by H B Lyne
The four shape shifters stepped across the veil into the realm of their kind, Hepethia. The shed looked almost identical as it did in the world of humanity, but the dock next to them was empty. In the human world, this end of the dock was filled with moored fishing and leisure boats, bobbing slightly on the relatively calm waters of the dockyard. A high sea wall surrounded them, three metres thick and at least eight metres high. In Hepethia there were no boats. Calm, grey water lapped against a crystalline shore. The wall was a far bigger construction than in the human world, protecting the land from the dangers from the sea. It towered high above the water, casting a dark shadow on the water behind it and the crystals on the land. There were crystal watch posts jutting up high enough for someone to see over the wall at frequent intervals all along the coast.
Further down the coast, west towards the open sea and away from the estuary upon which the city of Caerton stood, were the shipyards. Vast warehouses with dry docks dominated the landscape. Some were barren, disused for decades. Others were still fully operational, building some of the biggest, fastest sea vessels in the world. In Hepethia, it was a landscape of enormous crystal mountains, standing sentinel at the edge of the city.
The four shifters ran silently away from the docks and onto the sea road that they had fashioned for convenience. They followed it east to where a small pebble beach sat below the road. The tide was coming in and the beach was shallow. Fire Talon squinted out to sea, the water was grey, and foam washed in on the crest of each wave. He looked back toward the dock and sighed with relief when he saw their patron following them.
It appeared from behind the massive wall, rising up from under the sea. Its radar tower came first, water running off it as it rose from its sub-aquatic resting place. Next the bridge, the cannons and finally the hull. She steamed silently through the water up the coast towards them, the HMS Dreadnought. She was vast, towering over the four shifters, a construct of war and naval might, of Caerton's industry and heritage. She guided their pack, the Storm Riders, and was Caerton's first line of defence against enemies from the sea.
'There!' yelled Sleet, dragging Fire Talon's attention back to the moment. She was pointing out to sea and he focused his eyes on the wave rushing in to meet the shore.
He saw it, the face rising out of the water. Not just one, there were more. At least half a dozen. Their faces came first, gradually followed by their bodies. They were crude representations of humans but not fully shifted. Some had gills, one had a shark fin on his back. Tentacles writhed about on most of them, some had flippers for hands and they all struggled to walk on their newly formed feet. They all had sickly green or blue skin and black eyes.
Fire Talon and his kind were the chosen of Artemis, the goddess of the moon, the hunt and wild animals. She granted them the ability to change from their human shape into that of a nocturnal animal.
These creatures were the chosen of Poseidon. The powerful sea god chose from the creatures of the sea and gave them human form. But he was not as skilled as Artemis, and his minions shambled up onto the shore like grotesque, part-fish zombies. The first time Fire Talon had seen one he had laughed, there was something comical about them. But he soon learned to take them seriously.
The figures trudging towards his pack now were baring their sharp teeth, issuing vicious, hissing noises and strange cries.
Iron Sky jumped down onto the beach and drew a great sword from his back. He took two giant strides down the beach and swung the huge weapon with two hands, slicing the nearest creature neatly in two. The top part slithered to the floor and the bottom half promptly dropped.
The rest of the pack leapt down after him, Fire Talon felt the heat of adrenaline coursing through his veins and he rushed forward, shifting as he charged. His body grew in every direction; limbs lengthened, shoulders broadened. His feet became huge paws and his muscular arms ended in feral hands with sharp claws. His face burst into that of a vicious beast, a jutting muzzle and a mouth filled with huge teeth. He was Agrius, the perfect fusion of man and bear.
He roared before springing at one of the sea shifters. It was a tentacled thing and it lashed out at him, catching him with a sharp sting right across his face. He recoiled in pain, hissing wildly. To his right, Sleet and Storm Dancer worked together to take on two other sea shifters. Fire Talon regained his focus and lunged at the creature in front of him. The tentacles flailed around and he got stung again, but with fierce determination he ignored the pain and grabbed hold of a cluster of tentacles in his left hand and pulled the creature towards him. He bared his teeth and snarled into the creature's face. It thrashed around, squealing and hissing. Its legs kicked out and Fire Talon held it at arm's length to avoid getting kicked.
