Book of Curses (The Renning Chronicles) (27 page)

"Who else is here?"

"Where the hell do you think you're going? You're going to get me killed." Fang hissed at me, sounding a bit hysterical.

"Then come with me. I need to find a woman by the name of Lorella, do you know her?" I asked him, trying to get a sense of where he was. I was failing miserably until he placed his hand on my shoulder, making me jump
at least
a foot and he laughed.

"The local psychic, yeah we all know her. She's out back by the Lane's."

"Fang, I need you to take me to her. This is a life or death matter here, plus I need a witness to what I hear."

"Yeah ok, come on… Just go where I pull you so we don't wake anyone." He grunted at me, before letting out a sigh. He muttered something to himself that I couldn't
understand;
all I could do was try not to laugh at him.

He wrapped his hand around my
forearm;
trying to be gentle I'm sure, but failed miserably. He yanked me rather roughly and I made sure to keep up with him as best I could so that he wouldn't rip my arm off of my body. 

"Don't trip so much…" He hissed back at me, his voice low but lethal still.

"I can't see, I'm sorry!"

"Don't be sorry, just try more you imbecile." He snapped at me, yanking my arm again. From there we got around pretty quickly, and quietly. Once we approached the doors I felt like we were home free and could find her house easily enough, and be back before anyone knew. Then I heard a voice that stopped me dead in my tracks, and made me feel like a little child who was in trouble.

"Really, you're sneaking out? With him?" Talon asked, actually laughing at what he'd said like it was the funniest thing ever. "He's the worst person to try and sneak around with, and he can't even keep himself stealthy enough. Where are we going?"

"None of your business, bastard." Fang snapped at him, his eyes glowed a strange eerie white color.

Though of course while watching Fang, I answered at the same time. "Lorella's."

"Lorella's?" There was a slight pause before he let out a sigh. "I might as well go along with you, so I know he doesn't kill you, but tell me… how are you suddenly so, uninjured?"

"I- It's a long story for another time, this is important and we need to go, now!"

"Right, go on then." Talon stated simply, waving his hands at us. It was like he'd been drained of all emotion all over again since he'd begun speaking. It was starting to get rather annoying.

Fang took off again, dragging me with him. My arm was actually starting to burn from pain all over again, because he kept pulling on me like that. We took off down streets as fast as we could, snaking around corners until Fang came to an abrupt stop, nearly letting me fall over beside him.

"Here's Lorella's, and she is still awake, she must've known." He sighed sounding annoyed, as he always did.

"Of course she'd know, she knows all…"  I mused out loud, feeling the stares of the two men on me. I didn't care to look back at
them;
I just stalked forward towards the house. Just as I was about to knock on the little door it swung open in front of me.

A short thin woman stood inside. She had long black hair, and white-blue eyes that just barely had a blue tinge to them. She was wearing a long, emerald green, velvet dress. She was smiling at me, showing off her perfect white teeth and blood red lips.

"Raine, Fang and Talon, how nice. Come in, come in." She instantly stepped back from the door, waving for us to come inside. I was the first to take a step inside, but I didn't rush in. Talon and Fang followed after me quickly, like I'd suddenly disappear if they didn't. 

"Lorella, ma'am I'm here because I was told by Aer-" That was as far as I got in that speech before she cut me off.

"Aerbael, came to your dreams and asked you to seek me out… ask all I know before you set out once more, yes dear, I know.. I have a lot to tell you sit, sit."

I didn't argue with that, sitting down quickly I watched her with more fascination than anyone I'd met yet. I could hear the other two flopping down into seats near me, never once speaking, or making another sound. Lorella sat down in the seat across from me, smiling still as she looked at me.

"My dear, Raine Renning, you are in for more than any of us ever thought possible, and other
psychics
have already begun to bind regions just so that you find them faster. Air, Water and Light all are waiting for you in the Air Region, hoping it makes things easier. The Fire Region decided to stay and guard what they could, where they stayed."

"You have much to learn about what you must do, what you must accomplish, and so many tasks to overcome yet. But, the greatest is the one coming sooner than you, me or anyone else would like, you and your brother Thomas will have to face this one alone too, because it will be somewhere only YOU two know." She looked at
me;
her smile had turned into a grim line across her face. Her hands were then placed on top of mine. 

