward street thief. The kid was staring at the wall, refusing to make eye contact with me.
I decided not to make a fuss and call him out; the thought of an argument seemed exhausting.
Pax leapt down the stairs and threw a bundle of clothes at me. I fumbled the plaid long-sleeve shirt and almost dropped the whole load before reentering the bathroom and changing in its relative privacy. I left my sopping clothes to hang dry on the shower stall. When I emerged barefoot clothed in black-dyed buckskin breeches fastened just below the knee and a red-and-black striped long sleeve shirt, the house was so silent you could hear a pin drop.
I coughed to break the silence. “So…” I trailed off, looking to Rex.
Rex still had a slight slump to his shoulders, and he’d gained a few more wrinkles since I’d last saw him. He was a big man, and he practically overflowed out of the recliner he was sitting on. His arms were beefy as if he’d been working out, and although he was getting on in years, he looked as healthy as an aging man could be. The sly intelligence I knew him for still sparkled in his eyes, and there was a healthy glow to his chocolate skin that wasn’t there when I’d seen him tending the bar in the Wasted Minstrel.
“That fire your handiwork?” Rex asked in his gravelly baritone.
I scratched the back of my neck. “You could say that. Had a run-in with Ouroboros hunters, took a bit of a charred earth approach to make sure I didn’t lead anyone here.”
“Did he say Ouroboros?” one of the girls asked in a whisper.
Rex snorted as his attention panned to the window, where you could see tall flames dancing in the sky above the apple orchard. “Looks like more than a bit.”
I shrugged. “I did what I had to.”
Rex stared at me for a long moment, then said, “Kids, go ‘round and introduce yerselves ta our guest.”
“Chase,” Chase shook out his head of curly brown hair and steeled himself before he met my eyes. “Why do you treat him like an adult and us like little kids?”
I gave the wiry boy a shallow nod of my head. “I’m older than you, that’s why.”
“Not by much! How old are you anyways?” Chase asked.
I blinked. “I’m not sure how to answer that…” I trailed off, staring at a spot on the wall over the boy’s head.
“I’m Pax. If you’re keeping those clothes, you better pay up,” Pax said, holding out an expectant hand. Pax looked taller and more muscular than I’d expect for someone his age, and his soft blond hair and light gray eyes made for a peculiar, if not off-putting, overall look.
Rex swatted away Pax’s hand.
“I’m Jade.” Jade gave me a shallow wave. Jade had porcelain skin, midnight black hair and eyes, and a quiet, shy look that went with her small figure.
A girl stood and puffed out her chest to say, “I’m Rae.” Rae was a strong-looking, athletic girl with a proud demeanor. She had long brown hair tied in a ponytail and eyes that sparkled with mischief.
“My name’s Ava.” Ava was a small, almost dainty girl that showed her dimples in a smile when she raised her hand to speak. She was cute in a childish way, with frizzy orange hair and bright blue eyes.
“Leif.” Leif was a short, stocky kid with green eyes and sandy blond hair. He had his knees up to his chest and was pulling a loose thread from the couch as I watched.
“Rain,” a tired, expressionless girl spoke into the intervening silence with as little enthusiasm as I would expect someone to have when woken up in the middle of the night to greet a stranger. Rain had blue hair and blue eyes, befitting her name, with a body shaped like a teardrop.
“And I’m Vale!” The last kid shouted, playing counterpoint to Rain’s lack of enthusiasm. Vale was a pretty girl dressed all in black, with dyed-pink hair and body piercings. She looked wired despite the late hour, and her sharp hazel eyes scrutinized me.
It was almost like she recognized me.
I went through their introductions in my head,
committing names and faces to memory. Altogether there were eight kids: Chase, Pax, Rae, Leif, Jade, Rain, Ava, and Vale. I wasn’t going to let myself forget them. These teenagers were the last bastion against a pervasive feeling of worthlessness that plagued me.
The refreshed feeling after my shower dissipated and another wave of exhaustion bore down on me. I caught myself on the armrest of the nearby couch and blinked several times. I felt weak and my body thrummed with static.
“You don’t look so good. Maybe you should sit down?” Ava patted my hand and looked up at me with her bright eyes full of concern.
“Is he going to be okay?” Rain asked.
“He better not bite it in our living room,” Chase said.
Pax crossed his arms across his chest. “No way, I’ll pass out if I have to deal with a dead body.”
“That’s enough,” Rex’s stern voice cut across the excited chatter and returned the room to silence.
Hobbling over to an empty chair opposite Rex and the kids sitting crunched together on the big couch, I let myself fall back into the plush cushioning with a great sigh. “Don’t mind if I do. It’s been a day.”
I noticed my shirtsleeves were a tad long, so I rolled them up both my forearms to get them out of the way.
“Psst, look at his arm!” Rae spoke in an urgent whisper.
I looked down at my right forearm, which I’d used like a shield to block the jaws of the winged hound going for my throat. The deep incisions from the chimera’s razor-sharp teeth were writhing back together. Closing my eyes to fight sudden nausea, I tilted my head back and did my damnedest to stay conscious.
When I was able to raise my head back up and participate in conversation again, everyone seemed to be looking at me in shocked revulsion: that was the way you’d look at a monster.
Rex slapped the armrests of his chair. “That’s enough excitement for one night, ain’t it? You kids can head back ta bed. Kal and I need ta speak alone.”
