Realm Book Two - Shadow Slave

by K. A. M'Lady

  “Learned a new Tell, has she?” she cackled as she trained her line of non-sight directly at me. How she always knew where I was still astonished me. “A right good one at that. Yes, a right good at that.” She was nodding her straggly head in appreciation, her scrawny arms waving the ladle through the air.

  “Cut the chatter, Witch.” I pulled the coverlet around me, my elongated fingers still unchanged, the claws catching on the silk material. “I have questions and you have the answers.”

  “Time has yet to teach her manners, I see,” she stated, tilting her head this way then that. Sniffing the air like a dog as though catching the scent of something that apparently only she could recognize. “You’ve still the Death Stalker, and now a forest dog as your companions. Good, good. Have need of allies, you will.”

  “He’s not a dog, Maebe,” I growled, instantly offended by her choice of words.

  Then Maebe was there beside me, shoving Kieran out of her way as she took my face in her bony fingers, tilting my head from side to side as she sniffed the air around me. Then she took her thumb and swiped it across my forehead horizontally as she grabbed my chin in a death grip you’d never expect out of an old crone. “Aye, no mere dog is he for a Lupa Queen. Mated she is with a prime Alpha King. Chosen well have you, Rihker of the Forest. Chosen well indeed.”

  I grabbed her scrawny wrists and wrapped my own claw-like fingers around them, my Wolf rising within me as once again, my irritation matched the heart of my beast. “Maebe, you have two seconds to tell me what the hell is happening to me or I swear I will let this bitch inside me free to rip your face off.”

  “Phaf,” she scolded, easily stepping out of my grasp. Kieran had taken up a seat on the edge of my bed and Jade was now sitting in the chair next to my bed, both of them carefully watching Maebe. I didn’t think either of them knew what to do with or about her. But both of them knew that neither were powerful enough to sway her from what she was about to tell me.

  “I don’t think she is ready for this,” Kieran said as he looked at the eyeless old crone who’d taken his position next to me on the bed.

  I didn’t know why he even bothered. Maebe followed her own rules. That’s why I called her. There wasn’t anything any of us could do to keep her from her course.

  “What know you of readiness, Stalker? Think you a millennium of death has taught you everything? Much to learn, have you. Much to learn have you all,” she said in her sing-songy voice that reminded me more of an advertising pitch.

  Maebe seriously drove me crazy when she got on this tangent. I started to say as much, but she stilled me with her palm. “As I said from the beginning child, ‘twas written that when the moon’s light shone full with the blood-red glow, a human soul bartered would claim the flesh of a forested daughter.

  Prophesized and foretold, your birth has been written in the blood of the Elders, recorded in the Table of the Way,” she stated, her voice growing dark with the mysteries of time.

  “Twas said a child would be conceived; a half-breed created by the touch of the Dark Lord of the Moon, and a Child of the Light: A woman who would shelter the Other World and eliminate the long suffering reach of Darkness.

  She would hold the powers that would Tell of the Light and quiet the beast that stalks the Darkness, dealing his death to the masses. Which you, Rihker, have already done,” she said, taking my hand in hers.

  “But only she, The Chosen, would have the power to tame the Death Stalkers. Only she would possess the ability to listen to and hear those creatures long standing of the woodland and give them their voice—again, another prophecy fulfilled by you.”

  “And then there is the power to ease the suffering of the dying wanderers, which you also have already done.” There was so much conviction in her voice that I wanted to argue with her, but it seemed a futile point.

  And yet, these were things that she’d already told me. Things that supposedly I had made come true. So what did what had already happened to me have to do with what was going on now?

  So I’d slain an already dead Ogre from the Shadow Lands and sent it back—so what? So I could talk to trees and had a bit of a tryst with one of their ancients. So I now had a bunch of Death Stalkers and Weres living with me, it didn’t justify anything. Could have happened to just about anyone. Couldn’t it?

