What Lies Beneath His Pelt?

CHAPTER 15: A RUSH OF SOMETHING TO THE HEAD

A siren blared around us and it was followed by the forcefield activating. Ciara and I stood back-to-back, groceries were momentarily forgotten as we watched the shadows dance around us.

I couldn’t understand what was happening, but my subconscious knew that we had to win this battle if we wanted to get out of here.

I took out my onyx pendant and the cinquedea I had strapped on my thighs. Ciara’s hand glowed indigo as well. I took my cinquedea and whispered the prayer I was taught as I brushed my hands against its sheath. It glowed white and I heard Ciara inhale sharply.

“Hey Calum, if we make it out of this, remind me to tell you a story, yeah?” She said as her back vibrated with her words. I gave a nervous chuckle.

“Yeah? And what story will it be about?” I asked as my shadow turned to 3D.

“It’s a story of how a young angel was banished from heaven because she fell in love with a mortal,” she answered. My shadow stood in front of me, a sigil on its forehead, its eyes glowing gold.

“Oh? And what happened when she was banished?” I asked as I removed the cinquedea from my sheath. I readied my stance.

“Well, she went on to live with the mortal but he betrayed her and left her for dead. She was filled with so much grief that she vowed to kill every man she came across.”

“Oh wow. That’s kind of harsh.” I commented as the shadow figure lunged at me, sharp nails out. I blocked it with my cinquedea.

The shadow felt solid but as I came in contact with it, it turned into smoke and tried entering through my mouth. It could have succeeded if it wasn’t for the pendant that absorbed it. Another figure lunged at me, its hands shaped like a scythe. I jumped out of the way as it swung.

“It is kinda harsh, isn’t it?” Ciara’s voice came. I saw her using orbs of indigo light to absorb and throw at the shadow figures. This scene felt familiar but I didn’t have the luxury to remember, as I got hit on the back.

A searing pain spread immediately and I burned inside. There was something on that scythe and it affected me. My heartbeat increased, and my chest became heavy and my lungs constricted. I tried to swallow but my throat had gone dry and I wheezed. No, no, no! I don’t want to die just yet! Please!

This felt like the nightmare I had when I first came here. I was restrained and weakened, my dry throat was closing up and my breaths came in short bursts. I imagined my grandfather standing in front of me with his cane ready to strike and his icy glare unforgiving. I could see my father’s face as he gave me a sad smile before the water covered the entire section he was in. Images of Victor and Edmund flashed before my eyes as well. I remembered them when we first encountered them, filthy and lost, and then it shifted to them bidding good night, dressed in clean and comfortable clothes. Grateful smiles graced their faces and they sat at the table with me.

There was a sense of deja vu surrounding me and I looked at Ciara who was trying hard to fight.

Why am I getting weak? I’m usually focused during times like this!

“Ci-a-ra,” I called out. When she looked at me, her eyes widened. She gave one last blast to the shadow figure before she rushed towards me. I found it funny when she still took the time to gather our things.

We’re in a fight, woman! Leave them! We can always get other things.

“Calum, Calum, please look at me. Don’t close your eyes, okay? Okay?” She said as calmly as she could, but I could feel her hand trembling. She placed my head on her lap and she wrote on the floor with her free hand.

Another shadow figure tried to come at us but she pulled out a gun from somewhere and shot it straight at its sigil.

The shadow figures were relentless and she kept firing. I was paralyzed and all I could do was stare up at her face. I memorized every detail of it. If I was going to die, I wanted her to be the last one I saw.

“f**k it Calum! Can you not heal yourself? You have spiritual energy, don’t you?” She hissed but her grip remained soft, just like how it was when she first healed my hand.

“Can’t. Paralyzed. Only lips. Can.”

“Well, what can your lips do?” She shouted as she fired more rounds.

“Lean. Closer. You. Will. Know.” I replied. She gave a short laugh and continued, “Shut up perv. You weren’t this talkative the first time.”

The first time? Confusion clouded my thoughts but I managed a small smile.

“So, are you going to do something or are you just going to be dramatic?”

“Let. Me. Have. My. Fun.”

“You can have fun once we get out of here. As much as I want to heal you, I don’t have enough energy to do so and I might pass out.”

“Ten. Seconds.”

“Fine. Hurry up then.”

I tried to remember any chants that could be used but my fatigue and the poison were already getting to me. Caelestis, please, help me remember!

As soon as I whispered, words began to form in my mind. I began to chant.

I didn’t know how long it took but when I finished, I saw that Ciara had already gotten pale and her aim was going everywhere.

I was still paralyzed and I had to know what they used because it truly was effective. More shadow figures made their way towards us but before they could reach us, a bright light burst from the ground beneath us and I was free-falling.

Ciara was already asleep. I tried to move my body and was surprised that I was able to, though I was still a bit stiff.

I changed our positions, so now she was tucked under me, with her back pressed against my chest and I held on to both our outstretched arms.

The ground was fast approaching and I braced myself for the impact.

