The Realms of Animar (16 page)

The silence was broken by whispers from inside. They were young voices, children perhaps. Maybe he had gotten lucky.

“At the window, I heard something,” a young boy said. “Go look!”

“You go look,” a girl said. “It’s too cold.”

Someone grumbled inside and he heard movement but Thane couldn’t tell what was going on. He then heard a scraping sound and the shutters buckled. He backed away from the window a bit, just in case.

The shutters parted a bit and the face of a small boy peeked out through the crevice. He was cute, with short brown ruffled hair, a round face and a tiny nose. It was Fopo Hoppensey. He was perhaps seven or eight, Thane wasn’t exactly sure, but he knew him from school.

“Hey what are you doing?” the boy asked, puzzled.

Thane glanced around then replied, “I need to see Alia.”

“What for? It’s freezing!”

Thane heard a whisper and then saw movement deeper in the room. The boy then groaned and disappeared when he was quickly pulled away from the window. Alia poked her head up in his place. She was wrapped in a blanket while her long golden hair was blown about by the wind. It was to his horror that Thane then realized that he had no idea what he was going to say.

“Thane?” she asked. “Have you lost your mind?”

Stunned, he just looked at her for a moment. Finally he replied, “Maybe so. Listen, can I come in for a second? It’s really cold.”

“No you can’t come in! We are sleeping you loon.”

Thane frowned and looked down at the ground. He was beyond embarrassment. “I’m sorry, it’s just – oh never mind. Sorry I woke you.” Embarrassed, he turned and began to walk away.

“Oh hold on a second,” she called after him. “So what’s going on? Is something wrong?”

Thane stopped and returned to the open window. He was not sure what to say.

“How did you find me anyway?” Alia then asked, curious.

He smiled. “It wasn’t hard. The Hoppenseys are the only rabbits in the village. I figured they took you in.”

“Well good thing you didn’t knock on the other window. Mr. Hoppensey probably would not approve of visitors at this hour. So what’s this all about any way?”

“Well, see…some people came over, Trussil and Mordigal, the wolf. I heard them talking with my parents about my headaches, like something was wrong with me…with my animal form or something. They were going to look me over but before they got to my room I ran over here. I know it’s stupid but I feel different. Maybe something really is wrong. I guess I thought… I don’t know what I was thinking really.”

“Well that doesn’t make much sense. You are a strange one Thane – that’s for sure. Your morph is a horse, right?”

“Yeah,” he replied shyly.

“Well come on, let’s see it before we wake everyone up.”

Thane backed away from the window and glanced to the front of the house once more. It was still clear. He knew they would find him soon.

When he looked back to the window he saw two faces had appeared next to Alia, first the boy and then the girl. She was nearly identical to her brother except for her long hair that was pulled into pigtails. They stared at him, wide-eyed and curious.

“Get on with it!” Alia demanded.

The clouds parted high above and for a brief moment they were bathed in soft glowing moonlight. He took one last look at Alia and then closed his eyes. He was about to morph when he heard voices near the front of the house.

It was now or never.

Seconds later Thane peered down at the ground and saw his hooves. Sure enough he had done it. So what was wrong with him? He felt the same, well, he felt the power in his legs and the pull of the tail that now dangled from his rear.

He lifted his head and looked at the three faces in the window. They were staring at him, with jaws agape, clearly bewildered.

Alia leaned out from the window, stretched out an arm and motioned for him to move closer.

“Oh wow!” she exclaimed.

Startled by her words, Thane took a step back.

“Don’t worry, you are fine,” she encouraged. “Come a bit closer, you’re ok.”

He walked forward, within her reach, and watched as she grinned and then reached out and touched his head. Well, it felt like his head. It tickled.

***

Avryn and Mordigal stopped when they heard talking in the distance. They panted from the run, sending small puffs of fog billowing into the cold night air. Moisture landed on Avryn’s face and he looked up and spotted tiny white flakes falling from the sky. It had begun to snow.

The two men looked at one another anxiously as they tried to decide where the voices had originated. Mordigal focused his senses and then pointed to the far side of the bakery. Without hesitation they sprinted around the corner.

There, at the farthest end of the building, partially illuminated in a sliver of moonlight, stood a gleaming white horse. It was Thane and he was not alone. A girl, Alia, was leaning out through an open window and appeared to be petting his head.

