Ryza shut her eyes feeling the flare ups of magic around her. No matter what the Sanctum called their hunters they used magic as far as she was concerned. But beyond that, she could hear the screams. She could hear the ripping and the tearing and the howling.
Her back pressed against a fallen wall she gripped her shovel tightly. She shifted and let out a whimper. Gazing at her arm she saw the blood-soaked cloth of her shirt. Felt the deep gouges of the claws that had nearly taken her arm off. On her opposite side she felt the teeth that had almost torn her shoulder off and instead just left deep bite marks.
Panting heavily, she shut her eyes and felt it near her. The ghost crouched beside her glaring over the wall, “I told you that one was dangerous. That we should have left her behind. Now look at you.”
“Shut up,” she grunted trying to steady her breathing.
“Look at yourself Ryza. Your knocking on death’s door right now,” it said.
An explosion echoed getting both of their attention and they both looked toward the sky. Ryza shielded her eyes and the ghost continued to stare. “I’ve been there before. I’m going to save her. I won’t abandon her to be a monster!”
“Are you willing to die for that?”
“I refuse to let someone else I care about die! I refuse to lose someone else!” She shouted glaring at the ghost of her brother. “And if I die so be it.”
Grabbing the shaft of her shovel she leaned on it and pushed herself to her feet. She nearly fell from the pain in her limbs but sucked in a breath and continued to move forward. Leaning against the broken wall she limped forward and glared out at the destroyed city. First, she saw the bodies of the ground. Armored hunters and regular people crushed, hewn, and torn apart by claws or fangs.
Her power radiated and eagerly reached toward these fresh corpses and the souls that lingered behind. Never could a fresher petri dish exist for a necromancer. Just taking a deep breath she felt energized and could almost ignore the pain from her recent wounds. Shuddering out a breath she flipped her shovel around and dragged it against the ground.
Her eyes glowed silver and her magic seeped away from her like hungering scavengers. It reached out and latched onto the bodies and then into the air. Grabbing onto what it could and filling it with undead life. She felt the connection to them as if they were piano keys getting added to her instrument.
“Ryza. Ryza please help me.”
She paused and looked at the sound of the voice. She turned her silver gaze onto a body that was dragging itself forward. Her own magic hadn’t latched onto this one. She looked closely and she recognized the face. It was Ryan. One of his legs had been crushed and he was bleeding profusely from a wound above his eye. She looked past him and saw a collapsed hut. There were a couple of bodies around the area but not many. He must have been trying to help others and caught in the crossfire himself.
“Ryza that’s you right? I don’t know what happened,” he groaned. “Something. Something attacked us. Tore through us like a beast. A demon. A monster.”
Ryza closed her eyes frowning hard and then crouched reaching toward him. “Give me your hand Ryan. I’ll find a safe place for you.”
He reached toward her and then looked into her eyes. As he did, she could watch his expression morph and change. It turned fearful, angry, and ugly. He slapped her hand away and then doubled over in pain. “You’re one of them. A mage! You lied to us! This. This is your fault. You caused this! You’re one of those monsters. Is Snow a monster too? Was this your plan?”
Ryza’s expression turned colder and colder as he spoke and she stood up. Once upon a time, his words would have hurt her. But this is what she had expected from them. From the Sanctum. These were their true colors. “It’s hard for people like us in this world. We’re the monsters.” She gasped looking toward the ghost at her side. Watched its shape change again to a face that she knew she’d never see again. The ghost of her father didn’t look at her but said, “The ones we choose have to be truly loyal. Is she worth all this?”
Blinking slowly, she dragged her shovel closer. “You’re right. I am a monster. And I’m going to save my monster friend. And you’re going to help me do it.”
She grabbed the shovel and brought the blade down into his back. He jerked letting out a cry. And then Ryza’s magic dove into him directly and she watched him struggle. Watched him resist and then watched the life leave him slowly. She wondered how many others from their caravan were dead in the streets. How many had she brought back to serve as her makeshift militia. She didn’t bother to check.
