by J N Moon
“It’s iron coated, otherwise it would be heavier,” Pete added.
“Wow, it’s heavier than I expected.”
“Here’s a scabbard, it goes over your back like this,” Coral helped to strap it on me.
Conor, smiling like a Cheshire cat, “You look hot, Emma,” he laughed.
“Well, maybe, but I haven’t used it yet. I’d wait before you make an assessment,” I smirked and added, “I’m going to practice for a while to get used to it.”
A heavy sword wasn’t easy to move, adrenalin pumped through me and I wandered off a little, feeling Conor’s eyes bore into me, as Pete and Coral chatted. “Any news on Lou? Steve’s out of his head with worry. We’re leaving the centre to be run by a few of the others, Jonathan for example has wanted a chance to run it for ages, so we gave him that while we sort things here.”
“That’s good thinking Pete,” I heard Conor reply. “Anyone watching over Steve?”
“I was but looped out to get this over to you and Emma. Steve’s with Sabian, and his beau, Lauren. Lauren’s borrowed a book on magic from a friend, a witch I believe. The witch had an unusual name, I can’t remember it,” Coral replied.
Pete added, “The witch has something to do with angels, anyway, hopefully we’ll get something soon. Sabian’s going to call on some friends from Bath to help find Lou-but what did Emma find out, anything? Steve said she was dream walking?”
Rather than swing my sword listening to them talk about me, I wandered over, holding my sore wrist and twisting it, trying to loosen it, after I sheathed the sword.
Looking at Conor, I saw his smile slowly building, eyes fixated, blinking a sudden flush to his face, looking away I felt my face grow hot, too. Hiding my smile by twisting my lips, and frowning thoughtfully, I wiped my forehead, “Blimey, this is going to take getting used to. It doesn’t seem too heavy but after a few minutes...”
“Oh, I know just the thing,” Coral interrupted. “I have a wrist guard for sports, I’ll grab it today for you. It’ll make heaps of difference.”
A small beeping, an alarm sounded, Conor grabbed is phone, “Catch you in a bit guys, got to go!”
“Where?” Asked Pete.
“To the basement, I’m watching over the Asrai remember?”
“Witches in Bath, can they help stop the Nuckelavee?”
“Only the Mither O’ Sea can do that, or you Emma,” Pete replied.
“But why me? There’s something I’m not being told,” shaking my head, “I don’t expect you two to tell me, it’s not up to you. It killed my uncle, it’s personal, even my mum wouldn’t say why I’m meant to do this whatever....”
Without another word, I wandered off into the woods, leaving them there. Walking briskly, the trees quickly dense around me, the light faded, hidden by the thick canopy above. It was slightly chilly in the shadows, birds singing their late spring songs and my body loosened, relaxed away from all the crazy.
Drawing my sword, I played around, carefully though, the blade was sharp, deadly.
Stopping, I closed my eyes to focus my attention inside me, like I’d seen in movies, a goal to make the sword a part of me, an extension of my arm rather than a tool to use. Standing still for a few minutes, sword drawn in front of me, I was aware of so much. In the distance I heard footsteps treading lightly through the woods, whispering and the flutter of tiny wings. Instinct told me to crouch down, opening my eyes I did, amongst the undergrowth. Slowing my breathing and focusing my mind on now, being present. Not bracing, breathing, now the weapon felt lighter in my hand, slight acid in my forearm and bicep but nothing awful. Now, just be still... waiting.
“That is pretty impressive, especially for a human,” I heard a man call.
Slowly turning, without getting up I saw Luke smiling at me, but keeping his distance.
I smiled back, - there was something unique about him. I didn’t trust him, though I felt he wasn’t intentionally harmful.
Now we’d seen each other he bounded over fast and was beside me before I caught my breath.
“Wow, can I see it?”
“Sure,” as I handed him my sword, I noticed he always closed the gap, you know the personal space gap. That was intentional, I was sure.
“Oh, Emma, it’s a beaut. You’re teaching yourself hunting techniques I see? I have to admit, had I been human I wouldn’t have seen you!”
“Oh, well then I failed. I’m not hunting humans...”
