Wolfen Mage ch. 15

Chapter 15: Purple Falcon

Zysan didn't tell the others of his dream. It unnerved him more than the other dreams had. A human's soul was inside the amulet he wore! He couldn't look at it anymore, and somehow he couldn't bring himself to remove it either. He would seize the cold metal in his hands and it would burn and itch as though it would burst into flames. He somehow thought it was not a good idea to take it off; it might trigger some nasty magic. So he kept it on and kept his mouth shut.
The air grew chill as the party ascended, and wisps of fog would drift by now. The trail became steeper, and they were lucky it didn't rain too hard. The occasional drizzle floated in and out, but otherwise the clouds above were stoic and unbothersome. The hawks were closer above, but the lizards were absent. All except Anathalla felt the slight twinge of hunger pains, as no plants were to be found and no flightless animals lived this far up the mountain. Zaeyuun took the starvation worst of all, griping constantly in his silly little voice and rubbing his ribs with an anguished face. Indeed, some of his claims about literal shrinking seemed true; he was mayhaps a centimetre or two shorter than the morn before. Zysan grinned to himself at Heihker's weakness; the haughty Ethling was finally learning that being able to turn into animals didn't make a person impervious. But still, he wished they had food, because hunger wasn't any more fun for himself.
"How did hundreds of people manage to climb this and start cities? Where do they get food?" Zysan grumbled.
"Most people use steeds to get up there," Phinelli said.
"I thought horses couldn't climb mountains."
"Not horses...Bleeks. Giant black rams. Or they have the shapeshifters turn into rocs and carry them down and back." She glanced at Zaeyuun. The Ethereal man sniffed disdaisfully and jutted his chin out.
"We are not beashts of burzen," he said.
"There are many shapeshifters in the Tree of Harmony?" Zysan asked.
"Of courshe. Ever shince zose awvul Zevehkrino moved into shentral Wherrem, we had no choishe but to come here."
Zysan groaned inwardly. He wasn't happy about encountering multitudes of these people. He only hoped that not all of them were as arrogant as this one.
"It's not just Ethereals who live there," Phinelli said.
"There are other types?"
"Yes. The Terrous also live there...They're earth-based, so they like the mountain and the Tree. They're descended from gnomes, you know?" she said. "And maybe some of the shadow-elemental Umbrians. But not many of the other types. The Hydrous can't stand being too much above sea level, and the Phloxians are banished from the Tree."
"Why is that?"
"The Tree is very flammable. Fire and fire elementals aren't allowed; it's too risky."
"What about Sanguians?"
Zaeyuun sent a sharp look at the wolfen. Phinelli seemed troubled. She looked at the ground, lacing her fingers together nervously. "Y...yes. Sanguians...they live there..."
"Ish it true zat ze Emperor of Wherrem ish Shanguian?" Zaeyuun asked with a bit of a quaver to his voice.
Phinelli took her turn to glare, an odd thing. "Why do you care? It's none of your business. Why do you two ask so many questions?" she snapped.
"Not my businesh! I LIVE in Wherrem! Ze Emporer's shpecies ish very important to me!" Zaeyuun shouted.
"Why? It's not you even knew there was an emporer before I told you, you moron!"
"I zid too know! I bet you're jusht making it all up to shound shmart!"
"Oh, I'M trying to sound smart?! You and your stupid accent, you sound...you sound...stupid!"
Both of them had the look of feral dogs about to go at each others' throats now. They had stopped walking and were nearly nose-to-nose, although Phinelli had to lean over quite a bit to get nose level with the short man. Her eyes were red again, like big drops of blood against her lace-white face. Zaeyuun's own irises were nearly swallowed by his four pupils, all of which had expanded over the blue. Their hands' balled into white-knuckled fists. A vein in Phinelli's forehead bulged. Zaeyuun's feet had changed themselves into claws and were digging into the gravel. They both opened their mouths to spew forth from obscenity at once, when Zysan shocked them both. Literally. Having drawn his staff during their fight, he had silently murmured an electricity spell, and gave them a harsh static shock once their fight escalated to rabidity.
