Serena came awake suddenly. Her head lifted into the air and she sniffed delicately at the wind. Something had disturbed her rest, a feeling that something was terribly wrong assaulted her. By know she had learned to listen to her feelings, as they proved accurate.
As she cast about for the source of her anxiety, she discovered an absence of a familiar presence.
Where was Stacey? She wondered.
The two had come down with her last night to talk and to sleep in her glade. After the weeks had led them to believe that they would not return home, they had constructed a snug home in a grove of trees nearby, lit within by fairy lights and providing a cheerful warmth to her glade. Often she stood just outside the window, talking with Stacey or just lying there and listening to the couple as they danced or sang inside. Stacey's melancholy about not being able to speak to her family still haunted her, but it was much less with the passage of time, or more deeply buried perhaps.
Today, all she could feel was Tom's presence in the house. The lug was asleep, she felt. He probably hadn't noticed Stacey getting up.
She cast about for her, stretching her mind wider and wider. She used her delicate nose to sniff out her trail; towards the edge of the far end of the woods she discovered a fresh scent leaving. Less then two hours old, she thought.
Hurrying after her, she passed sleeping bear and dreaming deer with the same care as the famed hobbits; neither stirred in their sleep.
The trail wound on and on, darting aside at one point to the logging glade where it had circled a lonely stump where a sweet smell emanated for some time (the scent was very strong there) before disappearing entirely.
Serena, realizing that something had happened there, investigated the stump and the surround thoroughly.
An uncomfortable feeling stole over her when she found the patch of sticky honey-like substance slathered over the top of the stump. The closer she got the stronger the feeling got. As she smelled it, a slight euphoria edged around her outermost thoughts. In a flash she realized it was an attractant enhanced with magic.
Who could do such a thing?! The implications of the bait were staggering. Serena had little time for considering them however. Her entire focus had become finding out what had happened.
She found an old fox snoozing under a limb. She attempted to rouse him with a simple touch, but the todd clung stubbornly to sleep, his little black paws occasionally twitching in dream. When she jabbed him (gently) with her horn, she felt a little burst of magic, and then the todd opened his eyes. He'd been under enchantment!
The grumpy old fox opened his eye. "What do ya want?" he asked. He clearly was in no mood to be polite.
"Milady." He added, on realizing who it was he was talking to.
'My friend Stacey has disappeared. Can you help me find her?' Serena asked.
"The little tree-singer!" The todd cried. "Now I remember! I heard her come through the forest past my little den not long ago! She flew odd, most little, crunchable insects will fly in odd patterns to keep from being caught and eaten, but she flew in a straight line. I found it odd and followed. That's when we came to this glade where the Huge Ones were. She went straight to the stump and inside a little clear stone where she stayed for some time, eating something. To my surprise, a huge one, though not as big as the others I have seen, came snaking around one of them trees and towards the stump. I barked at her and hissed, but she threw something at me. I dodged, but too slow, and me leg went to sleep. After that I couldn't escape, and she hit me again and I went to sleep." He sounded miffed.
Serena shook her head and whinnied in horror. A human captured Stacey? And used magic to do it? This was disastrous. What evil plight had the witch in store for Stacey? A small jay watched from the nearby tree.
'Please!' Serena called to it. 'Send out a call for help! Make sure it reaches my friends! Tell them what happened. Go, now!"
The jay fled then, shrieking its alarms as it winged towards the mountain.
Serena thanked the todd in a distracted air as she searched the ground frantically for any sign of where the human had gone.
"Don't thank me, I didn't do nuffin' to deserve it." The todd said gruffly. "But I can smell the fool huge one went this way."
'Thank you!' Serena called out. She rushed down the path, following the trail indicated by the todd. Now that she was on it, she wondered why she'd had such trouble finding it, or why she couldn't seem to locate the human herself, or why, if she couldn't locate her, she couldn't sense her friend either.
She would have to discover the reason why later, she told herself. For now, she needed to run!
#
Running for several minutes, Serena caught up quickly with a human walking quickly through the woods. Unlike others, however, who moved in the clumsy manner of the lost or confused, this one strode forward with the confidence of the sure. She didn't fear the forest or the magic on it, Serena was sure.
She slowed to a slow walk, pacing the human to study her opponent carefully. What she saw did not hearten her in the slightest.
The woman she followed seemed young, with long brown hair spilling down her neck and past her shoulders, falling nearly to her butt. Her dress was almost painfully neat and simple; a black, floral print dress, with practical, simple shoes, simple brown socks, but she had a ornate hummingbird hair clip pinned at the top of her head. It gleamed in the sun, obviously well cared for and loved, despite the cheapness of the piece.
