/The Change/
The chamber they took him to was dark and dank. He knew they were underground, the air was cool and stale and quite dry. The forest they had captured him in on the other hand was fresh and moist, it reminded him of his home island. The ocean kept the air there nice, but salty.
The youth shook his head quickly.
“This collar… It’s affecting me, making my mind wander.”
He knew he had to focus, that was the only way he’d get out of this mess. He still couldn’t understand it. He was alone in the clearing one moment and then surrounded by three lycanthropes the next. Wolves at that, the most violent of the known species. He was baffled by the fact that they were in their changed form though, the moon was no where near being full at the time. Had they been in their human forms, then they would have posed no real threat, except for their mage…
“Sorceress, actually.”
Crystalline blue eyes snapped to the bars of the earthen cage. A tall, busty woman stood looking at him with a steely, critical gaze. Her upswept, black hair and light cerulean eyes gave them a similar look and the long, crimson dress she was wearing, combined with her hair style and sleek features gave her a sultry air. Her ruby lips suddenly turned up in a smile.
“I do look good, don’t I? I know I’m hardly your ‘type‘, though.”
His head jerked back involuntarily, his longish hair swaying with the movement.
“I also happen to be a Telepath.”
‘A Telepath? That’s new.’
The voice that answered him was definitely in his head.
‘Oh yes, that’s exactly what I am.’
At the surprised look on the other’s face, she chuckled.
“And I’m quite good at what I do. Not that I have to be at the moment. That collar holds your power in check, thus opening your mind to me without resistance.”
At the mention of the awful thing around his neck, Alex touched the Inhibiter before glancing at the woman in irritation.
“So, why am I still alive?”
She chuckled again, mirthlessly, though the sound itself seemed sexual.
“You get right to the point, don’t you?”
He arched a single, dark brow.
“Actually, my main point of curiosity is how you defeated me so easily…”
She shook her head, the few escaped curls of her hair moving as well.
“I would hardly use the word ’easily’. It was hard to bypass your defenses. They are… impressive for one so young.
As to how I defeated you, it’s an old secret, and not one I’m likely to share. Particularly with a human.”
He thought back to how the effect of his undoing felt. He reached for his power to strike down his enemies, but when he attempted to speak the Ancient words to cast his spell, they simply wouldn’t leave his throat. It was as though some great force was stopping them from coming out. The power was there, but he couldn’t direct it towards his enemies. It rendered him basically helpless. He was a caster, a Magician, not a warrior.
‘The power was there, but I couldn’t use it…’
His eyes narrowed in suspicion before suddenly widening in shock and a bit of begrudging admiration.
“You… suppressed my magic. How-?”
Her eyes lit up as she snapped at him.
“I’m a Sorceress. The spirits I command know many secrets and allow me to do many things…”
The Magician lowered his gaze in thought, but the strange woman continued, this time with an odd glint to her cerulean eyes.
“You wished to train as a Sorcerer?”
He glanced at her briefly before moving to sit against the wall opposite the bars.
“I did.”
Her eyes took on their scrutinizing look once more as she skimmed through his surface thoughts.
“Ah, they wouldn’t let you.”
He closed his eyes as he leaned his head back against the cold earth of his cell.
“Why am I here?”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she crossed her arms in a relaxed fashion, not that he saw this of course.
“You like your secrets, don’t you? And you’re obviously very clever and, I sense, cunning. Traits that we werewolves find very useful.”
His eyes slid open slowly, but he continued staring at the ceiling. His mind was racing faster than it ever had before. That statement and the way it was said… She couldn’t possibly mean-
Her voice was amused now, very much so.
“Mean what? That I’m considering turning you?”
She shook her head hesitantly.
“That decision would not be mine to make, but the Shaman‘s.”
He leveled his gaze with hers without getting up. His clear, icy blue eyes were enough to make even her shiver.
“But you want to. You want to make me into a lycan.”
Again, her eyes narrowed and her crossed arms tightened and were far from relaxed.
“You see much. Your ability of perception is… quite keen.”
As he opened his mouth to say something more, a large man stalked down the hall. His brown hair was shot through with gray and his brown eyes had a few flecks of emerald coloring and could even be called beautiful. He was obviously made up of nothing but muscle and his stocky form was impressive.
He turned to the woman and nodded his head deeply in difference to her presence, which she returned in a much more subtle way, before coming to the cage and unlocking the bars. The young man came to his feet quickly. He knew he couldn’t escape, but he hardly wanted to be yanked up off of the floor.
