It's a day late, I know. But I swear it's worth the slight lateness! May you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! By the way, I have no clue why the symbols keep popping up when I post a chapter. It's just weird.

The King of Magic

Ch 4: Manticore and Harpies

Keene took in another heaving breath. He had not stop running for a while, till he was sure they were not following anymore. He stopped, putting a hand on a tree as he leaned forward, panting, his free hand gripping the front of his shirt. This was ridiculous. What did he do now? Once he caught his second wind he stood up and kept walking, keeping to a faster pace still.
Ahead he soon saw a break in the trees and the grass was thinning out. He saw more sky and came out onto a stretch of beach. The water ebbing and flowing was an odd teal aqua color, dark but clear. The sand was firm, shells scattered everywhere. He walked till he reached the damp edge of where the water came up to. He took a deep breath of sea air and began to walk the coast. He did not like this.

As the light began to die and night came, his walk still going on and on, he began to get nervous. He was sure this was an island. His heart skipped a few beats. An island. That meant trapped. Worse, that meant trapped with beings who obviously did not like him. And worse still, he knew he could not keep walking come night. It would be stupid. For one, he had no clue what was out there.

So, when the light began to die, Keene chose a tree and climbed up it, settling in among the branches. Not more then six feet off the ground. Not too high, but not too low. Either way he was sure something was bound to crawl over him tonight. He shuddered and tried not to think about it. At least at this height maybe nothing would spot him, and if need be, he could get out of the tree quick without breaking anything and run.

He put his back up against the trunk of the tree and tried to let himself doze off. The night felt mildly warm and this close to the cost it smelt of the sea. He gazed up at the sky for a while, taking in the bright stars and the three slender edges of crescent moons side by side by side. They gave off enough light to make shadows and darker shadows. The flow and ebb of waves soon lulled him to sleep.

He never heard the soft thud of large paws as they moved toward him.

He woke up later that night sweating, his clothing clinging to his skin. Why was he so hot? A soft, steady thump sounded beneath one ear. He raised his hand slowly and touched a shaggy furred side. He was laying against something very large and very alive. It was radiating more heat than was normal for any creature. He leaned back slowly and took in the flank he laid against as it rose ever so slowly and then contracted once more.

The dim light of the moons let him take in the form. It looked like a large cat, but it had to be the size of a large horse. Bigger maybe. It was lion like in form, the same general build and the mane. The moonlight gave away a slight tawny edge to the thick fur. But the tail was that of a scorpion. He gulped and shifted around to see the face. It looked like that of an old man, heavily lined with sharp fangs long enough to show past the thin lips. The face was mostly obscured by the mane though. He looked around quickly and found he was in a circle of these beasts, maybe a dozen in all.

How the hell had he gotten out of the tree?

"You are awake, little Lordling?" A low, graveled voice asked softly nearby. He jerked around swiftly where he sat. One of them was sitting up, staring at him with blazing pale blue eyes that glowed in the darkness.

"Yes..." He murmured faintly.

"It is good to see you." It replied. That was a comfort, it meant they were not there to hurt him. Unless their idea of good to see him meant a good meal to come. "Do you know what we are?" Keene shook his head slowly. He did not know. "We are manticore, old and wise. We obey none and help only those we have a care to. Most we eat."

He was afraid of that.

⌠But we will not eat you.■ He was happy for that and felt instant relief. He hoped this thing was not lying to him. ⌠We want to help you, for the sake of our world.■ It stood up, moving slowly as if its bones hurt. ⌠Come, I will tell you a story.■

Keene stood and stepped carefully over stretched out paws and tails. He came up beside the manticore and then followed it when it began to walk. It walked for a while, not saying a word till they were far away from the others.

"Long ago, nearly five hundred years give or take a day or two, there were Lords and Ladies. These kinds of Lords and Ladies were not to be confused with those of your world." It explained, moving through the trees and coming out onto the beach where it could trot along a little faster. Keene kept up easily. "These were Lords and Ladies of Magic. They were what kept our world in working order, and kept your world, which is just as connected to ours as the stars are to the heavens, in it's own state of grace and magic.

"But, it was nearly five hundred years ago that the wars began. Magic withdrew from your world to try and save this one, for one world cannot be without the other. And I'm sorry to say, that this world is dying quickly now. This world has lost so much that it is becoming like your own. And once magic is truly dead here, this world will fade to nothing. And when that happens, your world will die right along with it. Everything comes in balances, and one world needs the other.

