The Quest

Chapter Twenty Six - Separated

Tess woke up with a pounding headache. She was thankful for the coolness on her cheek. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was that goblins had surrounded her. She sat bolt upright, chains clinking as she did so. "Tom?" She asked the cold empty stone room she had found herself in.

She was laying in a bed of straw that barely covered the floor. A thin blanket draped over her, blocking out very little of the cold. Tess shivered, trying to push energy into her hands so she could attempt to warm herself. A wave of exhaustion fell over her as her hand glowed weakly. She looked towards her hands to see gauntlet looking bracelets on her arms going up to her elbows. They were glowing with sigils engraved all over them.

She looked towards the heavy wooden door, keeping her trapped in the room. She heard voices in the hallway. "Tom?" she whispered, her heart in her throat. Tess got up to look out the tiny barred window, stopping almost a foot from the door, nearly falling over. She looked down to see her ankles chained her to the wall.

"Tom?" she asked again, tears falling down her face. A troll lumbered by, a pair of goblins on their shoulders. The troll peered into her room, letting a low groan leave his throat, then continued on his way. The goblins scurrying on his shoulders shouting in their gibberish.

"Tom, where are you?" Tess cried as she sank to the floor.

She didn't know how long they left her alone in her cell. Nobody walked by to talk to. She sat there, head on her knees, searching for Tom's presence, crying harder when she couldn't find it. Every time she attempted to cast a spell, she would become overwhelmingly tired. She decided the gauntlet was pulling power from her, leaving her weakened. The light in her room slowly faded when she finally heard someone walking towards her. They were shouting at someone.

"I told you to bring her to me when she got here!" the voice shouted. A woman soon appeared in the doorway as a goblin grumpily stood off to the side, looking offended.

"Oh my, Sweet child! What are you doing down here?" The woman began fussing over Tess' state of being as she removed the shackles and stood her up. "I hope you're not hurt too badly."

Tess looked up at the woman with teary eyes. She had lost hope that anyone would check in on her. The woman looked at her kindly, with bright blue eyes and a friendly face.

"Are you hungry? Would you like some food?" the woman continued as she led Tess out of the room. The woman continued to fuss over Tess. Tess hugged herself, trying to make herself warm again. She was sitting in front of a large table laden with food. "Would you like any cocoa?" the woman asked as she took a seat near Tess.

"Where am I?" Tess finally squeaked out, trying to find her voice. Her throat was incredibly dry. She was now in a large vaulted room made of stone. It was almost like she was in a castle.

"You're home," the woman answered, still smiling. "You'll complete your studies here."

"B-But where's Tom?" Tess stuttered out, feeling small and out of place.

"You weren't brought here with anyone named Tom," the woman answered, her face still in the unnerving smile.

"I want to find him."

"Unfortunately, we can't do that," the woman replied. "We're snowed in."

Tess looked at the windows high on the walls. There was snow drifting lazily to the ground. It appeared as if mountain peaks were outside. Her eyes fell to her lap, the gauntlets on her arms still glowed. Would she be able to get out of here and find Tom on her own? She was in a cold location, and she was not as resourceful as Tom in these situations. "What am I supposed to study?" Tess finally asked, telling herself Tom would find her if she was truly in danger.

"We're going to work on your magic," the woman gave her a warm smile.

Tess was slowly letting her guard down. This woman didn't seem to have any intention of hurting her. What could the harm be in trusting her? "What should I call you?"

"My name's Matera, but you can think of me as your mom," the woman answered, her eyes crinkling as her smile got larger.

Tess nodded her head, then lifted one of her arms. "What about these? What are they for?"
"It suppresses your magic so you don't hurt yourself as it comes in," the woman explained.
Tess nodded her head in understanding. Afraid to speak the worries on her mind.

-----

Tom lay on the ground, huffing in irritation. His fur was singed, the smell stinking up the air. He was losing energy trying to force his way out of the force field. Tess' presence had faded away almost an hour ago. He wasn't sure where she was now. He had attempted to dig his way out, but the shield penetrated the earth farther than he had expected. Tom had howled in frustration. He had hoped it would draw attention to his predicament and someone would come to help him. Nobody had come and that had been several hours ago.

He sat up, ears perked, when he heard a fizzling sound. The force field sputtered around him. Was this a timed trap? He had tried to study some sigils around the shield, but he couldn't read them like Tess could. The force field sputtered again. Tom placed his paw next to the field without getting singed. This was his chance. Tom watched the force field with interest, waiting for it to falter once again.

To Tom, it took forever. He heard it before he saw it. He jumped through, feeling a slight burning sensation, but it did not throw him back like all the other times. Tom looked back to see the containment trap behind him. It singed his fur worse, but that would heal up on its own. He howled, filling the woods with his voice. He might not feel Tess' presence anymore, but he would not rest until he found her.

Tom sprang to his feet and ran off. He wasn't sure where he was headed, but he had to start somewhere. He finally found himself in the middle of a town. People ran away from him, thinking he was some crazed beast. "Stand down!" a sheriff pointed a gun in his direction.

Tom stumbled over crates and ran into food stalls as he had progressed through town. He shook his head from side to side, his body swaying with it. Perhaps he had hurt himself more than he had realized when he escaped.

"Wilkie!" a familiar voice shouted. Tom shook his head once again, trying to get himself to focus. A hand reached out for his head. He bared his teeth, emitting a low growl. "Brother, what's wrong with you?" the voice asked again.

Tom forced himself to focus and looked towards the person. Destru? He projected his thoughts to the other wolf.

"Sheriff, stand down!" Destru commanded the officer. "I know this wolf, he didn't mean to scare anyone."

The sheriff snorted. "Friends with you. Explains why he's destroying the town."

Destru ignored the sheriff as he looked Tom in the eyes. After a few moments of silent communication, Destru straightened. "You won't have to worry, sheriff. He'll be on my ship no longer causing troubles." Destru gave a toothy grin.

"And what about the damages?" The sheriff asked dryly.

Destru tossed her a pouch of coins. "I'm sure this will cover the majority."

The sheriff huffed, pocketing the bag. "Make sure he doesn't cause anymore damage." The sheriff turned and began dispersing the people that had gathered.

"Yes ma'am," Destru saluted the officer, then turned his attention back to the injured Tom.
"Come on, lad. To my ship," Destru guided the disorientated Tom thru the rest of town to the docks.
Tom laid down on the deck of the Lucinda May as Destru attempted to figure out what happened. "Do you have the energy to shift?" Destru looked at Tom, worried.

Tom shook his head no, lowering his head onto his massive paws.

"What happened? Where's your mate?" Destru ran a hand over his face, uncertain of what he could do to help.

Tom pressed his nose against Destru's hand. He transferred his recollection of what had happened. There was silence for a few moments after Tom laid his head back down. He was not displaying signs of a happy wolf.

"That's a lot to take in," Destru finally admitted after he had processed everything. He looked around at his crew, who had gathered around them. "Everyone welcome the wilkolak aboard! He'll be joining us in a hunt for sirens!" Destru announced, his crew cheering at his words. "We ship out tomorrow!"

Tom let his tail thump a few times before turning his sad eyes to the sea before them. He vowed he would not rest until he found Tess again.