The other came to him and took his left arm in his hand. The grip was solid, but, surprisingly, it wasn’t painful and instead of dragging the youth through the opening and down the hall, he guided him in a formal manner. Hearing light foot steps on the stone floor, he turned his head to look behind the guard and himself. Blue met blue as the mysterious woman followed them at a distance. She smiled at him almost reassuringly, surprising him none to little.
He watched in silent amazement as the dirt-walled and stone-floored tunnels slowly became sophisticated stone hallways. The architecture and levels of ingenuity that appeared to have gone into this place was obvious even to him. It was nothing short of amazing.
He looked to the guard hesitantly as he was turned down another and equally impressive corridor.
“So, did you do all of this yourselves?”
He hadn’t expected a response, so when one came in a gruff, guttural voice he was duly intrigued.
“Our ancestors constructed this place and their closer descendents added onto it. We have simply inherited it by privilege of birth.”
As the captive went to say something else, he was silenced by the sudden appearance of magnificent double doors. They were large by his standards and extremely ornate, gold and jewel encrusted with writing in the Ancient Tongue. As they slowly opened he read the words, ’Be vicious, ruthless, but never cruel or unjust. Never let yourself become twisted.’ He liked that saying quite a bit.
When they entered the room beyond, his breath was taken once more. It was a throne room and duly breathtaking after all. Everything was wooden, but still with gold inlay and a sparkling jewel here and there. The room glittered in a magnificent way without being too ostentatious. Most human nables would have been left speechless and ashamed.
His gaze was then drawn to the great figure sitting on the dark, wooden throne at the far end of the room. The throne itself was large and while the wood was almost black as though it had been burned, it was still in obviously perfect condition. The gold inlay was bolder but the only gem adorning it was at the center of its high back, a perfectly shaped onyx stone. To either side of the throne were two other chairs. All four were dark, but none as dark as the throne and instead of gold, they bared silver inlays. The seat to the immediate left had a single, perfectly cut sapphire at its head, while the seat to the far left had an amethyst. The seat to the immediate right had a single ruby while the far right had an impressive emerald.
Together, they were all amazing, but nothing could dwarf the man sitting on the throne itself. His hair was blond and quite long, reaching past his shoulders easily. It was swept back and straight but with enough volume and shine that it glittered like gold. His eyes were dark, almost black, and piercing, as though he could cut through to your soul in an instant. He had a full, tiered goatee that seemed more white than golden blond, but somehow managed to accent his light skin perfectly. His robes were simple but still seemed fit for this great court, if for no other reason than being on him. He wore no crown but his bearing was more than enough to mark him as ruler, but more than any of this, his presence was… incredible. A true force of nature in its own right. He made the court seem alive and held in check at the same time. This was defiantly their King.
To his far left sat a woman who was dressed in warriors leather with close cropped hair and to the immediate right was a man who looked ancient. His hair was gray and white and in an unruly, frayed style while his deeply tanned skin was also deeply creased. His eyes were milky white but he looked dead at the prisoner as if he saw everything perfectly. It was rather disturbing.
The farther the three walked into the chamber, the quieter it got. Conversations halted and dancing came to a stop as the music died down. The drink bearers even stopped in their tracks and no one seemed to care in the least. It had suddenly become as though they were the only things worthy of attention.
‘It’s you. You’re the first human to enter this hall in over three centuries. You’re bound to captivate everyone.’
The young man barely kept from jerking in surprise, although he did noticeably trip over his right foot. The guard actually stopped and let him right himself, showing a measure of patience and possibly kindness. The youth smiled at the man- the lycan in thanks. The smile was not returned, but the eyes seemed to warm a bit.
As they finally made it to the dais on which the thrones sat, the guard released his arm and after giving him one more kind look stepped onto the dais and walked over to the immediate right throne, taking his seat there. The youth kept his surprise from registering. That is, until the woman stepped onto the dais as well, taking the throne to the far left. He was sure the shock crept into his eyes.
‘Not that I should be surprised. I should have figured…’
But when the King’s gaze fixed on him and him alone, he suddenly lost the ability to think. He could only focus on the king and his steady, heavy gaze. Until the elderly man spoke.
“You have been brought here to be judged.”
The voice was almost reedy and some how musical. It was quite creepy.
‘I heard that…’
He quickly glanced to the lady and caught her amused smirk. It somehow helped him to summon a greater measure of courage.
“And what is my crime, master?”
The old man arched a bushy eyebrow.
“You trespassed. The forest you were in belongs to us.”
The young man sensed the question hidden in the elder’s simple sentences.
“I went there intending to hide.”
He let the ensuing silence lengthen. He refused to be the only one asking questions. Finally the old man gave in with an aggravated huff.
