Wysteria, page 12
part #1 of Wysteria Series
“You are a liar! You’re hiding something from me, and I WILL find out what it is. Mark my words, Koda. I will find out!”
He ran, pushing himself up the stairs as her voice floated up after him. He didn’t stop until he was in his room. He pushed the door shut, pressing his entire body against it to hold it closed as his fingers fumbled with the lock. Finally, the bolt slid into place, and he allowed his emotions to come.
The tears raced down his face, coming faster with every sharp, gasping breath. His vision blurred, heart pounding out a frantic rhythm behind his sternum. He brought a hand to his rib cage, pushing against his chest to slow it.
Finally, he felt his heart began to slow, and with it, the gasping breath that tore from his lungs. He slid down the door until he sat slumped against it, a hand coming up to touch his neck where he had been struck. The touch of his fingertips stung, and his fingertips came away smeared with blood. Seeing this, he stood, making his way over to his closet.
He pulled the door open and looked into the mirror that hung there on the back of the door. He saw the gaunt, hallowed rings of his eyes, standing out above pale white cheeks, a lash across the side of his face. His skin was angry, red, and screaming at him in pain. Farther down, a lash had split the skin of his collar bone, leaving it open and angry. The cane had struck hard, hard enough to tear the skin and bring a trickle of blood. Thankfully, it hadn’t been deep. The bleeding, it seemed, had slowed already, if not stopped.
He pushed the closet door closed, his head full of dark thoughts that weighed heavily on him. He thought back to the meeting in Ichabod’s basement, his mind reeling. Was it really possible that his mother would go so far as killing his father?
He thought back to the scrap of paper he had been handed as proof of Fae’s birth, and all doubt fled from his mind. If she would lie about that, should he believe that she wasn’t capable of something like murder?
Moving towards his bed, he threw himself down among the blankets, kicking off his boots. They thudded to the hardwood beneath. Not bothering to undress, he pulled the blanket up over his head, hiding from the light. Hiding from the world outside. Hiding within the dark confines of his mind.
Within moments, he was asleep, though his sleep was not dreamless. Even in a state of unconsciousness, his world was shadowed in darkness.
*
His sleep was restless and short-lived. After a couple of hours, he was thrust into wakefulness, groaning. He rolled over, pulling the blanket across his face, hiding his eyes from the outside world.
There was a sound, familiar and not too far away. Like tapping on his window. He ignored it, his hands coming up to cover his ears. It went on for a few moments, incessant and nagging at the back of his mind. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, curiosity got the better of him and he sat up, grunting.
The pain in his neck had dulled to a throb rather than a sharp sting, and his cheek was still tender. A hand came up to slide through his hair, pushing it back and away from his forehead, where it had matted from his sweat. Again tapping, nagging, and unshakable.
From where he sat, the room was bathed in shadows, every corner plunged into darkness. Carefully, he stood from the bed, swaying on weak legs. He had gone far too long on far too little sleep. The past week had been taken up by worrying over Stella and spending most of his free time at the cave, keeping her safe.
He stepped over to the door, a hand coming out to snatch a lantern off a table near the door. He flicked it open as he pulled a box of matches off of the table next to it. He lit the lantern carefully, giving an annoyed grunt as the light assaulted his vision, driving a spike of pain into his head.
Another tap.
“Can I have a damn minute, please?” he muttered to himself. He replaced the lantern on the bedside table and made his way across the room and to the window. He threw open the curtains and peeked outside, his eyes squinted against the light.
The shutters had been pulled open., a round white face with a tiny orange beak staring at him. His amber eyes were wide, as they usually were, but somehow still looking distressed. Slowly and quietly, he reached up, flicking open the window lock and swinging it open.
“Ayden, I just got to sleep, and I-”
The owl fluttered its wings to show its annoyance, and Koda sighed.
“Look, whatever it is, can’t it wait? I just-”
Another flutter of wings, but this one proceeded to propel the animal forward. Koda barely had the time to duck before the bird was rocketing over his head and into his room. Koda, admitting his defeat, pulled the window closed. Within seconds, the flutter of wings had given way to the frantic whispers of a boy on edge.
