Chapter Two
E ven though I’m close, I decide to take it slow.
If it is an injured animal, the last thing I want to do is come running at it in a panic.
I learned that lesson the hard way, after surprising a poor skunk last fall that had gotten its tail wedged in the crotch of a tree. The memory still makes me shudder. Never going to make that mistake twice.
Ori slept outside for a week after that incident, even though I had smothered myself in a tomato sauce bath. Thankfully, I temporarily lost my sense of smell. Not to worry though, the poor little skunk was fine and wasted no time making a hasty exit.
Hmm… I wonder if skunks think they stink when they spray too?
I pause in my trek, as another more startling thought creeps in. It’s not possible, I know this, but what if someone has gotten past my outer ward?
We live in a world where the impossible can happen. All of us non-fae magickals have experienced as much. Sometimes when I close my eyes, I can still see the fire and hear the soul-wrenching sounds of my mother’s screams.
Blinking hard, I take a slow, deep breath to calm the panic I feel bubbling up at those memories. Everything is fine, and no one could have broken my wards. It simply isn’t possible.
But , if by some crazy circumstance it is a person, injured or not, well… I will deal with that if I have to. Continuing to move forward, I only stop once I come to a large fallen tree that is blocking my path.
I know the creature is very close now and can hear its heavily stuttered breathing. Even though I’m moving gently towards it, I know the second it hears me, as the whimpering abruptly stops. I carefully lean against the log and attempt to peer over, hoping to catch a glimpse of what is just on the other side.
However, it must be too close to the other side of the log because I can’t see a fucking thing.
Dammit!
Sighing, I push off the log, intending to get my feet steady under me before I start climbing over it, only to trip over absolutely nothing and land hard on my ass.
Good job, Sythia. Super smooth.
As I pick myself up off the ground, I hear the creature shuffling again. I wait to see what the creature will do now, since I have made it obvious that I’m here. There is a brief silence before it finally speaks. “Who is there?” a tiny, muffled voice asks.
I waste no time and pull myself up over the fallen log, then slide down the other side as gracefully as I can manage. Taking only a brief moment to steady myself and remove the underwear from my ass crack, so that I can face what is ahead of me with my full attention.
Lying just a short distance away from my wedgie removal dance montage is a panting lump of large, beautiful black, iridescent feathers.
“Ori!” I yell as I rush to his side. “What happened?” Careful of where I am touching him, I begin inspecting his body for obvious injuries.
Finding nothing obvious I ask, “Where are you hurt?” I try to keep my voice steady, but my heart is beating so fast, and I can feel my calm slipping.
“I’m not sure. I was looking for a more interesting breakfast this morning when my wings began feeling heavy. I tried to land, but then they just gave out on me completely!” His voice is full of panic and I try my hardest to adapt and be the level-headed one for a change.
“You fell from the tree?” I don’t know why that would make a difference, but I am trying here.
“No. I fell from the sky! Nothing was moving and I just fell like a rock. My wings wouldn’t move, Sythia. I can’t even move them now! I am not sure how you found me, but please take me back to the house.”
His normally wise black eyes are filled with confusion and fear as he shakingly lifts his head to look up at me. “Please, I don’t feel safe out here right now. Something is… very wrong, I think.”
“Of course.” I gently pick him up and hold him close. He’s right. I start feeling a heavy dose of dread pooling in my gut.
Taking advantage of holding Ori, I do another inspection. I don’t feel any broken bones, and there is no blood that I can see. He is still panting heavily though, so I make my way back to the house quickly but keep an even pace so as not to jar his little limp body.
I don’t speak as I focus on not tripping over myself on the way back to the house. Ori doesn’t say anything either. He just continues to pant heavily in my arms.
If the silence earlier today was rattling, this is far worse.
The pit in my stomach grows wider, deeper. Something is happening. I can feel it. We have just come close enough to see the house when finally Ori breaks the silence.
He is trying for a stern voice, but it comes out so much quieter than usual due to his weakened state. “Sythia? Why is the front door open?”
Ori’s question makes me stop so abruptly, that I end up squeezing him a little to keep from dropping him. He lets out a pained grunt in response.
“Sorry,” I whisper. In front of us, the entrance door to our home stands open. Wide and inviting.
