Book of Curses (The Renning Chronicles) (10 page)

He smiled tightly at me, there was blood smeared all over his face, along with slash's that seemed to be already healing. If it wasn't for the fact that I was grateful for the help, I'd probably run from him, he looked a little too scary at that moment.

“How far exactly?” I turned my head, looking at Tom as he asked the question.

“Not far, once we’re out of these trees' you’ll be able to see it.” Felan rolled her eyes as she said it. I saw Tom glare at her, then nod his head; those two were never going to get along.

Falling into one of many strange places,

Unknown and dark mysterious faces.

I wander hopelessly,

Among the others curiously.

Lost within, lost without,

I spin endlessly about.

-Falling Again by Kristi Worrell

Chapter 4

_______________________

We'd managed to make it out of the trees by sunset, leaving behind Saphire, Anna and Lupus. I tried to get them to come along with us, but they declined, said it was for the best that they didn't come along, I wished them luck and was hoping that they would stay safe.

It took us a while to even make it half way through the forest, by the time we'd even found our way out it was growing darker. It was that short period of time right before the night's true darkness washes over everything, and I really hoped we got there before it was fully dark out.

Starting forward a bit faster I noticed a shape in the shadows, it sat back from where we were. The closer we'd gotten to it, the more I could make out the fact that it was a building of sorts, and it wasn't all that big. When we were almost on top of it, it dawned on me that it was a barn.

Felan looked back at me, then Tom, as she spoke directly to him. She was giving him a dark smile. “Like I said, not far.”

“Ok, there’s a spring out back, bandages inside… clothes I think as well.” Eyloff grunted as he started walking faster, almost moving into a sprint leaving us to follow him.

The wolves could move faster, taking giant steps across the ground until they were a few steps from the barn. Tom and I, on the other hand, were practically panting by the time we managed to get to it. "We'll sleep here tonight, start out in the morning and head to the Air region, Felan you can find the clan again then.” Eyloff grumbled to us, then went inside without another word.

“Fine.” She grunted, limping her way inside the barn with her head held as high up as possible, she had a look on her face that dared someone to ask if she was ok. I admired her for her strength and determination, but that attitude; it needed to go.

Dolphus helped me inside. He was moving me as fast as I could go, but not giving me a second to complain to him like I wanted to about how I didn't need the help. He helped me to sit down on a bale of hay and then made me hold still, disappearing around a corner for a few minutes, he reappeared with a box in hand. He was smiling a little as he held the box up and hiked a thumb back behind him. “Bath, or bandages first?”

“Bandage, it’s only my arm really.” I instantly replied. I just wanted it over with. A bath sounded nice, to get all this blood and dirt off me, but I really just wanted to sleep and hope that I'd wake up back home on my couch.

“Your leg?” He asked me, arching an eyebrow almost instantly and tilting his head in the direction of my leg. He was eyeing it suspiciously as he did, and I inwardly cursed myself.

“Probably just sprained, I’ll be fine with some rest, promise.” Putting on the best fake smile I could for him, I tried to keep him from worrying any
more than he was, I really could handle myself.

Shrugging his shoulders slightly he accepted that what I said was true, and nodded at my shredded shirt. I didn't understand at first, then he explained why he was doing that. “You got a nice bruise across your ribs.” There was a frown on his face.

Looking down at the same moment, he'd said that, I began pulling at the gaping hole that exposed my blackening skin that was crusted with blood. Blushing brightly when I realized that my top barely covered anything on my upper body anymore, hell it wasn't even a shirt now, it was a cloth.

I admit; I panicked a bit and started trying to figure out how to cover myself up. Just what I needed, ripped up clothes and men all over the place. Yeah, fun, so much fun. I started to look around for something to put on and just saw hay, horses and stalls.

“Don’t get embarrassed, I admire the fact that you can get that way; I must be at least decent looking,” He pursed his lips, smiling a kind of thoughtful smile for a moment. Then shaking his head at me for a moment, he started to laugh, which only flustered me more. “But I’m interested in men, thank you.”

He lifted my arm with his hand, careful not to hurt me any more than he had to, and started to wipe off the blood with a dam
p
cloth. Turning my arm this way and that he scanned it for a long moment, and then he started to bandage the wound as carefully as he could. “If you don’t mind, I need a bath too, so I may join you and Felan, you two don’t have anything I haven’t seen before anyway.” He said as he stood up, patting my shoulder softly.

“I, um, Uh, Ok, I think.” I started tripping over my own words, before looking at a pile of clothes he had handed me with a new suspicion. I didn't know what to make of them.

“They’ll fit, promise.” He smiled again and stood still eyeing me for a moment.

I nodded my head slowly, looking at them, and then I stood up. Feeling the searing white-hot  pain from my leg, as soon as I was on it. I tried to ignore it and started heading towards the door of the barn with the clothes in hand, so I could go out and take a bath.