“I love how that rolls off your tongue,” he laughed and nudged himself jokingly against me.
“I smelled you first, I would. Enough of that, we can gather Wolfsbane and Verbena and rub you down with that, it should cover your scent. Unless of course you change first, but then, thinking about it, either way, we’ll have to rub you down.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ll be the only one doing that but thanks for the tip.” Now I saw him, I see you Luke Philips...your way of hitting on someone is about as subtle as a brick!
“I still want to know why it killed my uncle, I know it’s going after supernaturals but it seemed intent on killing him, like it was personal.”
“It was. How do you not know? Your uncle was in the lineage of the first of your kind, as are you. Surely you know the story of your ancestor, bitten by the wolf in the twelfth century?” Luke’s voice was pitched high in shock, moving back suddenly, I was shocked by his sharp response.
“I know the story, Ethan only told me just before he died. I had no idea that we were directly descended though. So, we come from the Black Forest. Still, there’s loads of different shifters, why us?”
Luke’s gleaming green eyes penetrated right through me, holding my gaze longer than he should, moving forward until he was a hairs breadth away, he whispered, “Because you are the strongest. Granted your uncle was old...er and so on his own unable to kill the Nuckelavee, most couldn’t kill it. And now it wants you, you are the last of your kind, of the original Wolf Born.” Stepping back a bit he grinned and his tone was lighter, “Werewolves-your own kin rarely use that term, that’s a human term full of fear and misunderstanding. Me, I’m Dragon Born. So Emma, I’m surprised Conor hadn’t told you this, it’s not a secret.”
“Because I didn’t want to worry her further Luke,” Conor’s voice boomed from the woods, striding through with intent. Small eyes, pierced lips he looked at Luke with anger and mistrust. Luke smiled, cocked his head, “She’s strong, she should know. Now you know Emma, you’re wondering why that demon hasn’t killed you yet, I’m sure? It’s had its chances?”
“It’s because I haven’t turned, isn’t it? Once that happens it won’t stop.” My head dropped, staring at my feet, “I’m really afraid, I don’t want to turn.” Trembling, I suddenly felt a cold breeze wash over me, like someone walking on my grave. It just spewed out, my fear like a derailed train. Looking at Conor, “I know you showed me what it is to change, you looked in such... agony. It was weird, how can I stop this?” His face softened, those eyes widening, soft curved smile. Gently, with no sound he walked over and put is massive arms around me, pulling me in tight. Racing against my chest, my heart pounded, wrapped in him, his strength, his warmth for a few seconds I forgot my peril.
Deeply but quietly he spoke, “Em, you can’t stop it, but I will help you, I’ll be there to make sure you’re ok. It seems scarier than it is.”
“Would you really want to stop it? I mean the thing that makes you stronger than any human, the community you now belong to? You’ll no longer be mortal. Rejoice in it Emma, it’s a gift. A powerful, dark gift and your lineage is the purest, the strongest. And you’re the last in that line,” Luke added.
“It’s always scary as fuck at the beginning, for me I was alone, I had no one to guide me, I thought I’d lost my mind and was imagining my transformation,” Luke continued. Conor unlocked me, we turned to face Luke whose character until now seemed conflicted and not totally untrustworthy. Maybe this was why...
“Your parents, kin? No one t
o help you at all?”
“Nope, I was adopted. When I was about eleven years old my step-parents told me that I was adopted, I’d been with them since a baby. My real parents were dead, or so I was led to believe. I was thirteen when I turned, walking home from school I took a short-cut through a park. Luckily it was beside the woods, and very luckily no one saw me. You know humans.”
Conor grunted in agreement, I stared in shock.
“What did you do?” I gasped.
“I cried! What else could I do, I couldn’t exactly call for help. When I opened my mouth, smoke bellowed out, twisting and turning the horror that my human body was gone, in its place a massive serpent-type dragon. With wings!” Luke paced as he spoke, his shoulders tight, twisting his fingers, face stern-feeling the full horror and isolation now, from that day. “I hid of course, lumbered my huge green body, but when I heard voices I was terrified. Either way, if I was imagining this, I would be punished for hiding, and scolded for drugs-even though I hadn’t knowingly taken any. If I was this creature-and I thought, how could that be, then I was a freak, they would kill me and I would die alone. Isolated from mankind.