They walked a few steps closer and then, in unison, froze in their tracks. The girl was touching a most unexpected thing - a coiled horn that sat atop his head, tucked between his ears.

“Now do you believe me?” Mordigal asked.

Avryn remained silent while his eyes were fixated on what stood before him. His son was a unicorn, something that only existed in legend. He wanted to speak but it was a rare moment when the great orator could not find words. He was in shock.

Alia spotted the two men and gasped, causing Thane to look in their direction.

***

Thane turned back to the girl whose hand had not left his head. She appeared fascinated. He didn’t understand; he wanted to go home. He never should have left his room. He felt his gut clench. His vision then grew cloudy, the world turned black and then he was suddenly blinded by a flash of light.

***

Avryn took a step closer and then, in the blink of an eye, Thane, along with the girl, vanished. All that stood before he and Mordigal were tiny specks of white snow falling gracefully through the blackness of night. The men then ran to the window and spotted two wide-eyed tiny faces, a boy and a girl, peering out at them in disbelief.

Chapter 17

T
russil struggled to calm Felia down as the women sat on Thane’s bed, their faces illuminated by the small flame that bounced inside a lantern on the floor. They had stayed behind in case the boy had returned but nearly a half hour had gone by without a word.

Trussil noticed that Felia was fighting back tears so she gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Oh don’t worry, it will be fine,” she assured. “Thane is just going through a phase.”

Felia sniffled and wiped at her eyes. “I know, I know. I’m sorry, this really isn’t like me. I just don’t know what to expect next from that boy.”

“He will be fine. He is just stretching his legs or visiting my latest pupil.” Trussil grinned and added, “I would bet on the latter.”

The night then took an unexpected twist when suddenly a small glowing white sphere about the size of a fist appeared in the center of the room. The women noticed it immediately and stood up in unison.

The sphere hovered in mid air, still and unmoving, with a slightly luminescent quality that emitted a small amount of light. It was perfectly white and made no sound, nor did it provide any hints to its origin.

“What…what is that thing?” Felia asked.

Trussil did not respond. She just stared in wonder. It was incredible.

Suddenly the two women were blinded by a powerful white light. They groaned and shielded their eyes with their hands. Almost as quick as it had appeared, the light faded and gradually the women peeked into the center of the room where the sphere had once been.

Bewilderment struck for the second time in a matter of moments. Where once the mysterious orb had been hovering, there now stood a white unicorn and next to it, with a hand stretched up and touching its horn, was Alia.

The women looked at one another. There were no words to describe what they had seen. They recognized the creature to be Thane, although he now had a horn atop his head. Mordigal had been right.

The girl released her grasp on the horn and pulled the blanket that was draped around her body tighter. She was shivering and clearly startled by what had taken place. She looked around the strange room as she tried to decipher where she was.

“Thane honey?” Felia asked as she walked forward. “Is that you?”

The unicorn turned its head to the sound of her voice and then shifted quickly back to his human form. Thane now stood before them wearing his sleepwear and a pair of boots. His disheveled hair was topped with melting flakes of snow and he appeared as surprised to be in his room as they were to see him.

“W...w…what hap…happened?” Thane asked, his words fighting through a cold-induced tremble. He had no idea what they had seen.

Alia smiled, her face covered with excitement, and blurted, “You’re a unicorn Thane! This is fantastic!” She looked around the room then added, “So where am I?”

“A unicorn? Are you kidding?” Thane asked. Then, without thinking, he reached up and patted his head that of course was only covered with damp hair. The horn was only visible in his animal form.

Felia began to speak when the door opened and Mordigal and Avryn darted in. They were breathing heavy from the sprint and were speckled with snow. The men halted when they took note of the occupants of the room. Avryn bent over and rested his hands on his knees while he caught his breath.

Trussil walked over to Mordigal. He glanced into her eyes and then put an arm around her shoulder. They intended to stay out of this, for now.

Before anyone else could speak, Alia turned to the others. “Did you see it? Thane is a unicorn!”

Avryn glanced at his wife. Their eyes met and they knew their lives had just changed forever.

An awkward silence filled the room. The group looked at one another as they attempted to grasp what had happened.