  At any rate, it didn’t explain why I got attacked by a Werewolf. I was a Pixie; I was supposed to be immune. Even so, I should never have been affected that quickly to begin with. Most cases took until full moon to show up. Mine took…My brain was going on overload with so many questions.

  “Ah, still so many questions,” Maebe said as she began to stroke her fingers down the length of my arm. Somehow it was both reassuring and comforting. Maebe never seemed to judge me, try to use me to harness some power play or to control me. She was just trying to help me. I didn’t really understand why either.

  “Maebe is what was and Rihker is what is to come,” she said as if that explained everything. “It is now time to take your place, Rihker. To seek your answers and all of your powers.”

  I looked at her perplexed. The conversation was, as usual, one-sided. Maebe talking, and me trying to figure out what the hell she was telling me.

  “The Darkness is growing, child, and many within our realm will begin to suffer in ways that even you never thought were possible. It will begin to spill over onto the human world and soon, life as we all know it will be overrun by the Darkness if you do not put a stop to it.”

  “What? But why me, Maebe? I don’t want to be Chosen. Can’t somebody else do it?” I tried to pull my arm away from her. This was totally fucked up. I didn’t ask for this. How the hell did this become my responsibility?

  “We are all given our gifts and our place in this world, Rihker. This just happens to be yours. You can face it, embrace it even, and the power and purpose that you will possess will know no bounds. Deny it, and the Darkness will destroy you, too.”

  I could only stare at her, mouth agape, a hard ache in the pit of my stomach. It didn’t really matter if I wanted this or not. This was my fate. I am a child of the Light and the Darkness, and my path had been chosen for me.

  I was so screwed.

  “There are those among you that are here to guide you along your journey. They are your protectors, your warriors. And then again, there are some that are not. It is up to you to seek the truth. The Darkness comes in many shades. But you, Rihker. You must walk both worlds of Light and Darkness, for in the shadows lie the secrets. Seek your answers by a mother’s light; beyond the secret brother’s door. ‘Tis there you will find the knowledge. Truth and answers, and so much more.”

  Just then, something in her words struck a chord inside of me; a small inkling as to what she was speaking of. Our secrets, our powers were in our great book—The Tablet of the Way. To find the truth and the power, I need to find the book.

  I glanced up at Maebe and found her smiling a small, yellowed-tooth grin of triumph as her words finally took root. “Deceit and treachery abounds, child. Keep those who would be loyal close, and those you wonder of even closer. The Darkness is wily and will seek to destroy you at all costs.”

  “But what of this change, Maebe? Why do I now hold the Werewolf inside of me?” I asked, staring from where she still caressed my arm to my clawed fingers.

  “What may seem like a punishment or poison of the Darkness may be a Light in the forest. One should not question one’s gifts, but embrace them and use them to their every advantage. You are a child of both the Light and the Darkness, and the Blooded Moon was your maker. I’m quite certain this won’t be the only interesting gift bestowed you. It is what you do with it that will decide your worthiness as Leader to the Other World.”

  But what if I don’t want to be The Chosen? What if I don’t want to be Leader?

  As it was written, Rihker, so will be the Way, she whispered in my head. Then, as was her usual form of transportation, Maebe disappeared the same way she ha
d come, on a puff of smoke; the wisdom of her words lingering in my mind.

  “I suppose you believe her?” Kieran finally said after several long moments.

  “And the reason you do not is what?” I couldn’t help but keep the irritation from my voice.

  He didn’t answer. Instead he got up from the bed, leaned over me, and gave me the barest of kisses against my cheek. Then he quietly left the room.

  Jade and I were left staring at the empty doorway, I’m certain the same look of confusion marring our faces.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Bow down, archangels, in your dim abode:

  Before you were, or any hearts to beat,

  Weary and kind one lingered by His seat;

  He made the world to be a grassy road

  Before her wandering feet.

  From The Rose of the World by William Butler Yeats

  It was nigh on midnight and I was standing in my backyard, my Christmas red robe tucked tightly around me, surrounded by two full-grown Wolves, two sleek black Panthers and a very naked Jade.

