The UnFolding Collection Two

by S. K. Randolph

  “You look upset,” she muttered like a drunk waking from a long, liquor-induced sleep.

  He hugged her to him and whispered, “You’re right. Something’s wrong. I need you fully awake.”

  She blinked and stepped unsteadily away from him. A yawn shuddered through her body. A deep inhale followed. “I’m awake, but I feel awful. Was I drugged? It couldn’t have been the food. We ate the same things, and I ate less.”

  A small rock slide outside made them exchange glances. Davin doused the light and crouched next to her behind the dais. The door swung open, silhouetting a male figure in the decreasing light of a half-full saffron moon. The door shutting erased the silhouette.

  A whisper penetrated the darkness. “It be Tarso. We got trouble.”

  Davin pressed TheLise lower and stepped away from the dais. “Here.”

  The man was beside him in an instant. “Gotta get ya outta here. Bad man headed this way.”

  TheLise peeked around the carved marble. “Who is this bad man?”

  Tarso shivered and smacked his gums. “Me thinks Mocendi. Mr. Wolloh said protect ya. Me take ya t’ other side of the isle. Boat waiting.” He tiptoed to the door, opened it a crack, and peered into the night. “All clear.”

  Davin fastened his cape and helped TheLise with hers. “I trust him. You?”

  A hesitant nod, then a definitive answer. “Yes.” She gathered navy fabric in her hands, started for the exit, and paused. “Do you think the Mocendi DiMensioner put me to sleep?”

  “I think he is nearer than we think. Let’s go.”

  They slipped from the crypt into the long shadow of a tall tree. Tarso had moved further down the path away from his cottage and the dock. He beckoned. They followed.

  He floated like a ghost between headstones and trees. Davin nudged TheLise ahead of him and kept his senses on high alert. Like a storm gathering strength, pressure built behind him. He felt it, tasted it, smelled it on the night breeze. Ahead TheLise stumbled. He caught her, helped to stabilize her, and motioned her onward. Hidden by her cape, she was nothing more than shadow ducking under branches, gliding around graves, and merging shadow to shadow—tree trunk to tree trunk.

  A high wall loomed over them in the darkness. Tarso moved along it to an iron gate with a large padlock. He turned a brass key. A soft scraping whispered through the night.

  “Gate squeaks. Squeeze through.” He held it ajar while Davin sidled beyond it, pulling TheLise after him. Slipping through behind them, Tarso relocked it and hustled them along to a fork in the path. He stopped and murmured, “In very bad place. You be strangers. You be alive. Keep your hoods up and your capes closed.”

  Davin pulled his hood over his shorn head. The gate rattled. Ahead ravaged faces floated, distorted by the night breeze. TheLise froze, shook herself like a wet dog, and hurried after Tarso. A light flashed, and the gate flew open. Tarso dodged off the path between mounds of earth and stopped in a small grove of hemlock trees.

  “I lead bad man away from ya. Stay here. Be quiet until ya no longer hear footsteps. Keep your eyes on the ground and your fear hid deep. Many things roam this side—death shadows—ghouls and ghosts. Go with care.” He turned to TheLise. “Wolloh told me ya sail, Manow. Boat’s at the end of the path on the other side of the trees.”

  TheLise flashed a warm smile. “Thank you for everything, Tarso. We’ll take good care of your boat.”

  Davin held out his hand. The caretaker shook it, gave a quick nod, and dodged away through the night. Quiet footsteps approached the grove and paused. Davin grabbed TheLise by the arm, pressed his back into a tree, and pulled her down beside him as he slid to the ground. He imagined himself merging into hemlock and cold dirt. The footsteps resumed and faded into the darkness.

  “Davin, come back. We have to go.”

  A rush of air brought him back to awareness. TheLise knelt beside him. Her eyes were large and luminous. She took his hand and pulled him to his feet. He followed her away from the grove, over a small foot bridge, through tangled trees and mounds of dirt with barely discernible headstones. A root caught his ankle and sent him to his knees. His hand buried itself in soft freshly turned earth. A small skeletal hand gripped his wrist. He tugged. The hand held tight. A child’s skeleton pulled free of the dirt.

