Spellbound Ch. 06

As she recovered and collected herself, one thing was for certain: Melina would be accepting the incubus's offer.

***

Melina was startled awake by a shout outside her window, her muscles jolting to life at its fury. She thrashed out of her bed as other angry voices joined the first, and stumbled to the window to see a mob of townspeople closing in. Panic flared in her chest, and the men and women threw words and fists into the air.

"Monster!"

"Demon!"

"We know what you are!"

"Come out, Vardan!"

Vardan? They weren't here for her. Torches were being lit and weapons brandished, but all eyes were focused on the window beside hers. Melina's panic lessened, but did not disappear entirely. She estimated thirty people, with more potentially on the way, and knew that time was against her. Her steps into the dark hallway were swift and silent.

She eased open the door to Vardan's room to find him sitting on the floor below the window, back to the wall and head in his hands, clad in only thin trousers. He looked up as she entered, despair and dread in his eyes. Melina knelt and approached, staying out of view of the townsfolk below. This supposed monster, who had been full of bravado mere hours ago, was browbeaten by the presence of a threat. But his scent contained only a touch of fear; it was dominated primarily by an overwhelming sadness.

"I must speak with them," he said quietly, "convince them to stop this madness." Melina scoffed.

"I think we're far beyond conversation at this point. We must flee. Now."

"I can't. It will only confirm their suspicions. If they were certain, they would've stormed in and attempted to murder me already. They're calling for me to explain myself, not to be hanged. And the town guardsmen aren't among them." Melina narrowed her eyes; he seemed more worried for the loss of his reputation than his life.

"Listen to them. They want justification, not a debate. They want to be proven right. No one down there is going to listen to anything besides an excuse to tear you apart. Unless an armed mob at midnight is a standard format for human justice proceedings?" Vardan shook his head. His hands trembled as they ran through his hair, and his bare chest shone with sweat despite the nighttime chill. Melina looked about the room.

"Where is the girl?" she asked. Vardan sighed and jerked a thumb toward the wall behind him.

"She left hours ago, but I thought nothing of it." Sure enough, Melina was able to pick out the girl's high voice from the crowd, screaming vitriol with the rest of them.

"That bitch!" she snarled. "Worthless, conniving whore..." Vardan cut her off with a sharp look, but his eyes softened as soon as they met hers.

"What do I do?" he said, his voice nearly a whisper. "I can't just run."

"The hell you can't. Gather what you can carry, we're leaving before they grow impatient." Melina tugged his arm to urge him into action.

"They have my horse!"

"Damn your horse! We leave within five minutes, or not at all. I've yet to test the limits of my own magic when it comes to influencing large groups of humans. And I'd prefer not to try just now." Vardan's forearm tensed beneath her fingers. "Greater strength and durability does not make us immune to weapons, which they appear to have plenty of." Vardan still did not leap into action. His curled form looked weak and vulnerable in comparison to the anger emanating from outside. She attempted a different approach.

"How many humans might we need to kill if you go to them and attempt to dispel their fear? Make no mistake, several will attack before you've had a chance to speak. And you will have to choose: your life, or theirs." She found herself mirroring his sharp enunciation in the hopes it would add levity to her words. He sighed and looked at the floor, but finally acquiesced. While his motivations were still so alien to her, she was beginning to learn them: he cared too much for others, and not enough for himself. A weight pressed down on her chest as she watched Vardan dejectedly don his clothing and shuffle away from the wall, and felt a pang of sympathy for his sudden upheaval. This was his territory - his home. Though they both moved territories often, they did so on their own terms as the need arose. It would be as if the forest itself, and all its inhabitants, decided to reject Melina's presence overnight. She shuddered at the thought, and knew that Vardan would need her help and protection to survive unscathed.

Melina stuffed handfuls of his nearby belongings into a pack while he did the same, both being careful to remain out of sight. A loud crack on the wall sounded as something pelted the exterior wood facade. She heard a frantic shuffling of papers from the desk.

"Leave them!" she snarled. Vardan shook his head.

"These are more vital than any supplies I carry," he replied, taking great care to wrap and stow them neatly. Melina's heart pounded as several more objects were thrown at the inn. What could papers contain which made such a risk worthwhile? Mercifully, he had the remainder of his belongings ready shortly afterwards. She shouldered a pack and saddlebags, and both made their way towards the hall.

"Did you sense anyone in the inn?" Vardan asked in a hushed voice.

"No, Aunty's sons must be barring them from entry. Still, best we not alert other boarders." She nudged the door open just as a rock crashed through the window, shattering one of its panes. Furious shouts poured in with the night air.

Melina crept catlike down the dark hall, grateful that Vardan was capable of the same. She strained her ears to hear over the crowd, searching for potential threats ahead of them. Her nerves were on a sword's edge, expecting each door to be flung open as they passed.

When they neared the staircase, a hushed conversation floated from below. Melina motioned for Vardan to remain in place, and peered downward. Two figures, cloaked in shadow, were arguing in barely-restrained tones. One was blocking the other from the stairs. It took only moments for her to formulate a plan.

"Wait for my signal," Melina whispered, then noisily descended the steps. She caught Vardan's shocked expression before he disappeared from view.

