Thalkon Writes

Collection of my original works along with different fanfictions I've worked on over the years. Everything should be linked from the table of contents, if the links broken, let me know and I'll fix it.

[thalkonwrites]

Welcome to Thalkon Writes

I wanted a place to put all of my writings, so I will slowly be bringing them over here as I work on them. This is my master post, which will have links that will take you to the Table of Contents for the other stories. I will have both Original Works and Fan Fictions here. Presently I just have one story, but will hopefully be updating that soon.

Please Enjoy.

The Wilkolak Series

The Quest

The Fates Series

To Infinity

[mumblingsage]

This was a kind of sweet dashboard coincidence.

[moramew]

A small list of random ass sites I’ve found useful when writing:

Fragrantica: perfume enthusiast site that has a long list of scents. v helpful when you’re writing your guilty pleasure abo fics

Just One Cookbook: recipe site that centers on Japanese cuisine. Lots of different recipes to browse, plenty of inspiration so you’re not just “ramen and sushi” 

This comparing heights page: gives you a visual on height differences between characters

A page on the colors of bruises+healing stages: well just that. there you go. describe your bruises properly

McCormick Science Institute: yes this is a real thing. the site shows off research on spices and gives the history on them. be historically accurate or just indulge in mindless fascination. boost your restaurant au with it

A Glossary of Astronomy Terms: to pepper in that sweet terminology for your astrophysics major college au needs

[moramew]

Adding to this since I’m working on a shifter au one-shot:

Canine Body Language

Feline Body Language

[moramew]

More:

Cocktail Flow: a site with a variety of cocktails that’s pretty easy to navigate and offers photos of the drinks. You can sort by themes, strengths, type and base. My only real annoyance with this site is that the drinks are sometimes sorted into ~masculine~ and ~feminine~ but ehhhh. It’s great otherwise.

Tie-A-Tie: a site centered around ties, obviously. I stumbled upon it while researching tie fabrics but there’s a lot more to look at. It offers insight into dress code for events, tells you how to tie your ties, and has a section on the often forgotten about tie accessories

[moramew]

Even more:

Types of High Heels: A page describing twenty five different types of high heels. It gives a description and pictures. Shake it up from just “stilettos and kitten heels”

Random Job Generator: Exactly as it says. The site offer more generators like characters, plots, or town names.

Glossary of Hosiery Terms: Figure out what is what on a pair of stockings.

Men’s Dress Shoe Guide: A quick guide describing the eight most common types of men’s dress shoes. Pics included.

Types of Women’s Coats: Descriptions and pics of various different types of coats.

[8writingblock8-blog]

WRITING REFERENCES

[sandersstudies]

Are you difficult to draw blood from?

Yes. I have small/deep veins, thick/hairy skin, or another relevant trait.

No. I am average or easy to draw blood from.

I have never had blood drawn, but I suspect it would be difficult.

I have never had blood drawn, but I expect it would be average/easy.

Voting ended onOct 27, 2024

[thalkonwrites]

Chapter One

The room was bright.

Hell, all of the rooms were bright. 

… 

Every. Single. ROOM in this God forsaken building was colored a nauseating sterile white. 

…

Rarely was there a color change, and if there was… 

I fought back the shudder that threatened to run up my spine from the unwelcome thought. 

I couldn’t show any signs of weakness. 

Weakness meant fear, and fear meant failure. 

And failure… 

…

…

meant death…

Not that that had worked out well for me before.

My spiraling thoughts were interrupted by a soft beeping sound followed by the whirring of gears from inside the wall. My eyes darted to the left without moving my head, there was a door in the wall that wasn’t visible to the unknowing. 

I and two other girls had been brought into this room through that door. It wasn’t completely invisible to us either. Our eyes were good enough that we could make out the miniscule crack that was the doorway when the door was closed. 

Keeping myself facing forward, I felt the other two girls' eyes dart towards the same wall mine had. We were always in-sync with each other. Rarely was there a time that one of us didn’t know what the other was doing. But that was just the way it was. The three of us were always together. 

Our programming demanded it. 

We were called “The Fates” by the others here.

They were terrified to utter our names, fearing that if they did they would be our next targets. With that fear, brought around the nicknames that the three of us ended up going by. 

My attention was brought back to the present as a man in a white coat entered the room holding a pen and clipboard. He was part of the group that we had nicknamed “The Pokies'' or “Pokies” for short. They were the ones in charge of the facility we lived in. Which seemed to give them the excuse to use us as pin cushions. 

The scars on my arms were proof of that. 

This one was younger than the other pokies wandering the halls. Nothing was very distinctive about his appearance, but all of the pokies began to look the same after a while. This one wore thick lensed glasses, his brown hair falling over the rims, beginning to hide his eyes. 

He seemed nervous. 

This made me wonder which stories about us were currently circulating the facility. We weren’t always close to the others, because of some of my… defects, so we weren’t always in on what “legends” were being told. 

The pokie checked over his clipboard, looking warily towards us. His eyes darted back and forth from us to his clipboard then back again. Occasionally, he glanced towards where the door would be, his thoughts racing as he slowly realized how under qualified he was to be in the same room as us. 

He was new.  

That was easy to see. 

He appeared to be a test for us, and he was clearly regretting agreeing to it. 

We stood in a row, staring straight ahead, shoulders back, no sign of a smile anywhere on our faces… my only and closest friends here on either side of me. 

Our faces portrayed years of patience training, our backs facing the wall, keeping ourselves at attention as the man continued to nervously glance from his clipboard to us and back again. It was probably the stillest this pokie had ever seen three nine-year-old girls stand.

We stared ahead, obediently waiting for our testing to begin. 

It wasn’t long before I was aware of a warm feeling creeping into my stomach. The man’s racing thoughts had dulled the sensation earlier. Now that I had been able to push most of his thoughts out of my head, I realized that the feeling had started a little before he had walked into the room. But now the sensation was even stronger. 

My heart clenched as I felt the rush of adrenaline surge through my body. 

This pokie wasn’t experienced enough to know how to hide his fear from me, and it was giving me sharp feelings of euphoria. Which was a problem…

Sweat beaded on my forehead as I attempted to ignore the sensation. Giving it attention would only put me more on edge, and more likely to act out. 

The warmth moved through my veins, making my arms tingle from the lack of movement. In a desperate attempt to distract myself, I started thinking about my timeline here. It was something I did to try and keep my days straight, and to help myself focus on things when I was feeling overwhelmed. I went from the few things I remembered of how I arrived here, the different tests I’ve gone through and finally on how I had lost my voice. 

Not the best memory to be thinking of, but it was a distraction. 

I remembered the whole thing in excruciating detail, I had only been semi unconscious during the procedure. It had been terrifying to suddenly be unable to talk. It made me thankful for being a psychic, except for the side effect of picking up on others’ emotions. 

Fear was the easiest emotion for me to pick up on. Heck, I was constantly surrounded by it. There was no plausible reason that I wouldn’t be able to identify fear from any other emotion first. 

This ability to “eat fear”, as my friends and I called it, was one of several abilities that had been given to me while living in this facility.

Eating fear was exactly like it sounded. My body processed the emotion and in response I was given energy. Unfortunately, the energy needed to be released almost immediately or I could black out and hurt people. The pokies had found that out the hard way. 

I smiled internally at that thought. 

It didn’t take long for the pokies to figure out how to use my "excess energy". That was when they started sending me on missions. 

Those didn’t start out well…

After the first failed mission, the pokies realized I had to be with the other two Fates for anything to be accomplished correctly. 

“Let’s begin the assessment,” the pokie announced, having gathered his wits around him, looking towards me. 

My eyes narrowed on him as my attention came back to the present, making him shiver involuntarily. 

“Experiment five, step forward.”

I stepped forward, lightheadedness sweeping through my body as I moved closer to him. My attention briefly moved to the wall behind him, noticing as more fear and scrambled thoughts seemed to emit from there. 

Either this pokie had friends watching in fear for him, or this was a test of my limits. I pushed back the euphoria that filled my body with electricity, the hairs on my arms seemed to rise from the build up of energy. My heart beat faster as the adrenaline filled my veins. I waited to be instructed on what I was being assessed on first. My muscles burned from the lack of movement  as I stood at attention. Just as I had been trained. I needed something to release the tension before I became antsy. 

