Chapter two

Sara entered the small apartment and slammed the keys against the counter. How dare that blind bitch try to explain her life. A flame danced at the end of a lighter. Sara placed a cigarette between her lips and inhaled deeply. "Is there something to what Dawn said?"

Each puff caused Sara to wonder if her parents kept secrets. Her father loved archaeology and financed several digs. Marcus Whitlock ended his life shortly after Desmond Sabretail died on an expedition. Marcus refused to talk about it. Her mother abandoned them shortly

The purse flew across the room, where it landed on the counter. Sara snatched the ashtray off the worn table and tapped the cigarette against it. She placed it on the battered end table. Her nose caught Dawn's scent, rose, and citrus, mixed to perfection. "It's like she's standing in the room with me."

Tiny claws on wood assaulted her sensitive ears. Her eyes couldn't see the invader, "Who's there." Sara tensed up and prepared to take on her lupine form.

A voice whispered right next to her ear, "You're not awake."

Sara whipped around. Her shirt ripped and fell to the floor as her body expanded to her furry form. Her wolfish senses sharpened to a razor. "I'll find you, and my jaws will be your end."

A knock on the door caused Sara to freeze. Whoever it was couldn't have picked a worse time to visit. The shift to wolf came easy. Sara struggled with the return to her human side. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Liam. I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd pop in and say hi."

Something moved at the corner of her eye. "Shit." she swore loud enough for Liam to hear.

"Is everything okay, Sara?" Liam jiggled the handle.

A plausible explanation escaped Sara, "Everything's fine." Her eyes now stared at the pair of bizarre wolf-like creatures. Their mouths almost went back to their shoulders. Thousands of tentacles writhed across their bodies and curled around razor-sharp claws. Multiple eyes regarded her with contempt.

"Are you going to let me in?"

The claws scraped the linoleum while the pair of beasts circled her with a predatory look in their eyes. Sara couldn't hide the panic in her voice, "No," She said, "Everything's fine."

"Your voice went up three octaves. Are you sure?"

"Yup." Sara's pint-sized invaders vanished. Her hand smacked the floor. "Damnit, where'd they go."

Sara heard Liam press himself against the door. "Where did who go?" he asked.

"Liam, please leave," Sara begged. "I'm dealing with a lady problem."

"Oh...this is awkward," Liam said.

The tiny beasts crawled up her arm and leg. Their tentacles caressed her limbs as they moved up her torso. "Yes, it is. Please leave."

"Okay, I'll come back another time," Liam said, "Take care."

With Liam gone, Sara growled and actively tried to catch her invaders. Their speed made up for their size. Her hand streaked toward a small creature, and it vanished. Hot breath touched her ear. "You can't escape your heritage."

"What do you mean." Sara slashed her ear and caught air instead of the tiny nuisance.

"You family came from the origin." The ethereal voice grew forceful. A mass of worm-like tendrils held her fist closed.

Dawn's scent grew powerful. "Why are you doing this to me?" Sara couldn't understand

A long tentacle left a slime trail down her cheek, "You are needed." The appendage teased the nostril. "It's time to embrace who you are." The tendril crawled further up her snout. "You don't have a choice."

Sara's snout bulged as the twisted lupine drove the slimy appendage further up the wolfish nose. The pain of the unnatural twisting of skin held Sara down and helpless. She could feel an invader behind the eyes. "Please, no more," she said in the throes of agony.

"Daenerys demands your service. She will have you."

A sharp pain rocked Sara into darkness. The last thing she saw was the cruel mouths of her savage visitors. "She is pleased."

***

Sara awoke in Dawn's arms. The strange woman rocked her back and forth. Her soft voice sang off-key, "You are reborn today. You belong to her now. She will sustain you."

The light burned her eyes. Her hands instinctively tried to protect her eyes and felt bone instead of soft fur. "No...this isn't me."

"I awoke the divine in you," Dawn smiled down at Sara like and mother does an infant. "You are more beautiful than I imagined."

Sara's hands shook as they traveled down her jawline. Tears formed at the oversized teeth and excess eyes. Something crawled under her back, desperate to get out. "This isn't me. Change me back."

Dawn continued to stroke Sara's neck. She spoke softly, "You are reborn to the origin of your species, emissary of Daenery's." She pressed a hand against Sarah's head, "You only have to endure this for a little while longer."

Sara's body teetered on the edge of exploding, "Make it stop. It's hurts." She hugged herself and sobbed.

"You do not have time to be weak. Find your resolve and allow humanity to return to your body."

"I can't..."

"Then you are doomed to die."

"Please..."

Dawn's hand struck her across the snout, "My goddess chose a weakling. How disappointing. Time is running out, Sara Whitlock. You will either die a twisted monster or find your human form and survive. I cannot help you. You must battle it in the mindscape."

Once more, the world faded to black and dragged Sara along with it.

***

Sara opened her eyes to a chaotic world. Sara could feel her humanity call to her from an unknown location. She focused on the desire to be human. In her mind, a swirling mass of flesh and teeth choked her humanity, desperate to see it extinguished.

Righteous anger-filled Sara. "You are not master here. I am." The amorphous mass ceased its endless assault. It slid away and took a wolfish form. It growled at her.

"If it's a fight you want. I will give you a run for your money and then a little more." Sara held up her fists.

The twisted wolf raised the hackles made of pulsating tendrils and snarled at her. It snapped the jaws at her twice and lunged with the speed of an angry pit viper.

Sara's struck the beast down with an elbow. "I said: I am master here." She shifted into the wolf and snarled back.

The warped beast bowed to her and lowered its head in submission. It whimpered and slowly rolled itself into a ball. Sara picked the ball up. "What are you?"

An ethereal voice boomed in her mind. "You've known me since birth. I am that which stretches into eternity and laughs in the face of gods, for I am more ancient than that. You are the master, for now. Never forget our positions can change."

***

Sara awoke naked and afraid on the cold floor, covered in goosebumps. She snapped to a sitting position. Where did Dawn go? Did the blind woman come to the apartment, or was it a dream? Her body shook with exhaustion. Her head throbbed with agony. She needed aspirin or anything to numb the spike of pain in her head.

Dawn's powerful scent came from behind Sara. Taped to the door was an envelope sealed with wax. She padded over to the door. She removed the seal and drew the decorative stationery out. "My dearest student. You are probably wondering if what you experienced was real."

The words taunted Sara. She almost crumpled the paper up and tossed it away. "I assure you, it all happened. But that's not why I left this note. You'll never know peace until you learn control. To do that, you must find me."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Sara scoffed and let her eyes roam over the elegant script.

"How are you supposed to do that? Excellent question. Your best bet is to create a familiar. You may make the companion out of any material. However, live flesh is most effective. If using people isn't your thing, animal and fish make great substitutes. Again, live specimens are most effective. Before you read further, I'd suggest finding your material."

"Like I'm going to do anything for you." Sara slapped the paper against the counter and walked away. She made five feet away before a thought struck her. What if the old bag had answers about her father? Could she ignore it? Sara marched back over to the counter and lifted the letter once more.

"Are you done pouting now? I have the answers, but you must earn them. Now are you ready for the task I have laid out for you?" Sara almost tore the paper in half. How did Dawn know what she'd do? Why did she have to earn the answers?

Sara stomped to the bedroom and grabbed some comfortable clothes. "This better not be a trick, Dawn." As Sara left, she grabbed the letter, determined to seek the truth.