Serena found the contradictions strange, but it was the object slung over her shoulder that interested her the most. It wasn't quite a purse, being too big, but a shoulder bag. Big enough, she thought, to hold a large jar, or several jars even. Coiled on her shoulder was large a golden rope.
So! Stacey wasn't the primary target after all! I was! Serena realized. The thought did not comfort her.
She was taken because of me. I have to help her.
Serena felt that she had seen enough. It was time to attack.
Serena circled the woman, coming around in front of her to cut off her retreat. At the same time, she summoned the forest to her aid, causing the trees to twist and move, closing all avenues of escape. The woman seemed surprised at the sudden movement.
She plunged her hand into her bag and withdrew a red vial. Hurling it at the nearest tree, it instantly caught fire.
Serena reacted, touching her horn to the tree to smother out the flames and heal the burned wood. The tree groaned its thanks.
However, the time she'd taken had allowed the witch to recollect herself. Chanting in a firm, clear tone, she withdrew another crystal vial. This one was filled with a honey-colored liquid that shone enticingly. Serena realized what it was the moment that she threw it. Leaping sideways, she saw the vial shatter on a rock, spilling its contents along the ground.
Immediately, a sweet, cloying smell filled the air. The heady aroma filled her nostrils and made it hard for her to detect other scents in the air, but otherwise she remained unchanged.
The witch grinned in delight, having thought she'd won. She began pulling off her golden rope and walking nonchalantly towards Serena.
There is no way I'm going to let her put a rope on me! Serena thought determinedly.
She gave a fierce war cry that filled the clearing and sped beyond. Trees rustled in response and wolves howled in the distance, mixing with bear roars and the mad twittering of birds. Above it all a hawk shrieked, its voice cutting through the din with the clarity of a sword sliding from its sheath.
The witch's eyes widened and she leaped backwards.
"How?!" She gasped. "How are you not under my control? That is some of the strongest magic--", abruptly her teeth clicked shut.
If that was some of her strongest magic, then I shouldn't have to worry about her power against me, just what she can do with Stacey. Come on! Where is she, witch?
Serena advanced grimly on the frightened woman, intending to use her horn to slip the carry bag off her shoulder and search it for her friend.
"Get back!" The witch cried. "I'm warning you! I'll do worse to you! Stay back!"
Serena paused a moment, searching her eyes. When she felt satisfied that it was all bluff, she continued on. She was almost at the bag now; another step would see her horn in contact with the strap.
She'd have to be careful she knew, if she didn't want to hurt the woman. Not an easy task with a sharp horn longer than a human arm!
"Asbiorn! Fethur nikta meldrock! Del Moldenat Ki!" the witch shouted as she stepped backwards. She'd recovered her wits now and was edging back and away from her horn as best she could.
The feeling of magic being used warned her that something was going to happen, but as the magic wasn't being directed at her, she didn't interfere. She theorized that if the witch used up or spent her strength on spells that couldn't harm her anyways, then she'd be much easier to deal with.
A terrific roar shook that assumption right out of her. Serena spun to face a huge brown catamountain. Bigger than a Kodiak bear, it regarded her cooly with bright yellow eyes.
Serena lowered her horn warningly at it, and it stepped back, as if considering. A moment later, the cat stood on its hind legs and shed its fur, shrinking as the mass fell away and broke into dust on the ground. Now, where a giant cat had stood just moments ago, a giant man stood on two legs, tall and proud.
Serena stared at the were-lion that had appeared in front of her. The nobility of the man was very much in evidence, from his strong brow and jaw, to his piercing grey eyes, to the thick ropes of muscle and sinew contained in his bronze skin. In height he scraped the lower branches of the trees, making him the tallest human Serena had ever seen in her life. Everything about him was proportionate to that, however.
When he spoke, his voice, that she expected rough and cat like, proved mellow and calming; more like a gentle pool than a roaring stream.
"Shyla, what are you doing?" he asked.
"What do you get off on asking me that, Asbiorn?" Shyla asked incredulously. "This here unicorn was looking to skewer me!"
"I doubt that highly." Asbiorn said calmly. "Unicorns do not harm anyone if they can help it. Only the wicked need fear them. You are not wicked, as I've told you."
"Yes, you keep saying that, but the woman who--" Her teeth clicked shut and she shot a suspicious glance at Serena.
"Maybe this isn't the best place to be talking about that." She warned. "We are in the middle of a fight, after all."