Everything he did seemed to make the waiting worse.

The tapping of his pen.

The nervous looks from his clipboard,

to me,

the clipboard,

...

the other two girls,

...

...

back to the clipboard,

...

the wall behind him,

...

back to the clipboard.

...

...

...

His breath seemed to come in short intervals, not gasping, but definitely a form of uncertainty.

“Blades,” he finally instructed, his voice seeming to warble at his demand.

I twirled my hand around, letting it drop limply towards the floor as I exposed my wrist. A hidden blade shot out of a slit in my skin that was otherwise invisible. The silver of the knife glinted in the harsh light of the room. 

The pokie seemed to be surprised at the length that had sprung out of my arm, taking a step back as it came to a stop. The blade measured nearly six inches from where it started from my wrist to its tip. I kept my focus on the pokie, not bothering to watch the blade slide back into my arm as I straightened my hand. The feeling of it returning to its place inside my arm was just as soothing as white noise to me. I let my arm fall to my side before raising my other arm and repeating the process. 

He nodded his head, attempting to swallow his fear, as he scribbled some notes on his clipboard. 

I inhaled through my nose, trying to calm my nerves. His fear stunk up the room. I could feel my pupils dilating from its vibrant essence. I’m sure I was beginning to look like an addict at this point.

The second hidden blade sheathed as I dropped my other arm, before rolling my shoulders, preparing myself for the next assessment. 

The pokie finished his notes then looked up at me, expectantly.

Why was this the test all of the newbies got excited about? I thought to myself in dismay.

“Wings," he barked out the word, barely able to contain his excitement, his eyes staring at me expectantly.

In my peripheral I could see the white feathered things that were constantly hugging my back as they extended to either side of me. 

My wings.

<<< Table of Contents

[thalkonwrites]

To Infinity

Before Maximum Ride.

Before The Flock.

There were several experimental generations, some successful, and some not. These previous generations grew up only knowing their short lived lives in the labs they were created in. All of the pain, screams, and nightmares were a part of their everyday lives. None of them seeing the outside world, until one successful generation…

This generation was never meant to survive, and most of them didn’t, except for one.

The Angel of Mercy.

When she refused to be exterminated, her creators were forced to find a use for her. Fitting her to be a governmental assassin. She was later joined by two others of the next generation. The Angel of Death and The Devil’s Advocate.

This trio made up The Fates.

A trio of assassins that were feared amongst the criminal underground.

But not everything was about death and killing for this trio of nine year olds. They were also sent out on retrieval missions, returning experiments and strange anomalies that the lab had interests in.

Their most recent mission…

Recover the anomaly from New York City.

*** As with my other stories, I will try to bold triggering topics, along with giving quick warnings at the beginning of the chapters so you, as the reader, are aware of them. This story is in progress, but I hope to have this be a six book series once it is done. Please enjoy, and feel free to interact (if you feel like being negative, please make it constructive criticism, otherwise your comment will be deleted) ***

Table of Contents

Chapter One

[ellohcee]

The idea of dragons in modern times is so fun because imagine a hot summer day on your vacay and go to use the hotel pool and staff is like "valued guests we regret to inform you that the pool area is out of service at the moment, we apologize for the inconvenience"

And people like "wtf why" looking out their hotel room window and there's this. This dragon just curled up in the pool chilling, literally, cooling itself down

Some of the staff are trying to gently shoo him away and the dragon does a soft little "rrrrrr" like a grumpy cat and a warning puff of smoke and they're like "fuck it i don't get paid nearly enough for this" and no ones using the pool today sorry!

[ellohcee]

[kawuli]

[thalkonwrites]

Chapter Forty Eight - The End

Table of Contents

Trigger Warning - Death Mention

Destru looked up from leaning against a work table when Tom was brought into the kitchen. "Is everything alright?" Destru asked, as Tom was sat in a chair.

Tom chuckled a little as he slouched in the chair, trying to find the strength to sit upright. "She still has her sirens kiss," he finally managed to gasp out. "She thought Nyx might know how to make it go away faster."

Nyx grumbled as he moved towards Tom. Forcing Tom to look him in the eye as he assessed how bad he was. After a few moments, Nyx turned away and began looking for ingredients.

"Just couldn't get enough of her after she killed you, could ya?" Destru winked with a slight smirk.

Tom attempted a smile, thinking about their most recent kiss. She was still perfect to him. "What can I say? I'm in love with her." He groaned as he lost the strength to stay sitting and fell to the ground, much to the delight of Destru.

"Oh how I wish I had a camera," Destru pretended to take a picture with his hands. "Perfect blackmail," he continued to howl with laughter as Nyx came back.

Nyx let out a gravelly moan as he picked Tom up by the collar and laid him on the table. He carefully administered the potion he brewed, tilting Tom's head so he could swallow without choking. After the potion was gone Tom began to feel his fingers and toes, wiggling them as he got his feeling back.

"We need to figure out how we're getting off this awful Island," Destru mused as Tom slowly sat up on the table.

"How do the sirens get around?" Tom wondered, as the trolls in the kitchen began to start preparing the next meal.

"They're sirens," Destru crossed his arms sourly. "They swim everywhere."

"But they knew how to sail your ship. They must have ships around here somewhere," Tom pressed, stopping when a roar was heard behind him.

Tom and Destru turned to see Nyx carrying a large baking sheet with something on it. One of the other trolls had tried taking it from him. "What's gotten into you Nyx?" Destru asked, his attention now on the tray.

Nyx gently sat the tray down next to Tom. "Cap'n" Nyx said, giving a nod towards Destru.

Destru made a confused look, before slowly removing the sheet, revealing gray spotted ears. Tom held his breath as Destru continued to reveal Runes body, tears in his eyes.

"Thank you," Destru whispered, looking towards Nyx. "We'll give him a proper burial." He rested his head on Runes for a few moments, then looked towards Nyx.

The troll nodded in agreement, baring his teeth as other trolls made their way near them.

"He stopped them from serving him to the sirens," Tom said in awe as he realized Nyx probably had gotten in trouble for doing what he did.

Destru and Tom jumped once more when Nyx knocked a plate out of another trolls hand. "Priestess gets fruit," he grumbled out.

The troll that had brought Tom down came up to Nyx with their arms raised, irritation on his face. "You don't get a say here. You're not ranked enough." He argued. "Matera clearly stated if the priestess didn't complete the ritual she would be fed the organs of a sailor."

"Matera's dead," Tom pointed out, making the troll look towards him for the first time.

"Her body may be dead, but her presence is still around," the troll whispered, fear in his eyes. "She was too powerful to be killed by a witchling."

"I don't feel anything," Tom mused, as Destru shrugged.

The troll curled his lip at them. "No magics wouldn't feel anything. Some High Priest you'll make." The troll moved further into the kitchen directing the other trolls to their tasks.

Tom mentally pictured himself folding wolf ears back to lay on his head. He still wasn't good at expressing irritation. "We should gather everyone so we can figure out how to leave," Tom pushed himself off the table.

"Priestess," Nyx's voice rumbled as their attention turned to the doorway out of the kitchen.

Tess was debating on coming to join them, only stopping when she saw Runes body laying on the table. She had tears in her eyes as she looked towards Destru, waiting to see a reaction. "Destru-"

Destru held a hand up, making Tess stop her sentence with a small sob. "Best not to discuss it now," Destru stared at Runes body, not meeting Tess' gaze.

Tess nodded, knowing Destru wouldn't see it. "I'll wait outside," she whispered, then turned to go into the hallway.

"Tess! Wait!" Tom called, stopping her at the door. He walked up to her and brushed a stray hair out of her face. "Are you okay?" he whispered, studying her frown.

"I'll be fine," she took his hand into hers, making sure to look anywhere that wasn't Destru or Rune.

"Are you sure?" Tom persisted. He waited until she nodded, giving him a weak smile. "Okay," he returned her smile and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "We're trying to figure out how to get home. Do you know how the sirens got around?"

"They don't have any ships that I know of," Tess' frown returned as she continued to think. "I could probably raise Destru's ship if it was one of the last one's they sunk."