I immediately start scanning the area around the house, as I carefully back up the way we had just traveled. My eyes strained to pinpoint any possible movement and Ori’s question begins echoing in my head.
Why was the front door open?
I know I have been having trouble focusing today, but I also know for a fact that I had shut that door on my way out. I had even waited to hear the suction of its warding lock that prevented anyone except Ori or myself from entering. That sound has been a comfort to me since we moved here. A small reassurance of safety.
I crouch down with Ori and whisper to him again. “Listen, I know that I shut that door. It shouldn’t be open. Something doesn’t feel right.”
“I am sure you are mistaken. The door wouldn’t open on its own and no one is able to get through the first ward, let alone the one guarding the house. With the wards engaged, the door has always stayed perfectly closed.” Ori whispers my own thoughts back.
There is a slight pause before Ori continues on.
“Although, after my strange appendage issue, it would probably be worth investigating before we rush in.” He slowly drags his head to my left. “You can set me down here, behind these shrubs, and go check things out. But please do it quickly.”
I nod, and gently lay Ori amongst some leaves and behind the tiny bush. Before I can walk away though, Ori is whispering urgently to me. “Sythia, wait! Did you drink any tea this morning?”
“What the fuck Ori?” I hissed quietly at him. “Do you really think right now is the best time to hound me about my coffee consumption? We can talk about your damn teas later.”
“It is actually very important, but I suppose we can discuss it more after we are tucked inside.” He grumbles in response, then turns his head and glances around us, before he continues on. “Please hurry though, Sythia. I don’t like feeling so… so vulnerable out here.”
I sigh but nod in agreement. I need to find out what is going on. Why is my door open? What the heck is going on with Ori? Also, why was I subconsciously pulled to him so strongly, like I had no will of my own?
Ori isn’t my familiar anymore, so that kind of pull doesn’t make sense. I gave up that connection when I sacrificed all my magic to protect us. As a matter of fact, if I did still have my magic, I would be able to reach out now and sense for any intruders.
Instead, I will have to rely on my eyes.
Now, there is nothing wrong with my sight. In fact, I have perfect vision. But your eyes can only see so much, and they work much slower than trisense. Which I haven’t been able to use for three years. Damn, that would be incredibly helpful right about now.
Turning away from my feathered friend, I head carefully towards the house, and keep my eyes tracking for anything out of place.
Stepping closer and closer, I gain no perspective as to why my fucking door is just hanging open.
I see nothing out of the ordinary.
Nothing is broken.
No trampled flowers. No prints lead toward the door. Nothing. Still cautious, I stop just outside the door and listen. Again, there is nothing. No sounds other than my own breathing and the usual sounds of the forest.
Stepping inside carefully, I begin to walk around the first half of the house. I check for any disruptions, but with the ward, even a random forest creature should not be in here.
Still, I find nothing.
Fuck this is getting annoying. Not that I really want to find something, but I really just hate mysteries.
Regardless of the nothing I’m finding, the uneasy feeling I have been experiencing is only getting worse. And with that thought, the hairs along my arms begin standing on end and I feel the beginnings of a headache blooming in my skull.
Blooming is such a beautiful word for the way the pain invades my personal space.
Pushing those bodily irritations aside for right now, I slowly turn down the tiny hall that separates the bathroom and bedroom. Still keeping my ears trained for any noises, I quickly investigate the bedroom and find... Nothing.
I turn around and look into the bathroom, but still find nothing. Well, this is just starting to piss me off. I guess my short attention span did make me forget to close the door.
Nibbling on my cheek in thought, I barely register that my arms are still covered in goosebumps and my headache is getting worse by the minute.
It’s all probably just due to the stress of finding Ori, and then thinking someone had broken into our haven. It’s actually quite a lot to deal with when we have faced little to no excitement for so long.
Turning around, I head back to the front door, and then out to Ori.
I make sure to look around as I go and notice that while everything in the house seems normal and undisturbed, the few colors we had used to make this place our home, now seem somehow dull.
That’s… weird.
I stop at the door for a moment and realize that even the sweet berry purple that I was admiring earlier looks a little… less.
Ok, that’s really fucking weird.
