Well, This is a Warm Welcome

Entry Sixteen

MORGAN

Well, This is a Warm Welcome

Buildings filled the great clearing. Their numbers surpassed Hearts making it the largest city in Norkden. It put every other town in the northern kingdom to shame. Carter wrapped her arms around my waist. She hugged me from behind as I stared at the town. It lay on the border of Crosspoint, the capital of the Empire and my grandfather’s domain. It was the last town before a long expanse of pine and show. Travelers upon travelers shopped and plenty of royals spent their Fyles. An inn, the size of a castle itself, constantly turned over rooms to prepare for the next influx of guests. A blacksmith waved his hammer hard, making sure that all the royal army’s blades were sharp before their journey continued. Horses worked hard in the fields plowing the way for wheat and corn.

The winters were never harsh nor were the summers. For those who thought Crosspoint was too humid, too scorching, and for those who believed Norkden was too cold, it was perfect. A river ran through the center. Fishermen traveled up and down all day and night. Boys and girls swung swords around practicing to become knights and soldiers. Some floated water up in the air hoping to end up in Bloodstone or a Lord’s cast or better yet a King’s. My fingers interlocked with Carter’s. I began to plant kisses on the younger woman’s neck. I hummed softly, enjoying her warm body against mine. The beginning of summer should have been relatively warm and yet a storm covered my lover’s hair in white flakes. Dark clouds covered the sun. Thunder roared above us.

“Are you cold, Princess?” A toothy grin crossed her face, as she looked at me.

“Always.” I squeezed her arms tighter. My hands gripped her’s as they plastered across my stomach. I wonder if you could turn into a dragon. I nuzzled my freezing face into her warm, fast beating chest.

The town I looked forward to on every journey North had turned into one of complete desolation. Most of the buildings were boarded up with nothing but darkness inside. Two feet of snow melted into my boots. My Shifter jumped at another boom. I pressed myself up against her. The wet snow attached itself to my skin, weighing us both down. The inn’s giant windows barely flowed. No rooms echoed with anything living. No children screamed as they tackled one another. Carter’s warm hands moved above my own, protecting them. I felt her head cock, then looked around. She let out a gasp forcing me to jump in front of her.

Blindly, I raised my palms. Energy welled up. Carter gripped my shoulder and pointed to the left. I followed her gaze. The wheat field appeared devoid of any plants but life, still as it was, remained. A group of people stood in all black. Many had heavy coats on or thick boots, all covered in patches. Plenty huddled together around a large fire. I used my hand to shield my eyes from the impounding snow. A woman wailed in front of the pyre. Two young girls ran to her side. Tears streamed down their faces, freezing to their soft skin. Carter, I honestly think void of any impulse control, ran to the gathering. Ashlyn, even devoid of impulse control, chased her. Freddy, like a bunny, bounced in the holes they left behind.

“That’s a funeral, right?” Vincent asked.

“We both know it is.”

“Maybe they need a mournful lament!” Zahyn started to run. His foot caught the snow and he fell face first into the cold.

“I am actually starting to appreciate his presence,” Shadow muttered sarcastically.

“Let us go before one of them ends up on fire and not by my own design.”

Graciously, I stepped in the holes Carter made. I tried not to make a noise as I caught myself. Maybe trying not to fall is pretty hard. I jumped over a particularly small drift. As I approached, it became clear most of the funeralgoers were women. In fact, only three men stood out to me. Or two men and a young boy who still drank from his mother’s breast. An elderly man held tightly onto his cane. A leg was missing from below him. He limped over to a much younger woman, resting against her. The little boy cried in his mother’s arms. He cried out a weak spring of syllables. Daddy. He wailed and wailed as the cold wind carried his hood off revealing shaggy blonde hair. The mother held him close and whispered something into his round ears. The third male turned around. His eyes locked onto Carter. My Kalpea was busy making a little girl laugh.

I narrowed my eyes as he continued to stare at Ears. My horns attempted to break my skull. He was so average. I clenched my fists. Brown hair tucked itself under a thick fur cap. His pale face held a soft smile. It sent a shiver down my spine. Carter must have sensed it. Her head shot up from the little girl. She furrowed her brow like she always did whenever she thought. I watched as she guided the little girl back to her guardian before jogging back over to me. Her face was wet with melted snow. It turned a dark shade of pink. I could feel the sting of her cheeks. She wiped it with her long sleeve.

“There are not any men.” I ignored the one who continued to stare at Carter.

“No.” She hugged herself as the wind picked up. “It is a funeral, though. The fire. They’re burning her.”

“Really?” I raised my brow.

