Arcanus

[10]

 Dawn broke quickly- or so it felt to Bat. She felt she had just drifted off when light started filtering through her window.

She couldn't sleep if there was light. It was an unfortunate mutation of the Bat inside her.

Bat yawned. I must have forgotten to close my window, Bat thought with her eyes closed.

She shifted on her bed, and reached out a pinkie toe towards the silky dress she had laid out the night before.

Wonder if Kylie's home yet. This mattress is itchier than I remember. Waffles for breakfast?

Bat opened her eyes to an unfamiliar surrounding.

Where was she? She lay on a pile of leaves, and another humanoid being lay on another in a corner.

The night before's events rushed back to her.

"Oh." She gasped. "Oh!"

"Please gasp a little softer." Katrina mumbled. "Some assassins are tired because they don't usually wake up at this ungodly time of the morning."

Bat sat up. Perhaps Lis was awake at this "ungodly time of the morning".

"I'm going to go take a bath." Bat told Katrina who just moaned and rolled over.

The morning air of the Arcanus Forest was crisp and clear. Birds twittered, and the Forest was filled with life.

Bat opened the door to the cottage, and was greeted by fumes of green gas.

"Ahh!" She dropped to her knees, swatting at the gas. The world became black, and stars swam.

"Bat!" Seraphina's voice cut through the fogginess of the world.

"Stand- or sit still!" Lis ordered.

Bat tried. A slash of bright blue cut through the black, which faded to clear. A stroke of silver, then purple, then green. The colors disoriented her, so she closed her eyes.

"Bat!" Was it Kylie's voice now? Bat trembled on her knees, and when she opened her eyes, she saw her cousin with her caramel-brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, and easy going grin on her face.

Kylie stuck out her hand. "Come on. You're stronger than the poison. Take my hand and get up!"

Bat grasped her hand and pulled herself up.

The world was startlingly clear now. The colors were vibrant and defined now. The setting was like she had adjusted the focus of a microscope on the world, and suddenly everything came into focus.

Katrina tackle hugged her. "Don't scare us like that again."

"You're...you're awake?"

"When I heard you screaming I came to save you. You really had to trip off that alarm didn't you?" Katrina grinned lopsidedly.

That grin- it reminded Bat that someone was missing.

"Where's Kylie?"

Seraphina and Lis exchanged glances. "What?"

"She- she told me to take her hand, and that I was stronger than the poison."

Katrina furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "That was me."

Lis went pale. In a couple strides, she reached her satchel and pulled out her thick leather-bound book. She flipped open the book, and put her finger on a line.

"Listen to this." Lis cleared her throat. "A person who's Beast is stuck in them may experience connections with the spirit world on a higher level, sometimes seeing the embodiment of a spirit in another being. This "Sight" often mutates on humans stuck with some aspect in flying creatures. It is usually triggered by a painful or emotionally- wracking experience. It begins with seeing or communicating with a dead loved one, and progresses to being able to access the Spirit Realm, and ocassionally being able see into the Between. Eventually, the mutated being is completely sucked into the Spirit Realm, and they disappear without trace. The time before their disappearance depends solely on how often they manipulate the Spirit Realm or the Between. The more they access it, the shorter their time roaming the land with a physical body remains."

Lis closed the book gently. "Is this the first time you've seen Kylie?"

"I- yes."

Katrina exhaled slowly. "So you still have time."

Bat decided not to question why the assassin was acting so concerned over her well being.

"Well, I was going to wait till later to tell you this, but Mari's fit to travel again." Seraphina interrupted the silence that followed Katrina's comment.

"Sweet!" Bat cried. "Now we can go home."

Seraphina shook her head. "I'm afraid you'll have to stay here a bit longer. See, I used my magic telescope last night to check on the shadowy path you found yesterday, and it appears Katrina has some business to deal with at the end of it.

Now it was Katrina's turn to turn pale. "Daniel?" She whispered incredously. "No way."

"Way." Seraphina nodded solemnly. "Also, the kitten you found yesterday..."

She whistled and the black and white kitten leapt down the stairs. It stopped right in front of Katrina, and Seraphina waved her hand.

The kitten's form blurred, and started shining. Bat threw up her hands and looked away.

The light stopped abruptly, and when Bat looked, there was in unfamiliar girl sitting where the kitten was.

"Hi?" She squeaked.