Something else to add to the list of things to figure out once I get Ori settled in, I guess. Just as I dismiss those thoughts, I begin to hear a tiny hum, and my head suddenly begins throbbing. I wince at the sudden pressure and pain.
Well, that might account for the colors looking off, but I can’t recall any kind of spell or curse that would fracture my wards and cause a headache.
Again, I remind myself that I will deal with it once I get Ori settled. Getting him inside and safe is my top priority right now. Trudging back outside, I notice that my feet begin feeling strangely heavier with each step.
What the fuck is going on now?
It isn’t even lunchtime, and yet I’m ready for a nap. A nap sounds so lovely. Maybe I will even let Ori make me a cup of tea beforehand. That will make him happy. Once we figure out what is going on with him, of course.
Hmm…
Maybe he just needs a nap too? “Is everything alright?” The concern in Ori’s voice brings my focus back to the present.
“Yes,” I respond quickly, trying to ignore the now echoing hum and throbbing headache that is starting to make me feel queasy. The ground even feels as though it is trying to swallow me whole and the light coming through the trees is overbearing.
“You’re right. I must have forgotten to close the door. I have been having trouble focusing on things today,” I admit as I scoop him up off the bed of leaves I had left him on.
I do notice that his breathing sounds normal again, just before he starts scolding me. “I see. Well, you must be more careful, Sythia. We wouldn’t want that to act as a beacon to an unwanted guest,” he states in his usual stern voice.
He sighs in exasperation at me and my failings before he continues, “I am not sure what happened to me, but I do seem to be gaining more function over my limbs again. It was almost like something knocked the wind out of me, and my wings just went to sleep. They are tingling slightly, so that is a definite improvement from the nothing I was feeling only moments ago.”
“Oh good. That’s very… good.” I mutter as I walk up the porch and into the house. My head seems to throb harder when I try to speak, so I keep my mouth shut.
“Yes, I think–Sythia?! Are you alright? You’re pale and sweating. What’s wrong?!” The concern in Ori’s voice is crystal clear. And so fucking loud. Why is he so loud? Everything is loud. Even my heart is beating too fucking loud.
“Just…a headache...” I manage to get out in between panting. Now even breathing makes the throbbing in my head multiply.
Ori, on the other hand, must be feeling better because he starts talking fast and fidgeting a lot. So much so, that it’s becoming difficult to keep a firm hold on him.
It’s also completely impossible to decipher any of the words he is saying, as the humming in my head becomes too loud and overwhelming for me to process his words, let alone hear them clearly.
Barely holding onto my wits, I make quick work of shutting the door with my foot before sliding a chair in front of it for good measure. I also manage to snatch the blanket from said chair and plop it on the floor.
I attempt to set Ori on top of the blanket as gently as I can, but when I bend forward, the whole Earth begins to spin, and I know that it is more of a glorified drop. At least his fall was only a few inches, as opposed to his several-foot plunge in the forest earlier.
This headache though? It’s something else. I have never had a migraine before, but I have read about the symptoms. That must be what is happening, although I’m not sure how to tell Ori, who is still fidgeting and yelling, and generally freaking the fuck out.
My brain is in too much pain to allow me to form any kind of coherent words at this point. I can see Ori’s beak moving and I know he is panicking, but I don’t hear him at all. I can’t hear anything, not beyond that awful, ear-splitting hum.
Barely managing to catch myself from falling, still leaves me on my hands and knees in front of Ori with a pained grunt. His fidgeting movements are getting more erratic with the panic I can feel in his gaze.
Tears start flowing down my cheeks. The pain in my head shoots to unbearable heights. I don’t know what is happening. I would gladly beg any of the Gods who would listen, to end this torture rather than endure it one second longer.
I think I hear screaming, although that could quite possibly be me. The humming reached a decibel that made my ears pop and I was sure they were probably starting to bleed. Then suddenly, it felt like someone knocked the air out of me.
The humming abruptly stopped with the loudest pop I have ever heard. The sensation of it all is too much to handle all at once.
A complete sensory overload.
My arms and legs give out underneath me, as I land face-first in a heap on the floor. I have a vague concept of Ori telling me that it “will be ok,” before everything goes dark, and I drift away.
Into the blissful silence.