Cold Blooded by Duron Crejaro (free ebook reader for pc TXT) 📖

strange talk about the song that called the cold-blooded. I wondered if Horace could tell us anything about her. I tossed an apple core into the fire, and the fragrance of apple wafted through the air. All these strange folk I’d met. Not long ago, I would have thought all this complete nonsense. How the world changes. Chapter 5: Fitful Nights, Wylder days.

I awoke to a strange crackle. Night blanketed me still, and the fire burned low. Blurriness affected my vision. I blinked, thinking myself still half asleep. The haze never faltered. A ripple of sensation traveled across my skin, something neared us. I moved to shout the danger to my companions, and couldn’t find my voice. Tarin shifted in his sleep, unaware of any unusual activity.

 

The fire hissed, and poured heavy smoke from the dieing embers. A smoky translucent form of a woman took shape. To my surprise, it resembled Aeolia. It couldn’t be her, we traveled to far from Springwell, to far outside her center of power. The figure floated towards me, and hovered just above my face. I should be terrified, but instead calmness descended over me. She leaned in and kissed me on the forehead and darkness took me.

 

I found myself on the edge of a cliff, propped up against a tree overlooking a vast ruined city. Small curls of smoke drifted up into the air from various spots across the place. I didn’t recognize the city, but the woods looked familiar.

 

“Sorry, we needed to have a chat away from prying ears.” A voice said.

 

I recognized it, “Horace?” I said, and turned around searching for the voice.

 

He emerged from the woods, and took a place near me, leaning, arms crossed, against a tree. “You don’t seem to astonished to see me.”

 

“I’ve encountered so much weird lately. So no, I guess I’m not. Where are we? Is this a dream?”

 

“No this place is quite real. Challanda used her magic to bring you here, but her abilities only work within my woods.”

 

“So she is like Aeolia.” I said.

 

“Aeolia?”

 

“We have a spirit in Springwell, like Challanda I guess. She seems, centered and can only use her powers near it.”

 

Horace pondered this a moment, “ Interesting. We are at the southwestern edge of my domain. A day or so from where you and your friends are.”

 

“And that place?”

 

“Is called Memphi. It is a forlorn place of impoverished humans and Wylder. They live in two factions, which are in a ceaseless war against each other. I recommend you avoid the place, and it is not why I brought you here.”

 

“It’s about the song isn’t it?”

 

“So you’ve heard it then?”

 

I shook my head, “Not directly. Aeolia told me about it. My friend Rees apparently did hear it, and ran off. That’s why we’re out here, searching for him.”

 

“I see. Well beyond Memphi, there is a river. Do you see it?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“If you follow the river to where it ends, you will find her domain.”

 

“Who is she? Do you know? Aeolia could tell us so little. Why does she sing to them, the cold-blooded?”

 

“I don’t know much myself.” He turned to me, his expression grew grim. “She is powerful though, and Old. Not all strange things are Wylder. Whatever she is, she is far older and more powerful. Apparently her song’s reach continues to grow. It was only two months ago that it reached my woods. Within days the few here were gone.”

 

“What few?”

 

“The Cold-Blooded. Lizards, Reptiles, whatever you want to call them. The Wylder whose blood runs cold answer to her song. I don’t know what waits in her domain, or why she is calling them, but I urge you to turn back.”

 

I sighed and turned away from him, “I can’t. I owe Rees my life. I have to help him if I can. I have to at least try.”

 

“I figured as much, you seem the stubborn type. I will do what I can, but can offer no assistance beyond the woods.” He stood and dissolved into the depths of the wood.

 

I watched him until he vanished from my sight, then turned back to the city. Wylder and Humans at war. Why am I not surprised? Will always be like this? Are we simply destined to be at odds with one another? Surely there is a better way. A profound drowsiness settled on me, and I blinked heavy eyelids trying to stay awake. I failed. 

 

Chirp chirp chirp. The sound the awakened me. It grated my nerves and I cringed. “Just five more minutes.” I said.

 

Blinding light bled through my eyelids, and startled me awake. Oh yeah, we’re in the wilderness. I sat up, stunned to silence. Everyone was still there, but we moved. I climbed up from my bag, unable to remember anything past the conversation between Horace and I.

 

How did I get back to camp? How did we get moved from our campsite? Ugh, why am I always questioning myself? “Challanda.” I yelled when it hit me.

 

This woke everyone up, and they all shot out of their bags like rockets. It took them a few minutes longer to realize we weren’t at our original camp.

