Frightening

Plunging beneath the surface, Renat felt the warm water envelop him. Like one of Wai's arms, it gripped him and pulled him into its depths for a moment. The brown wolf yelped, releasing bubbles into the water around him.

From above, the air from his lungs was joined by black fizzing as the water seemed to take on a life of its own. The boat bobbed up and down, trying to find the calm that it had experienced only a moment ago.

Leaning over the side of the boat, Mairwen seemed ready to jump in after her husband. "Renat!" she yelled as Eira reached forward and pulled her back onto the bench.

After a moment of boiling blackness, the brown wolf broke the surface of the water with a gasp. The bubbles stopped, and the black coloring slowly mixed into the lake until it was no longer visible.

"Are you alright?!" the princess asked, her heart still beating wildly.

"I am fine. The water just doesn't seem to like me. Thankfully it let me go." The wolf bobbed like a cork in the water as things finally settled.

After a quick scrub, Renat grabbed onto the side of the small wooden vessel and prepared to climb back in. Tossing the soap into the boat, the wolf-man reached for Alaron's and Polymede's waiting hands.

"How are you so heavy?" The satyr strained against the weight of the wet dog.

"I thought you would be stronger than me," Alaron seemed confused. If nothing else, the half-goat should have been able to pull from the strength of his lower half and not have a problem.

"I guess the trip has worn me out," Polymedes gave one last tug, helping Renat to tumble into the hull. The satyr grabbed his upper arm. "I don't remember ever being this sore from a trip before either. Even my lungs are aching."

"When did that start?" Dania furrowed her brow.

"Not long ago, but it seems alright now." Polymedes rolled his shoulders.

"Maybe we should take another moment to collect ourselves. Prince Renat needs time to dry off and I am sure the princess and Eira might like a moment to clean off once we are sure the water is safe. I know I would like to get the remains of the Itchweed off of me." Dania rubbed at a spot on her ankle which had gone unprotected.

"Itchweed? How did you get into Itchweed?" Mairwen raised her eyebrows.

"It was your brother's idea," the woman with the mood ring eyes answered.

"Ah, that makes more sense." The princess shrugged. That was all the explanation that she needed.

"I'm right here you know," Alaron huffed as he stuck out his tongue like a child.

"We know. Now you boys turn around." Mairwen waited for the three males to avert their gazes. Then, after Eira tested the water, the three ladies slipped into the lake fully clothed and cleansed off the dirt and blood from their own bodies and clothes. The water sizzled around the soldier and princess as well, though not as strongly as when Renat had been plunged below the surface.

"I think it is reacting to the blood," Dania said. As she had not been involved in the fighting or cleaning up Renat after he was hurt, there was no purpled crimson staining her clothing. Around her the lake remained clear as glass.

"You may be right." Mairwen agreed. Dipping her head under the water, the princess then resurfaced and pushed back her hair. Droplets caught the late-afternoon sun, sending a rainbow of color through the tiny magical orbs.

After they were scrubbed clean, the ladies re-entered the boat and used Zan's cloak both to get fresh clothes and to change in privacy.

"For a little ship, this boat sure has more space than I expected," Eira commented as she sat on the rowing bench in place of the Guardian.

Beside her, Renat took Polymedes's spot. His furry elbow was still well away from her face, making the idea of rowing next to him not seem so difficult.

"Of course. My boats accommodate the people in them. Why shouldn't it be spacious?" Polymedes waved his hand dismissively. He felt no need to explain how his boats grew and shrank. That was a trade secret and none of their business.

As the fresh pair of rowers fell into their rhythm, Dania was able to continue the tale of her harrowing ordeal.

"After dropping off the note for you, Mairwen, Taran ushered me into an ornate carriage and smuggled us out of Valiant. He realized after we left that I had thrown my notes into the fire while his lackeys were clearing out my most important instruments to bring. I have never seen him so angry. I thought he might murder me then and there.

Before he could harm me, one of his men—someone I recognized from the University but had never formally met— told Taran I had been sending frequent messages to my sister. Apparently the man who claimed to love me was also spying on me."

Dania wrung her hands. She had been so blind to the man. It was difficult to admit just how naïve she had been.

"It did not take long for him to understand that I had sent her a copy of my notes for safe keeping. While I hated the idea of putting my sister in danger, it did stall our journey and allow me to leave you a proper note, which I assume is what led you here.

Taran didn't come here originally though. At first we went to a camp in the mountains. He and his dreadful sister had set up a base of operations there for their wild experiments."

"I've seen the camp and Lady Livie," Renat sighed. "I can confirm both were terrifying."

Dania nodded. "That was the true beginning of the nightmare. Gela was being held in the camp. and Taran wanted me to use his blood to create more like him. With he and Lady Livie watching my every move, I could only comply. But that did not mean I was cooperative. I stalled as much as I could, but there was only so much I could do.

Although Taran never overtly said he would harm my family, he would carefully plant seeds of doubt as to their safety if I was not working at his speed. For better or for worse, Gela's blood did not produce the intended results. The people became monsters, but mindless ones. It was like their very being had been hollowed out and only instincts remained. I demanded that Taran stop the madness.

At last, he could see the fruitlessness of this avenue and changed tactics. He brought me the blood of every kind of animal around the camp. So much unnecessary carnage. After much trial and error--both intentional and otherwise-- I was able to recreate the mixture with blood from a wolf. I wish I had not been successful..."

Dania looked at Renat's back, a pang of guilt hitting her all over again. It was bad enough that her assistant had been turned into a creature, now her second 'success' had caused the prince of Valiant to be transformed.

"It is Taran who is at fault, not you." Mairwen would not let her friend take the blame. "If you were near Oblivion, how did you end up by the lake?"

Dania sighed. "We eventually ran low on magical water and the supply was slow on coming, so Taran took about half the camp and we ventured northward. His scouts led him to the place where you found me and he set up the base of operations far more quickly than should have been humanly possible.

The abominations had so much strength and determination that I was already back at work in only a couple of days after we arrived. In between my creating these terrors, I snuck in moments to try to find a way to reverse the potion. I promised Gela I would and I did not want to fail him...

But then Taran caught me visiting my assistant, he grew wildly jealous. Poor Gela had never done anything wrong and yet I heard Taran order him murdered that very night. I couldn't let that happen. I snuck into the tent where Gela was being held and set him free."

"Was he able to escape?" Mairwen hoped that the woman's efforts had not been in vain.

"I have not gotten word of his death, so I assume he is still alive somewhere. If Gela were dead, Taran would hold his death over my head to control me further..." Dania knew by now the tactics her 'fiance' used.

Taran was very smooth, but behind his kindness there was always a blade ready to cut anyone who stood in his way. He was just so very good at getting his way by other means that his actual weapon was rarely needed.

"With Gela gone, Taran made sure I had no distractions. I was either with him being 'wooed', working, or sleeping. My days were tedious and seemed endless. It wasn't long before I had created the lizard people in addition to the wolves. Now Taran has me working on his next abominations. They are more frightening than anything we have seen so far..." Dania's face darkened.

"...much more frightening."