A Pruned Branch

The world was quiet, save for the occasional thump of melting snow. Abella trudged along what may have been a trail. She had some sense of where Mike was, but dreaded meeting up with him. The dog tags around her neck were far heavier than anything she had ever carried, and she would often pause and touch them for strength. How would she break the news to him?

She wished she could fly, but that was out of the question. Her wing throbbed painfully as she pushed her way through the deeper drifts and there was no way it would support her weight.

A few of the forest children were scattered through the woods. They were animals and hybrids she was unfamiliar with, but some Nirumbi children came out of hiding to greet her. She was surprised when they hooted to get her attention, but even more so when they took her by the hand and led her away from the trail.

Minutes later, she found herself looking at a small camp of Nirumbi. They were huddled around a couple of fires for warmth. The children led her through the refugee camp to a large makeshift tent made of animal hides.

Abella pushed the flaps aside and walked in. Blankets had been placed on the ground, and each one was occupied by a Nirumbi. Upon closer inspection, she realized that they were all injured.

“Why have you brought me here?” she asked, only to realize that the children were gone.

“Because I told them to.” Bigfoot rose from the corner, his eyes tired. The dim light of the tent made him look like a hairy shadow, and he stepped toward her. “I tracked Vee to the mountain, but lost the trail. The mountain imploded sometime last night. This whole area is a mess. The Nirumbi needed my help, so...” He let out a heavy sigh. “Leeds had formed a cult, using the young warriors of the tribe. They slaughtered each other in the caves, and these were the ones who were lucky enough to get away. I told everyone to keep an eye out for anyone from the cabin and to bring them here.”

“Where is the owl-woman? Shouldn’t she be here?”

“Gone. Leeds had her killed.” Bigfoot knelt down to help one of the Nirumbi sip water from a ceramic bowl. “Did you ever catch up to Velvet?”

Abella didn’t know what to say. The moment of indecision was not missed by Bigfoot, who stood slowly with his fists at his side.

“Well?” he asked, an edge to his voice that she didn’t like.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, then let go of the dog tags she had unconsciously been holding. They jingled against her chest and then went still. “Leeds destroyed the cave while we were inside. Velvet saved my life, but lost hers in the process.”

Bigfoot let out a groan as if struck, then stomped past her and outside of the tent. She followed. The forest children gave him plenty of room as he stormed out of the camp, his breaths accompanied by a growl. Once safely away from the camp, he let out a roar and kicked down a tree.

“NO!” He grabbed onto his hair and pulled, ripping out giant clumps of fur before letting out a howl that scared the birds out of nearby trees. With a strangled cry, he fell to his knees and sobbed.

“I’m sorry, Darren, I’m so sorry.” As he wept, Abella moved to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. His fur was surprisingly soft in her hands, and she wrapped her arms around his mighty neck and hugged him.

“I need you to help me get to Mike,” she told him. “When he finds out ... he’s going to need us.”

Bigfoot snarled, his body expanding with every breath he took until he was enormous. He cracked his knuckles and let out a growl.

“You point, I’ll get us there.”

Abella obeyed, and Bigfoot walked to a nearby clump of trees, opening a portal between them. Abella felt the distance between her and Mike shrink considerably and let out a sigh of relief.

Soon, they would be together again.

The air was so cold that every breath inward felt like daggers, tearing away at Mike’s lungs as he ran through the forest. He had been hunting Leeds for a few hours now, the Jersey Devil bouncing around the woods seemingly at random. Leeds would often stop for a bit, which made him think that the demon was meeting with his followers.

The chill of the night had long ago permeated his boots and his coat, but his magic sustained him, warming him from within. With every step he took, he was that much closer to catching Leeds, to ripping the demon apart with his bare hands.

A tiny voice inside fought to gain his attention, but he was so consumed with rage that he ignored it. Behind him, Yuki and Dana struggled to keep up, the kitsune’s labored breaths filling the silence of the woods. They had given up trying to speak with him, for he was a man possessed and could not be reached.

His magic had formed a tiny storm around him as he ran, sending ice and snow billowing outward as tendrils of light connected with the trees and animals around. He could sense the forest waking up as it eased his passage and guided him to wherever Leeds had gone next.