“Koda! You need to get back to Ichabod’s cabin! Now! It’s an emergency!”
Koda turned back to his friend. Ayden was disheveled, his cloak askew, his hair a mess, and his wide amber eyes, if possible, wider than normal.
“Shhh!” Koda scolded him, looking anxiously towards the door. “Keep your voice down!”
Ayden was quiet for a long moment. When Koda looked back to him, his look of anxiety replaced by a look of worry, and possibly even anger.
“Koda, what happened?”
Confusion twisted Koda’s expression, and he cocked his head to show it.
“What do you mean?” he asked, genuinely unaware of what possibly could have changed.
Ayden stepped closer to him, two fingers hooking beneath Koda’s chin to pull his head up. His stretching skin brought a twinge of pain to the lash on the side of his neck, and finally, he remembered. Jerking away, he brought a hand up to place across the side of his neck. Hiding it from view and protecting it from the sting brought by the open air.
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
“Did your mom do that to you?” Ayden asked, and Koda heard a hint of hurt below the surface.
“I’m fine,” Koda muttered, turning towards the bed.
“She did, didn’t she?” The hurt had disappeared from his voice and had been replaced by something much more volatile. Anger.
“Please, Ayden I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” Ayden prodded.
“Well, I am,” Koda shot back, averting his eyes.
“Tell the truth,” Ayden pleaded, stepping towards him, “she hit you, didn’t she?”
Koda shook his head, signaling for Ayden to drop it, and he did. This was a dance they had danced many times over the years. Koda often had unexplained bruises and cuts, though rarely on his face. Rarely noticeable.
“Anyway…” Ayden paused. There was a deep sigh showing his disdain, but nothing more was said. “You need to come back with me. Right now.”
Koda looked up at him again, eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“It’s Stella. She’s not hurt or anything, but she-”
Koda jumped to his feet, “is she okay?”
“Well…” Ayden thought for a moment, visibly weighing the options in his head. “Psychically, shes fine. Otherwise? Not really?”
*
Koda and Ayden burst in the front door to Ichabod’s home. The slamming of the wooden door against the wall behind it sent a plume of dust billowing into the air. Ayden slammed it shut behind them just as Ichabod came racing up the basement stairs. Though, for his old age, ‘racing’ was more of a hurried shuffle.
“Ayden! Thank the Goddess you found him!” Ichabod breathed a sigh of relief, a hand coming up to press against his chest. “What took so damn long?!”
“What’s going on?” Koda asked, stepping toward the basement stairs. Below, he could hear raised voices and the occasional banging clatter.
Ichabod had been about to speak when another sound rang out, followed by the tinkling of shattered glass. Turning, Ichabod sighed heavily, looking down the basement stairs with an exaggerated frown.
“Well, it seems she’s made it to the vases,” he muttered, looking wistfully back at the boys.
“Stella?” Koda asked, confused.
“Yes, that would be your lady, Koda.”
Koda looked down the stairs in enough time to see a flash of black and white fur speed past the staircase.
“What happened?”
“Well, Stella became a bit more in tune with her stone a bit faster than we would have liked. Within moments of receiving it, actually. Seems you and she have a bit more in common than even I hoped you would.” Ichabod gave a chuckle as he shook his head.
Koda paled as he turned towards the elder. Ichabod looked to him with a mask of confusion.
“Koda, what happened to your-”
Koda ignored the question, stepping onto the stairs and into the shadows of the basement. Ayden looked over to Ichabod before following his lifelong friend.
“Don’t ask, Ichabod. He doesn’t like to talk about it.” Ayden muttered over his shoulder as he descended down the stairs.
He gave him a nod that Ichabod returned, a silent understanding slipping between them. Ayden stepped onto the top step just as Koda reached the bottom. Ahead of them, the once collected basement room had become a ramshackle battlefield. Shelves lay against the floor, their contents smashed and broken upon the stone. Koda stepped onto floor level, glancing towards the back of the room. He saw one humanoid figure among the rubble, with her back to him, bathed in shadow. Even in the low light, he recognized Primrose looking toward a hulking shadow shivering in one corner.
