Chapter 3 Kael
“You’re back,” I said blankly, looking at the woman standing before me. I cleared my throat, as if my heart hadn’t just jolted at the sight of her standing in my doorway.
Seranni was wrapped in her cloak, the deep green fabric dusted with snow. She looked smaller in the dim light of the moon filtering through the high windows, her face pale but determined.
“I didn’t think I would come,” she said, her voice quiet and her mouth downturned. “But circumstances are forcing me to work faster than I wanted.”
Whatever that meant. My brow furrowed as I studied her, but I decided against pressing. Instead, I shrugged as I stepped back, opening the door wider and gesturing for her to enter.
“After you,” I said.
She hesitated only briefly before stepping inside, her eyes turning back to me as I stayed at the door. Her boots made faint squeaks on the stone floor. Her eyes darted around the room, lingering on the dusty shelves of books and the faint glow of the candle burning low on the kitchen table. She drew her cloak tighter, shivering slightly as the chill of the tower crept over her. She took a seat at the kitchen table, shivering as she drew her dark cloak tighter around her.
“Shall I leave the door open?” I asked, keeping my tone neutral, trying to convince her that she had nothing to fear from me.
She jumped, turning to face me where I still stood at the doorway. For a long moment, she stared at me, her expression unreadable. Then she shook her head. “I trust you.”
I raised an eyebrow, affected despite myself. Those three words hit me harder than they should have. Trust. It had been so long since anyone had spoken that word to me, so long since someone had seen me as anything more than a beast or a threat.
Slowly, I closed the door behind me, though I left it unlocked. No need to make her feel cornered. I moved to the kitchen table and took a seat, trying to appear as non-threatening as a man with claws buried beneath his skin could.
“Alright,” I said, leaning forward with my elbows on the table. “You’re here. Now, what?” I asked, trying to be gentle.
In response, the girl rummaged in her pocket, and my instincts tensed. When her hand emerged, she was holding a long, wicked dagger. She placed it on the kitchen table between us, in easy reach of her delicate looking, slender fingers.
The blade gleamed faintly in the candlelight. The hilt was adorned with intricate filigree, a pattern of curling leaves that seemed out of place on something so deadly.
“I thought you said you trusted me?” I raised an eyebrow, my voice laced with dry amusement.
“I do. But I am also a careful person,” the girl said dryly, running one finger over the filigree design on the knife hilt.
I cracked a smile despite myself, and I nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Now, what can I do for you, girl?”
She frowned. “Call me Seranni. Surely you haven’t forgotten?” She raised an eyebrow in challenge, and I shrugged. I had forgotten, but I wasn’t about to admit it.
“Well, Seranni, the hour is late, and I don’t get much sleep, so I’ll ask again. What do you want from the tower?”
She tilted her head, watching me as if gauging whether she’d made the right decision by coming here. I met her gaze evenly, letting the silence stretch until she finally spoke again.
“I want access to the mage’s books. His magic books.”
My jaw tightened at her words. Magic. The very thing that had cursed me, that had turned me into the creature I was now. I frowned. “Why?”
Her lips thinned and she shook her head. “My reasons are my own.”
“I cannot let you into the mage’s rooms.”
“Why not?”
I smirked. I leaned back in my chair, letting my amusement show. “My reasons are my own.”
She frowned, tapping her finger on her knife, before she sighed. “I need to hone my magic. There is no one else to teach me. The mage’s books are my only chance.” She looked at me. “Your turn.”
I sighed. “I’m keeping the mage’s books because I am trying to reverse a piece of magic.” I shook my head. “And that’s all I’ll say about that.”
Seranni frowned. “Don’t you trust me, Kael?”
I jumped. It had been so long since I’d heard my name come from another’s mouth…
It was such a simple thing, but it struck a chord deep within me. My name, spoken with no fear, no contempt—just curiosity and a hint of warmth.
I softened, despite myself. “I do. But it’s safer for us both this way.”
She studied me, her gaze unwavering. “I’ll translate the books for you,” she offered suddenly. “If that’s what it takes to get access to them.”
I raised an eyebrow, surprised by her boldness. “You’re offering to help me?”
She nodded, her eyes shining with determination. “Yes. Will you help me in turn?”
For a long moment, I considered her. She was clearly desperate, but she didn’t seem reckless. If anything, she seemed cautious and calculating.
I sighed. “Yes,” I said finally. “I’ll give you access to the books if you agree to translate them for me.” I grimaced. “I can read them, but making sense of them is another thing altogether.” I raised an eyebrow at her. “Do we have a deal?”