"What caused these wars were a set of five Ladies and seven Lords. They thought themselves above the rules and laws, and so, began to blacken this world. The wars between them and the good Lords and Ladies, and those who followed them, tore their own people apart. They were decimated to small numbers. Oh, humans here thrive still, but Lords and Ladies have been wiped out to nearly none.

"It was five hundred years ago, nearly to the day now, that one Lady had a vision. She said that five hundred years from the day she spoke this prophecy a Lordling would come into such great power and would be the only one who might stand against Lord Magnus."

"Magnus." Keene gasped the name. His sister's fiance? He was over five hundred years old? And evil from the sound of things.

"Yes, you have met him." The manticore gave a slight nod. "I am sure he brought you here. Your mother, a great Lady, hid with you in the human world." His mother was a Lady? Oh this just got better and better. "But in a few weeks you will gain your powers fully on your fifteenth birthday. You will be a danger to Magnus if you are not swayed to his side somehow. He wants your power and your loyalty. There are two Lords and one Lady of evil, and three Ladies of good left. You can tip the scales for they are all evenly matched."

"Wait, woah, hold it there." Keene stopped walking and put his hands up as if to stop the entire world in its tracks. "I have to tip the scales? What exactly will this tipping do?"

"If those of evil are allowed to win the worlds will die. If they are beaten, all will be well."

"By beaten you mean..."

"Killed."

"Okay, no." Keene shook his head quickly. "I don't kill people. I've never even hit my sister! And trust me, she gets on my last nerve."

"That is a sibling, this is the fate of worlds." The manticore pointed out as it sat back on its haunches.

Keene groaned. Of course it was. And he was standing on the defining line! Could this get any better? Oh wait, best not to think that, it must might get worse. The manticore's head shifted and Keene just knew his sarcastic thought had been answered. It had just gotten worse. He turned his head slowly to see what the beast was looking at that was behind him.

"You." Keene breathed the word as he took in the familiar centaur.

"Do not run." Dei said in a slow, soft, stiff tone.

Of course Keene had no interest in listening to that bit of advice. He took off back into the trees. Dei sighed.

"And what did you do to scare the boy so badly, Dei?" The manticore asked, tail flicking about absently.

Dei rubbed the back of his neck and muttered. "Don't use that tone with me, Vire."

"Don't make it necessary." Vire replied calmly. "What did you do?"

Dei sighed. "I found him earlier and took him to my village. By force...I was not thinking clearly! I was afraid he might have already been tainted!"

"You're making excuses my young friend." Vire said calmly, raising one paw to lick between the claws. He could still taste some of his dinner from earlier that night. "You scared him. And as a king you should know better how to handle things. You are in your prime and wise. Do act like it and use the wisdom the stars have given you."

Dei sighed again. "I know you are right."

"Also, he's running toward the harpy-nest." Vire added calmly between licks.

"What!" Dei straightened and took off after Keene. Harpies, that was all he needed!

Keene kept running, tripping up on the roots of the trees now and again, but did not stop for more than a split second. He finally did trip on a stone. He glanced on reflex and stifled a scream. It was no stone, but a skull half buried in the ground. "Shit." He breathed the word as light cackling began to fill he air around him. It was ghostly, haunting, filtering in and out of the trees. It sent a shiver down his spine as surely as nails on a chalkboard would.

"Pretty, pretty thing." A high pitched voice laughed. The voice was just plain ugly, that was the only way he could think to describe it. He heard branches shifting, leaves shaking. He looked upward slowly, just knowing he would not like what he was about to see.

There were dozens of them. They were thin, almost skeletal figures with skin stretched over bone, with massive wings folded to their backs. The wings were bone and feathers of dirty gray and brown. The faces were like skulls, the eyes dark flaming green set deep into the sockets. Stringy hair of lank brown or black hung around their shoulders, tangled and wild. They were covered in thing bits of cloth to cover the important parts. They were necklaces of teeth and bones. Their fingers reached toward him, claw-like, with long black, cracked nails. Their legs from the knees down were bird-like, their clawed feet gripping the branches.

"Come, come pretty." One said and the other's chanted the words, echoing her. "Come and let us eat you!" A frenzy of cackles began to fill the air.