"You could do that?" Tom asked, incredulously, amazed that her powers had grown this much in just a year and a half.

Tess nodded in confirmation. "I'll just need to rest for a bit afterwards because of these bracelets," Tess raised her arm to show him the thin silver bracelet entwined around her wrist.

"What are they for?" Tom asked, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.

"They're supposed to help me with my power surges," Tess examined the bracelets in the torch light. "I was supposed to have them removed once the ritual was completed."

"I think I know someone who can help take those off," Tom gave Tess a quick kiss on the lips then walked back into the kitchen, leaving her dazed in the hallway.

Destru looked up from the table when Tom reentered the kitchen, his ears perked forward. "Any news?"

"Tess says she can raise your ship," Tom answered, suddenly realizing he was feeling warm once again. "Can we go to your brother's village?"

"If she can raise my ship, I'll take her wherever she likes," Destru nodded. "We'll be heading there to bury Rune with his parents."

Tom nodded, leaning against the table as his legs threatened to collapse under him. "Good plan...Nyx" Tom called weakly towards the troll as he gave a sheepish smile.

Nyx rolled his eyes as he lumbered away to gather more ingredients. Destru laughed as Tom collapsed to the ground, the siren's kiss taking effect on him once more. "Stock up on those Nyx!" Destru howled after the troll. "We'll be needing them most of the trip I reckon!"

All that answered Destru was an annoyed grumble.

—----

Tess was raising Destru's ship shortly after the noontime meal. Destru's crew whooping in excitement when the prow broke the surface of the water. The ship creaked and groaned as water expelled out of the port and canon holes in the sides. It took a few concentrated minutes for Tess to repair the damage. Tom lent her some of his energy when she began to feel fatigued from the energy the boat and her bracelets took from her.

She was leaving the sirens on good terms. They were going to search out their original matriarch that Matera had run out when she joined this group of sirens. They promised to stay in touch and try to find a place in the new world. Debating on becoming fisherwomen to help nearby towns. Tess was proud of the few strides for improvement they were making in such a short amount of time.

Tess stood on the dock breathing hard as Tom helped her stay upright. Destru's crew were beginning to load the ship up to make the trip home. Rune's body was carefully laid in the cargo hold, where crew members could pay respects if they found the need to. "Aterea," Tess gave a weak smile towards the young siren that was hesitantly coming up to her and Tom.

"Priestess," Aterea shuffled up to Tess, nodding towards Tom as she came closer. "Priest."

"How can I help you?" Tess watched as Aterea fumbled with a package at her side.

"We wanted to give this back to the High Priest," she offered Tom his sword back. "We should have never taken it from you in the first place."

"Thank you for returning it," Tom answered, taking the sword from the young siren. "We wish you peace and happiness in your new beginnings."

"Thank you," Aterea gave a small bob, before offering another item to Tess. "This is the Priestess' athame." Aterea handed Tess her jeweled dagger that she had used in the ritual sacrifices. "I know it might hold bad memories for you, but the High Priestess is the only one that can use the powers held in it."

"Thank you," Tess took the athame from Aterea and placed it carefully in the sash of her dress. "I wish you the best in your future," Tess whispered in the young siren's ear as she gave her a hug.

"Don't forget about us," Aterea whispered back.

"I won't," Tess promised, as Tom offered his arm to board Destru's ship. Tess took it and looked around the ship. It was just as she had remembered it.

"Everyone aboard?" Destru called from the main wheel. The pirates ran about and untethered the boat, freeing it from the dock. "Off we go!" Destru smirked, setting sail for his brother's village.

Tess and Tom watched as the island slowly disappeared from view, ready to see where their new future would take them as the High Priestess and the Wilkolak.

****** Author's Note *******

Thank you for reading my story! I appreciate all of you who have stuck around and everyone who commented and liked the posts. You are all wonderful people!

Keep your eyes peeled for the next instalment of this story titled "A Buried Legend". This story will take place during Tess and Tom's separation following the story of another witch and werewolf named Seraphina and Wellsley.

Thanks again! Much love! And hope you enjoyed the story!

<< Chapter Forty Seven - Tess

[thalkonwrites]

Chapter Forty Seven - Tess

Table of Contents

TW Injury mention

Tess panted heavily as she looked at her mother's fallen form on the ground. She was suddenly very fatigued. The door to the room opened and closed. The other sirens must have left the room. She stumbled backwards, feeling lightheaded.

"I've got ya," a soothing voice whispered in her ear as someone caught her falling form.

Tess looked up at her savior's face. "Tom?" She whispered, as her vision blurred.

She heard his familiar chuckle as he scooped her into his arms.

"Go to sleep," the voice whispered as she closed her eyes, exhaustion finally claiming her.

——-

Tess woke up to her curtains drawn. She groaned as she sat up. Every single part of her ached. How had she made it back to her room? She couldn't remember anything after crying over Tom's fallen form. She slowly swung her legs out from under the covers, uttering small groans of pain as she did so. What did she do last night? She hobbled over to her vanity and sat down.

Tess pulled at her eyelids, examining the bags that had formed under them. Did she not sleep well the night before? Sighing, she reached for her hairbrush to brush out the night from her hair. She looked down when she didn't find it right away.

Where was it? She always left it on the vanity. "Looking for something?" A familiar voice whispered into her ear, startling Tess. She hadn't heard anyone come into her room.

She looked up into the mirror to see Tom standing behind her. Tess gasped, a hand flew to her mouth, as she whirled around to face him. "Tom?" she whispered, reaching a shaky hand, not daring to believe he was alive.

"It's me," he whispered, opening his arms to her, tears brimming in his eyes. He had finally found Tess, and he could hold her.

Tess sprang to her feet and fell into Tom's arms, relishing the feeling of them wrapped around her. She pulled away slightly to look at him. He had an angry red line where she had slit his throat the previous night. "I saw you take your last breath," she whispered, gently tracing the line. "How are you still alive?"

Tom brought Tess back into a tight hug, his nose in her hair, breathing in her scent as he swayed them both back and forth. She still had her siren features but they didn't seem to dominate her other features like they had before. "I don't know," Tom replied, not caring for the answer either way. "But I'm not questioning it." Tom took Tess' chin in his hand and gently pressed his lips to hers. A slight warming sensation began to fill him, starting at his lips and working its way down his body. She still had her poison and probably didn't realize what she was doing, Tom reasoned. "Tess," he groaned as his knees gave out.

He collapsed into Tess' arms as she gave him a horrified look. "Tom?" she whispered. Trying to help him regain his feet. It was too good to be true. He was dying now. Of course he wouldn't stay alive.

"You still have your poison," Tom gasped, collapsing further to the floor when Tess couldn't hold his weight anymore. His legs felt heavy like lead.

Tess looked in the mirror after she got Tom settled on the floor and saw her lips glistening. "I'm so sorry," she went back to his side. "I had forgotten all about it."

"It's fine," Tom gave a weak smile, even though he didn't think it was. "Do you have something to get rid of it?"

Tess thought for a moment. "It doesn't affect sirens like it does everyone else," she finally said, pushing back some of Tom's hair. "It's more of a paralysis than a poison. But it should wear off in time. Nyx would probably know a better solution than me. The sirens don't exactly like their prey getting away." Tess ended with a slight smirk that looked almost hungry.

Tom's heart rate spiked, a sudden wave of fear ripping through his body at Tess' smile. "Should we find Nyx?" He asked, trying to ease the sudden fear in his mind. Tess didn't complete the ritual so she wouldn't stay a siren, he reminded himself over and over as the warmth finished spreading over his entire body. It was an accident, she forgot about her sirens kiss, he pleaded with the part of his mind that was trying to convince him that she was too much of a siren. He didn't think he'd be able to make it far on his own, let alone shout for help if he were to need it.

The couple looked towards Tess' door when they heard a knock. A troll servant stood at the door, not making eye contact as he cleared his throat. "Priestess, your presence is requested in the dining hall." The troll bowed and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Tess called, making the servant stop. "I need the troll named Nyx to attend to my friend. Can you either bring Nyx here or bring my friend to him?"

"Certainly," the troll bowed, then walked towards Tom to pick him up.

