When Ryza eventually awoke the next day, she did so slowly. She hadn’t wanted to leave her slumber. The softest most peaceful sleep she’d had in a very long time. As she awoke, she felt the twinges of pain from her arm and hip. She was still sore from the fighting of the previous evening. She sat up slowly and saw that they had started to bleed overnight and she needed some new ones.
As she moved she felt Snow’s iron grip around her again. She struggled to sit up through her tight embrace and sighed. The second time this had happened for them but she was still no better at getting out of her grasp. Using her good hand, she grabbed Snow’s arm and did her best to lift it off of her.
After some struggle, she succeeded and sat up straight before realizing that her legs had tangled with hers. Making a face she slowly slid away when something furred brushed against her leg. She looked at her shoulder and saw that Shriek was there instead.
Looking at her leg she jumped to her feet startled expecting some sort of insect to be where it shouldn’t be. Brushing at her legs she saw nothing and then looked at Snow’s legs. There were two as there should have been but a third thing was there now. A long bushy white tail that flapped up and down.
Ryza blinked slowly staring at the appendage that she was very sure wasn’t there last night. She looked toward Snow in case something happened in her sleep but she was very peaceful. Ryza crouched brushing hair from her face and then paused touching her ear. At least where it was supposed to be.
She brushed past empty space and then looked at the top of her head. She saw a triangular furred shape twitch back and forth atop her head. It was the same white as her hair, just a little rougher. She touched one and it was softer than it looked. She rubbed gently and it was pleasant.
She laughed softly enjoying it and wondered if she had another on the other side of her head. Pulling her hand through her hair, sure enough, she found another. She stroked them both slowly and laughed. “Well this is certainly different. I wonder if it’s permanent. A side effect of changing so often. I’ve never seen this kind of situation. Maybe a more intense version of what happens when Alison and Penny change.”
She continued to play with her ears, enraptured by the act and Snow made a soft whimpering pant noise. She pawed at the air where Ryza had been. When she felt the ground though she slowed and paused.
She scrunched her nose and sniffed a few times. Her eyes blinked open lazily and she raised her head to stare at Ryza. Her eyes had changed too, remaining the same blue that they were when she was a human but had taken an animalistic shape and gleam of her wolf form. She looked at her so warmly that Ryza averted her eyes sharply, hiding her face.
“Hey Ryry. What’s goin on?”
“Nothing. I’m only just waking up,” she brought her hands back and put them near her lap. But she winced doing that and shut her eyes.
“You’re still hurt,” Snow said sitting up quickly.
“It’s healing slowly,” Ryza said glancing at her bandages. “I almost wish that we remained in Varuct.”
“Why so you could do some wacky necromancer healing thing?” She waved her hands back and forth, letting her tail swish with it. But when Ryza just looked at her, her smile faded and her limbs hung in the air and her ears twitched. “You can do that?”
“Somewhat. I reabsorb the life I put into a corpse or take away what little is left from the dying and rejuvenate myself,” she shrugged. “It can be done.”
“Whoa,” Snow’s ears twitched as she stared at her. “Magic is wild.”
“That is one way to think of it. By the way Snow, have you noticed?”
“Noticed what.”
Ryza blinked quickly and thought she was teasing her again but she was being honest. Making a face she looked at Snow, glanced at her tail and then her ears. She reached up to her head slowly and rubbed her ears. Snow made a happy face at the sensation and then blinked quickly.
“What. What?” She reached up and touched them and sure enough they were there. She flicked them and when they moved under her touch she jumpedbackward. “Whoa. When did these get here?” She hit herself with her own tail and jumped again. “What is that?! When did that get here!”
She looked at her tail then touched her ears again. She touched her tail pulling at it and it was like pulling on her arm yet not exactly that. It twitched and it felt entirely normal but entirely foreign in the same tone.
“They seem to have grown overnight. Have you never had these before?”
“No,” she shook her head still messing with them. “This is crazy. Oh, shit I’m like Dioh.”
“Dioh?”
“When I was getting us out of there the other ones showed up again. They were breaking someone out I guess,” Snow shrugged. “That someone turned out to be Dioh. He was one too. A wulf like me. At least that’s what he called me and the rest of them. And then he killed the one that forced me to transform. He had ears. And a tail like this. Actually, they all did when I saw them again. Think it was a magic thing? He told me to find some place called Luthagen. You ever heard of it?”
Ryza blinked slowly, absorbing all the information that had been indulged while she was unconscious. “I haven’t. But it wouldn’t be hard to find out if it were real.”
“Cool,” she leaned forward and looked at her tail again. “This is crazy.”
