TDEH Ch. 19

Finn woke, confused. The wood of the old cabin reverberated as the front door swung open and connected with the frame and wall. The sound and motion pulled her from a dream she couldn't hold onto. Her brain was groggy and she needed to blink multiple times to get the sleep to clear from her head and eyes.

Her eyes flicked reflexively to Carter's cot and saw that it was empty, his blanket lay on the floor. She bolted straight up, the aluminum frame of her cot shook from the force, and saw their door was open. They only closed it at night, an unspoken request for all who remained in the common room to be subdued. The main door to the old cabin was also open, it swung on its ancient hinges in the wind. The door protested with soft creaks when not blustered by the waxing and waning storm.

She sprinted for the common room. Rain was coming in through the entrance. Finn closed the door gently and scanned the room for anything amiss.

"Carter?" She called out in a hushed voice. There was no sound other than the occasional droplets of rain on the ancient glass of the windows. "Love?" She pressed their bond for him. Her soul was met not with silence or emptiness, but a force; a confusing wall of mist she could not penetrate. It was disquieting, not painful. He was there, inaccessible.

She ran to the door that housed the other men and opened it with great force. All three were asleep in their cots, their breathing barely noticeable in the dark. The sound of the door as it connected carelessly to the old wood did not cause them to stir.

"Guys?" She called to them but no one moved.

"Iz?" She asked as she stepped into their room. There was still no movement.

"Eutus? Ramsey?" She asked, louder. She reached her oldest brother and gripped him by the shoulders and shook.

"Izzy!" She yelled into his face but there was no waking him. Her fingers pushed painfully into his skin, desperate for him to scream at her. Slap her. Make a sound. She tried the same on the other two, but they were both unresponsive. In desperation, she returned to her eldest brother and pulled open one of Izzy's eyes with her fingers. His pupil was milky white. Someone had put them to sleep with magic.

"Fucking wizards," she croaked out as she ran for the front door. She pulled it open and looked out into the darkness, the rain smacked her face and then subsided. She thought she spied Carter's figure as it shuffled off in the darkness, an unnatural gait. Finn grabbed her large back knit sweater quickly from their shared room and pulled it over her head. She pulled on a pair of discarded leggings that had been abandoned at the foot of her cot and ran out into the darkness, her feet bare.

"Carter! Where are you going?!" She screamed into the unsure storm. His frame was mist as it fluttered in and out of her vision. The rain and wind continued to die down and then pick up with force.

"Carter! Please stop!" She cried again, a howl into the night.

She continued forward as she used her hand to shield her eyes from the droplets that stung her eyes when hit. Finally, she spied his outline in the darkness. He stood in a small clearing, the trees were rotten stumps all around him. The ground was full of half-rotten flora. His clothes, a shirt and jogging pants, were soaked through with water. He was motionless. Finn thought she could hear him speak as she ran to him. She wasn't sure if it was directed at her or if it could be the wind as it played tricks on her tired, confused mind.

"Carter!" She hollered. With the distance between them closed, she reached his arm. She gripped his wet bicep and pulled him to face her. His eyes were open but milky white and unseeing. His jaw hung open slightly, slack. She reached up to his face and cupped his cheek in her hand.

"Love?" She tried through their bond again but silence was her only response. Her focus had been solely on her mate, and that had been a mistake. Finn did not see the large creature that materialized out of the rain and gloom. It hulked over them, its form obscured.

"Hello, namesake," it said directly to her in a muted, melancholy voice as it slapped Carter with such force he was propelled backwards into a husk of a tree many feet away. Bark and splitters exploded at his impact, his eyes rolled back into his head, closed, and fell to the side. Finn screamed and ran to him, narrowly avoiding the unknown monstrosity's grasp as its hand-like appendage shot out to grab her. She slipped in the mud, the saving grace, and clung onto Carter. She shook him with great force, his head flopped to the sides.

"Carter! Carter! Are you okay?" She screamed as she gripped his scalp as she looked for wounds.

Carter let out a low moan, his closed eyes barely fluttered. Finn pushed out a breath of relief when she realized he was alive. She wrapped her arms around him to shield him with her body. Strong fingers gripped her by the sweater and pulled her from her mate. It threw her in the opposite direction as it took a stand between them. It had a claymore, a large two-handed sword, that it threw into the soil at its own feet as she connected with the ground.

