"HAPPY, I'm a freak now."
"And you call this a curse?"
"Yes."
I laugh, I have to. "You have no idea what a curse is?"
He lunges at me; I have one chance "Faerie might through Time and Space. Remove us from this place."
Both of us land in the forest. I'm on my feat; He's on his face.
"What the...!!!" Sean stands up "What was that?"
"One of the fastest spells I've cast." I return to my natural form.
"What are you?"
"I haven't the foggiest Idea. Welcome to my home Squire Sean."
Around him is a forest of such density you can barely make out the stars.The animal noises are
muted but numerous.
"Ok Squire Sean, here's you first challenge. Find me in these woods. When you find me, I'll take you home.
A quick spin and a flash of light
And Changeling your guide is out of sight"
Sean blinks twice and he's alone in the woods.
"HOW AM I SUPPOST TO FIND YOU?"
The wind seems to answer him, "Trust your instincts."
Sean closes his eyes and starts listening to his blood. The urge of the hunt burns with in his blood and as if a match is struck, he understands.He opens his eyes and
sniffs the air. A lot of animals are in this forest. Lots of them and there. A sent, not quite animal and not quite human. That's him.
He runs toward the sent. Its not moving. Sean get to the area
only to find my cloak and a note.
"Very good, you're still thinking like a human though, but you'll learn. Now brace yourself."
"Oblivion claim this human hound,
And send him back to his home now!"
Darkness engulfs Sean and he falls and falls and falls.
Only to wake up in his own bed.
"Morning Squire Sean. You breakfast is on your table. I have errands to run but I'll be back."
My senses tell me something else is watching Sean so I do have time to get some things.
I hope this watcher keep Sean out of trouble until I return.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the meal that Jahs...I mean Changeling prepared for me this morning I have come to two very important realizations.
One is reaffirmed by the fact that it is now early afternoon and my
stomach still is tied in knots. I've a serving girl to replace before my
king arrives on his annual
pilgrimage to this land. Changeling can't cook for shit. A Regal appetite
will not be satisfied on the likes of what he's been serving me.
I've been sent ahead to make
ready for his arrival and as of yet have gotten very little done.
The other is that there is more to what is happening to me than I have
been made aware. Although I
feel better than I have in years can only wonder what is to asked of
me.
" Changeling, I am going out for awhile , I've some business to attend to."
" And what might that be my lord?"
"I'm going to try and hire a less appetizing serving wench, lest I starve."
"Are my services not acceptable?"
"Lets just suffice it to say that your talents are being wasted in the kitchen. We should concentrate more on my studies."
"You are wise beyond your years I was thinking of giving you a nice steak sauted in a light mercury sauce this evening, he he he."
SCREE SCREE
Resting on the chairback of the chair across the table from me, the
avian guest from the evening before. I wave my hand at it in an effort
to make it fly away. "SHOO
birdie, Shoo. Can I not have a moment of privacy?"
"My lord Sean, If you require some time to collect your thoughts all you need do is ask me to leave the room. "
"No, Changeling my compatriot. There is a guest from last night seated across the table from me there."
"But my lord, there is NOTHING there."
SCREE SCREE
At that instant the creature flies 'round the roon and lands on the chair next to the door where Changeling is standing.
"Of course not that's because he's just seated himself in the chair next to you."
With a perplexed look on his face Changeling proceeds out of the room.
"Ok, Sean, I've things to do . I'll leave you two to visit amongst yourselves."
As he leaves the room I can hear him mumbling to himself "This one ain't gonna make it. He's coming apart at the seams already"
SCREE SCREE
Once more the bird takes to glide. It comes to perch on my forearm,
yet I feel not its weight. As I jerk my arm back it passes through the
creature as if it were not
there.
"You, Little birdie, BOTHER ME. Leave me be. I've things to do today"
I get up and cross the room to the entry hall and prepare to leave the
house. As I check my look in the mirror I see the bird sitting on my right
shoulder, I bat at it
with my hand again.
"Shoo, I say, Get off of me."
At that moment I see reflected in the mirror, Changeling with a puzzled look of reconsidered on his face. He turns without saying a word and leaves the hallway.
"Well then, just sit there and be quiet"
I leave the small Villa style housing I've secured for myself and venture
into the daylighted streets of Daharahn. The words of last nights visitors
still ringing in my head.
I approach the place in the market square where I hired Jahsmihna.
The shop appears to have been replaced. The sign on the door is of a hand
with an eye in its
palm, under the eye are canine silhouettes with their heads raised
to the eye as if it were the moon. The sign simply reads MADAM CYN.
"Oh well, My search continues"
I say to myself as i turn to leave. As I turn I feel something come to rest on my shoulder.
"I told you LEAVE ME BE, you damnable beast!!"
Stepping away from me a bit a gorgeous young lady with carmel colored skin , jet black hair, and hauntingly beautiful almond colored eyes;
"No my lord, You've never before spoken to me."
"Forgive me, I've been a bit out of sorts lately."
"Ah, I Might be able to help you with that. Step into my parlor."
"No, Thank you. I've got..."
" To replace a serving girl."
"How did you know?"
"The previous owner of this shop was in that line of work, I've never seen you before so,..."
"But How did you know REPLACE was what I meant. I may have never had a servant and am in need of one."
"Oh please, she's still on your breath. Come inside I may have an answer or two for you.
I follow Madam Cyn into her shop. Once inside she bade me lock the door
and sit down.
She took mt left hand in hers, looked into my eyes and began to speak.
"Soon the call of lunar brilliance will be yours to command.
Accept guidance from our last kiss, for on her lips is your new life.
Allow yourself to be welcomed into her family lest ye be lost forever."
She bade me farewell with a gift and a motherly kiss on the forehead.
the gift a silver medallion with a wolf on one side and a falcon on the
other. As I unlocked the
door to leave I saw reflected in the windowpane, a wolf much like my
visitors from the night before. I quickly turned back the look on her with
my own eyes. There
as beautiful as when I first saw her, a young woman. She waved me off.
"You've a serving wench to add to your house staff. Be off now
daylight is waning. You WOULDN'T want to be caught outside after dark now
WOULD you."