“Eventually I fell asleep there in the woods, when I woke up I was human. I was so relieved I couldn’t stop laughing and even though my step parents punished me by grounding me, I didn’t care. Until the next time. Some months later when a gang of kids decided to pick on me. Flung forward on my knees, through anger at their bullying my body started to morph, the kids screamed, ran in terror but one kid was watching from a distance. He was Wolf Born, he knew what I was and he lived in a community like this. So I became sort of semi-adopted by the, as you call them,” he grinned cheekily, “Adopted by werewolves! A dragon-shifter. Years later I left to seek out my own kin, but my story isn’t uncommon Emma, so really...” he smiled even harder now, his mouth as wide as his sculpted face, “Just suck it up Em,” he laughed.
His eyes darted up and down me, wondering why I was making such a big deal I guess. I’d had Luke all wrong, maybe he lacked people skills and like most of us it seemed he was used to being isolated and defensive.
“Come, let’s get back,” Conor added his voice softer. “Hey Luke, I’m sorry about what happened to you, that sucks. Glad you found a community though, we’re a dying breed, we need to stick together.”
Luke grinned but didn’t answer, there was a tension between them, maybe a battle of the alphas but Luke was staying in Conor’s home so that would be interesting. Maybe I would have to show them what a true leader does. Yeah, right!
Aside from the heat between dragon and wolf the night passed uneventfully, we drank some beer, played some games, the guys were mostly civil to each other, even fun. My dreams were not.
Again, in the forest with Shuck, crooked paths, overhanging branches kissing the ground with their bows heavily laden with fruit, flowers and sweetly fragrant scents.
Something troubled me inside, a threat I could not see or hear but only sense. My only relief was my hound at my side, I longed for Shuck to walk with me in the waking world. In my mind’s eye Conor’s face, his fringe cunningly hiding his eyes, his soul in shadow then. But I had seen it, tasted it and like forbidden temptation, Luke, the strange dragon man.
Without realising it, my feet glided lightly in long paces, running beside Shuck before stopping suddenly, that dread hanging over me like weighted armour. Low clouds floated like ghosts as I saw we were on a verge of a hill, looking down across a deep valley. That cabin I’d seen before, the door about to open when Conor had woken me. There it sat, deep down in the far distance so this time I had approached it from somewhere else. Shuck sniffed the air, turned to look at me, I patted him, and crouched beside him. Scanning the area, I saw a thin line of smoke, almost transparent coming from the cabin. He turned slightly and we found the path, and we travelled lightly and fast down it, carefully, I didn’t want to lose my footing here.
Before me stood the cabin, Shuck beside me, now I wasted no time. Knocking on the door, like a thundering train my heart hammered fast against my ribs, my senses could pick out noises of someone or something inside. I knocked again, then lifted the latch and before me stood on hind legs a huge beast, a true werewolf. Standing about seven-feet-high, a contortion of man and beast, I scanned up his body. Half human, half wolf torso, his head with snout protruding forward like the wolf but slightly smaller, huge red eyes, mouth open. Hands a caricature of human with wolf claws, elongated and thick, the black fur glistened in the sparse flickering candle lit room behind him.
Gasping, stepping back I felt Shuck beside me. Sweat broke out over my face and neck, the beast slanted its head, held out its long furry black hand, it’s voice like a throbbing engine, low and deep simply said, “Come.”
It moved its head like a dog who listens to his human companion.
I noticed Shuck hadn’t come in. I remained standing, it reached out its hairy arms, beckoning me, I didn’t move, frozen to the spot. His claws grabbed at me, grappling for a hold, he whispered deeply, “Come to me!”
