The Wandering Shadow: Chapter Eight
8The cart bounced
along the road, pulled by a chestnut colt. Jean and Chloe sat on the bench seat
while Will and David sat in the back. Jenna was curled up beside Will, still
fast asleep. The past few minutes had passed in silence, David waiting for Will
to start talking.A few more
minutes passed, impatience prompting David to ask, "So are you going to talk or
not?"Will nodded. "I
just...I don't even know where to really start. I...I need you to tell me...this
friend of yours--Greyson--please tell me he's not a lie. Please tell me this
isn't some trick."David quirked a
brow. "'Course he's real. Why?"Will took in a
deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Because Jenna's condition is far
more...dangerous than I thought.""What, are you
worried she's gonna attack you next or something?"Will shook his
head. "It's...it's not about what she could do...it's about what that energy could
do to her. It...there's a reason that I.O.M.E. is so strict when it comes to
malevolently fueled energies. It's not just because they're difficult for us to
fight against. It's also because they can cause as much harm to the users as
the victims. Energies that are based around darker intentions...or energies based
around death...can destroy people...or create monsters."David scoffed.
"Monsters? You're absolutely barking."Will shook his
head. "I.O.M.E. has records...records we don't release to the public. We don't
want to cause panic and fear among the general population. But there have been
cases when people have turned themselves or others into the most horrible of
abominations."David, still
skeptical, asked, "What kind of 'abominations?'""Most of the
time...you can't tell them apart from ordinary people. They can blend in. But
they aren't truly human anymore.""What are they
then?"Will hesitated
for a moment. What he was about to say wasn't common knowledge--and for good
reason. "Some of the most horrible creature you've heard of in myths and
legends have a basis in fact. Vampires. Werewolves. Succubae. Of course, none
of them are actually as the legends describe them, but they all have real world
counterparts."David started to
laugh, but his smile faded as he realized Will wasn't joking. "You...you can't
actually expect me to believe that.""It's not a
matter of belief. It's simple fact. If you choose not to believe it that's up
to you."David cleared his
throat, feeling a bit nervous. "So then...these creatures...where do they come
from?"Will ran a hand
through his hair, rubbing the back of his head. "Well...they aren't born. No one
is born with that kind of darkness in them. They have to be made by someone.
Someone who has power over darkness or death. I.O.M.E. hasn't been able to do
much research because these kinds of...aberrations...are comparatively rare.
Sometimes they're created purposely, but more often it's by accident. Someone
toys with energies beyond their control...then those energies consume them. And
that's what worries me about Jenna."David nodded.
"You're worried those energies in her body will destroy her as you know her,
and leave some remorseless beast in her place."Will nodded
slowly. "Yes. There's also a chance...that...those energies could simply kill her.
It's an energy that destroys life. If that dark energy inside her isn't
removed...or at the very least brought under control...well, you saw what happened
to that man's arm."A tense, awkward
silence fell as the implications of that sunk in. The images it invoked in
their minds were far from pleasant. Will looked down at Jenna, a fearful pain
lancing his heart. So much had gone wrong in their lives already and now things
only seemed worse. The last thing he wanted was for Jenna to have yet another
thing to be upset about. "David...don't say anything about this to Jenna.""Why not?
Shouldn't she--""No. I don't
want her to worry about it. I just want to get this handled as quickly as
possible."David considered
arguing for a moment, but decided better of it and asked, "So what's our plan
moving forward then?""Same as it has
been. Get to this friend of yours...and pray that he can do something to help.
Actually...once we get to Paris...I want us to take one day to rest from traveling.
Jenna and I have been traveling almost nonstop for the past two weeks now. We
could use at least one day.""Right then,
what about after that?"Will hesitated
for a moment. He wanted to travel as fast as possible, but at the same time he
didn't want to do anything he was uncomfortable with. In the end he decided
that he would have to live with some wrong doing if it meant saving Jenna.
"When we leave for Arles...I want you to do whatever is necessary to procure a
faster method of travel."David leaned
back against the side of the cart, looking Will over. A smile formed on his
lips. "And there it is. Desperation, rearing its head. Shocking isn't it? The
clarity it gives you?"Will scowled.