"I'll check on you as soon as I see what's going on," Tess whispered, putting her hand under Toms chin as his head began to slump forward.

"I'll be counting down the minutes," Tom responded, surprising Tess with another kiss.

Tess looked towards Tom with a concerned look once they separated. Tom chuckled, "I doubt a double dose of your kiss will do anything worse to me."

Tess ruffled his hair while he couldn't do anything about it. "I'll see you in a bit," she nodded towards the troll who picked Tom up and carried him off towards the kitchens.

<< Chapter Forty Six - Matera

                                          Chapter Forty Eight - The End >>

[thalkonwrites]

Chapter Forty Six - Matera

Table of Contents

Trigger Warning - Character Death, Death description, Kill mention

The sirens huddled together. The priestess was only good to them if she wasn't against them. Matera stepped forward, turning Tess' attention to her. "Priestess-"

"My name is Tess," Tess spat out. She felt her power growing, which made little sense to her. She was told she'd only gain her power if she completed the ritual. Her eyes hardened on Matera... another lie.

Matera paused for a moment before continuing. "Tess," Matera continued. "I was the one who killed your father and ate his heart."

"Why?" Tess asked after a pause. She felt like all the air had been knocked out of her.

Matera gestured to the surrounding room, an enormous smile plastered on her face. "Why, the same reason as you... power!"

Tess stopped as everything came crashing down on her. She didn't want this power. In fact, she had gone for years wishing she was powerless. This woman, whether or not she was her actual mother, was nothing like her. "We are nothing alike," Tess whispered, her hands clasped into fists as she shook with rage. "I never wanted power! I never wanted to rule over a species! I just wanted to be normal!" Tess shouted. She didn't know when, but she was currently floating in the air. A powerful wind was picking up around her as her power surged.

She saw Tom's lifeless body beneath her, enraging her more. "You said my powers wouldn't come in if I didn't complete the ritual." Tess lifted an energy ball that had formed in her hands. This was the biggest one she had ever made.

Matera was now joining the other sirens, cowering together. They hadn't expected her to turn on them. "I said that, so you'd become a siren," Matera called to her. "You were going to receive your powers, whether or not you did the ritual. We need a powerful priestess so-"

"No!" Tess spoke, several voices surrounding her own. "For as long as I have been here, you have done nothing to make your way in the new age. The old age is dead, and nothing you do will change that!"

Tess threw the energy ball at a wall in a fit of rage. It tore through the stone like it was paper. It landed in the forest near the mountains almost thirty miles away. She floated to the ground near Tom's sword. She looked at the blade, reading the inscription. True love never dies.

"Now Tess, you need to calm down," Matera tried to take control once more.

"I need you to be truthful," Tess yelled, picking up the sword and swinging it towards her mother.

Matera waved her hand to the side, deflecting the sword, catching Tess off guard. "This is the destiny of the High Priestess." Matera walked towards Tess. "I was a High Priestess. Your grandmother was High Priestess. Her mother was High Priestess. You must accept your duty."

Tess slowly backed away from her mother, dragging the sword with her. It was much heavier than she had expected. She was becoming drained of energy after everything that had happened so far. Her bracelets hadn't been taken off yet. "They didn't become sirens," Tess whispered.

"No, but they would have if they had known the power granted with the transformation. You only have a little bit of time left before you can no longer perform the ritual," Matera continued. She used her own magic to propel herself to Tom's body. She lifted her hand in the air, preparing to rip the heart out and force feed it to Tess. "It's time to take your place!"

Matera's hand shot down to Tom's body, making Tess scream in horror. Tess felt energy build up on herself as she grabbed her mom's wrist before she made it to Tom. "You will not touch him," Tess commanded, her voice taking on the sound of many voices once more.

Matera backed away. She couldn't ignore Tess when she used this voice. Tess looked at Tom, then back at her mother. She took a deep breath, then straightened. There was only one way to end this. "As High Priestess-"

"You didn't finish the ritual," Matera tried interrupting before getting cut off by Tess.

"I am High Priestess regardless of finishing the ritual!" Tess silenced her mother, who backed away, her arms covering her eyes as Tess began glowing with power. "And I have decided you will not be allowed to hurt anyone else."

"And what do you plan on doing?" Matera scoffed, doubting that Tess would have the courage to kill her. She couldn't even finish the ritual with Tom.

"I will make sure you can find no one else to hurt." Tess' voices echoed throughout the room. She walked up to her mother and reached a hand towards her. Matera took a step back, not sure what Tess was planning.

"Be still!" Tess commanded, making Matera stop in her tracks. Matera looked up at Tess fearfully, as she was now planted where she was standing. Tess reached her hand out and touched Matera's chest above where her siren's broken heart was. "You will no longer be on this plane of living. For the rest of eternity, you will roam this earth. You will cry out, but nobody will hear you. You will try to be seen, but nobody will see you." Tess looked into the eyes of her mother, as her face was drained of color. "As I say it, so shall it be." Tess finished, removing her hand.

Matera stood stock still for a few moments, then began laughing when nothing happened. "You! You, child! You think you can destroy me with a few words?" She cackled. Stopping only when she saw Tess looking towards the ground. She followed Tess' gaze to see her body on the ground, staring off into nothing, a silent scream etched on her face.

Matera looked at her hands, trying to see if her eyes were playing tricks on her. "No, no, no," she whispered to herself. She rushed over to the group of sirens that were staring toward her body. "Sisters, you see me?" Matera waved in front of the faces of her found family.

None of them reacted to her. Matera fell to the ground in a sobbing mess. The remaining sirens made their way out of the room while Tess was still distracted.

<< Chapter Forty Five - Revelations

                                            Chapter Forty Seven - Tess >>

[thalkonwrites]

Chapter Forty Five - Revelations

Table of Contents

Trigger Warning - Death Mention, Knife

Tess cracked an eye open when her knife came to an abrupt halt right above Tom's chest. She rubbed the tears from her face, trying to see clearer. "As you would have if you were still here by my side," Tess said once more. She brought the knife down, only for it to stop mere centimeters from his chest.

"Priestess, what's going on?" Materas' shrill voice rang out in the silence.

"I-I don't know," Tess admitted as she attempted to bring her knife down once more. She heard Matera accusing the other sirens of not removing protective clothing. She ignored all the shouting as she noticed a shining coming from his pants pocket. Tess reached in and felt a familiar round orb. "My star," Tess whispered as she inspected the tiny glowing orb. "You went back and got it for me," Tess looked towards Tom's unmoving face. It was becoming pale white as the blood rushed from it.

Tess took a shuddering breath as she realized what had happened. "Dad said it would always protect me if I kept it on me," Tess continued to whisper, not realizing the glowing had intensified.

"Priestess, why is your hand glowing?" A siren asked from across the room in horror.

Tess looked at her hand to see that the glowing had grown too bright to look at. She dropped the orb, which rolled away from her, shielding her eyes. Her siren vision was coming in and they didn't like bright things.

"Tess," a male voice called from across the room.

Tess lowered her arm to see a figure standing above the orb. She cocked her head as she tried to figure out where she had seen this person before. He looked so young and homely. Much like a father would. Tess stopped and stood, staring at the figure in disbelief. "Dad?"

The man smiled in her direction. "My little girl. My, how much you've grown." He raised his arms as if to hug her, only to realize he was a projection. "I wish I could be here celebrating your sixteenth birthday with you, young priestess."

"Dad, I miss you," Tess cried, moving closer. She reached a shaky hand out, only to pull it back to herself. Would she be able to touch him? "Why did you leave me?"

The projection sighed and looked towards her sadly. "I needed to get you somewhere safe." Was the only explanation he offered.

Tess knew her father wasn't really there, but she felt his presence as if he was right next to her. She figured he had put a part of his soul in it. That's why he could answer her questions directly.

"Tess, I need you to know something," her father continued. "The path your mother is taking you down is very dangerous."

"But, I was told that mom was dead," Tess looked towards her father in confusion. Maybe it was a recording, and she just reacted the way he thought she would.

"No, my little star. You have been with your mother this whole time. She did the same thing to me she is having you do to Tom."