The electrocution knocked their senses back into their heads. Phinelli's eyes dropped down to deep blue, and Zaeyuun's pupils shrank to normalcy, revealing his own blue orbs. He seemed a bit more shaken up by the lightning than she did, which was unusual, because Zysan swore that he had shocked them both with the same amount...and it wasn't much.
"Oh, Zaeyuun, I..." Phinelli rubbed her hands in despair. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean any of that. I don't know why I got so mad at you. It's just...I feel like we're going crazy lately...Please forgive -- what's wrong? Zaeyuun?"
The man seemed rooted to the spot, his hands trembling like wind-blown leaves at his sides. His pupils were doing insane things, expanding and shrinking unsynchronized, and he stared up at the sky blankly. Sparks continued to rove his skin, and he shook worse where the electricity went.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, catching the shifter just as he collapsed. "Zysan, you shouldn't have done that!" Her tone was annoyingly maternal in its rebuke.
"What's happening?" he asked, frustrated with the both of them. Anathalla watched the whole ordeal from an idle and passive stance, seemingly bored with the goings-on of mortals.
"Zysan, didn't you know that you can't electrocute an Ethereal?" Phinelli said with irritance. She sat down, keeping a hold of Zaeyuun as he went into a seizure. His limbs jerked and convulsed, and weak sounds escaped his throat as even his voice box went out of control. Zysan in fact had not known that, and he felt angrier for her tone. He watched with a glare as Heihker shook and spasmed. Finally, the seizure stopped, and the man lay breathing shallowly in Phinelli's arms. He sat up weakly and coughed, looking wearier than ever.
"Zat'sh t-twice you've saved me," he said weakly, rubbing his neck. "H-how do you know sho much about shapeshivters?"
"I...I lived in the Tree, too, you know, so I...I've been around them."
"Both the Delhinians and the six elemental shapeshifters were created by Goddess Avkwi." Anathalla had spoken for the first time since last night. The other three all looked at her, surprised.
"Sho we're related?" Zaeyuun asked.
"Not that I know of."
"Zen why'd you mention it?" he grumbled as he stood.

Night met them just below the clouds now. Their destination was near; they could feel it in their bones. But what would happen once they got there? Anathalla would die, Zysan might rescue Nina but succumb to the curse nonetheless, and surely Phinelli must have a problem with the place, the way she was acting. Again, Zaeyuun was the only one who would benefit. Zysan was tempted to turn back and run into the jungle to find and kill Rodita. But he knew he wouldn't be able to defeat a monster like her, at least not alone.
They all felt something else, too; an unnatural fear and dread. The night seemed deeper somehow, or perhaps it was because the moon had waned to crescent and the stars were blotted out by the clouds. But even Anathalla said she was unnerved, and that was definitely strange. They decided to set a rotating watch again, with her first, then Zaeyuun, Phinelli, and finally Zysan. He was glad to go last for once; he was terribly groggy now from trying not to sleep recent nights.
The nightmare was just as horrific as usual. Again he found himself shackled in a den of darkness with mobs of monsters biting at his ankles. The bald being -- at first Zysan assumed the human was male, but now he was not so sure -- was trembling with rage and woe, and once again muttering to itself. It seemed so like a rabid creature, chattering and frothing, neon eyes feral. Zysan could not understand what its fevered words were saying but he felt the tremendous anger it emitted, and the shadowy creatures matched its voice with howls and roars. Just as he was about to ask what they wanted with him, he was woken.
Phinelli stood over him with yellow eyes and made a 'shh' gesture with her finger. He sat up and yawned. "What is it?" he whispered.
"I think I saw something," she responded just as quietly, "Up there." She pointed towards a boulder cluster up the path, barely distinguishable in the darkness. He frowned.
"What do you want me to do about it?" he said.
