{"sf1_id":769394,"sf2_id":null,"title":"The Wandering Shadow: Chapter Five","author":"LucarioZer0","words":4865,"posted_at":"2014-10-18T10:30:00.000Z","tags":["Canine","Clean","Human","Magic","No-Yiff","Plot Development","Torture","Violence (not In Yiff)","Wolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/769394-the-wandering-shadow-chapter-five","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/769394","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=769394\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"5\"I told you already, she's perfectly tame!\"\"And I told you you'll need some sort of proof, or you'll need to have\nit travel in the cargo area.\"Will let out an exasperated sigh. For the past ten minutes he had been\narguing with the clerk before him, a rather surly woman whose sole job was to\nsell passage on ships leaving the city. Jenna wasn't too pleased with the\nsituation either, considering it involved her being treated as little more than\na pet or worse, property.\"Just look at her! Does she seem as though she's violent or feral?\"The clerk rolled her eyes and leaned over the counter to look at Jenna.\nShe starred for a moment, and Jenna starred back, trying to look calm and\ngentle despite the irritation she was feeling. The clerk stood back to her full\nheight and shook her head. \"I'm sorry sir. She seems tame enough, but I can't\nsimply go based on looks.\"Will groaned. It was quickly becoming clear he didn't have many options.\nReaching into his bag he pulled out a few more bills than he had already spent\non paying his own way and slid them across the counter to the clerk. \"Does that\nhappen to change things any?\"The woman quirked a brow, took a quick look around then slid the money\nunder the counter. She quickly stamped two papers and handed them to Will. \"It\nall seems to be in order. You'll be traveling aboard the Horizon. You'll find\nit down the docks to the left.\"Will gave a curt nod and a less than sincere 'thank you' before turning\nand walking down the way she had told him, scanning the names on the docked\nships. Jenna followed a few steps behind, more than a little impressed with\nhim. She had never seen him do anything like that before. After her transformation she had quickly discovered he ears were more\nsensitive, so it wasn't very difficult for her to hear Will mumbling as they\nwalked, catching occasional phrases like 'abuse of power' and 'robbing me of\nwhat little I have'. Though she new it wasn't really funny Jenna couldn't help\nbut be a bit amused by his reactions.\"Ah, there we are!\"Jenna snapped her head up to look at what had caught Will's attention\nand caused him to stop walking. It was a relatively unimpressive steamer with a\nfaded hull and the word 'Horizon' painted in blocky white letters near the\nprow. Compared to some of the other ships around them it was on the small side,\nthough still large enough o be able to handle the open oceans.Ever since it had been discovered that humans could manipulate energy to\ntheir will and whim, technology had been developing at a slower pace. In recent\nyears though it had begun to make a subtle resurgence in progress, one of the\nmost notable of which was the increasing number of metal bodied ships. It had\nactually become uncommon to see wooden ships anymore. With that trend, it was\nunsurprising that even a relatively small vessel like the Horizon sported a\nsteel hull--rusted and faded though it may have been.Jenna eyed the ship suspiciously. It looked a little too worn for her\ntaste, as though it were just a few voyages away from being scrapped. Still, it\nwas all they could afford, so it would have to do. Will started walking again, making straight for the ship. Jenna hurried\nafter him, trying to stay close. Walking toward the gangplank they could see a\nlone man standing at a lectern by the ship. He appeared to be extremely bored.\nAs they approached he perked up slightly as though he hadn't spoken to anyone\nin quite some time. \"Good morning! How might I assist you this morning sir?\"Jenna felt mild irritation at being ignored, but then it occurred to\nher, who says good morning to a wolf?Will returned the greeting and handed the man the papers that he had\nreceived from the clerk. \"Don't really need assistance. Just boarding.\"The man nodded. \"Well, it seems as though you have everything you need\nhere. You'll be in room 5. Pleasant travels sir.\"He returned the papers to Will, who slipped them back into his bag. He\nthanked the man then Will and Jenna walked up the ramp onto the deck of the\nship. The deck appeared as worn as the exterior, with scuffs and scrapes as far\nas the eye could see. Will sighed. \"Certainly not a luxury liner, is it?