Dolphus was walking behind me, taking care to make sure he didn't bump into me suddenly as he started to speak. “So tell me, where you come from, Lycanthrope’s don’t exist?” He looked, bemused, when he asked me. Just staring and waiting for me to reply.

“Nope, Vampires, Lycans, Angels, Faeries, Demons, Ghosts all of those are pretty much just made up for movies.” I said laughing nervously. I was still trying to accept that any of them existed here. It was scary to see something you dressed up as for Halloween, or read and watched movies about, be real.

He smirked at me, and made a cross between a laugh and a snort. “You’d be amazed to know then, everything you’ve named off exists, and you will manage to see those things, trust me.”

“Don’t tell me vampires are ugly rotting corpses or something.” I grimaced at the though
t
of that. They were supposed to be dead creatures right? So that was the only way I could really imagine them, if they were real.

Dolphus started laughing, shaking his head back and
forth
at me.
“God no, immortal humans with fangs and extraordinary abilities.
A well as a fetish for drinking blood, or is that something they have to do in order to live… I never can remember.” He scratched at his neck, thinking for a long moment before he shrugged his shoulders.

The only thing I did in reply, was blink a lot as I listened to him. When I could reply I just said a simple. “I see.”

“The only uglies I know of
are the demons and some Fey, they’re supposed to be inhumanly gorgeous, but some of them are almost inhumanly ugly.” He shuddered at the thought of them, and I felt so lost that I just nodded, and made noises of agreement to him.

Starting to smile as I noticed the water becoming closer and closer, I started to speed up. Then I noticed Felan, immersed up to her collarbone in the water, with her head tilted back. The moonlight was beating down on her and the water. I wanted to turn around and run, but the thought of that made my leg start throbbing with pain, so I sucked it up and kept going.

“Felly love, I’ve brought the human girl with me, so we can bond!” Dolphus yelled next to me, beginning to pull off his shirt and throw it behind him. When he started pulling off his pants, I turned around as fast as I could and moved down to the other side of the water, pulling off my shredded shirt.

“Oh fun, as long as she doesn’t expect me to be her best friend, or yours for that matter, come on in.” Felan mumbled just loudly enough for me to hear, never once moving from the position I saw her in when we first came over. I ignored her statement and looked down at the water. Leaning down slowly, I started to pull down my pants without bumping any
of my
cuts or bruises. Biting my lip to hold back the whimper as I accidentally bumped against my throbbing leg, there was a stinging from my ribs, and I just wanted to cry.

Once I was completely stripped down, I moved forward and stepped into the chilled water as slowly as I could. I looked over at Dolphus and Felan just in time to see Dolphus jump into the water, shouting something I couldn't make out.

The water started to ripple towards my body, and splashed at my legs. I let out a sigh and launched myself into the water, sinking underneath it and rinsing off the blood and filth. When I came back up, I felt a sudden sadness. I had enjoyed my couple of seconds of escape from this dreadful world, and was thinking that maybe if I went back under I'd be home when I came back up.

How wrong I was to think that. Even a fool could tell you I was an idiot, but I just wanted to be home so badly. I couldn't handle another second of the pain I felt, or the death I saw. The killing and the fighting, people changing into something that shouldn't exist. I could never be sane after this.

“This is lovely.” Dolphus spoke in a relaxed voice. I kept my back to him and Felan both. “I needed a bath; I was beginning to smell like something that died.” “You always smell that way.”

Felan said in a voice that implied, 'how could you ever think you don't sm
ell like that normally?'

"That's just not right, Felan!” Dolphus said accusingly, in a high-pitched squeaky voice. When I looked over his eyes were widened in pure horror. That would be about the time I made sure the water came up to my neck, turned around fully, and watched the two of them.

“Accept the truth or don’t, but trust me, you don't exactly smell like wild flowers.” She said shrugging her shoulders as if it didn't matter to her, which it probably didn't.

“Not like you ever do either!” He huffed at her, going back to scrubbing at his arms ferociously and mumbling under his breath.

“At least, I accept that fact.”

I just watched them; it was fascinating. Actually, I was trying to keep from laughing too loudly, and realized they could probably hear me regardless. I cut off my laughs and kept my distance, starting to rub water over my arms.

I dodged as many
bruises
and cuts on my
legs
and arms as I could, trying to get all the blood and grime off my skin. My eyes widened a bit as I took in the gash on my right leg, and I winced as I had no choice but to start washing it out. I tried to keep as calm as possible, but tears were starting to slide down my face.

“I hope you’re not going to be that rude, my dear Raine.” Dolphus announced, catching my attention. I looked up and saw him
staring
at me; I met his gaze and only blinked. “I don’t think I’d be able to deal with it really.”