In those brief moments of clarity, thoughts of Velvet bubbled to the surface. They were brief, yet intense, and he was fairly certain that frozen tears clung to his cheeks.

He caught movement in his peripheral vision and saw a white stag bound ahead of him and then vanish. It had been doing this for the last hour, and would be waiting up ahead just to watch him. Sure enough, the stag stood on a rock that Mike was forced to go around, but he couldn’t help but notice that the beast stared him directly in the eyes.

Succeeding at a hunt doesn’t mean you can skin a deer. The voice was faint, but very persistent.

He ignored it and kept running. The stag outpaced him again, and waited for him on top of a fallen tree.

A heart that lends itself so easily to others is easily broken. The stag grunted, sending a cloud of vapor into the air. You’ve only had one branch pruned, Caretaker. Do you think you’re ready to be a spear?

He bared his teeth and hissed. Yelling would only alert Leeds that he was coming, and he didn’t want the demon to have any time to prepare. Leeds was always one step ahead of them, and Mike needed every advantage he could get.

Throw not spears in a dark wood, Mike Radley! The stag stepped off of the log and vanished.

“Fuck your metaphors,” he spat between breaths in a low tone. He didn’t need a lecture, an explanation, or even advice. What he needed was revenge, plain and simple. To hear Leeds beg, to squeeze whatever color blood could be spilled from his body.

The trees rustled around him, and he could see it in his mind. Up ahead there was a clearing where several creatures stood in a circle. At its center was a darkness that felt like poison, a stain on the landscape yearning for removal.

A guttural growl snuck free of his lips, and flickering motes of blue light formed in the air around him. They crackled in the crisp air, shifting colors until they turned red. Now transformed, they flew toward him and disappeared, hidden just below the surface of his skin.

His fingers trembled, but he couldn’t tell if it was from anger or the cold. Yuki, in fox form, jumped onto a nearby rock and did a quick turn, her tails twirling widely as she shifted into human form. She opened her mouth to scold him, but he held a finger to his lips.

“Leeds is nearby.” He pointed off towards where he sensed the darkness. “There are others. Nirumbi, I assume. Won’t be easy.”

“And then what? An ambush?” He could hear the anger in her whispering voice. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Revenge.” Dana had caught up to them, her blade still folded up in her right hand. “Don’t tell me you can’t sense it. Something happened back at the cabin, and now we’re out here to fuck up his day, right?”

Mike nodded.

“What happened, Mike?” Yuki crossed her arms. “We have a few seconds. Tell us.”

“Velvet’s dead.” There were no tears to be shed, not right now. The words only served to fuel the fire that raged inside him.

Yuki gasped. “How?” she asked.

“Don’t know. Felt her being ripped away in the Dreamscape.” He looked over at Dana and was surprised to see that her bloodshot eyes were now brimming with tears. “Dana?”

“What?” She looked at the two of them in puzzlement, then wiped a tear from her face and examined it. “That’s weird. It’s like I feel it, but I don’t.”

“We can worry about it later. I’m going in. Anyone with Leeds is fair game.” He turned to go, but a wall of snow blocked his departure.

“Not good enough.” Yuki hopped over him and stood on the snow pile with her arms out. “You’re mad, and that’s fine. But you’re also being stupid about this.”

The red lights briefly appeared, swirling around Yuki like angry bees, but he pulled them back inside his body.

“You don’t understand, Yuki. He has to pay.” The trees around him groaned in agreement, and he could feel the ground rumble in anticipation. The forest was silent as a tomb, and had been for most of his hunt. The wildlife had recognized that he was the top predator and was doing its best to stay out of his way.

“And he will, but we have a plan. Capture him, yes, but tear him apart? He can’t be killed. If you go in there looking for murder, all you are doing is costing us time.”

Mike growled. “And so what if I am? Let’s tear him apart, devote every day to a unique brand of torture! Drown him, stab him, set him on fire, rip off—”

Sharp icicles appeared in a circle around him, trapping him in the center. Their sharpened points were at neck level, and even the act of turning his head pressed one into the soft flesh beneath his ear.

