Chapter 6: Eddy

Shareth

Ugh. Well, nothing I can do. Now that I have a deadly Shifter, I’d better bind it before it gets fully conscious again. Damn it, why couldn’t Camis have just kept it? I plop down on the earthy ground, and pick up the battered creature. Still in the shape of a Kahk, it is a bleeding nightmare with horns.

If I set it free, it kills me! Where is the fairness in this decision?

I try to call up my magic and realize that I’m completely dry. Crap. I guess I need a Kasha Tree. This is a weird type of magical plant that allows people to sap out the magic in the trunk. Woodland humans are almost entirely dependent upon it, because without magic, a human, especially a lone warrior like me, can’t expect to heal herself.

I trudge for at least an hour finally find one. You can always tell. The leaves are red and orange all year round, and the bark is white like snow. One look at it says that it’s magical. I place my hand on the trunk, aware of the Kahk stirring from its sleep.

Give me the magic. I think at it as hard as I can.

At once, I feel the magic of the earth pouring into my wrist and through the rest of me, heating me from the inside.

I sit down again, and place my hands on the stirring Shifter beast’s back, wincing as I touch the awful, slimy skin of the thing.

I shudder, and start to speak. The way to cast spells in this state is to simply speak in the language you know. You can direct this magic with your mind, not weird nonsense words. Earth Magic will obey you quite simply, and the same with Air Magic (often known as Hand Magic. It’s when you start trying to control thunder, fire, and water where it gets complicated. Humans can’t master those types. That’s one of the reasons we have elves. They have the power to wield those types inside themselves. Makes them damn useful to us.

“May this creature obey my every word. Let it be healed.” Simple and to the point. I can feel almost all of the magic run through my fingers into this beast, and in a second, we both begin to glow in a violet light. It only lasts for a few seconds, before all the light leaves our skin and connects a huge, thick, shimmering thread of light between the beast and me. I think that’s what was supposed to happen. I’m pretty sure it’s sealed to me now. The thread disappears. Then the healing magic lights the Shifter in white light, and completely obscures it, making it a small star. When the glow subsides, all that remains of the Shifter is a small swirling black orb, which sits on the ground and slowly rises into the air. Oh, I get it. That is the Shifter in its unaltered form. A small star of evil. I smirk at it.

“Don’t change form and don’t move.” I just love these kinds of spells. The person who initiated it has full control over the prisoner. It’s not fun to be on the wrong end of one of these spells. Who needs a killing spell when you have complete and utter control?

I smirk at it, reveling in my amazing power. I’ve been a long time without slaves. “Well? Change into an elf.” The orb seems to register on me for a second, and then it tries hard to disobey and resist. “Turn into the elf now.” In the instant I say the word now, it melts fluidly from a black ball to the girl that I saw before, with the dark skin, black hair, and red eyes. “Clothe yourself in a grass tunic.” I say haughtily. Shifters don’t come ready-made with clothes. The shifter blinks and stares at its hands as they begin to move, selecting the longer grasses around his feet, tying them around his body. When it’s done, it’s in a misshapen grass dress.

“Good job.” I laugh. Man, this feels wonderful.

The Shifter opens its mouth, and seems not able to find words. “Why am I here?” It has a surprisingly high, screechy, annoying voice. Maybe it’s female.

“You don’t remember? Let me refresh your memory. You attacked me and it ended in complete failure. Needless to say, you’re my devoted slave.”

It says nothing for a long moment. Finally, it growls low in its throat. “I may be forced to obey, but there is a way around every command you make.” Its cold red eyes distract me for a moment, and it suddenly springs forward in a fluid motion, little hands grasping for my throat. “FREEZE!” I shout. And she does. Completely frozen. Not even breathing. I try to slow my breathing and calm my heart. That was…that was so scary…

“D-Don’t move, but h-hear me, Shifter.” I say as silkily as it is possible when one has just shaved ten years off her life. “All—All I’ll say is that I h-have 1,000 commands at least that can force you to k-kill yourself. S-So, I suggest you st-stay on my good side. Consider yourself my slave, Shifter. Starting now, you must never harm me in any way. Also, tell me why you were sent to kill me now.”

She defrosts and sighs. “You know the reason as well as I.”

I blanch. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re insane. Understand me, I am—”

“—In denial, apparently. Or…was I truly mistaken? I wonder…” The red gaze shoots through me. “Indeed you don’t seem like her. I was told that she was beautiful and kind.”

“Exactly why I have no idea what your problem is. You made a bad mistake, mistaking me as…whomever it is you’re talking about. I’ll never let you go after whomever it is that you want. Come along and follow me.” This is going to be tough, day after day. I have to cover absolutely every single loophole in absolutely every single command. “And never try to escape, got it?”

“You’ll receive a thousand hurts whether you like it or not… Why don’t you just leave me?”

“Don’t question me.” She does have a point…but I can’t tell her that…

It grows silent. I redraw magic out of the Kasha tree for my long trek to Kanisu’s palace. She must be just outside these Shardash Woods…I imagine it’s going to take me about 6 days to get through it.

5555555555

Make that 6 days plus the 22-day Shifter factor. I was right—it has an attitude problem, coupled with the fact that I can’t word anything right so that it can’t find some way around it. I have just learned the hard way that no command is foolproof. Why does everything in this life hate me? Why can’t there be some kind of simple, perfect command that covers everything?

“Shifter, come and stand directly in front of me!”

It comes out of the brush reluctantly, and remains silent.