"I'm not proud of this decision. I'll probably feel guilt over it for a long
time. But right now my main goal is to make sure that Jenna is alright. I'll
deal with my moral issues once that's taken care of."David shrugged.
"If you insist, who am I to argue then? Hey, maybe we could make things simple,
and I could just make these two think they still have their cart for a while,
then we--""You aren't
going to steal from them. If you have to resort to theft, then fine. But these
two have helped us and you will not
steal from them. Am I understood?"David sighed.
"Still have some limits then. Fine, I'll find some other way.""Good."Silence fell
once more as the cart continued bouncing along the road, Jean and Chloe
blissfully oblivious to the fact that they had avoided a second attempt at
robbery.***There
was darkness all around. Jenna looked around, confused. Where was she? She
looked down at herself and felt a sudden burst of joy. She was human again! Her
body was just as she remembered it. The joy faded all too quickly though as she
felt a sharp pain in her chest. Her skin started to tingle then to burn. She
fell to the ground, landing on all fours. She clenched her eyes tight, praying
for it to be over. When she opened her eyes again she looked over herself. She
was a wolf once more. She let out a mournful howl as even she faded from her
own sight.***Jenna's eyes
snapped open. She was breathing heavily and her whole body felt sore. She could
hear wheels rolling along a cobblestone road, accompanied by hooves clopping on
the same surface. She looked up to see a blue and black sky, where the first
few stars were shining. It looked as though the sun had set not too long ago.She let out a
sigh. It wasn't the first time she had had that dream. It had been haunting her
most nights since her transformation. She shook her head, trying to clear the
images from her mind.Jenna looked
around, trying to figure out where they were. It was obvious they were in a
cart. Looking up she could see Jean and Chloe on the driver's bench, though she
didn't know them by name. Those two must
have offered to take us to Paris, she thought. Rather nice of them.Looking the
other way she could see Will and David, both fast asleep. She had been hoping
Will was awake as she rather felt like being hugged. She laid her head down
atop her paws and let out another sigh. She couldn't do anything to make
herself feel better. She couldn't even cry. She settled for letting out a
single, long whine, though it did little to unburden her mind.She had
forgotten though just how light a sleeper Will was, and that one whine was
enough to rouse him. He looked around in confusion then his eyes fell on Jenna.
He crawled over to her and smiled when she looked up at him. "Hey. Glad to see
you're awake. Are you feeling alright?"She hesitated
for a moment then darted into his lap, snuggling in close to him. He sighed. "I
guess that's a no then."He hugged her,
just as she had hoped he would. After a few moments he quietly said, "I'm so
sorry you have to be the one going through this. I wish...I just wish none of it
had ever happened really."Jenna gave no
response, allowing herself to be consumed in the moment, silently accepting the
comfort his embrace gave her. They stayed like that until they reached Paris
and the sky was filled with starlight. Will and Jenna reluctantly separated and
woke David when they passed through the city gates. After parting ways with
Jean and Chloe, the three of them found a hotel where they could spend the
night.***Quentin
shuddered slightly, a chill passing through his body. He hadn't had any contact
with Carmina since she had forced him to help her. Now that he stood in the
burned out building that was home to her and her acolytes he couldn't help but
feel nervous. He had been waiting for nearly twenty minutes already. The room
he stood in was lit only by candles, and the low light was playing tricks with
his mind. He kept thinking he saw movement in the shadows.He took a deep
breath, trying to calm his nerves. Instead it resulted in his chest burning
with pain. He reached a hand up to his chest. Though he couldn't feel them
through his shirt, he knew the scars from his last encounter with Carmina were
still there. Five ragged circles, giving testament to where her hand had
punctured his skin. Though technically healed, they still caused him pain."Sorry to have
kept you waiting."Quentin jumped
in surprise then turned to find Carmina standing in the doorway behind him, a
sweet sort of smile on her lips. She walked over to him, her eyes soft with
what appeared to be concern. "I didn't scare you, did I?"Quentin gulped.
