DEMONS Of Drakewater

Part 22

"Heh, and I guess a person like me.
Is well fitted for this kinda task then?"
I cocked an eyebrow questionably at her.

"Yep, that'd bę whŷ I'm asking yoú."
She shrugged.

"But surely a shifter -"
I stopped.
She'd offered me her help, pretty much free of charge.

Stop running your fucking mouth, idiot.
Closing my eyes I breathed out deeply, and slowly changed back.

Staining from the effort of it.

"So, what's the plan?
I help you, then you help me?"

"Nø, I'd planned oń helping yoú out first.
Minę iß important, tø æ certain degreę, but yourß seemß morę urgent and lifę threatening.
If I'm being honest.
And Į cań wait."

"I don't even know where to start.
And I've had a head start of 200 years, give or take."

Staring at nothing in particular, but eventually seeming to be concentrating on something.
A small gray mist had formed around her lower right arm, she turned her palm face-up, towards the soon to fall, rain.
The dampness in the air was hot around us, it almost had me sweating.

"Yoú said yoú werę linked, right?"

Nodding.
She then asked.

"Anything elsę that connectß yoú?
Anything at alł?
Thę morę connectionß, or Į guesß similaritieß betweeń yoú the twø iń magič.
Thę better chancę it wilł givę mę, of thiß actuallŷ working."

I paused.

How much could I tell her?
Everything?
Nothing.?
A complete lie..?
Some fabricated story, to make her believe me...?
Or just the hard truth....?

Meeting her watchful gaze, and a kind of hopefulness in her eyes, waiting to see if I would share some kind of information withe her.
She wants to help me, and with that I made my decision.

I'd been honest so far, may as well keep up that same trend going.

"We both have dark magic, though I think you've guessed that already.
We were born on the same day.
Tartarus is our star sign.
Though, I'm fúčkįńg ancient in comparison.
I was børń ægæįń, or whatever you people call it."

"Waß shę closer tø thiš sidę?" She gestured at me.
"Or waß shę closer tø her other sidę, æ shifter Į think it waß, waß it?"

"She's closer to her other side, so I guess you'd call us distant relatives.
Her other side isn't Shifter, per say- it's a were-cheater."

"...Damń, haven't seeń onę of thosę for yearß.
She'ß speciał."
With her eyebrows still raised from that impressive statement, she once again focused at the task at hand.
( No pun intended ).

"Anything elsę?"

I thought for a moment.

Smirking I replied.
"She was a bit of a fan, of girl on girl."

Lifting her head back as if to howl, she started cackling with laughter.

Wiping a stay tear away and grinning maliciously, she turned to me.
"And what about yoú..?"

"I swing any way."

"Hmm."

She turned around to face away from me, but then turned back round.

I couldn't even stop the laugh that escaped my mouth.
She'd changed herself to look like a bloke.

"My god, that's disturbing.
How'd you do that?!"

Smirking she said.
"I'm stilł thę samę, but Į cań changę what yoú, yourself, cań seę."

I cocked my head to the side.
"So like a hallucination, or something?"

"Yeæ, Į guesß."

Her arm visibly started spasming.
Her pained face clearly showing her discomfort.
Scowling she flexed it, and then dropped it down by her side.
And then raised her other arm still covered in that grey mist, watching it closely.

I frowned, confused.
"What's wrong with your other arm?"

She said nothing for a while.

"Hey.
I said 'what's wrong with your other arm?'"

"It doesn't matter."

"It clearly does, if it caused your arm to spasm so badly.
Have you been poisoned? or something?"

She turned to me with a deathly glare.

"Thiß iß whŷ."

"What?"

"Thiß iß whŷ Į need yoú tø find æ Dead Mań."

Walking closer, she raised her sleeve showing a large curse mark that had been burned painfully into her delicate smooth skin.

It moved.

I watched it for a while.

"The way it moves.
Is, is it alive?"

"Nø. It'ß not. Though Į dø sometimeß wish that waß thę onlŷ thing wrong with it."

Sighing, she continued.

"It growß everŷ year, oń thę samę daŷ it waß giveń tø mę.
Nothing I'vę tried haß ever helped or stopped it.
Merely made it spread further.
I'vę talked tø everŷ knowń creaturę, and crossbreed tø ever walk under this suń.

Thę onlŷ thing Į waß ever told about waß thiß: 'ÆŁTHØÚGH ŶØÚ ŴÆĮT, THĘ PÆĮŃ ŴĮŁŁ BĘ GRĘÆT. Æ DĘÆD MÆŃ TØ FĮŃD, MÆŶ GĮVĘ ŶØÚ PĘÆČĘ ØF MĮŃD.'

...By thę person whø gavę mę it iń thę first placę."