Young Writers Society

Chapter Three: Melted

I did wake up. But not before a terrible, uncomfortable sleep in which meaningless phrases rolled through my head. “Last one…Courage didn’t win…only delaying the inevitable…” My sleep ended with a picture of someone like me, only with red fur, running through familiar-looking territory with two things in her arms. One of them, which appeared to be a shield, she tossed into a river. The other she held close. Suddenly there was a burst of death-cold light.

I sat bolt upright, shivering at the cold-sweat in my fur.

I was in a hut of some kind, one with a thatched roof and wooden walls. The place smelled spicy and warm, as if something was baking in the oven. I instantly craved the maid’s apple pie. Looking around, I saw rolls of indigo cloth spilling from a table onto the floor. Shelves were laden with mysterious jars and vials. A griffin skeleton stood sentinel near the door. My paws felt the bed I was on and the heavy, woolen blanket that covered me.

Every part of me ached, down to the last piece of fur.

My eyelids drooped with exhaustion. It seemed so heavenly and peaceful…but it wasn’t home, and the maid wouldn’t be calling me down to breakfast any time soon. I snuggled down into the mattress and tried to forget the past night.

Sleep had nearly reached me again when I heard a yell from the next room. “Goodness, Blaine! What will it take for you to be a good apprentice? Oh, no… You added armadillo shell instead of burdock root? Now our patient will never heal!”

The other voice trembled. “Y-you told me to add the shell. I didn’t mean to mess up…”

Then the door to my room slammed open and the strangest woman I had ever seen stormed in. At first I thought a yellow porcupine was stuck to her head; then I realized it was just her hair. Thick white glasses were perched on her nose, obscuring her eyes. She offered me a bubbling goblet of liquid. “Hello, dear,” she cooed. “My name is Luna the Potion Maker. I specialize in everything.”

Luna fluffed my ears, held my head in her gloved hand and stared deep into my dark eyes. She shook her own head and walked away, massaging her temples.

What? What was wrong? She wasn’t working for that horrible hand, was she? I forced myself to take deep breaths and think clearly. I had scarcely seen anyone except for the maid my entire life. I had to trust Luna. But one thing still troubled me… How did I get from the forest to the hut in the middle of the… Well, I didn’t know where.

I tried to sit up, but my wound gave me a fresh—and painful—reminder of its existence. Wincing, I fell deep into the pillow, hoping Luna could help me. To take my mind off the pain, I read the labels on all the jars.

Just then, Luna walked in with a boy by her side. He had wavy black hair and green eyes. A black silk cloak was draped around his shoulders. He would have looked very mysterious if he weren’t shaking so hard. “ This is Blaine,” Luna said, smiling grimly. “He’s my ‘apprentice’, but I’m considering disowning him.”

Blaine crossed his arms and I giggled.

“Is he your son?” I asked.

“Good gracious, no!” Luna gasped. “Do I look that old? No, I took Blaine in when his parents died.” She paused, then added an unnecessary detail. “He was eight.”

I looked at Blaine. “I’m so sorry,” I mumbled. I’d never even known my parents.

Blaine smiled sadly. “That’s okay. It’s not your fault. The skeletal soldiers got them when they were looking for ingredients to an evil-repelling spell.”

“Skeletal soldiers?” I asked, my mouth dry.

“You’ve never heard of them?” Luna demanded. “What, have you spent your whole life trapped in a castle? Everybody thought they were gone forever, but they showed up a few years ago…when the Skeletal Hand came back to power.”

When she said ‘Skeletal Hand’ her voice dropped to barely a whisper.

I swallowed hard. Apparently the Skeletal Hand was a lot more than some dead guy’s arm come to life. Just the way Luna said his name sent a tingle up my spine. And the skeletal soldiers? Had done to the maid what they had done to Blaine’s parents? Tears stung my nose.

Luna clapped her gloved hands briskly. “Well, enough chatter. Let’s get you all nice and better, little miss Moon Child.”

“You know what I am!”

She lowered her glasses to stare at me. “Honestly, where do you come from?”

I didn’t say anything else. Luna slowly worked me into a sitting position despite my squeals of protest. I heard a sharp intake of breath when she saw my wound. It wasn’t pretty. “Blaine, get me a cup of warm water, a washcloth, bandages, and the strongest ointment you can find.”

Blaine stood up straight, said, “Yes, Luna!” and was out the room in a flash.

“Am I going to die?” I asked quietly.

Luna snorted. “If you die, than so will my reputation. Don’t worry, I can heal it.” She paused for a second and tapped her watch. “So, let me guess. The Skeletal Hand did this to you, huh?”

She never ceased to surprise me. It almost seemed as if she knew more about me than I did. “Yes, he chased me from home. How did you know?”

She sighed. “You sure ask a lot of questions. The Skeletal Hand always leaves four scratches on his victims. It actually takes a trained eye to tell the difference between one of his scratches and—say—a leopard’s, but most magical beings will know right away. You’ll have to be careful with this. If people see that you’ve been marked by him, they’ll either worship you to death or try and kill you.”

“What?”

“The Skeletal Hand only attacks creatures that pose a huge threat to him. You’re lucky I found you before he could kill you.”

“Why am I a threat to him?”

But before she could answer, Blaine came back into the room. He gave Luna the things she had asked for. Then he pulled up a chair to watch. I winced as the washcloth scraped my wound. Luna then globbed on some ointment and bound my chest in bandages. She turned to Blaine. “Your turn, and don’t mess up.”

Blaine nodded. He smiled at me before putting his hand on my back. I shuddered as strong magic washed from his hand into my skin. I don’t know how I knew it was magic—maybe it was just instinctive. Blaine pulled away. To my surprise, he looked exhausted. “You can rest now,” said Luna. She turned to me. “Blaine has special healing powers. He hasn’t come close to mastering them, though. Such an amateur.”

My mind reeled as it tried to absorb everything Luna had told me. This much I knew: the Skeletal Hand was after me because I posed a threat to him. And what of the strange dreams I had had? I somehow felt that the two were connected. “The moon’s cruel darkness hides them all, yet one by one, they all will fall.” I shivered. Why had that verse from the maid’s song just popped into my head?

A crash from the other room startled me. I jumped up, fur on end. I froze. I looked down. I was standing…and I didn’t hurt anymore. “Good show, Blaine!” Luna called. “Your best job yet! I hope you didn’t break anything important!”

“No, just a priceless antique vase.”

“Blaine!” Luna yelled.

I chuckled softly. Luna couldn’t take a joke.

Blaine walked back into the room, still looking a little tired. He smiled warmly at me again. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. I really tried hard this time. Not like with those people who complain their carbuncles are ruining their lives.” He sighed. “You’re tough. Not many can stand up against the Skeletal Hand.”

I looked down, suddenly feeling terrible. I couldn’t believe I had voluntarily left the maid instead of standing and fighting. “No,” I mumbled.

Luna eyed me through her glasses. Then, she looked at Blaine. “ Doesn’t she remind you of that melted unicorn?”