\"Will shook his head. \"Oh well. No point in complaining about it. It's\njust what we've got to deal with. What do you say we find our room?\"Jenna nodded, and after a few minutes of wandering the deck together\nthey found a stairway down to the lower part of the ship. As they navigated\ntheir way through the Horizon's interior they passed a handful of crewmen along\nthe way, all of whom gave the pair odd looks, though none commented. Finally\nthey came across a simple door marked with a painted on '5'.Upon opening the door it became quickly apparent to both that these\nweren't first class accommodations. The room was cramped, and the only\nfurniture present was a bed and a small night table. The bed was small as well,\nmatching the room in that respect. Will sighed as he walked in and set his bag\non the bed before sitting to test the mattress. \"It could be worse, I suppose.\"Jenna shook her head. It could be\nworse, but that doesn't make this good, she thought.Jenna paced around the room a few times and sat in the center of the\nfloor. Her ears splayed out in a dissatisfied manner. It wasn't as though she\nwasn't used to cramped spaces; their apartment was hardly a palace after all.\nThere was something about that room though that made her feel boxed in, as\nthough she was trapped, unable to go anywhere.An uncomfortable silence fell. Will knew she was unhappy, but had no\nidea what to do about it at that moment. But for him at least it was growing\nmore difficult to think of ways to cheer her up. He had spent so much time the\npast few days trying to improve her mood even a little bit that he felt he had\nnothing else to say that would help.The silence persisted for several minutes before being broken by the\nstarting of the ship's engines as the deck rumbled beneath their feet. Jenna\nperked up at the sound. If the ship was moving, then that meant they would be\nout to sea shortly. Having never been out on the ocean before, the thought\nexcited her. She stood and walked over to their room's door then turned to look\nexpectantly at Will.He stared back at her for a moment then asked, \"I take it you want to go\nup to the main deck?\"She nodded with enthusiasm. She felt compelled to go watch as the ship\npulled out of the port and set out onto the ocean. Will stood and stretched\nwith a yawn. \"Well, I suppose we could. I was hoping to get some sleep...but I\nsuppose that can wait for a little while.\"Will walked over and opened the door, gesturing into the hall beyond.\n\"After you.\"If her muzzle were capable Jenna would have smirked at the gesture. She\nstepped over the threshold just the same though and led the way as the two of\nthem made their way back through the ship.***Hiding in the shadows a lone male figure watched as the Horizon began to\npull away from the dock. There was no mistaking it now. They were definitely\nleaving. The figure watched for a moment longer then turned snuck away, dodging\naround the shipping containers and cargo crates scattered about the docks. Then\ncame sneaking through the city, which was relatively easy due to the lack of\npeople on the streets at that hour. Reaching the more dilapidated part of the\ncity the figure looked around a few times to make sure no one was watching\nbefore dodging into a building overgrown with plant life and missing more than\na few chunks from its walls.The figure descended into the basement of the seemingly abandoned building\nand fell to one knee as soon as he entered the dimly lit room. \"Mistress, I've\nreturned to inform you that Keller and the wolf have left the city.\"He cringed slightly as a shadow fell over him. He gulped as Carmina\nknelt beside him, running a finger along his cheek before pulling his face to\nlook her in the eye. Ever since she had enacted her revenge she had had one of\nher acolytes keep an eye on Will, if only so she could make sure he was in fact\nan emotional wreck thanks to her efforts. The reports to date had been less\nthan satisfactory. \"What do you mean 'left'?\"The acolyte gulped. \"I mean that they boarded a ship...and would appear to\nhave left the city.\"Carmina stood back to her full height. \"Where were they going? And why?\"The acolyte shook his head. \"I don't know. He seemed to be very\ninsistent on leaving though. He even bribed a port official just to let him\nbring the wolf along.\"Carmina growled and swept across the room, the other acolytes clearing\nout of her way as they tired to go about making the space around them livable,\nthe same as they had been for the past few days. As she moved about the room\nCarmina continuously spoke to herself. \"Why? \nWhy would they leave? What would it accomplish? Could it have something\nto do with the one he visited the other night? Could he think he's found some\nway to reverse her transformation?