Ratter Ch. 04

The path was dark and hidden, with the shadows of trees and stones marking it unsafe for travel. Evil echoed from the knotted branches with such warning the birds refused to nest. For the best part of five generations, insects and snakes were the only inhabitants of the Vár Forest. With the exception of Sholdaeth Tiernan.

Shol's feet barely grazed the earth as he flew along the unseen path. His agile body dodged the branches and stones and his breath came in steady pants. The dreams that plagued his mind were strong as only a call could be. Violent, raging fantasies that stirred his blood in the most pleasurable of ways.

Slowing his pace, he pushed aside the brush and entered a clearing. There was a circle of bare earth with a stone embedded at its centre. He approached it warily, keeping his senses attuned to his surroundings. Even the wind refused to pass through the trees.

The stone was smooth and round, its face unflawed. To others it would appear as any other rock. But after seven hundred years, Shol knew better. He knelt down and bowed over the stone chanting words long forgotten by his kin. The words caught in his throat as he felt an energy beckon from the earth. Straining forward he blew a mist across the surface. It shimmered, the gray falling back to a mirrored glass. The face staring back wasn't his.

Shol fought the bile rising at the image of black decay in front of him. "Why have you called us?"

The creatures' red eyes glittered in the glass, "we need the help of your master to take care of a little problem."

"There are powerful beings in the worlds, this one wouldn't hope to rival. Why is it you seek help through the human plain?"

"The girl is protected by other forces. Your powers aren't founded on the worlds. You are immune to their control."

It was an appeal to his pride he shrugged off easily. He'd learned long ago pretty words were best unheard. "So it's a girl then?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Not for us."

The creature pulled out a small wooden box engraved with symbols Shol didn't recognize, "if our sources are correct, your master is already quite wealthy. So I suppose money would do little to sway his decision." He pulled a clear stone out of the box and held it towards the mirror. Shol leaned forward, his fangs lengthening at the sight of a blue mist swirling inside the jewel.

"But everyone could use a little more power."

* * *

It had been a long time since Seere had a dreamless sleep. He looked down at April, clinging to him like he was the sole source of life. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his waist and her legs tangled with his, she let out a soft whimper with every breath. A clutter sounded from the hallway and he gently tried to pull himself from her grasp. She hissed and pulled tighter.

"Well, this is awkward." Rane called from the doorway.

Seere glared at him, still trying in vain to escape. "She had a hard day, she was scared."

"And she just ended up in your bed for you to comfort?" his dark eyes sparkled with amusement.

"There was a storm."

Rane gave him an odd look and stared at the girl lying in his arms, "how much have you told her about the worlds?"

"Hardly anything, she was too tired."

Rane nodded and left the room grinning. Seere forced April's hands away and leaped out of bed. He frowned as she stretched into the warmth where his body had been. It was a mistake to encourage the girl. An even bigger mistake to encourage himself. Learned emotions were all he was capable of, but they were enough to bring him down. He couldn't allow that. Seere slipped on a pair of jeans, and turned away from the figure on the bed.

He steeled himself in preparation for what he had to do, and strolled into the kitchen. He found Rane poking through the fridge. For someone who didn't need to eat, he loved food. He pulled out eggs, tomatoes, herbs and bacon tossing them on the bench with the bread.

"Expecting an army?" he teased.

"Actually I am. The Hije was a soldier. There are going to be more. Charity's brace seems to have heard something about a bounty. Whatever our girl might be she is going to need to find her beast quickly. That is, if she's going to survive."

Seere choked the last of the mortal spiel out of his mind before moving to the fridge and opening the door. "Or we could just leave her."

"Hmm?"

He focused his eyes in front of him, seeing nothing. "It's like you always say. It's not our responsibility to worry about other beings in this world. Everyone's out for themselves. Let her make it on her own like the rest of us."

He barely had time to jump back before the fridge door slammed shut, clipping his shoulder. He met Rane glare for glare. "What was that for?"

"Run that by me again?"

"What?"

His eyes narrowed. "Tell me the part where we leave a helpless girl on the side of the road, with no means of protecting herself and half the worlds after her?"

