by R. E. Fisher
She also noticed for the first time that there was neither a campfire nor a prepared meal as Telerex had done for her on so many occasions during the journey. Disappointed, she went to collect the wood for a fire, sensing that she needed the comfort and warmth it would provide. She walked into the tree line that surrounded the meadow and began looking about. Most of the trees in the area were pines, and there weren’t any dead limbs or branches for her to retrieve; she began walking deeper into the woods, heedless of any danger that might be out there. She looked up through the canopy of boughs above her, seeing that it would be a dark night; the black moon Kalios was the sole moon in the night sky. Its position told her it was near darknight, the middle of the evening. She looked around to find her way back to camp, ready to give up on having a fire, when she spied a glow in the distance.
Curious and thinking that someone might be able to direct her toward a water source, Tetra began walking in that direction. She needed to do something to occupy her mind and distract her from her thirst while she waited for Telerex to return.
As she drew closer, she noticed that there were music, laughter, and voices coming from the same direction. She snuck closer so she could see what was happening, jealous of their happiness. Kneeling, she tried to understand what they were saying but was unable to. There were several people in colorful garb gathered around a small fire, dancing, singing, and drinking. Tetra thought that they might be a family, as several of them resembled each other. The old man, sitting with his walking stick, was pounding out a rhythm on a flat piece of wood while an older woman played a stringed instrument of some sort. It was shaped kind of like a box, with various small blocks of wood that slid down the strings they were attached to. The song’s melody was fast and full of life. Two younger women were dancing while the other two played for them, and two young men sat next to the fire drinking from wooden cups. She had seen them fill their cups and the old man’s from a cask that sat on the steps leading into a wagon, which looked more like a small cabin on wheels. The horses for the wagon had been tied to a tether line several feet into the tree line along with three riding horses. She turned her attention back to the dancing, as she had never seen people move like that before. It was both seductive and frenetic at the same time. Their movements fascinated her.
Their bright blue skirts and floral-patterned shirts highlighted their olive complexions and long, dark hair. She watched as the two young girls threw bright yellow shawls back over their shoulders, using them as capes to dance; the fabric billowed in the light evening air as they moved. It was like nothing she had ever seen before, and it filled her with a small sense of happiness, even if it was not hers to enjoy.
“Don’t ya move or I’ll gut ya!” she heard an accented voice tell her as she felt the point of a blade press into her neck.
Tetra began to turn her head toward the voice but was stopped by his blade.
“Uh-uh-uhhh,” the man said as he slid Lavalor from her scabbard.
Not wishing to have the situation become bloody, she mentally reached out to Lavalor. I’ll handle this! she nearly shouted out loud.
“Why are you spying on us? Who are you?” the man asked.
“I mean you no harm. That sword you took from me is dangerous,” she replied.
“I know; that’s why I took it from ya. Answer my question, elf!” he spat.
Realizing that he was being held too casually by the impudent wretch, Lavalor waited to hear how Tetra intended to handle the peasant. His anger rose as he thought of the insolence that pulling a blade on them inferred.
Raising her hands, she stood and turned toward him. Upon seeing her height, he shouted out to those around the fire. “Micha! Davios! Over here!” he called.
The music stopped, and as Tetra turned to look back at the camp, she saw that the two who had been drinking from the wooden cups drew their weapons and rushed toward them. Heedless of the underbrush, they hurried to the aid of the one who had called them. They surrounded Tetra and held their sword points toward her, ready for anything.
“Who is this, Corellos?” Micha asked, suspicious.
“I don’t know. I caught her spying on us.”
“Too tall for an elf, Micha. What is she?” Davios asked.
“She speaks common, I know that. But I’ve no idea what she is. Never seen anything like her before. Have either of you?”
“I’m Elfaheen,” Tetra told them.
“Shut up and walk your ass toward that fire!” Micha told her, stabbing his sword at her to get her moving. Turning, she watched as they each took a position behind and to the sides of her, walking her toward the camp. She could tell that Lavalor was upset and anxious for some reason.
Since when have we been able to sense each other’s emotions? she thought in a panic as they drew near to the fire. She stopped several feet from it as the old man and woman stood. The woman gathered the two young girls and ushered them into the wagon, following them inside.
“What have we here?” the old man asked.
“Who are you?” Tetra asked.
“We’ll be doin’ the askin’, lass,” he said, realizing that Corellos had managed to sneak up on some type of fairy beast or elf. He had made the right choice in letting him marry his daughter.
“Tie her up, lads!” the old man commanded.
Before any of them could move, Lavalor launched the tip of his blade upward. He pivoted in Corellos’s palm and flipped himself in a quick circle, slicing the traveler’s arm from his shoulder. Corellos screamed, collapsing to the ground in agony while trying to stem the bright red bursts of blood that were erupting from what was left of his upper arm.
Surprised to see the sword dancing in midair as if wielded by some unseen spirit, Micha and Davios lunged toward Tetra, trying to stab her. Lavalor anticipated this and slashed at Micha, driving him back; he then turned and lunged at Davios, creating space for Tetra. Once he had garnered enough space for her, Lavalor rushed toward her hand, coming to rest comfortably in her palm. She tightened her grip on him; it was so tight that her fingers turned even whiter than their normal pale color.
