Drunk vision

WAYNE’S POV

            My eyes darted to the sky. The sun, still, had not yet escaped its shade behind the clouds and did not seem to be showing itself anytime soon - fair enough. However, I could not fathom why I felt so high-spirited about this challenge even if I had never really managed to evade too many strikes when my brothers and I battled with a dagger - and I was not handy with the sword; yet, I felt so good about it.

 

            I threw a glance at Elspeth who still primly sat on the field, the flagon placed just next to her as she keenly watched us. I bet she was unaware of my glance, as she hawk-eyed at the way Phyllis nippily spun the sword in her hand, repeated the steps she had taught earlier, in a swift manner, and charged at me.

 

             Everything happened so fast and in a blur that it got too late for me to avoid her strike on my right shoulder. I winced and glared at her, my left hand dashing to clutch my right arm.

 

            Nonetheless, the witch did not seem to be concerned about my state, as she still stood in position― waiting for me to react. She was probably trying to teach me a lesson on being distracted during a fight. Therefore, I picked the lesson and stood in a tenable position, following her lead. We soon kicked off the fight.

 

             Phyllis did well with her high jumps and swift spinning. Sometimes, she swiftly made her way to my back and tried to attack me from behind. Knowing that, I did my best to evade some of the attacks, while some got me wincing in pain.

 

            She knew just why she did the trick of evading the attacks, she probably knew I would not even be able to strike, and that was what happened. Sooner, the sunbeams shone so bright upon the face of the earth, unlike what I expected. I honestly had my whole bones aching seriously while Phyllis stood so strong with a lopsided smile playing on her face.

 

            I sank to my knees, the bleeding wound on my arm constantly aching as I breathed. Thankfully, she did not strike me so hard, so the wound began to heal and cover up as I rested to catch my breath.

 

            Phyllis gestured for Elspeth to come forward and the latter did. I caught the expression on her face; she was dead worried for me. I could tell I looked horrible, judging from my tousled hair and ridiculously sweating body. I probably looked like I would collapse at that moment.

 

            Phyllis shook her head and walked towards the Fir. I helped myself to my feet, not ignoring the way Elspeth hurried to my side to aid me. Somehow, I thought I heard her heartbeat; it was fast, imprecise and heavy. I looked at her and she did to me. Our eyes met, locking that instant.

 

            “Your performance was very poor,” The witch told me after we had arrived under the tree. “Because of that, you will stay outside here to reflect with the sun and then solicit the moon goddess for your feeble muscles at night. Hopefully, by tomorrow, you will be able to regain some bit of power.”

 

            “I do not have a flair for sword fighting; obviously you should have realized that!” I replied, not caring the way Phyllis glared daggers at me after that. Elspeth helped me sit on the laid-out mat and I crossed my legs. With a sorry look, my Mate placed the flagon before my crossed legs. Maybe she did not notice, but I seemed rather excited to take this drink in this quantity, it could probably help me forget all the worries that had shaded my mind.

 

            I smiled reassuringly at Elspeth as I reached for the flagon and popped it open, my head raising heavenward― my lips immediately pursing around the flagon rim, just as one of the glass windows at the upper floor of the Tower made a cracking sound that sent the now shattered glasses all the way to the ground.

 

            I choked on the drink, Phyllis’ eyes immediately darting to what had just happened. I was able to see between Elspeth’s rubbing roughly against my back as I coughed and Phyllis immediately vanishing from my sight, only that she did not use a potion this time.

 

            Thankfully, I was better in no time and returned to my drinking, my eyes not leaving the broken window one bit. In my mind’s eye, I could see a violent werewolf trying to break free from the several chains administered to it by many beings. His howls filled the room as he managed to tug some chains off his limbs and hurled its bearers to the massive wall.

 

            However, only one person remained standing, and that person caught the attention of the Wolf. He was suddenly calm, his amber and dark red alternately changing eyes piercing into that of the silver-eyed girl whose right hand was stretched forth to him; a hand, which seemed to cast some kind of spell on the Wolf ― a spell that made him silent.

 

            I jolted as I suddenly opened the eyes I never realized I had closed. What just happened… Was it a kind of vision or was I already getting tipsy from the wine? I turned to Elspeth, my eyes slowly blinking. The latter still sat submissively by my side, only that now it seemed I was the center of attention instead of the just broken window.

 

             Her brows puckered. “Are you fine, Master?” she asked, concern noted in her tone.

 

            I shook my head negatively, my eyes flickering to the flagon in her hand. I turned to my own hands to realize that I no longer held it. “It almost fell from your grip, so I took it,” Elspeth replied when I did not ask.

 

            “The broken window. . . Where is it situated?” I queried instead and Elspeth tried as much to hide her curiosity under a façade, I noticed anyway.

 

            “It is one of the Laboratory windows of mistress Deveron. Why ask?”
~~
 

Phyllis appeared in the Laboratory only to find Deveron trapped against the wall by Forrest, who had his fingers clutched around her extended neck. The latter seemed determined to choke the breath out of the older woman who seemed quite relaxed with the situation.

 

             Phyllis, on her part, maintained her distance at first, trying to properly understand the meaning of the sight before her.

 

             “What is going on?” she asked initially and got no satiable reply, except that Forrest later turned to her with a horridly dark aura swirling about him.

 

            Phyllis knew Forrest to be hot tempered, but she had never seen him react in this manner to Deveron, which was why she shrank back when she saw the dark shade that intensified around his eyes, as well as the hair that had begun to run through his strong hands. He opened his mouth to speak and Phyllis could see his fangs baring, not leaving out the fact that it made her notice his now orange-red glowing eyes.

 

            “So this was the plan of you and your mother? You two think I do not know how you have been manipulating the Waterfalls. The Alpha was meant to listen to the Advice of his Beta, but you two used your tricks and made him malleable to your disposals, making me as well have no choice than to listen to your tweaking. Anyways, he is gone now. Are you all satisfied? His body is cold-blooded and I do not have to obey your damn orders, Ace!”

 

            “Let the witch go,” Phyllis snarled instead, ignoring all that the Beta had just said. Despite the obviously steely tone of her voice, she still maintained her calm composure and somehow, she was sure the Beta would listen to neither she nor her mother anymore, as he had only reluctantly done so because of the Alpha.