Seere felt a stab of anger at the tone and turned away, "I just…"

"What? What kind of self-centered bullshit are you going to throw at me to justify the act?"

Seere struggled and failed to suppress the rage flooding his system. On its own accord, his body started drawing energy from the Netherspace. The shred of common sense that was left asked why. He was nowhere near that far gone. There was no reason. Pain throbbed through his head, as both mind and body lost the battle and surrendered to the more primal chant of violent need.

"Careful, Seere." Rane whispered, his eyes turning gold.

But Seere wasn't listening. What was left of Seere wasn't listening. A glass trembled on the bench, energy sending a slight pulse through the room. Kill…his mind whispered and he flew forward.

The fridge opened and Seere slammed into it, falling flat on his back. Rane bent over him an amused look on his face. "You didn't actually think you could beat me did you?" Seere glared up at him and he laughed. "I'm not a fan of mortal colloquialism, but I think this case demands it. Dumbass!"

Seere took his hand and stood. The rage he'd felt a dull simmer in his chest. His mind whispered violent thoughts, a reminder the conversation wasn't over. He stumbled over to a stool and eased his trembling body down.

"Aren't you going to apologize?"

"No." his rolled his shoulders with a crack.

Rane smirked and turned back to the stove. "Who are you calling?"

Seere's hand paused in midair "I haven't even lifted the receiver yet."

"You're still charged. You might as well be a neon sign in the Netherspace."

He cleared his head and felt a release of energy. "A clairvoyant I met in Mexico last year."

Rane threw him a look, "a clairvoyant?"

He nodded. "Maybe she can give us information on who's behind this…"

"So I take it she's not your ordinary lunatic?"

Seere punched in the numbers with a smile, "no."

Rane nodded and turned to the stove, "so, I'm thinking this isn't the right environment to train April." He gave Seere a pointed look before continuing. "There's not enough free space for sparring, and there are too many distractions for mind control. She's also going to need books and more weaponry, which we don't have here."

"But we have them at the cabin."

"My thoughts exactly."

"When do you want to leave?"

"After breakfast."

* * *

April barely had time to finish breakfast before Seere dragged her towards the car with mumblings of safety and protection. Rane called shotgun and spent three hours filling Seere in on the activity in the other worlds. April just watched the world go by. The things she should have been worried about in her everyday life seemed far away. Darkness was looming and she could feel its jaws on the back of her neck. She turned to face the front. Seere had gone through one of his one-eighty's and was back to treating her with the affection of an icicle.

"So what now?" she called towards them.

Rane turned to her and smiled "we need to train you. The cabin's perfect for that."

She caught a flicker of something in his eyes. "They'll come too fast for that, won't they?"

"Yes."

"So what's the point?"

He flashed a glare at Seere when he grunted agreement. Sighing, he turned back to her. "You know that you have power latent in your system?" She nodded. "Well, by rights, that power would allow you to affect things outside this world, but it's being restrained. We're going to try and release it and help you control it. By 'we' of course, I mean me. Seere's too busy brooding," he gestured beside him. A grin broke out on Seere's face and he took a lazy half swipe at Rane.

April smiled at the exchange and turned back to the window. They had left the tar behind and the trees had shifted closer together. A scattering of dust covered open storefronts flashed by. Then everything went dark. Her head snapped wildly at her surroundings, seeing nothing but two vague figures in the front seats. Rane, sensing her fear, reached back. She hesitated before putting her hand in his.

"The trees are very thick here. The darkness they create helps ward off unwanted human visitors."

April nodded but still couldn't let go. Darkness had scared her since her first night on her own. She'd fallen asleep on the front step of a shop and woken up in the back of a truck with five other girls. Her body tensed as she pushed away the memories demanding release.

"Almost there."

The murmur was so gentle she almost didn't believe he'd said anything. She checked the front mirror and two dark irises stared back in concern. Then they were gone. Flicking back to the road she couldn't see. She dropped Rane's hand and scooted into the corner of her seat with her legs drawn up and arms crossed. She glared at the back of Seere's seat. If he didn't pick a temperature her knight in shining armor was going to need medical attention.