Bringing back her shovel she watched Ryan stand, his eyes glowing white and dead. He fell into line behind her with the two dozen others. And her magic still continued to spread to find more. Coughing and spitting blood onto the cobblestones she looked toward the distance. She heard a howl and her heartbeat quickened. Taking a forced step forward she kept going leading her zombies.
Before she could turn the corner and face what was on the other side a blast of golden light struck her in the face. Stumbling backward, if not for her shovel she would have fallen. Scowling she looked at the source and recognized one of the hunters. Their armor was splashed with blood and one of their arms hung loosely at their side. Their face was hidden behind a helmet but they pointed at Ryza with a glowing knife.
“Heretical sower of chaos. You brought this doom upon our doorstep.”
Rubbing the bruise above her eye she nodded slowly, “I did. Though I’m not the only danger you let into your walls. Though it’s irrelevant to you. You won’t be living long enough to regret the choices you have made. Nor long enough to stop me.”
“May the father’s light purge your sin and you from this land,” They held the knife up, making a symbol with their hand, and then thrust it at Ryza.
Golden bars descended from the sky and pierced both of Ryza’s feet. She cried out feeling the pain and then watched another manifest and fly at her chest. Before it could connect one of her zombies sprinted forward taking the hit and falling to the ground. Ryza glared at the hunter and raised her hand to the sky.
Manifesting from the ether itself a trio of spirits descended upon the hunter. The souls were so recently deceased they wore their forms when previously living. A man wielding a pickaxe, a woman with a hammer, and another hunter. They descended upon this wounded hunter striking at their body. Hacking them open with their weapons and finally tearing them apart.
Ryza’s eyes watched his body fall apart and watched his soul depart. That was the moment she was looking for. Reaching with her hand forward she closed it into a fist and caught his soul. She turned and pulled it, attaching her strings like a puppet, and added them to the army.
Looking at her feet she saw the golden bars disappear but the pain was still there. Each step was painful but she did her best to ignore it. Turning the corner, she heard another howl and then saw her. She had seen this form before. Back when they were out on the prairies. Standing tall, multiple eyes and long claws. Her usually pristine white fur was streaked with blood both her own and the others.
This form was different though. Her fur was like matted sinew. Her fingers and claws had merged to the point where it was hard to parse where finger ended and claw began. Her limbs were long and gangly as if not meant for the body they were attached to. And worst of all was her back. At first, Ryza thought they were spears but the closer she looked the more she realized they were just bones thinly covered by skin.
Her jaw split into four parts and she roared. Ryza winced mumbling, “Oh Snow. What’s happened to you?”
There were bodies littering the ground around her but there was another dozen hunters alive surrounding her. Each one was holding a weapon bathed in golden light. She could see the priest wielding his staff and calling commands for their formations. Two jumping and distracting her, avoiding the claws. A pair on the damaged rooftop peppering her with crossbow bolts.
“Keep the beast occupied. Split its focus and it will be brought down!” the priest shouted thrusting his staff forward. A bolt of light flew from it slamming into her head.
Snow howled and slammed her paw down on the ground. She crushed one of the hunters but the others rounded on her immediately digging their glowing weapons into her arm. She stumbled backward and lunged mouth first at another hunter. Her mouth closed around their chest, picking them up and shaking them back and forth like a doll. She snarled and threw them into the hunters on the walls forcing them to scatter.
“Father this beast is too formidable,” a hunter said limping toward the priest. “We can’t subdue it.”
“Patience child. Now we mount our offense,” he shoved his staff into the ground and pointed at Snow. The tip glowed and the skies above opened up. Snow looked up as well and watched bars of golden light strike down on her. The first came down piercing her forepaw and then another pierced her leg.
Two of the hunters ran forward their hands glowing. They jumped and spread their hands, golden chains appearing in their palms. They launched them forward wrapping them around her, pulling them taught, and dragging her down. She fought against them but another bar came down piercing her arm.
