Chapter 32

-Dante-

I stared at the closest statue that was hovering over me. I didn’t like the way it was staring down at me. I couldn’t remember his name, but it stared at me like he knew me. Maybe he did know me. He had seen my memories. All of them. How was that even possible?

And why was he looking at me like he expected me to do something?

The sun was up, but Chase was still asleep. I was glad about it because I needed some time to think about the dream. I had been awake for almost an hour now, but having intellectual thoughts was surprisingly hard at that moment.

What we saw in the dream was not easy to digest. Not even close. The Elders gave us three hints, but I only asked for one. I only wanted that one. What was I supposed to do with the knowledge that my own wife had something to do with me turning into a monster? And why was it so important for me to see how I got turned into a werewolf in the first place? Yes, I was aware of what the Elders were trying to suggest, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face it yet.

I tried to pretend that it didn’t matter to me. Only finding the cure mattered to me. This was not the outcome I had hoped. All I wanted was the cure. Just the cure, simple as that.

It didn’t take long before Chase woke up too. He opened his eyes and gave me a lazy smile, and for a second, I thought he didn’t remember the dream at all. It was clear that he remembered it only a moment later when he suddenly almost jumped out of the bed, his expression turning shocked, but excited.

“Oh my God!” he breathed out dramatically. “What the hell was that?!”

“I know, right,” I sighed.

“No, I mean, what the hell was that?!”

“I know, right,” I repeated while he pushed his hair back so he could stare at me with wide eyes.

“She did that to you?!“

“Looks like it…”

He stared at me for a moment, clearly unable to understand why I wasn’t as enthusiastic as he was. He then tilted his head and sat down next to me, resting his hand on my cheek.

“This is a good thing, Dante. We got the answers we were looking for.”

“Did we?” I muttered, and his expression dropped.

“At least we know we have the cure now,” he said quietly.

“Do we?” I muttered.

“Don’t be like that…” he begged, and I looked away.

“I only wanted the cure. I didn’t ask for the rest of it. It’s too much. I didn’t want to know about the other things…”

“I know,” he said soothingly. “We don’t have to do anything about it. You are safe, we have the cure, and we can now move on,” he spoke, but I could tell he was dying to know more about why I was turned.

“I’m not safe. Whatever their reasons were, as long as they’re out there, they will try to find me.”

“Not if I find them first…” he muttered.

“Chase…”

“I promised to take care of you, and that is exactly what I’m going to do,” he said with a smile. “None of them will lay a finger on you ever again, especially that bitch.”

“You can’t be sure… We don’t know their full power,” I tried to say, but he placed his finger on my lips.

“Are you hungry? I’m starving,” he suddenly said. “I don’t think we should be having this conversation with an empty stomach.”

I was going to start arguing with him, but then remembered it was supposed to be me who didn’t want to have this conversation now, so I nodded instead. “What time is it anyway?”

“I have no idea,” Chase replied, the stopped to stare at me with a big smile on his face. “At least we know that the book is important. I don’t know if it has the cure, but it is important. We can figure out what to do with the rest of the info later.”

I nodded, and he leaned in to kiss me.

*****

Elena was very professional towards us after we left the room. She asked if we found what we had been looking for, and settled with our short, “Kind of,” answer without pushing us for more information while she led us back to our room where they had prepared a massive banquet of a breakfast. I thought I wasn’t hungry but ended up eating four times more than Chase did, and he sure had an appetite.

When we returned to our room, he was excited and cheerful, but I was anxious. I refused to think about the dream, but that led me to go through the memories I had of the lab. Although, I couldn’t remember anything important. Since Lena had kept the whole thing a secret even from Killian, nothing I had witnessed gave me more clues.

“Whatever it was…” I muttered as I stared at the mountains, frowning at the partial reflection of myself in the window. “It was Killian who told her about it.”

“Definitely,” Chase said slowly. “And he was upset about it.”

“I thought he was just a simple handler… A hunter or something. He often bragged about how many of us he had killed…” I muttered.

“Are we ready to have this conversation now?” he asked, stepping right next to me.

“Sure,” I sighed. I was feeling calm and rational enough to talk. “You were right about the food…”

“Hunger makes everything worse,” he smiled, but then his expression turned serious. “There’s something I want to talk about specifically.”

“Go ahead,” I sighed and went to sit down on the edge of our bed. He walked over to me, and sat down at my feet, leaning against the bed.

“That guy, Killian… He recognized you right away when you started turning. I bet he knows way more about you than we do. He had the knowledge to make you turn.”

“And he gave Lena the recipe,” I nodded.

“Right. And she was going to sell you.”

“No… Not me…” I muttered, glancing my fists together. “I was her test subject.”

“So?”

“The whole reason she built the lab was to find the key to immortality. She had to know I was turning into the beast when she said that she hoped the anomaly in me would be that key. She was going to keep me for her experiments.”