"It doesn't look like a fight to me." Asbiorn commented. "More like two women eyeing each other over some dainty that has snared their eye."
'Dainty!' Serena whinnied in affront. 'Dainty! Is the rescue of one's friend considered a lark? Is a friend considered a dainty? You do not know of what you speak, man!'
Asbiorn's eyes widened slightly and he turned back to Shyla.
"She says you've kidnapped her friend. Is this true?" He asked.
"You can understand her?" Shyla asked in surprise.
Asbiorn sighed. "Yes. I do. Now stop ducking the question. Did you take her friend?"
"I don't know. I captured a fairy, but I was after her." Shyla admitted. She reached into her bag and pulled from it a glass bug box. Inside it, looking absolutely miserable, stood Stacey.
'Stacey!' Serena called out in relief. At least she knew her friend was still alive.
Asbiorn looked down at the fairy, and then back at Shyla.
"Why did you do that?" he rumbled. For the first time, he sounded...angry. "She did nothing to you, she has not attacked you. There is no reason to imprison her."
"According to the book, there is." Shyla defended. "See, it says a unicorn horn can give nearly infinite power to the possessor. A fairy, while much weaker, can perform simple tasks and boost one's powers a considerable amount, depending on which step one takes."
"That would be murder." Asbiorn said mildly. "I know you are not capable of murdering someone in cold blood."
Shyla started. "Murder! Me! No! The book said nothing about it killing the fairy. I suppose one could kill it if they are stupid enough to take all the power at once, but that would be temporary at best. No, it's better to use only a little bit at a time at need. She'd be well-cared for in the meantime."
'That's slavery!' Serena cried out in horror.
Asbiorn glanced her way for a moment. "I have to agree with the unicorn. That would be slavery. I cannot think that you would be comfortable with that."
"She's not human!" Shyla countered. "She's a bug! One with a few extra magic powers; the book says so! It's not slavery to own a pet!"
"Then am I a pet to you?" Asbiorn asked. "I am not, precisely, human."
"You're a familiar, that's different." Shyla insisted stubbornly.
"How is that the case?" Asbiorn asked. "How do you define humanism? Is it by spirit, intelligence, looks? If it is by looks, as many of your judgments are, then she is perfectly human, with just one deformity. If it is intelligence, I would wager that she could hold her own in any test you could devise."
'Yes.' Serena confirmed. 'She once was human, as was I.'
Asbiorn jerked at that, looking as surprised as Serena had seen him. He quickly turned back to the task at hand, however.
"There, the unicorn confirms that she was initially human before becoming a fairy. You are proposing imprisoning one of your own."
Shyla bit her lip, looking troubled. She glanced down at the bug jar, then back at Asbiorn. Serena waited to see what she would do.
Abruptly, Shyla brightened. "I know! How about a trade? Your horn, for your friend."
Serena reared back in anger and horror. The thought of giving up her horn was abhorrent to her, but if it saved her friend...
Asbiorn sighed. "Really, Shyla; I'm disappointed in you. You're still treating a living creature as a commodity."
"Asbiorn," Shyla sighed. "Humans have always used animals as commodities. We raise them for food or pleasure, and that's about it."
"That is a great wrong." Asbiorn insisted. "It doesn't behoove you to do this thing. You are far better than this, do not become what the other humans said you would be. Do not let your bitterness cause you to inflict similar pain on others." He reached out and touched her chin, lifting it up with surprising gentleness. "Shyla, you are who you want yourself to be. You struggled upward from the poorhouse to provide a life for yourself. Don't slip back now."
Shyla's blue eyes filled with tears. "I--" she began.
Whatever she meant to say, however, was interrupted by a powerful red light from her bag. A black book rose from inside and hovered in midair. A large, red eye opened in the exact middle of the leather-bound tome and stared hard at Shyla.
Serena could feel the malice emanating from the book. She whinnied a warning and stepped forward to counter its power, but as soon as she started to combat the book, the magic ceased.
What was that all about? Serena wondered for a moment when...
Woosh! A fireball the size of her head whizzed past and struck the tree behind her, burning the trunk to ash and causing the tree to fall with a dying shriek of pain.
Serena looked into Shyla's eyes. They were red now, seemingly maddened. She held one hand over the top of the box, a red light going inside and surrounding Stacey in a fierce glow. Stacey, for her part, had collapsed to her knees, whimpering and jerking as strength was pulled from her body to the witch.
'NO!' Serena whinnied. There was no doubt in her mind that the book had done something to corrupt Shyla, but for now she had to knock her away from the bug jar before she killed Stacey!
