Orson: A Paragon Society Novel Read online

  CHAPTER 14

  I was in Heaven. I had been worried that the Kellys cat form would be faster than my bear, but I should have known better. I kept pace without even breathing hard. My breath sounded like a steam engine, my heart like a pile driver. Mr. Kelly must have been holding back at first, probably to access how I was doing, because he suddenly kicked it into another gear and tore up the mountain. I grunted and poured on the speed; it felt like I could run like this for hours, maybe even days.

  The connection I had made to the magic in the world remained. It swirled around me in rivers of energy and light. It flowed from the trees, the ground, the very air itself. I started to understand that my energy and the magic energy surrounding me existed in a kind of symbiotic state. The magic fed me, and I, by using the magic, gave it purpose. I know that sounds ridiculous, but the magic seemed to be its own thing, a sentient being that derived pleasure and purpose from my utilization of the power it provided.

  It's an out-there kind of thought, but I was pretty sure I was on to something.

  Eternal wisdom, maybe?

  Ha!

  Who was I kidding? I had been a shape-shifter for one whole day, and I thought I already had some kind of esoteric understanding of existence—what a nerd.

  Elyse helped me break me out of my deep thoughts by starting a silly game of tag. She crisscrossed in front of me, almost causing me to stumble or crash into her, but always putting on a burst of speed at the last moment and avoiding a collision. As she moved to make another pass, I changed direction, sure she would miss, but instead of running in front of me, she instead leapt over me, tagging my back with her paws as she sailed over.

  Elyse let out a series of chuffs, very proud of herself. I grunted back; she was a goofball, and I loved it. As we gained elevation, the trees grew more numerous and their size doubled, then tripled. The cooler air must be better for their growth. All the large trees gave me an idea. Elyse was setting up for another pass at me; I would need to time this just right. She switched her direction, cutting in on a path that would was going to lead her straight toward me. She was going to try for another jumping tag – perfect! As Elyse made her leap, I made my own, soaring over her back. I landed on the side of a nearby tree, my claws digging in to keep from falling back to the ground. Elyse spun around in mid-air when she realized I wasn't under her. She landed in a skid, whipping her head around looking for where I had gone. I made a noise that wasn't quite a roar or a growl. It was more of a stuttering, clicking chuff. I like to think it was laughter.

  When Elyse looked up and spotted me, I jumped to another tree, still making my new bear laugh sound. I jumped from tree to tree with more agility I thought my bear form could muster. I clicked at Elyse, hoping she got the game. She needed to try to catch me. Cats, even big cats, can climb trees, so I was sure she would give chase. Instead, when I looked around, I found Elyse following me slowly from ground level.

  Mr. and Mrs. Kelly emerged from the trees ahead and watched our progress. I jumped to a few other trees before I realized something was up. Elyse and her parents were standing close together, watching me.

  Not again.

  I don't know what I was doing, but from the vibe I was getting from the Kellys, I had done something I shouldn't have. I jumped to the ground and landed on two feet.

  Two feet?

  I looked down. Holy shape-shifter, Batman. I was in beast-form. Two legs, two arms, and lots of fur and claws. I looked up, as all three Kellys shifted back into human form. I immediately followed their lead.

  "How did you do that?" Elyse said, awestruck.

  "I don't know. I didn't even know I had changed, morphed, shifted, whatever. I was just playing around . . . you know, Tarzan Bear."

  "Orson, the hybrid form is very advanced." Mrs. Kelly smiled at me, but I could see concern in her eyes.

  "It's also a form that takes a long time to master," added Mr. Kelly. "It also has only one purpose — battle."

  "I didn't know. I'm sorry." I kept doing things that totally freaked them out. I didn't know how much more they could take before they decided I was a lost cause.

  "It's not your fault," Elyse tried to assure me.

  "I also noticed you had no trouble shifting back to human form just now," Mr. Kelly observed. "Impressive."