“Listen and remember every word I say!”

It fumes silently.

“Stop being a nightmare!”

“Yes, Mistress.” It blinks innocently. “I would never dream of disputing your authority.”

I blink. It worked?

“Hey, is that ‘stupid’ written on your robe?”

I look down, realize what just happened, and then slap her hard across the face. “Stop it, slave!” I curl my lip and grip my swords out of habit. “Every time you insult me, you will start to choke.”

“You really are stupid.” With little warning, it drops to the ground, wheezing.

I stare at her, reveling in my power, and then a smirk plays about my lips, waiting for it to turn blue before I let up. “Stop choking for now. I warned you, you know. No one can beat me. Not even you.”

It stands up, glaring at me in hatred over the power I wield over it.

“Just give up.”

It shoots me a death glare. “Back when I was still free,” she hisses, “I would have wasted you by now, little girl. Never forget that the instant I figure my way out of this, you are going to die.”

“Is that all?”

“How stupid are you? (Wheeze). Just let me go! You don’t want me here and I don’t want to be here either.”

“Are you kidding? I don’t care what you want. You’re staying with me until I find something useful to do with you. Leave you lying in a ditch till you die, maybe. Or maybe I can simply force you to get eaten by a dragon. And besides, you never know. I can control you to do all of the dangerous missions that will probably get you killed. Maybe I can even use you as a kind of transport.”

“Your sister would be ashamed.” It hisses.

Enraged in an instant, I punch it hard in the face. “That was too far. Learn your place as a slave.” I hit it again. “Don’t you dare…what gives you the right to look within a person’s soul and see their secrets? Never do it again or I’ll kill you.” I clutch my shaking fist.

“So I wasn’t wrong.” It looks away. “Such a hypocrite.”

“My sister is a million times the person you’ll ever be, and she’s still proud of me. I know it.”

“Your heart is as cold as ice.” She begins wheezing, but remains standing.

I swallow hard. “Lay down on your stomach. Do it. Lay down.”

She does so, giving me a confused look, still wheezing.

“Stay there for the rest of your life.”

“What? You’re not—”

“You heard me, bitch.”

55555555555555555555555

I plod my feet slowly along. I must have been traveling for about two hours by now, judging by the setting sun. I guess it’s time to forage. I’m so hungry right now. I ravenously stare around for a berry bush and find one in seconds. Whew. They’re the good red kind, strawberries, I think they’re called. That’ll hold me off for a little bit. I then set around to making a fire, gathering some dry sticks. It’s going to be a cold autumn night, and I have no room to sleep in anymore.

How great it is to be alone, carving your own place in the world. Not listening to anyone else, doing what you know you were born to do. It’s a great feeling. I listen closely to the world around me, and finally I hear a nice snap. There we go. I hurl my sword into the brush, and when I take it out I have a nice rabbit shish kebob. I strip it, ignoring the blood, and start up the fire by rubbing two sticks. Ah…wow, that’s really warm…I stick the rabbit back on the sword and begin to roast it.

I smile to myself, a true smile, perfectly at peace. I am. I am. Really. Why shouldn’t I be?

I push the angrier thoughts out of my mind when the rabbit is done and hungrily dig in with my fingers. I don’t miss silverware at all. I’m sure my sister would have liked this too.

‘Your sister would be ashamed of you.’

The thought comes into my mind unbidden. I shake my head to kill it. She’d be very proud of me. Hell, I’m almost an elite swordswoman. Of course she’d be very proud. One day, when my quest is over, I’ll return, not as the old Shareth, but as the most renowned swordswoman in the world. I’ll truly be the greatest there ever was.

‘Such a hypocrite.’

Well, of course I have to do it this way! If I don’t manage to get him, my entire swordsmanship career will be for naught. If he continues to live peacefully, never bothered by what he did, I’ll never forgive myself. It’s my final duty to myself.

‘Your heart is cold as ice.’

“GRAGH!!” I yell suddenly, almost dropping the rabbit. The shifter is right, isn’t it? I’m just…I’m just cruel, aren’t I?

‘Cold as ice…’

Carrying what’s left of the rabbit, I run all the way back to where I left her, taking only about a half hour. Is it so much faster because I actually know what I need to do?

It’s almost nightfall when I reach her. I can tell who she is by that bizarre grass dress. She’s still laying facedown in the exact same spot. She takes no notice of my being there.

“Shifter?” I call quietly. “Shif-ter…” I kick her in the side. “Answer me if you know I’m here.”

“It’s me.” She whispers. “Leave me.”

“If you want food, you can take it.” I drop the rabbit carcass by her head. At this, the creature seems half-crazed. She grasps it with her hands and hungrily devours it, bones and all. I back away from the snarling mess of her. “Stand when you’re done.”

Having no other choice, she obeys. She says nothing.

“Kneel.” I grunt.

“Kneel?”

“Kneel, god damn it.” She does so grudgingly. I take out my sword, and she gives a great sigh.

“Prefer not to let me suffer, right? I suppose it’s for the best.”

“No, I’m not going to cut off your head.” I take out my sword and tap the flat on her left shoulder, then her right shoulder, and then the left again. “I pronounce you Edethi, slave and guard of Shareth. Eddy for short. When I call your name, you report straight to me.”

It nods slowly. “Why that name?”

“Because she too wouldn’t have let me go off the deep end. Come on. You’re coming with me until I find a suitable ditch for you.”

555555555

Quote of the Day: “If you’re not living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”