"Asbiorn," Shyla's voice had changed to something dark and commanding. "Kill the unicorn. Even dead, her horn would be a prize. Don't fail me."
Asbiorn glared a moment, before sighing. "Very well. It seems I have no choice."
"None whatsoever." Shyla confirmed.
The huge cat was back now, a growl coming deep into its throat.
"Run." Serena heard him say. "I'll not be able to catch you, no one could catch you if you run."
Serena lowered her horn and braced herself. 'I cannot leave her!' She said. 'Run yourself, and I will not pursue.'
"Noble, but foolish." Asbiorn said regretfully. "You will get hurt, perhaps killed if you stay."
'We'll see.' Serena said firmly. She could feel a familiar presence in the area.
#
Jake loosed a roar that shook the trees and made everyone in the clearing freeze. A shadow passed overhead and they looked up. Jake flew without hiding; his golden scales shining brilliantly in the sunlight above, becoming a beacon of war in the sky. His massive horned head turned back to the clearing and he spilled air from his wings, racing down at them with flames licking the corners of his mouth.
"A dragon!" Shyla cried out in ecstasy. "With its blood, I will become the most powerful witch on earth!"
"It would kill you first." A new voice said. Everyone looked to see Rachel and Brian at the edge of the clearing with their bows drawn. At Rachel's side hung two slim swords, while at Brian's a small round shield complemented a larger hand-and-a-half sword. Above them flitted Tom, surrounded by several snowballs that looked like solid ice and were spinning very fast.
"You are outnumbered. Surrender now." Rachel advised.
"Never! This is too great an opportunity to pass up!" Shyla cackled.
'What's happened to her?' Serena asked. 'I thought you were getting through to her, but then...'
"That is my previous mistress inhabiting Shyla's body." Asbiorn explained.
'What?' Serena asked, startled. 'You mean she's possessed?'
"Yes." Asbiorn told her. "Shyla is still in there, somewhere, but unable to come out. She hasn't mastered the will to face Mistress Shadouix"
'Who?' Serena asked. 'I've never heard that name before.'
Asbiorn shrugged slightly. "So far as I know, she was the only one to carry that name. If it is one given to her or one she chose for herself, I do not know."
Everyone looked up as Jake cruised overhead, so fast as to be a mere momentary blur through a break in the trees.
"Well, I have been commanded. I am sorry for this." Asbiorn said regretfully. "But you will have to die now."
And with that he leaped forward, jaws agape at Serena. She danced aside easily and thrust her horn at him, raking his flank with the tip. The burst of magic she channeled threw him back, but did not--quite--render him unconscious.
He gave another terrific roar and charged forward, but this time an answering bellow came from the trees, and Josh (having somehow landed without their noticing him) came crashing through the brush in a terrible racket, jaws agape.
He clamped down on Asbiorn's shoulder, teeth penetrating the hide underneath.
Asbiorn gave a cry of mingled pain and fury as he turned to face Jake, raking his face close to the eye and forcing him to let go and jerk backwards before he lost it.
Now the two circled each other, hissing and snapping at each other, looking for any opening they could exploit. So focused were they that they almost didn't see Brian coming to help.
Serena could barely focus on the savage battle underway; she had her own to worry about. The witch, whether it was this Shadouix or Shyla herself, had started trying to hurl spells at Jake. Whatever they were meant to do, Serena countered them. Fortunately, while much stronger than Shyla's, they were no match for her power, and the spells fizzled out one after another despite the increasing rage and frustration evident on Shyla's pretty face.
Rachel took the opportunity to surge forward, swords coming out; intent on forcing the witch to surrender. Her classical face was grim and hard, promising no quarter.
She was forced to duck when the witch tossed a weak fireball at her, catching Serena off guard for a moment. Adjusting quickly, she resumed her magical duel with Shyla.
As Rachel came back in, Tom darted ahead of her, his ice balls whizzing around at almost supersonic speed. He sent them at Shyla, and when they struck there came a painful smack of flesh and she shrieked is surprise.
"Keltha Del Norstrom Diaz Micthatchka!" she cursed, making a throwing motion at Tom with her hand. A second later he fell from the air as if stuck down. He landed on the ground and stopped moving.
"Tom!" Rachel cried out, swooping down and picking him up. Her distraction allowed the witch to cast another spell at her, but Serena jumped in front of this one and blocked it perfectly.
'No more, witch!' she cried. 'You will not hurt another soul again!'
She could feel the resources she'd carefully husbanded start to flow through her like a raging river through a narrow crack. The wind whipped the trees and roared like a hurricane over the battlefield.