We rolled down a hill towards a river and our valuables followed suit. The splash was loud and as we went under, the cool water woke my senses immediately. I took a deep breath and swam up to the surface, keeping Ciara close to my chest. When we broke through the surface, I immediately laid her down on the grass. I noticed that she was shivering.

“Ciara, can you hear me?” I asked as I brushed some wet strands of her hair away from her face, her skin hot to the touch.

“I’m sorry, but I have to get you out of these clothes.” I mused as I began to undress her, trying to think of other things to distract me.

After all of that was done, I began to rip the cloth bags and fashioned them into new clothes for Ciara. After I finished with her, I did the same for myself.

Thank Caelestis she packed a lot of cloth bags! I hope they won’t mind if we arrive a bit late.

Satisfied with my work, I immediately pulled out my phone from my bag only to find that there was no network signal in the area where we landed.

Speaking of, where were we?

I took in the expanse of the meadow as I tried to note anything familiar. Wood Poppy littered the grass we lay on. On the other side of the river was a thicket of maple trees.

Yep. We are not in Iasa.

I rubbed the back of my neck as I tried to figure it out. I moved to scratch my head and I realized something.

Where the hell were my ears?

My hand went to the small of my back and I froze when I couldn’t feel my tail either.

And my tail?

Panic settled in my chest. I moved towards Ciara who was already stirring from her sleep.

“Ciara, wake up. I need you to try and heal me.” I mused as I shook her awake. She glared at me.

“Quni shitoma! I went through a shock, you barduska! I almost died trying to protect you and you want me to fully wake up and heal you? Do you have a f*****g death wish? You want to Reincarnate early?”

Mierdazza, I didn’t know she had this side of her.

“Third.”

“Third? What do you mean by third? And what the f**k are you wearing? What the f**k am I wearing?” She rambled and a sudden thought hit me.

“You’re quick to anger when you’re low on energy, aren’t you?”

You little-!” She screamed as she made a hand gesture I interpreted as her calling forth water from the river. I waited for it to hit me.

“What?” She asked as she tried it again. Nothing happened.

“What the f**k did you do to me? What happened to my magic?”

Whoa. Isn’t her throat hurting from all of the shouts?

“You two seemed to be exhausted. Would you like to join me for tea?” A low and grave voice came from across the river where the forest was. Ciara and I turned our attention toward it.

A man, maybe in his late forties to early fifties (because I was able to see that his beard was graying), stood across the river. I felt a lead weight drop in my gut. He was built like a barge and the way he stood reminded me of myself-intimidating but alert in case there was a need to pounce. He wore a red shirt that was a contrast to his rich brown skin, some leggings, and moccasins. On his head was a wolf pelt. Ciara and I shared a look.

"Hey, Wolfman, what did you chant when you created the portal?" Ciara whispered, but she kept her gaze trained on the man.

"Something about sending us to a place where we are safe and where we belong," I replied and my instincts were screaming to just take everything and go. Where, I don't know, as long as it wasn't towards the man across the river.

"What? And where did you get that chant? Because I know two things for sure. One, this is not a safe place, and two, this is not a place where we f*****g belong!"

"I don't know where I got it, okay? It just came, I began chanting and now we're here."

"Excuse me, I hope I am not interrupting. I realized my words wouldn't be as clear as you are across the river from me, so I crossed." We both looked up and found the man right in front of us already.

"No, we were just in shock. Hello." I greeted him as I stepped in front of Ciara, my arm outstretched in front of her. The man's eyes flashed in recognition of something.

"Hello. I'm sorry, I heard shouting from my home so I decided to check it out and I found you two. Are you lost?" He asked politely. I forced a smile.

"We should be the ones apologizing. We did not mean to break your peace. We were just-" I started but was cut off when Ciara spoke.

"Cut the crap. Where are we? And who are you?" She retorted as she tried to move forward, but I stopped her and gave her a look. She bared her teeth at me but relented.

"Ah, it would seem that your mate is tired from the trip. To answer your question, my name is Batair and as for the location, I cannot determine where this is as I am as lost as you are," he replied as he shrugged. Everything seemed to stop.

Batair? But that's my father's name!

I didn't know what came over me, but I pulled down the pelt and I found myself staring at emerald green eyes that were similar to mine.

No way. No way. No way!

"Young man, are you alright? Is there something wrong?" He asked. I didn't realize I was trembling until I felt Ciara's warm and calloused hand on mine.

"We need to keep him warm. The cold water must be getting into his system." He mused as he led us towards the riverbank where I saw stepping stones.

"Calum, once he steps into the water, we push him and make a run for it, got it?" Ciara's voice came. I shook my head.

"No. Let's rest for tonight and take up his offer of tea."

"What? Can you not see that f*****g wolf pelt? What if he's Hadansmuto huh? We are going to die, especially since we don't have our abilities!"

"No, I don't think he'll kill us."

"What? Did the cold reach your brain already?" She hissed. I shook my head.

"I don't think he'll kill us because..." I fixed her with my gaze.

"He's my father."