  The Wolves were just as I remembered them; larger than life like a quicksilver moon. The soft thickness of their coats ruffling in the soft breeze made me want to run my hands along their fur just to feel the warmth of it between my fingers. The Panthers, on the other hand, were a bit more difficult to see in the darkness; one being as black as pitch, the other a softer shade of gray. Gimlit was there as well, waiting for me to discard my own robe. Waiting to catch me, should I fall.

  I had no idea where Kieran had gone to. He had taken his Vampires with him, leaving all of the Weres except for Dragon with me when he left.

  It was somewhat comforting to be surrounded by Ien and Garric, Jade, Jet and Berg. Having spent the last few months living with them, I was beginning to feel more at ease with them. Each of them seeming to take up a particular place in my life.

  Jade and Gimlit had discussed our next move, both feeling it important that I try to completely change to see if I could call my Wolf. Jade had said that I would need to run. And not just run by human standards, but run as a Wolf set free through the forest.

  He said there would be a reckoning between the earth and myself as my Wolf and I became one, as our souls merged. Already being a child of the forest, Gimlit didn’t think it would be very difficult of a transition for me. Me, I wasn’t so sure.

  Whether or not I was even able to change, I needed to see what having her power inside of me was going to do for me and to me. With the Darkness looming and my powers growing and becoming so chaotic I needed to get a grip on some of my newest Tells.

  I wanted to argue with them for leaving me out of their conversation, but it seemed kind of childish. Besides, I’d never had another creature to call and since Jade had been changing shape all of his life, he was a little more experienced in this field than I was. So it was a little hard to bitch with that experience.

  Gimlit also thought it was important that if I was going to go after the Book then I needed to know what each of my new powers could do—how useful they were going to be for me and what effect they were going to have on me. We all figured there was no better time like the present.

  The night seemed to grow still in increments as we stood in a circle, the Wolves and the Panthers watching me closely. It was almost like I could hear the earth settle and sigh as the wind rolled through the hollows, the underbrush and the lingering leaves of summer foliage.

  Jade hesitantly approached me as I carefully untied the sash of my robe, his fingers gently brushing against my waist as the ties fell along my sides. With a slow, steady caress, he brushed away the silk from my shoulders until the material softly grazed along my flesh, pooling at my feet. I was left standing before him in nothing but my anxious heartbeat and the steady rumble of the she-Wolf’s anticipated change thundering through my bones.

  Jade smiled at me, a small baring of teeth as he took my hand in his and said, “Come, Rihker. The forest awaits us.”

  I didn’t even realize we were running until I felt the breeze brush the hair from my face, my feet moving faster than I could ever remember them moving, Jade’s hand firmly in mine. I could smell the earth pouring through my senses; lush and rich with the ripe scent of greenery, holly, oak, and elm trees, and the subtly of peat moss underneath it all.

  My vision blurred as the world swam by me in spectacular shades of greens and browns; the silver reflecting off of every limb, rock and upturned tree root. Suddenly my heart was thundering and I could hear the Wolves running apace beside us. I could smell the Panthers in the distance; feel their heartbeats pulsing with the rhythm of the earth.

  “Do you feel it?” Jade asked from beside me.

  I could see and smell the difference in his appearance. The way the moon caught the strands of his wheat-blond hair. The icy hue of his pale eyes. And just beneath the surface of his flesh, the pulse of his Wolf thundering inside of him. Racing in tune with him. In tune with the earth itself.

  “I feel it,” I said, my voice filled with the wonder and rapture that my entire body felt rippling inside of it. The night was filled with it. The way the land smelled, the moon glistened; I had never felt so free in all of my life.

  “Call her, Rihker. Call your Wolf,” Jade told me.

  “I…I don’t know how,” I stammered, stumbling as I paused to consider his words. As I considered what the possibility would mean. Not just for me, but for all of us.

  He pulled me by the hand, faster and faster through the forest. We ran until my lungs were heaving; my heart pounding, throbbing with the ache and bliss of joy. We skirted over downed tree limbs and around shrubs. Through small creeks, up and over hills and thicker forestry. We ran until my blood was singing as life pulsed through my veins.