He grabbed its neck and covered the gills on the sides with his large hand. With a mighty surge of strength, Fire Talon pulled the tentacles from the creature's body and they came away with a sickening squelch. He tossed the tentacles aside and with a roar, separated the head from the body. The whole thing was squishy and soft, and exploded like a water balloon upon impact with the stony beach, scattering its fishy flesh all over the place.
Fire Talon turned his attention to the next creature limping out of the sea. Its eyes locked onto him, it put its head down and rushed towards him with a shriek. He jumped aside, letting it rush past him and crash headlong into the wall at the top of the little beach. It turned around, stunned, but standing. It shrieked again and rushed with its head up. As it got close it projected great glob of sticky phlegm from its mouth, hitting Fire Talon full in the face.
It smelled foul, like rotting fish and Fire Talon recoiled. He stumbled backwards into the shallow water, and his senses began to dull. He wiped his face with his bestial hand and the goo clung to his fur, forming a disgusting string between his face and hand. He spat and furiously tried to rid himself of the sticky substance, as his face began to go numb and his throat began to swell. He tried to roar, but the sound stuck in his inflamed gullet and a strange, strangled noise came out.
The sea shifter came at him with a cleaver-like fin for a hand and slashed at his chest. He fell backwards into the sea with a huge splash. He gasped for breath as the thing leaped into the air and landed square on his chest, pinning him down, and pushed his head under the water.
He flailed his limbs, desperate to escape. He could hardly hear anything and his vision was fading. He started to go limp, life ebbing out of his body. For a long moment the lights went out, and he fell still.
A spark of a thought flickered through his mind, just for an instant before it was gone again. Suddenly it flared up, full and bright: He had to live, he had to get out of this. His baby and his love needed him.
Fire rose in his chest, pure adrenaline, boosted by the gifts granted to him by Artemis and his other patron, the Norse god Odin. He was one of the Berserkers, Odin's Warriors, known for their frenzied attacks and extreme resilience. Blood pumped through his veins and he flexed his muscles. With a massive surge of strength, Fire Talon burst up out of the water, roaring. The sea shifter went flying, landing a few feet away on the beach with a crunch. He was a beast filled with blind rage, fuelled by the spiritual energy in his blood and he would have attacked the first thing he saw, even one of his pack mates. But something moved in his peripheral vision, a black shape in the darkening sky and his eyes snapped towards it. A raven circled overhead, one of Odin's dedicated allies, and rationality was restored to Fire Talon's mind.
He returned his gaze to the sea shifter, flailing on the ground in front of him. Storm Dancer stood over it, her staff pinning it to the ground.
'It's all yours,' she said calmly.
Fire Talon's top lip curled, satisfaction and eagerness for the kill clawing at him from within. He strode forward on his powerful, Agrius legs and stomped down hard with one foot right on the creature's chest. His foot went straight through the ribs and crunched on the pebbles beneath, killing the thing instantly. He pulled his foot out and shook off the fish fles
h before shifting back into his human form.
The beach was strewn with the remains of Poseidon's chosen, and his pack mates were standing.
Fire Talon looked into the sky for the raven. It was still circling silently. He watched it for a minute, his mind slowly calming and his pulse returning to normal.
'Eva,' he blurted out the moment she popped into his thoughts.
'Go,' Storm Dancer said, pulling her staff out of the collapsed stomach of the fallen sea shifter. 'We can finish up here.'
He looked to Iron Sky for confirmation. The Alpha gave a sharp nod before proceeding to pick up the arm of a sea shifter and tossing it into the sea.
