18. The World Spun – Elias
The World Spun
ELIAS
My skin prickled with an unnatural itch as I stumbled out of the cave, bile rising in my throat. The night stretched before me, thick with shadows, the silver moon peeking through tattered clouds like a watchful, indifferent eye. The air stank of damp earth and something metallic.
Then it began.
A sickening crack tore through my body as my bones twisted, grinding against themselves like splintering wood.
My spine arched unnaturally, vertebrae snapping into a new, abhorrent shape.
I clawed at my tunic, ripping it from my body as my fingers spasmed and blackened, the nails peeling away to make room for the jagged tips of talons.
The skin on my arms split like overripe fruit, wet and glistening, as slick feathers burst through the gaping wounds. My stomach lurched at the grotesque sensation. My teeth retracted violently, the sharp sting of roots severing from my gums making me gag on the taste of iron.
I clenched my eyes shut, but it did nothing to block out the horror. Every shift was a rebirth, a violent destruction of what I was to become something else, something wild. It never got easier. It never hurt less.
And as my mouth elongated into a cruel, curved beak, a ragged, guttural cry tore from my throat, half-human, half-bird, a sound of pain, of surrender, of something not quite alive.
With my transformation complete, my clawed feet stood in the heap of my pants, wings settling at my sides.
My bead-like eyes scanned the meadow, capturing every movement in the gentle night breeze.
I spread my wings wide and flapped, lifting unsteadily to the nearest branch.
In my crow form, I felt almost weightless, surveying the night with clarity despite the darkness.
Time was running out. The full moon approached, and with it, the deadline for both Rosemary's quest and my own cursed fate. If I couldn't earn her love before then, if I couldn't complete what my mother demanded, both our destinies would be sealed in darkness.
The forest buzzed with life, chirping bugs, rustling leaves, tiny feet pattering. My neck swiveled, feathers bristling as I watched a sandy brown rabbit dart into a bush. Something shifted in the soil below my perch, and my beak snapped, eyes seeking the cause.
A caw escaped me before I could stop it, and I shook my head, annoyed at how the crow inside me was taking control more frequently. The curse was strengthening, the transformations lasting longer each time. Soon, I might not be able to change back at all.
My feathers bristled at the scent in the air, and I almost wanted to fly around our perimeter again. There was something about this night, something that felt not right. I couldn't place it.
Rosemary's soft breaths rose and fell within the cave, her rhythmic breathing urging me to stay near.
My talons shifted on the branch I perched upon, my vigilant gaze scanning the meadow for any lurking danger.
As I glanced through the vines concealing her, guilt tugged at me for hiding such a monumental secret.
How could I explain to her that the companion she relied on was doomed to transform into a useless bird every handful of nights?
Suddenly, movement at the forest edge caught my attention. Shapes moving with too much purpose, too much intelligence. My feathers stood on end as I recognized the deliberate positioning, the coordinated approach. These weren't random predators seeking an easy meal.
They'd been tracking us.
The first wolf emerged from the shadows, its massive form silhouetted against the moonlight. Then another. And another. They moved in perfect formation, surrounding our cave with military precision. In the moonlight, I could see their eyes glowing yellow in the silver glow.
These weren't just any wolves; these were shifters. And from their coordinated approach, they had a specific purpose in mind.
I released a series of urgent caws, anxiety gnawing at me as I tracked their movements.
Rosemary's gentle breaths remained steady, undisturbed by my warnings.
The wolves paused outside the cave, their leader, a massive gray male, lifting his muzzle to scent the air.
Despite the protective spells I'd cast, they'd found us.
But instead of attacking immediately, they waited. As if they were following orders. As if this was planned.
Panic ignited within me, and I jumped from my perch, swooping down from the tree and into the cave. But instead of diving at them in a futile attack, I flew directly to Rosemary, landing on her shoulder and nipping gently at her hair, trying to wake her without alerting the wolves to my presence.
My heart pounded as the lead wolf stepped into the cave, his massive form blocking the entrance.
Behind him, three others took positions, cutting off any escape.
These wolves seemed to be searching for her with specific intent.
I let out the softest caw I could manage, hoping to rouse her without drawing attention.
Finally, Rosemary stirred, her body shifting as consciousness slowly returned.
But before she could fully wake, the lead wolf stepped forward, his form shimmering and changing.
Bones cracked and reformed as he shifted from wolf to man, a tall, muscular figure with a wolf paw tattoo inked over his broad chest.
"We've been waiting for you," he said, his voice carrying the authority of an alpha.
His warm brown eyes, tinged with the yellow of his wolf form, studied Rosemary as she jerked fully awake.
"The prophecies speak of a golden-haired healer who would come seeking the cursed flower.
We needed to know if you were truly her, or just another pretender. "
I fluttered frantically around Rosemary's head, torn between protecting her and revealing my true nature.
She looked around wildly, taking in the massive wolves surrounding us and the man who blocked our only exit.
I swung threateningly in front of the wolves again, slightly relieved as they both sat on their haunches.