He didn't like this at all. The last time she had acted sweet it had ended with
having holes burned into his chest. "I...I'm fine. What did you bring me here
for?""Well now, you
wouldn't be much use to me if I never saw you, now would you? I just have a few
questions to ask then you can leave."Quentin nodded.
"Alright then."Carmina smiled a
bit wider. "Good. So then, perhaps most importantly, is I.O.M.E. still looking
for me?"Quentin nodded.
"Yes...but not in the city. They assume that you and your...followers wouldn't be
foolish enough to stay in the city. So now all I.O.M.E. offices in the country
are on alert for anyone matching your description.""But they don't
think I'm in the city anymore?""That's right.""Excellent. Now
then, eventually I will be resuming the work that Silas and I began. However,
where he wanted to inspire fear I feel amore subtle approach is necessary. It
was something we argued rather frequently. Now that he's gone I have control,
so I want to keep our work...quiet. While it will still naturally involve
sacrifices, we need to keep I.O.M.E.--and everyone else--from seeing too much."Quentin nodded.
"Naturally you and your murdering psychopaths don't want to draw attention to
yourselves. So what is it you're asking me?"Carmina
considered punishing his insolence for a brief moment, but decided to let him
have that one moment. "I'm asking how often--if ever--I.O.M.E. does any kind of
searches through the city's sewer systems."Quentin quirked
a brow. "The sewers?""Yes. We can use
them to move through the city undetected, as well as it being a convenient
place to dispose of any one whose life we take. We don't need any bodies to be
out in the open as evidence."Quentin felt a
bit sick at how casually she was referring to the act of killing. "I...uh...don't
really know. I'm not an officer. I'm just a researcher. I have no clue about
how they run things on the streets."Carmina's smile
faded. "That is...unfortunate. Then you will find the answer to my question before
I next bring you here.""How? It'll seem
suspicious if I go asking questions like that around the precinct."Carmina scowled.
"I don't care how you do it, just get it done."Quentin sighed.
"Fine. Anything else?"Carmina shook
her head. "I think that will be all for now. More will come later as I begin to
put my plans in motion. Now leave."Quentin nodded
compliantly. He was all too happy to get away from her. "As you wish."He stopped
though after just a few steps. "Uh...one quick question from me...do you...do you
know what Will and Jenna are up to? You had that guy follow after them so...""I do. Why do
you ask?""Because I
consider Will a friend and I'm concerned for his welfare."Carmina grinned.
"I see. Well then, you should know that whoever you sent them to was unable to
help. That woman--Jenna, you said? She still takes the form of a wolf. They
still search for a way to change her."Quentin clenched
a fist, irritated over the joy she was taking in Will and Jenna's anguish. "I
see. I'll be leaving then."Once more
affecting a sweet tone Carmina said, "Until next time then."***Will stood on
the balcony of their fifth floor hotel room, looking out over Paris. The sun
was setting, bathing the city on orange light. Their day of rest was almost
over, and they would be leaving the city the next day to continue toward Arles.Will and Jenna
had spent the day with just each other for company, as David had left that
morning, saying he was going to "go enjoy what Paris had to offer". Will had
declined to ask what that meant, as he was sure he would be happier not
knowing. David's absence had resulted in a quiet day
for Will and Jenna. Though it often wound up being too quiet. While they
enjoyed each other's company, both missed being able to talk to one another.
The lack of conversation made time pass at an agonizing pace. After a while
Will hadn't been able to take it any longer, resulting in him taking his
current place on the balcony.Jenna was still
inside, lying on one of the two beds in the room. He was all too aware that
they had been drifting apart recently. It was becoming common for them to sit
apart, to avoid each other's gazes. If things continued as they were, he wasn't
totally sure their relationship could survive. Will felt a pang
of guilt as he thought about her being alone. He knew he should try to stay
close to her. She needed--no, they needed to be together during such troubling
times. Yet he still couldn't bring himself to leave that spot. For the first
time in what felt like forever he wasn't being forced to see what had happened
to her. It wasn't as though he didn't know, but not being able to see her made
it feel just a bit less real.A few hours
passed as day faded into night, Will looking out over the city all the while.