"Tess, don't listen to that cursed thing," Matera called, forcing Tess to remember there were other people in the room.

"Tess, I only wanted the best for you and I had hoped you would've been safe with Tom's family. I see I was wrong, and I'm sorry for my assumption." Her dad looked over towards Tom's lifeless body. "I was terrified that she would kill you like she had your brother. I took you in the middle of the night to get you to a safe place. That's when you met Tom and his family."

Tess thought back on when she had met Tom. She had clung to her father as he pleaded with Tom's parents to keep her safe. Tom had been watching from the hallway, not wanting anyone to know he had crept out of bed. She had cried and cried when her father gave her to Tom's mom, and walked out of their door. He had left her with her book of spells and the orb that he had put a piece of his soul into.

Matera kept calling for Tess in the background, trying to get her attention back. Finally, Tess had enough. "Silence!" She shouted in several voices to the matron siren. "I will tell you when you can speak!"

Matera looked taken aback, but kept her silence.

"Dad, this is too hard," Tess whispered as she walked closer to his projection, much to the dismay of her eyes. "I don't know what to do," she squinted as she came closer, suddenly feeling like a small child lost in the world.

"I have little time left," her dad's projection leaned down and hugged her. Tess returned the hug, shocked when she smelt wood smoke on her dads projection. This was a piece of his soul.

"Please don't leave me," Tess cried, falling to the floor. "I can't do this on my own."

"Listen," her dad squatted in front of her and lifted her chin to look at him. "Everyone has choices to make. Some of them are right and some are wrong. But we may make the correct choice after a wrong one. It is you who decides where to go from where you are. Understand?"

Tess nodded her head, sniffling.

"Please be careful, my little star." Her father stood upright as his projection faltered. "I have and always will love you." With that, his projection was gone. The orb was now a dull golden nugget.

Tess' body shook as she took in her empty world. All her friends and family were dead, except for apparently her mother. "Who?" Tess whispered harshly, as she turned to face the sirens. "Who killed my father?" She ended in a shout.

The sirens flinched as her rage was projected on them. None of them dared to speak, all looking amongst themselves.

"Which of you forced me to destroy my family?" Tess stood rigid in front of the sirens, who were now fidgeting. A few of them looked towards the door. Tess noticed the looks and moved her hand closest to the door, slamming the doors closed.

<< Chapter Forty Four - Kiss of Death

                                               Chapter Forty Six - Matera >>

[thalkonwrites]

Chapter Forty Four - Kiss of Death

Table of Contents

Trigger Warnings - knife, death mention, death

"Priestess," Matera's voice cut into Tess' thoughts. Tom scowled at her. He felt like he was getting through to Tess. "I hate to remind you we're on a time schedule."

Tess went through a series of emotions before landing on a calm face. "Did he come with anything?"

"I-I'm sorry?" Matera asked, surprised by the question.

"Did he come with anything?" Tess raised her voice, turning towards the matron siren.

Matera flinched before regaining her composure. "He had a sword. It's put away."

"I want to see it," Tess demanded, looking Matera straight in the eyes.

Matera was about to argue back, but motioned for another siren to leave the room. "As you wish, priestess," Matera bowed, then moved to the side of the room.

"Look at you, commanding a room," Tom teased, trying to get Tess to focus on him again. If he could just break through whatever the sirens had done to her, he might stand a chance.

"Lots of practice," Tess smirked, turning back towards him.

Tom could see Matera becoming agitated at the stalling. He did his best to keep Tess' attention on him, trying to keep her talking. Soon his sword was brought in and laid before Tess.

"Beautiful sword," Tess reached out towards it. She clasped the handle and studied it. She glanced at Tom, confused. "Sword of the High Priest?"

Tom shook his head. "I'm just as confused as you are."

Tess thought for a few moments, then put the sword down next to Tom. "So the story we grew up with was true."

"It appears so," Tom replied solemnly. He had always thought the story of the High Priestess and the Wilkolak was a fantasy story. Told to scare him and his brother if they misbehaved, but there seemed to be some truth to it.

Matera cleared her throat behind Tess, making Tess look back at her athame. She had placed it on the ground near Tom. She looked at Tom, fear in her eyes. "I don't want to," she whispered. Her body was shaking. "I don't want to kill you."

"You don't have to," Tom replied in a soothing voice. "You have a choice."

Tess shook her head, "No, I don't."

"Yes, you do," Tom whispered forcefully. "Everyone has a choice... and you do, too."

Tess stayed in her kneeling position, hugging herself, her face nearly on the ground. Tom felt bad that Tess had been put into this difficult situation. "Tess," Tom called gently, making her look up at him, her cheeks tear stained. "No matter your decision. I will always love you."

"I love you too," Tess whispered as Matera continued egging her on. Tess crawled up to Tom's side, then gently pressed her lips on Tom's.

His lips quickly met hers, trying to meet a hunger that neither of them knew existed. Tess almost became lost in the moment. Their lips working against each other, matching movement for movement. She took her knife and released Tom's hands in one swift motion.

Tom didn't waste a second and immediately cupped Tess' face, bringing her in closer to him. He felt his body fill with warmth as the poison on her lips worked into his system, but he didn't care. His rough sea chapped lips were against her soft smooth ones. They only stopped when Tess sliced into his throat with her athame. He let out a strangled cry, gasping for air, as he fell into her. Her tears splashing into his hair as she laid her head on his, her fingers running through his hair. "I'm sorry," she whispered repeatedly, as her body was racked with sobs.

The bell tower had struck midnight. She felt Tom's lips trying to say something against her skin. She placed her hand on his cheek to let him transfer his thoughts to her.

I forgive you; Tom's voice filled her head.

"Tom," Tess cried, her heart beginning to break, the siren's curse taking over her.

"Eat his heart!" Matera's voice chanted to Tess in the background.

Tess could barely hear her over the pounding in her ears. She laid Tom on the ground, his breathing becoming shallower. She put her hand on his chest, preparing to remove his heart so she could finish the ritual.

"I can't," she finally said, throwing herself across Tom's still warm body. "I'm so sorry! I can't! You trusted me," she sobbed, her tears soaking Tom's shirt.

She half expected him to put a hand on her back to comfort her, but he never did. "Tom, I'm so sorry." She took her shaky hand and closed Tom's eyelids. He had taken his last breath a few moments prior.

She held her head to his chest, listening desperately for a heartbeat. "Tom," she wailed over and over, her heart cracked in two. She felt the changes as they came to her. She just needed to finish the ritual to make them permanent.

"Finish the ritual!" Materas' voice screamed at her from across the room.

Finish the ritual.

Tess sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes, trying to regain composure. She began moving Tom's shirt away from his chest, turning her attention to where his heart was.

The bell tower rang out the final toll, signifying midnight. She needed to finish this before the next hour came.

"Please lend me the strength of the love in your heart." Tess raised her athame above Tom's lifeless chest. Tears continuing to course down her flushed cheeks. Tom's smiling face entering her mind. "That you freely gave to me, every day you were alive." Her hands shook as she continued. Memories upon memories flooding her mind at all the things the two used to do together. One thing was constantly the same in every single one. Tom's love for her, the way he looked at her, protected her, teased her. He had loved her since the first day they had met, and she had killed him.

"Please continue to bless me and give me your strength throughout my life," Tess' voice broke. She shifted her grip on her athame's handle. "As you would have if you were still here by my side." Tess finished, closing her eyes. She brought her knife down to pierce Tom's chest.

<< Chapter Forty Three - Tom

                                     Chapter Forty Five - Revelations >>

[thalkonwrites]

Chapter Forty Three - Tom

Table of Contents

Trigger Warning - Knife

Tom nursed his wounds over the next few days until they pulled him from his cell. His hands forced behind him and bound. He nearly collapsed when he stepped on his foot wrong. Matera pointed her hand at him and a soft blue light surrounded him. He felt his bruises and scrapes healing. "Why?" Tom asked, catching his breath. He hadn't expected the sensation to be so overwhelming.

"You need to be presentable for the priestess on her birthday," Matera explained before walking away. The troll that was guarding him pushed Tom forward.