She blinked as light broke through the windows. The car followed a curved path and settled in front of a two-story log house. She opened the door and got out gaping at the monstrosity before her. "This is your cabin?"

Seere shrugged at her and stuck his hands in his pockets. "It's more of a training house than a cabin. A lot of people come here when they need somewhere to hide, weapons, a roof over their head…"

April shifted uneasily. She wasn't sure how she felt about meeting all these 'people'. Rane came around and draped his arm over her shoulders. "Don't worry, there's no one here now." He frowned thoughtfully "that is except for…"

April was knocked to the ground as a wall of awkward muscle barreled into Rane. Her temper flared, and she opened her mouth, ready to give the attacker a peace of her mind. She stopped at the sight of the teenager pinning Rane to the ground. Brown eyes shone down at him, an impish smile peeking out from behind blonde hair. Rane's face twisted in mock rage and with a roar, he wrestled the boy to the ground.

"Okay, okay, I give!" he laughed.

Rane stood and dragged the boy to his feet. "April, it is with great disappointment that I introduce you to Wade. Charity's little brother. Unfortunately, he will be joining us. That is, if his insipid rendering doesn't have you running from the house by the end of the day."

"Can you knock off the little brother title, it's insulting." He turned his dark eyes to April, looking her crumpled body up and down with curiosity. He met her eyes with approval, and his long lashes lowered flirtatiously, "April…" he chimed, his mouth turning in daring smile, "the gods could not harness such beauty."

Rane scoffed and swiped him over the head. Strong arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her to her feet. She looked up at Seere. For a moment his eyes were heated, hungry. Then he released her and stepped back as if she'd burned him. April made a silent oath to kill him at the first given opportunity.

Wade moved forward, flashing Seere a dirty look. He grabbed her hand and led her towards the house, smiling triumphantly at Rane as they walked past. Rane shook his head at Seere and with a smile, followed them up the stairs.

The inside of the cabin was incredible. There was a definite rustic hunting lodge feel to it. Deep reds, greens and browns covered everything. Rich, masculine colors that somehow fit together in the excessive space. It had the feeling of clutter in a lay about way that did nothing to disturb the order.

Wade steered her to an armchair and handed her a glass of lemonade. April stared in stunned silence at the doorways stemming from the large room. She could easily get lost from that room alone. The thought didn't agree with her.

Wade took a position on the arm of the chair and held the fingers of her free hand closer to his face. "My sister paints her nails black and bites them until they bleed."

His face twisted in disgust.

"Gee, thanks Wade. Nice of you to introduce me like a friggin' freak," a hard voice came from the front doorway.

April stood and turned to see a woman tall and model thin. Her hair was bleached almost translucent and spiked in a short punk style. Her eyes were the same as Wade's, a rich chocolate brown. The navy tank and black jeans clung to her figure, emphasizing her small curves and the length of her legs. April felt a stab of jealousy.

"So you're April?" the girl moved forward and stuck out her hand with a smile "I'm Charity."

"Nice to meet you." April answered coolly.

Charity gestured towards Rane with a black tipped finger. He moved forward and she planted a kiss on his cheek, flashing a look that promised mischief later.

She turned to the defiant figure leaning against the wall. "Seere."

April almost laughed at stubborn look on his face as he cautiously inched towards Charity. He paused three steps away, eyeing her warily.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," she laughed and hugged him.

April felt some of the resentment ebb away. It was hard to be jealous of someone who could make the ice king play nice. Charity tipped her head to the side and looked April up and down. "Tell me those aren't your clothes." she said.

April stared at the emerald shirt and blue jeans. She looked like a child wearing grown up clothes. "No, they're Seere's. I was supposed to go shopping before…"

Charity's eyes lit up and Rane groaned. He reached into his wallet and handed her a card. She flashed him a perfect grin and grabbed April's hand leading her out the door.

"Where are we going?"

"Shopping of course, there's a mall half an hour away. Where did you think we were going?"

* * *

The trip was silent save for the simpering woman on the radio. She itched to change the station to one where they didn't need to ask where the Eiffel tower was; or take six callers to get a right answer. Charity's fingers strummed against the steering wheel impatiently when they stopped at a red light. "So are you with Seere?" she asked turning towards her.