Finn hit the dirt, spun, and mostly managed to land on all fours. Her fingers and toes dug painfully into the earth as she growled at whatever had attacked them. The monster was at least nine feet tall. It looked like a child's horrible drawing; a man badly stitched together with wolf parts. Its head and face were mostly of a man, but the lower jaw was of a wolf. It moved independently as though it chewed on the air. Similarly to a cow. It protruded from the human skull at an odd angle. Its limbs were unnaturally long and ended in fingers with deathly sharp talons, an impression of knives for finger tips. The hands reminded her almost of her own when transformed. That realization sickened her, fear rose in her gut. Parts of it were covered in dense, dark fur. When the wind picked up again, it pushed the scent of the decaying abomination to her nose. She gagged and choked down the bile that threatened to creep up her throat. Its vacant, milky eyes bore into her.

She stared at the abomination. Fear and understanding met in her mind. She had to force herself not to run. Every part of her demanded she run, hide. For a moment she felt a wolf; it screamed a warning and bade her to flee. "No." Rang out in her mind and silenced the voices. She couldn't leave Carter. He was defenseless and this stank of Malus fucking Helmut.

"... Fionn Ironblood?" She asked quietly to the no man's land that laid between them, but hoped in her heart it wouldn't hear. It silently inclined its head to her.

Rain fell softly around them. It was the rain that had helped mask his smell, Finn realized. She forced herself to focus on her surroundings. Beads of water made small sounds as they fell down upon the half rotten remains of the old battle ground. Crisp dead leaves littered the underbrush and covered the few green patches that had managed to regenerate after so long. The wind died away, no movement of mostly dead tree limbs. She needed to shift but she feared the creature would take that moment to strike.

"Fear not, little wolf. I will not attack while you transform. There is no sport in that or so your father bade me," its voice was strong, clear. Nothing like the garbled, decayed words of her birth mother. It didn't read her mind, it knew what and who she was.

"He isn't my father," she called back. "And I'm not a wolf." Her fingers dug into the dirt more. She readied herself.

It swayed as it talked, the horrifically long arms gave the impression of being moved by the air alone. How heavy could it be? How strong? Enough to lift a claymore. Enough to throw a large adult werewolf. Finn swallowed hard to force down the bile again.

"I know, little one," it's voice was melancholy. "... I was supposed to be your sire."

"And yet you stand here in his name. To end me! Elspeth's only child! Your mother raised me! We are family," she hurled the words like rocks, to wound. It seemed conscious, maybe she should convince it to leave them alone.

"I have no choices left. I am bound to him, no ability to fight his word. A sword to strike down the righteous, the noble, the innocent, even my own family," its voice quivered as it sang out into the night. "Are you truly so different?"

"No. I'm not," Finn replied as she forced her muscles to move forward. She would use her hands and the dirt to propel herself forward with additional force, similar to a swimmer. Her body broke and rebuilt as she ran, detritus rained behind her, and howled into the rain as she charged. Her face gave a sickening crack that echoed around them as her jaw elongated, her teeth growing large and sharp. Her cry was filled with pain and rage.

"Please," called the creature as it changed its stance to ready itself. It pulled its weapon from the ground and held the sword firmly in its hands. "End me. My body obeys, but my mind is still my own."

Finn exploded at him, leaves and dirt flew behind her, indentations left in the ground. Her clawed hands grabbed at the decaying head, but was pushed backwards by the old sword in one clean defensive motion. She twisted and pushed herself back, her calves screamed in pain, to avoid the blade.

"Elspeth asked me to end her as well," she called out as she crouched down on all fours. "She told me to save you. I guess this is what she meant."

For a moment the abomination hesitated. "... She is free?" A whisper "... At last?"

Finn took her advantage and charged forward again on all fours, like the wolf she denied she was. Her large hand connected with the creature's grotesque left arm. She pulled it down, off its feet, in a tug that took most of her strength. She dug her claws into its rotten shoulder, grabbing for bone. Her nails connected with the remains of what was once a shoulder blade, stitched together in its aberrated form.

"Good," it said as it punched her in the head with its free arm.

Finn continued to pull apart the creature's shoulder as she bit down on the other arm. She wasn't able to keep a hold, the decaying flesh oozed sickly into her mouth. She pushed away from the corpse and turned to retch.

It grabbed her head as vomit was expelled from her stomach. The creature began to squeeze, though with its mangled appendage it couldn't get a secure grip. Finn howled and flung herself backwards on top of the decomposing remains of Fionn Ironblood. She twisted quickly, gripped the half broken arm and pulled with as much force as she was able. After a moment, a disgusting pop sounded out as she fell backwards. It's arm securely in her claws.

"Good," it said. Its wolf jaw had become unhinged at some point during their fight but the words didn't seem to require its physical mouth. "But you will need to break both the sword and my head to finish me."

