He took the form of a man; tall and slender, with rather bowed shoulders. His face was perfectly generic, as if the features could not be distinguished among the various humanoid creatures. The chin was sharp and the cheekbones high, like the Watchers, yet the nose was rounded and upturned, similar to the Hafga. His hair was exceptionally long. It cascaded down past his knees and rippled in an absent and ominous breeze. His silhouette was foggy, as if Lazuris was watching him through a screen of fabric. The edges just weren’t as crisp as they should be.
Lazuris’
darling rarely took such a form. His Karst had always been a sprite or an orb.
A human form was cumbersome, she had once told him.
“Darling,”
Lazuris whispered, inching back. The immense, oppressive wave of dread clouded
his mind. It was viciously familiar as it quickly dragged his memory back to
when he had first met the great Aru’mat the Baleful, and then his precious. The
vision of flame, the sensation of falling, then emptiness. So empty.
“Say nothing,” Karst whispered, her voice
twinkling in his ear.
“Why are you trying to kill my new host?”
Aru’mat asked. His voice was exceptionally deep and it vibrated through the
slick rocks. Even Lazuris’ Friends could feel the pulsing power and he felt
them recoil in the castle.
A small
smile crept along Aru’mat’s face as he too sensed the retreating flames. It was
disgusting how much he reveled in his power.
As Lazuris
thought this, the Spirit turned his chiseled face to gaze at him. His eyes
flashed a vivid amethyst and Lazuris flinched. Another smile, this time with a
chuckle. How could Aru’mat have heard him? Unless…
“We aren’t killing him,” Karst said
calmly from Lazuris’ shoulder. Her crackling feathered wings were gone; her
form was only that of a softly glowing orb, like a brilliant marble of
starlight.
“Then what are you doing?” Aru’mat asked.
“We,” Karst paused. Her voice was wary.
Even she feared him. “We are testing him,
as we were told.”
“As you were told,” Aru’mat corrected. “How
hard is it to get a single Lycaon to transform into his bestial form?”
“We tried with the—“
“Silence.” He did not scream, nor yell, nor even raise his tone. Even still,
the word fell heavy upon their ears. Lazuris could not pry open his mouth, even
if he wanted to.
“Of all the species upon this miserable planet, this one is the
most predictable,” Aru’mat said calmly. “They
are dictated by the prowling animal within them. Though each has a different
desire that will satiate such a beast, they all succumb to it regardless of how
much they try.”
Why the
lecture? Lazuris knew this, of course.
“This one, this… Damien. His own safety is not his downfall,
neither is his hunger for flesh. Lust, though it stirred his feral soul, could
not change him. Granted, I could have tested that further at the sacrifice of
the girl. No, it is something else. Had I been more observant, I would have
seen it earlier, isn’t that right, brother?”
Brother?
Lazuris glanced up. Ah. So he was
here as well.
A young girl
with spiraling corn-silk curls crouched just inside one of the many hidden
crevices of the cliff side. Her eyes were fixed on the burning castle, tears
streaming freely down her face.
Beside her
was a young boy, likely no older than ten or twelve in human years. He glowed
with a soft gold aura as he tried to comfort the girl. She was cringing away
from him.
“Lazuris,” the boy said softly. “If
you don’t mind, the flames bother her.”
Aru’mat
rolled his eyes, looking rather frustrated. “Why
did you bring her?”
“Because she is mine,” the boy responded. He was unaffected by the
strange power Aru’mat seemed to have over Lazuris and Karst.
“She’s pathetic,” Aru’mat snorted.
Taerce
ignored him. “Lazuris, if you please?”
The
silver-haired stranger nodded slowly, as he still could not speak. He closed
his eyes and allowed his fingers of webbed consciousness to extend. His Friends
were eager to leave. They feared the Spirit of Shadow and made their escape to
burn the city and abandon the scorched and melted castle. Only the embers, the
runts that Lazuris could not control, were determined to stay.
Lazuris
returned to his own mind to find the boy standing next to Aru’mat.
“Is it so important that he change?” the young
boy asked.
“Yes,” Aru’mat said quickly. “I
must know what kind of control I can have. I must test his limitations. You
know this, Taerce.”