“Hide from…?”
The young man looked down suddenly, not wanting to answer but knowing that he must. He had no choice in the matter.
Suddenly the lady spoke to him. Her voice was now soft and comforting
“Alex, please speak.”
“I was attacked. I used my magic to defend myself. It got out of control though, and my attackers died. I had to escape the authorities.”
The old man leaned back in his chair while the King leaned a bit forward. The woman to the right sat impassively while the man narrowed his eyes and decided to take part in the questioning.
“You could not explain to them the situation?”
Alex closed his eyes in memory.
“I come from Corsek. I was betrothed to the heiress, Princess Alshay Corsek. I refused to marry her. It was her family who ordered me attacked. They rule the city and they own the authority there. Nothing I said would have mattered.”
The old man turned his blind eyes on the lady.
“What he says is true. There are no lies.”
The old man returned his gaze to the youth while the man to the right continued.
“But why come here? There is a strong human nation between the island of Corsek and our forests.”
“Yes, but they are beholden to the Corsek family through their city-state’s vast armada and monopoly on ebony deposits. They would have hunted me as well and given me over to my enemies.”
The King leaned forward suddenly as if tired of these questions. His voice was deep but sweet. It was a charmer’s voice and that fact alone put Alex on guard immediately.
“Tell me Alex, why did you neither fight back nor run from the scouts who found you?”
Alex turned the question over and over in his own mind before considering his answer carefully.
‘Do not fear. This question has no malicious designs behind it. Answer freely.’
Alex locked eyes with the King, a gesture which seemed to surprise many in the hall, causing many gasps to echo through out the still too silent room.
“My power was stripped from me. I am no fighter. I was faced with three obvious threats and at least one hidden caster. To run would have been futile and to fight would have meant death, or something close to it.”
The King’s eyes suddenly became scrutinizing.
“And to be captured?”
“Meant survival, at least for a time. Long enough perhaps to find a means of escape, or at least lengthen my short life.”
He had no idea what that answer meant to him, but the King’s face suddenly turned up into a smile. Whether it was genuine or had something else hiding behind it, Alex couldn’t tell, but at least it was a smile. He watched as all of them closed their eyes and could sense the sudden tension that pervaded the room. The woman to the right never changed facial expressions but the man did. His face went from serious to grim but then shifted to something softer with an edge of triumph. The lady’s did much the same, but she never showed any signs of grimness or worry, but her face showed a steely will until her eyes opened again. The elder’s face seemed pinched in the beginning before becoming twisted with anger and then resignation and the King never let his placid smile fade while continuing to appear serious and mildly reproachful.
When all of their eyes had opened, the elder simply looked away from Alex, staring past him at the wall while the lady had a small smile upon her red-painted lips. It was the King who spoke though, in his deceptive, charmer’s tongue.
“By unanimous decision, we have decided to bring you into the fold.”
Alex’s mind was racing once more. He could hardly understand these implications.
“The fold?”
“As a lycan. As a werewolf.”
Alex took a step back.
“Do I have a choice in this?”
The King’s smile never faltered.
“Of course. You can join us… or die. Your choice.”
Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“So, you have to bite me?”
The King’s smile became quite smug and satisfied.
“Yes, one of us must bite you. I shall do the honors.”
Alex saw as both the man and lady’s heads suddenly snapped around to gaze at the King in shock and the elder closed his eyes as if pained. Even the woman gave the King a cool, detached look.
As the King stood, Alex was able to see his build more clearly. He was tall, at least two heads taller than Alex, and he was muscular, but not overly so, with a slender waist. As he stepped down from the dais, Alex took another involuntary step back.
“Do not fear, young Alex. It’s almost painless.”
Before Alex could say anything else, the other moved with inhuman speed, faster than Alex could see, and snatched him clear off of the ground with one arm around his waist and the other hand buried in his inky, black hair pulling his head back to expose his neck.
When he sunk his teeth into Alex’s neck, the boy couldn’t help but cry out in pain and clutch at the King’s robes. It felt as though his whole body had been set on fire, it was so hot and he knew he was suddenly sweating. His eyes were squeezed shut and his mouth still opened in a silent scream when he was set back on the floor.
Instead of letting him fall to the ground, the King simply stood there holding his spasm-wracked form. He didn’t feel it when his eyes started leaking tears. It felt like a large, white hot needle was being run through his bones over and over again, but the King continued to hold onto him until the shaking stopped. The pain eventually passed , but he wasn’t even conscious when they finally did. The King looked down at his first ever changeling. This boy was his now and he would hopefully prove to be invaluable.
This would be a time of change. The Wolf King would see to it.
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