Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

I couldn’t understand any of what was going on until I noticed the Tenky’s skin. Its flesh had black putrid patches all over it. Boils of a very familiar and terrifying kind. The creature lifted its head and its eyes zeroed in on me. Its black, lifeless eyes.

My heart pounded in my chest and my eyes bulged out of my head. Enna drew out a dagger as the little monster slammed against the glass again and again, not heeding the harm to itself or its magical vehicle. I heard footsteps behind me and the bedroom door flew open. Will and Allard rushed into the room followed closely by Raines and our two other guests.

Will grasped my arms and looked me over. “What’s going-”

I stabbed my finger at the window. “That! The Tenky has the black stuff all over it!”

Will’s eyebrows crashed down and he whipped his head about to follow where I pointed. The Tenky took that moment to crash through the glass and fling itself onto the floor. Enna lunged at the tiny creature and tried to pin the coils to the floor but it dodged her attack with all the nimbleness of a mouse and steered toward me.

Will pulled me behind him and flames burst from his hands. He crossed his arms in front of himself and a huge wall of fire sprang up from floor to ceiling. The Tenky ran into the wall and I shut my eyes to avoid watching it burst into flames. Much was my surprise when I hardly heard a cry of pain. I peeked open an eye and beheld the creature’s walnut entwined in a mess of fire tendrils that had sprouted from the wall.

The Tenky yanked on the steering handles but the walnut pieces just spun in place. It gnashed its teeth before it threw itself off the vehicle and toward the wall, intent on a terrible end.

Enna grabbed it from behind and pulled it back from its suicide. The Tenky thrashed and snapped its sharp jaws.

“Don’t let it bite you!” I shouted.

The Tenky tried to do just that and nearly succeeded in sinking its fangs into her fingers. Her lips curled back in disgust and she threw it away to a far corner of the room. The little guy bounced against the wall but, like the wall of flame and the window, the impact didn’t phase him. He crawled onto his hands and feet and darted toward us with his teeth snapping.

I looked around for something to stop the possessed creature and my eyes fell on a pewter water pitcher on the dresser. I darted over to the furniture and grabbed the canteen. Water poured everywhere as I tipped it upside down and spun around to face our attacker.

Only it wasn’t our attacker. He was mine because he’d turned and now ran straight at me and me alone. The Tenky lunged and flew in an arc in my direction. I swung the pitcher and he sailed through the mouth and into the bottom. His little hands and feet scrambled across the metal and I knew he was turning around to get out.

I slammed the pitcher on the ground with the flat mouth facing the floor. The Tenky dropped to the carpet and I could see his little claws pull at the threads as he tried to claw his way out. I leaned against the butt end as the others surrounded me.

“Is that the same thing that happened to that human?” Vargas spoke up.

Ware, too, had a shocked look on his face as he shook his head. “I. . .I am not sure.”

“It is,” Will confirmed as he came over and knelt on the other side of the pitcher from me. “Exactly the same.”

“But why would it desire to inhabit the body of such a small creature?” Ware questioned us.

Vargas stomped her foot on the floor and glared at her old friend. “Never mind any of that for now! What do we do with the thing?”

The pitcher shook and nearly tipped as the Tenky threw itself at the side wall. I leaned my shoulder against the butt end and pinned it down even harder. A low, frustrated growl came from my captive.

I looked up at the others and pursed my lips. “I could use my magic on it like I did the man.”

Will pursed his lips. “That would mean releasing it and it may bite one of us before you have a chance to eliminate the curse.”

Enna sauntered up with her gleaming dagger in hand. “We could put it out of our misery.”

I glared up at her. “We’re not doing that. He doesn’t know what he’s doing and there’s a chance to save him just like we saved the others.”

“Are we sure the curse was completely banished from the infected around the elven kingdom?” Ware questioned us.

Will nodded. “They showed no signs of reverting the four weeks we spent there afterward for the celebrations.”

Allard crossed his arms over his chest and cupped his chin in his hand. “Curiouser and curiouser. I wonder if someone perhaps managed to capture enough of the remnants of the creature to revive its curse, at least on fresh victims such as our little friend here.” Our little ‘friend’ growled and rattled the pitcher with his head and fists.

Enna lowered her dagger and glared at us. “Stop yapping about the curse and start using your heads. What are we going to do with the little monster?”

We all dropped our gazes to the crock and the room fell silent. After a moment Raines’ voice interrupted the rest of our thinking. “Perhaps we might try to suppress the curse and learn what we may from the Tenky?”

All of us except Will stared in confusion at our friend. Vargas put her hands on her hips and studied him with a sharp look. “Why ever would we want to do that? It would be a better idea to have Rose release the thing and vanquish the curse.”

Raines nodded. “I agree, Lady Vargas, but as we saw with the gentleman curing them would wipe their memories. If we seek to discover what happened to him we will need to interrogate them while they are still possessed.”

Will folded his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow. “You have a point. We may even be able to follow the link between the cursed and the magic user and learn their location.”

Vargas lifted her chin and scoffed. “And how do you propose we do such a thing? According to Lord Thorn’s own testimony, the creature was an ancient power. Suppression will not be easy.”

Raines bowed his head. “I don’t expect it to be but I am willing to give it a try.”

Will frowned at his old friend. “I would rather you didn’t. This magic is of an ancient kind and our foe must be very proficient it himself to be able to tame the curse for their nefarious purpose.”

Raines smiled at his employer. “You must allow me this one boon, My Lord. The creature specifically attacked your lady twice. There can be no doubt it and others will continue to attack her unless something is done to stop it.”

My dragon husband pursed his lips. “Are you sure you can handle such a task?”

The butler stretched himself to his full short height and nodded. “I am, sir.”

“Whatever is going on here?” Ware spoke up as he whipped his head between the men. “What do you mean by suppressing such a thing? How can it be done?”

Will cast one last worried look at his friend before he turned his attention to his guest. “Raines is here no ordinary human, as you believe. I rescued him a decade ago when a powerful sorceress attempted to destroy him through a most dangerous magical curse. Only my physical strength was able to defeat his frail body.”

Ware’s eyes widened and Vargas’ mouth dropped open. She took another look at Raines with fresh, disbelieving eyes. “You would have us believe this normal human is capable of any sort of magic?”

Raines stretched himself to his full height. “I may not look it, Lady Vargas, but I am a most powerful wizard.”