Chapter 17 Conquest of Chimera

Chapter 17

Conquest of Chimera

  The trip to Wayferra was more jaunt than journey. The wind puffed soft and soothing. Golden sunlight washed their memories clean of all darkness. Smiles curved every mouth as bouncy music from string and reed set every foot tapping. Lightened moods buoyed the ship as much as the glassy white tops.

   Kia bobbed and twirled making the hem of her dress ride the breeze like a roller coaster. The tat-tat-tat of her new sandals accompanied Petra as he blew a sweet happy tune on his flute. Kian slapped Brue on the back delighted by the great bear’s human fingers dancing widely across the strings of his lute.

  “Go on Kian,” Brue roared, “Kia needs her partner.”

  “Why not,” he replied. Leaping from his grain sack seat he took her hand and tried to keep up with her. Clumping and bumping over the gently swaying deck he only showcased Kia’s grace and lightness of foot. They all roared with laughter when he tripped over a coil of rope and slammed into her. Tangled in each other’s feet and arms they fell back unto a cotton bale and turned their laughter into a collective ‘woo’ as he kissed her full on the mouth.

  The Captain standing behind the ship’s wheel glanced behind him taking his eyes off the horizon just long enough to share in the merriment. It would be short happy trip. The smiling blue sky promised them smooth sailing, but its great expanse also hid something Chimera had never seen…

  ‘Dreaming…I’m dreaming…I can’t fly…but I was dyeing…now I’m high above the sea…this is death…but I’m not dead…lonely…hungry…not dead…’

  Myra jerked her head to the right and gasped.

‘That’s not me…not mine…please let this be a dream no dream…a nightmare, nightmare…

 Her eyes swollen with disbelief and horror she drew her right hand up and saw long red fingers tipped with talons black and razor sharp.

   ‘What am I…how could this happen…why did she do this to me…she…she…Kia…’

Her name was a meat hook in Myra's mind piercing and tearing.

 ‘Why…Kia why…I know, I know… I feel you…I know you … now I know…I know…oh…your pity… your sadness…your sorrow…you wanted to feel better…you wanted to save me…this is not salvation…selfish little fool…this is hell…’

  Rage burned through her mind as her great black wings beat against the wind. Like her pounding heart, they beat all own their own, no conscious effort required, just like her rage burning, burning, all own its own, feeding on itself like the sun.

     All thought of returning to her family collapsed like  crumbling ash as she looked down the length of Kia’s gift; her new body. The fearful image of a wiry coal black and blood red armor plated monstrosity assaulted her crimson eyes. She was a monster.

  Enraged she lashed the air. A hand flew past her face. Perplexed, she hovered and dreaded, waiting for the rest of new body to reveal itself. It did. Back beating the wind her hideous new body spread eagle against the sky, she watched a scale encrusted tail curl up between her legs lifting her third hand to her face. She so wanted to turn away, but the image of a perfectly formed, perfectly feminine hand locked her eyes in place.

   She did not know how long she hung there in the sky staring at her new appendage. But after a while she clenched its fingers into fist. Then sickened by its presence she drew her scale covered tail over it like a knife sheath hiding it away as if it was a secret weapon which in deed it was.  

     Myra was fading again. Memories were melting warping. Her insides turned. Her past, images bright and dear greyed, losing focus and meaning.

   A chubby furry little face floated up before her mind’s eye and smiled. Bonnie her new granddaughter, only two months old when the fading set in, time to go; Myra would not let death touch her precious grand baby, not even touch her beautiful brown eyes. Bonnie would not see death Myra would not allow it.      

  ‘…pretty baby…round and soft…sweet…so sweet…so…succulent...’

 The western sky hurled a gust of wind at her spine barbed back. Her nostrils flared. Saliva filled her mouth and strung down her bony red chin. Blood was in the air.

    Myra lurched, her eyes narrowing at the distant western peaks. She tore across the sky, her hatred for Kia temporarily displaced by yet another gift from Kia; an appetite for flesh.