  "I wasn't thinking about it. I just did it. You know how that goes?" I smiled, trying my best to convey that even though I was apparently the weirdest shape-shifter they had ever encountered, I was also just me, Orson.

  "I think it's time to get back to the cabin." Mr. Kelly glanced at his wife, and she nodded. "Orson, why don't you shift first, just in case you need some extra time or help."

  I nodded. I knew it wasn't about extra time or help, Mr. Kelly was worried again. Not only was I impervious to magic and other normal control measures, I could shift into beast-form. Even I knew that was bad. In movies and comic books, it was the stronger, meaner, nastier form, only used in times of extreme necessity, because it was usually harder to hold onto your humanity. It was a berserker form, a killing machine. And I had used it to play tree tag with Elyse.

  I would worry later. Right now, they were waiting on me to shift. It seemed so simple, now that I had a better understanding of the magic. It was really as normal as walking. I shifted into bear form, quickly and fluidly. Mr. and Mrs. Kelly gave each other one of their looks; Elyse shifted and padded over to stand by me.

  That's when the forest exploded.

  CHAPTER 15

  It wasn't an explosion in the traditional sense. There was no giant fireball. It was more of a concussive wave. Tree limbs shattered apart like miniature wooden grenades, sending pine-scented shrapnel in all directions. And I was hit with what felt like a speeding invisible semi-truck. Even in my gigantic bear form, I was lifted off my feet and tossed through the air like a cartwheeling piñata. I sailed end over end, until a rather large tree stopped my forward motion.

  Ugh.

  I may be a huge badass mega-bear, but I'm not going to lie. It was painful. My massive body snapped the top of the tree off, leaving a ten-foot stump in its wake. I thudded to a ground-shaking stop about a hundred feet from where I had been standing. I stood and shook myself out. Nothing broken, just a couple of sore spots.

  Elyse.

  I focused on the rivers of energy flowing around me, and relying solely on instinct, I tapped into one. It allowed my senses to flow out around me, expanding what was visible to me through my natural senses. I found Elyse; she lay crumpled in the opposite direction of where I was. She was breathing heavily but unconscious. I moved toward her position, keeping my crazy magical spidey-sense thing up, searching for Mr. and Mrs. Kelly.

  I found Mr. Kelly first. He was dragging himself forward, one of his legs seriously broken - I'm talking bone popping through skin, leg twisted into an unnatural geometric shape kind of broken. He was dragging himself toward Mrs. Kelly, who looked dazed but seemed to be physically intact. She was shakily getting to her feet.

  What the hell had hit us?

  Now that I knew the Kellys were safe, or at least not dead, I cast around, searching for the source of the attack. Attack? That's all it could be; there was no other explanation that made sense. Somebody had hit us with a very powerful magic missile.

  There. Three people, two women, one man, dressed in black hoodies — how original - the hoods were up, and so I couldn't make out faces. But my new magical sight gave me loads of information. An oily black and red mist surrounded all three; nothing the natural eye could detect, but it was there. It coiled around them, pulsating in and out of their mouths and eyes.

  Blood Mages.

  I don't know how I knew it; I just knew it. But why were they here? Had they been hunting us? It seemed ridiculous to think the three of them had just been out for stroll through the forest at the exact moment that the Kellys and I decided to go for a run.

  No. They were hunting us.

  Which led to the next question: How did they know we
'd be here?

  "Orson." It was Mrs. Kelly; she had whispered my name. Have I mentioned how totally cool super hearing was?

  Mrs. Kelly whispered again, "Orson."

  I turned my head slightly so that I could see her but still keep the blood mages in my peripheral vision. I was close enough now that we could make eye contact. I nodded.

  "Richard's hurt; the kinetic spell was a direct hit. I'll need to carry him. You need to get Elyse, but you will have to slow them down first. Do you understand?"

  So, the blood mages had targeted their spell on Mr. Kelly, probably assuming he was the biggest threat to them.

  They were so wrong.

  And they would pay for their mistake.