\"Returning to the acolyte who had brought her the information she asked,\n\"You reported before that he went to speak with someone shortly after I changed\nher...an I.O.M.E. officer, correct?\"The man nodded. \"I believe so.\"Carmina nodded then smiled wickedly as she knelt beside the acolyte once\nmore. \"Go to the one that Keller visited, and bring him here. I have\nsome...questions for him.\"The acolyte nodded and scurried out of the building once more, determine\nto comply as quickly as possible and avoid incurring her wrath. Her smile\nwidened as she stood again. \"This should prove...entertaining at least.\"***Jenna's tail waved back in forth in wonder as she leaned over the ship's\nrailing, watching as the waves crashed against the steel hull, each foaming\nwhite crest coming with a spray of salty droplets. She wrinkled her nose as one\nparticularly large splash caught her at the end of her muzzle. She heard Will\nchuckle from behind her. Looking over her shoulder she could see him sitting\nagainst the bulwark a few feet away. Normally she would be a bit irritated being laughed at, but considering\nhis current state she let it go. Ever since the Horizon had made it out onto\nthe open ocean Will had been feeling nauseated to the point where he could\nbarely stand. For his sake Jenna was hoping it wouldn't last the whole voyage.Will likewise hoped it would pass quickly, otherwise it would be a\nrather rough trip--for both of them. Having never been on a ship before he\nhadn't even thought that seasickness would be an issue. Now between stomach cramps\nand waves of nausea he was desperately trying to think up some way to\ncounteract the effects. Looking to Jenna he dared to open his mouth long enough\nto say, \"Let's just hope this trip doesn't take too long. Don't know how much\nof this I can take.\"\"Well, I'd say you're looking at about ten days or so of this.\"They both turned to see one of the ship's crewmen walking toward them, a\nbemused sort of smile on his face. Will furrowed his brow.\n\"That's--ugh--unfortunate.\"He clapped a hand over his mouth fighting back the urge to vomit. The\nsailor rolled his eyes and knelt down by Will. He reached into a pocket and\nproduced a small wrapped peppermint. \"Take this. It'll help.\"In no real position to turn down relief from his situation Will accepted\nthe sweet and immediately unwrapped it, popping into his mouth. As the minty\nflavor spread over his tongue leaned back against the bulwark, breathing\nslowly. After a moment Jenna walked over to him and looked him over, then gave\nhim a concerned look that seemed to ask, are\nyou feeling any better?Will smiled weakly and placed a hand on her shoulder. \"I'll be alright.\"He then looked up to the sailor and said, \"Thank you for that.\"The man shook his head. \"No worries. I keep 'em on me anyway cause I\nhave the same issue. No real loss on my part.\"Will quirked a brow. \"Really? You're working on a ship...even though you\nget sea sick?\"He nodded. \"Yep. Wanted to travel the seas all my life. Wasn't gonna let\nan ornery stomach get in my way.\"Will nodded, and with what strength he could muster managed to stand up.\n\"Well thank you just the same...uh...\"The man smiled. \"Lucas Frane. Jus' call me Luke.\"Will smiled back. \"Thank you Luke.\"Luke waved a hand dismissively. \"Like I said, no worries. Though I must\nsay, if you were traveling on a larger ship, you probably wouldn' have this\nproblem. Can't much imagine why someone like you would bother with a ship like\nthis.\"\"Someone like me?\" Will asked, feeling a sense of mild confusion.\"Aye. You must be someone of stature, right? After all, most poor men\ndon' travel with a sword at their hip and an...exotic pet like her.\" He jerked\nhis thumb toward Jenna as he said that, leading her to growl almost inaudibly.\nShe did NOT like being called a pet.It occurred to Will for the first time that he did appear to be someone\nof greater wealth than he actually held. He rather liked the idea. \"Very...astute\nobservations. It seems as though you know how to find out about a person. Do me\na favor and keep it quiet though, would you? I'm here to travel quietly. Not\ndraw too much attention to myself, you know?\"Luke nodded and gave a wink. \"Understood.\"He reached into his pocket again and produced a handful of mints,\nhanding them to Will. \"Take those. You'll probably need one again before we\nreach the end of our voyage.\"He then turned and started to walk away, prompting Will to ask, \"Where\nare you off to? Seems rather abrupt.