"Malus is the cruelest master, isn't he?" Her voice broke with genuine sorrow. "He forces you to fight me, fight your own family, and allows you to keep your mind so you have to watch as you kill us. How have you stayed sane so long?"

"For my love," it said as it reoriented itself and grabbed the large sword in its remaining hand.

"I set her free!" Finn cried as she forced herself back on her feet. Everything hurt. Its arm fell, discarded and forgotten.

"And I am thankful, truly. Maybe once freeing my mate would have been enough to break my curse, but Helmut is a man of imagination." Disgust fell from every syllable. "Over the years he grew bored of torturing my soul and used me as an experiment. He cut my soul in half, tethering it to two separate things. My body and this sword. Please... Kill me... I'd like to see my wife again." His words were sadness personified.

Despite being dirty and sore, Finn hesitated. "How... How is that possible?" She inquired in horror.

"Though pain," it responded as it lunged forward, its sword held awkwardly in one hand.

Finn grabbed a rock and pushed herself up and towards the abomination. With all her might, she forced herself towards it and connected the rock with its skull. A crack rang out around them, as Fionn stumbled backwards from the force, the sword fell from its grasp. She pushed her advantage, she lunged and continued smashing the rock harder into its skull. The sickening sound of bone as it cracked rang in her ears.

Carter slowly returned to consciousness as his mate and his long-dead cousin fought. His head was foggy. He had been dreaming about a tall man with dark hair and dark eyes. He had been talking to Carter like an old friend or perhaps a student, but the words didn't make sense. They didn't sound like language. He knew him, somehow. His eyes slowly came into focus and he saw he was outside, strange sounds all around him. Had it been Malus?

Finn continued to smash the rock to Fionn's skull, but the creature pushed her away with its good arm. She staggered backwards and slipped in the mud awkwardly. She howled in annoyance. The abomination grabbed its fallen sword and righted itself.

"You will continue to weaken, little one, but I will not. You need to destroy me."

She stood again. Finn felt the weight of the weariness in her body, she knew she needed to end it soon or she'd run out of energy to fight. "Gladly," she said as she lunged forward again. Fionn rebutted her assault with a parry of his large blade.

"Harder!" It wailed, a wish for the end of torment and torture.

"Finn?" Carter called out weakly and both monsters stopped their death duel for a moment, their attention on him.

As she saw Fionn's gaze move to her downed mate, she grabbed its head and screamed. She pulled with everything she had left and more, the shoots of pain from torn muscles tormented her. The creature's skull, neck and some of its spinal column came away with her and she fell backwards.

"My body doesn't need my head to obey the dark master!" He howled a warning as the headless body drove towards Finn. Its blade plunged into her abdomen. She cried out sharply, the sword connected her to the ground. She was pinned. The aberration stayed still, hand still on the blade's hilt. Finn let out a shocked cough.

"I tried," she told Fionn's head as she turned her own down to it nestled against her chest protectively.

"I know, little one. You did far better than all before you," he said sadly, an attempt to comfort her. His decay had begun to mat her fur.

"Our mother would be sad to see her children fighting."

"She would be disappointed in both of us, yes. Though far more in me, I fear."

"It's okay..." She said softly, "I'll make sure you can apologize to her. For both of us." Finn gripped his skull in her large hands and pushed them together. The old bone gave way and encased her fingers in gore. The remains of the mutilated corpse sagged against the blade.

With the last of her strength, she pushed the body off of her, pulled herself and the old sword from the wet ground. With a cry of pain, she pulled the blade from her stomach as carefully as she could manage. She gripped her open wound in her front in one hand and used her claws as sutures. Gripping the large sword, she staggered forward until she found an appropriately sized boulder in the earth. She slammed the sword's middle into the rock once. Twice. On the third strike it shattered. She thought she heard the wind say thank you as it blew past her.

"Goodbye... brother," she said, a small prayer of repentance to Fionn and Anna. Finn slid to her knees. The world grew hazy around her. She needed a nap. A nap would help. She fell unconscious, her talon still gripped into her abdomen in a futile attempt to stem the flow of her vital fluid.

(2)

"She isn't healing!" Cried Carter. He had wrapped her sweater tightly around her middle, the taut fabric stemmed some of the blood that still wept from her abdomen. He held her unconscious body tightly in his arms, blood visibly stained his light shirt. They were both soaked through, droplets of water and blood had begun to pool on the floor of the cabin's main room.