"I'm going, I'm going," Tom muttered as he stumbled. He followed Matera into a room with a high vaulted ceiling. A large circle was made of flooring tiles in the middle of the room. Torches lined the walls, reflecting the glass from the nearby windows. There appeared to be a snowstorm outside.

Tom was marched directly into this large circle, then forced to the floor. His ankles were bound and then his wrists attached to his ankles. His back felt like it was forcefully arched forward. Matera moved some stray hairs out of his face as she opened his shirt a little more to reveal his chest. Easier access to his heart, he figured.

"Don't go anywhere," Matera smiled, as she left him there to wait.

"Don't worry, I won't," Tom seethed, the ropes already biting into his skin.

—----

Tess walked down the hallway unhurriedly. She hadn't been feeling the best lately, and she was pretty sure it was because of Tom's presence. Her dark blue dress swished on the stone floor as she made her way to the ritual room. Today was the day she would get her full powers and become a siren.

She stopped by a window as she walked by, breathing in the fresh night air. The full moon was bright tonight. It looked beautiful in the falling snow that framed it in the sky. Sighing, she turned back to her destination. Stalling would not get her out of doing the ritual. She smiled upon seeing Matera outside the room she'd be performing the ritual in. "My priestess," Matera brought Tess into a gentle hug.

"Blessed night," Tess answered, returning the hug.

"Are you ready for tonight?" Matera asked, straightening her gown.

"As I'll ever be," Tess gave a small grimace as her head began pounding more. Why had her previous feeling of unease grown? What was different about this room tonight?

"Do you remember the steps for tonight?"

Tess nodded, her stomach doing flip-flops at the thought. How could she forget? Tonight was going to be her first kiss!

"You're going to do great," Matera gave Tess a big smile, while clasping her shoulder.

"I appreciate your faith in me, mother," Tess responded, taking a deep breath to settle her nerves.

"Remember, the ritual needs to be started by midnight at the latest." Matera turned the knob to the door, opening it. "Happy birthday," she added, as the door swung open.

"It shouldn't be a problem," Tess gave a lopsided grin, turning to see her sacrifice.

Tess' face fell, her heart clenching at the sight of Tom kneeling in the middle of the room. His feet and hands lashed together so he couldn't defend himself. She instantly knew that he was the presence that was making her feel ill. "Mother," Tess whispered, before Matera walked off. "I don't think I can do this."

Matera looked at Tess, surprised. "If you want your powers to come in, you must." Tess looked at Tom with a concerned face, then back to Matera. "The ritual specifically states it must be a loved one."

Tess glanced around the room to see the other sirens looking towards her. They were waiting for the ritual to begin. "But it's Tom." Tess wanted to let her tears loose. This wasn't fair!

"He's the one you love, isn't he?" Matera asked, giving her a sickly sweet smile. "Or were we wrong?"

Tess wanted to scream about how they were completely wrong about their assumption, but she remained silent. They weren't wrong. She took a calming breath, then turned towards Tom. He was watching her, waiting to see what she did.

"Has my blade been cleaned?" Tess asked, not looking at Matera. She wasn't going to get sympathy from her.

Matera gestured to one siren on the side. They brought forth a thin jeweled dagger, offering it to Tess. A priestess' athame. Her athame.

Tess never looked down at the siren. It was one of her younger sisters, just starting to learn magic. She took the athame and began her walk to Tom.

The closer she got, the more he looked familiar and yet different. She looked at her reflection in the dagger she held. She had changed, too. Her skin had begun to shimmer like the other sirens, her teeth were coming in too. It wasn't until she was closer; she saw what was different about Tom.

"Where are your ears?" Tess whispered, kneeling down next to her friend.

Tom looked her up and down slowly, not wanting to miss a single feature of her. Oh, how he had missed her. "You've changed too," Tom finally croaked out, giving her a small smile. His throat felt like sandpaper.

"Tom," Tess took his chin in her hand, turning his face towards her. "What happened? Where were you?" Tears began falling down her face. "I waited for you."

"Tess," Tom wished his hands were free. He'd scoop her up and never let her go. It was tearing his heart to pieces to see her like this. "I thought of you every day and night. I heard your howls... why'd you stop?"

"You did?" Tess asked, thinking of all the times she had howled for him. Then she had stopped. She had lost hope of ever seeing him again.

"I howled back every night, even when I had things thrown at me," Tom offered a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Tess let out a small laugh through her tears. "You were never very good at carrying a tune."

Tom scoffed, acting offended. "Destru's worse. Have you heard him sing? It's like claws on stone."

"He helped you find the Hero's Dias," Tess whispered. She felt her lips grow wet. Her poison was activating, being so close to a loved one.

"He did," Tom smiled, doing his best to not show any of the fear he felt in the pit of his stomach. He might be able to distract Tess for a bit, but the sirens wanted their priestess at full power. His back was aching. He had been in this position for too long. He had lost feeling in his hands several hours ago. "Tess, you were right," Tom continued, keeping her attention on him. "The government knew where it was the whole time."

"I knew it," Tess whispered to herself before looking back at him. "Is that... is that where you-"

"Lost my ears?" Tom asked. His face looked incredibly human without his wolf's ears. "Lost my tail too." He attempted to show Tess, but wasn't able to move much because of the stiffness setting into his joints.

"You traded your wolf?" Tess looked at him sadly.

"I would do anything for you," Tom whispered, meeting her gaze.

"Oh, Tom!" Tess wrapped her arms around his neck. He breathed in her scent. It was still her, even if she had begun to turn into a siren.

<< Chapter Forty Two - Regret

                                     Chapter Forty Four - Kiss of Death >>

[thalkonwrites]

Chapter Forty Two - Regrets

Table of Contents

Trigger Warning - Mention of Kill, Mention of Organ Consumption

Tess gasped, tears welling in her eyes, her hand covering her mouth trying to stifle her cries. "Oh! Oh, no!" she whispered, her body shaking as the realization crashed down on her. "No, no, no, no," she slowly fell to the ground, her hands clutching her head.

"Lass, what's the matter?" Destru asked, concerned. He clutched at the bars, his stomach dropping at her reaction.

"Destru, please forgive me," she wept, looking up at him. She looked so helpless and lost.  "I-I didn't know. They always glamour Tom's face on them. I didn't believe him." Tess couldn't continue her explanation as she dissolved into more tears. She'd never forgive herself.

"Lass," Destru took Tess' chin and gently made her look at him, his face confused. He looked over Tess with worried eyes. He had made a pledge to take care of Rune when his parents had passed, was he okay?  "What happened?"

"I-I killed Rune," she finally whispered, her hands trembling as she reached for Destrus hand. "A-and I ate his heart." Tess dissolved into more tears as Destru pulled back from her, an appalled look on his face. "Matera wanted me to practice for the new moon ritual where I'll become a siren permanently."

Destru was conflicted, he wanted to feel bad for Tess, but she had killed Rune without a second thought. Tess lay at the bottom of the iron bars, sobbing, begging for forgiveness. Crying harder as the silence became longer. Destru looked her over once more. Her skin was shimmery like the other sirens, streaks of blonde dotting her previously raven black hair. Did she have the teeth too? "You've started becoming a siren," Destru stated. His look growing cold as the realization of Runes' loss swept over him.

"I didn't know what to do," Tess gasped out, her tears becoming too much. She looked up to see the disappointment in Destru's eyes. Sorrow filled her, making her chest hurt. She felt sick to her stomach. "I couldn't find a way out, and I was so scared." Tess looked back at the ground, Destru's disappointment in her was too much for her to bear. Her lip trembled as she thought of all the bad things Destru was most likely thinking about her. "I'm so sorry Destru," she finally whispered, staring at the ground, hugging herself to try and make herself feel better.

She shivered as the rest of the crew stared at her in disbelief, waiting for their captain to make the next move. They knew how much he had cared for Rune. They couldn't imagine the grief that he was going through at losing him. Especially at the hands of someone he had considered his friend.

"You should go," Destru finally whispered. He didn't trust himself to say anything else. He had a lot to process.

Tess shrank back at the harshness of Destru's words. She glanced up with tearfilled eyes, her face shimmering with the tears she had cried already. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, her body trembling as she got up. She looked into the cell one more time, before rushing away, her face in her hands. Afraid of the tears that were already escaping her, landing on the ground as she returned to her room.

