Apprentice of Death
Chapter 3

Sebastian was waiting outside the Keep’s gates for her when she finished working for the day. His mind was dwelling on his curiosity about how things went and his concern for her.

Cinder rode out of the gates on Obsidian and took a deep breath once they were closed behind her. She was still trying to get control of her shaking, taking deep breaths.

Sebastian noticed and asked, “Will you be alright? Do you want to talk about it, Cinder?”

She looked down into his golden eyes, thinking with conviction, “I want to escape this place. Lead me to your selected place for tonight, please.”

Sebastian nodded at her and took off into the trees. Cinder drew in another breath and spurred her horse to follow the black wolf running off into the trees. She urged her horse faster to keep up with him, jumping over logs and avoiding branches, not daring to look back at the dark, horrible place that was Dominique’s home. The images she had seen there would stay with her forever and seemed to enter her mind whenever she closed her eyes. She opened them to watch where they were going, focusing on Sebastian’s wolf form running through the forest.

Sebastian started slowing and turned off toward the base of one of the mountains. They had gone a long distance from Dominique’s Keep, traveling past Celeste’s Fortress and heading farther west into the forest. He stopped at a clearing at the mouth of a cave on the side of the mountain. He pushed with his magic and changed back into his human form.

Cinder dismounted and tied the horse to a nearby tree to stand. The evening was approaching; the night animals were stirring, and the evening was filled with birdsong as the light changed to orange and yellows with the sunset.

“Do you want your clothes for now?” Cinder asked him.

“I have a couple of hours before the change, so sure,” replied Sebastian. He reached for the pants she handed him and slipped them on.

Ever since he had become a King Alpha, his change had come earlier in the night than before, no longer waiting until midnight. He lit the fire he had built earlier in the day and began cleaning the rabbits he had found.

As usual, he spoke to her in his mind, “There are so many different werewolf scents in these woods. It’s shocking. There is the scent of another werewolf around here, but it has been some time since he was here. We need to keep our eyes open for him in case he comes back, but this was the best place I could replace on such short notice. The cave will provide us with a defendable, safe place for me to change in.”

She nodded her acceptance at his words, replying, “Alright. Do you need any help?”

He shook his head, still working, thinking, “No. Why don’t you sit and tell me about what happened with Dominique?”

She shivered at the thought of Dominique’s touch, his thoughts about her, his words, the image of her by his side as his vampire queen. She sat on a log near the fire and looked down at her hands she was wringing together. What should she share? Sebastian’s hands came into her view and surrounded her shaking ones, steadying them. Cinder looked up into his eyes of gold that had a gentleness.

“Do not bear this alone, Cinder. It will eat you up from the inside,” he whispered, his eyes intent on hers, giving her the strength she needed to open up.

She continued to gaze into his eyes and whispered, “He wants to turn me into his vampire queen and use the power I bring to him to rule the area. He keeps prisoners locked up to feed on, and he will make me heal them, over and over again, so he can keep feeding.”

She closed her eyes, remembering the horrible sights and sounds of the prisoners. Their moaning, quiet wails of despair and pain as they lay around the prison in chains, awaiting their death at the hands of evil. It was no wonder people warned her away from that place. The great evil in the mountains really did take people, never to be seen again. Sebastian sighed, echoing her pain and horror at the images she showed him in his mind.

“He really is the evil in these mountains, isn’t he? I wonder how many of those people are missing from their homes?”

“He said they were people that had done something against him, whatever that means. He wants my blood too,” she looked at him again, “and I’m afraid he will take it.”

Sebastian could say nothing to help, even as his anger and protectiveness burned within him. The truth was, she was at Dominique’s mercy, and his hands were tied, preventing him from helping or protecting her; that angered him more than anything else. He rubbed her hands in his, offering what little comfort he could, reassuring her of his presence and support.

He angled his head to catch her eye, asking, “What do you need, Cinder?”

She wasn’t sure, so she answered plainly, “I don’t know. Let’s just get through tonight. A walk together in the woods, as we used to together, sounds nice.” He saw the image of them walking in their home woods, him in his wolf form, just enjoying nature together, when things used to be easy.

They ate their dinner in contemplative silence as night settled in. Cinder rose and walked from the fire to Obsidian to get the water skin from the saddle when a noise in the bushes caught her attention.

“Sebastian, we are not alone.” The sound was circling them.

Cinder quickly returned to the fire to be close to Sebastian; she wished she had brought her sword. Sebastian was weighing the odds of changing to check it out and having enough time before his change was forced on him.

That’s when, out of the bushes, a feral wolf came flying at them, snarling. It sailed through the air at them, with its glowing eyes and gaping jaws, intending to attack them in its rage. Cinder reacted so fast that the wolf was stopped mid-flight by roots that ensnared him and then engulfed him once he reached the forest floor. The wolf snarled and fought until its strength gave out.

