FOREVER KNIGHTS: #12 Primal Intent

Netherwood, Netherlands

TEVERIUS

Teverius damn near had a heart attack when he entered his hut. What the hell happened here?

His maps were tightly rolled and cinched with string in a corner behind a chair.

Leaning over them, he saw each was labeled with a scrap of paper hanging from the strings. His telescope was well-dusted and faced his favorite grouping of stars as marked on his charts on the desk. Which were now well-organized. His floor had been swept and new furs were laid out.

Staring around him in shock he tentatively walked to the cupboards and opened them. Finding several jars of hones stocked and a fresh loaf on the counter.

For me? It had to be Serdephe.

His hut was so remote that it was rarely found. And when it was, it was typically raided. Not tended.

Why’d she do this? He was confused.

Determined to confront her to discover why he dropped from the rope and started the trek toward the hut where she and Luca were residing with crone.

I still don’t even know who or what Luca is.

I just don’t like him. Teverius was distracted from his thoughts by a thudding step behind him. He hadn’t been paying attention and it had gotten so close to him he felt its breath on his neck.

Thankfully his incredible speed allowed him to draw his hatchets and sever the head off the lunging Targue. Sending it lolling across the ground.

Panting, Tev stared at horrified. That was nearly my head.

As he slowly turned to return to his mouth, he was confronted with drooling jowls of a Sarabi standing over him. Far too close to fight or escape.

Teverius dropped his hatchets which fell to the dry leaves in crackling thuds. Before they touched the ground, Tev’s hands had shot up to palm both sides of the Sarabis snout. Tev’s blue eyes began to swirl like whirlpools. He collected every bit of suffering he’d seen or witnessed and balled it together in a lump of energy which he forcefully injected into the mind of the Sarabi with the force of a bullet.

Making it cry out in a shrill sound as it collapsed on its front legs. Sqawking and grunting in anguish.

Tev leaned over it, clinging to his hold on it to keep burrowing into its psyche. Unleashing the creature’s memories. Drawing through them while he was weak to pull out every recollection of suffering the thing had endured. Collecting along the way the pain of the beast’s victims.

Those it fed on.

The families of those it killed. And like trailing through a dream he ran his fingers through those streamers of emotion. Winding them around his fingers to tug along with him as he rushed through the creature’s entire existence.

Taking each of those bits of pain and drawing it to the forefront of the thing’s memories. Tearing through Radix’s careful guards to make it feel.

Feel everything.

He unleashed pain in the animal. Mine, its own, its victim’s. Everyone’s…

And the Sarabi was feeling it all…Groaning and writhing in agony. Its breaths crackled with suffering as it tried to draw full breaths of air. Though its mind was fracturing.

He knew when it stood there would be one of three reactions: It will have a healed spirit ready to redeem, what I’ve done will fester and it will convert later, or what I’ve done will do nothing and it’s going to consume my flesh right here and now.

He was rather hoping the latter wasn’t the result. Grimacing he awaited the result.

It stood slowly, shaking its head. Then its head fell, dangling at the end of its long neck and it pressed the top of its head between its stub ears and pushed against his chest groaning softly.

Tev kept from touching it a moment until it nudged him back a bit. Reaching down he rubbed its cheeks. “Hello, Friend. Nice to meet you too.”