Seranni nodded, her eyes shining. “Deal.”
Relief flickered across her face, and I found myself relaxing despite myself.
“You can start with the books in the shelf over there,” I said, pointing at the stack near the dead fireplace, where my candle still burned on the mantle. I had no need of a fire, my altered body kept me warm enough, but it was the only place where I could stretch out in one of the chairs and read.
With a final wary look at me, Seranni went over to the books. Her cloak billowed behind her, revealing the simple dress beneath—a deep burgundy that contrasted beautifully with her dusky skin. Her hair was tied back in a braid, though a few stubborn curls had escaped to frame her face.
I watched as she selected a book. She opened it with care, her fingers lightly brushing the edges of the pages.
“You can take the chair,” I said, dusting off one of the stools scattered around the fireplace. “I’ll sit here.”
A few moments later, the night was silent except for the turning of the pages. When Seranni’s teeth began to chatter for the second time in ten minutes, I sighed.
“Do you want me to light the fire?”
She looked up. “Won’t the smoke alert the villagers?” she asked through clenched teeth.
“The fireplace vents open out into the forest,” I said. “And the wind is blowing away from town. No one will see the smoke.
She nodded, and I moved to light the fire. The warmth spread quickly, casting a golden glow over the room.
In the six months that I had been free, I had been to spy on the town only thrice. Once, when I had just escaped the dungeon, and I had thought I could ask the townspeople for help. Seeing the soldiers stationed in the town inn had put paid to that idea. If the army found out that the mage’s experiment was still alive, I would never escape.
The second time had been a month ago, when winter had arrived. I had stolen firewood and some supplies, striking homes and businesses like a thief in the night. Which was what I was, when I thought about it.
And the third time had been just last night, when I had escorted Seranni to her home.
I looked over at her. Her curly hair was in a braid today, one curl hanging over her forehead. Her black hair looked untidy and mussed, as if she had woken from her bed and come directly to the tower. She was dressed warmly, but now that I had a passable fire going, my superior hearing made out her sigh of relief.
“Feeling warmer?”
She nodded, and smiled. “Yes, thank you, Kael.”
Clearing my throat, I sat on the stool, opening a book to hide the tears that had sprung to my eyes. Such a simple thing—a smile, genuine gratitude, the calling of one’s name—all things I had taken for granted for all the twenty-six years of my life. Only now, when my humanity had been stolen from me, and I had been without human contact for eighteen months, did I understand their value.
An hour passed by in silence, the only sounds the crackle of the fire and the rustle of pages. I found myself glancing at her more often than I intended, watching the way her brow furrowed in concentration, the way her lips moved faintly as she read.
When my eyes started to close despite myself, I shook myself awake, only to see that Seranni was dozing with the book open on her lap. Standing, I went over to her, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
She came awake with a start, scrabbling for her dagger, and I stepped back with my hands up. “I think it’s time you called it a night,” I said softly. “You need to rest.”
She nodded, even as her shoulders slumped. “You can come back tomorrow,” I said consolingly, and she looked up with a wry smile.
“If only there was some way I could read these without having to sacrifice my sleep.” She looked at me hopefully. “Can I take just one of these books home?”
I sighed, torn with indecision. The thought of those books leaving the tower unsettled me, but the earnestness in her gaze made it difficult to refuse. On the one hand, it wouldn’t hurt to have a witch on my side. On the other hand, if there was something in that book about what had happened to me, I couldn’t let Seranni learn such a dangerous secret.
“I promise I’ll bring it back tomorrow night,” Seranni said, and I finally nodded.
“I’m choosing to trust you,” I said unnecessarily.
Seranni only smiled, clutching the book to her bosom. “You won’t regret it.”
“Come on,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll escort you home.”
This walk went very differently than the last, our footsteps crunching on the soft, powdery snow as we walked together. We didn’t speak, but the silence wasn’t oppressive.
The moonlight painted the trees in shades of silver and shadow, and the air was crisp and cold.
By the time we reached the edge of her town, I found myself reluctant to part ways.
All too soon, Seranni was standing on the outskirts of her town.
“Good night,” I murmured.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.
As she walked to her home, I melted into the shadows surrounding the woods. With a quick slash of my hand through the air, I had my claws out. I used them to climb up into the treetops, where I had a perfect view of Seranni walking deeper into the town. The gently falling snow would soon cover up her footprints, and no one in town would be the wiser about her midnight escapade.