Destru stared after her, a broken man. The trail of her tears shimmering in torchlight, as he sank to the ground. He sat in silence, staring out into nothing, tears quietly making their way down his face, as memories of the young pup played through his head. He would never be able to fulfill his promise to him.

-----

Tom gasped in pain as he was dragged back to his cell. A troll had him by an arm and the rest of him was pulled carelessly behind it. After Matera was finished talking with him, she had put him in a room filled with goblins. She had him magically paralyzed, then told him to defend himself. He did not know what she meant by "defend himself", since he had no way of doing that. The goblins had fun as they turned him into a mass of purple and blue bruises and cuts.

Finally, he was thrown back into his cell. He groaned as his body protested at the contact of stones. "Wilkie, are you okay?" Destru called from his cell, his voice hoarse from his previously shed tears. There had been a few hours break between Tess' visit and Tom's return. Most of the crew had mourned Rune's loss, but Destru wasn't sure if he'd ever be finished.

Tom forced himself to roll over to face him. He thought that a rib or two might be broken. Why were humans so fragile? "I'll survive," he gasped out, gritting his teeth against the fresh wave of pain.

"What happened?" Destru asked, seeing the pain he was in, trying to cast his own pain aside to help Tom through his own..

"I found Rune," Tom coughed, a bit of red spitle escaped his mouth. His throat had become raw from his cries of pain earlier. "It was too late, though."

"I heard," Destru replied quietly, not looking towards anyone. He fought off another round of tears.

Tom lifted his head in surprise, closing his eyes when he got a head rush. "How do you know?" he finally gasped out. He was going to faint, his mind was trying to fade to black.

"The Lass came down here," Destru explained, filling Tom in on Tess' visit.

"They all wear my face?" Tom asked, once Destru was done explaining what had happened.

"That's what she said," Destru agreed.

"That's messed up."

"It also gives us a good idea of what will happen at the new moon ritual," Destru pointed out, trying to keep his mind from thinking of Rune. They needed to figure this out, so they could mourn him properly. "Since all Tess' victims have had your face glamoured onto them. We can assume that you're the sacrifice at the ritual."

Tom stayed silent for a few minutes before shakily sitting up. "Well, I hope I can talk her out of it when the time comes."

<< Chapter Forty One - Friends

                                               Chapter Forty Three - Tom >>

[thalkonwrites]

Chapter Forty One - Friends

Table of Contents

Tess made her way to the kitchens, her head was now pounding, and all she wanted was a cup of soothing lavender tea. She entered the kitchen to see the trolls hard at work on supper. The newest sacrifice's body would be brought down to be added to dinner soon. She made her way through. The trolls making sure to not make eye contact with her.

"Can I help you, Priestess?" a troll bowed near her.

"I would like a cup of tea. My head is pounding," Tess admitted, resting a hand on her forehead. She was using a cooling spell to relieve the aching.

There was a low groaning sound behind her as a cup of tea was offered to her. "Thank you," Tess took a sip, not minding what was in it.

"Is everything to your satisfaction?" the troll asked, upon seeing Tess' confused look.

"What's in this?" Tess asked, looking towards the troll that had handed it to her. Her eyes widened upon seeing the troll she had made friends with on Destru's ship.

"Lavender and tarragon," Nyx's gravelly voice informed her.

Tess sat the cup down, staring at the troll. "Nyx," she whispered. The troll nodded his head at her, confirming her discovery. "Are the others here, too?"

Nyx nodded his head once more as a siren walked into the room. She saw Tess' flustered look and rushed to her side.

"My priestess, is everything okay?" The siren took Tess' face into her hands as she looked over at her, worried.

"I-I'm fine," Tess blinked a couple of times, trying to focus on the siren in front of her. "Just a little fatigued. I think I'll be laying down for the rest of the evening."

"Should I have supper sent to your room?" the siren asked, not sure if she completely believed Tess' excuse.

"No, I don't think I'll be awake for it." Tess excused herself from the kitchen. "My head is aching. I will see you in the morning. Good night."

"Good night," the siren called after her, wondering if she should follow Tess to her room or not.

-----

Tess hurried from the kitchen and slipped down a hallway. She glanced behind herself to see if anyone had followed her. Seeing the coast was clear, she slid against the wall, holding her head in her hands. Nyx was in the kitchens! Destru and his crew most likely were in the dungeons... would she be forced to kill them? Or worse, eat them!

She looked through her fingers that had migrated to her face. There was no doubt in her mind that she was going to find Destru and find out what was going on. She took a calming breath and envisioned herself in her mind. She went through what she would do in the next few minutes if she hadn't decided to go to the dungeons. Walk to my room, and lay in my bed for the rest of the evening, she thought to herself repeatedly. When she opened her eyes, she saw a clone of herself standing in front of her, waiting to be instructed on what to do.

"Go to my room and pretend to sleep," Tess whispered to her copy. "You're not feeling well."

The copy nodded, then walked down the hallway, making its way to Tess' room. Tess waited a few minutes as she waited for the slight wave of exhaustion to move on. She could perform simple spells with next to no repercussions. The bigger spells still took a slight toll on her with the bracelets she had on.

She stood and made sure nobody was in the hallway before making her way to the dungeons. She wasn't allowed in them. They still terrified her from her first day there. Tess glanced around herself once more, then snuck her way onto the stairs that led to the dungeons.

It took her a little while to find Destru. They had put his crew towards the back of the dungeons. But she knew he wasn't all the way in the back. She recognized these cells from when she had been taken upstairs her first day here. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought. Don't think like that; she thought to herself.

Finally, she saw a wolf with a dirty blue coat leaning against the iron bars. "Destru!" she called quietly, a sob catching in her throat.

Destru's ears twitched as he heard his name. He turned towards her and lept up in surprise. "Lass!" Destru gave a warming smile upon seeing her.

Tess wanted to fall into his arms in relief. Someone she knew! Someone she wasn't forced to make friends with! "Destru what are you doing here?" Tess looked in towards the crew. This wasn't everyone. Tess' heart sped up with concern. How long had Destru been here? Had they made his crew into meals over the past few days? "Where is everyone?"

"We came to save ya," Destru grinned, ignoring her worried look. He looked over her, looking for signs of distress. "You're looking well."

Tess rubbed at her face, preventing tears from falling down her face. "You're doing a brilliant job," she laughed, before becoming serious once again. "Destru, where's your crew?"

"Don't worry, Lass, most of them stayed behind," Destru winked, trying to keep the mood light. Perhaps he could convince Tess to get the key to their cell. "Only one we're missing currently is Little Rune."

<< Chapter Forty - Rune

                                                  Chapter Forty Two - Regrets

[thalkonwrites]

Chapter Forty - Rune

Table of Contents

Trigger Warning - Death, Blood, Knife, Organ Consumption

Tom made it out of the dungeons with little trouble. He was now wandering the halls of this seemingly vast castle. Ducking into the shadows whenever a servant passed by, trying to be as stealthy as possible. He stopped when he heard a familiar female voice, and it wasn't Matera. Tom looked around, doing his best to stay in his hiding spot. Tess rounded a corner talking with a younger looking siren.

It took all his self-control to not jump out and bring Tess into a big bear hug. His eyes roved over her figure, looking for signs of mistreatment or bruising. He didn't see anything. Her skin looked soft and perfect, just as it always had. Her hair shimmered in the torchlight, bouncing lightly as she walked along. She wore a similar dress as the sirens from earlier. Except this one was more blue, helping her eyes stand out. He heard her laugh at something the siren said. Tom's heart twisted with yearning. He had missed the sound of her laughter. It was exactly how he remembered it.

"Are you nervous for today's test?" the siren was asking, as they made their way closer to his hiding place.

Tom held his breath, not wanting to draw attention to himself as they passed.

"I honestly can't wait for it to be over. I started not feeling well yesterday," Tess admitted. Her shoulders seemed to tense up as they passed his hiding spot. Tess stopped for a moment, looking around the hallway, with a confused look.

"Is everything okay, Priestess?" the young siren asked, concerned.