“He is stronger. His weaknesses are fewer than the others,” Taerce told
him. The Light Spirit looked out upon the ruined castle, his eyes fixing on the
singed and battered pair hiding within the dungeon. “Brother…?”
“Oh,” Aru’mat groaned, obviously bored that he had to notice. He
flicked his wrist in the general direction of the Lycaon and the girl. With his
excellent vision, Lazuris watched with a sickening anticipation. Would he kill
them both on the spot? It would have to be him if he wanted the male as a host.
But nothing
happened. If anything, the two simply… stopped.
A crease
formed across Taerce’s brow. He seemed concerned about something, yet he
remained quiet. But with his abilities, what could he question?
“I want him. Now.” Aru’mat’s voice was firm, yet he crossed his
arms across his chest and pouted like a young child.
“Patience, brother,” Taerce tried to say. Aru’mat the Baleful
ignored him.
“I want him as a beast. I hate this form. Too constrained, too
limited. When I take him, I shall force him to stay that way.”
Taerce
frowned. “No, you know the rules.”
“The rules you made.”
Despite the
fear that prickled at Lazuris’ neck, he couldn’t help but be fascinated with
this pair of brothers. In all his years, he had never seen the two together.
Not in the open like this, not before the eyes and ears of others. Granted, he
was certain no one else could see the Spirits. They were exceptionally careful
about that. Taerce likely had a veil of secrecy around them at this point.
The girl
that had appeared along with Taerce was sniffling pathetically. Her mouth was turned
in an exaggerated frown and her violet eyes were puffy and red. Lazuris didn’t
understand this one. He knew her, of course; she was chosen by Taerce not too
long after Lazuris met his own darling. Her maturity had grown stagnant,
though. Perhaps that was her curse along with the eternal boredom. Lazuris
suddenly felt himself quite lucky. He could at least travel the lands as he
pleased.
As the
brothers bickered, Lazuris felt his jaw unhinge and his throat open again.
Aru’mat apparently had a singularly focused mind and grew lax on his other
powers.
“Karst,”
Lazuris whispered. “Can we--?”
“YOU!” Aru’mat roared. The Spirit whirled around to face Lazuris.
“Yes?”
Lazuris asked. He was pleased to notice it was even and dry. Was this thanks to
Taerce’s presence?
Aru’mat
swooped from his perch, gliding effortlessly down so he stood on the same
landing as the tanned man. As he did so, the Spirit grew taller and wider. He
easily stood at three times as big as Lazuris, who was already taller than the
humans. It was a tactic, Lazuris knew this. It was also a very effective
tactic. He tried not to flinch.
“The Lycaon, can he see you from his position?” Aru’mat
asked. His voice was slow and deliberate, yet Lazuris didn’t understand. Why
was he asking him? He knew the answer.
“Yes,”
Lazuris responded. He glanced across the falls. The duo was still trapped in
the time splint that the Shadow Spirit placed upon them. The open wall of the
dungeon allowed a decent vantage point of their position. “If he looked hard
enough.”
“I want to make him look,” the Spirit responded.
Taerce had
followed his brother down. “Brother,
you’ve had your fun. We shall test him at some other time.”
“No. The time is now. I know what he wants, or more, what he
doesn’t want.”
Lazuris was
confused. Had he figured out the Lycaon’s weakness? Lazuris hadn’t figured it
out himself. True, he hadn’t given it too much thought. He hated the Lycaons
anyway so he saw no need to work so fervently to decipher this one.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t anticipated the Spirit of Night to be quizzing him.
“It’s cruel,” Taerce said calmly. The Light Spirit apparently knew. That was
silly, of course he knew.
“Hardly. Cruelty will come later. This is simply a… taste.” Aru’mat
smiled to reveal several rows of sharpened teeth. The piranha grin against the
beautiful face was jarring and unsettling.
“He will not accept you when he learns how you tormented him,” Taerce
tried to remind him, but even Lazuris could tell that there was no altering
Aru’mat’s determination at this point.
“I haven’t done a thing. Our… friend here will do it.”
Lazuris
forced himself to remember his ancient teachings. He focused on the sensation
in his fingertips and the gentle swell of each breath. Panic was a dangerous
yet valuable tool.
