Chapter 10
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The sun barely peeks over the ocean, casting orange fire around itself, attempting to assert its dominion over the dark purple waves in the sky. The sight of the morning sun is alien and strange. I haven’t been up this early in years. Blearily, I hook my arm through Sidhion’s; I lean on him as he leads me down the dim path to Elaine’s house.

Stacked beside the door are several packs and bed rolls. Elaine emerges from the door as we approach. She’s carrying another pack and sets it on the pile. “Hey! Come on in. Hope you ate breakfast.”

Walter pats Elaine on the shoulder and grins, “Of course. We’re ready. Are you?”

“We can set off as soon as I brief you on the new plan.”

“New plan?”

“Yeah, it happens sometimes. They re-shuffled what routes everyone got assigned to. I’ve got the map. We’re going way north-east, to the base of Mt. Thorn.”

“Sounds like we’ll have more time together, then.” Walter winks. 

Elaine giggles, “I’ve never gone that far out before so we have to be extra careful. I also managed to dig up an extra tent so no one’s sleeping exposed.”

“You two don’t mind sharing, right?” Walter grins at Sidhion and me. 


 

Nguyen woods is rather sparse near Two Rocks. The swaying leaves part regularly, allowing blessed sunbeams to push between them and illuminate the path. Here the going is easy, fraught with songs and laughter as we hike past burbling streams and oceans of wildflowers. Walter takes the time to pick one and help Elaine weave it into her hair. I can't help but smile when she looks into his eyes. It’s nice to marvel at the beauty of two hearts intertwining their veins, letting themselves become irrevocably twisted and knotted, sharing blood and sharing life. It's easy, here, to forget my vision. To forget the chimera. To forget Walter's glassy, accusatory stare. 

As way leads onto way and the sun carries its march to the farthest reaches of the sky, the mood dims with it. Closer to the base of the mountain, the trees gather together. Their branches reach out and intertwine with one-another, forming innumerable shadows in every crevice and divot in their flesh. By my pocket watch, the sun ought to be hanging above us still. And yet, the greedy canopy takes possession of nigh-every sunbeam that tries to pass. 

With the sunbeams growing scarcer, the shadows grow deeper, reaching their cold claws out toward me: Grasping at my feet, digging into my boots, cutting my flesh, dragging my helpless body into themselves. Almost subconsciously, I step closer to Sidhion.

As we climb higher the wind picks up, bending the branches above us. The sound of leaves crashing against their neighbors sends a chill down my spine. Every sound resembles that horrid growl. Every shadow darting into the underbrush is the chimera. I know the moon will be waxing tonight and I should pass with no fear. And yet my mind runs over with possibilities. Any moment we may be set upon by the horrible beast which means us harm.

I try to keep my focus on my companions. Sidhion is beside me and can be trusted to see any danger coming. Walter is several paces ahead; I can be sure that the huge sword strapped to his back can cleave nearly anything in this forest. And Elaine is at the helm, diligently guiding our footfalls around dangerous ground. 

In what might generously be called a clearing, she stops and turns to us. The density of the forest here has taken its toll on even her. She seems glad to have found an opening even this tight. The ground has room enough for two tents and a campfire but the trees still gather close. The canopy still huddles together, forming its own kind of sky. 

With what daylight we have left, Sidhion and I are left to set up tents while Walter and Elaine elect to go out setting traps. I watch as the two of them leave, imagining what romantic foray they have in store for one-another. I let out a dreamy sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Sidhion is unrolling a tent.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just think Walter and Elaine are cute together.”

Sidhion looks at me like I have two heads. “You think that’s cute?”

“What’s wrong with it? I know it’s fast but they’re clearly in love.”

Sidhion scoffs. “What gave you that idea?”

“You don’t know anything about matters of the heart, do you? Look how they act around each other. Practically joined at the hip”

Sidhion laughs at some joke in his own head. “You know what? Yes, I do see it now. Keep that innocent spirit, Owen. It might redeem you some day.”

I squint at Sidhion. I get the sense there is some facet of the conversation I’ve missed. It’s too late to recover it. 


 

I awaken to Sidhion nudging my shoulder. "Come on, your watch is up."