Looking frightened now, the witch quickly made a sawing motion with her hand. Serena hurled her power at the witch, but the old todd from before leaped in front of the witch and took the blow himself.
The unicorn magic threw the curse that had been used on him away, striking the witch and leaving her temporarily stunned. The todd fell to the earth and did not move.
Serena reached out to him and felt him breathing deeply and easily. She nearly collapsed in relief; the spell had worked as intended and just put him into a deep sleep for a day. He'd wake up in the morning feeling like a young fox again.
The two stared across the sleeping form, wondering who would make the first move. Rachel crouched off to the side, having dove for safety when the magic blasts had occurred, Tom still clutched in her arm.
"Well." The witch sneered nervously. "I must admit, I did not expect such a stiff resistance from you. No matter though. I still have your friend. The idiot girl did have a good suggestion earlier; give me your horn and I will return your friend to you. Don't," she smiled nastily as she held up the bug box, her hand already inside and grasping the limp body of Stacey. "--and I will drain this little fairy's power until there is nothing left but a husk!"
Serena whinnied and reared, but did not come closer to the witch. She was afraid now like she'd never been in her life; she could defeat the witch easily, she was sure, but Stacey would be dead before she could. She couldn't let that happen!
What choice did she have? Not much of one, she thought bitterly.
As she was coming to this realization however, a bellow of pain distracted everyone.
Asbiorn twisted in agony as he strove to break his neck free of Jake's terrible jaws, to no avail. With a savage growl of effort, Jake jerked the great were-cat off the ground, raising the pitch of the cry to a gurgling shriek. With a snap of his head, Jake threw Asbiorn into a tree, which buckled under the assault. Both cat and tree fell to the ground in a cloud of splinters and dirt.
"ASBIORN!" Shyla cried out.
"NO! Let go you fool girl!" she shouted in almost the same instant. "Leave him, he's useless no--aah!"
She bent in double, clutching her middle. Slowly, so slowly it seemed, her foot came off the ground and she took one step towards Asbiorn, then another. Then another.
"Nooo!" Came the long, drawn out wail from her mouth, but a red light popped out of her body like a cork from a shaken champagne bottle. It arced back into the bag where, Serena suspected, it took refuge in the witch's book.
Abruptly freed of the evil spirit, Shyla rushed to Asbiorn's side. Tears soaked her face as she tenderly cradled his shaggy head, which was almost as big as she was.
"No, no, no." she softly whined as she stroked his fur. Coming across one of his many wounds, she placed her hand over the bleeding gash and said: "Kilna, Moldin-pa". A pale light shone briefly under her hand, but when she lifted it up, the gash looked very much the same, if perhaps a trifle smaller.
A wail of despair tore through her slim body, and Serena felt her heart move within her. The companions were all staring, transfixed by the scene. The cage that held Stacey had fallen from Shyla's grip and fallen open on the ground. Serena came to it and checked with her horn. Stacey was weak, but alive and resting. Stepping past, she came up to the fallen were-cat.
Shyla gasped and looked up at her with soaked face and puffy eyes, looking wary and hopeful at the same moment.
Serena looked at her a moment and then laid her horn on Asbiorn. Magic flowed out of her like a cataract, pouring into the weakened body in front of her.
Under Shyla's gaze, the wounds closed quickly, the whimpers becoming more and more infrequent as his breathing grew deeper and steadier.
At last Serena stepped away. She felt weakened by her effort, but satisfied. Asbiorn had been a noble creature bound to obey something evil, she would have mourned his death.
"Well," Jake said in the silence that followed. "What do we do now?"
'We will take them back with us.' Serena said firmly. 'There is a lot here that we must learn about.'
"We cannot let her learn about the location of our home." Rachel reminded them.
'I know. I will put her in an enchanted sleep. So that she cannot know the route. As for that book, though.'
Serena advanced determinedly on the bag. As if the spirit housed within knew what was about to happen, the bag had begun glowing red and was inching across the ground. Serena stabbed down with her horn.
A pained howl filled the clearing, rising steadily to a note that had the others clutching their ears or wincing in pain. Then the howl dwindled as if being pulled into a vast, uncountable distance, fading, fading, until it at last was gone.
"What was that?" Rachel asked.
'Something evil being banished', Serena said vaguely.
She turned towards Shyla. 'Jake, will you tell her that I am going to put her to sleep now?'
"Right." Jake said. He turned towards Shyla to relay the message.