“Now go my sons. Finish this beast,” the priest commanded. “Cleanse our cit-“
He choked through his words blood exploding from his mouth. He looked down at the sword piercing his chest. He reached toward it when another blade pierced his stomach and then neck. Ryza walked forward pointing with her hand spurring the rest of the zombies to break into a run.
They dove and brought down the hunters they could get their hands on. Some managed to recover and swung their blessed weapons but they were too many for them to stave off. The ones on the walls fired with their crossbow bolts providing support. That was when the spirits descended from above, their spectral hands proving far more effective than anything material.
The screams of the dead and living intermingled into a macabre chorus but Ryza focused on her friend. She watched Snow stumble back to her feet. Her sides heaved with her panting but all of her eyes focused on Ryza. She snarled lurching toward her and Ryza set her shovel into the ground. Taking a slow breath, she reached out with both her hands and saw Snow again. Buried deep within the tissue of this beast.
Ryza’s fingers glowed as she thrust one hand forward and felt her soul leave her body. The first time she’d ever done something like this. She’d theorized this with her research but the next step was something else entirely.
Once her soul left its shell it floated forward and then surged going straight toward Snow. Snow’s many eyes widened watching the spirit fly at her. It moved and swatted at it but it couldn’t touch it. Ryza’s soul dove straight into Snow’s body and her consciousness went blank, everything going white.
When the disorienting sensation finally wore off, Ryza felt a massive headache behind her eyes. But as her hands reached out, she felt grass. When she looked around her, she saw tall curved trees with hooked branches. It was dark where she was but also silent. She couldn’t hear birds, water, or even the wind.
“Ryry? What are you doing here?”
She turned and watched as Snow walked toward her. Her eyes were huge and as Ryza looked at her, she realized she was young. Barely a teenager. Ryza was actually taller than her at the moment. Ryza walked over slowly and Snow looked up at her. “Where is here?” Ryza asked.
“I. I don’t know,” she frowned hard and looked fearful. “It. It reminds me of. The forest back home. But. We’re not where near home.”
A howl echoed in the depths of the forest and Snow shrunk behind her, covering her face. Ryza stared at her confused and then toward the direction of the howl. She knew that noise. She’d heard it more than once at this point. “Snow do you know what that is?”
“No. I don’t want to. I don’t want to face it. I don’t want to see it,” she said hiding her face further.
She could hear it now, the breaking and crashing of the trees. Hear them being torn down like broken toys. She could feel the ground shaking with each step and turned to look at Snow. “Come on Snow. Look at me. Look at me. What’s wrong?”
Snow tried to look at her but she couldn’t focus. “It’s coming. It’s gonna eat me. It’s gonna eat me and then I’ll be gone forever. I’ll be a monster. I don’t want to be a monster.” Tears welled in her eyes and she fought the urge to cry and was losing that battle.
“Snow. Snow listen to me,” she said quickly feeling the ground shake again. But she took Snow’s face and turned her to face her slowly. “Listen to me Snow. You know who I am right?”
“Of course Ryry,” she mumbled.
“Good. Do you think I’m a monster?”
“Never.”
Another howl tore through the air and Snow flinched. “When I was young. First learning how to use my magic. My father told me something important. He said, ‘People are going to think you’re dangerous. Call you a monster because of what you can do. But the truth is, your magic isn’t a gift nor is it a curse. It simply is. It’s a part of you. No one can take it away from you but it doesn’t define you. Only you can do that.’ “
The demon’s howl echoed again and they both flinched because it was closer. To the point where Ryza could start to see the eyes in the darkness. “That thing, that demon inside you? It’s the same as my magic. Good. Bad. Gift. Curse. Normal. Monster. It doesn’t matter. You choose what you do with it. Snow.”
Snow stared at her and after another howl, she flinched. “I can’t face it.”