I watched until she walked through the empty side streets up to a small, cozy house, entering through the back door. The faint glow of her house’s lantern was a beacon in the darkness. Only once she had shut her door did I turn away.
The next day, I spent the time looking for firewood and hunting for game. My stores were running low and I wasn’t sure I wanted to steal from the townspeople again. Taking from them when Seranni was coming to the tower every night felt too risky.
If someone saw me…I would be back in chains.
Back to being a prisoner of war. And an experiment for the mage.
I’d die before I went back to him.
So, all these months I had stayed to the woods, where the townspeople would never see me, and I read my books by whatever weak sunlight made its way to the tower. It helped that my new form gave me better night vision than I had when I had been purely human. I could read in low, dim light, and had no great need for candles. My dragon blood also kept me warm and saved me the trouble of lighting a fire every night, which had helped me stay hidden all this while.
But Seranni was different.
She’d been shivering last night, and logic dictated that she would need another fire when she came to visit tonight. So, I foraged for firewood and hunted for my supper at the same time. All the game was hibernating, but there were a few birds and beasts that I sniffed out and grabbed from their hiding places.
Satisfied with my hauls—both of them—I returned to the tower. Seranni would be back, looking for new books to read, and it would be best if I kept everything ready for her in the kitchen. Only this morning, I’d found a book that seemed to talk about the mage’s experiments, and the magic arrays drawn in the pages of the notebook seemed familiar to me from my long imprisonment.
I rubbed my wrists. I’d been a prisoner of war for eighteen months, but I still felt the shadow of the shackles that had bound me. When I had rebelled against the mage, he’d locked me up in the dungeon, and I’d spent six months in there before I broke out. I’d emerged to find the tower empty, all of my fellow prisoners dead or missing, and the mage gone. All that was left were his notebooks.
Somewhere in them was the clue to turning me back into the man I’d once been. I wouldn’t rest until I’d undone what had been done to me.
I wouldn’t let the godsdamned mage win.
Clenching my teeth against the anger that threatened to overwhelm me, I took to my heels, hoping the bracing run would burn away my rage. I leapt over stones and vaulted tree branches, enjoying the burn of my muscles and the chilly wind in my hair.
When I arrived at the tower again, I was flushed and grinning. Humming under my breath, I entered the tower, lighting a small fire in the kitchen. The dragon in me wanted to tear into the rabbits and birds I had found, but I forced myself to go slowly, gathering dishes and condiments, preparing and cutting the meat for a quick stew. I was no beast. I was a man . And I would eat like a man.
Several hours later, my mood had soured again. After a semi-delicious meal of rabbit stew, I had brought out the book I had found earlier in the day. For good measure, I brought along all the books in the same stack, and even the ones next to it. I’d spent the better part of the afternoon and the evening reading the words, but none of it made sense to me. Frustrated, I’d given up and moved on to another book, hoping it would yield some clues, but it was all gobbledygook to me.
Oh, I could read the warnings, and some of the instructions—“only to be performed during the full moon”, or “do not attempt before bringing your mind to tranquility through meditation”, but the rest of it was beyond me. I could read the words, but I could not comprehend their meaning. It could have been written in another language, as far as I was concerned. It was as if a child had been given a book on advanced military strategy. They would read the words, but none of it would hold any meaning for the child.
With a snarl, I pushed the book away and looked up. It was night. Nearly midnight. Where was Seranni?
Perhaps I could escort her to the tower today. If nothing else, it would give me a chance to burn off some of my frustration.
Resolved, I pushed my chair back and stood, making my way out of the door and into the night. The wind rushed through my hair again as I ran for the town at full bore, keeping to the tree line. Dodging trees and vaulting fallen branches as I ran, I enjoyed the exertion, feeling my spirits lift.
I was nearing the edge of the town, time to slow down…
A sudden cry had me freeze in mid step as I pricked my ears.
There was a soft murmur, almost too soft for even my hearing to pick up, and then another cry.
I took off again, this time at a full sprint. Now I recognized that voice.
It was Seranni.
Within minutes, I was crouching in the upper branches of a tree, looking down in the clearing at the scene unfolding before me. A haze came over my vision, and the dragon within me roared, straining to slip the tight leash I kept on him and run amok.
The dragon within me demanded blood, and I was inclined to let him run rampant.
Below me, a man had his hand around Seranni’s throat. Her eyes were wide and fearful, and she was pleading for the man to let go.
I had seen enough.
For once, my dragon and I were on the same side.
This man would die tonight.