Fractured Reality
Jack balanced on the balls of his feet while laying his cards down again. Funny how his first thought after Theo ran away – he was really getting into a bad habit, wasn’t he? – and Vee ran after him wasn’t to get dressed, but to read the cards again.
Maybe he was getting a bit compulsive about this card-reading thing. But it was impossible for him to find a path going forward now that they were behind the veil, and well, something had to give.
But what? Should they confront the horned creature that had kidnapped him again? Jack was far from excited about the idea; he’d had enough of kidnapping, and it wasn’t such a fun activity anyway.
The presence of the noose in the cards obsessed him. Jack ran his fingers over the symbols. Nothing but painted paper; that horned creature had insulted his cards by saying that, and by proxy, Jack’s abilities as a clairvoyant.
“Not everyone is born a seer,” he said in a mocking voice. Making fun of invisible creatures that could kidnap him at the drop of a hat was his way of chasing fear away.
Because he was scared. Oh, he was scared all right. Who wouldn’t be in his place? Vee, for instance; he was a guardian, and he was strong. And Theo, obviously, because he was an alpha wolfshifter. But Jack was none of those things. He was a puny clairvoyant whose only notable ability was to stare at painted paper and pretend to understand what it showed.
No, no, that type of self-deprecating talk wasn’t supposed to happen here. He’d keep it for later just in case he needed some, though he seriously doubted he ever would.
“If I just scratch the paper, will the noose go away?” he wondered out loud.
It was a silly thought, but lack of ideas meant any idea was better than nothing. Jack grabbed the card representing the wolf with the noose around his neck and began scratching it with his fingernail. Apparently, he had grown tiny claws since climbing through the mountains, and now they were coming in handy. Who had time for nail-clipping while hiking in search of a terrible curse?
Jack stopped for a moment. He did have tiny claws. And his hands weren’t exactly the way he remembered them. They were kind of hairy, and hairy was the exact opposite of what Jack was, aka hairless.
Was mountain goat meat known for hallucinogenic properties? Jack was a nice young man – he liked to believe that, at least – which meant that he’d never done drugs. However, media and movies usually portrayed funny trips while under the influence which usually involved the weird perception of hands.
He shook his head, and his hands looked normal again. His fingernails had just grown a little, and he was imagining things.
Whatever. He needed to get to work and test his theory. “Come on, come off already,” he mumbled as he tried to scratch the surface of the card.
A brief burning sensation shot through his nail and finger, and it felt like a short-circuit jolted through his entire body, throwing him to the ground. Jack groaned as he lay there helpless. Now that had been a nasty trick, and he understood that he couldn’t test fate and change it as he saw fit, but man, that had been brutal.
Hopefully, he didn’t have any broken bones. He didn’t feel like he had any broken bones, but again, what exactly did he know about that? He had no experience whatsoever.
“I’ll get up soon,” he promised himself. “I’m just going to lie here for a bit, catch my breath and all.”
He closed his eyes for a second. It looked like that was all it took for whatever weird magic was at play to act up. When Jack opened his eyes again, he yelped in distress.
Hovering above him, a few feet off the ground, the card he’d tried to scratch presented itself, magnified a hundred times. No, seriously, it was big enough to cover Jack head to toe, and if it was heavy, in case it dropped, it could easily crush him.
“Um, I am new to this clairvoyant thing. Relatively. So, please don’t crush me. I don’t know the magic formula to make you not do that to me.”
The eyes of the wolf in the large painted image flashed red.
“Great,” Jack murmured, while cold sweat poured ice down his back. If the wolf from the card pounced and devoured him, he wouldn’t be surprised in the least.
That didn’t happen, however. The card began sweating. Jack had no other word for it. Ink – colored ink – bled from the card, dripping onto Jack’s naked body.
A nearby hiss stopped Jack before he had time to get properly scared.
“What on earth--”
He barely had time to close his eyes, because one moment later, he was drenched in ink.
Accept the knowledge, seer.
Now that was one voice Jack hadn’t heard before, and seeing how a lot of strange things had happened since the start of their quest, he’d recognize it. It wasn’t harsh like the horned creature’s voice, but it wasn’t kind like the Moon’s, either. It was in-between if he could say that.
He could feel the cold paint on his face and lips so he didn’t dare open his mouth or his eyes. But accept the knowledge – that sounded like solid advice.
What knowledge was that? That the noose was going to tighten until—
Nope, he wouldn’t go there. That was poor Theo he was thinking about right now.
Accept it.
Easy for you to say – was what Jack wanted to be able to mutter so he could have a conversation with the disembodied voice giving him orders right now.
You must fight when it matters, not a moment earlier.
Confusing. Very confusing. But Jack felt like he could trust the weird voice.
I am our Mistress’s humble servant. You can trust me.
Was it really all right to trust a mind reader? Jack liked to think not, but this wasn’t about what he liked.
He had to accept… what? That the noose would tighten around Theo’s throat? To the point that it became life-threatening.
Precisely.
