Vynera decided she would have to seek answers for herself. Disguising herself as an old woman, she went through a few towns and villages, listening to gossip and observing the people some more. Armed with the information Jyshen had given her, she was more prepared to deal with complex conversations than she was on her earlier tour. At first she learned little more than what she had been told, but after some time, she chanced across a group of people roaming the countryside. They were carrying shovels, torches, and pointed wooden stakes. Curious, Vynera stopped one of the members.
“Where are you going?” she asked, her voice cracked and feeble from the disguise spell.
“To the graveyard,” answered one of the men, his tone impatient.
“Whatever for?”
“We’re hunting vampires.” Hm. Vynera had heard the name, of course. Legends had been told of such creatures before, human like in appearance, but with powers and appetites dark and strange. Still, there was even less evidence of them than of dragons, so Vynera had no way to determine the veracity of such claims. Even so, she was intrigued.
“It sounds rather a stretch of the imagination. I didn’t realize that people these days had such strange beliefs. Tell me about these vampires.” Vynera knew of the legends from her time, but she wanted to know what the people believed. It would strike more fear into their hearts if she knew the things that went bump in their collective nights.
“Vampires are undead; they’ve died, and yet they walk, just like you or me. They were once human, and look human, but they no longer are. If you don’t know what to look for, they’ll snap you up as their next meal. Beware their signs. They have long, sharp, cruel fangs. Their eyes are cold and inhuman. The color has been drained from their skin. Behind them they cast no shadows, and in mirrors they show no reflection, for their lack of soul makes them an enemy to the light.” The man who addressed her spoke with a feverish gleam in his eye. Someone standing next to him continued with the conversation.
“Yes, vampires are parasites of the human race, bringing nothing but death and misery. Nightly they feast on the blood of the living. Victims they don’t kill outright grow weak, and die; the strong rise from their graves as new vampires and continue the cycle. They are without mercy or compassion, turning against their former kind and feeling no regrets. As if to mock their former race, they are hard to repel, and even more difficult to kill. Yet they can’t bear the touch of silver, signs of protection, or the scent of garlic. Sunlight blinds their eyes and scorches their skin, one mark for every life they’ve taken. To kill them, one must drive a wooden stake fully through their heart, and then sever the head, being sure to separate it fully.”
“Be glad, stranger, that vampires do not plague your life. Now, let us be on our way; we have a hunt to finish,” said the first man, glancing between the others who had spoken. They nodded their heads in agreement and pushed past Vynera. She watched them until the glow of their torches faded into the distance. Then she turned into a bird and flew back home. On her way, she pondered over everything they had told her. An exact match might be hard to make, but she was confident that with a bit of tinkering, she could, indeed, create such a being. Of course, it would take a lot of magic out of her to do so, and perhaps she would have to take drastic measures. But, if she could do so, it would be a grand achievement. While Jysen was strong, he was hardly subtle, and there wasn’t enough materials to make an army of dragon hybrids. But one vampire could quickly spread among an unwary population.
For the next several weeks, Vynera was devoted to her studies, compiling copious notes. She took breaks only to eat and sleep, though during the former she would converse briefly with Jysen. The escaped criminal had gained enough mastery over his body to fly, albeit without much grace. The two of them grew no closer, and Vynera had no desire to change this. If Jysen did, he never spoke such words to Vynera. He certainly didn’t lose any sleep over her, nor found himself inclined to pine away. There was too much for him to learn and do. Vynera kept him busy with tasks, but cared little for what he did in his spare time. Using his strength, he often robbed caravans and other unwary travelers, taking what spoils he wanted from them, and hording them in the rooms that Vynera allotted him. Though she did make an effort to craft him a special bed, carved into the stone, to fit his larger frame and wings.
Sometimes, Jysen brought back live humans for Vynera to experiment on, and their screams meant little to him, when something went wrong. It bothered him a little more when he was left to bury the bodies, some of which twisted in rather gruesome ways: a constant reminder of what his fate might have been if Vynera had not done a good job on the spell that recreated him. She never spoke of the matter, but every time she issued the order, she would lock eyes with him, letting him know that she knew the thought crossed his mind. And then she would smile. Other times, the bodies were not so twisted, but there was evidence that she killed them herself. Jysen was never certain if this was because the experiments failed, but not fatally, or if they rejected what she did to them. He never asked, and Vynera never volunteered the information. Since he was left largely to his own devices when he wasn’t needed, he didn’t push the matter.