\"Luke looked back and grinned. \"Nothin' to worry about. Just gotta go\nhave a word with few of my ship mates. If you need anythin' else while onboard,\nfeel free to let me know.\"Will nodded. \"Sure, and thanks again.\"Luke nodded then proceeded to walk away. Once he was out of earshot Will\nlooked down to Jenna and said with a smirk, \"I do believe we were just the\nsubject of some wager.\"Jenna gave him a skeptical look in response, to which he only chuckled.\nHe placed a hand on her head and mussed the fur between her ears. \"Come on. Now\nthat I'm not worried about it coming back up I'd like to go get something to\neat.\"Jenna nodded enthusiastically. With all that was going on she had\nneglected to pay any attention to her stomach. Breakfast sounds like a wonderful idea, she thought.The two then set off along the deck and through the body of the ship\nsearching for the ship's galley so they might alleviate their hunger. Just a\nfew minutes of searching found them in a room lined with tables and smelling of\nfood. After sitting down to what the ship's kitchen had to offer--which was\nabout on par with what Will would have been able to prepare himself--they\nreturned to their room, Will intending to get some sleep to make up for how\nearly their morning had been.Will hung his cloak from a hook on the wall and threw himself down on\nthe bed, not even bothering to pull the covers over him. He closed his eyes,\nbut after a moment reopened them, feeling as though someone was starring at\nhim. As it happened that feeling was right, for Jenna sat beside the bed, her\neyes boring into him.He gulped. He quickly realized that he hadn't left her any room on the\nbed. It was barely wide enough for one person to lie on their back, let alone\ntwo. Part of him wondered if he even should make room for her though. Much as\nhe hated to admit it, he didn't really want to share a bed with her. While she\nwas still herself mentally, it felt wrong somehow to sleep beside her with her\nin her current form.Jenna's ears splayed out as she realized what must be going through his\nmind. He doesn't want me beside him like\nthis. He thinks I'm too different.Will winced slightly as he saw the sadness in her eyes. It might feel\nwrong, but the last thing he wanted to do was make her feel worse about her\nsituation. Knowing that, his decision became rather simple. With a grunt he\nreadjusted himself so he was lying on his side. He said nothing, but merely\ngestured for her to take the space he had just made available.Jenna waited for a moment, letting him wonder what she would do. She\nwasn't even sure if she should forgive him so easily. But then, in a way, she\ncould understand how he was feeling. Deciding to let it go this time, she\njumped up into the offered spot on the bed, snuggling up close to him with the\ntop of her head resting against his chin. He held her close, trying to make her\nfeel better and communicate his own regret. As they both drifted off into uneasy sleep, the last though that went through\nboth of their minds was the sooner this\nfixed, the better.***Quentin cried out in pain, his screams echoing off the walls as the\nsmell of burning flesh drifted through the air. His struggled to get away,\nfighting against the ropes that bound him to a chair. Then the pain was gone. His head fell to his chest as his breaths came\nin ragged gasps. He felt a hand reach under his chin and pull his head up to\nlook into the eyes of his tormentor.Carmina smiled as she saw the pain in his eyes. \"So, does that make it\nclear I'm willing to be...persuasive?\"Between gasps Quentin said, \"If persuasive...means...ugh...giving your captive\nelectrical burns...then yes.\"Carmina eyes flashed with anger, but she decided to allow him that. \"So\nthen, tell me, where is William Keller going?\"Quentin furrowed his brow. \"What?\"\"He left the city. Do you know where he went?\"Quentin shook his head. \"Why do you care? Don't you and your lackeys\nhave more important things to do? You are the ones who were with Silas, weren't\nyou?\"\"Yes, we were. But our work can't resume until the next equinox. Until\nsuch a time, Keller is my main concern.\"\"Why?\"Carmina eyed him for a moment before saying, \"To ensure he is properly\nbroken by the revenge I've enacted upon him. I want to know that his spirit is\nbreaking. You might call it a way to...pass the time.\"\"That's disgusting that you would--\"Quentin stopped as something became clear to him. \"Wait...does that mean\nthat you're the one who changed Jenna?\"\"Assuming you mean Keller's lover...then yes.\"Quentin gave a hollow laugh. \"I was wrong. Disgusting is too good a word\nfor you. That you would toy with someone's emotions...that you would rip such a\nhole in their life...is simply horrible. You're inhuman.