“We made each other a promise, do you remember?” Her ears twitched as she glared at him. “I would be your weapon, remember? And in return, if you should ever lose yourself like Emily did...”

“You would stop me.” He glowered at her through the ice. “But this isn’t about learning dark magic or trying to gain power. This is about justice, Yuki!” The swirling lights shifted around him, passing through the ice and melting it.

“Don’t.” Dana got in between them. “Take it from someone who gets it. You aren’t being logical, Mike. Not only are your emotions out of control, but so is your magic.”

“Why are you stopping me?” He pushed forward against the nearest icicle, his magic circling the conical shape and turning it to ice crystals. “You both understand how this feels!”

“And that’s exactly why we’re stopping you.” Yuki shook her head. “We came to help you, but you need to do this the right way.”

He took a deep breath, focusing on her words. Of all people, Yuki would know best how this had felt. Emily had been the love of her life, and that same woman would abandon her on another world and steal her eye.

The eye. Mike put his hand in his pocket and caressed the glassy orb. The owl had hastened her own death just to hand over a way to contain Leeds. Was he really willing to risk everything just to feed his own desires?

Yes, you are. A band of darkness stole through the forest, seizing both Yuki and Dana around the waist. They both cried out in surprise as they were ripped away from him. Dana dropped her sword, the blade pinging off of a nearby rock. Come for me, Caretaker! Show me how strong you are without your allies!

His magic ignited, destroying his icy prison and scattering the snow around his feet. He paused just long enough to pick up Dana’s sword and then sprinted through the woods.

Hesitation had cost him. He had decided to hear out his friends rather than act, and he was about to lose someone else, he could feel it. One by one, the branches would be pruned until all that was left of him was a weapon.

Yes, that’s right. Come for me, mortal. Take your revenge.

The red motes were now spreading out into the forest, each one hissing with sinister energy as it disappeared into the woods. His footfalls were so fast that he almost didn’t feel the ground. It was almost like flying.

You’re worthless, you little pervert. His mother’s voice was harsh, grating against his very soul. You only care about them because you can stick your dick in them.

“No!” He screamed in response, desperate to stay focused on Leeds’ location.

They represent power. Amir’s voice was smug. You fear losing access to the power they provide. And you will fail.

“Not true!” Trees were now bending out of his way, their branches moving up to allow him safe passage. “They’re important to me because of who they are, not what they can give!”

You’ll make a mistake. Sarah laughed in his mind. It won’t be the first time, or the last. So who’s gonna die this time?

They were all laughing now, his mind filled with their echoes.

When he burst into the clearing, he saw that in the middle Leeds had constructed an altar out of wood and stone. At its center was an upside down cross, and a group of Nirumbi were frantically trying to strap Yuki onto it. The kitsune was fighting them, but the shadow bands kept grabbing at her hands and feet. Standing above the altar, Leeds was doing a little dance as the Nirumbi worshipping him from below turned to face Mike. There were maybe a hundred of them, each one with a fanatical glint in their eyes.

Behind the altar, a bonfire had been lit. Dana was being dragged toward it, a panicked look on her face.

Your world is going to burn, Mike Radley! The shadow cackled with glee. Your world is going to—

Mike let out a horrifying screech, forcing his magic free of his lips, willing death on his enemies. The banshee’s scream was accompanied by a wave of force and light that scattered the Nirumbi lurking nearby and blasted Leeds from his perch. The demon fell backwards into his own bonfire, and the shadows pinning Yuki in place vanished.

“Mike!” She screamed his name, her fur turning white as she grabbed the Nirumbi nearest to her and flash froze him. Spinning around, she used the Nirumbi as a projectile and sent it flying toward Dana’s captors. “He’s in your head, don’t listen to him!”

Clenching his hands, Mike sprinted toward Dana, his own magic forming bands of light that scattered his enemies. His whole body tingled as he casually dodged arrows, clubs, and even rocks that were thrown at him. Some of the Nirumbi, each marked with a bloody handprint, panicked and ran, but his magic grabbed them and pulled them back into the fray.