“You’re not facing a monster Snow,” Ryza whispered. “You’re facing yourself. And you don’t have to do it alone. I won’t leave you.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Snow squeezed her hands tightly and slowly started to stand. She wobbled when the ground shook but stood upright. The demon howled again and she flinched but kept standing. Ryza narrowed her eyes glaring at the beast. It grabbed a tree and yanked it out of the ground by its root. It stomped into the clearing towering over them infinitely bigger than Ryza remembered.
It snarled at them and crashed its hand against the ground. Snow looked at Ryza fearfully but Ryza nodded. Snow looked at the demon as it roared. She didn’t back away this time and took a step forward. She took another and this time the demon’s roar was cut short. It took a step back.
Snow wiped her eyes quickly and glared at it, “I’ve been scared of you my entire life. Scared of you turning me into a monster. Scared of hurting the people I care about like my gran or Ryry. But Ryry’s right. You aren’t in control. I am.”
The demon hissed visibly shrinking as Snow grew right beside her. She stood tall and proud, an adult and no longer a child. The demon gnashed its teeth together before deciding enough was enough. It lunged at them racing around the ground. Ryza tensed but Snow shook her head stepping forward.
As the demon raced toward them Snow narrowed her eyes. She growled slowly and felt herself change. Felt the fur race across her body, her fingers grow longer and her body grow taller. In response the demon continued to shrink getting smaller and smaller, no longer able to shake the ground.
When it finally slowed to a stop in front of them it stopped at eye level with Snow. It was a mirror of Snow now, standing the same height, covered in the same fur. But where it had many amber eyes, Snow had her two blue ones. Snow growled and the demon growled back at her like two rival wolves.
They stared one another down and Snow took a step forward. She took another step forward and it took a step back. She spoke and Ryza heard her voice in her head, rather than with her ears. “My gran taught me to be afraid of you. And I don’t blame her. Especially after what happened to my mom and dad. She was scared it would happen to me too.”
The demon stared at her and shrank again, going down to all fours until it was a simple wolf. It whimpered, trying to growl at her. But it lacked nearly all of the bite that it once had. Snow continued forward and held her hand out to it, “You’re a part of me. You always have been. And you always will.”
The demon disappeared after that and so did Snow’s form. She blinked slowly and looked over at Ryza. “You did it Snow,” Ryza said proudly at her.
Snow laughed giving a shake of her head. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” Ryza smiled warmly at her then suddenly went down to her knees grunting. “What’s wrong? Come to think of it where even are we?”
“Inside your soul. And we have some trouble we need to handle in the real world,” Ryza grunted again holding her head. Glancing up at her she smiled. “I’ll see you on the other side.”
And suddenly she was being evacuated from the forest. Her vision swam, blinded by light. When she came to, she was wracked by pain. Casting her gaze back and forth, she felt the stink of death. Her zombies all stood to attention with her return and through her pain she stood.
She looked at the hunters that remained and most of them were limping away barely standing. Ryza stared at them but didn’t mind them. They weren’t a threat any longer. She took a step forward and stumbled suddenly feeling truly lightheaded. Looking at her arm and touching her hip. Both were soaked through with blood.
But the reason she was still here was in front of her. The demon that had caused the commotion was gone. In its place was a naked and trembling Snow. She stood slowly shuddering but when she looked herself over all of the wounds that she had taken were healing. Ryza barely saw her still dizzy and smiled, “Good. You’re safe.”
She started to slide down horizontally and would have collapsed against the ground if not for Snow getting to her side. She caught her in her arms, holding her close against her chest. “You’ve been through hell,” Snow said softly. “My fault.”
“Don’t worry about it. Just. Just get me out of here. And let me. Sleep for a bit,” She slowly went limp in her arms and Snow began to panic but she could feel her heartbeat. Not only that her zombies were still active. They were staring at her which was definitely unnerving. She picked her up slowly and made sure to hold her carefully.
“Rest Ryry. I owe you a lot,” Snow mumbled.
The Harlequin Library 