\"Carmina smiled. \"Perhaps, but you still haven't answered me. Where have\nthey gone?\"\"What makes you think I'll tell you? You just want to hurt them...I won't\nhelp you do that.\"Carmina snarled. \"You will tell me.\"Carmina electrified her hand and plunged two fingers into his upper arm.\nQuentin screamed as his flesh was seared from within, his whole arm convulsing.\nWhen she withdrew her hand his head dropped again. His throat felt sore and his\nmouth dry. There was no blood, but that was only because the wound had\ncauterized almost immediately. He was very quickly coming to doubt his own\nresolve. He didn't want to tell her anything, but if this kept up he might not\nbe able to resist.Affecting a falsely sweet voice Carmina said, \"Now, I would hate to keep\ntorturing you, or worse kill you. Why don't you tell me what I want to know? It\nwould be so much easier for you.\"Quentin shook his head. \"I...I won't.\"Keeping the façade in place Carmina said, \"But that makes no sense.\nDon't you care anything for your own life?\"Her lips twisted into a wicked grin. \"Or perhaps there's someone else\nyou care for? Friends? Family? A woman perhaps?\"Quentin genuinely laughed at the last suggestion. \"Lady...if you think I\ngive a damn about women...then you don't know me very well at all.\"Carmina growled. Without warning she plunged her hand into his left\nthigh, crackling with electrical energy as he screamed in shock and pain. By\nthe time she pulled away there were tears streaming down his face and his whole\nbody was shaking. Leaning down beside him she whispered into his ear, \"Are you\nwilling to tell me now?\"Quentin shook his head. Carmina grabbed the front of his shirt and tore\nit open, exposing his chest. She placed a hand on his bare skin and simply\nsaid, \"Tell me.\"She waited for a moment then when he didn't respond she electrified her\nhand again, and began to slowly push her fingernails through his skin, sending\nthe energy surging through his body. He couldn't even scream as his whole body\nseized up, the skin and hair around her hand burning as she pumped just enough\nelectricity through his body to harm without killing.She took her time, smiling as she enjoyed his pain. She continued to\nsink he fingers further in until she hit bone, her nails scraping against his\nsternum. She held there for a moment or two before withdrawing her hand from\nthe smoking holes in his chest. She stood to her full height and took a step\nback, waiting for him to recover enough to speak.After a few minutes of silence she realized he had gone unconscious from\nthe sheer pain. Her lip curled in distaste. \"Weakling.\"She swept out of the room, returning a few minutes later with one of her\nfemale acolytes in tow. The woman in question had some limited skill as a\nhealer, which Carmina figured she could use to her advantage. Directing the\nwoman she said, \"Close the wounds but leave scars. Then revive him.\"The woman nodded and did as ordered, healing first the wounds in his\nleg, moving up to his arm, then finally sealing the five holes in his chest. By\nthat point she was breathing heavily, having done more for him than she had\never attempted before. With what little energy she had left she managed to wake\nhim before stepping away and slumping against a nearby wall, exhausted.Carmina smiled as Quentin groaned in pain. Stepping up to him she lifted\nhis head to look up at her once more. His skin was deathly pale and his eyes\nwere bloodshot. Leaning in close she whispered, \"Now then, unless you'd like to\ngo through all of that again, I suggest you tell me where Keller has gone.\"Quentin gulped. He knew he wouldn't be able to go through that kind of\npain again. He didn't want to feel it again. By that point he would do almost\nanything to avoid it again. Praying that Will and Jenna would be able to\nforgive him he quietly said, \"London. I...told them to go...to London. I sent them\nto someone...an alchemist...that I thought could help change her back.\"Carmina smiled. \"A futile attempt...but I suppose the desperate will try\nanything. I'm so glad you chose to comply. Things will be easier on you now.\"She let go of him then walked over to the acolyte who sat against the\nwall and asked, \"Can you walk?\"The woman nodded compliantly and pushed herself to her feet. Carmina\nsmiled. \"Good. Go fetch the one whose eye I damaged. He should do nicely for\nwhat I have in mind.\"A horrified look crossed Quentin's face. \"What are you going to do?\"Carmina smiled. \"It will become obvious shortly. First though we should\ndiscuss your future.\"\"My future?