Finally Vynera narrowed down the effects of her spell. The main research phase was over. It was time to put in the full investment. But, for that, she needed a much better specimen. The pampered nobles, or criminal rabble, were not suitable for her final product. No, she needed someone hardy, someone who could endure the transformation. And she doubted she would find such an individual in Ivelcour. So, she turned her sights on Solumina. Summoning Jysen to her, she held up her hand when it looked like he was about to complain. Sensing a certain fire behind her eyes, Jysen kept it to himself.
“What do you wish of me?” he half growled.
“I need you to find me another human, but this one has to be special. None of the locals will do; I need someone strong in body, mind, and spirit. By all accounts, only the people of Solumina are worthy.” Vynera put a hand on Jysen’s arm; she rarely touched him, so he turned his head slightly to peer at her. “Careful not to damage who you find. I need them in the best possible condition.” She curled her fingers tightly on his arm, giving it a faint squeeze. “When you return with a good specimen, I’ll need your assistance with the actual spell,” she said, a faint purr to her voice. “You might find yourself liking the taste of magic.”
Jyshen lifted himself off the ground with his powerful wings, and Vynera watched as he disappeared into the distance. Once he was gone, she rested for a good long time. Although she couldn’t perform the ending of the spell until her specimen arrived, there was a lot of preparation she could do before hand. Keeping herself even more well rested than usual, she still worked hard, perfecting the organization of her notes, meditating to build up her magical power, checking her ingredients daily to make sure they were stocked and not going bad. She had a burning impatience inside of her, both to see what kind of human Jyshen brought back, and to actually finish the spell. She had read in books that female spell casters had once been hunted down and destroyed because they could often reach a stronger level of total potential compared to male casters. In more recent times, the reason for the difference in power was hidden, buried deep in the most esoteric of mysteries, some of which Vynera had uncovered. And, as much as she loathed the methods, she doubted she could perform such a spell without them.
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Meanwhile, Jyshen was looking for the tall order that Vynera had given him. It would be hard to know the character of someone, so the easiest option would be to find someone who was physically strong and go from there. Jyshen had never been to Solumina before, and he flew cautiously. Even though he was strong, and could fly, there were sure to be archers, and knights, and enough of either could definitely do some damage to him. He didn’t want to put his endurance to the test, not quite yet. Using the trees and night for cover, he slowly approached the lands of Solumina. From various hiding spots, he saw several people, none of whom fit the category. Once or twice he was spotted, and had to make quick work of the witnesses, but it didn’t trouble him much. He just buried the bodies; he was already used to that chore.
At one point he was hiding on a high peaked roof with a flat spot in the middle. It wasn’t idea, but there were fewer thick trees close to the main city, and the beginning of dawn was creeping over the horizon. He pressed himself flat so he couldn’t easily be seen from the ground, or any of the upper stories of tall buildings. Jyshen didn’t know how long he could stay up there for, and he worried his patience would give out. Coming in and out of periods of dozing, he lay there and waited, swearing to himself to be more cautious in the future. Around noon, however, he awoke to the sound of voices beneath him.
“Cesorpha?” called a male voice. Moments later Jyshen could hear the opening of a window and shutters.
“Ryance, where are you going?” said a female voice, much closer to Jyshen than the male’s had been. Silently he shifted forward until he could covertly peer over the edge of the roof. Down below he saw a man wearing armor, mounted on a horse, He was looking up at the window of a building, and leaning out of the window slightly was a young woman. The man had brown hair, clipped short, and gray eyes. His features put him somewhere in his early to mid twenties, and he was clean shaven. The woman seemed a little younger than the man, but not by more than a year or two. She had light, red-brown hair and blue eyes. Jyshen admitted that she was pretty, but perhaps not so alluring as Vynera was. He licked his muzzle slightly, and listened to the conversation.
“I must travel west; it’s time again to warn the people of Ivelcour.” The one named Ryance shook his head. “Not that it’s ever done any good.”
“But, why you? Whose idea was it?” There was a mix of apprehension and sadness, with a trace of indignation, in the young woman’s voice.
“Lord Larxer.” The name was spoken in a crisp tone, but Jyshen couldn’t miss the undercurrent of disdain in the knight’s voice.
