Fire & Flood

Chapter 13

The sky was getting lighter as Sam, Morgan, and Emily sat around the campfire. This meeting was what Emily wanted but now that she was here, she didn't know what to say. The silence felt palpable. Morgan broodingly stared at Sam clearly unhappy that a dryad was occupying his space. Sam was looking at Morgan too, but there was a mix of emotions in his eyes that Emily couldn't discern. After some time, Sam spoke first.

"Thank you," said Sam to Morgan. Morgan's black eyes widened.

"For what?" He asked clearly being taken by surprise.

"You looked out for Emily. Despite it all, you wanted for her to be safe," said Sam. "I wish your methods were a bit different, but I am still grateful for the results."

"I didn't do this for you... I didn't even do it for her," said Morgan defensively. "This was purely selfish. She needed to see what she was getting herself into... a luxury that was never afforded to me." Morgan looked at Sam with disdain.

"Morgan, I am not like Laura," said Sam with exasperation.

"You are like Laura in more ways than you pretend not to be," spat out Morgan.

"Look," said Emily feeling the need to speak before this conversation took a turn for the worse. "We've all been played here. Sylvos is our main problem. There has to be a way to deal with this."

"Deal with it?!" Morgan half-shouted, rage filled his tone. "I've been dealing with it for a century! What makes you think that you are special enough to fix this?!"

"Because unlike all of your other replacements, I am here," Emily gestured to the fire. "And I have no intention of leaving."

"Then you will die!" Morgan growled. "There is no in between."

Sam sprung to his feet. His entire frame shaking and a menacing growl emanated from his very core. Emily softly held his hand. She felt him relax somewhat but not fully let go on his anger.

"Do not threaten her!" Said Sam angrily.

"You just thanked me for keeping her safe... she needs to know her choices," said Morgan and his lips curved into a humourless grin.

"There has to be another option, a way to sever Sylvos' hold... a way to free you... us!" Said Emily.
Morgan and Sam stayed silent.

"Emily," said Sam gently, "there isn't an option for all of us to be free."

"He is right, as much as I hate to say it," said Morgan. "Your dryad is bound to Sylvos through his birth and I am bound to Sylvos through my soul... there is no option for freedom for either of us."

"But you..." Sam grabbed both of Emily's hands into his and looked intently into her eyes. "You can be free."

"Can she?" Asked a feminine voice as sweet and smooth as honey. Morgan sprung to his feet, his eyes desperately searching for the speaker.

Then they saw her. A young, slender woman moved through the trees with an air of cat-like grace, her auburn hair cascading down her shoulders like a fiery veil. Her captivating green eyes, though beautiful, held a hint of malice that sent a shiver down Emily's spine. There was a predatory elegance to her every step. Her eyes locked on Morgan.

"Hello, Morgan," she said with a knowing smile. "It's been awhile." Emily saw Morgan tense.

"Laura," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"So you do remember," Laura laughed, her voice echoing like a bell through the surrounding trees. Emily saw Morgan's fists clench at his side. A low growl emanated from deep within his body.

"What do you want?" He asked through gritted teeth and Emily could feel his hatred through his words.

"To set the record straight," she said matter of factly. "You all seem to be under the impression that the girl," she gestured towards Emily, "has a choice. And she does...kind of..." Emily could tell that Laura liked this conversation. She enjoyed the cryptic play with words and seeing the fear behind the eyes of others as comprehension slowly seeped in.

"Her only choices are to either become tribute or sacrifice," Laura said gleefully. "Either she takes your place, mutt," she looked at Morgan with a cold piercing stare. "Or... she dies."

"No!" Said Sam forcefully. "That's not how this works! She has to willingly become a druid! She can't be forced!"

"Those were the rules, brother," said Laura, her voice growing impatient. "But the three of you seem to be conspiring... and we can't have that... can we?" Laura smiled knowingly. Emily got a distinct image of a snake coiling her body around her pray, her muscles constricting tighter and tighter. Laura was enjoying this.

"I can't believe I once loved you," said Morgan quietly.

"Awwww," said Laura with a fake air of emotion. "That hurts! I found a puppy and turned him into a wolf! This is my thanks?" She sneered.

Morgan's body began to shake. Suddenly Emily heard a loud ripping sound and Morgan shifted into his colossal black wolf.

"The dog wants to play," chimed Laura.

With a feral intensity, Morgan lunged at the dryad, teeth bared, hackles raised, and a thunderous growl resonating through the charged air. However, just as Morgan closed in on Laura, the dryad effortlessly sidestepped the attack. She nonchalantly raised her hand, dismissively slicing it through the air. In an instant, Morgan's wolf form was hurled, like a mere ragdoll, mercilessly towards the outskirts of the camp. A sickening crack echoed as his body collided with a robust pine tree, causing the trunk to splinter under the impact.

"Morgan!" Shouted Emily and ran towards him. Laura stepped in front of her and grabbed Emily by her throat.

"Well, well, Morgan," said Laura and Emily could hear something different in her tone... jealousy.

"I may not have loved you, but this one seems to care."

Laura's grip tighter around Emily's neck. Emily couldn't breath, but before she could even comprehend what was happening to her a large mountain lion charged towards Laura and knocked her off her feet. Sam stood defensively in front of Emily - enormous and furious.

Run! She heard him shout inside her head. Emily started running towards the edge of the camp where Morgan's now human body was sprawled awkwardly.

Emily heard loud roars and snarling. She looked back to see two mountain lions. Emily recognized Sam's form as being more golden than Laura's. Her auburn hair seemed to have translated into her lion and coloured it in a reddish hue. Both beasts were circling each other, readying an attack. Sam sprung at Laura first, there was a yelp of pain as she threw him off of her. Emily could see blood slowly trickling down Laura's neck. With this Laura started to run towards the woods with Sam closely on her heals. Emily heard snarls and roars echoed through the forest. The sounds seemed to be coming from all directions until they suddenly stopped.

"Sam!" Emily called out desperately. "Sam come back!" She started to walk towards the trees. Suddenly she felt someone grab her hand. It was Morgan. He looked awful, his face bloody and bruised.

"No," he said and Emily could hear that talking was painful for him. "Stay with me."

"But... Sam," Emily pleaded.

"He can hold his own," said Morgan limping towards the fire. "The chances of him dying are pretty low... trust me, I am not that lucky."

"What do we do?" Said Emily in a panicked tone. "What will happen now?"

"Well, we need to get you out of here... and then you need to leave," said Morgan. "You need to go as far away from here as possible."

"But... I can't just...," started Emily.

"If you stay, Sylvos will never stop hunting you," interrupted Morgan. "Not just you, everyone you love."