The old man screamed in anger, brandishing a dagger that he had pulled from some unseen location and slashing the blade at the tall elf. It was the last thing he did.
Tetra reached out and took Lavalor with both hands, spinning around and raking the blade through the air. It sliced the old man in two just below his outstretched arms. Ignoring the splashing of blood upon her armor and the steel tips that were now sliding off of it, she spun toward Davios. In his fear and inexperience, he extended his body too far, ensuring that he would be unable to withdraw from her attack. She lashed out with her fist, knocking him from his feet, and then turned to Micha.
To Lavalor, Micha’s fear and panic were palpable, and his ancient soul reveled in them. Micha began backing up to get away from the furious fairy that had killed his father and brother- in-law in a mere instant.
How is this possible? he thought. In his panic, he did not see the chunk of wood his mother had been sitting upon, and it caused him to crash to the ground.
Tetra paused, feeling Lavalor’s satisfaction and joy at the deaths along with his command to kill them all. It was also in that moment that she realized her thirst was no longer as deep or as longing. She wailed in remorse as she brought Lavalor down, driving the tip of the blade deep into Micha’s chest and leaving it there to be sure of what she was only just becoming aware of. Her thirst was dissipating with each life she took with the black sword. She turned to look at Davios, who was scrambling backward toward the stairs of the rolling cabin. Her eyes bright with ecstasy and remorse, she turned and looked down at Micha. Seeing nothing but a corpse and realizing that her thirst was still unquenched, she ripped Lavalor from the boy’s body, the barbed blade ripping his cheek open and the sound of snapping bones filling the campsite. The mother screamed as she turned toward Corellos, who was nearing unconsciousness. Tetra stepped toward him and drove her sword into his c
hest as well.
Yes. There it was, some sort of ephemeral line that was feeding her, giving this man’s life to her as it had with the other one. She wailed out in sadness, screaming in remorse for the lives she had taken. Still thirsting, she turned toward Davios and saw that he had managed to climb the short steps and lunge through the door that his mother had opened for him. She and his sisters grabbed at his arms, trying to pull him in. As soon as they had, the door slammed shut; Tetra heard a loud, single pounding sound, like wood being struck. Abated but still thirsting, Tetra walked toward the door as she wept openly and struggled to stop herself from doing what her compulsion was commanding her to do.
Lavalor, seeing the state Tetra was in, reached out to influence her. He realized that the sensation they’d felt earlier was that when they killed, Tetra was given the life of the being and he was given its magic. His joy was monumental. She could no longer rid herself of him! It was not for the reason he had thought to create, but because she must now feed. He didn’t care how it had happened.
Kill them! Kill them now! he shouted out to her again.
Tetra reached out, thirst overwhelming her. In her lust, she tore at the door, ripping the iron handle from the wood. Her thirst overtaking her, she seethed at the inconvenience of the moment, forgotten tears rolling down her cheeks.
She struck the door with the pommel of Lavalor, frustrated.
Burn them out! Lavalor commanded.
Tetra leapt from the stoop toward the fire and bent over to pick up one of the burning limbs. She held it up, momentarily mesmerized by the flames.
Do it! she heard. Not quite understanding why, she turned and kicked the hot embers from the campfire up under the wagon; they flew everywhere. A few embers managed to catch the grass underneath the wagon on fire. She walked to the back of the wagon and lodged the branch through the spoke of the wheel, watching as the flames licked at the dry wood of the wagon. She moved back to the door, anxious for them to come out but remaining patient. It was only moments later that the wagon caught fire and began spreading. Smoke began to seep into the wagon. Tetra heard panicked voices and screams coming from inside. She ignored them and waited. The panic and fear in the humans was growing louder and higher, and thick, black smoke began seeping through the small wooden shutters. The aroma of burnt wood filled her with thoughts of even greater fear and destruction.
One of the girls began to squirm through the small opening of the wagon’s window, managing to get her shoulders through it. Tetra also noticed her as the fire spread; she watched as the tethered horses began to panic, tearing themselves away from their lines and rushing into the darkness.
“Get back in here! That demon will take your soul!” she heard the old lady scream in a panic at her daughter.
Tetra saw that those still inside were beginning to pull her back into the wagon. Tetra rushed over and quickly beheaded the poor girl with a strong two-handed downstroke. Strands of black hair that had been severed floated about as her head fell to the ground. The short strands caught fire and burst into tiny flames, leaving a foul stench in the air.
Filled with a perverted sense of blissfulness, her thirst abated a bit more. Still, it was not sated, so she waited for the others to come out. They must come out, she thought as the wagon became almost fully engulfed in flames, yet they did not. She listened as their brief cries and screams of pain filled the night. Still, the three of them were choosing to die in fire rather than surrender to what they had called her—a demon.
Telerex watched, unnoticed in the dark, as he glided high above the scene. He had seen the travelers earlier when he began his search for dinner, but had paid them little mind. Relieved, the family had watched as he flew away, searching for more suitable prey. He found it abhorrent to feast on any prey that had the ability to reason.