She sniffed the air and looked at Ryza, “You smell different.”
“Different how?” Ryza raised her eyebrow.
“I don’t know,” she tilted her head to the side. “I can’t place it yet.”
“Hm. Alright. Did you sleep alright?” Ryza asked.
“Like a baby. You?”
“The same,” she smiled at her. “Something about yesterday sitting well I guess.”
Snow stood up slowly and stretched her arms above her head. Cracking her neck, she sniffed the air and then looked around them. They were really out in the middle prairie. There were a few trees out here but they were sparse. They were still in the Sanctum though. Ryza could feel that much.
Ryza caught Snow’s back and saw the tattoo from before. The circle had broken entirely and the flower that had been within it seemed to bloom properly. Like it was no longer constrained.
Snow grinned and then her face fell into dismay. “Oh no your brother’s research. It was back that way,” Snow started to point but her hand hung in the air. “I honestly don’t know actually.”
Ryza chuckled and passed her hand through the air. Shriek ran to her shoulder but the bat appeared in her palm. The two animals looked at each other and seemed to share some understanding. Ryza tossed the bat into the air and it took flight darting away from them in an instant.
“Where’s it going?” Snow asked watching it as long as she could before it disappeared from her sight.
Ryza shut her eyes following its journey in her mind. She took a deep breath, pressing her fingers to her forehead. She turned slowly a few times and then pointed. “No way. Finally, some good luck.”
“Don’t keep me in suspense Ryry. What is it?”
“Whatever instincts were driving you last night were good ones. We’re not far from Radiant. I’d imagine it’s only a day or so away.”
“Wait really?” Snow’s eyes widened and she jumped forward taking both of Ryza’s hands. “That means we’re close to where your brother’s research was. Right?”
“Potentially. We’ll see where the bat tells me but if we’re lucky yes. We’re close,” she nodded confidently eventually smiling because of Snow’s energy. “Why are you so excited?”
“Because we got sidetracked by my,” she flicked her ears and wagged her tail. “You know. But we started this to help you and do your thing. And now we’re doing your thing! We’re gonna find your brother’s research and you’re gonna become a super necromancer. Or whatever. I’m only kinda on the track.”
“I don’t know for certain what I’ll learn from my brother’s research Snow. But I imagine it will further my own quite a bit.”
“Good luck little sister. If either of us could truly crack the secret it would be you,” the ghost said taking the form of her brother.
She glanced at it and nodded slowly, “That’s encouraging. I did not expect that from you.”
“Well since you are committed to this,” it began to say something but the glare that Ryza gave it made it pause. “woman, we can go back to your original goal.”
“Hm. You are very much like my brother.”
“I am based off your memories of him. So, I should hope so.”
Ryza looked at it fully and it returned the look. It smiled and it was very much like the real thing. Shaking her head, she turned back to a bemused Snow. “The ghost thing?”
“Yeah. It’s also glad we’re getting back to learning about my brother’s research. It thought helping you was too much of a risk. But it was my risk to take. And I don’t regret it.”
“I. I don’t know how to feel about being disliked by a ghost,” Snow made a face, folding her arms.
“Don’t worry about it. We should get a move on. At the very least we want to get closer to Radiant before the day is over.” Snow looked at her and she grinned giving her a thumbs up. “What are you scheming?”
Before Ryza could press further Snow got down on all fours and shifted. The magic was wild, smelling of the forest and leaves. Her body broke itself down and knit itself back together, fur flowing and shaking out the kinks. It was such a quick change it was hard to follow it. In this form, she was nearly at Ryza’s shoulder just standing up. She turned her large canine head to Ryza and blinked slowly. She opened her mouth panting and Ryza could tell she was smiling.
“What do you want me to do?”
She barked at her, looked over her shoulder and barked again. Her tail wagged expectantly and Ryza stared at her.
“You want me to ride you again, don’t you?”
She nodded quickly.
“You won’t take no for an answer, will you?”
She shook her head.
Letting out an exasperated sigh Ryza looked at Snow who was still staring at her expectantly and finally accepted. She walked away grabbing her shovel off the ground and inspected it. No worse for wear, just a little dew and a little dirt. She shook it free, slid it home in her cloak and walked over to Snow.
Ryza reached around, grabbing a section of her fur and then swung her leg over. She was suddenly very high up and wasn’t prepared for it. She winced getting comfortable and then Snow began to move, rotating around.
As she moved Snow kept looking up at her as if waiting for orders on where to go. Which considering the situation made sense. Ryza balanced herself on Snow’s back and shut her eyes, seeing through the eyes of the bat. She turned it back and forth getting the bearings of where it was.