Fire Talon shifted form again, this time taking the shape of the animal that his dedication to Odin had granted him, that of an eagle. He leapt into the sky, his majestic wings spread wide, and soared back along the coast to his home. He crossed the veil in flight, appearing above the seafront properties in the human world. As he reached his building he circled around to the back. He shifted form as he landed in one fluid movement, landing gently on the ground in the dark alley behind the block of flats.
He ran around to the front door and quickly let himself in. As he bounded up the stairs he tugged his phone from his pocket and checked for missed calls. Nothing. No messages. He slowed his pace and steadied himself.
As he reached the flat door he checked himself over. His clothes were a little wet from walking out in the rain in them before the fight, but there was no sign on his body of the fight with the sea shifters, the sting on his cheek had already healed. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The flat was dark and quiet. It was late in the evening, but he wouldn't have expected Eva to be in bed just yet. He slipped quietly down the hall towards the bedroom.
A noise made his hairs rise up, it was a whimper, not unlike the sounds Eva made when they were being intimate. It troubled him, and he moved silently towards the bedroom door; it was ajar and low light seeped through the gap. Through it, Fire Talon could see movement and he heard footsteps on the carpeted floor.
He slowly pushed the door open and found Eva pacing slowly by the bed. She was alone and he mentally scolded himself for allowing any disturbing thoughts to enter his mind. Eva stood still suddenly and pressed her hands against the wall. Her breathing changed and she whimpered again. The whimper turned into a low hum and she rocked her hips.
It was happening, the baby was coming.
He felt panic rise in his chest, but he firmly pushed it down. He had read the books over her shoulder, he knew he couldn't bring fear into her space. He slipped quietly into the room, and waited for the contraction to end.
When it did, Eva turned to resume pacing, when she caught sight of him she didn't seem surprised.
'You knew I was here?' he whispered, a smile creeping onto his lips.
'Of course,' she replied, returning his smile.
'Why didn't you call me?'
'It's still early, Erik,' she chided him, using his human name, the only name she knew him by. 'It'll be hours yet.'
'Shall I run you a bath?' He felt he needed to do something useful.
'No thanks, I don't feel I can lie down. I might take a shower though.' Eva immediately stripped off her clothes and padded to the bathroom, leaving Fire Talon feeling redundant. He snapped to his senses and followed her. She had already started the shower running but he was there in time to help her step carefully into the bath.
'Do you want me to stay?' he asked quietly.
'Yes,' she said sharply. 'But don't talk.'
Fire Talon hid a smile. He knew he should expect her to snap at him during this, and a memory of something they had read tugged at him, something about it being bad to engage her neocortex.
He lit a few candles and closed the door, shutting out the lamp light from the bedroom. He sat down on the toilet seat and waited.
He watched Eva in awe. She sighed, hummed and rocked her hips. She was completely in tune with her body and her skin glowed in the candlelight. He saw such strength and at the same time such tenderness as she stroked her full belly and whispered to the baby, words even he couldn't make out over the sound of the running shower.
When Eva decided to leave the bathroom, he helped her out of the bath and wrapped a towel around her. The contractions were very close together now and seemed to be getting more intense. His fingers twitched over his phone and he wondered whether he should call the midwife. But Eva didn't ask him to, so he held off.
She knelt by the bed and rocked back and forth and he watched, feeling helpless and vulnerable. He wondered what was happening on the other side of the veil. What elementals would be gathering here, drawn to the birth? What would happen at the moment of birth when new life emerged?
It was late now, more time had passed than Fire Talon had realised and he felt the moment when Eva changed. She became restless and her breathing quickened, but she didn't panic. She was deep in her own world and her body was in control.
He moved closer to her and tentatively put a hand on her back. He looked into her face and saw silent tears falling.
'You are amazing,' he whispered.
She locked her eyes onto his and a look of fierce determination came across her face. She roared, taking him utterly by surprise. He had never loved her more as she roared new life into the world.