He searched and searched but found that most of the land was covered in high trees and thick brush. He was unable to find any wild prey that he thought suitable, so he drifted further from the camp, watching as the sun began to fall beneath the horizon. He knew he must get back to the camp, but he thought further about his mistress and what she was becoming. She had only ever shown him kindness, and something dark had begun eating at her. At first, he had believed that she was only motivated by the fact that she would eventually have to kill to prevent the Im’Shallene, but her recent behavior had told him that it was much deeper than that. It was though he was being forced to watch as some insidious disease began to overtake her. It concerned him greatly.
His stomach rumbled profoundly, reminding him of why he was away from her. He searched in earnest, flying higher to ensure that he saw his dinner before his dinner saw him. In the near darkness that had gathered, he saw it. There was a passel of hogs rooting around, foraging for their last meal of the day. Ironic, he thought as he tilted his body and dove for them. As he neared, he inhaled and released his fiery breath, killing them mercifully. He landed within the burning copse of trees and brush, ignoring the flames that burned out gradually in the moist night air. He consumed his dinner while his thoughts were still focused on Tetra.
He could only help her as much as she allowed, and that was becoming less and less with each passing day. He would be her friend, but he would not be her servant—or worse still, her mount—nor would he be treated as either of those! His used his tongue to remove some of the boars’ hair from his teeth and looked up at the night sky, spying only Kalios, knowing that only evil things happened during that moon’s dark cycle. He rose from the earth with a great flapping of his wings to return to the camp.
As he neared their campsite, he heard panicked cries from the travelers’ camp and drifted over to see if it was something he should be concerned about, given that they were so near his own site. What he saw when he was finally able to gain a clear view troubled him deeply: he watched in horror as Tetra beheaded one of the girls. The poor girl had only been trying to escape a fire. Tetra had executed her! His anger grew, along with his confusion. He was unable to land, and if he turned into his human form, they would have to lose a full day in their journey to Noli Deron. He ignored that concern and landed nearer their campsite; as soon as he could, he shifted his form and began rushing toward the travelers’ camp. His heavy armor rang with each branch and limb he crashed through and broke, but he cared little for stealth, only speed. He could not allow any others to come to harm!
The flames were engulfing the wagon, and the screams continued. Tetra raised Lavalor and slashed at the door, the edge of the blade cutting through the wood with little effort. As she kicked the two halves of the door aside, she stepped into the burning wagon to try and sate the thirst that still plagued her. Their screams from inside were cut short, but hers began in their place. Her wail cut through the flames, echoing throughout the forest and filling the night.
Both two-legged and four-legged predators of the night who traveled through the wooded shadows knew fear in the moment her pain reached their ears.
In her anger, Tetra hacked and slashed everything within the fire, her strength eventually leaving her as the flames scattered or died. Tetra stepped from the smoldering wagon unscathed. She tossed Lavalor to the ground and looked at her hands, saddened that she still lived. She was unaware that the magic that Fey had infused into his armor now protected her from each of the four elements. She collapsed to the ground, exhausted, and began weeping.
Tetra wept not for herself but for those who had just paid the price for her newfound knowledge and need. She was realizing that these deaths were not at all like Daena’s. She had killed two in self-defense, yes; but the rest had died simply because she was weak. She contemplated blaming Lavalor, but no, this was her burden. No one else’s.
Lavalor, loath to pull her away from what he felt was joyful news, remained silent.
Telerex burst through the tree line and realized he was too late. The wagon had burned enough that it had already begun collapsing onto the ground, scorching and burning the surrounding grass; fro
m the stench of burning hair and flesh, it was clear that others had died within its fiery confines. He saw the poor girl’s head sitting upright neatly near the small circle of stones that had held their campfire. Her eyes were still open with surprise and fear, appearing to stare into the fire’s remaining embers.
Appalled at the sight, Telerex turned angrily to Tetra, who sat cross-legged on the ground staring vacantly into space as she played with a narrow length of hair that she had pulled over her shoulder. He watched as she braided items into her hair, noticing that she had already braided a thick golden band like men wore once they had committed to their women. There was also a smaller ring that had been set with a cheap blue stone and two strips of cloth. He gazed in shock around the campsite, realizing that the strips of fabric appeared to come from the two young men that had been stabbed in the chest. Tetra had torn small strips of cloth from the bloody shirts they still wore.
“What have you done?” he asked her angrily.
He waited for her to answer, yet she sat still, her black sword resting across her lap. She fully ignored him, silently braiding the single strand of hair she held.
Telerex moved toward her to help her from this madness that she had somehow succumbed to. He reached down to lift the sword from her lap, but just as his hand brushed its pommel, she hissed words at him that he would never forget. “Do not touch him. You do not deserve him!”
He saw that her eyes did not match her tone; they were filled with despair. Telerex stepped back in shock, unnerved by the vehemence in her voice. “Mistress, we must get you back to camp. You must rest,” he said, at a loss as to what to do.