I fluttered to the mossy floor, landing in front of Rosemary as if I could protect her in this crow form into which I'd been cursed.
"Elias?" she called out into the shadows. I hopped closer to her, my attention shifting between her and the shifters. "Herb?"
Her entire body tensed and she slammed herself into the cavern wall.
I whipped around, noticing that the wolf on the right no longer sat; instead, he prowled closer, his tongue licking at his glistening teeth.
I flapped my wings, lifting myself into the air again as I cawed menacingly at him.
Its gaze never shifted from Rosemary, as if she were a prize to be captured.
I charged at him, my claws outstretched as I fought against the wolves’ attack.
The wolf reared onto its hind legs, a monstrous shadow falling over me. I barely had a second to react before its massive paw came slashing toward me. I darted right, wings beating furiously, but I wasn't fast enough.
A crushing force slammed into my side. Pain exploded through my ribs as I was flung through the air, weightless for a terrifying moment before my body smashed against cold, unyielding stone. A sharp crack rang through the night. My wing. Broken.
Agony lanced through me as I tumbled onto the damp moss below, my vision flickering. I tried to rise, to take flight, but fire burned through my veins, locking me in place. My breaths came in ragged gasps. The world spun.
A low growl rumbled nearby, closer now. The wolf was coming.
I fought against the blackness creeping in, tried to cry out, a warning, a plea, anything, but the sound that left me was weak, merely a squeak.
I couldn’t move, could barely remain conscious, as I lay in a broken heap along the back wall.
The man, clearly the pack's alpha, stepped closer.
"Your companion left you unprotected," he said, his voice carrying disappointment.
With his back to Rosemary, only I saw the half-wink sent my useless way.
"But we have been watching you, healer. We know what you are capable of.
We know why you seek the flower that blooms only under the full moon. "
"What do you want from me?" Rosemary demanded, pressing herself against the cave wall.
"We need your help," the alpha replied. "One of our own lies dying, cursed by the same dark magic that plagues your sister. Twisted from the queen’s original curse to something deadlier. If you truly are a seelie healer, prove it. Save our son, and we will guide you to the flower you seek.”
The russet-colored wolf prowled closer to where the alpha stood, toward where I still lay prone against the stone. Within three blinks of my eyes, she shifted until she stood completely naked next to the alpha.
“That’s not all,” she added. “The queen isn't just casting random curses. She's testing them. Each victim teaches her how to make the magic stronger, more resistant to breaking. Your sister was the prototype. Our son is the refinement. And if we can't stop the pattern here—"
The alpha cut in as his expression hardened. "You will join our eternal hunt, running through these woods until the end of time.”
“She's building toward something bigger," Rosemary breathed, understanding flooding through her. "A curse that can't be broken at all.”
A shiver ran down my back. If I didn’t break the curse soon, my fate was sealed.
The russet colored wolf shifted standing as a tall auburn haired woman.
"The final version will target entire bloodlines simultaneously," the she-wolf added, tears in her eyes.
"Every magical family in the realm, all falling into eternal sleep at once. An end to magic itself. So, healer. My name is Freya, and this is my mate, Malcolm. I realize this is a terrible way to make one’s acquaintance, but time is rather limited. "
The other wolves shifted restlessly on their paws, their eyes never leaving Rosemary. I could see the calculation in the alpha's gaze, the way he studied her reaction. This wasn't a random encounter. They'd been waiting, testing, preparing for this moment.
"How do you know about my sister?" Rosemary whispered.
"The same magic that cursed our pup has been spreading through these lands for months," Malcolm, the alpha, said grimly.
"Children falling into enchanted sleep, their life forces slowly draining away.
Your sister was not the first victim, and our son will not be the last unless someone with true power can break the pattern. "
I felt Rosemary's resolve strengthen as she drew herself to her full height even as fear washed across her face. She looked at me, but the alpha, Malcolm, stepped in her line of sight, ushering her toward the exit.
"If I help you," she said carefully, pausing next to the hanging vines, "will you truly guide us to the flower?”
"More than that," Malcolm promised. "We will stand with you when you face the one who cast these curses. The prophecies speak of allies who will rise to aid the thornless rose in her darkest hour."
"Thornless rose?" Rosemary echoed.
"A healer who would sacrifice her own quest to save strangers," he explained. "One whose power grows not from selfishness, but from the willingness to give everything for others."
The weight of prophecy settled around us like a shroud. This was bigger than just Briar's curse, bigger than my mother's schemes. Rosemary was at the center of something ancient and powerful, and these wolves were offering to be part of it.
"Take me to your son," Rosemary said, her voice steady.
The alpha smiled, but it held no warmth. "Follow me, healer. Let us see if you are truly what the prophecies promised." I watched as the female wolf blew something into Rosemary’s face, and she collapsed into her arms, unconscious.
And then, only silence remained as I fought against every muscle within my tiny feathered form, but nothing would waken my body after the damage it had taken. It may have been a magical form, but it still had its limits. A cracked caw fell from my beak as the darkness finally consumed me.