  “Call her, Rihker. You can see her in your mind. Feel her in your soul. Open yourself to her and call her.”

  I closed my eyes briefly, letting Jade pull me along side of him. Trusting for the first time, someone other than Gimlit. Allowing him to guide me headlong through the forest as I envisioned my Wolf.

  In an instant her image appeared in my mind; large and sleek. She was both alluringly beautiful and deadly. She had a thick coat of dark cinnamon, her eyes a darker shade, almost garnet in color. I could all but feel the way the wind rolled through her fur—my fur.

  I could feel the way the earth felt beneath the pads of paws, each loping stretch of dirt churning beneath her—us. Then suddenly I felt the electricity ricochet through me, surging like an exploding nebula; brilliant and cosmic as though my body were alive with Light. Alive with the power of the universe. It was amazing and frightening, and I only wanted more. More of it to consume me. To roll me in its waves of brilliant Light, to wrap me in its gloriousness as it sent me…home.

  That is what it felt like, a beautiful homecoming mixed with life and love and all of the beauty of the world lit on fire with the burning glow of white hot Light. Only the heat and the Light were inside of me, changing me. Making me something wholly different. Something differently whole.

  My four paws hit the ground running, the quake of the earth thundering up my newly changed body as power rushed through my veins. Amazed at the transformation, I threw back my muzzle and howled with delight. Thrilling at the sound of my own voice as it rang through the darkness. I did it again and again until the forest echoed with Wolf-song.

  I was amazed and astounded that there was no painful bone-cracking lurch of flesh and bones stretching and shifting; only this pure bliss of Light filling my body with a rush of electrifying power.

  Jade, Ien and Garric answered my call, their own voices raised in answer as the night carried the call of my Wolf to the great forest beyond. The Panthers echoed in, their roars scattering what remaining night creatures were left wandering the forest. As one, we took off through the forest, my newly transformed body leading me on. Taking me headlong into the great green world beyond and what was to be the first of many hunts as a Wolf.

  The
night seemed to pass quickly while we were in the forest, running around like a bunch of schoolkids let loose for summer holiday. We ran and leaped, chased each other through the darkness, we tussled one another as I learned what it felt like to be a Wolf and when the play got tiresome, we followed a deer trail. Stalking her, hunting as wolves were meant to do. It was the first time I had ever truly hunted as I was born to.

  It seemed I was very good at tracking—even in Wolf form. It was good to know that I hadn’t lost my ability despite the change in shape. While the deer lay dying, we decided to see if I could try to call any of my other Tells. So, I called my gift of tides.

  At first the blood at the deer’s neck just kept pouring from it as though it were a sieve and it wouldn’t shut off; the blood pooling beneath its fractured neck in a dark crimson puddle. It took a little more concentration to get it to stop.

  When it finally did stop, I was offered first bite of the deer carcass—an offering of gratitude from the others. Strangely, I found myself unable to decline, the sight and scent of the fresh meat far more than my human faculties could bear. I wanted to be disgusted. To feel like I should be fighting for the human part of me to take some sort of stand against the violence of the deer’s death, against my own downfall into the inclusion of the predator species.

  But really, why bother? That is what I am. Isn’t it? I am, after all, a hunter—it is a gift I was born with. Whether I am hunting as a human or as a Wolf or even as a Werewolf my shape is a matter of semantics at this point. If this is to be my new lot in life then I need to accept it.

  Why throw up some human moral fight of conscience? Because when it comes right down to it, if it’s going to be hunter or hunted—I’m betting on the hunter ever time.

  My she-Wolf could only agree.

  The transformation back to my normal self was no-less amazing to me; my body zinging with a million pinpricks of power and Light as I envisioned myself once more as Rihker—human and Pixie. It was incredible to me that Jade and the others could speak to me in my mind while in the shape of a Wolf. And even more amazing that I understood every word that they said. I had no idea that this was even possible.