\"Carmina nodded. \"Yes. It would be rather...beneficial...for me to have someone\nwho works with I.O.M.E. under my command. I think you would do nicely in that\nrespect.\"Quentin licked his lips nervously. \"Why...why would I help you?\"\"For one thing it will mean the continued existence of you and the\nthings you care about. More importantly working for me will mean no further\ntorture. No more pain--at least no more caused by me anyway.\"Quentin gave a sigh of defeat. He didn't have much choice. From what he\nhad read in the reports she had a good amount of power at her disposal, and she\nwas clearly a sadistic psychopath. He couldn't do anything to oppose her. Besides, he thought, maybe I can find a way to use this against\nher at some point.\"Alright. I'll...I'll do what you ask.\"Carmina smiled. \"Good.\"A minute or two of less tha comfortable silence passed before the female\nacolyte returned. Behind her was the man who had lost his right eye to\nCarmina's wrath. The entire right side of his face was covered with scar\ntissue, and his eye was sewn shut, covering the now empty socket.Quentin noticed that the man seemed a bit nervous, which considering the\nway Carmina seemed to treat those under her command he could fully understand\nnot wanting to be too close to her. The man approached her just the same though\nand knelt before her. \"You requested my presence Mistress?\"Carmina nodded. \"Yes. Stand up. And remind me, what was your name?\"He stood as ordered and without meeting her gaze said, \"My name is\nLogan, Mistress.\"\"You seem nervous Logan. Why is that?\"He gulped. \"After...losing my eye...I admit I am reluctant to be near you\nMistress.\"Carmina smiled sympathetically. \"Yes, I can understand that. But perhaps\nI can make amends in some way. Perhaps I could gift you with something to\ncompensate for the loss of that eye.\"\"Such as what, Mistress?\"She smiled a bit wider. \"Power. Power beyond what you have ever known\nbefore.\"Logan nodded, afraid to turn down the offer. \"I believe that would do\nMistress.\"\"Good. Then first...die.\"She struck without any other warning, her hand sinking into his chest.\nUnlike the other times when her energy had been sent through her victims'\nbodies, energy seemed to be flowing out of Logan's body to surround her arm in\na glowing white nimbus of light outlined in blue. She withdrew her hand and his\nbody crumpled to the ground. She smiled as the light played across her form.\nThe light then began to change, white changing to black, and the blue outline\nchanging to deep purple. \"From the energy of your life...you will become more\npowerful in death.\"She leaned down beside his body and stabbed her hand into him once more.\nThe energy flowed off her arm, disappearing into Logan's body. All fell silent\nfor the briefest of moments. His body then seemed to become enveloped in the\ndark energy, twisting and writhing as small shockwaves radiated outward from\nhim.Quentin felt stricken as he realized what he was seeing. \"Are you\ninsane? You--\"Carmina held up a hand to silence him. \"Be quiet. It's too late to stop\nit now.\"Still surrounded in a nimbus of energy, Logan's body began to rise to\nstand before them. The energy began to fade, and it rapidly became clear that\nhe was very much alive. He let out a few slow breaths before looking up to\nCarmina. \"What have you done to me?\"She smiled as she said, \"I gave you new power, just as I promised. You\nnow walk the line between life and death. You will shun the light, residing in\nthe shadows, but few mortals can match your strength or speed. Your magical\nabilities will also be far greater than before, second only to my own.\"Logan nodded. \"Yes. I can feel it...what is it you would have me do with\nthis power?\"\"You will leave the city as soon as possible,\" she instructed, \"Go to\nEngland. Once there, track down William Keller, and keep an eye on him for me.\nDon't interfere with him unless I tell you to do so.\"\"But how could we communicate over such distance?\"\"I created you as you are now. Your mind is linked to mine. All you need\ndo is think of what you want me to know, and I will know it. The same will also\nwork in reverse. Do you understand?\"Logan nodded. \"I do. I'll leave immediately, Mistress.\"Without another word he left the room, moving with the fluidity of a\nshadow as he set fulfil her desires.Quentin shook his head, scarcely believing what he had just witnessed.\n\"What is it that makes you so willing to bring such horrors into this world?\"Carmina grinned wickedly as she said, \"It doesn't matter what I unleash.\nWith what I have planned for this world, such 'horrors' will seem insignificant\nsoon enough.\""}