After some time she saw a road she recognized. The one she took when they first got a horse out of Radiance. Before Snow had her first change. Thinking back to that felt so long ago. Opening her eyes, she looked down at Snow now. A very different animal and so much happier.
Leaning forward she pointed off to Snow’s right, forcing her to turn. When they were lined up Snow looked at her for confirmation to which Ryza nodded, “That way Snow.”
Snow barked, leaned forward and started running. Ryza wasn’t sure what she had expected but it wasn’t this. She leaned forward, bracing herself against her back as she whisked her away. The wind whistled in her ears and blew across her clothes. She was afraid that she would be sucked off her back and thrown to the countryside.
For part of the journey, she hid her face in her fur. But eventually she got comfortable with the movements. It wasn’t like riding a horse. A horse was a steady thing but Snow was constantly moving and changing as she moved across the ground. But she got used to it and sat up into a proper riding position.
She dug her fingers into Snow’s fur for purchase and found herself laughing. A high pitch giggle that she hadn’t made in a long time. Snow didn’t miss that as she turned and barked at her. Ryza glanced at her and then laughed again spreading her arms wide. “This is truly amazing!”
Snow barked again and picked up the speed focusing on her stride. The sun had climbed to nearly its peak in the sky when the road made itself known. Snow crossed over it, hopping over it and crossing to the otherwise. It was only the edge but she could see Radiant on the horizon, partially obscured by the forest from before. Snow panted looking up at Ryza.
Ryza slid off her back slowly and stumbled. They’d been riding for so long that her legs almost felt like jelly. She held onto Snow to steady herself and winced. “That was. Something special. But not the best on my body.”
Snow paced around and pressed her nose against Ryza’s side and then sniffed at her arm. “It’s fine Snow. I just need rest.”
Snow whimpered and Ryza rubbed her head. Snow leaned into her touch rubbing her head against her palm and then looked at her. Ryza blinked quickly and then glanced away. “Anyway. We should walk the rest of the way. I can’t imagine people will be comfortable seeing someone like me riding a white wolf into town.”
She barked looking both ways toward the street and then closed her eyes. The magic washed over Ryza and again it was hard to see the change. But then Snow was standing and shaking her head back and forth. Her tail swished and ears twitched. She focused her gaze on Ryza and she met it this time.
Sliding her shovel free she pulled off the cloak and handed it to Snow. Used to this by now, Snow slid the cloak over her shoulders and shook herself back and forth before flashing a grin at her. Ryza made a face, trying not to smile at her, and started walking using her shovel like a walking stick again.
Snow shadowed Ryza hard, staying just behind as she walked. The cloak made it easier to hide her tail but her ears turned toward every new sound. She could hear in every direction so much better than she could before. She could smell so much. The grass, the dust, the dirt, the wagons that had past, the people within them. It was like she could smell time itself. She kept sniffing and she kept turning her head back and forth looking around as if rediscovering life.
But most of all she could smell the cloak she wore. She could smell the blood from previous battles. The dirt from the grave. The very magic that gave Ryza power in so many different ways. But more than that she could smell Ryza. She could smell the scent that was so very uniquely her. The Ryza that was yesterday, the Ryza that was a few hours ago. A few minutes ago. And even this new one that she couldn’t exactly place. If there weren’t so many new sensations around her, she would have gotten lost in just this one.
Ryza was slow to walk but she could feel Snow behind her like a miniature sun. She was so warm and bright behind her. When she first met her, she was entranced like a moth to a flame. Attracted to that brightness. But the longer she hung around her the more she realized she was orbiting that star. Basking in that warmth, to the point where she felt like a new woman. She liked the new woman she was.
They walked and followed the main road until they arrived at the edge of the forest. Once they were there however Ryza raised her hand to pause Snow. She curled her fingers slightly and looked toward the sky. Slowly the bat came back to her, fluttering its spectral wings. It landed on her fingers staring at her with silver eyes.
“Did you find it little one?” she asked tilting her head to the side.
It leaned forward and stared at her closer. Taking off it fluttered forward and embraced her face becoming a mist of magic. Blinking through it all she rubbed her eyes but as she did, she could see it in her mind. A grotto to the south of them. It was a hole in the ground that had been formed from nature.
At the bottom covered in vegetation was a stone gateway. The bat had followed a path that had been created obviously by magic. The grass had been burned away and refused to grow back. But as the bat had continued forward, she saw a small building within that she knew her brother had not created. A place he had found and decided to bury his secrets.
Ryza placed a hand to her forehead and when she blinked them open again she shook excitedly. “I know exactly where we need to be heading Snow.”