Turning my head as Shuck started barking ferociously outside, he pulled me in, his fiery breath covering my face. Glancing, his huge teeth, mouth wide open, my feet planted to the floor I used them as leverage and pushed myself back, away. Still he held me fast, terror quickly flooding me, my rage flew through me like a bolt of electricity. Pushing his hands with my hands I yelled, his eyes widened as brilliant gold light shot out of my hands onto his. Instantly yelping he fell back, I sprung for the door. Shuck and I ran and ran, back up to crooked path, bending, sloping ever upwards and reaching up. The speed at which I ran shouldn’t have been possible, but with Shuck, my loyal friend, everything seemed possible. Reaching the top, we stopped, the wails of the beast could still be heard echoing throughout the valley, maybe he’d caught on fire? Panting now, I flopped down on the undergrowth caught my breath. Closing my eyes for a second, then I woke up back in the waking world.
Don’t Stray from The Path
I was glad I was alone, what the hell was with that dream? I guessed it was all the madness and confusion that had entered my life in the last few weeks that made me dream of that hideous beast! God, I wouldn’t tell anyone about this, and I was still no closer to finding Lou.
Lou. A heaviness ached in my stomach when I thought of her, searching my mind for clues. Witches, the witch towers, didn’t Pete and Coral say someone was looking at a spell book from a witch, I needed to speak to them.
After a shower, I felt lighter, the icky heaviness gone and the threat of Conor being some kind of in-between beast seemed a distant thought.
Only Luke was up in the kitchen which was weird. Since I’d stayed here Conor had been an early bird even when he’d had no sleep. Before I could speak, Luke whizzed over and handed me fresh coffee with one hand while he held the milk bottle in the other.
“Milk? Sugar?” he winked.
“Both thanks.” Always maintaining eye contact a little too long, now I knew a bit more about Luke I think he was just shy, inexperienced. He didn’t know how to act, what was acceptable or not.
“You know, I wish we were at my place, though it isn’t as grand as this.”
Arching my eyebrows, he continued, “Breakfast? I’m a good cook, being a dragon shifter there ain’t nothing I can’t cook,” he giggled.
“Yeah, thanks. What’s on the menu chef?”
“Eggs, bacon...” rummaging in the fridge he pulled out... “Blood pudding.” His raised brows, wide eyes and mouth said it all-I mirrored him back. “No thanks, I prefer my blood fresh,” I laughed.
“Hum, I prefer continental breakfast myself.”
“Really?” I squeaked. I’d always thought that was kind of classy, maybe there was more to Luke than met the eye, like when he was describing that strange glyphs.
“So, where do you live Luke? I presume not in a cave?” I asked earnestly, tongue in cheek.
He turned straight-faced, playing along and held my gaze. “I’ll show you,
but not right now. Though I might be too hot for you, I pack a lot of heat,” he laughed.
“Who packs a lot of heat?” Connor asked as he walked in, I replied, “Dragons. Dragons are hot.” You know how sometimes you spout something out, then realise afterwards, Luke gave me the biggest smile, Conor said, “A lot of smoke I hear. Who’s up for breakfast?”
The tension in the room shifted, a little uncomfortable so I decided to head out.
“I’m fine thanks, where’s Sabian and Lauren staying? I really need to speak to them, fast,” I asked.
Surprised, Conor turned around, “Oh, no problem, I’ll eat then I’ll take you there.”
“No, that’s ok, I just need their address. You stay-you’ve enough on your plate.”
“You’re not having breakfast?”
“I rarely have breakfast Conor. Being here is the most times I’ve eaten breakfast since I was thirteen,” I laughed.
He looked a bit put out, but I insisted. After giving me the address and directions, he looked at Luke, I noticed it was almost a sneer.
“Tut. Shifters,” I laughed. Luke was busying himself rolling a cigarette and walking outside with it.
“Luke,” I said sternly, “I need to speak to you.”
“Sure, any time Em.”
We walked outside, I went to my car. “You coming?” I asked him, my voice a little short. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Conor watching from the window, but I didn’t look at him. Keeping my face motionless, brows furrowed as if angry at Luke, I got in the car. I wasn’t actually but I was in a position where I wasn’t sure which way to turn or who to trust, so I decided to play my cards very close to my chest and reveal them to no-one. I just wanted to confide in Luke about the fire in my hands that I’d dreamed about, seeing though he was a dragon.
He got in the car, face as hard as stone, staring forward like he was really pissed off. Tight lipped, small eyes, he could look mean when he wanted to, I guess that had helped him growing up.