"What... did this?" Izadore asked in quiet shock as he rushed forward and pushed all of the papers and books off the table. Eutus pulled off his robe and spread it out, his long and loose nightshirt covered him. Carter placed Finn gently down onto the fabric. She gave a small wheeze, but did not stir.

"I... I don't know. I don't understand what happened. I was asleep, I think? Someone was talking to me. I woke up in the woods with Finn and, I don't know, something else. They were fighting. And talking? I don't understand. She ripped its head off but it still attacked her. I saw it drive a big sword into her gut. When I finally managed to get to her, she was unconscious. She had broken the sword. She was gripping the handle and her stomach." Carter's voice was unsteady.

Ramsey grabbed Carter's hand and squeezed. "It's okay. You brought her back."

Eutus and Izzy had pulled off the knotted sweater and gasped. Her abdomen was open and oozing blood. It had an odd odor that Carter noticed when her blood became exposed to the air.

"What the fuck is that smell?" He pulled his hand from Ramsey as he leaned forward and smelled her wound. "There is something not right... it smells acrid."

Eutus' eyes lit up. "You said she was injured by a creature and the sword? She held the scabbard? Where is it?"

"I left it out there, with the body." Carter responded.

Eutus flicked his eyes to his lover who immediately understood. He grabbed Ramsey's hand and both men turned and jogged out the door into the darkness, the bottoms of their robes fluttered as though they were floating.

"What's going on?" Carter asked Eutus, fear evident in his voice.

"Darling, I have a sneaking suspicion that the sword may have been coated in aconitum napellus but I need a fragment to test that. They went to retrieve a piece so we can be sure."

"Aconxiue Nepal?" Carter asked.

"Aconitum napellus, dear. Monkshood. Though I am sure your kind know it by its other name: Wolfsbane."

Carter's eyes widened and then narrowed within the span of seconds. "But... Malus wouldn't do that, would he? That will kill her..." his words trailed off. The weight of a reality without his mate hit him in the chest like a bullet.

Eutus reached out over Finn's body, grabbed Carter's arm and squeezed. "He would do it. And, most likely did. This coating would be enough to kill a normal werewolf, but our old girl isn't a normal werewolf," he squeezed harder as he saw the fear in Carter's eyes. "I am going to do everything I can to help, but I need you to stay calm. Fear or anger will not help us right now, okay?"

Carter stared vacantly at his mate.

"Carter. I need you to respond. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

With his acknowledgement, Eutus turned and rushed to the store of spell agents they had. He grabbed different items and returned to the paling Finn. He set all the components down on one of the vacant chairs. He dosed her wound in something and though she screamed out, her eyes never opened. Carter bit back his own scream, grabbed her hand and held it tightly. Finn was unable to stop her feelings in her unconscious, near death state and the pain from her wounds were a crushing wave for Carter. He hissed out from his clenched teeth. He gave no care if they cracked.

"I know, that had to be painful. The potion was cut with some silver leaf. I know your species is sensitive to that, but it will both sterilize the injury as well as stem blood flow. For a time." Eutus would have preferred Carter to wait in his room. He knew the wolf would not leave his mate. Not with her in this condition. No matter the level of trust they had grown.

They remained that way until the others returned; Eutus fretted internally about what potions or herbs could help Finn's condition while Carter held her hand and watched her chest rise and fall in ragged breaths. After ten minutes had passed, Izzy and Ramsey returned to the cabin. They were both out of breath and soaked from the weather. Izzy held an object wrapped in the cloth wrappings that Ramsey wore to hide his scars. He carefully handed the item to his partner.

"Do not touch the blade," he warned gently as Eutus took the covered hilt.

Eutus nodded. He carefully unwrapped the old hilt, a fragment of the blade still attached. Carter sniffed the air once it was exposed and he frowned. "I smell the same odor as her wound," he said.

Eutus grabbed a small vial from the pile on the chair. Carter wasn't sure how he knew what each small container contained. Eutus poured a single drop onto the blade itself. All of the men stared at the item as it began to glow a sickly purple hue. Eutus paled, Ramsey and Izadore exchanged frightened looks.

"What does this mean?" Carter asked, his voice almost unperceivable.

"It means," Izzy responded, "that the blade was covered in Wolfsbane."

"How do we help her?" Carter asked, fear rose higher in his stomach. It threatened to overwhelm him.

The enchanters all looked between themselves. Ramsey moved closer to Carter, placing a hand on his shoulder. Izzy looked sick, his eyes fell to his slippered feet, dirty with mud and bits of leaves.

Eutus cleared his throat, "it means there isn't anything we can do, but keep her comfortable. Wolfsbane doesn't have an antidote." His eyes were wet with tears.