“Mike, stop!” Yuki’s words were lost when he howled again. Those closest to him were blown away, their bodies smashing into trees and rocks. The clearing was already red with blood, and he licked his lips in anticipation.

Dana was wrestling with one of the Nirumbi, so he tossed her the sword. She snatched it out of the air and killed her foe with a bloody thrust.

“LEEDS!” Mike sent his magic into the fire, tearing it apart and scattering ashes to the sky. “I CAN FEEL YOU IN THERE!”

The Jersey Devil burst into the sky, his wings pumping as he tried to get away. Desperate, Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out the orb. Pointing the pupil at the devil, he willed it to work.

Intent. It may not be the first rule of magic, but it was going to be his. “No escape, you shadowy fuck!” Magic crackled along his forearm and sank into the orb before turning into a crimson beam of energy that roped itself around Leeds’ legs. The devil, now caught, looked back at Mike in dismay.

He waved the orb toward the ground, causing Leeds to slam into the ice and snow. Satisfied, he swung it from side to side, smashing the Jersey Devil against the trees as he crossed the distance between them. His precognition triggered, and he threw himself backwards to avoid a cluster of arrows that littered the ground around him.

Yuki pincushioned his attackers, then raised clawed hands and created a barrier of ice around the clearing. She collapsed to one knee, panting from the exertion.

“You may have won the battle, Caretaker, but this is a war of attrition!” Leeds tried to crawl, his hands digging in the snow. Mike leapt on his back and fought to roll him over. The crimson light disappeared as the orb fell to the side, forgotten.

“You killed her!” He smashed a fist into Leeds face. The devil brayed like a donkey in pain as red light flashed from Mike’s knuckles. “You killed her, you killed her!”

I did, Leeds replied in his mind. And I killed the gargoyle, too!

Mike screamed in the devil’s face, his magic shredding the flesh from along his muzzle. Leeds flinched, then tried to kick Mike off of him.

“Not going to happen!” He smashed his fists into Leeds over and over. Leeds retaliated by pushing images of Velvet begging into his mind.

Something popped in Mike’s hand, and he could no longer hold his fist shut. Howling in desperation, Mike picked up the owl’s eye and used it to bash Leeds’ skull in.

After the third hit, his magic flowed into the orb and sent a shockwave through his body. His muscles tensed as images flitted through his mind, thousands of them.

Memories flooded his mind, centuries worth of magical lore, of exploring the limits of enchantment and spell casting. He could see them now, the owl and her sisters, feel the possibilities that had been open to them. They had hunted, they had killed. They had survived on knowledge and power alone, and he craved that for himself.

His magic curled around him, forming into crimson bands of light that hovered over his body like a spider trapping its prey. Panic crossed Leeds’ features as those limbs descended and sank into his flesh. Black blood flowed from open wounds that no longer healed. Shadows tried to rip Mike free, but his magic would not allow it.

He could see it now, the intricate process that had put Leeds together. A human soul bonded to demonic flesh, incapable of transformation. That was his weakness, his inability to be anything other than the monster that he was. The magic was like lines of code now, and code was something Mike understood.

It was suddenly simple. He could see the flow of magic, understood what it would take to disrupt it. Leeds was now bared before him as a being before a god, and Mike was ready to pass judgment.

Around him, Yuki and Dana were screaming his name as the magic swirled overhead, forming into a crimson tempest of energy. Chunks of the Jersey Devil were being ripped free and sucked up into the maelstrom. If he wanted to, he could destroy Leeds. Not just his body, but his soul as well. There would be no resurrections, no coming back to taunt him.

Energy flowed through his limbs as he cackled madly, then raised the hand holding the orb to the sky. The energy coalesced around it, forming into a vibrating blade.

My sister was never much of a fighter, and she doesn’t attract them.

He hesitated, unsure if the voice was just a memory or something else. The world around him was moving slowly, almost as if reality itself were holding its breath.

More images came. This time, he was seeing the forest from the owl’s point of view, watching as she met the Nirumbi for the first time. They had been afraid of her, but she had gained their trust.