  I nodded my head at Mrs. Kelly and turned my attention to our three attackers. They had been moving steadily toward the Kellys, now only about thirty yards downhill. The nasty black-red stuff was swirling faster around them. It looked like they were powering up for another attack.

  I roared.

  The blood mages froze.

  Every other creature in the forest fell silent. The only noise was the soft rustle of the wind through the upper boughs of the pine trees.

  Rage filled me.

  Time to unleash hell.

  Yes! My inner voice shouted with glee.

  I moved like lightning. I could imagine how terrifying I looked, a bear the size of a Volkswagen, speeding forward in a blur. The blood mages didn't even have time to spread out before I slammed into them. My jaws clamped down on the first one I reached, one of the women. My teeth sank deep into her shoulder and upper arm. The other two were knocked to the ground, as I smashed through the group. I didn't slow down. I had the blood mage locked between my teeth and I carried her like a ragdoll about fifty feet beyond her fallen comrades.

  It seemed far enough. I skidded to halt in a puff of dirt and pine needles. I turned to make sure the other two blood mages were watching. The mage hanging from my mouth was screaming in pain and fear. She punched at my head, flailing her arms in a useless attempt to get free. My eyes locked on the other two attackers. I repositioned the woman in front of me, violently shaking her when she wouldn't comply. Then, using my front paws as leverage, I pulled my head back and methodically ripped her in half.

  Blood and gore showered down on the green and brown of the forest. It was violent and disgusting and I didn't care; in fact, I received pleasure from it. I knew it was a non-human, monstrous response, but I couldn't help myself. These people had attacked Elyse, her parents, and me - death was the only answer.

  Then something happened that I wasn't expecting at all. Apparently, blood mages can store power within their bodies, some kind of evil back-up battery system. Because, as the woman came apart, this stored power popped like a burst water balloon. I could feel it hit me like a spray and sizzle where it landed on my fur. But instead of just dissipating, the extra power was absorbed by my body and it was a rush.

  I felt supercharged. The power surged through me, ramping up my rage and the desire to destroy the people who had dared attack us.

  I am Ollphiest. There is none who can stand against me.

  Geez, corny much?

  But that inner voice had a point: the other two blood mages needed to be dead. Now.

  With the blood of their friend dripping from my jaws and fur, I charged. They stood their ground — impressive. Stupid, but impressive.

  The second female mage let loose with some kind of magic whammy with enough power to drag me to a stop. The more I pushed forward, the more an invisible force pushed back. My cool new magical sight revealed the same black and red oily mist that surrounded the mages was now enveloping me. I also realized I could taste the magic infusing the spell, and I gagged a little, because it was like rancid meat and vomit.

  Gross.

  The spell slithered over my body trying to penetrate my thick hide. No such luck. I shook myself, breaking up the mist and the spell's hold on me. Head down, teeth bared, I stalked toward the blood mage. I was close enough now that I could see the panic in her eyes. She let loose with the same exact whammy, but knowing now what it looked like and tasted like, I was able to push through it quickly. Awesome. It seemed I could adapt to magical attacks on the fly. Nice to know.

  The third blood mage stepped in to help his companion. Good. It would save me the trouble of hunting him down. Unfortunately, he had also been watching the fight and adapting his fighting style. He didn't waste his time on another direct attack on me. Instead, he fired some really nasty looking green fiery stuff at the Kellys.

  Mrs. Kelly had Mr. Kelly slung over her shoulder in a fireman's carry and was moving quickly away from the battle, but that green stuff had a range on it and hit her in the legs. Mrs. Kelly cried out in pain and toppled over, spilling Mr. Kelly to the ground.

  I roared, and the ground shook.

  Yeah, that got their attention.

  I rushed to put myself between the blood mages and the Kellys. If they were going to attack again, it would have to be through me.

  It was time for these two losers to learn exactly whom they were dealing with.

  Hey! Time to wake-y wake-y! I yelled at the big bad nasty that lived inside of me now.

  Yes?

  Beast-form, now.

  All you had to do was ask.