"I want you to find out what it is..."
He sighed loudly as he stood and stretched before summoning his staff and quietly padding up the path. He could smell and hear something there but couldn't identify it. Phinelli watched from a cautious distance as he crept closer and closer. As far as he could tell, no animals lived on this mountain, so he could only guess it was a person hiding there, perhaps spying on them...
A snorting furry beast appeared and ran straight for him. He rolled to the side and sprung back to his feet, turning to see what it was. It did not pursue but only sat where he had just been, panting and grinning. It was a dog! Just a shaggy red dog, almost resembling a hell hound but not with the same intelligence. It was just mundane. He breathed a sigh of relief and waved back to Phinelli, who let out a breath as well. Although, he was a little miffed that she had disturbed him over a stray mutt.
"I see you've met my dog. Do you like him?"
Zysan jumped at the sudden voice and looked again to the dog, which now as not alone, for a small tow-headed boy was there, hugging it around the neck. How quickly the child had gotten there! Zysan thought with suspicion. It was too quick, too uncanny.
"Who are you? What are you doing on a mountain alone? Where are your parents?" Zysan demanded.
The child pretended to take offense, but his blue eyes shone with amusement. "What are you doing here?" he shot back.
"I asked you first, but I'm going to rescue an angel," Zysan said. "Now either explain yourself, or leave!"
The boy smirked smugly. "I'm Samuel Avery," he said with pride. Zysan hissed a gasp and took a step back. He saw the family resemblance now, and realized with horror that the dog was probably only a curse victim.
"You're right. It is. And I see you're cursed as well," said Samuel. Damn their mind-reading!
"Yes, you see correctly, I'm so glad your eyes are in order. You probably know that the one who cursed me is your witch of a mother."
The corner of the boy's mouth twitched slightly, his lids lowered for half a second slightly, and he slightly raised his chin. Everything he did was slight, subtle, and controlled. He was well on his way to being exactly like Rodita. No wonder his elder brother hated him so.
"I'm sure she had reason," Samuel said softly. He was infuriatingly calm.
Zysan's anger exploded. "Reason?! I was wounded and dying on the jungle floor when she came along, hyponotized me, kidnapped me, and put some dark sorcery on me! I hardly call fainting on the ground reason for--"
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe you trespassing?" the boy interjected. "You were probably intruding on--" And his words died in his throat as he was sent to the ground by a firm backhand across the face. Zysan had had enough of the evil Averys and worst of all their attitude. As soon as Samuel stood again the wolfen took hold of his wrists, to prevent the child from vanishing into the night as he seemed to want to do.
The child's eyes flared. "Let go of me!" he demanded. A wave of forceful mental energy assaulted Zysan, his hands loosening for a moment before he regained control of himself. Even young these Devehkrino had strong powers!
The dog, docile up til now, suddenly stood with hackles raised and lips peeled back to reveal deadly canine teeth. Zysan froze in the dilemma. To defend against the dog, he had to let go of the boy; however, then the evil child would escape. Fortunately Zysan didn't have to make the decision because Phinelli charged with angry crimson eyes and her sorcerous cane raised.
"Liurinza buurii kyumie-ilanu!" The words came in a flurry and the cane went bright with green flares of magic. The energy lashed and licked out as she swung the cane downwards and seeped into the ground. All around the Devehkrino, grasping vines sprouted insanely, twining and twisting around him. Zysan leapt back out of their way, for they saw no difference between anything in their way. Samuel deftly weaved away from the plants as they attempted to snake around his ankles, but his dog was not so lucky and became instantly trapped. The vines, however, were not deterred by a fleeing target -- they simply kept sprouting in the boy's path. He saw this and turned running along the mountain trail. Vines shot up in his wake, then fell unanimated once he was gone from their reach. Zysan ran after him, careful to avoid the vines. Phinelli bounded along with great leaps along bouldertops, repeating her magic to keep the spell working.