A maternal feeling overwhelmed him as more images came. The Nirumbi hunting deer in the woods. Sitting around the owl as she told them stories. Letting her play with their children.

She spoke to the mystical creatures of the woods, pleaded with them to band together and find someplace safe, somewhere away from humans. He watched as many of them died, from forest fires, deforestation, and even men in white coats with swords. So many painful memories surfaced, and the pain filled him up until he threatened to burst.

And then it would shift. Long walks with Nirumbi elders, speaking about philosophy to a giant bear that walked on stilted legs, flying through the sky with an emerald serpent. There were peaceful times amidst the chaos, and almost none of them involved power or magic of any kind. She had formed bonds with the others, bonds that had eventually cost her life.

His own face appeared. There was an upswell of hope that was almost scary to experience, and then she was speaking to him with her clacking beak. The world was still now, save for the sound of his own heart beating deep within.

“You should know that magic like yours can be quite powerful, but only if it can be controlled. Be warned that it has a life of its own, very much like a roaring fire. If you aren’t careful, it will consume you.”

The words resonated with him, and he contemplated the blade of magic in his right hand. He could drive it into Leeds right now, sever the bond between spirit and body and banish him from the world.

There’s always a cost. They were his own words now, and they gave him pause. For the first time in hours, he truly saw the brutality of the magic he had summoned. It had indeed become a wildfire, one that threatened to escape him. If he destroyed Leeds, it wasn’t just on a physical level, but a spiritual one. Immortality required a high price to achieve, but what was the cost of destroying a soul?

There were suddenly too many questions, and he could feel the pressure building in his head. He had summoned this magic, and it demanded an outlet, craved the change that would come once it was released.

I am not just a structure in the forest. The stag was watching him from the edge of the clearing, its dark eyes brimming with power. I am also the ground beneath your feet, and the trees around you.

Mike screamed, desperately trying to regain control of his hand. The blade was swinging down in slow motion, aimed for the center of Leeds’s chest. The magic had been born of rage, and it hungered for the demon’s blood.

Your true power isn’t something that grows from within. The stag walked toward the trees, immune to the slowing of time. It flicked its tail once and then looked back at him. It is also your connection with me and with others.

“Aagh!” Fiery pain lanced through his shoulder as he tried to force the blade to stop. Leeds’ eyes had widened in terror as the blade moved closer to the demon, now, less than a foot away.

When last we spoke, you did not carry such an earthen aura. He saw himself through the owl-woman’s eyes once more, but now he saw the magical aura that surrounded him. It was a cloud of colors that sank deep into the ground and spread out like tree roots. It is very much like the fae, but also the magic of the forest.

The fae. The forest. His mind flashed to Titania, then back to the incident in the clearing with Abella. The Queen of the Fae was triggering a memory of his own.

This little shit stain wants to be king of the forest. Besides fucking up the flow of my woods, he is also the reason you cannot get home. He couldn’t tell if he was remembering the cabin’s words or hearing them live in his head. Your compassion and kindness have brought you some very powerful allies.

Allies. From the corner of his eye, he saw Yuki summoning a barrage of ice and skewering the Nirumbi. Dana was frozen mid-kick, sending another one of their warriors across the clearing.

Someone must care for the forest children. He was the owl-woman now, holding out her eye to Mike. He could see the concern in his own face, the lines of despair that were already forming. This was the Mike he had been, the one who didn’t know that he would never see Velvet alive again.

Yuki took the eye from the owl-woman’s hands, and then Bigfoot leaned in, his body smelling of cloves. Below him, the steady humming of the forest was beating in time with his own heart as the owl-woman’s final memory came to a close.

Now sleep and be one with the woods, Bigfoot told her as everything went dark.

The blade was inches away, and Mike’s eyes locked on his hand. He had become so lost in his rage that he had forgotten who he was, what he was meant to be. His magic had been summoned in a fit of rage, and he could now feel it simmering beneath his skin, spreading through his body like a poison.

Driving that blade into Leeds would kill him, but it would change Mike forever. Over the last nine months, his actions had not only shaped his magic, but had changed him. Acts of love, lust, and kindness had changed him for the better. Would participating in this act of rage do the same?