“Let’s deal with him after your change,” Cinder said, turning to Sebastian.

Sebastian could feel the change coming and nodded his agreement; there wasn’t enough time to do anything about the feral before the change would hit him. He walked into the cave and took off the pants he had been wearing, folding them and laying them off to the side.

“Cinder, don’t get as close as you did last time. I almost took your hand off,” he said.

She sighed, disagreeing, and said, “It’s easier if I touch you to take some of the pain. It will be alright.”

He was about to object again when the first wave of pain and transformation swept over his body. He was on all fours, and his body contorted with the wave while he cried out in pain. Cinder knelt next to him and placed her hands on him, one on his lower back and the other on his shoulder blade. She closed her eyes to focus on his body and the forced change happening.

She began letting some of her magic flow into him to aid his magic in the change. Her magic helped his natural magic to work together to bring about the change, reducing the time he suffered. She also began taking a large portion of his pain into herself. They had discovered over the last few years, that it was impossible to make the pain disappear, because of the curse. It had to be borne by someone, so Cinder had concluded that she could take some of the pain for him to lessen the burden.

After their discovery, it had been their first fight when she had discussed the option with him. He had refused to allow her to bear his burden, and she had refused to take ‘no’ for an answer. Only a reminder of the bond oath had Sebastian allowing her to help him.

Cinder gritted her teeth and pulled as much of the pain inside of herself as she could bear without crying out. Another intense wave hit him, and they cried out together as he collapsed on the floor, and his body began to expand into a great Lycan. The waves grew more intense and closer together as his change was slowly completed.

At last, a Great Lycan, breathing heavy and shaking, lay at her side. She sighed in relief and laid her cheek on his massive shoulder, resting momentarily now that the pain was gone. She could feel his guilt and sorrow at her taking some of his misery.

“Sebastian, don’t. How are you now? Are you in control enough for us to deal with the feral?” He had forgotten about the feral.

“Yes, let’s go see him. What do you plan to do, Cinder?”

She scowled in thought, “I’m not sure. I guess I’ll start by seeing what the mind of a feral is like.”

Ever since the attack by the feral in their woods, Sebastian and Cinder had discussed what they would do if they ever came across another. Knowing how they were created, Cinder had always been curious about their mind. This was the first they had seen since that attack.

They walked out of the cave together, his massive form looming over her. The feral spotted the approaching Lycan and began snarling and attempting to escape again, afraid. Cinder dared not get too close, but she reached out with her mind to see what was in the feral’s mind.

The top layer that typically held thoughts and images was all instincts. There were zero normal human thoughts; it was the mind of an animal. Under that, where hopes and dreams once were, was all fear and hatred. Peeling back the layers and going even deeper, Cinder pressed into the wolf’s core. She discovered the wolf part of the feral snarling, attacking anything it perceived around it. The Lycan form lay unmoving to the side, having obviously been attacked by the wolf. The human form was somewhere out of sight, hiding from the wolf.

“Watch over me, Sebastian. I must go deep into his mind to see if I can help.” She collapsed, and Sebastian caught her in his massive Lycan arms.

Inside the feral’s mind, Cinder placed herself. She threw a mental cage over the wolf part of the feral’s core and even one over the motionless Lycan part. She called out, searching for the missing human form.

“It is safe. Come to me, show yourself. I can feel you in here. Where are you hidden?” She began walking around in the core of the feral, sensing the human form. When she found him, he was cowering and weeping, begging her not to hurt him. “I am not here to hurt you. I am here to help you and hopefully release you from your prison. Now get up. What is your name?”

The man stood up and came to her, still unsure, but answered, “My name is Riley. Who are you? How are you here?”

She smiled at him, pleased, saying, “Come with me, Riley. We need to set you free.”

They walked through his core to where his other two forms were in cages. He gasped, seeing them.

“Riley, I need you to not be afraid anymore. I need you to help me force a change upon your body. Can you do that?” He nodded yes. “Good, but first, we must put you back in control of your mind. Your wolf has ruled for far too long. I need you to go and help your Lycan form. We can heal him together, but you must take charge and be the Alpha. Can you do that with me?”

Again, Riley’s core human nodded at her. She smiled at him and held out her hand in invitation. He hesitated for a moment but then reached out and took her hand. They walked over to the Lycan form and began helping it.

Slowly they worked together to heal the Lycan form and help it rise. Riley was true to his word and showed dominance over the Lycan form. It bowed in submission to him.

“Good, now, Riley, we are going to contain your wolf form for now. I’m going to leave the mental cage around him for now, alright? We need time to work with it to settle down and fall into line under the Lycan’s dominance. For now, we will leave him caged, which I believe will no longer allow you to take his form without setting him loose on your mind again. I will withdraw from your mind now and help force the change, alright?”

His frightened reply met her, “Please don’t leave me! I will return to a beast.”