With a drowsy groan, I sit up. Sidhion lifts the blanket and scoots in beside me. "Thanks for warming it up for me," he smirks before laying his head on my pillow.

I lean forward; my body is too heavy to lift. I settle on crawling out of the tent on all-fours and dragging my body to the still-smoldering campfire. Dim light emerges from under the charred pile of sticks and leaves. Tiny embers still float up into the sky. I reach out my hands, trying to steal back a mote of the warmth I abandoned. 

I look to the sky, trying to see past the canopy. If I squint, I imagine I can see the moon. Spotting the stars is utterly hopeless. I despise the dark. Especially when I'm not the monster lurking in it. Shadows loom over my head, creep up behind my back, assault me from all sides. The woods have swallowed me and I am alone here. 

I hold my watch up to the fire, trying to catch enough light to tell the time. It's ten past two. I just have to survive for two hours. I sit in paranoid silence, trying to rouse the fire, trying to see in every direction all at once. I wish I had paid attention when Sidhion knocked those stones together to create that roaring inferno. Then maybe I could widen my field of view. It’s a risk to waste magic on just lighting up the campsite. I have to keep my reserves in case something comes crawling out of the dark. And just because I foresaw a death tomorrow doesn’t mean there won’t be a maiming today.

The embers of the campfire are barely visible now. I huddle closer, trying to stay in its fading aura. I check my watch again. Half past three. I pray the fire stays with me but the embers are fading fast. Desperately, I search for a few sticks or leaves that might keep it alive for even a moment longer. I grab a handful of something and drop it into the fire.

I am plunged into pure darkness. My eyes strain against the pure black surrounding me. My breathing becomes shallow. I gasp at air without light, impossible to keep in my lungs. My lungs are filled with cotton. I can feel the prickle of tears welling in my eyes as I choke.

My hands are shaking, my head swimming, my stomach sinking. Something’s behind me. I know it is. I turn. It’s still behind me, slithering its fingers up my spine. I hear it in the distance, wind whistling between leaves, or a wolf’s howl, cutting through my chest, promising savage retribution. It’s coming closer. Stalking its prey. Stalking me.

I can’t take it anymore! Every shadow conceals a demon. No conservation is worth choking on darkness. I need to see something. Anything. I let a spell crawl up my arm and pool in my palm. A perfect, glorious mote of light forms in my hand, illuminating everything in front of me.

Auburn fur, gnashing teeth, leathery wings. A sharp intake of breath. I fall backwards off my perch, scrambling to my feet. My concentration drops and I am plunged back into darkness. I know what I saw. I need help. I bolt toward my sleeping companions. Grab the corner of a tent. Shake vigorously. Cry, “Wake up! Monster!”

Sidhion is the first on his feet, bursting into the darkness, bellowing threats. I hear Walter and Elaine stir. Cowering against a tent, I cast my light spell again, throwing everything into harsh shadows. 

Walter emerges from his tent, sword at the ready. Everyone is feverish, looking around for the beast. When no sign of the thing emerges, all eyes turn on me. 

“Must’ve scared it off,” Sidhion huffs.

“Or the kid is seeing things.” Walter is watching me very closely.

“It was probably just an animal,” Elaine grumbles. “They run off if you wave a torch.”

I feel the heat rising in my face. “I didn’t.. It wasn’t an animal exactly. Something.. Else,” I finish lamely.

“I think you’re lettin’ the jitters get to ya.” Walter is looking down on me.

“I swear I saw something..!”

Walter plants a hand on my shoulder, gripping too tight for comfort. His tone is sympathetic but terse. “You probably saw an animal. Good work scaring it off. Maybe don’t wake everyone else next time, okay?”

“Walter, your watch is next, right? Since you’re already up, why don’t you start now? I think our little detective needs a break,” Sidhion intones.

Walter looks down at me, examining my face. He sighs and shakes his head. “Alright, alright. Not worth tryin’ to sleep if the watchman is paranoid.”


 

The mood around the camp has been dour and quiet all day. Sidhion has hardly said a word. Walter hasn’t left Elaine’s side for a second, even when she insisted on checking the traps alone. The pair of them have been out for a few hours. Now the sunlight is dimming again, ready to plunge us all back into paranoid shadow.