  TheLise knelt. Tears dripped from her chin onto the tiny bones. The hand released its grip. Davin rubbed his wrist and watched her gently rebury the small skeleton and lay a sprig of hemlock on the grave. After whispering a quiet prayer, she reached for his hand.

  He helped her to her feet. “Now what?”

  The hoot of a great horned owl announced the wafting appearance of two translucent figures that took the shapes of a woman and child. They flitted along a path, turned, and motioned them to follow. More ghosts lined the way, closing ranks in a parade behind them.

  Clouds obscured the moons of DerTah as they reached the edge of the trees. Davin put a restraining hand on TheLise’s arm. He scanned the beach. Down a stretch of rock-strewn sand, a small boat bobbed beside a wind-worn dock. A strong breeze rustled the leaves. Ocean lapped the shore. Nothing else moved. TheLise caught his eye. They stepped from the shelter of Temecrya’s woods and turned. Woman and child stared with haunted eyes. Behind them, other ghosts had gathered, ragged and misty and beginning to fade. An owl hooted again. One-by-one, the apparitions melted away. The woman waved. The child blew a kiss. Sea breezes scattered their wafting forms into shadow and night.

  Davin glanced down at TheLise. A tear shimmered on her cheek. “They protected us.”

  He squeezed her hand. “We need to go.”

  They hurried across the beach, their capes slapping and billowing in the wind. Almost silent wings whispered overhead. The great horned owl swooped beyond them and landed on the mast of a well-kept wooden sailboat.

  TheLise paused. “It’s the owl again. Is it following us? I don’t sense any DiMensionery at work.”

  Davin stared up at the bird. “I feel a connection to it. Perhaps it feels it, as well.” He looked back at the boat.

  Small and sleek, the simple craft’s white sides and glossy keatwood trim gleamed as moonlight slipped through a momentary break in the clouds. Written across the stern in swooping letters was the word Swallow .

  TheLise grinned with delight. “Isn’t she beautiful? I love to sail. Do you?” She took off her cape and tossed it in the bow.

  He dropped his on top and shrugged. “Never been around the ocean.”

  She laughed and climbed aboard. “Come on.” She began to examine the boat and its contents. “Look, we have oars. We’ll row out and then lift the sail.”

  Davin glanced up and down the shore. “I’m starting to feel like the enemy is near. We need to be on our way. I’d hate to get caught when we are so close to getting away. I can row if you can do the sailing. Just tell me what to do.”

  “We have everything we need on board—a chart, a compass, and even a spy glass. Get the oars. I’ll cast off.”

  He took his seat, set the oars in the oarlocks, and braced his feet against the bottom. TheLise untied the lines and pushed Swallow away from the dock. The owl, like a figure head on a tall ship, remained perched on the bow. It flapped its wings, peered into the darkness, and brought golden eyes to rest on TheLise.

  “Row away from the shore. I’ll steer south.” She gripped the smooth keatwood tiller as she spoke. “We’ll make for Atkis. I know people there who will help us.”

  Davin leaned forward and then back, pressing the oars against the water, glad they were traveling with the current. He marveled at TheLise’s skill as she guided the small craft between jagged rocks and away from the shore. They were about to round the southern tip of the Isle of Temecrya when two men ran down to the water’s edge. TheLise gasped. “One is LaHeer Limtayca. I’m betting the other is a Mocendi.”

  “How do you know? It’s dark.”

  “I saw them.” She tapped her head. “In here. Faster, Davin. Fast―”

&
nbsp; A blond man materialized in Swallow’s bow. Gray-green eyes trapped them in a cold and steady gaze. Davin’s breath caught in his throat. TheLise slid from her seat into a crumpled heap, unconscious. The owl launched high into the air, circled, and dropped like stone. Its outstretched talons struck the man in the chest. With a startled cry, he pitched backward, fought to right himself, and toppled into the sea. Davin put all his muscle power into steadying the boat as the man floundered to the surface. The owl swooped low, darting at the man’s face again and again until he struck out toward the shore.

  Davin boated the oars and knelt beside TheLise. Her eyes flew open. She moaned and pushed herself to sitting.