Then Will's attention was drawn by the sound of the room's door being unlocked
and opened. Seeing as he had put a 'Do not disturb' sign on the door, he
assumed that was David returning. Will sighed, then turned and walked back into
the room, closing the balcony door behind him.As he had
suspected David had returned, and from what Will could see the illusionist was
more than a bit drunk, stumbling into the room and all but collapsing face
first on to the empty bed. Will rolled his eyes. "Do I even want to know where
you've been all day?"David rolled
over and pushed himself into a sitting position. His words came out a bit
slurred when he spoke, and he had a grin plastered on his face. "Well
I...certainly didn't spend all day in one of the city's red light districts. I know
you wouldn't approve of that, now would you?"Will shook his
head. "Wonderful. So you're drunk as hell, and you've probably caught some
disease while you were out today."David gave an
indignant snort. "Give me some credit, would ya mate? I do know the uh...the
clean from the...not so clean ones."Will was
skeptical, but had no desire to continue to discuss it, so he simply said, "If
you say so.""Wonderful. So
what did you and wolfy do all day then?"Jenna raised her
head to look at David, growled once, and then returned to her previous
position. Will shared the sentiment, though he would have to approach it
differently. "David...don't speak so casually about what's happened to her."David tilted his
head to one side, as though he was confused. "I...uh, alright then. So what did
you two all day then?"Will sighed.
"About as much as you would expect. There's not much we can do."David nodded
knowingly. "Yeah...I imagine the wolf thing puts a bit of a damper on your love
life. You don't really get to do any...dirty things...with her like that. Right?"Jenna sat bolt
upright, her eyes wide while Will stiffened and his cheeks turned red. Jenna
started growling softly, and Will found himself fighting the urge to hit David.
"That...is none of your business, and we are not going to discuss it.""Oh fine. God,
you're just no fun. Always so serious."Will sighed. "So
I've been told."After a few
moments of silence David allowed himself to fall back onto the bed and asked,
"So what do you want to talk about then?""Considering
your current mental state...I would say it would be better if you just went to
sleep.""Bollocks to
that. I'm not tired. Besides, I've traveled with you two for...er...some amount of
time now, but I don't really know you. Why don't you tell me about yourselves?"Will shook his head.
"I'd rather not. I don't think we need to bother with familiarity. We won't be
around each other long enough for it to matter.""What do you
care if it matters? It's something to do, isn't it?""Fine. If it'll
get you to be quiet sooner then ask whatever you want.""Lovely.
Alright, let me think." A few seconds passed before David asked, "Alright, so I
know you're with I.O.M.E. Did Jenna have any kind of job before...you know."Will quirked a
brow. "Really? If that's the best you could come up with...then she did have a
job. She owned the bookstore below our apartment."David nodded.
"Ah. Can't say I care much for books. Not willing to sit still long enough to
read 'em I suppose. So how'd you get together then? I wouldn't think a
bookstore owner and an officer would be likely to meet."Will scowled.
"I'm going to ignore that I think that was somehow an insult."Tired of
standing, Will took a seat on the edge of the bed Jenna was on. "We met about
five years ago. I was twenty at the time. I think she was nineteen."He looked to
Jenna for confirmation. She nodded, and he continued. "Well, I was in need of a
quiet place to study. I was only a few weeks away from going through my final
examination to become an I.O.M.E. officer. So, I went to the library, and that's
where I met her.""I thought you
said she owned a bookstore?"Will nodded.
"She only opened that about two years ago. Before that Jenna worked in a
library. I couldn't tell you exactly what got us talking, but I can tell you I
didn't do much studying that day."He looked over
to Jenna, smiling softly. "I knew I was smitten by the time I left the
library."Though she
couldn't smile back, Jenna had a contented look in her eyes as she stood,
walked across the bed to him, and lied back down with her head in his lap. Will
allowed their eyes to meet for a moment then looked back over to David with the
intent of finishing the story. To his surprise David was asleep in what was
presumably an alcohol induced stupor.Will rolled his
eyes then looked back to Jenna and whispered, "I think we should go to bed too.