“Prim?” Ichabod called, and Koda turned to see that he and Ayden had joined him downstairs.
“What is she? Is she hurt?” Koda asked them, his voice low, barely a whisper.
“She isn’t hurt,” Ichabod assured him, stepping forward. “She’s just…”
“She’s overwhelmed,” Primrose called from ahead of them, turning to face the boys. Her hand had come up to clutch at the buttoned neckline of her dress. Koda saw fear in her face that he hadn’t seen before. “The sights, the smells. It’s all so much for a witch during their first time. I can’t blame her, the poor dear. If I’d have known it was going to happen so soon I never would have let you leave, Koda. I suspect shes having trouble changing back.”
“Having trouble?” Koda turned to Ayden, who nodded.
“Yeah. Some of us do. I did.” He shuffled his feet, looking down at the ground with an uncomfortable expression. “I ate birdseed for a week before I figured it out. I’ve never been so constipated.”
“So she’s stuck like this?” Koda asked, his voice low and shaking. Ichabod opened his mouth to speak when he was cut off by another loud banging crash.
“Koda!” Primrose called, and instinctively, Koda shrunk back. He had been reprimanded by her before, and she was nearly as strict as she was gentle when the time called for it. “You mustn’t say such things! You’re scaring her!”
The shadow in the corner sprang forward, racing around Koda and knocking him out of the way. The light in the basement had dimmed to a dull glow lit by only a single lantern seated on a table near the staircase. In the flickering glow of the dying firelight, Koda made out her form just barely. A huge black and white cat, fur bristled and standing on edge. A long tail brushed across his boots as it hurried past him.
“Where is she going?! Koda don’t let her get outside!” Ichabod screamed after him.
Koda had already turned, thrusting himself up the stairs, following the shadow onto the first floor.
“Stella! Wait for me!” He called, tripping and nearly falling all the way back down the stairs. He caught himself on his hands and knees, and shook off the pain.
As he rushed to the top of the stairs, he heard the familiar rattle of the front door. Before he could speak or react, it was thrown open. Seeing her opportunity, Stella raced out of it. All four paws skidded across the floor and nearly sent her sprawling into the dirt. Without waiting to see who had opened the door, Koda pushed past them and chased her into the night.
“What was that?!” Reginald stepped inside, eyes wide, and face pale.
Ayden made it to the top of the stairs, Ichabod struggling to keep up behind him. Ichabod’s voice boomed across the house, “It was Stella, you fool! You let her out!”
Koda followed her out of the house and into the thankfully quiet streets. As he chased after her, he failed to notice a pair of canine eyes watching them from the overhanging shadow of a nearby building.
14
Chapter 14
He followed her, his boots pounding over packed earth. The wind whipped into his face, stinging at his evergreen eyes. Weaving through the shadows, he followed the slinking shadow through the sleeping streets of Ravensbreath.
A part of him was relieved when she sprinted towards the gate. He watched as she leaped, her paws hooking over the top of the gate, throwing herself over it. Another part of him felt a spike of dread in his gut. While it may be dangerous for her in this town, and the residents within it. The forest could be a different type of danger.
He skidded to a stop in front of the gate, fingers working to pop the lock and slide it open enough to squeeze through. As it slid closed behind him, a pair of snow-white wings flew past, and he was vaguely aware of the sound of footsteps. Ignoring it, he dove into the forest.
He felt the lashes of vines whipping across his face and neck as he forced himself to move. He felt thorn bushes wrapping around his legs and scratching at the muscles of his calves. A tree root, lifting from the loamy soil beneath his feet hooked across the toe of his boot and threw him to the ground. He fell, hands digging into soil and knees striking the ground. With a grunt of pain, he took the impact but pushed himself up as soon as he was able.
