Dark Hunger

Caleb growled and picked up Elize in his arms. She looked pale. He carried her to the small grass bed and made her lie down. After covering her with blankets, he slid beside her and held her tightly in his arms. He was feeling terrible after the way she suffered so much, but it was important to understand her magic, to control it. 

When Elize woke up, she was feeling extremely weak. Her eyes looked at the rock-hard chest and latched on to it for comfort. The ordeal she had passed through left her shaky. There was so much pain she experienced that she thought she would die. The familiar pine and mist smell overwhelmed her sensations. She curled her arm around his waist. When she pulled her fangs away, she sighed, feeling better. "Caldy…" 

For the next few days, Caleb taught her how to use her magic for doing small things. He started teaching her the most basic things like moving objects by using the magic. Elize grasped things very fast. Within a week's time, she was able to move heavier things from their places, part the waterfall to pass beneath it without getting wet, have more control over her tendrils of magic and draw a shimmery line of sparks in the air, which Caleb said was beginning of creating a portal. However, creating a portal was very tough. Whenever she conjured her magic to create it, she would end up drawing a thin line of pin prick lights which would wither away soon. 

After that day, Caleb hadn't asked her to focus again and search for the pool of her magic. More than him, she was scared of going to the wonderland she had visited that day. It was exciting and liberating but now that she looked back at it, it was nothing short of a nightmare. Caleb had explained to her that it was her magic tricking her. Had it taken control over her, she would have got lost in its darkness forever. It would have come out and taken over her body and mind while she would have stayed lost in that wonderland forever. That made her wonder who that woman was. Was she also lost in that world? And if she was, then how did she come across her magic? Was her magic somehow linked to hers? There were too many questions she had regarding her visit to the magic land but she pushed them at the back of her mind. 

Every day, after Elize would drift off to sleep, Caleb used to leave her alone in the cave. However, he was there the moment she would wake up. Elize noticed this pattern. She would miss his warm presence and sometimes when she would have bad dreams, she would wake up with a jerk. She would turn to find him, to latch up her fangs in him just for that comfortable lap, but she would find herself all alone. At first, she didn't say anything, but then she grew suspicious. The problem was that since he would leave in the daytime, she could never accompany him. Moreover, for the whole night he would keep her so busy with her sword practice or honing her magic skills that she would get tired easily. 

It was on one such morning, when she waited for him to leave. She had practiced sparring very hard that day and had immediately gone to sleep. But she had woken up the moment he stirred behind her. She continued to stay motionless and pretend to sleep. From the tiny cracks that were in the cave, she could see that it was nearing dawn. If he went out at this time, she could handle it. She waited for him to get dressed. When Caleb padded out of the cave, Elize sprung up from her place, slipped into white sweater, white slacks and boots and then walked after him. She parted the waterfall and when she stepped outside, she found that the skies were very dense. It was as if anytime now and the snow would start falling. 

Caleb wasn't too far ahead. She had sniffed him and followed him and noticed that he had gone to Auril's tent. Slowly, she padded closer to the tent. She heard voices from inside. 

"Do you want to go today too?" asked a weary Auril. 

"Yes! Get up!" Caleb grunted. "We have got a lead." 

"Why don't you let Daryn handle it?" 

"Daryn's wife is pregnant. I don't want to give him troubles that can potentially throw him into dangerous situations." 

"What about your cousin, Ileus?" Auril asked. 

"He has sent me a message that he has seen movement outside the borders of the Whiteclaw pack, which is located in the valley towards the base of Northern Mountains." 

"What movement?" 

"His men came across two rogue werewolves who were seen loping inside the mountains." 

There was a long pause. "How is it related to our problem, Caleb?" 

"They were following a raven." 

"You mean—" Auril's shocked voice came out sharply. 

"I just have a hunch, Auril," Caleb replied. "But I need to clear it from my mind. For that, I have to go to the Northern Mountains."

"That is very far, Caleb. It will take you at least three days to reach there." 

"Not if I create a portal," Caleb replied impatiently. "Now if you will hurry up, I don't have a lot of time. Elize wakes up by twilight and I have to be here to feed her. I hate leaving her unprotected." 

"Caleb, I strongly feel that you should take help from the Ixoviyan soldiers to find Edyrm. They will not deny your orders," said Auril. 

"Didn't I tell you about it, Auril?" Caleb snapped. "When we fought our mother, we stole their magic. What are they going to do against demons? Without magic Ixoviyans are like ordinary humans." 

"But it's not that they are devoid of all their magic! Otherwise, how could that soldier cut in?" 

"That is nothing compared to what they should have." Caleb's annoyance increased. "I will not jeopardize the life of my people on a mission that is solely related to me and my wife." 

Auril grunted and after a few minutes, the two men emerged from the tent, fully dressed and armed to the teeth. They came to stand in the corner of the settlement and Caleb created a portal. He murmured the location of the place where they had to go and symbols started arranging themselves on the top of the portal. Caleb looked back once and then entered the portal. Auril followed him immediately afterwards. The portal collapsed shut.

And Elize was left there, sitting behind a fallen log over a boulder, her eyes wide and her body trembling. Caleb was going after Edyrm without telling her. He had been searching for him in the Lore and not even once he mentioned it to her. Her heart plummeted to her stomach. What if he never came back? Did he think that she was so weak that couldn't accompany him? How could he leave her all alone here in the confines of his magic and go unprotected? She got up from her place and stared in the direction of the portal. Her eyes welled up.. She had been very unsuccessful in creating a portal.