"Yes," Tess shook her head, a hand to her forehead. "Perhaps I'm just staying up too late reading. I'll make sure to have some tea once the test is done."

"I'll go let the kitchen know so they'll have a cup waiting for you," the siren volunteered, running off down the hallway.

Tess watched as the siren disappeared down one of the several hallways. She sighed, looking around once more, before continuing down the hallway. Tom let out the air he had been holding as Tess disappeared down another hallway. He knew he should have stopped her, but he wasn't sure how she'd react to the way he looked. Would she believe it was still him?

He opted to follow her to wherever her destination was. Matera had said Rune was a part of a test for who he assumed was Tess. He hoped that, whatever the test was, it would be harmless for Rune.

Tom continued to follow Tess from a distance, stopping once she went through a wooden door. He crept to the door, hoping to hear what was going on in the room, but it was too silent for his liking. He could never prepare himself for what he was about to see.

—--

Tess greeted Matera in the testing room. There was only one figure bound on the floor today. "Think of this as a run through for your new moon ritual," Matera smiled, leading Tess to a table full of knives.

"Yes, mother," Tess replied, going for her usual athame. She tried pushing her sense of unease down. There was nothing in her home that would make her feel this way. It was most likely her nerves getting the better of her. She centered herself in front of the bound figure. She nodded towards a siren, who took the sack off of the figure's head.

Once again, Tom's face greeted her. His eyes filled with terror as the sailor under the glamour took in the room. "M-Miss Tess?" a shaky youthful voice called out to her.

"Oh good," Tess smiled. "They're finally changing the voices around." She kneeled next to the shaking figure.

"Miss Tess, it's me Rune," the figure tried again. They were pulling against the rope binding their wrists together. It cut into their wrists until they bled.

"Of course it is," Tess sneered. "All you look like my friends, but you're not." Tess brought the athame to the sailor's throat, its blade barely piercing the skin.

"Please, Miss Tess," the sailor cried out, a whine following the plea. "Please don't hurt me."

Tess didn't bother with a reply, instead she sliced the sailor's throat as the door to the room burst open. A male voice shouted at her, being cut off as Matera put a silencing shield over whoever the intruder was. Tess caught the body of the young sailor, then took her hand and ripped its heart out. She pushed the body over, disinterested, as she took a bite of the heart in her hand.

—--

Tom couldn't believe the sight that reached him when he burst into the room. Tess was kneeling at Rune's side with a knife at his throat. "No! Tess, that's Rune!" he shouted, only to be cut off by a blue field surrounding him. He pounded on the shield, shouting for Tess as she caught Rune's lifeless body. "No! Tess!" Tears streamed down his face. He was too late.

She turned towards him, a bite taken out of the heart, her chin and hand drenched in blood. Rune's heart dripped its life-force onto the ground as she took a step towards him. She nodded towards Matera, who lowered the shield around Tom. He rushed forward to get to Tess.

Tess didn't seem to be okay with this. She reached a hand out and gripped the air with it. Tom felt his body snap into a straight line, floating up into the air. He felt like his lungs were being crushed. "Why do you not tremble before me, sailor?" Tess asked. Her voice had gone dark.

"Because I know who you truly are," Tom gasped out, trying to keep his focus on Tess without passing out.

Tess let out a laugh, releasing her grip on Tom a little, before becoming serious once more. "Whoever you knew before is dead," she brought Tom closer for a slight inspection. "They did a good glamour on you. You even sound like him."

Tom gasped as he felt the magic around him squeezing even harder. "Tess, it's me."

Tess smirked. "They're all you," she gestured towards Runes' body. The glamour hadn't fully faded, and he saw his face over Runes.

"Tess, they're brainwashing you," Tom tried again.

Tess shook her head in disbelief. "No," she said dangerously. "They were here for me, unlike everyone else who I thought were my friends. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do." She threw Tom to the side of the room, then left.

Tom groaned as he rolled away from the wall. He felt like his whole body was going to be bruised. He looked up to see Matera smiling, her teeth showing. "Let's have a chat, Young Priest."

If Tom still had his tail, it would've been between his legs at how scared he was right then. He swallowed hard as Matera bound him with magic and shooed the other sirens out of the room.

<< Chapter Thirty Nine - Escape

                                      Chapter Forty One - Friends >>

[thalkonwrites]

Chapter Thirty Nine - Escape

Table of Contents

Tom looked around his cell and the hallway, trying to find something that would help him get out. Nothing. He wasn't even sure what he would've used to get out, anyway.

"Wilkie," Destru called. The crew was slowly becoming unfrozen. "There are keys hanging on the wall near your cell. See if you can reach them."

Tom went to the bar closest to the wall and stuck his arm through it. He trailed his hand along the stones, trying to find the keys that could help them with their freedom. Destru called over to him with encouragement, telling him when he was getting closer. His fingertips brushed a piece of metal. Tom closed his eyes, trying to stretch even farther. "I can't!" he finally shouted, frustrated, bringing his arm back into the cell. "I can't reach them."

Destru sank to the floor, copying Tom as he thought of other ways they could get out. He sat upright, ears perked, when he remembered something Matera had said. "Wilkie, she called you the High Priest...do you think you can do magic?"

Tom looked at his hands, eyebrows furrowed. He had seen Tess do magic a ton of times before. It didn't seem that hard. "I-I don't know," Tom finally admitted.

"Give it a try," Destru encouraged. The rest of the crew started watching Tom curiously.

Tom closed his eyes and concentrated. Trying to feel anything that could be magical inside himself. Wishing, wanting for the lock on his cell to open. Minutes passed by, but nothing happened. Tom finally shook his head. "I don't think the High Priest has any powers... I'm not even sure why she called me that," Tom admitted. His thoughts went back to the guardian that had given him the sword. He had called it the sword of the High Priest but there had been no other explanations for it. Tom hadn't seen the cat afterwards.

Tom felt his pocket grow warm, making him look down. Tess' star! "Wait!" Tom began smiling. "I have an idea.'' He pulled out the leather pouch and began whispering to it before opening it. A small glowing orb popped out of the bag, surprising Destru's crew.

"What is that?" Destru asked, an ear flopping down as he cocked his head.

"It's one of the few things Tess has left from her parents. It's some kind of magical orb that she can get to do tricks." Tom explained as he watched the orb float around near his head. Probably trying to figure out why he didn't have fur to singe.

"Will it do tricks for you?" one crewmate asked.

"I'm hoping it will," Tom admitted. It never listened well to him before. He took a breath, then looked towards the orb, offering it his hand to rest on. "Little Star," Tom started with the name Tess always called it. The orb was still flying around his head, looking for Tess he finally realized. "I need your help to get Tess back."

The orb stopped zooming around and stayed in place, almost as if it was looking at him.

"I know you miss her and I'm sorry it took so long to get you back," Tom started again, offering his hand once more. "But I need your help. I need to get out of this cage so I can rescue a crewmate. Then I can start looking for Tess and get her out of this awful place."

The orb flickered brightly as it bobbed in the air above his hand, as if in agreement with him. It floated to the keyhole and seemed to attempt to magic the lock open. The orb went through a few shades of yellow out of frustration, then floated past the bars. Tom ran up to the bars and tried to watch the orb, as it seemed to look for something to help it in the hallway.

"Keys," Tom hissed. "The keys on the wall."

The orb floated over to the keys and examined them. Destru's crew watched with bated breath as the orb made the keys float towards Tom.

"Yes!" Tom said in excitement, before realizing he was being a bit too loud. He held a hand over his mouth as they listened to their surroundings. Hoping any guards near them had heard nothing. After a few moments, Tom took the keys from the orb and opened his cell door. "Thank you, Little Star!" Tom turned to the orb and offered it the leather bag to rest in. Its light was fading a little.

"Go get Rune," Destru urged, making Tom run off down the hallway. Destru looked at the keys hanging from Tom's cell door, sighing. "I meant after you hand us the keys," he grumbled, turning towards his crew. "Alright, if anyone has stretchy limbs, now is the time to speak up."

Destrus crew shuffled their feet as they started at the ground. He sighed and sank to the floor... this would be a long day.

<< Chapter Thirty Eight - Dungeon

                                                      Chapter Forty - Rune >>