Eva reached down and held their baby's head in her hands, just as she had talked about doing. She sobbed tears of joy as the baby slithered out and Fire Talon quickly added his hands to the mix, touching their baby for the first time.
It was a moment of bliss and wonder, and he only realised later that he had been crying.
'It's a girl,' he whispered, full of joy and awe at what he had witnessed.
Eva laughed. She was flushed and her skin gleamed with sweat. She radiated life, and Fire Talon knew exactly what he would see on the other side of the veil, a new goddess coming into being.
The next few days were heaven. No phones. No visitors. Just the three of them. Fire Talon had sent messages to his pack and a few members of Odin's Warriors, informing them of the birth. One of his pack mates had slipped into the flat silently while his family slept the day after the birth and left a table full of freshly cooked meals, boxed for convenient reheating. It was probably Sleet. She was full of surprises.
A raven arrived at the window on the third day. He had to try to let it in through the kitchen window without alerting Eva in the bedroom. It squawked once and vomited up a rolled up piece of paper.
'Shh!' Fire Talon hissed at it as he hurriedly unrolled the message from Ragged Edge, one of the elders of Odin's Warriors.
I hear congratulations are in order. We would be honoured if you would join us to wet the baby's head tonight. The warehouse in Barrow Market, 8pm. All my love to the new mother,
R.E.
He grinned and tucked the note into a pocket. 'Tell him “yes”,' he told the bird, and with a distinct wink the raven hopped out of the window and took flight.
3
'We need you back with the pack,' Iron Sky said, his voice firm and commanding. 'It's been weeks, you're neglecting your duties.'
Fire Talon paced the boat shed, his hands clenched into fists. He wanted to lash out, hit something hard enough to punch right through it. He knew what he was supposed to do, he had been raised by his shifter kin, he'd seen others do it and always assumed that it would be easy to walk away from a child. But the reality was very different.
'I know you love them.' Storm Dancer spoke softly. 'But you know how this works. You can have them back later, when she is old enough to start learning our ways.'
'If Eva will let me,' he hissed. 'If I let them go now I may never see them again.'
'The storm is coming,' Iron Sky said, a low rumble of threat in his voice. 'It has already started. You heard the explosions? Just across the river in St. Mark's. That was only part of it. There are enemies out to the east who will soon sweep across Caerton like a plague, we kn
ow this to be true. The others may be preparing for that, but most of them don't care about what will come from the north, from the sea.'
'The city's seers know something, I am sure of it,' Sleet said with a snarl. 'I wish Lost was still with us, she would have seen something.'
The name hung on the air as the four of them spared a moment for their pack mate who had sacrificed so much for them. Fire Talon knew that his Alpha was right. There were threats all around them and his love for Eva and their baby was so strong that he had to do whatever it took to keep them safe. It would have been simpler if Eva had been of shifter blood, she would know what he was and what must be done. But he had fallen in love with a human.
That night he made his preparations and when he kissed them both good night it was good bye.
4
The winter was hard on the Storm Riders. More of Poseidon's chosen came ashore, they came in droves and the weather was severe. Fire Talon watched Eva and the baby from a safe distance, ensuring that they were protected. He saw the heartbreak, the tears on Eva's face when she ventured out, her friends coming and going. It was agony to watch and his guilt plagued his dreams as well as his waking hours. His pack were patient and encouraging. He was kept too busy to dwell much on what he had done, with almost nightly battles.
Iron Sky continued to issue warnings to the other alphas of Caerton, but as far as Fire Talon knew, he received no reply.
February arrived and the Danegeld came around, a huge ritual for all of Caerton's shifters. It was a chance to pay tribute to the Norse gods, to offer up sacrifices to appease them and bring peace and prosperity for the coming year. Many packs adorned themselves with decorations representing their fields of power and influence. The Storm Riders were no exception. They decorated themselves with treasures from the sea, Iron Sky carried a trident like Poseidon himself and Fire Talon wore a cloak with storm clouds and lightning printed on it.