Serena walked up to where Tom was cradling Stacey in his lap. Tears dripped down his face as he held her hand silently. The scene nearly broke Serena's heart as she placed her horn tenderly along her friend's side.
'I am sorry.' She whispered.
"For what?" Tom asked said equally softly.
'The trap was meant for me, but she fell into it instead.' Serena explained. 'It shouldn't have happened that way.'
"It's not your fault." Tom said at last. "Stacey wouldn't want you to think that it was either."
'Well, regardless, she'll be fine.' Serena told him. 'I've given some of my power to her, but she'll need weeks to recover her strength.'
"I'll keep a close watch on her." Tom promised.
'I know you will and so will I.' Serena said.
She turned away to find Shyla watching them closely. She'd lost all of her earlier arrogance and seemed to be trying to pretend she'd recovered her cool. But Serena could feel her emotions now, laid bare before her; raw and shaky and full of doubt.
Serena advanced slowly on her, her horn tip aimed directly at Shyla's forehead. To her credit, she didn't flinch until it touched her. A frission of fear shuddered through Shyla's body.
'It's all right.' Serena soothed automatically. 'You'll be fine.'
"All right." Shyla said aloud. She closed her eyes as the spell took effect.
'There we--wait, what?!' Serena cried in astonishment, but it was too late, Shyla slipped down to the ground when the magic holding her suspended disappeared, and she slept deeply.
'No! You have to tell me how you could understand me!' Serena urged her, bending down to place her horn on Shyla again.
"Wait sister." Jake stopped her. "We can discuss that back at the Fortress as well. For now, however, we need to get them back. I will take the great cat here. Brian, will you take the witch, Shyla back?"
"Certainly." Brian agreed. He walked over and Rachel helped him place the sleeping body on his back and tie her on.
"Best grab the bag too." She commented, picking it up. She also picked up the sleeping fox and held him in her arms while the fairies settled on Serena's back. Stacey remained asleep in Tom's arms as he held them both. Serena used her magic to hold on to them as well.
As for Abiorn, he was lifted by her magic and placed carefully over Jake's back as he watched him closely for any signs of awakening.
Once they were situated, they started off through the forest. Serena wasn't sure what they would do now, but she did know that they would have to get some answers, for all their sakes.
#
The great hall blazed with light and warmth. All the torches were lit and the fireplace they had discovered tucked into an alcove echoed with the crackle of burning logs.
Asbiorn lay in front of the fire, warming himself as he watched Shyla being interrogated by Serena's friends. She lay next to him, looking very small and fragile compared to his bulk while both of them were dwarfed by the almost shadowy form of her brother that circled around everyone by the fire.
"How did you come by that book?" Rachel demanded. She'd taken the lead in the questioning, with Brian right behind her. Jake had occasionally chimed in. So far, they'd learned Shyla had come from the poorer sections of Detroit, had lost most of her family to disease, gang violence, or even the federal government. Now, she sensed, they would be coming to the main thrust of their questioning. She was glad that Tom and Stacey were resting in one of the rooms in the fort, and the helpful old fox had been taken to her Glade for recovery. The questioning here would last a long time, she thought; too long for their strength. She returned her mind to the present to listen.
"I got it at the Black Enchantment." She told them. "A witch called Melinda sold it to me."
"The Black Enchantment?" Brian asked curiously. He was pretending to be far more relaxed and easy-going than Rachel. "Is that a store or something?"
Shyla nodded. "Yes. I wandered into it one day a couple of months ago when I was looking for a place to replace my purse. The strap had finally fallen off and I'd finally scraped enough together to get another one.
When I got inside though, I could tell this place was different. There were bones on the shelves, black cauldrons, stuffed animals...I thought it was a Halloween shop at first. Then the owner came out from the back before I could leave and we fell into talking. She asked why I had come to her shop and I told her and she seemed a little taken aback. She kept asking me what I wanted out of life, if I liked where I was. I told her no, of course not. My job sucked, my boss was constantly trying to cop a feel of my breasts or my ass...I really wished to be able to put him in his place and escape.
Well, she got pretty excited about that. She told me she might be able to help me out, and pulled out the grimoire you saw before. She told me a fellow witch had died and been bound with the book, along with a familiar. I would be able to achieve my wildest dreams of power and wealth, and being able to punish those that did me wrong.
I thought she was putting me on at first, but then I thought that she must really believe that crap and was trying, in her own fashion, to help me. So, not to hurt her feelings, I asked how much the grimoire was going to cost me. She told me it would be just twenty dollars for the book, and a large satchel with my initial "witching" supplies. I thought, 'what the hell? It's a good price' and paid on the spot. Besides, the bag looked sturdy, so I figured at the very least I got a new purse and some extras for the price.
