Zombie and the Beast

- 7 -

Lara woke up in semi-darkness, unsure if the pink and yellow streaks in the pale blue sky were from the rising or setting sun. The last tendrils of strange dreams were still pulling at her mind and for a few seconds, she couldn't remember how to move nor breathe. She couldn't tell where she was nor whether she was dead or alive. She coughed and started breathing again.

Gasping, she sat up and conjured a small flame in her palm. She looked at her surroundings in the dancing light until the memories of the previous day came rushing. Blood raced through her veins at an unusually fast speed at the thought of what had happened. She pinched the bridge of her nose and crossed her legs slowly, grunting as her knees popped. Her muscles and joints were stiff, her skin looked strange, and she felt cold and exhausted. She shivered and bit her lower lip, wondering if those things were a sign that all the progress she'd done healing herself was gone.

Afraid of what she would discover when she looked at her body's condition closer, she stared at the flame on her palm for a while. She hoped it would help her empty her mind and put some distance between herself and her current situation, as Dragon-Magic should only ever be used when in control of one's emotions.

Once her heart was beating at a more familiar rhythm, she closed her eyes and assessed the damages. She'd been right. There was much more to heal than there should have been, considering how much she'd already done since waking up in her coffin.

"Decay," she whispered.

The word made her feel like the world was crumbling under her feet, leaving her with nowhere to go. She inhaled sharply and opened her eyes. There was no other explanation; her body was rotting away. Her stomach turned to ice as she thought of each second turning her little more in a monster. What would happen if she couldn't stop it? Would she die again or be stuck inside whatever was left? She shuddered and forced herself to think about her next steps rather than her bleak future. For now, she would have to self-heal regularly and hurry with the potions until she found a more permanent solution. She would also go over Cal's notes and try to figure out what had gone wrong. She let out a frustrated grunt. What had Cal been thinking? Did he really believe he could succeed where so many had failed? She'd never thought of him as conceited, though. Had her death driven him mad?

She punched the pillow. Next, she breathed in and out a few times to clear her mind before focusing on the energy around her, taking just enough to heal herself without hurting anything. It was one of the rules transmitted to her ancestors by the Dragons - one that Cal had broken to bring her back. She pushed that thought away, aware that it was too loaded with negative feelings to allow her to use Dragon-Magic safely.

Once done, she stood up and opened a window, letting in fresh air and the sound of bird songs. She looked at the blue sky, where the last traces of yellow were fading, wishing the Dragons still soared on the summery winds like they did centuries ago. Surely, they would have helped her. Thinking of them and the Crystal Dragons who once lived on Islada made her wish that she at least had a piece of crystal with her. Crystal improved concentration and heightened the energy used for Dragon-Magic, making its effects stronger and more permanent. Since their powers came from Crystal Dragons, its effect was multiplied for Isladians.

Lara sighed and stood up. She ate a little even though she didn't feel hungry, changed, and took out Cal's notes. After hiding her backpack under the bed, she searched the kitchen and picked a reed basket to carry the plants and flowers she was planning to pick. She hoped to find most of them near the village.

Doubting she would be able to find the house easily, since it looked just like the neighbouring ones, she picked some white pebbles from an old flower bed and placed them on the door sill. Then, doing her best to avoid going near any of the stone bodies, she walked to the edge of the forest near the marketplace, and started looking for the plants listed in Cal's recipes. She started with thistles and camomile, as they were easy to recognise and liked sunnier places. Some of the others would be more difficult to find, such as ginger and iris root. She wished she had thought of looking through Cal's reserves before leaving.

A strange banging noise caught her attention. She frowned. It was too slow to be a woodpecker and there was not enough wind for it to be a branch hitting something. She looked around, wondering if someone else could be hiding in Alstein.

Hoping she wasn't about to meet a ghost, she put down the basket, grabbed a large branch, and held it defensively over her shoulder. With her eyes darting in every direction, she started walking towards the sound. It seemed to be coming from behind one of the houses on the other side of the marketplace. She approached it slowly, stepping as lightly as possible between the unmoving villagers. She hoped the tickling sensation on the back of her neck came from their empty stares rather than from being watched by some unseen entity.

The noise stopped. Lara froze in place and almost dropped her branch as a beast came out from behind the house. She had never seen anything like it. Barely breathing, she bit her lower lip and waited, silently studying the newcomer as it looked at the house's walls. Tall and muscular, it stood on two hooved legs and was carrying a large hammer. The sun gave the short black fur covering the beast's entire body a dark blue sheen, which contrasted starkly with the sharp pointed horns on its head. They were as white as snow and curved backwards, like a mountain goat's. The beast was also wearing gray shorts and a white ring on one of its fingers, making Lara think it had more in common with humans than its appearance otherwise betrayed.

Lara took a step backwards. Her boot slipped on a pebble, which rolled away, attracting the beast's attention. Its dark brown eyes met Lara's. It frowned and opened its mouth, revealing a row of long, pointy teeth, and let out a guttural moan.

"No!" it said in a raspy voice. "Not again!"