"My dear, the god's are planning to cause a ripple in time and space. They're planning to send you home, but in the process they will send themselves and your guardians there too. You'll have no choice but to try and defend your world, or else not only will we be doomed, but so will your world…"

"Wh-What?" I stared at her as if she was an alien then, I could feel my body shaking. "That
cannot
happen… there's so much there, so much that they won't understand. So many people who could get hurt much faster and easier than here,
its
mortals... so many mor-"

"There are as many mortals there as there are here, you may see it or not, but you will be prone to it now after being here. You have no choice in what is to come, and we will all suffer
a
great loss soon, those of us who don't make it over with the rest of you, are to perish here, for when the gods leave even for a short period we will perish in the most agonizing way's possible.."

"All I can tell you is that your guardians and you two will make it safely, along with Nickel and several
others
who are willing to pledge their service to you in the end. But, some of them will be doing it for revenge more than out of loyalty. Losses here will be greater than any we've ever seen, and I hope that in the end, you both rise as victors instead of them, in the end I hope you kill them
...”

"Take them out and save the world, for they will be bound together after this. Now go, go and get your guardians together and leave, Maldre is on his way. Ride east then north, quickly!"

I stood up as fast as my body would let me, staring at her before I leaned down quickly enough to take her by surprised, and I hugged her. "I am forever in your debt for your help." Into her ear, as quickly as I had leaned down I stood up straight again and looked to Talon and Fang who only nodded to me. All three of us headed towards the door and rushed back out towards the palace, as fast as we could go without me being left behind in the darkness.

**
*
**

"Fang, get Nickel and Layre, Talon get Nixon and Dolphus. I'll find Eyloff and Tom." I ordered not caring what they thought of it,
and then
took off down the hall to check all the doors they'd
let
be. I found Eyloff sitting in a chair bored, with Tom out cold in his bed. As much as I didn't want to wake Tom I had no choice in this. 

"That was easy..." I muttered aloud to myself, grabbing Eyloff's
attention
almost instantly.

"What are you doing out of bed! How are you even able to walk?" Eyloff demanded from me. I rushed to Tom, ignoring Eyloff and began to frantically shake my brother trying to rouse him from his deep sleep.

"Thomas, wake up,
now
!" I shouted at him making sure there was an edge in my voice. My shaking never once ceased, and I was getting frustrated with him now. "Tom!" I ended up snapping at him.

His eyes almost instantly flew open, and he sat up in his bed staring at me. "What's wrong, Raine?"

"We've got to go now, its life or death." I said, then looking back at Eyloff. "We'll explain to you once we head out, but we've got to go, now."

"Right."

"You're going to listen to her? She was wounded not too long ago!" Eyloff practically screamed, sounding outraged by all of this.

"She's in her right mind you stupid wolf, Get your ass up, and get out here so we can leave!" I heard Fang growl from behind me, I had to smile at it. It got their
attention
as well as mine, and I looked back to see our entire group awaiting us.

"We need horses…" Nixon muttered tiredly, as he started to stretch looking between all of us.

"We've got plenty, Lane." Talon said to him in a flat tone, smirking a bit as if he'd said the funniest thing in the world just now. "As long as they don't mind riding a vampire's horse."

"As long as we get going it doesn't matter!" I snapped at him, starting towards all of them.

"Horses?
Again
?" Dolphus started to whine, looking pitifully towards me. He looked like a five year old at that moment, with his tousled hair and big bright eyes. It was almost a comical look on
him;
it was all I could do not to laugh. "Nicky love, you will keep me safe right?"

"But of course." Nickel said to him, looking lovingly towards the wolf
. I think I actually gagged from the sweetness
. "The
fewer
horses we take, the easier this will be, I figure we should double up. That also leaves the troops here some more for fighting."

"Perfect thinking, Nickel!" Layre
spoke;
she looked more lively than the rest of us combined.

"Let's get going." Nixon quickly interjected, before anyone else could speak. I nodded at him.

Following the group as quickly as I could, I felt Tom's presence beside me. Our feet pounded across the floors loudly, as we made our way towards the barn. It was twice as big as the barn was back in the Earth Region, and full of horses in every stall.

The boys managed to be fussy about who they took of course. They looked for the fast ones, then stopped and took count. Then they were fighting about the best tempered ones, from there it was back to fastest, I just sighed. I wanted them to get done, pick horses and let us leave.

"Tom, ride with Layre, Dolphus with me, Nixon and Raine, and Fang and Talon can get separate horses and lead us out." Nickel announced, nodding his head. "Pick your horses from here down."

I managed to pull myself up onto the stallion that Nixon had brought out for us. It was a gorgeous paint,
well-mannered
too. I was getting used to the horseback thing at this
point;
it seemed to be their favorite way of transportation.