“Yeah,” Carter continued oblivious to my sarcasm. “Apparently, they found some girl murdered.” Her face turned downward. She moved closer to me. Her eyes stared up at me. Fingers played with the strings of my pants. “She- Well- The man- The murderer he well- you did things.” Her chest rose quick. Her heartbeat pounded in my ears.

“Did they tell you that?”

“No.” She frowned. “I overheard them whispering. The little girl was her cousin.” Carter shrugged. “Poor thing could barely get out any words. The woman had gone missing for a few days and suddenly she turned up dead on the bridge.” She tried to point it out but the thick storm clouded our view. “The ground’s too cold. Her mother’s afraid to wait. She’s scared a banshee will come from the corpse unless she’s burned.”

“What the fuck?” I pulled myself into her, crushing her arms. I glared at the man. “I want to deal with these Larken as quickly as possible.”

“I didn’t hear anything about them. With everything going on, I doubt they even know there’s a nest.”

“What is that, my spy?”

“The boys, nearly all of them except for that one over there, are gone. The ones fourteen and older are all at Blood Pool but the littler ones are missing!” She looked over her shoulder like a monster was going to jump out of nowhere. “I seriously doubt Larken are snatching their children without them noticing.” She looked around with her eyebrows raised. Blush traveled across her cheeks. “Am I a good spy?” She played with the top of my shirt. Her sculpted arms looked funny scrunched up against me.

“The best.” She growled, showing all of her sharp fangs.

“Thank you, Princess.” She swung her arm around my shoulders. “I’ll keep us safe! My ears perk at every noise!”

“Did you not ask me ‘what’ five times last night?” Ashlyn called out to her.

“Ope!” The girl ducked her head. “Let’s get to that nest, eh, Princess?”

Carter walked in front, shielding me from the snow with her arm. Ashlyn walked firmly in my shadow trying to avoid the wind. Zahyn hugged a tree as the wind threatened to send him flying. Freddy held onto Shadow. Vincent threw his visor down. His armor moved stiff and awkward, almost freezing in place. I held on tightly to the Shifter’s t-shirt. I had already voiced my opinion on her New World clothes but she remained in her stance to wear whatever she wanted. She is rather cute in them. Her reclaimed cloak whipped around, occasionally slapping my face. A groan left my mouth. I snapped my fingers, turning it rigid. The fabric fell down heavily across my shoulder.

The nest was right on top of the populace. My love pulled out the map. I looked over her shoulder, enjoying the heat that radiated from her. She bit her bottom lip in concentration. We all scanned the abandoned buildings. We hadn’t even left the village but instead found ourselves in the middle of a neighborhood. The snow continued climbing. It reached up to my knees. I shivered all the more violently.

“Princess,” Carter dragged out. She tucked the map into the waistband of her boxers. She slipped her backpack around and started fishing through it. She grabbed the yellow sweatshirt I took a liking to.

“Thank you.” I slipped it over my shirt which just so happened to expose my midriff. Then I rewrapped my cloak around me. I was tempted to climb in her arms and have her carry me around.

“Guys, where the fuck are we supposed to go?” Zahyn asked.

“Google Maps would be pretty helpful right about now.”

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“Agreed,” Ears told the blonde.

I grabbed the map from Carter. She turned three shades darker. I smirked before opening up the parchment. My finger trailed around the X. I jolted. My mouth hung open. A loud crack snapped in my ears. Ice formed thick in my veins. The world turned hazy. Carter’s red earrings turned gray. She froze in place. Her breath stopped right in front of her. Everyone and everything else joined her. The color was sucked from the world. Fifty different shades of gray crossed my field of vision. A movement among the stillness forced my eyes to strain and focus. I moved from Carter’s side.

The house’s walls posed no barrier. I witnessed the creature move slowly in the interior. The outline of its body glowed white, not like the snow but of the moon. I saw its heart pump in its chest. It was a war drum. Pitch black as it forced blood throughout the body. Our heartbeats synced up the closer I got. I watched it bend down and press its beak against something. Ignoring the snow that pressed against my ankles, I pushed through the storm. The door to the house cracked open just enough for me to squeeze through. A small drift of snow had formed inside the abandoned building. I walked through it. The wood creaked with every step I took. A small, light giggle pierced my ears. A child?

The tiny little toddler crawled on top of the Larken. She pulled on its feathers only getting a gentle nudge from the creature. It bowed its head at me. I stared down at them. I wonder… How many parents have I killed? Or children? I gulped. I walked closer. The little girl slid down, hiding beneath her guardian’s hind legs.

“I am going to turn you back.”