  “Where is he?”

  “The owl knocked him overboard and chased him ashore.” Davin grinned.

  TheLise shook her head. “That’s some owl.”

  By the time, Davin had rowed the boat around the island, TheLise had recovered. With deft movements, she released the furled sail. Following her instructions, Davin helped her to raise it. She gripped the tiller and nodded. He pulled the main sheet taut. The sail billowed, caught the wind, and sent Swallow gliding through the water.

  Davin turned his face into the wind and laughed. “I had no idea sailing was so wonderful!”

  TheLise grinned. The clouds broke. The glacier blue moon danced in the night sky. Owl’s eyes gleamed in its light as it swooped to land once more on the keatwood bow.

  S ix moon cycles had passed since Davin and TheLise escaped the Isle of Temecrya. Wolloh and Stebben had met them in Atkis. While there, Relevart sent word that the Mocendi had returned to the planet of TreBlaya, The MasTer’s home at the Outer Rim—at least for the time being.

  At Shu Chenaro, lessons and training had begun in earnest. Davin discovered that he was an apt pupil. Soon he and TheLise were neck in neck. She excelled at teleportation. He proved to be better at telekinesis. One turning Wolloh arrived in the arena and sent TheLise to continue a project he had assigned her the previous turning. When she had departed, he turned his disfigured profile to Davin.

  “You have mentioned your desire to shape shift. The time for you to begin your training has arrived. First, I will tell you, by way of a cautionary note, a story. Many sun cycles ago, I made a choice that changed my life. Relevart had begun my lessons in shape shifting. I had shaped the calfon, a small Persowan bird of prey. He had instructed me repeatedly to change from the calfron to Human. I chose to ignore him in an effort to prove I was ready to shape the osprey. When I finally landed in Human form, I pleaded with him to let me try. He refused and left me alone in the training field. The minute he was out of sight, I attempted the change. The osprey took control. My disfigured left side is a daily reminder of my stupidity.

  “Today, you will change to the Theran sparrow. When I feel you are ready, you will attempt your form of choice, the great horned owl. Few conquer this form. It is a difficult one. You have the potential. It is my hope you will not follow in my footsteps.”

  Davin’s heartbeat quickened as he thought about the owl. Its image had haunted him since he first saw it on the Isle of Temecrya. The one that had appeared there had stayed with them until they reached the mainland. He continued to miss its presence.

  “Davin?”

  “I apologize, Wolloh. I was thinking of the owl. I promise not to change until you give me permission.”

  The rest of the afternoon went well. Davin shaped the sparrow, learned to return to his Human form without Wolloh’s assistance, and left the arena with instructions to review all pertinent information regarding the great horned owl before tomorrow’s lesson.

  Davin rose early the next morning. Standing on the balcony of his room, he watched Wolloh’s magnificent osprey form soar over the ranch and thought back over the events of the past few moon cycles. I escaped from the Five Towers, arrived in DerTah, and met Relevart. I even spent the night in a casket with a beautiful woman. I am training in the Arts of DiMensionery. His fisted hand hit the balustrade. Why do I still fight the anger in my heart?

  Pacing from one end of the balcony to the other, he fought to stifle his need for revenge. Images of his childhood, his bruised and batter face and his father’s abuse, fueled his anger. My only safe haven was Myrrh. The child in him ached. The adult refused to let go of the past. I hate you, Almiralyn.

  He glared at the red of the desert. I will have my revenge, but first I’ll learn to shape shift the great horned owl. I will finish my training as a DiMensioner and become an initiate of the Order of Esprow. His eyebrow arched. My new name has already been chosen. When it is officially awarded, I, Seyes Nomed, will find a way back to Myrrh.

  Wolloh’s osprey form soared over the arena and dropped from sight. Davin hid his rekindled fury deep in his mind. Today, I shape the great horned owl for the first time. Today I am one step closer to everything I desire.

  end of

  Wanted

  UnFolding 11

  Duplicity

  UnFolding 12

  Companion Short

  (novelette)

  Fantasy Fiction

  The UnFolding

  by

  S.K. Randolph

  Copyright © 2015-2018 by S.K. Randolph

  CheeTrann Creations LLC

  12UF-V-29+i

  Duplicity

  A t thirteen sun cycles, Corvus Karrew Castilym was small for his age. He wore his thick, black hair cropped close. Eyes the color of roasted zelha nuts twinkled with mischief most of the time. In his right cheek, a deep dimple accentuated his emotions and added even more charm to an already handsome visage. He knew girls thought he was cute.