“You know I can’t have him kill the Lycaon if you intend to take
him as a host,” Karst said, finally breaking her silence.
Aru’mat
rolled his eyes and sneered at them. “Idiots.
I don’t want you to kill him.”
Lazuris
looked at Taerce for an answer, but the boy was staring determinedly at his own
host. The girl was sobbing now, her porcelain face streaked with glistening
tears.
Why would
she cry so hard? Logic was easy for his kind, Lazuris knew. This was a simple
problem. Taerce had told Lazuris that the fires scared her. The reason for that
was obvious given the girl’s history. But she should have stopped when Lazuris
banished his fires from the castle.
Lazuris
gazed out the city of the so-called Capital. His Friends were happily
destroying houses and taverns. They knew not to touch the stables or any of the
crops. Just homes and people. The girl had no attachment to these people, so
that could not be her concern. It was simply the… Ah.
The entirety
Aru’mat’s plan fell into place. But there was a problem.
“I cannot
bring my Friends back. They will not come with you here,” Lazuris stated.
Aru’mat was
not pleased with this answer. He frowned and his eyes narrowed. “Karst,” he said after a pregnant pause,
“you know what must be done.”
Lazuris
instinctively looked at his shoulder, hoping to see his darling, but she had
gone.
“Choose one, Lazuris,” Karst’s voice said calmly. He couldn’t see
her, but Lazuris knew she was behind him. He glanced down at the sheet of rock
before him. Five slender phials were displayed in a neat little row. He
recognized none of them. He could only assume they were supplied by Aru’mat the
Lethal. That name seemed to ring true at that moment.
Lazuris’
slender fingers reached out and gently stroked each of the flasks. He was
procrastinating. He knew what was within each of those. But he had drunk that
wine just an hour before! Why wasn’t it enough? He knew, of course.
He had to
die.
Temporarily…
He hoped.
Lazuris
fingered the phial the furthest to his right. He pulled it from the perfect row
and tugged the cork plug from it. A sickeningly sweet vapor swirled out of it.
It stung his nostrils and made his eyes water in protest. Without delay, he
swallowed the whole bottle.
Pain. He had
anticipated the pain; death was intricately entwined with it. His throat burned
and his muscles seized as the poison quickly took its toll. The itching though,
that was new. His skin tingled with the feeling of thousands of squirming bugs
burrowing deep inside him. He tried to ignore it, but it was infinitely worse
than the pain alone.
Aru’mat was
creative with his poisons, wasn’t he?
It would
come soon. He knew it would. His mind latched onto that thought as he tried
desperately to let go of everything else. If he gave in, it would be easier.
Fear prickled in the back of his mind and Lazuris was certain that was due to
the Shadow Spirit’s presence.
He had to
trust her. Karst had not failed him. Ten thousand years and not even once had
she lost her grasp on him.
His fingers
went numb. His mouth went dry. Counting his heartbeats became increasingly difficult.
He fought every instinct to grasp reality; it would only complicate the matter.
He just had to wait.
A warm,
dripping sensation slowly ran across his body, starting from the tip of his
head down his spine and arms. It felt like warm honey, sticky yet comforting as
it eased the pain and itching away. He felt light and free. He could no longer
tell where one part of him ended and another began. His whole consciousness dissipated
into a fluid, vaporous glob.
It was as if
he were flying again. What bliss.
Lazuris was
ripped from his trance with a vicious slash. He was burning. His whole body was
searing in agonizing, blistering pain. He almost wanted the itching back.
Almost.
He cringed.
“I’m sorry.” Lazuris heard Karst whisper it to him, but it did not help. It
was the price he had to pay.
As quickly
as it came, the pain vanished. Lazuris was standing upon the precipice, flames
licking at the tips of his fingers, playing at the points of his ears and
curling through his locks of hair.
He was
strong. He was invincible. She was him, and he was now her.
“Excellent,” Aru’mat squealed. The Spirit clapped his hands together in glee. “Now, destroy the castle.”
Lazuris
moved without effort. His fingers pointed toward the smoldering ruins and they
instantly erupted in a ravenous emerald flame. It grew and roared into an
ancient beast, prowling the floors, hungry for anything that remained.