We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."She nodded
compliantly and the two of them buried themselves under the covers, Jenna
snuggled up against his chest as they let themselves be taken by sleep.When the next
morning came Will and Jenna split up with David, the two of them heading for
the edge of town. As they walked Will explained that David was going to go
secure them a faster means of getting to Arles, after which he would meet them
just outside Paris. This only served to confuse Jenna, who couldn't believe
that Will would condone having David steal anything, as she was certain that
was the intention. Is he really that
concerned about me? Is it because of what happened with those bandits?Seeing her confusion
Will tried to think of a way to explain it to her without revealing the true
source of his concern. Finally he said, "We're doing this for two reasons. The
first is that we've wasted enough time already, and it's time we put this all
behind us. Second...I'm tired of arguing with David on the subject. If it get's
you back to normal I can live with it."It wasn't the
full truth, but he was certain it would be enough to satisfy her. To his relief
she nodded to indicate her understanding. What he didn't
realize that she already knew he was hiding something from her. She had never
told him, but he was a generally awful liar. She had always been able to tell
when he was keeping something from her, good or bad. I'm sure he ahs a good reason, she thought, but I would still rather he told me everything. This does involve my
future and wellbeing, after all!They walked for
about half an hour down the road before stopping and sitting under a tree at
the edge of the road. Will knew he was putting his faith in someone he didn't
actually trust. True he had come to have some small amount of trust for David,
at the same time he found himself doubting whether or not the illusionist would
cut and run now that they weren't able to keep an eye on him. Though when Will
thought about it, he knew David could have left anytime if he really wanted to.
That thought gave him some comfort as they waited.Will breathed a
sigh of relief as his faith was rewarded when David came into view, sitting on
the driver's bench of a cart being drawn by a silvery grey horse. He stopped
the cart in front of them and jumped down from his perch with a grin on his
face. "Didn't let you down, now did I? What do you think?"Will and Jenna
stood the former brushing dirt from his cloak. "It'll work. I hope you didn't
take this from someone who really needed it." David grinned a bit wider. "Now you wouldn't
want me to tell everything, would you? All you need to know is that Vincent
here will get us to Arles at a much faster pace."Will quirked a
brow. "Vincent?"David nodded and
patted the grey colt on the shoulder. "Aye. He'll be the one pulling us along.""Did you pick
that name, or was it given to him by his original owners?""I chose it.
It's good, isn't it?"Will shrugged.
"I suppose. Doesn't really matter to me. Let's just get moving."David rolled his
eyes but didn't argue as Will and Jenna clambered into the back of the cart.
Then he retook his seat on the driver's bench, took the reigns, and urged
Vincent to start moving, setting them off down the road.***Two relatively
uneventful days of travel saw the trio arrive in Arles. Once within the city
David guided the cart through the streets to the southern part of town, finally
stopping in front of a modest two story house. "Well, here we are. Just like I
promised."Jenna hopped out
of the cart, Will climbing out after her. Looking back at David he said, "Don't
get too excited. If this Greyson isn't here, you're not off the hook."David nodded as
he dropped off the bench, joining them as they walked up the path to the house.
"Yeah, I know. Don't worry mate. Even if he's not here, I'll stick with you 'til
this is all over and done."Will's voice
dripped with sarcasm as he said, "I'm thrilled to hear that."David scowled. "Do
you always have to be so bloody rude? I know this is far from an ideal
situation, but I am trying to help."Will rolled his eyes.