Standing among the trees, his eyes searched every shadow, but he saw nothing. No movement, no signs of life. Cursing beneath his breath, he stepped forward, unsure of which way to go. He had to get to her before she was seen by someone, or worse. He took another step forward, horrific visions swirling in his mind. The snap of a tree branch to his right alerted him and he turned, moving towards the sound. He raced through the brush, between trees, and over fallen logs until he saw the ghostly outline overheard. Surely, it was Ayden. Koda only hoped he hadn’t lost sight of her.
Throwing himself into a forest clearing, Koda stumbled and nearly lost his balance once more. Overhead, the bird perched on a sturdy branch, large eyes glaring down to assess the situation. Koda glanced around the clearing, and what he saw opposite of him drove a spike of fear into his heart. At that moment, he wished he could trade places with Ayden.
The angry predator stood on the other edge of the clearing, fur bristled, and teeth bared. She was nearly the size of a wolf, her fur a silvery-white with huge splotchy patches of black and grey. She was an animal that Koda himself had never seen. He had only read about animals like these in textbooks about a time before the earth had flooded.
Snow Leopards.
“Stella?” Koda muttered, taking a step forward. He could see by the way her ears pinned flat and her tail curled under to protect her belly that he had made the wrong move. “Just …calm down, okay?”
She lashed out, hissing and growling, paw swiping towards him, all claws extended. Though she missed, Koda jumped back just the same, his heart skipping in his chest.
“Stella! Please, let me help you!”
From the shadows, Koda heard the approaching sound of footsteps, when another shadow entered the clearing. Finally, it stopped beside him, and he saw her. A black and silver wolf with glowing green eyes.
“Fae?! Why are you here?” Koda pleaded with her, his eyes flicking between her and Stella. The canine ignored him, instead training its intense gaze upon the cat in the clearing. “Fae! I can handle this! Go home, please.”
The only sign that she had heard his words was the quick flick of the ear closest to him before it pinned flat once more. As he watched, her upper lip pulled back in a snarl, and the deep rumble of a warning growl sounded in her throat. He could feel the vibrations in his chest, deep behind the beat of his heart. Before he could say a single word more, she leaped forward and he could do nothing but watch as they collided.
The cat jumped up in defense, wrapping razor-sharp claws around the wolf’s muscular shoulders. The wolf’s jaws snapped down on the thick fur of her neck, shaking and pulling. Both animals roared in a mixture of determination and pain that was like a cacophony of anger in the night.
“Koda!” Koda glanced up into the treetops to see who had called for him. “Koda, you need to stop them!”
Koda shook his head, a hand coming up to clutch at the red stone that swung around his neck.
“No. I can’t.” Koda yelled back, his voice cracking and breaking.
He watched as the battle raged on ahead of them. Fae fought to get the upper hand. The cat had come in like a hurricane, unable to control herself or gain control over her actions. Stella overpowered her, flipping her onto her back, and sinking her teeth into the mane of thick fur around her throat. She missed a killing blow by just inches, Fae twisting her head to the side at the last moment.
“Fae! Stop!” Koda screamed. “Don’t hurt her.”
A renewed growl pitched in the darkness, and Koda could sense the resentment in her. Getting her paws beneath her, she gained the upper hand, pinning Stella to the ground. Almost as if to spite Koda, she lashed out, her precision deadly, sinking teeth into the cat’s neck.
“Yes, you can! You have to!” Ayden’s voice pried Koda back to reality. Koda’s hands came up to thread through his hair, grabbing it at the roots as his fingers shook in his frustration.
“No! I can’t, someone will get hurt. I need to go, I need to get help.” he turned to look over his shoulder towards the village, begging for help.
“Koda! You don’t have time for that!” As Ayden called out again, there was a whining yelp of pain that sliced the air around them. Stella had gotten control, the wolf flipped and pinned beneath powerful paws. “Don’t let her die.”
Koda turned from the scene, forcing his eyes away. He couldn’t force himself to look at it anymore. He couldn’t see the violence anymore. It hurt to look at, knowing he couldn’t stop it.