That night, after I summoned Asbiorn for the first time, I realized that everything she had told me was true. That witchcraft was real and I really did have power."
"And did you, how did you put it, 'punish' those that had wronged you?" Rachel asked fiercely.
Shyla eyed her warily, but shook her head negatively.
Asbiorn turned into a huge man.
"I can speak to that." He rumbled slowly, catching everyone but Serena by surprise. "Shyla has not cast any evil spells since becoming a witch. The ingredients that were in the satchel were potent, but limited. Many more were required to complete any complicated ritual, which she was too squeamish to collect."
Shyla gave a sickly grin. "Pig entrails and dog hearts are a bit much for me." She admitted. Everyone shuddered.
"The spells that required such ingredients are very powerful dark magics, with horrible consequences to the victims. Had she cast the spell, her boss would have suffered irreversible injuries or misfortune. Things that would have ruined everything he had and ever loved."
"So, what happened to him?" Rachel asked again.
Shyla grinned widely. "I had Asbiorn pay him a visit." She laughed. "Now he thinks that giant cats roam his backyard. The cops think he's completely nuts and his neighbors are trying to disassociate with him."
Asbiorn sighed. "It is well for you that you were able to remove my prints from there, or that would not have had quite the same effect."
"You worry too much Asbiorn" Shyla chided. "It was fun! And it had the desired effect. With the media coverage of the "madman" looking at him so closely, he got caught feeling up one of the register girls when she was trying to put something back on the shelves and was arrested."
Serena felt little pity for the man; her heart told her that Shyla had been speaking the absolute truth. Her interest lay more in the mention of the witch at the Black Enchantment. From the description of the place and of its owner, she doubted that it was the same shop as Roland's. While his had been filled with the expected spell supplies and bones, it had had a wholesome air to it. The shop described by Shyla sounded much more malevolent and dark, and the person much different than Roland had been. He'd taken time to explain to them, and warn them; from the sounds of it Melinda very different, peddling her dark magic like a street vendor with hotdogs. She said as much to the others.
"You could be right." Rachel said after a moment considering her words, "Not that I wouldn't put it past Roland to change himself into a woman to make a sale, but the description of the interior of the shop doesn't add up, and the style of the selling was much different. Plus, the spells used were very dark. While I could say that Roland sold magic, I can't say that I found a single dark spell or component in his shop."
"Are we dealing with two shops then?" Jake asked. "For it seems to me that this is the riddle we must answer. For my part I would say yes. I think there are two shops at least and possibly more, though I doubt it. Magic would want balance, or something approximating balance, between light and dark. So, one shop sells good magic while the other (which our new friends here stumbled upon by accident, same as us,) sells black magic."
Everyone went quiet for a while, thinking about what he'd proposed. At last Brian spoke.
"I think you may be right there. It seems logical to me, at least."
"So, what do we do about it?" Rachel asked.
"Nothing, for the moment. We cannot even locate Roland's shop, so why should we expect to be able to locate this one? I doubt Shyla would be able to either." Brian said. "But now that brings our attention to Shyla and Asbiorn, and their fates."
Shyla visibly tensed. Asbiorn remained relaxed, cross-legged on the floor next to Serena. Absently her reached over and petted her mane. While not expected, the touch was relaxing and enjoyable and she let him continue.
"We have, I think, established that the worst moments of our encounter were orchestrated by this Shadouix spirit inhabiting Shyla's body."
Serena stirred. 'I can confirm that.' She agreed.
"Very well. But that means that, should the spirit return, then Shyla will be vulnerable to her possession again, and Asbiorn, apparently, must follow her orders. However, the initial kidnapping of our friend Stacey was planned and carried out by Shyla, though her target was you, Serena. We cannot forget that."
Everyone looked at Shyla angrily, herself included. She could not forget her friend's torment at Shyla's hands, even before she'd been possessed.
In reaction to her stiffening, Asbiorn increased the pressure of his rubbing slightly, relaxing her incrementally.
Brian didn't notice, looking hard at the young witch. "It is my recommendation, therefore, that you two remain here as our prisoners, until we are sure of your honor and heart."
"WHAT!" Shyla protested, jumping straight up. "Now listen here you overgrown feed--"
Jake growled, long and low. The sound silenced everyone as the floor vibrated and the fire twisted abruptly. When he stopped the hall could have passed for a tomb.