  I shifted from giant-killer-bear to taloned-nightmare-beast. Part man, part bear, all monster.

  The fear emanating from the blood mages was intoxicating. I threw my head back and roared again, because it was quickly becoming my favorite scare-the-bad-guys bear move. But the sound that came out was not a roar, and it shocked even me. Instead of the deep, rumbling, make-them-poop-their-pants roar I had intended on, I instead emitted a higher pitched wailing shriek. Both blood mages dropped to their knees, their hands covering their ears, pain etched across their faces.

  My beast form roar — or shriek really — was a weapon, and not just a single target weapon. Nope, it was the equivalent of a SWAT team's flash-bang grenade. An AOE blast, as we gamers liked to call it.

  The two magic assassins writhing on the ground in front of me were in so much trouble.

  When I finished shrieking the blood mages didn't waste any time. I didn't see them saying anything or signal each other—some kind of telepathy maybe—but as one they attacked. The female mage decided to go with the "nuke the sight from orbit" philosophy and set the forest on fire. And not just a couple of trees; she unleashed an inferno. Walls of fire sprang up around me. The male mage, not to be outdone, used the same kinetic spell from their initial attack, only he was targeting the nearby trees. I was suddenly in the middle of an active minefield. The trees exploded, sending spiked wooden shrapnel in every direction. The shrapnel had no effect on my thick hide, but the concussive waves from the multiple explosions slowed my progress. I was getting battered from every side. It was only making me angrier, but smoke and heat from the fire was playing havoc with my senses. I leapt in the direction I was sure the blood mages were attacking from. Nope. Just more smoke and exploding trees. I let loose with another shriek, hoping to disrupt their spell casting, but that didn't work either. They must be retreating and laying down mayhem to cover themselves, but which direction?

  "Orson!" It was Mrs. Kelly again, her voice coming from somewhere in the smoke to my left. "Get Elyse and run. The fire is out of control."

  Never.

  I don't run.

  I rip. I eviscerate. I kill.

  Elyse.

  No.

  Yes.

  I struggled with the blind rage that consumed me. It was hard, but I concentrated on Elyse: her eyes, her laugh, and her strength. I thought about the way she made me feel. Complete was the best way to describe it. I beat the rage into submission, locking it away. I spun in circles, searching for Elyse, but the smoke was too thick. I couldn't see her or smell her.

  Elyse. I closed my eyes and reached out through the rivers of energy. There she was, behind me and to the right. Elyse was still
unconscious, and the fire was almost on her. Eyes closed tight, I jumped through the smoke, trusting the magic to lead me to her.

  I reached her in moments. The fire raged all around us. A nearby tree exploded, signaling that the blood mages were still flinging mojo. It was definitely time to leave. I scooped Elyse's cat body up, placed her around my shoulders, and ran.

  I let my magic sense spread out wide around me. The blood mages weren't giving chase, so that was good. But the fire was now a bona fide Southern California wildfire, and it was racing in all directions. I needed to get us off this mountain. I was already running faster than any land mammal in the world, but I dug down deep and sped up just a bit more. My senses caught a tingle of Mr. and Mrs. Kelly; they weren't that far ahead of us. I focused on their location and kept running.

  I was relieved when I finally cleared the smoke. It seemed the fire was heading in a more northerly direction, and the Kellys and their cabin were to the south. We were going to make it. With nothing dangerous currently threatening to kill me, my mind started to organize everything that had just happened. The blood mages had been looking for the Kellys and me. It was that simple. Or they had been lying in wait, which made more sense because even though I wasn't certain, it was pretty good bet blood mages didn't have the ability to keep up with four full grown shifters running at top speed.

  So, the question was: how did they find us? Was it the shark-nurse? She had tracked me down at my house, but, of course, that wasn't super hard when she had access to my medical record. Plus, she wasn't one of the three who had attacked us, and she hadn't seemed like the type to call up the local blood mage union and turn me in. No, she was a greedy little shark-nurse who wanted me all to herself. So where did that leave us? Who else―