April stared back in shock. "No!" Charity just smiled and turned the corner.

She crossed her arms and leaned back, irritation bubbling through her voice. "What are you anyway?"

Charity raised an eyebrow. "What am I?"

"Yeah, what race?"

"Oh" she chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before turning to April "I'm a shapeshifter."

April shifted uncomfortably and Charity laughed, "I only have one form I can change into. Our bodies have similar requirements to humans. We're not strong enough to change into just anything. Our creature is assigned to us at birth based on our genetic make-up."

"And what are you?"

"A wolf. Wade's a hybrid; it takes a very strong vessel so we don't have many. He trains in a special class, our elders didn't appreciate me bringing him here, but something tells me you're going to need the extra protection." she flashed April a smile and turned back to the road.

"A hybrid of what?"

"Dragon; and his original form of course."

"Oh." She felt nothing at being told a sixteen-year-old boy could change into a dragon. April couldn't help but wonder if the situation was causing permanent damage to her brain.

They turned into the car park and entered the archway. The shopping centre was a mesh of unknown stores, with a roof thrown on top. Most were quirky, darkened rooms with names like 'Tabitha's Palace' and 'Bleeding Ice.' She looked into a window with neon lights illuminating a book on UFO's and a pendant strangely similar to Seere's.

Charity looked over her shoulder and laughed. "It's the forest. Only two kinds of people come here; crazies and tourists."

"Your boyfriend is a genie and UFO's are a strange idea?" April teased.

"Jinn. There is a difference." She started walking away.

April paused for a moment before running to her side. "Which one are we?"

"Hmm?"

"If only two kinds of people come here, which one are we?" Charity winked and gestured towards a clothing store.

April had always hated shopping. Even when she set out on her own, she avoided clothing stores like the plague. At least this time she had Charity. She was different to anyone April had ever met. Straightforward and obnoxious, she had dismissed two nosy shop assistants and called April a mutilated cow; a whore with herpes and a strung-out teenager before they'd even made it out of the first store.

They were almost done when she found herself dragged into a store called 'Midnight', with strict orders to choose something decent. She smiled and watched Charity grab a little black dress and head for the fitting rooms.

April roamed the room, her eyes catching on an emerald dress with thin crossover straps, in the corner. She picked it up holding it against her body with a frown. It shimmered in the light. She hadn't made one right choice the whole day; it was probably best to wait for Charity to come back.

"He'll love it," a silky, deep voice whispered in her ear.

She whirled around to stare into two laughing green eyes. "What?"

The stranger smiled and gestured towards the dress, "your boyfriend; he'll love it."

She raised her eyebrow and he laughed. "Not subtle enough to fool you, am I?"

"No," she smiled, "and no, I don't have a boyfriend."

"Ah, so there's nothing to stop me from asking you out then?"

A flirt. She tipped her head to the side and fluttered her lashes innocently, "well, there is always the possibility I'd say no."

He pressed a hand to his heart in mock wound. "But…you have a dress!"

"Hmm…it is a shame to have a dress and nowhere to wear it."

"Then you'll come to the 'Nepřítel' at eight?" Black hair fell over cobalt eyes and he did nothing to correct it.

She laughed and shook her head. "I'm staying with friends and I'm sure they've got the whole week planned…"

"She'll go." Charity moved forward and rolled her eyes at April. "That's the only decent selection you've made all day and you're going to buy it."

"Okay...but that doesn't mean I have to…"

"…and you're going to wear it."

April sighed "but Rane has…"

"Let me handle Rane. You're going." she leaned in close to April's ear, "what the fuck is wrong with you! He's gorgeous!"

She looked back to the man in front of her. He was gorgeous. But there was something wrong about him. "I need to train," she whispered. It sounded like a feeble excuse, even to her ears. Obviously it did to Charity too because she just stared. "Okay, so I could get out of training." she muttered.

"So it's settled; you're going."

"But what about…"

Charity leaned in closer, her voice a whispering tease, "unless you'd rather go with Se…"

"Eight's fine." April said to the man and Charity scribbled the address down for him.