He tried to withdraw the magic, but it burned deep inside him, like inhaling hot smoke. Time was going back to normal, and the next few moments of his life would change everything. He had come into this fight with the attitude that nothing else mattered, but he knew now that it wasn’t true. No matter what was going on in his life, there were still plenty of people who mattered to him.

And right now, they needed him to come back alive.

“No,” he muttered through gritted teeth, feeling his magic try to feed his rage back into him. It was trying to establish a feedback loop and he fought back. The anger needed to go somewhere else, but where?

The magic couldn’t be stopped, the spell had already begun. He thought back to sitting at the table with Dana, wondering if magic was like energy. The sparks had sunk into the wood of the table and vanished. He couldn’t let it back into his own body, nor could he use it to kill Leeds. It would have to go somewhere else, but where could he put it without causing destruction?

Be one with the woods. It wasn’t Bigfoot’s voice he heard, but the owl-woman. He could almost feel her gaze on him, see those intense eyes peering through his very soul.

Screaming in fury, he stopped fighting the magic and fought to adjust his aim. The blade twisted and missed Leeds’ chest, piercing the demon’s wing and sinking deep into the ground. Blue and red flames ate away at the membrane of the wing, searing the flesh as Leeds howled in agony.

Crimson bands of light swirled around the two of them as Mike forced his mind into the ground, seeking out every strand of life he could find. He could feel the land beneath him, his magic touching every tree, bush and animal. Their minds were briefly part of him, and he was them, and then he was everywhere. For a split second, he and the land were one, and it felt like his head would explode from the pressure.

He channeled his anger, grief, and rage into the spell, willing it to depart from him, to feed the land and make it grow. In that moment, he felt how everything was connected, saw how he could turn tragedy and death into beauty and life.

“Velvet.” He whispered her name like a prayer, letting her go.

The swirling maelstrom of magic channeled itself through his elbow and down into the bowels of the Earth itself, spreading far and wide. His rage was sucked along with it as the magic spread out like a blanket and warmed the tired soil beneath. Stubborn foliage pushed its way through the snow, and the trees shook off their snow and held their branches high in pride.

There was a loud snap, and pain flared up Mike’s arm as the last of the magic passed through it. Gasping in agony, he was unable to stop Leeds from kicking him hard in the chest, which sent him sprawling across the snow.

“Fool!” Leeds leapt to his feet and laughed. “You were so close, closer than anyone’s ever gotten!” He flapped his wings and jumped into the air, only to tumble about before coming to rest in the low branches of a tree. Puzzled, the Jersey Devil extended the wing Mike had pierced to reveal a large hole.

“Looks like your flying days are over,” Mike told him between gritted teeth.

“This? This will heal.” Leeds summoned the shadows around him. “But your friends? They will be dead fore—”

The tree swung one of its upper branches into Leeds, cracking him in the back of the skull and knocking him down to the ground. He landed with a thud, then cried out in pain when flowers burst out of the snow and wrapped around his neck.

What few Nirumbi were left frozen as the trees around them came to life. Tree roots ripped free from beneath the snow and grabbed Leeds by the ankles to drag him away. He let out a cry of terror as the beasts of the woods descended on him, scratching and biting as he passed. The roots passed him from trunk to trunk as nearby bushes scoured his flesh with thorns and sharp branches.

Mike stood, wincing as he tucked his arm into his belly. Nearby trees smashed the altar as he followed after Leeds.

“What happened?” Dana sniffed the air, then looked at him. “It’s your magic, I can smell it everywhere.”

“I woke up the forest,” he told them as he followed Leeds’ cries. “It might not be alive in a way we can understand it, but it knows a shitstain when it sees one.”

The trees were unable to move Leeds quickly, but between his damaged wing and the consecutive animal attacks, he was unable to escape. Occasionally a portal would open between the trees and the devil would be tossed through and carried away. Mike was surprised at first when the portals remained open for him and the others, but the trees that touched him conveyed feelings of mutual grief and respect. When he touched their branches, it felt like greeting an old friend.