The boy was too slow and the vines grew ahead of him, forming a sudden living wall between two crags. He skidded to a halt and turned to retreat back the way he'd come, but Zysan had already caught up, bladed staff ready. He thought the child trapped and reached to grab his wrists again -- but Samuel had other plans. The boy yanked out a dagger from some inner pocket of his shirt and sliced upwards. The edge of the blade caught Zysan's jaw and he reeled from the force of the blow. In that flinching instant, Samuel pulled another weapon, a small vial of a glowing green liquid, which he threw hard at the vine wall. The vial exploded in a shower of sparks and bright green flames ate away the vines like acid. Smoke filled the space in moments and Samuel seemed to disappear into the haze. Zysan wondered why he didn't teleport, and figured that this magical fire wouldn't support their teleportation. Good to know. He ran after the boy, being careful not to inhale as he charged through the growing cloud of smoke.
He emerged from the smoke and looked around, eyes watering, nose burning. Where was Avery? Zysan's thoughts were momentarily distracted as he noticed a flock of tiny, char-coloured birds swarming in; smoke-a-dees, he realized, which fed on smoke for nourishment. He ignored them and cast a wary eye about, looking for the boy. Phinelli had beat him to the capture when he looked ahead on the trail, though: her vines had finally prevailed in subduing Samuel. He struggled vainly in the wrist- and -ankle holds of the flowering plants. He threw mental commands to be released, but Zysan resisted easily again and Phinelli wasn't phased at all. The dog in the distant whined in response, however, wanting only to aide its master -- but also being held captive. Finally the boy settled, although begrudgingly. He seethed as Phinelli and Zysan drew near with their respective mage staves drawn.
"What do you plan to do to me?" Samuel said in a voice of deadly calm. "Kill me?"
"We don't kill children!" Zysan barked. No matter how tempting it is, he mentally mused. The boy hid a smirk as he heard the thought and Zysan almost slapped him again for invading the wolfen's mind.
"I want you to reverse the curse on me," Zysan growled through clenched teeth.
"No," said Samuel smugly.
"He can't, Zysan," Phinelli said grimly. The wolfen looked at her in question. She continued, "Only the Devehkrino that casts a curse can undo it."
Samuel nodded. "Yes, dog, listen to your Underworld scum of a girlfriend!" Both Zysan and Phinelli flared at the insults. Her eyes were so red they seemed likely to burst into flames.
"Why you little--!" Zysan stepped forward, and would likely have done something violent had all their attentions been snatched that moment by the keening call of a huge bird of prey. In the pre-dawn pale of the sky they could make out the silhouette of some gigantic form of osprey. It was larger than any eagle but too small to be a roc -- and Zysan immediately guessed its identity.
"Purple falcon," he grumbled.
"'Why you little purple falcon'? You're not making any sense, canine," Samuel sneered. Zysan's ears flattened back.
"We're going to hold you hostage," the wolfen said as if the conversation had not been interrupted, "And your mother will be forced to cure me to get you back."
"I really doubt you could manage that. As soon as your back is turned, I'll be gone."
"You don't seem to be going anywhere now," Zysan retorted. The boy frowned slightly.
"Zysan, watch out!" Phinelli shrieked suddenly. Zysan jumped to the side without looking, barely dodging a sudden fly-by attack of the purple falcon. Dust kicked up in the wake of its wings and the group coughed as it passed. The bird had wheeled about and was coming back for another go before Zysan even had time to register what had happened. He turned and began to ready a spell, but the great beast was upon him too soon. His staff clattered to the stone as the falcon's talons seized him with the force of a battering ram. The air whooshed from his lungs at once and then his stomach flew into his feet as he was lifted straight up. The bird spiraled higher and higher and he had a horrid flashback to when Zaeyuun, in the form of a similarly large bird, had dropped the wolfen from such heights.