The Larken cocked its head. Its beak clacked together. I inhaled the breath I was holding in. Time resumed. Ears walked up beside me. She grabbed my thumb, a tendency to do rather than hold my actual hand. I pressed my free palm against the creature’s forehead. The icy chill hardened. It grew braver, taking hold of my breath. Frost excited my mouth. A rip occurred in my skull. Newly grown horns promptly displayed themselves. My lower back became so frozen I thought I would snap. Carter twitched her jaw. Sweat ran along her cheek. Her eyes stared intently at my tail. It slipped out from underneath her sweatshirt. I looked back into their eyes. I whispered the words low and slow.

I saw myself. I was not beside Carter, nor was I a banished princess. I appeared so young and small. Weak. Blood dripped down my face. Tears drained from my eyes spilling down like a storm. The body my mind appeared trapped in lowered itself down to my face. I couldn’t hear what he said to me but he spoke. I could feel the mouth I occupied move. A claw retracted out and he marked me.

Screams forced me into a different reality. I was back in my own body. Pain washed over me. I bathed in it. My muscles split and turned to fire. Around me, others were screaming. Their bodies twisted and convulsed. Glass bottles with remnants of black sludge rolled around. Ooze dripped from their lips. Clars erupted from my fingertips. A scream that would make the Gods cry, escaped my mouth.

“Thank you so much!” The mother wrapped her around me. I gripped Carter’s arm, feeling some warmth return to me. My Shifter held an extra cloak in her hand. She tapped my hand with a gentle smile. I nodded and let go. Quickly, she wrapped the woman up. Soon, the mother and child were holding each other again. Sobbing. Carter squinted her eyes, glassy water coated them.

“There are others,” I stated.

“Yes! The other houses! That’s where they are!” She squeezed her little girl closer.

“How- what?” Ashlyn ran into the house. She looked at me and then the woman. “How did you turn into one?”

“A sickness had made its way into the town. We couldn’t get medicine… There’s no money and supplies from the Emperor and the Coldhearts stopped sending support. We couldn’t supply them with any more soldiers!” She broke into tears. “My sons! Philip was just fourteen when they ripped him from me! He couldn’t even lift up a sword and they expected him to fight!” She sobbed louder and louder. “Kemp’s just twelve and they were eyeing him when they last came through but he ran off. A monster took him!”

“A Larken?” Vincent questioned.

“No! It was tiny! It sang a song so sickly sweet!” She shook her head. “No, no… This was my fault. A woman with fire hair came through. She promised us health. We thought it was medicine! We all drank it except Clara.” The woman looked down at her daughter. “She wasn’t sick. Thank Icerion herself that she didn’t. The pain!” Ears pulled out a cloth and handed it to her. “Thank you! Thank you both so much!”

We went to the next house and the next. By the fourth house, I needed to lean against Carter. My mind became foggy. I could barely think. I was freezing. I wanted to be wrapped up in her in front of a roaring fire. Ears placed my arms around her neck. She scooped me up in her strong arms, whispering something about an inn. I rested my head against her chest. Her heart fluttered as I cast a weak gaze up. Her brow furrowed, a serious strain crossed her face, one I had yet to see. It softened as she watched me lull into a slumber.

I woke up in a warm bed that smelled like cedar. Three blankets piled on top of me including Carter’s sleeping bag. My fingers ran over the slick material. A warm arm draped over me with my head on a rather heated chest. A hand massaged my shoulder, occasionally brushing my hair behind my face. A couple of candles burned on a desk. A fire slowly died across from me. They weren’t enough to provide the white light I was seeing. I turned my head up to see Ears lying beneath me. Her head rested up against two pillows. She quietly chewed on the bottom of her lip. The black hood of her sweatshirt hung over her face. It remained illuminated by a white fluorescent light. She had out her laptop along the portion of her legs I wasn’t entangled in. Voices quietly came from the speaker. I leaned over, seeing a bearded man force a little boy to hold a block of wood while he chopped it. I instantly glared my eyes.

“That is awful!”

“Good morning- Night- Umm, you’re awake!” Carter kissed my forehead. I purred at her touch. “I love Ryan Reynolds. If I were straight, he’d be my man but in this role, he’s a fucking dick.” She paused the movie with a chuckle. “This movie scared the shit out of me as a kid though. It’s based off a true story and everything!” She waved her hands around. “A family moved in and all these weird fucking creepy things started happening! They even saw a creepy pig! That’s like a sign of the goddamn Devil or something! They ended up leaving in the middle of the night like a month later!”

“The Devil? You have them as well.”

“Yeah, it’s like Christianity's bad guy…” I nodded and sat up to better look at her speak. A loose around hugged my waist while I held onto her hand. “It’s like the main religion on Earth because of a lot of shitty not so good reasons. Anyway, there’s like God and the Devil. God has heaven which is for those who repent their sins and the Devil has hell which is to torture sinners. There’s a lot of guilt involved.” Her smile faded a little.