“Where? I’m ready to get going,” She squatted down getting her blood pumping and ready to move again.
“It’s a grotto south of Radiant. Much further south than we had intended to go initially. At least how I had believed before. Once we pass the forest it’ll be a straight shot south.”
“Perfect,” Snow said and pulled off the cloak. She tossed it back toward Ryza and as she put it back on Snow changed again. She shivered shaking out her fur and then barked at Ryza.
Ryza shook her head and moved back onto Snow’s back. Snow barked again looking over her shoulder at Ryza. Despite her soreness previously, being atop Snow had brought a certain excitement to her. Just tightening her fingers into her fur made her smile. It was so soft and relaxing. She wanted to just bury her face in.
Snow turned at Ryza’s direction and they started running. They followed the edge of the forest and Ryza was determined not to enter that forest again. Nothing against the forest but she wanted to be fast at this point. She wanted to find her brother’s research without any more interruptions.
Closing her eyes she leaned down and pressed her face into Snow’s fur again and just enjoyed the feeling of her fur. Every now and then she would point and direct the wolf but for the majority of the time she would just hold onto her and close her and relax herself. “Why are you so soft Snow?”
They ran, following the forest as best they could. But as they got toward the edge and diverged splitting off going through the prairie. There were a few trees hanging away from the forest but their goal was far beyond that. As Ryza raised her head, she watched their journey carefully. W
More than a few animals scattered at the sight of them and Ryza didn’t blame them. A large wolf like this was definitely not the norm for most creatures. She could feel Snow looking at the deer they passed and the birds they passed and Ryza loosely wondered if she was having any new instincts to hunt in that mind of hers.
Snow noticed it first, her ears twitching back and forth. A sound that she couldn’t place. But Ryza started hearing it too and sat up slowly. A trickling of water that grew louder the closer they got to the direction. She thought it was just a river but she knew there weren’t any bodies of water like that out here.
As they ran the noise got louder and she sat up straighter. The roar of the water was too loud to just be a river. And it was in the direction of where they were supposed to be going. Following the noise at full clip Ryza shut her eyes, mirroring where they were going from the memories of her bat.
She jumped ahead of the path that they were following and immediately snapped out of it her eyes wide, “Snow! Stop!”
Snow jolted and dug her paws into the dirt sliding across the ground. Too late she realized that they had been running toward a massive hole in the ground and her momentum was taking her over the edge. She turned sliding and kicked up grass and dirt trying to avoid that.
Ryza hopped off of Snow’s back and whirled around thrusting her arms forward. Spectral hands jumped from the ground grabbing a hold of Snow’s front paws stopping her from completely going over the edge. “Hang on Snow. I’ve got you”
Snow whimpered as her legs dangled and Ryza dug herself in, pulling back slowly. With a massive heave she yanked and Snow scrabbled over the edge panting as she rolled across the ground. She rushed over to Ryza pressing herself against her. Ryza wrapped her arms around her tightly and looked into her face.
“You okay?”
Snow nodded quickly barking once and then looking back over her shoulder.
They walked to the edge of the hole and stared down. The rushing water they’d heard before was definitely tied to this. It was a straight drop down into the grotto. Along the walls were exposed roots and chunks of solid rock. They could hear the rushing water beneath their feet and a pool of water.
Snow leaned forward and she changed again. She got to her feet and stumbled into Ryza who held her up right. “Easy Snow. No one told you to shift so many times so quickly.”
“But it was a good idea, right?”
Ryza looked toward the sky and saw the sun on a downward swing getting lower in the sky. “I can’t deny that. But please no more shapeshifting for now. Get your rest.”
She pulled off her cloak handing it over to her. As she took it off she winced feeling her hip acting up. Looking at her old bandages she raised her shirt and pulled off the make shift bandage. She expected a bloody mess to greet her and instead it was her brown skin, scarred and red, but healed far more than it should have been.
She touched the wound slowly and pulled at it, wincing slightly but it wasn’t as painful as it could be. Snow looked down at her frowning hard, “Are you okay?”
“Yes. I believe so. But this is something I’ll have to look into when we’re done here.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
They walked to the edge of the hole and Snow kicked a clump of dirt down. “How are we getting down there?”
Ryza turned her shovel around and smiled channeling her magic again. Her eyes glowed and Snow shuddered. She wasn’t sure if she would ever be used to the feeling of the grave that emanated from Ryza when she used her magic. Turning the shovel and pointing Ryza smiled at her, “Leave this to me Snow. Getting into and digging holes is something necromancers are good at.”
The Harlequin Library 