 

I shrugged off their concerned looks, “It was Challanda, a sprit like Aeolia. She must have moved us. Though, I’ve no idea why. Best thing to do is pack up and keep moving.”

 

I didn’t want to tell them about our conversation last night, but I guessed wherever we were this was Horace’s attempt at help. I tugged my pack on, and got ready to explore our new surroundings. My pack felt heavier, so I opened it. A bright red apple fell out. Now I was sure Horace and Challanda had done this. We were stocked with provisions for the road.

 

“Whoa, where’d all this food come from?” Gloria said.

 

I rolled my eyes, knowing I couldn’t keep it from them, “Umm, well Challanda kinda fetched me last night. To talk to Horace.”

 

Tarin eyed unsure, “Why not all of us?”

 

I shrugged, “Honestly no idea.”

 

“What did ya’ll talk about?” He asked.

 

“Not a lot. He doesn’t know much about this songstress either. He tried to get me to go back to Springwell. I refused, and he told me how to get to her realm.”

 

“And How’s that?” Binala added.

 

“We travel southwest, to a town called Memphi. There is a river there and we just have to follow it till it ends.”

“Sounds simple enough. Is the town inhabited?”

 

“Umm, well that’s the complicated part. Horace said we should avoid the town if we can, Seems the Wylder and Humans there are at war with each other.”

 

Gloria shrugged, “So lets just around. Easy enough.”

 

I gave her a cross look, “And what if someone in a position to help had said the same thing about Nashboro and Springwell?”

 

“We don’t have time to go gallivanting around some half destroyed city to stop a war. What about Rees?” Binala asked.

 

“Yeah, what if I hadn’t ran off to look for Cami? Rees wouldn’t have been rescued and you would have never met him.”

 

Binala looked at me, the words of a response dieing to escape her, but she just glared at me before sighing in defeat. She knew I was right. She pulled the straps of the heavy pack over her shoulders, and trudged off towards the southwest. The other’s moved off to follow her.

 

I stopped a moment and stared back into the woods. “Thanks Horace.”

 

We walked then, deeper into the woods. It felt odd though, the woods thinned out as we went, instead of growing thicker. Soon I realized why. Binala halted, then the others, and I moved up to see what the holdup was. I stopped in my tracks, at the edge of a cliff. The same cliff I stood on the night before. Horace had moved us countless miles closer to our destination, or I guess Challanda had. Faint curls of smoke drifted up from the half ruined city below, and I made up my mind.

Chapter 6: Outskirts of Memphi

Turned out, Memphi was still farther off than we thought. It took nearly a week to get there from the ridge Horace deposited us on. Still, despite the rugged terrain and the bitter January weather, we made steady progress. Stopping only after darkness started to fall. We camped and ate, which made it feel more like a vacation to me than a rescue mission. Still, the thought always hovered in the back of my mind. Except this particular night, as we neared Memphi, Tarin’s paranoia grew.

 

“What the hell do you mean we can’t have a fire?” I said.

 

“We’re to close to the city. If they really are at war with each other, then we don’t want to throw up smoke signals for them.” He said.

 

“I don’t give a crap. Do you not feel how cold it is out here?”

 

He grinned, “We can always cuddle for warmth.”

 

Oh, he thinks he’s smooth. “Or I could just use both our sleeping bags and you can sleep out in the cold. Since, obviously it doesn’t bother you.”

 

His grin stayed strong, “Okay, but if anything shows up. I expect you to protect me.”

 

“I’m sure if anything comes from the city, we are capable of handling ourselves. Right ladies?”

 

Several grunts of approval followed. I stacked the wood in a tepee formation, and used kindling to get a good core heat started. Soon a fire burst to life, and shed warmth throughout us. We gathered around it, savored the exquisite flames. Now that we roamed past Horace’s lands, we felt safer hunting. So the day prior we caught a large doe, the remains of which we packed into small containers in our bags. Now that our bodies were warm, we pulled out a pot, which we filled from a water skin and started making a deer stew. We added some of the provisions given to us by Horace and before long a smell of garlic and herbed meat wafted through the air. It made my mouth water. I could imagine the succulent warmth of it in my stomach.

 

I filled a small wooden bowl with the stew and retreated a few steps away from the fire. I sat on a small overturned tree, away from the others. I wanted time to sit and think. I huffed as steam rose from the bowl. I looked over at Tarin and he smiled like an idiot at me.

 

He thinks this is just some pleasure trip and doesn’t take it serious. It’s life or death for Rees though, and what about the factions in Memphi. I sighed, and began eating. Was I really