Sidhion sits on a large stone by the long-dead campfire. He plunges a shortsword into the ground and leans with his hand on the hilt, muscles taut and ready to strike. I sit behind him, leaning my back against his. I cradle my mirror in my hand. 

Sidhion turns his head to the side. “They’ve been gone too long. Are you sure your dream was right?”

“My dreams are often symbolic but never incorrect. No one’s in mortal danger until the moon rises.”

“Be honest. I know you said we might avert the whole thing but if your dreams are never wrong..”

I sigh. “Someone is going to die no matter what.”

Our conversation is interrupted by the rustle of the underbrush ahead of me. I leap to my feet, ready to call my claws of light. I relax when I spot Walter’s breastplate appear from behind the trees. There’s no sign of his typical flippant joy. Elaine trails behind him, her face sunken and pale.

“You guys have to come with us. Now,” Walter commands.

“What happened?”

“We found a cabin out there. Nothing good about it.”

“What’s wrong about it?”

Elaine covers her mouth with her hand, holding back tears.

“It’s uh.. Too morbid for repeating.” He casts a glance at Elaine. “For her sake.”

The wrinkle of Walter’s brow is enough for me to keep my comment to myself. Instead we take off, following Walter through the underbrush. Eventually our path intersects with a nearly-hidden track. It’s only marked by the subtle withdrawal of leaves from the dirt, allowing single-file passage. 

Full darkness has fallen by the time the path terminates under a few tall bushes. Walter pushes their branches aside to reveal the largest clearing we’ve seen in a while. For the first time on this journey I can see the deep blue sky and Her retinue of glittering stars. The moon looms large over the clearing, providing just enough light to see by.

At the far end of the clearing, a dilapidated old shed stands, ominously watching over row upon row of wooden stakes driven into the ground. I pace the rows, reading names. Oscar Gustav, Terry Fincher, Rita Summers.. There are at least 15 graves here. 

Elain stops in front of a particular marker, fire blazing in her eyes. Her voice is low with fury. “My missing friends.. They were here the whole time. You’re cops; you have to do something!” 

“Don’t worry. This is a matter we can’t ignore,” Sidhion nods. “Walter, stay with Elaine. Owen, Let’s search the shed.”

The door of the shed swings open, wafting the odor of old iron and cut wood. It’s cramped, stretching only ten feet in either direction. A small table by the door is laid out with various tools: a mallet, corks, a hunting knife, a funnel, stained rags, a whet stone. And hanging on a long, thick chain from the central rafter is a huge menacing hook. It sits at eye-level, swaying softly. And directly below it, the wood is stained a reddish brown. I recognize this color. Blood has been spilled on this spot. 

Sidhion calls me to the far corner of the shed, where several gallon-barrels are stacked. All of them are empty and bereft of a cork. He lifts one and turns it over to show me its stamp. My eyes grow wide at the four letter word before me: OLEO.

“That clinches it! I told you it was Adrian. So amateurish too,” I laugh. “Look at the blood stains on the floor. Didn’t even treat the wood to keep the stains out.”

Sidhion glares at me. “You think this is funny?”

“When a criminal doesn’t clean up the evidence of what they did? Yeah, it’s hilarious.” 

Sidhion looks like he bit into a lemon. “I think we ought to take Elaine home and go see her boss. I’m under no illusion that her being sent here was a coincidence.”

When the pair of us emerge from the shed, Walter and Elaine are both beside the door, lost in their own conversation. Sidhion whispers our report to Walter who nods. “Alright, Miss Elaine. I was right. We’re gonna take you home now.”

“I remember the way. Stay close to me.” Sidhion takes the lead and pushes aside the branches which obscure the path. The silent tension is broken by a sudden wooden click, the high-pitched creek of a branch bending backward, the whoosh of leaves, Sidhion’s cry of shock. A rope tightens around his ankle, sweeping him off balance and tossing him into the air. With a flat crunch his body and head are slammed against the trunk of a huge tree, denting his armor. He dangles in the air with his head several feet above the ground. 