Phinelli deliberated for a half second, wondering whether she should guard the Devehkrino child and leave Zysan to his own devices, or whether she should leap to the rescue as always. She saw the firm hold her vines held on Samuel and instantly went with the latter decision. Her knees bent and then snapped like a loosed bowstring, vaulting her high into the air just as the purple falcon dropped Zysan. The bird had hoped the wolfen would drop straight to the ground and be dead and ready to eat on impact. It didn't expect at all that the woman would come flying up like a flea to catch him. It tried to slash down with its talons but missed as it went by, unable to hover in place like some smaller birds. It panicked and turned, shrieking angrily as the two humanoids fell away.
Phinelli landed safely on the ground with Zysan in tow. He stepped back onto solid ground and reclaimed his staff. He had come to realize that heights were an awful place to be if you couldn't fly, and that they severely frightened him by now. He had no idea how he would handle being in a large tree on top of the mountain, and put the prospect out of his mind -- he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. For now they still had the vicious avian bearing down on them.
"Where is that Heihker when you need him!" he spat. He kept his yellow eyes on the bird as it descended towards them again.
"Let's get him," Phinelli said, already walking back towards the campsite. Hopefully the others would be awakening by now; the sun had begun to rise and the eastern sky behind the mountain paled with its coming.
"Wait!" Samuel shouted as they started to dash away. "You can't leave me here like this! That bird will kill me!"
"Oh, that would be such a pity," Zysan said, dripping with sarcasm.
"No, Zysan," Phinelli said in an annoyingly motherly way, "You can't leave a child to be killed."
"I hardly think of that monster as a child," he muttered. "Besides, I'd have no bargaining chip with Mrs. Avery." Phinelli shot the wolfen a glare so cold he thought she would toss him back to the falcon. Instead she shouldered past him and stood defensively near Samuel.
"You get Zaeyuun and Anathalla. I'll guard," she said.
The wolfen shrugged and ran back down the trail. He reached the camp, shouting for the others to wake up. Anathalla woke easily, but Zaeyuun needed extra motivation (a thwack on the head) to finally rouse.
"What ish it?" the shapeshifter grumbled.
"We found Rodita's son and a purple falcon is attacking," Zysan said in one breath.
Zaeyuun took a moment to process these two distinct statements. "Ze valcon ish attacking ze Zevehkrino?"
"Yes! Now hurry, we--"
"Zen let him zie! Ze lesh of zose creatures in Wherrem, ze better!" The tiny man had stood by now, slit pupils dilated.
"I don't disagree!" Zysan said. "But we can hold him for ransom to force his mother to cure me!"
The shapeshifter mulled on the realization of the logic, than finally, and very reluctantly, followed Zysan back to where Phinelli was holding the Devehkrino. She was waving her cane fantastically, shooting insect swarms, bolts of water, and lashing vines to hold the falcon at bay. It dove again and again relentlessly, as ferocious as a dragon, but couldn't get close enough to rake with its talons. But Phinelli was tiring from the heavy magical exertion; sweat matted her curly hair and beaded on her brow and her breathing came in huffs and pants.
Samuel's eyes narrowed at the sight of the ethereal shapeshifter, and the others could feel the hate rolling off of him. Zaeyuun scowled just as deeply at the Devehkrino. The air was thick with silently exchanged insults and invisibly thrown daggers, and Zysan wondered nervously if the shapeshifter was going to kill Samuel on the spot. But alas, Zaeyuun did as they had asked and focused his rage against the bird instead. Again he became a dragon, and the transformation was quick but repulsive, now that Zysan was conscious enough to see it fully. All in the passage of but a few moments, Zaeyuun's arms split into two pairs, the first becoming forelegs and the second webbing itself and becoming opulent wings; his hair became anteloupe-like horns of sparkling ivory; his spine arched and grew and stretched like the birthing of a snake and became an S-curved neck and a whipping tail; clothes melded to skin and hardened into a fine coat of scales, and a million other instant details and changes too fast to catch. In those short seconds Zaeyuun had become one of the most intimidating inhuman creatures on Peaulana, and the purple falcon, seeing this new dragon's sudden presence, balked and hesitated. Zaeyuun took no pause and sprang straight into the air. The falcon shrieked with worry and wheeled as quickly as it could to get away.