  Leaning out the upper story window of future Guardian of Myrrh’s home, he watched his siblings skim over Nadrugia Lake in the sailboat their father had given them for summertide. The sails billowed. The boat heeled to port. He could almost feel the wind in his face and hear the lines slapping and the whoosh of water against the hull. How I love to sail! His sisters waved and blew him a kiss. The boy in him longed to escape and join them…the young man held him in check. He waved and withdrew into the upstairs study, his young face filled with determination.

  Today I have attained the Point of Sherloth…the moment in the tradition of my home planet when the boy steps into manhood. Today I become the companion and protector of Myrrh’s Guardian.

  He sank onto a chair and thought about his life thus far. Since his third sun cycle, he had been trained in the Arts of DiMensionery and the KcernFensian Code of Vaberry. This training and his special talents, his mentor had explained, were part of his heritage and made him the perfect candidate for the responsibilities he was about to embrace.

  Glancing at the miniature portraits covering the table next to him, he let his gaze linger on one of his parents sitting side by side, their fingers intertwined. Both were small in stature, with dark hair and gleaming eyes very much like his own. His mother, known for her beauty and her kindness, seemed to laugh at her husband’s more serious countenance. Corvus ran a finger over the gilt frame. I sure wish you were with me today. He picked up the picture and studied them more intently. They had been called back to their ancestral planet of Roahymn on a matter of great importance. He sighed and returned the portrait to its central position. I am lucky to have such great parents.

  The soft sound of a door opening made his heart beat faster. Anticipation brought him to his feet as the High Priestess from the Temple of Mayhinaeh entered the room with a bundle in her arms.

  She nodded toward the chair. “Please sit.”

  When he was settled, she placed the bundle in the crook of his arm. “Her name is Almiralyn, the gift of life. She is from this moment forward your responsibility. Her parents and family and yours will help until she goes to the temple to begin her formal training. At that time, the full charge becomes yours. If you feel any reticence whatsoever, now it the time to express it.”

  As she spoke, she lifted the blanket away from the baby’s face. Tears filled Corvus’ eyes. Love
, instant and complete, flowed through him. He placed a gentle kiss on the tiny forehead and whispered, “I will love you and protect you, Almiralyn Nadrugia, with my life for rest of my life.”

  The priestess smiled and left them to get acquainted.

  Corvus looked in awe at the peaches and cream face, the small, rosebud mouth, the abundance of silver-blonde curls. He touched the tiny fingers and peeked beneath the blanket at her small, pink toes. When she opened her eyes, he exclaimed out loud at the sparkling clarity of their sapphire blue. “You are so beautiful!” The words came out in rush. “I love you already, and I don’t even know you.”

  She kicked her legs and punched the air with tiny fists. A bubble appeared at the corner of her mouth. A pink tongue licked it away. She cooed and wiggled and cooed again. He was so engrossed that he failed to notice Almiralyn’s father entering the room until he spoke.

  “What do you think, Corvus? Can you love her above all else and protect her with your life?”

  “I can, sir. I will not let you down.”

  The tall, fair man stroked his daughter’s rosy cheek. “She is lovely, isn’t she.”

  Corvus let out a sigh. “She is the most exquisite thing I’ve ever seen, sir.”

  Lanli Nadrugia’s laugh held a note of sadness. “She definitely takes after Mairin.” He beckoned a nurse forward. “You had best take our young lady to her mother, or we shall all be in trouble.”

  The nurse bobbed a curtsy, lifted the baby from Corvus’ arms, and hurried back toward the master quarters.

  Almiralyn’s father pulled a chair opposite his and sat down. Eyes a paler blue than his daughter’s searched Corvus’ face. “You realize that the task you have accepted will not always be easy. Women are, by and large, a very different animal than their male counterparts.”