She caressed his face, smiling at him to reassure him, thinking, “No, Riley, you are in control, and I believe with a little help from your own people, you can learn how to live the way you were meant to. Now, help me from the inside, alright?”

Cinder didn’t wait for an answer. She withdrew from his mind and poured her magic over the feral’s form. In the back of her mind, she sensed that morning was approaching. Her time inside Riley’s mind had taken far longer than what she had experienced inside.

Sebastian heaved a sigh of relief behind her. He had been apprehensive after the first two hours. He was back in his human form and was dressed.

Cinder turned back to the feral before her and watched as he slowly began to change back into a man from a brown wolf. After a few moments, Riley’s human form lay panting on the forest floor. Cinder withdrew the restraining roots and went to kneel by his side.

“Sebastian,” she looked up at him, “Please bring me my cloak for Riley.” Sebastian found the cloak slung over the saddle and brought it to her. Cinder laid the cloak over Riley’s naked, shivering form.

“There, there. You’ll be alright in a few minutes. I can’t imagine how disorienting this must be for you, Riley. It will be ok.” Riley said nothing as he looked up at the two of them, his eyes wide in amazement.

He had shaggy black hair and dark eyes to match. He was a full-grown man, though skinny, but his mannerisms and way of bearing himself seemed closer to that of a young boy.

“Riley, how long have you been a feral?” asked Sebastian.

“I don’t know. I don’t even know what today is or the year. I became a feral on my first turn, too afraid to bear the pain. I don’t know how old I am,” he whispered.

Cinder nodded, gently thinking, “It’s ok, Riley. We are going to help you, ok?”

He gasped out loud, his eyes locking with hers as he asked, “You can still hear me!?” He was visibly shocked.

“Yes, Riley.” She gave him a patient, knowing smile.

“We are going to make sure you are taken care of. It’s morning now, and we need to go. Can you ride a horse?” Cinder asked gently. He shook his head no. “Alright, let’s get you up. You’ll just have to ride behind me then.”

Riley stood and wrapped the cloak about his naked form and timidly followed Cinder over to her horse. Cinder got on and then left him the stirrup for him to use to get on. With a hand to help him up, he was soon settled behind her. Obsidian was nervous about having a strange werewolf on his back, but she soothed him with her voice, and he settled down as he had been trained to do. Sebastian threw her his clothes and changed into a wolf, and they headed off toward Celeste’s Keep. Riley needed his own people, but for now, this was all Cinder knew to do for him.

He clung to her in fear as the horse started moving through the forest. His thoughts were of amazement, fear, deep gratitude for her, and a growing sense of loyalty to her as well. He thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, as his mind cleared from the beast it had been only moments before.

They hurried through the woods and announced their arrival at the fortress’ gates, which promptly opened. Sebastian changed forms out of sight and then got dressed as Cinder rode into the gates. He followed closely to help Riley down from the horse. Cinder dismounted, and a servant took her horse to the stables for her.

Celeste came down a stairwell with her attendants and asked rather loudly, “Why have you brought another wolf into my home?!”

Cinder looked at her and bowed, saying, “I apologize, Celeste, for this unexpected guest. Riley was a feral that Sebastian and I caught and freed in the woods last night. I know he needs to be with his people, but for now, I brought him here because I don’t know what else to do with him.”

“No one has ever freed a feral. They are incurable, everyone knows,” Celeste argued.

Cinder sighed at her doubt, thinking, “How many Seers would bother trying? They are viewed as even less than their brothers who are in control, and no Seer that I know would even look at them, let alone try to help. Just because it has never been attempted before obviously doesn’t mean it can’t be done, Celeste. Riley was a feral, and I was able to enter his mind and set him free from the mental prison he found himself in. It is possible, as a Seer, to help Ferals.”

Celeste didn’t care for Cinder’s attitude, but she understood her point of view and could hear the truth of her words; the words of a Seer. It was true that so many of their people looked down on the werewolves. Even Celeste struggled with it to some degree herself. Cinder was the first witch Celeste had ever come into contact with that truly held none of the prejudices so prevalent in their world; it constantly amazed her as she listened to Cinder and observed her interactions with Sebastian. Taking a werewolf for a Bondmate had never been done, and Celeste knew of no other witch that would ever dare to take it that far; most wouldn’t even associate with them, even though she herself did to some degree. At this moment, Celeste came up with an idea to help occupy Cinder’s time.

“You may take Riley to your rooms, and a bath and food will be sent up. You may stay the night with him here as long as you keep him in your rooms. At first light, the three of you will leave for the neighboring werewolf kingdom west of here, about an hour by horseback, on a slow leisurely ride. It is located through a steep pass in the mountains. I know the King, and I will send word today that you will be arriving tomorrow as my ambassador to them. You will be in the King’s service while not serving Dominique. Understood?” Cinder bowed again and signaled to Riley and Sebastian to accompany her to their rooms.