The lonely
survivors had recovered from their time-lapse. They were furiously looking for
an escape route. Lazuris watched them as he had nothing else to do; he happily
allowed Karst to take control of his movements, to direct the massive monster.
The pair was
scared. He saw it in the frantic movements of the Princess’eyes, in the jerky,
haphazard steps in the Lycaon.
“Now, the tower.” Aru’mat’s orders were clear. Lazuris had
anticipated them already.
Karst
obeyed. Her beastly pet slashed at the singular remaining tower. The base
shattered and the cylinder tipped almost casually down. It rolled, screeching
and crunching as it fell, crashing into the cliff side only feet from where
Lazuris was standing. Nothing touched him, of course.
Curiously,
it formed a bridge to cross from the castle directly to them. The cracked roof
tiles looked much like a cobbled pathway from the dungeons.
“Burn the falls.”
Karst was
already ahead of him. Blazing scales from the monster separated from the fire,
sprouted wings and darted to the falls. As they slammed into the thunderous
water, there was an explosion of steam and mist, constantly evaporating the
falls. A perfect little archway was created in the water, exposing the landing
and the crevice which Taerce’s host was still cowering in.
The Lycaon
saw it. He saw it for what it was: an offering.
“Come, my pet,” Aru’mat cooed.
The Lycaon
could not hear him of course, could not even see him. No, he would only see the
bridge and the lone figure of Lazuris himself standing at its end. The stones
around the pair began to crumble and melt. The girl was screaming at the
Lycaon, but the man’s glowing moss eyes were fixed on this makeshift bridge.
Lazuris
could see the desire, the obsession in his eyes. Would he take the bait? It was
an escape, but it was also everything he had been dreaming of.
The man took
a step forward.
“Now,” Aru’mat ordered.
It was
almost painful for Lazuris to do this, but he had no choice. He watched with a
stoic face as claws of glistening flame grasped the bridge and smashed it effortlessly
as if it an annoying gnat. The path disintegrated, collapsing into a million
pieces before falling into the falls.
Aru’mat had
been right. The Lycaon truly hated it when something he desired was taken from
him. The fury was immediate and the hatred was palpable even from Lazuris’
distance. The man screamed which ripped into an agonizing roar. His back arched
into a curved hump and joints squelched and snapped into painful, unnatural
angles. His hands grew and dark hair sprouted from his growing arms as his
clothes tore away.
The
transformation was quick, likely quicker than normal. His wrath truly had been exploited
by the Spirit. He was a magnificent creature. A sloping spine with a rippling
musculature. Fangs protruded from black lips and a lion-like mane wrapped
around his neck. Not a wolf, yet not a bear, kerrin nor any other beast. It was
unique on its own. They were created with a singular purpose and the sleek,
elegant physique displayed it beautifully: the Lycaon was terrifying.
The creature
roared, rearing back to snarl. What would he do, Lazuris thought. It wasn’t
really a question, more a pondering thought. He didn’t care anymore. His body
felt light and fuzzy. He would lose consciousness soon, as he always did after
he melded with his darling. He wagered he had one minute, maybe two, left.
Movement
pulled Lazuris’ gaze. Ah yes, the girl. Judging from her shaky movements and
agape mouth, he assumed that this one had yet to see the Lycaon’s true form.
What a lovely reveal. She couldn’t ask for a more memorable scene.
The beast
finally turned to stare at her, debris falling around the two of them. They had
to make their escape soon. Would he have the courage to jump?
It was
hardly a question. With this form, he would easily survive the fall. But with
the girl…?
Lazuris
watched with sleepy eyes as the Lycaon snatched up the girl and leaped with all
his might from the crumbling dungeon. He soared through the air and for a
moment Lazuris wondered if he would actually make it across and catch hold of
the rocky cliff. Alas, not even as beautiful of as specimen as this could leap
such a distance. Shame. The pair fell into the mist, disappearing from view.
The whole
event, from the moment the bridge crashed down to their descent took less than
forty heartbeats. Fascinating.
“Fascinating, indeed,” Aru’mat echoed.
The castle
burned, the ravenous creature of flame and light consumed it until nothing
remained but ash.