“It’s so unfair. We’ve just become engaged, and the Council is sending you away from me,” Cesorpha said with a little sigh. “Now we’ll have to wait even longer to be married.”
“I will go as fast as I can, if only to return to you; I have no desire to keep you waiting.” Up in his hiding place, Jyshen repressed the urge to gag.
“But it’s dangerous; there could be wild animals, or bandits. And the people of Ivelcour haven’t always been welcoming to our delegations. They’ve gotten so small now. What if you were to be killed?”
“Don’t lose hope. If that is my fate, I will die with your name on my lips, but, I have faith in my training, and my mission.” He put his hand up to his chest. “My last thoughts will be of you, if there is ever an occasion for last thoughts.”
The knight was making himself far too tempting a target for Jyshen. Someone used to the rough and tumble life had little use for such posing and romancing. His disdain for Jyshen’s people didn’t help either. Obviously he was strong enough to move in a suit of armor, which spoke to his physical capabilities. But romantic promises and bold words didn’t prove anything about his will or emotional fortitude. Jyshen kept listening.
“Wait then, please,” said Cesorpha, before disappearing back into the window. Moments later her head reappeared, and she reached down with one hand. “Here; take this for luck,” she said. Jyshen could see the glint of something silver in the light, but couldn’t make out the details. Sparkling in the sunlight, it fell straight from her hands and the knight easily caught it. Pulling it over his head, he dropped the medallion beneath his tunic. “If ever your spirits are down, look at the pendant and remember me.”
“Thank you; I will guard this token with my life,” he said solemnly. “But for now, I must be on my way. Good bye, Cesorpha.” Not wishing to prolong his farewell any longer, Ryance dug his heels into his horse’s flanks, just enough to get the animal to move. But, he caught a glimpse of Cesorpha blowing him a kiss before he was carried out of view. Already, Jyshen was starting to gather his legs beneath him, preparing to take off. As soon as he was sure that the woman had pulled her head back inside her house, he launched himself off of the roof. Wings beating furiously against the sky, he took after Ryance like a shot. He kept enough distance so that neither his shadow, nor the sound of his wings, would alert the knight.
For quite a distance, he trailed behind the knight, who seemed none the wiser. He wanted to hurt the knight, who had rubbed him the wrong way, just from the brief exchange with his fiance. But, he didn’t want to wear himself out by hauling the knight all the way over the mountains, so he kept his pace. There were a couple times he feared he lost Ryance, but there was only one major pass through the mountains, and so it was easy enough to find him again. There was little subtlety about wearing a suit of armor and pushing through the country-side on a magnificent charger. It made Jyshen’s job that much easier, and made him wonder about the wisdom the people of Solumina claimed to have. Before Ryance could arrive at any of the towns in Ivelcour, but after he had traversed the mountains, Jyshen finally swooped in. Snatching the knight off his horse, armor and all, he carried him off into the distance.
“Let me down, you foul beast!” With his arms grabbed and his own body weight pulling him down, Ryance couldn’t even reach his word. He struggled, but all he did was make Jyshen fly a bit crookedly.
“Shut up and quit your squirming. If you weren’t needed for Vynera’s purposes, I’d drop you right now. Your life means nothing to me.”
“Vynera’s awake! We knew she would some day. If you, or she, thinks that I, Ryance, a knight and servant of the Council, will serve the likes of you, then you might as well drop me now, because I’ll never serve you,” said Ryance. His pompous and overly stylistic way of speaking made him feel ten pounds heavier to Jyshen. He was even more tempted to drop him, just to see his body smash on the rocks below.
“You’ll serve her whether you like it or not,” growled Jyshen.
“I’ll die first.”
“There are things worse than the death you pretend to honor so much. Soon all those mindless preparations Solumina has been making will be torn to pieces,” said the dragonman, jeering at the brave knight. Ryance yelled and struggled, but he couldn’t free himself from the dragon’s strong grip, and there was no one around to hear him. Ryance continued to shout things at Jyshen, but he eventually just tuned the knight out completely. Finally they reached Vynera’s lair, and Jyshen swooped in for a landing. His misjudged his angle of descent and one of Ryance’s armored boots hit the edge of Vynera’s chimney, causing a bit of it to crumble and clattered down the roof.