“I wonder if she knew that the condition is lethal…” Chase grunted. “That stupid bitch…”

“Why are we even talking about this?” I sighed. “What difference does it make? If we really have the cure, our problem is solved.”

“Because Killian knew how to make you turn. He gave Lena the recipe for that, but he was angry that she used it,” Chase said. “That’s what I wanted to talk about because I find it really odd.”

“He hated my guts. He hated all supernaturals,” I said with a shrug.

“You thought he was just a handler or a hunter or whatever, but how does he know about a recipe that even Ben has never heard of? Ben has been studying this for decades. He has powerful friends all over the world and he has still not heard of this,” Chase spoke hastily. “We need to find out who Killian really is.”

“Why? We have the cure already,” I reminded him. “I mean, hopefully…”

“So, you really don’t care?” he asked quietly, and something in me snapped.

“Of course, I care! I just found out that what happened to me wasn’t an accident, and there’s no way I can just not care. Nothing of it was an accident, Chase! I was turned on purpose! I became the monster on purpose! By Lena! She did this to me! My own wife did this to me, but I don’t even know why! She hated all supernaturals! She made that very clear when she found out I was a werewolf, but now I don’t know if she already knew about us and was just acting like she didn’t,” I somehow managed to snap my mouth shut long enough to calm down a bit. “And it might be that it was she who sent that werewolf to turn me.”

Chase was quiet the entire time during my rant, just watching me without getting bothered by the fact that I was practically yelling at his face. When I was done, he got up on his knees and pressed his hand on my cheek. That immediately made me feel better.

And when he smiled, I felt stupid. There was no reason for me to get worked up like that.

“I’m sorry – that was really unfair of me to say,” he said quietly.

“I do care – I really do…” I whispered, still feeling overwhelmed.

I guess he could see that since he suddenly stood up and took my hand in his.

“Should we go for a walk? I could use some fresh air and I promised we could go explore this place.”

I stared at him for a short moment and then nodded. “Yeah, that actually sounds great.”

“You’re going to love the place,” he smiled, pulling me up as well.

*****

I started feeling much better while we made our way back to the other mountaintop. The fresh air and the view and Chase’s company really did wonders. Eru was with us again, walking a few steps ahead of us like making sure the path was clear. When we arrived at where we left Chase’s car, and the lively city surrounded us, it was easier to understand that I really didn’t have to be worried about the dream.

I mean, once I was cured, we had all the time in the world to deal with Lena and Killian, and thanks to the dream, we now knew a little more about what we were up against. They still needed to be stopped and their operation ruined – that had not changed.

I didn’t think that exploring the dwarven city could take my mind off the dream, but when Chase nudged my arm and pointed at the closest entrance to the inner city, the dream started losing its grip on me. After walking to the other end of the tunnel, I forgot all about it.

My God, the place was amazing. The tunnel into the mountain had taken us to some kind of massive balcony or a spectating area that overlooked the entire city. We stopped next to the railings that prevented us from falling into our early deaths, and my fear of heights almost got the best of me. I also felt very, very small.

It seemed like the whole mountain was completely hollow, and the city was growing out of the walls. There were three white, massive, medieval-looking buildings that actually were part of the mountain, and they were positioned in a perfect triangle opposite of each other. Those three seemed way older than my ancestors, so I assumed they were the first buildings this city ever had, and the rest of them were added over hundreds of years. There also was a fourth big building on the bottom, tall and thin like an icicle, but very similar to the three others.

The rest of the city consisted of much smaller buildings that were scattered all over the walls on different-sized platforms. Some of those platforms were natural cliffs, and some dwarven-made metal floors that were standing on top of thick pillars, and dozens of bridges and lifts were the only things connecting them. I imagined it was really easy to get lost in that place.

“This is the Center City,” Chase spoke next to me.

“Center City? You mean this isn’t the whole thing?”

“Nope – I’ve heard there’s ten miles worth of tunnels spreading through this whole area,” he explained. “Probably even more.”

When I took a closer look, I did spot a few big tunnels here and there. “Don’t let me out of your sight.”

He laughed and nudged my arm, making me follow him to the closest lift.

The elevator was scary. It was just a platform with chest-high railings and tiny gates that closed automatically just before it started moving. No one else seemed bothered at all, while I could see dozens of ways for me to get plunged to my death. When it stopped on the lower level, I was glad to feel solid ground under my feet once more.

“This is the marketplace,” Chase said, gesturing towards the massive area in front of us.

The walls on this level had dozens of little caves carved into them, and each of those caves housed a small business selling things from cheese to clothes to building materials. The rest of the floor was filled with tents and tables, with more people selling their products. I could see a bridge behind it all in the distance, leading to the next platform that was located a bit lower than this one.

We started walking around the marketplace, checking out the small caves first. I immediately started feeling hungry again when the scent of all that food filled my nose. Different kinds of hams, meats, cheeses, fruits, snacks, bread, desserts… I was drooling. Chase bought me a whole baguette that was filled with cream cheese and chunks of ham. I started to realize these people loved ham because it was everywhere. There were whole shops dedicated to different kinds of ham, and I saw several people carrying big blocks of it on their shoulders. It was good, though, so I didn’t complain.