“Oh shit! Hold on!” Walter rushes to Sidhion’s side, sword at the ready. He freezes in his tracks when a low, horrid growl cuts the air around us. He turns on his heel, trying to face the source. 

I look around the clearing, searching for the auburn beast. Then I spot it. Up on the roof, cast in silhouette by the full moon, a shape looms over us, watching for our next move. The Figure is hunched in a low stance, muscles tightening and ready to launch the thing forward. 

Elaine is the first to act. She faces the beast on the roof, rushing in its direction and drawing a hunting knife. “Sidhion! Here!” As she passes him by, she shoves her bow and a few arrows into his dazed but unresisting hands.

The creature unfurls its body, revealing more of its shape. I would call it a wolf if the proportions weren’t so utterly human. It stands on its hind legs and raises its huge, muscled arms to the sky as it leaps into the air and lands in front of Elaine with an earth-shaking thud. Its long snout and gnashing teeth are inches from her face. She raises her arm, bringing her knife point-up to the creature’s throat. The knife glances uselessly off its hide. 

The great wolf’s long, clawed fingers wrap around her wrist and squeeze, eliciting a cry of pain and a drop of the knife. Walter and I rush for the wolf but I beat him there. The wolf is ready for me and lifts Elaine by the arm, swinging her flailing body into mine and sending us both crashing to the ground. 

Walter reaches us just in time to bring his huge sword down on the wolf’s arm. The loud crack of shattering bones and a yelp of pain ring out through the clearing. The wolf rounds on Walter, its left arm dangling limply while its right lashes out with a fully wound punch. Its fist lands square on Walter's chest, crumpling his breastplate like paper, and sending him flying backward. 

Elaine and I scramble to get to our feet but we are too late. A clawed foot kicks Elaine in the chest and pins her to the ground. I try to rouse a spell but the wolf grabs me by the throat, digging its claws into my neck and squeezing with a power I cannot fight. Gasping for breath, I uselessly claw at the wolf’s fingers. I can feel my feet lift off the ground as I struggle. My lungs are burning, begging for sweet oxygen. My fingers go numb. I can’t even feel them meekly struggling against the wolf’s power. My mind goes foggy, my vision blurs and fills with shadow. All I can feel is my heart pounding in my ears. 

Something sharp is digging into my shoulder over and over again. At the edge of my perception I can hear something. It’s muffled. The sound is familiar. A voice? Someone I know. They’re frantic. Yelling for something. And the prodding. My eyes open only barely. My vision is an ocean of green blurs. Something above me is moving side-to-side. 

A voice cuts through the fog, “Owen! Wake up! You have to get up or we’re dead!” Sidhion jabs the end of his bow into my shoulder. I snap into life and take a deep, exalting breath. Waves of relief wash over Sidhion’s upside-down face. 

Everything is sore. A stinging pain radiates from my back and head. My face is still planted in the dirt. I lift my head to see the wolf’s back is to me. Its arm is holding Walter in the air. Walter’s face is red. His eyes are bloodshot and nearly popping out of their sockets. His weakening eyes notice me and our gazes meet. His nearly limp hand twitches, forcing itself to form a fist and point a solitary finger at the quickly fading Elaine. Her neck is pinned by the wolf’s giant foot. Walter’s expression is pleading. His eyes fill with tears. 

I look up at Sidhion. His lips are pursed in the particular way he employs when he’s restraining himself. 

“Hey,” I whisper. “I have a plan. Let me sneak close.. Then distract it.”

Sidhion nods silently. He knocks an arrow to the bow in his hands. Lightly, I sit up, hoping that the chirps and calls of the forest will be enough to mask my movements. I reach into my lapel pocket and check that my mirror is still intact. I creep toward the wolf, letting a spell pool in my palm and closing my fingers around it. When I’m near enough to touch the great wolf I raise my fist, ready to release my final gambit. 

A loud twang cuts the air as an arrow sails past my head and pierces the side of the wolf. It lets out a shocked yelp and drops Walter to the ground. Its head instinctually turns toward the source of the pain. The moment I see its eyes, I open my palm.

White light explodes in the wolf’s face, causing it to stumble backward and grasp at its eyes. The unmistakable crack of shattering bone and a gasping rattle for breath ring out into the clearing. 

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