Oh, great, that voice really was reading his mind.
You have allies, seer.
Yeah, that was fine and dandy, of course, but a few more explanations wouldn’t hurt.
You’ll know. When the moment comes, your heart will be true. You can open your eyes now.
Jack didn’t dare to do that for about two more minutes, but a cry of pain coming from afar convinced him otherwise.
He jumped to his feet and looked around. His clothes weren’t there anymore. His backpack had disappeared, along with all their other supplies. Not even his cards were there anymore.
But that wasn’t the most shocking thing. In the distance, he spotted Theo’s white fur disappearing fast. And on the ground, a shape lay.
Vee?
“Vee!” Jack shouted and started running.
***
The awareness of the searing pain in his chest was enough to tell him he was still alive. Vince tried to speak but no words came out. He needed to call Theodore, to tell him that he couldn’t be alone, not when he was like this, and that he needed his guardian’s protection.
Sweat broke out all over his forehead, and his vision turned red. Was he going to lose consciousness? That was the last thing he needed. What sort of guardian folded over so easily? Could there be some truth in Theodore’s words, that the alpha of Whiteflame didn’t need his companions anymore?
“Vee!”
He heard Jack’s voice and tried to speak again. All he managed were a few unintelligible sounds. A warm hand touched his forehead, making him realize that he wasn’t imagining that Jack was there. Had he witnessed the atrocious act? Jack would be horrified to know Theodore was capable of something as foul as that. Vince knew it had to be this place and whatever curse lurked in its shadows, but how could he explain all of that to Jack?
“What happened? What attacked you? Oh damn, there’s so much blood,” Jack whispered. His cute face appeared in Vince’s line of sight, looking as worried as he sounded. “It was Theo, wasn’t it? The curse must already be at work. Oh, I should’ve told you about it, Vee, but I thought you’d worry!”
Vince managed to seize Jack’s hand and stop his fretting. “What curse?” he forced the words out of his mouth.
Jack looked conflicted, but they didn’t have time for that. “Vee,” he whispered, a few tears rolling down his cheeks, “I’m afraid Theo became possessed by an evil spirit and murdered all the people in his pack.”
That explained Jack’s evasiveness and unwillingness to tell them everything. Vince had felt it but chalked it all up to the clairvoyant being nervous.
Now things made more sense. What was more important, his role as a guardian was far from over. He needed to get to Theodore, find him, stop him from making who knew what other mistakes.
But the pain got the better of him. Squeezing Jack’s hand hard, he succumbed to it.
***
Voices. Voices everywhere. He could feel them, passing by, rushing through his fur, barely touching him. It didn’t matter; he needed to reach his destination. Then he’d know the truth, the whole of it.
They weren’t dead. If he could hear them, they couldn’t be dead. Whatever lay here, beyond the veil, belonged to him. Even if the lands were bare, and there was not a soul in sight, an entire world existed beyond what the naked eye could see.
He must focus on that alone. Not on the horror seeping into his brain as the realization of his earlier actions sank in. He had hurt Vince; the human guardian’s only fault was his stubbornness to go against an alpha, when all he had to do was leave in peace.
His mind pulled him back to the sight of the guardian falling to the ground, a gaping wound blooming on his chest. Had he hurt him that badly? Humans were frail. That was why Theodore had never wanted to mix with their lot. What use could he have for someone who could bleed so easily?
Briefly, he had believed that it was possible for his two human companions to be more than guides to this world. Because becoming intimate with them had felt good; for an alpha without a chance to truly be with someone, of course it had felt that way. He’d almost fallen prey to the seductive idea that he could be together with Jack and Vince that way.
That only went to strengthen his conviction that they were unwittingly also part of the curse. But now, Theodore was alone. Strong and alone. No one would ever stand between him and his true path.
The wisdom tree – that was where he needed to go. But the lands opened before him, looking the same everywhere, barren and unyielding.
There was no sign of a tree. None whatsoever. The runes in the stone couldn’t have lied to him so horribly. He only had to run faster, farther until he reached his destination.
Ah, there it was. Theodore spotted a large crown of dry branches, rising from inside a deep fog, at a good distance from where he was now.
You are close now, alpha.
He didn’t recognize the voice. He couldn’t tell whether it was friend or foe.
You must finish what you started, alpha.
A flicker of recognition fired up his brain. He had heard this voice before, the voice of a mentor, a wise creature, since he couldn’t and wouldn’t call it a man or woman. It rose from the depths of time, from the memories of a different time he needed to recall.
The tree was not so far away now. There, he would get all his answers. He pushed his bones and muscles and every sinew in his body to conquer the distance between him and his goal.
Was that the wisdom tree? It had to be. Its gnarly arms stretched in one direction, toward him. Its bark was dark, overrun by red rivulets of fire ants, feeding on its essence. Theodore’s ears caught the rustling of their tiny feet scraping the bark.
“You are finally here, alpha.”
The tree moved just as Theodore stopped right before it. It turned, revealing a dark face, a pair of burning eyes – but their fire was cold – and a smile that should’ve reminded him of—
“Welcome home, Theodore.”