"Don't let it escape, Heihker!" Zysan shouted. "We need it for food!"
The now-dragon didn't like the idea of eating an animal, but gave chase nonetheless. The bird was amazingly speedy, and angled ever down the mountain's side by keeping its wings half-furled and diving along with little resistant through the currents of the air. But Zaeyuun's form was superior. He swooped in beneath the beast, biting at its stomach, and it banked up to avoid a belly wound. Zaeyuun continued to harrass it, driving it farther up and up the mountain again, until the thing became too vertical and, unable to either hover or back up, it stalled. For a moment its nose was perfectly skyward as though it thought to rocket away, and then it lurched, tilted, and fell perfectly groundward. It gave a harrowed, warbling shriek as it tumbled erratically, wings flapping in a desperate and vain attempt to save itself from the same grisly fate it had intended for Zysan not long ago.Phinelli turned her head away as the bird smashed into the ground, an explosion of dust jumping around it.
Zaeyuun followed after, landing safely next to it. He nudged it carefully with a claw, and when it didn't respond, he grabbed its leg and pulled it to the group, which Anathalla had by now joined. He then resumed human form and mentally patted himself on the back for a job well done, even though he generally abhorred killing animals. Zysan would have complimented the shapeshifter, but one look at that smug look and the wolfen felt otherwise inclined.
"We'll eat well tonight," Zaeyuun said. He hated meat, but he had also never suffered starvation, so he figured he could make an exception this one time.
"You could have just chased it away and left it at that," Phinelli said with a hint of a whimper.
Zysan threw his hands up. "You two!" he huffed. "You two drive me insane with your animal sympathies!"
"You're an animal," Heihker retorted.
"And you turn into them," the wolfen shot back. A red anger had suddenly started gripping at his mind, and while he didn't understand he felt like falling to its sway. The anger almost felt right, felt comfortable, like a well-worn shoe. His rational mind knew this was a lie but couldn't muster an argument. Zysan seethed and was tempted to bite the ethereal's face from the bone, and Zaeyuun seemed to hold mutual feelings towards the wolfen. Why was it so easy to get into these silly fights? the wolfen's rational mind wondered.
An ear-rending screech broke all their thoughts and jolted them to panic when they realized the purple falcon had duped them all with a feigned death. Before anyone could react, it righted itself and pounced claws-first at the easiest target -- Samuel. The boy gasped and pulled at the vines holding him. Phinelli dispelled them and they fell away, but too late, for the bird was already on the child with slashing talons. He fell back from the attack, great gashes rent up and down his body, as he kicked and struggled to escape the falcon.
The bird's shriek became a gargle as a dagger-tipped staff speared through its neck. Its death was instantaneous and it fell bodily onto the now-dying Devehkrino. The four moved to shove the bird away, this time certain it was completely dead. Phinelli dropped to her knees and scooped up Samuel, her eyes yellow with sincere worry.
"Phinelli, heal him!" Zysan pleaded. "I don't like him anymore than the rest of us do, but--"
"I can't!" She trembled and seemed to suffer horribly at her own ineptitude, ashamed and wracked. "I can't! My magic's spent, all of it, gone! I used my last energy fighting away the falcon and it didn't even matter, it still kept coming and now this!"
"Zere's a healer in Ze Tree," Zaeyuun said. "We're near to it, we might make it in time..." Suggesting that they heal a Devehkrino put a bitter expression on his face.
They wasted no time and ran with allspeed up the mountain path. Zysan's thoughts strayed suddenly to something Niles Avery had said -- that Devehkrino were like rats, willing to kill their own young. Would such a kidnapping and ransom work at all, or would Rodita leave her son to the mercy of her enemies, just to watch Zysan suffer?
But the thought shattered and fell away when he saw the Tree.