When she neared the bottom, she acted properly surprised to see the two men standing there. She recognized one as Aunty's youngest son, one of her guards, while the other was unfamiliar. The torch and anger he bore were identification enough.

"Return to your room," said the guard gruffly.

"Please," responded Melina in a tiny, trembling voice, "I wish to leave. I'm afraid." She didn't bother pushing any magic into the plea; her quailing demeanor was all she needed. The torch-bearer huffed.

"Fine," said the guard. "But be quick about it. I've no idea what those folks outside are willing to do."

"What we're willing to do? We're not the ones harboring a monster!" the torch-bearer responded angrily, resuming their argument as if she weren't there. Melina looked past them into the now-empty common area, analyzing the streets beyond. She then looked back up the stairs and beckoned with one arm.

"Ignore my companion," she commanded with a strong dose of enchantment, speaking firmly over their verbal spat. They didn't respond or acknowledge her, but thankfully did the same for Vardan when he approached. His deep-set eyes were wide with apprehension, but he still trailed behind Melina obediently as she crossed the dark room. It was so strange for him to be following her lead without question, considering she'd given him little reason to believe she had his best interests at heart. He trusted her. Melina wasn't certain why, but perhaps it hadn't been a conscious decision. She again found herself wondering who he thought of when he looked at her.

She led him to a far wall which did not appear to have any humans nearby, shifting the pack to silence a dangling metal buckle. She was forced to rely on scent rather than sound as the nearby crowd drowned out all else. When she peeked past a fluttering canvas wall to verify that the street outside was clear, she was shocked to find a woman brandishing a torch not three feet from her. Melina immediately withdrew, but the woman caught sight of her. Damn this place! It all reeks of hundreds of humans.

When the woman turned to peer into the inn, Melina's arm shot out to snatch her face. Her palm locked over her mouth, sealing a scream inside before pulling her close. The human's reflexes weren't nearly sharp enough to react in time, and the succubus was whispering in her ear before she'd processed what had occurred. When Melina finished and released her, she noticed Vardan's hand firm on her shoulder. His eyes were wide and poised for anger.

"Calm yourself," whispered Melina. "She is unharmed." He released a breath he'd been holding, and his hand fell to his side once more. "Honestly, what do you take me for? She will remain silent and forget, nothing more." Rather than waiting for a response, she continued out onto the street. The hard-packed earth was silent beneath her bare feet, but the same could not be said for Vardan. Melina winced at his carelessness.

Thankfully, none but the silenced woman were nearby to hear his shoes crunching in the dirt. The soft soles were ideal for padding down level halls, but little else. Melina led him past several quiet shops, careful to listen closely for heartbeats this time, while skirting the shadows. In less than a minute, she'd led them to the edge of the town without anyone having seen him leave. She charged into the familiar undergrowth behind a house, and heard the angry roar of the mob and barking dogs fade into the distance. When she felt they'd traversed a sufficient distance to break line of sight, she slowed and looked back to see Vardan delicately picking his way through the ferns and bushes.

"Hurry!" she urged in a loud whisper. "And stop leaving such an obvious trail!"

"Select one or the other," he whispered back, "for I cannot do both." Melina rolled her eyes and bristled at the nuisance of having to be mindful of his inexperience. His pace and clear distaste for their surroundings were already bothersome.

Melina led him westward to a well-beaten game trail, where additional footsteps would likely go unnoticed, and she could increase their rate of travel. She was careful to specifically point out puddles or soft mud for Vardan to avoid, lest he leave prints with his distinctive shoes. They followed it for an hour, not daring to speak, until it began to curve back toward the town. They then mounted a sharp incline to the top of a hill, while Melina winced at the amount of broken brush and trampled leaves he was creating in his wake. She needed to select a path which would be difficult to follow, and wondered whether it would prove just as difficult for Vardan.

He was out of breath shortly, clearly accustomed to travel with his beloved horse, but he did not complain or falter. Melina tasted his anxiety on the air, and heard his heart hammering from the exertion. The forest seemed oppressively quiet in comparison to the madness they'd fled, and the cool humidity pressed in close. When she'd acclimated to the familiar sounds of insects and owls amidst their nightly activities, she relaxed and reigned in her awareness. There would be pockets of silence near any humans searching for them, and she could pick them out long before they reached her.

For the next three hours, Melina targeted terrain features which would be impossible for horses to cross, scrabbling down rock faces and across gravelly creek beds. She wouldn't be able to completely hide their scent or trail, but she was determined to ensure that it wouldn't matter. Distance was their ally, and they had the advantage of inhuman endurance.

They hiked in silence, both understanding the need for it, and neither wishing to address what had happened. It would force them to confront the fact that it was real. As pre-dawn light crept into the sky, Melina caught a familiar scent from the wind at their backs. She continued climbing the steep hill they were on, not turning towards it for fear of alerting Vardan. Mercifully, he seemed to have missed it amid his exhaustion.

When they crested the rise, she urged him ahead of her briefly so that she could look back. From their high vantage, Melina was able to see all the way back to the town, and she felt her heart sink as her fear was confirmed. The inn was burning.

***

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Chapter 7 will be posted in 1 week.