Once we got out of the food district and entered the next one, we found ourselves surrounded by clothes. There wasn’t much for us since the clothes were too small for me, and too wide for Chase, so we moved on.

The rest of the huts and tents and caves were interesting of course, but even I had to admit that there was a small section that was above all else.

“I must have this,” Chase said, admiring a very sharp-looking dagger in his hands. He had a loving expression on his face as he studied the slightly curved, thin blade. I wasn’t sure what material it was made of since the metallic gray had a hint of light blue in it.

There were four different merchants trying to gain our attention, and they all were selling weapons. Axes, swords, daggers, bows, even guns, but nothing like I’d ever seen. Most of them were beautifully detailed with pictures of animals, trees, mountains and rivers, and they were all unique.

I leaned closer to take a look at the one Chase was holding and wasn’t surprised to see a wolf carved onto the blade.

The merchant, an older dwarf, was praising his taste in weapons and started telling a tale of how he spent three weeks making it during the cold winter. I wanted to tell him he didn’t need to try convincing Chase because I knew he already made up his mind. And the way he was already peering at the other weapons indicated that the dagger wasn’t the only thing getting a new owner now.

“You look like an ax man,” one of the merchants said, approaching me.

“Oh… I… I don’t… I don’t know how to handle these things,” I said, rubbing the back of my head.

“I’m sure you’re a fast learner,” he said, smiling behind his bronze beard. “Come! Have a look! I have the finest axes on this side of the globe!”

“I don’t even have the money for it,” I mumbled, but either he didn’t believe me, or he believed it wasn’t an obstacle.

“Come, come! Let me show you what a good ax looks like!”

I glanced at Chase who was busy checking out the guns a few feet away. I was getting uncomfortable, but I had to learn how to deal with people without hiding behind Chase all the time. So, I turned back to the merchant.

“I don’t think I’ll need one,” I tried to say.

“Nonsense! Everyone needs a good ax!” he said, trying to gesture me to follow him. At least he wasn’t trying to touch me or get too close. I figured he’d leave me alone if I did as he asked and checked out his axes, but then another merchant took a step closer to me, trying to start telling more about his weapons. I was getting increasingly insecure, and I just wanted out of the situation, but I didn’t have any time to do or say anything.

Because suddenly, there was a very angry cat standing between me and the merchants, hissing and growling at them with her puffed-up tail whipping the air.

“Eru?”

The merchants gave her some pretty concerned looks before the first one spoke, “I’m guessing he’s not a big fan of axes?”

“She. But no, I don’t think so,” I chuckled.

“Fair enough, fair enough,” the merchant said, and they both finally left me alone.

Eru snorted at them both before taking a seat by my feet and curling her tail around her paws. I could only stare at her. Once the men were far enough, she looked up at me and meowed when our eyes met. For some reason, that made me feel a hell of a lot better.

“I’ll make sure you’ll get a big chunk of ham tonight,” I told her.

She meowed again.

“Seeing you two getting along now makes me really happy,” Chase spoke right next to me, nearly scaring the crap out of me. “I was about to hex them, but she got here first.”

“You… saw that?” I asked, starting to feel embarrassed – they were just a couple of men trying to sell their products, nothing more…

“Uh-huh,” he nodded. “Should we go back to the House?”

I turned to look at the city, then at Eru and finally at him again. “Can we stay just a little longer? I’m so done staring at walls.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, and I nodded without hesitation.

“I feel… fine,” I said truthfully. “I have the ring if something goes wrong, and I know I’m in good hands.”

Chase gave me a smile. “Okay, but let’s try to steer away from crowds.”

I nodded, and after Chase paid for his dagger – giving longing looks at the rest of the weapons – we continued our walk. It dawned on me that it really did not bother me being around all these people, and there were lots of them.

I felt much stronger like I wasn’t the same person who stepped into the dream anymore. When I mentioned it to Chase, he looked happy.

“I can see that,” he said. “Your whole posture has changed.”

“I guess all that cleansing stuff we did for the ritual really helped,” I said.

“I really think so, yes.”

“But it’s going to wear off, right?”

“That’s not how the ritual works,” he chuckled as we stopped close by to another elevator. “The potions, the ring, the ritual… All of those things are meant to keep your fear away so you can use your strength to deal with what happened to you. What you have accomplished so far is not going to wear off. Sure, there will be bad days and bad moments, but this is you; this is how far you’ve come.”

“But what happens when the fear comes back?” I asked quietly.

“Well,” he said slowly, giving me a warm smile, “you haven’t taken your potion in several days now.”

“You mean…?”

“That’s the funny thing with fear – if you don’t feed it, it usually ceases to exist,” he said.

I thought about his words for a moment, hoping that he was right. My fear was definitely not gone yet, but… I did feel better. Still scared of merchants, true, but much better.