"You have injured us, even before you were possessed." Jake told her. When he spoke, his words were strong and slow, driving the points home. "You attempted to bargain for our power in exchange for a friend's life, which is no bargain at all, and also attempted to capture and tame my sister here (to which Shyla started). All of these crimes together, I think, give us the right to pass judgments upon you. We do not talk about taking your power or life from you--"
"To which I would have to disagree with you." Asbiorn interrupted casually.
Jake nodded respectfully at him. "But we do insist that, as much as for the world's safety as our own, you remain here. Brian called you a prisoner, which you are, but you can think of it as enforced guest. The rooms here are quite comfortable, and we've recently found another hallway hidden behind a secret door with human rooms."
Shyla looked at him in surprise. "What? I thought you had made this place..."
Everyone laughed while Jake chuckled. "No. My transformation was somewhat different than most, and my sister and I were bequeathed certain magic charms. Mine created this place and my bed, which I assure you I couldn't have afforded the tiniest scrap of when I was human. This place is constantly growing as we discover more and more rooms and passages. Apparently, it once was a very large outpost or small city for the dwarves. I doubt this place was created by magic, but apparently it is infused with such power as to reveal more of itself when our need or desire calls on it."
"How big is this place then?" Shyla asked, looking around the great hall in wonder.
"Some thousands could comfortably live here," Jake told her. "provided they could get enough food from the outside. So far, there have been no gardens or such found inside the mountain, or wherever this city lies."
"Why did the dwarves abandon it then?" Shyla asked.
This time Brian spoke up. "We have uncovered a room that seems to log the history of this city. We are still in the middle of translating the story, but apparently it was the main border stronghold for several small dwarf cities and villages. They retreated to the stronghold often from attacks by ravaging goblins and some sort of rock creature that could pass as a human troll, but the centaurs remember being different. As time wore on, the race of the dwarves began to shrink, and the outpost was turned over to a great and noble dragon as his domicile until the dwarves returned for it. In payment, they made him a comfortable bed of gold and he successfully kept evil creatures at bay. The story ended soon after as the last dwarves left the city. What happened to them afterwards, we don't know."
Shyla stood and looked around. "Well, I'm not feeling very sleepy right now, and this place is really interesting. I'd like to explore it."
Asbiorn looked resigned and started to get up, but sat back down when Serena pushed her horn against him.
'She'll be fine.' She told him. 'Brian and Rachel will be with her. So long as she doesn't do something foolish, no harm will come to her.'
"That's what I'm afraid of." Asbiorn admitted quietly, but he sat back down and resumed stroking Serena's back.
The trio went off down one of the five passages they had found leading from the main hall, three of which were hidden behind doors of such cunning craftsmanship that when they were closed they were impossible to distinguish from the walls. Only from the other side could they be seen as actual doors, and chance wanderings had shown them this.
After the noise from their footsteps had vanished, Serena turned her head to look at Asbiorn.
'Now that they are gone, perhaps you could tell my brother and me your story?'
Asbiorn looked between them. "My story is not what you would call pleasant." He told them grimly. "I do not wish to burden you with my past. 'Look to the present, for the past is behind and the future is a worry for another day'."
"That is wise advice." Jake rumbled. "However, we need to be able to judge you. I know your strength and courage, and I believe you to be noble, but this liability with being commanded through Shyla is...concerning to us. If she is possessed, it turns you into an enemy that we do not want; for I believe we will become friends." He looked pointedly at his hand that was scratching Serena's back. She simply looked at him, letting him sense her disapproval at his snoopiness into her own affairs.
His mouth opened in a reptilian grin, but he said nothing.
Asbiron nodded slowly. "I can see your concerns." He spoke directly to him now. "And you are right. Today in the forest I did not want to fight you, but was required to do so by Mistress Shadouix. It was her that enslaved me to be her familiar after I foolishly attacked her in her own domain, giving her full command of me. However, her spells were broken when the unicorn banished her."
Serena smacked him with her horn, making him grunt. 'I have a name.'
"Sorry. But Serena doesn't seem somehow fitting for an ageless unicorn. None I have ever heard of had ever had names that were not merely labels given to them by someone else."
'Well that just means I'm a little different.' Serena sniffed primly.
Jake nodded. "She is right. She is different."
"I will be sure to make note." Asbiorn said dryly.
"In the meantime, what do we do now?"
"Well, the others are still exploring the Fortress. After they are done with that, we will find rooms for you to sleep in. Just remember that I guard the only entrance in or out, and it can only be opened by one of us." Jake warned.
"I will do my best." Asbiorn nodded gravely.
"See that you do."