“Oh…” I chewed my lip. “Do you believe in that?”

“Not really.” She scratched the back of her neck. “I mean kinda yes and no. I believe in being a good person I guess but my ideals align with Frozen more than anything… I don’t do things because I wanna score points with Icerion if she exists. I do the things in the books because I care about nature, people, and animals... Plus it's kinda fun to go against my insanely Baptist grandma.”

“I understand the strife one has with religion. In Sorrow, there are three Gods. The first is the God of Lust, the second is the God of Despair, and the third is the God of Responsibility.” I bit my lip. “There is no hell but there are several after lifes. Those who enjoy their life fucking and enjoying themselves all around get to have a great afterlife unburdened by stress. Those who do not enjoy themselves must deal with responsibilities. The Gods do not judge. It allows people to choose how to cope with their sorrowful lives by living free. As for devils, we have many. They make deals and live on different planes. Some are fun, some are evil, and some are too good and it annoys me.”

“That’s fascinating.” I smirked down at her as she gazed at me. I shifted on top of her waist.

“Oh, it is?” I fiddled with the strings of her sweatshirt. “I have never cared for religion especially when Sorrow’s was just made up by a horny king who promoted some random lords as priests. Hundreds of years later it has the highest population in the entire Empire, not to mention STDs.” I played with her wild hair. “But your movie sounds very good, love. I don’t believe in ghosts but it sounds scary.” She snorted at that.

“It’s terrifying! I love it- Also ghosts are real!” She squealed. She reached to press play then stopped. “Oh my God!” The blood drained from her face. “I’m a horrible girlfriend! Are you okay?” She grabbed my face. I could hear her heartbeat spike.

“Of course, Ears.” I chuckled and grabbed her hands. I stopped once I saw the seriousness on her face.

“No, I’m fucking awful. You can be mad. You are completely valid in being mad. I’m not trying to tell you to not be mad. I’m not trying to take attention off of you either! Just scream at me.” I grabbed her hands. My eyes widened.

“I am great. You are great. I am not mad and you are not in trouble.” Her breath hitched.

“Really?” She stuttered. I felt her entire body relax beneath.

“Baby, why would I be mad? You brought me to bed. Clearly, I used too much energy. You took care of me.”

“Because I didn’t ask you right away. I didn’t make you feel important and I wasn’t on top of you right away.” She fiddled with her fingers.

“I wanted to know about your movie.” I stroked her cheek. She jumped a little but softened into my palm. “Hey, I’m sorry, darling.” I brought my palms to my chest. “I’m not going to grab you.” I made sure my voice was soft and low. She took my hand, bringing it back to her face.

“Thank you…” She practically whispered. Tears pricked out of her eyes. “I’m sorry… I am so sorry. I don’t know what came over me… It’s this fucking animal inside of me.”

“Don’t apologize, sweetheart.” Her mouth twitched, and a small smile formed.

“You make me wild, babe.” I gasped as she yanked me into her. I was nearly crushed to death but I guess we all have to die at some point.

I wrapped myself up in her. I rested my head back on her chest as she watched her movie. I played with her fingers. I messed with the bracelet on her wrist. At certain points, the film caught my attention but I mainly focused on her. My head had become clear once again. I felt confident enough to blow the candles out with my palms. I reached forward, adjusting the light of her laptop, dimming it. Ears eventually fell asleep with a line of drool running down the corner of her mouth. I held her and stared down. I tucked a strand of hair behind her sweet ears. I ran my fingers along her lips. I held her until a tickle in my throat forced me away. I slipped from the room admiring the the ice bracelet around my wrist. My heart clenched.

“Morgan.” Before I could return with a glass of water, Vincent called out to me. I turned around and took a sip. It was cold. Everything was cold. I longed for Carter’s arms. He stood in a pair of thin cloth shorts with his arms crossed over his bare, hairless chest. “You over exerted yourself today… That Shifter had to carry you.”

“I did not realize my new abilities had such quick limits…. There is still so much more to do.” I took another long sip. “Sorry, father.”

“Ashlyn, you could have her. She is a healer for Responsibilities sake! There is a fucking Stalker bard to help! Maybe even the Prince! How about me? Your bodyguard! Oh yes and then there are the two fucking animals! One is stunted and the other one you are bedding!”

“Are you pissed?” I cocked my head.

“You are going to get yourself killed! Ask for some goddamn help!”

“I can do it myself.”

“Just like Bloodstone…”

“Don’t you fucking dare!” I slammed my finger in his face.

“You will end up dead before you end up on that fucking throne. Your Shifter will not always be around to save you.