Avryn was the first to speak, “So how did you two get here?”

“Don’t look at me!” Alia replied.

Avryn turned to Thane who had a puzzled look on his face. “Alright son, I know you are probably in a bit of shock right now. But what happened? How did you get here?”

Thane scrunched his brow. He was as puzzled as everyone else. “Well, I was there, standing next to the window. I know I heard you…you both…coming and I just wished I was back in my room. I sort of pictured it I guess, that was when it all kind of went fuzzy and I…we…we…just poofed.”

“Poofed!” Alia added with a gesture of her hands.

Mordigal glanced at Trussil then turned to leave. “Alright, I think now is a good time for us to head out,” he said. “Avryn, can I have a word with you before we go?”

“Sure…sure of course,” Avryn replied. He then followed Mordigal and Trussil out of the room, leaving Felia to settle Thane and Alia.

They closed the door to the bedroom and gathered near the front door where candlelight cast eerie shadows around them as they huddled closely together.

Mordigal began, “Avryn listen, I really didn’t know how relevant this was at the time but now, given what we have learned, this is making sense.”

“Nothing can shock me now,” Avryn replied. “What is it?”

Mordigal paused a moment while he pondered his words. “The man that sent me here, Fatalis, he has this…this person he consults with, an old soothsayer of sorts, some kind of mystic. Nobody else has even met this person, he is kept locked away somewhere in the caverns. Any way, recently Fatalis confided in me that this mystic told him that a unique boy with special gifts would somehow threaten his destiny to rule Animar. I could only gather now that, with our latest discovery about your son, Fatalis believes this unique boy to be Thane.”

Avryn rubbed his beard and then shook his head. “So this is why he sent you?”

“I believe so. I thought it was just to strike a blow to you - that is all he told me. I had no idea that Thane had magical abilities. I’m not sure what Fatalis knows but he definitely believes that your son poses a threat to him and he intends to form the biggest army the land has ever seen and destroy this place and everyone in it. He will stop at nothing to kill anyone who stands in the way of his rule.”

“Alright,” Avryn said. “Tomorrow morning I will call a meeting of the Council and I want you there. They need to hear some of this from you as well. We need to convince them that we have to act now.”

“This mystic you mentioned,” Trussil said. “Do you know what kind of animal it is?”

Mordigal raised an eyebrow, surprised by her question. “No. Rumor was that it was something different, of another realm maybe but I really don’t know more about it.” He then turned to Avryn, “I will do what I can to help.”

“Sorry,” Trussil interrupted, “but this oracle has only been around for less than a year I take it?”

Mordigal gave her a curious look. “That’s about right. Why are you so interested in him?”

“Something about the timing is rather familiar,” Trussil replied. “I will have to think on it.”

Catching them by surprise, a small glowing white sphere then appeared hovering in the center of the room. Trussil spotted it and motioned to the men who turned their attention to it as well.

The door to Thane’s bedroom opened and Felia ran out. “He vanished!”

Trussil directed her to the glowing orb that had started growing in size. Felia then shook her head, disappointed. Then, without sound or alarm, Thane popped into sight before them. To Trussil’s surprise there had been no blinding light this time.

Thane looked at his father sheepishly and said, “Sorry, I guess I wondered what you were talking about and somehow, well, you know…”

Avryn shook his head and pointed to his door. “Go back to your room,” he commanded. “Oh and this time just—” It was too late, the boy had vanished. “—walk.”

Avryn and Trussil looked at one another when they heard Alia shriek with delight in Thane’s room. Obviously Thane had reappeared.

“He will need a lot of training,” Trussil said.

Mordigal nodded. “That could be incredibly beneficial in combat, if he can harness it.”

“Combat?” Felia questioned. “Forget it.”

“I don’t think we have much of a choice,” Avryn argued. “If this madman Fatalis is after him who knows what beasts he will send next.” He then turned to Mordigal and added, “No offense.”

Mordigal grinned. “None taken.”

Avryn then continued, “Any way, we will have to pull him out of school a bit early. He needs to start training with Urso right away.”

Felia began to speak but held her tongue.

Aware of the tension, Mordigal put an arm around Trussil. “Well, I suppose we should try and get some sleep. Tomorrow should be quite a day.”