***
“Oh, no, oh, no, what am I going to do?” Jack wailed, wringing his hands. Vee had succumbed to his wounds and was now gone.
No, he couldn’t start thinking that way. He checked Vee’s pulse, as he’d seen in movies, sticking two fingers into the side of the patient’s neck. He jolted as he felt it; so there was some truth to that method, after all.
That meant Vee was alive. But Jack knew jack shit about helping someone with a chest wound, who was also bleeding so badly. He didn’t even have a shirt on his back to use as a bandage. And their supplies were gone, which meant that he had no access to a first aid kit or something at least a little helpful.
All he had was himself. And himself was almost as good as nothing, when it came to caring for someone in such a serious condition.
“You have the power in you.”
The voice behind him startled him so badly he almost fell forward on his nose. He yelped as he turned.
A huge oak hovered close by, its thick crown green and dark. The good kind of dark – that was the only thought that crossed Jack’s mind. It was… soothing.
Or he was having another bad trip, although he hadn’t tasted any mushrooms or weird jams.
“Here,” the tree spoke again. “Take some of my leaves.”
“Um,” Jack began, deciding to err on the side of caution for the time being, “are you a talking tree? Or is there someone hiding up there, bent on pranking me? It’s really not a good time. Vee is in bad shape, and I failed biology in middle school. Twice.”
“Clever seer,” the tree insisted kindly, “take some of my leaves.”
Jack finally dared. He plucked one leaf – large, dark green, juicy. It looked good enough to eat. Then, he remembered his manners. “Sorry, did that hurt?”
“Not at all. Take another,” the tree encouraged him.
“What do I do now?”
“Rub them between your hands. Yes, like that.”
His palms were getting warm. Again, that felt pleasant. Not like it was part of a curse or anything.
“Apply them to the guardian’s wound. Spread them on evenly.”
Oh, so this was the type of magic help he really liked having. Without hesitating, Jack followed the wise tree’s advice. It wasn’t like he could make the situation any worse, he tried telling himself, as he touched Vee’s skin gently. He was so cold.
“He will survive. He survived the passage to the world behind the veil,” the tree assured him.
“So, how long does it take to work?” Jack asked. “I mean, not that I’m in a hurry. I don’t have anywhere else to be, really.”
“Not long. Take another leaf,” the tree encouraged him. “Chew it.”
“Are you sure? I’m not exactly the leafy greens kind of guy,” Jack said.
“You need to replenish your forces. It will provide you with nourishment and hydration.”
“That’s so cool, not gonna lie,” Jack said, stuffing the juicy leaf in his mouth and starting to chew on it vigorously. “If you don’t mind me asking, who are you?”
“You know the answer to that question, clever seer.”
Another voice intervened, sounding rather miffed. “He is difficult to convince. As I told you.”
“That wasn’t you,” Jack said. “There is someone hiding in your crown.”
He shrieked when the head of a reptile emerged from the tree’s branches. “Fear me not, seer. We’ve helped you so far, haven’t we?”
“You… you…” Jack heaved. “Snake!”
“Well, I’ll have you know that I’m a nehesh,” the snake replied, his bifurcated tongue slipping in and out.
“Good for you. I mean, I have no idea what that means.”
“Not a snake as you think of snakes right now,” the talking creature corrected him.
“Okay, okay. Are you going to bite me? Eat me? Devour me?”
To his complete bewilderment, the snake – nehesh – tsked in displeasure. “None of the above. You need guidance. This world has remained in darkness for a long time. Not even a seer favored by our Mistress herself can find his way easily around here.”
“I miss my phone,” Jack moaned. “GPS apps never looked this scary.”
“Astonishing how the gift gets bestowed on such odd a head,” the nehesh commented.
“We mustn’t judge him,” the tree argued. “He comes from a magicless world.”
“Yes, indeed,” the nehesh agreed. “A very boring, unimaginative world.”
“I can’t say I disagree with you on that one. Magic is like the coolest thing ever,” Jack babbled. “So, where should we go next? Will Vee be able to move?”
“He will,” the nehesh said. “As for where you’ll go, that is your decision, seer.”
“Great. Nice help,” Jack said. “I mean, sorry. Thank you for your help anyway. Can you please at least stay with me until Vee comes back to consciousness? I hate being alone.”
“He’s already coming back to it,” the tree said. “You are not alone, Jack.”
Jack stole a glance at Vee. He could tell that his friend’s eyelids were starting to flutter. “Wow, he really is,” he whispered. “How?”
When he turned his head to look at the helpful tree and nehesh, they were already fading away.
“Magic,” he heard the nehesh saying before they disappeared completely.
TBC
@Derek - Theo is definitely 'under influence' - the enemy has finally lured him here; but he's not alone :)
@Mark Mortland - Theo is going to have to fight... we're going deep into history soon :)
@FCW Reading - there will be phases... and a lot of history relived, but they will eventually get together.
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