Chapter 11 - Exploding like a Supernova
“Darren, I’m sorry this had to happen,” the lady said sadly “this isn’t your fault, or Daniel’s.” she shot an amused look in the guitarist’s direction.
“I was supposed to be watching you in case something like this occurred. Unfortunately, I was delayed by certain...matters.” The pale one got a strange, far-away look in her eyes for a moment, then she shook her head slightly. This revealed her delicately pointed ears which had been hidden behind her long hair.
Ye Gods, she’s an elf. This is getting weirder than snake shoes. Daniel thought, making sure to still concentrate on his brick wall.
“So now we have you stuck halfway while changing into a hyrrokah,” the still-nameless lady continued “and neither of you have a clue what is going on.”
She sighed; a quiet, soft sound.
“Fine mess I’ve made of things. Time to put them right.” She beckoned for Darren to come closer with a little wave of her hand.
Darren cast an uncertain glance in Daniel’s direction, then began creeping towards the pale lady. The guitarist kept a hold on Darren’s wing-hand and followed along behind.
“No Daniel, stay where you are and let go of Darren.” the lady said with gentle admonishment. Daniel resisted her request for a moment, then reluctantly stopped, letting Darren continue on. But the blond one kept a hold of Darren as long as he could, suddenly frightened of letting him go. Daniel apprehensively watched the Darren creature make his way to stand awkwardly in front of the pale woman.
I really don’t like this. Something strange is going to happen. Daniel muttered mentally, unconsciously moving forward.
This time the lady shot him a sharp glance.
“Daniel, I am telling you this for your own good: Move Back.” She said sternly, staring him down. For a long moment she and Daniel engaged in a battle of wills; the guitarist’s gaze heavy with resentment and rebellion. But it was Daniel who looked away first and moved back about ten feet, momentarily cowed.
Reassured of Daniel’s cooperation, the pale lady turned and took Darren’s beaked head in her hands. The singer froze as the woman stared deep into his eyes.
Daniel eyed them with uncertainty, fidgeting where he stood. He was itching to move forward again but somehow restrained himself.
Abruptly, the lady let go of Darren, who was still frozen in place, and held her hands out in front of her. Daniel watched with fascination as her hands began to glow faintly with an eerie blue light, like foxfire. This light grew brighter and brighter, some of it began dancing around Darren’s head. The guitarist noticed there was a tension slowly building, a feeling of anticipation, like a too-full bubble about to burst.
Man, feels like when you are just about to go on-stage and you know everyone is just waiting....
The strange blue mist was now swirling and Daniel could hear an oddly familiar melody drifting in and out of hearing-
LIGHT!
The mist around the odd pair had suddenly become incandescent and Daniel was knocked off his feet by a soundless explosion.
After a few moments, the light dimmed slowly to an almost bearable level but Daniel lay stunned on the ground for a little longer. Then the guitarist could her Darren keening again, a call so filled with agony it transcended species, and Daniel quickly scrambled to his feet.
The blond one could see Darren’s form shaking horribly in the center of a glowing sphere, galvanizing Daniel into action. He bolted full-throttle towards Darren, only to crash hard into some invisible barrier, getting knocked off his feet again. Dazed and confused for a moment, Daniel watched the glowing sphere grow a little larger. It now encompassed Darren so that all Daniel could see was the singer’s blurry black silhouette. The guitarist stared with alarm as Darren seemed to collapse onto the ground in a boneless manner.
She’s gonna kill him! Daniel thought, quite frightened, as he pulled himself up again and threw himself at the barrier. He scrabbled frantically at the invisible wall as he watched Darren thrashing on the grass.
The singer suddenly cried out.
“...aaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnyyyyyyyyyyyyuuuuuuuuuuuulllllllllllllll..........”
Daniel’s eyes widened and he began pounding fiercely on the barrier.
“DARREN!” the blond one screamed, feeling like he was going to lose his mind if this madness did not stop!
Daniel’s world was suddenly plunged in darkness, like his wish had turned off a switch. The invisible wall abruptly disappeared, leaving Daniel flailing for balance and hitting the ground with a startled oof!
The guitarist soon began moving forward blindly, unable to wait for his eyes to adjust, driven on by the sound of Darren sobbing. But, after a minute, Daniel paused, realizing that the singer’s crying was different now. It wasn’t the unearthy, bird-like keening, it was perfectly normal crying. Human.
Excited and hopefull, the blond one crawled onward until Darren’s voice seemed right in front of him. Daniel reached out tentatively and felt faint with relief when no feathers met his hands. Darren seemed to be curled up in a ball, fairly oblivious to everything. With his vision slowly returning, Daniel carefully reached out and touched Darren’s face, fingers trembling slightly. Gone were the shorter feathers and thin beak, only Darren’s soft skin could be felt, wet with tears.
After a succession of blinking, the guitarist could pretty much see again.. He saw that Darren was indeed curled up into a fetal position, shaking like a leaf.
Daniel also noticed the pale lady was still standing nearby, looking a little drained and even paler, if it was possible.
The blond one knew he should be thankful to the woman for changing Darren back, and a part of him was. But most of Daniel was just bewildered, frightened and still slightly suspicious. Who was this lady that she could control such amazing power, such obvious magick?
The guitarist began shivering in delayed reaction to keeping his thoughts all bottled up.
...I wanna leave, make it stop, this isn’t real, this CANNOT be real, don’t wanna think, no more, go away!....
The pale lady offered Daniel a pitying look but the blond one was oblivious, his mind babbling its frantic litany.
The Elven woman sighed again.
“Tennyl karn Lunnya, sarym Abranym lurr.” she whispered, a departing prayer. Loosely translated: “May the Moon light your path and the Trees keep you.”
Then she began to shimmer, like Darren had but in a more controlled way somehow. In a matter of seconds, the wavering air had settled and the pale lady was gone, replaced by a large, black bird with unnerving blue eyes.
It took off in a flurry of feathers and wingbeats, rapidly gaining altitude.
Daniel turned his gaze upward and watched her flight numbly, for a moment.
..So that’s what Darren had been trying to change into.. he thought faintly, unable to stop his shaking. Daniel pulled himself next to the still-sobbing singer and collapsed at his side.
The guitarist put his head beside Darren’s and mumbled words of comfort, his arm slung protectively over Darren’s back.
And there they lay, unwilling and unable to move, waiting for dawn’s first light.