"Right, well, when you start treating things a bit more seriously, I'll treat
you with a bit more respect.""You know, being
that serious all the time isn't good for you. You need to let yourself have
some time to breath, you know?""I--we--don't have
that luxury."David sighed. "Fine
then."Jenna shook her
head as she listened to them argue. It had amused her a bit at first, but it
was starting to get old. It seemed like every topic lead to an argument between
them. Maybe they're just too different to
get along, she mused.They reached the
end of the pathway and ascended the steps to the door. David reached out to
grab the simple brass knocker and pounded it against the door three times. They
waited a few moments for a response, and when none came David tried knocking
again. There was no evidence of a doorbell, so clearly the knocker was the only
way to get the attention of anyone who might be inside the house.A few more
moments passed and Will let out a frustrated sigh. "He's not here."David nodded. "So
it would seem.""Do you have any
idea where he could be?"David shrugged. "He
does travel a lot. Could be anywhere really. He generally works from home, and
far as I know he doesn't have many friends. I'm not sure how we would go about
finding him."Jenna's heart
sank. After all the ground they had covered, they were hardly any closer to
finding a way to change her back. There had to be some way, some clue as to
where Greyson was. He was the only lead they had. She looked around, trying to
spot anything that could tell them something. But there was nothing.Will struggled
for a moment to find the words before asking, "Is...there anything at all...that
you know that could help us here?"David thought
for a moment then said, "I'm not really sure. Knowing Max he's probably got some
contingency in place to help people find him if they need him. I mean hell, he
couldn't even get the post if they didn't know where to send his--wait a tic.
Max is clever. He would leave something, in a place where he knew it could be
found by the people who need to. I think I might just have an idea."David knelt down
in front of the door and slipped his hand through the mail slot, feeling
around. It only took a second or two before he drew his hand back out, a piece
of pare clutched in his fist. "Good ol' Max. Always does stuff like this. He must've
left this there figuring the postal workers would find it when they tried to
push the mail in."Will didn't dare
to hope for much as he asked, "Well what is it?"David smoothed
out the paper and looked it over quickly. "Uh...give me a moment here. It's in
French...and I'm better at speaking it than reading."Will and Jenna
waited impatiently as David read and re-read the note. "Alright, I think I've
got it. You...er...you may not be happy with this. Apparently he's in Egypt and won't
be returning for...about three months."Will took in a
deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Alright. Alright then. We're going to have
to go to Egypt then.""You...you are
kidding right?"Will shook his
head. "Not at all. What other option do we have?"Jenna nodded in
agreement. It may be a bit insane to go
so far, but it's our best chance.David sighed as
he saw how determined both of them were. "I suppose I did promise to stay with
you until I got you to Max. Egypt it is then."David reached
into his coat and produced a map, which he unfolded to show France. Will
quirked a brow. "You keep a map of France on you?"David nodded. "More
than just France. I've also got Spain, Italy, Germany and England. I usually
just go where the road takes me, but I sometimes like to know where that road is taking me.""Fair enough. So
what's our best option do you think?"David thought for
a moment as he looked over the map. "Well, we could go to Nice, and from there
book passage to Alexandria.""Alexandria?"David nodded. "Aye.
It's Egypt's largest port."Will looked to Jenna
and she nodded her approval of the plan. Will looked back to David and said, "Let's
go then.""Now hold on,
there is another option.""That being?"David grinned
broadly. "Monte Carlo. More or less the same direction, also has a port we can
get to Alexandria from, but it would be far more entertaining."Will sighed. "We're
not going to Monte Carlo.""But why not?!"
David asked, clearly not pleased with having his idea shot down so quickly."Because I
wouldn't trust you anywhere near a casino.""Oh come on!
Think about it! We roll in to Monte Carlo with empty pockets. With my abilities
we leave a day or two later with enough money to live comfortably for...well at least
a few years!"Will shook his
head. "No. We'll go to Nice. End of discussion."David frowned. "Fine.
We'll do it your way then. Won't be nearly as much fun.""It's not meant
to be."Will didn't give
him any chance to respond, turning his back on David and returning to the cart
with Jenna following a few steps behind him. David stood there for a moment,
considering the potential of using an illusion to get his way. After a moment
or two he sighed. Even as he considered it he knew he couldn't go through with
it. "Bastard must be rubbing off on me." He whispered to himself.Wasting no more time
David shoved Max's note and the map into his pocket and walked back down the path, joining
Will and Jenna in the cart. David took the reigns once more and they set off to
the east, all three hoping this would be the final leg of their journey.