ZARAMANNI (BOOK ONE)

For a second, the night took a brief pause. The leaves on the trees seemed to cease their slow dancing, the breeze went into hiding. Even though the moon remained bright, its presence worsened the situation on the ground. There was no escaping the terrible thing that just happened.

And, there was definitely no way to un-see the raging beast in front of her.

Zaramanni, who managed to get up despite the feeble state of her feet, decided to do something as she felt the chilly breeze of the night rush through her roughly packed hair.

Her full senses rushing back, her lips failing to find another bout of scream, Zaramanni could finally hear Alisha’s groans as well as the wolf’s angry snarling. With the side of her eyes wrinkled, Zara caught a glimpse of Alisha’s ripped arm which was twitching as much as blood rushed out of it.

“Zara…” Alisha managed to call as it seemed that the animal was about to strike again and perhaps bite her to death.

“Alisha,” Zara’s fears abounded as she met the woman’s teary gaze, “what do I do?” The sight of Alisha’s dismantled limb messed with her mind greatly.

Despite the welling in her reddish eyes, Alisha seemed more composed, and that added an ironic touch to the entire situation. Occasionally glancing at the beast above her with caution, Alisha said with a strained voice, “I… I need you to come over here.”

”Huh?”

“Come over here and place your palm on its heart!” Alisha rushed the words out as the wolf leaned closer, its salivating fangs aiming for a portion of Alisha’s head.

“Wait, what?” Everything about what the hurting lady said made no sense to Zaramanni, but what else could she do?

A corner of her mind was ready to do as Alisha asked, but her legs were reluctant.

“Hurry, Zaramanni!” The woman loudly whispered, fright back in her eyes as the wolf miraculously delayed its action.

Swiftly, after managing to convince her body, Zara rushed towards the horrifying scene. Her heart pounded, her palms sweated, and her legs felt worried.

But, as she managed to rush past the hind limbs of the wolf, none of that mattered. Somehow, her right palm rested against the raging fur of the wolf, just around a strongly pulsing part of its chest and she felt the beast still for a second.

Zaramanni’s touch lasted for seconds and it seemed like she was doing something right with that simple action. The wolf slowly started to take footsteps backward like a tamed person. Its head hung low like a shamed fellow and the night seemed like it would find peace again.

“Oh,” Alisha groaned as she scrammed from the bloodied scene. Forgetting about the retreating wolf, Zara rushed toward the witch, the sight of her arm a great bother.

”What are you going to do, Alisha?” Distress was all over Zaramanni’s face as her knees kissed the ground. “Your arm…”

The woman surprisingly let out a chuckle as her back found a surface to rest against. “I knew it,” was all she said.

“What?” Zara wondered what amused the woman so much that she was not acknowledging her bleeding, mutilated arm. “We should-”

“I knew you were not human. I just knew it,” Alisha breathed out those words with weakness and Zaramanni wondered if the woman valued her life at all.

While she struggled not to show the concern and conflict within her, Zara looked back and saw that all that was left of the beast was a naked man, covered in sweat yet shivering.

The King’s hair looked longer. Perhaps it was an illusion, who knew? But the hair did a great job of hiding the man’s face.

Zaramanni could not even begin to imagine what the man was feeling. But, Alisha was still her main focus at that particular moment.

As her eyes shifted from the man to Alisha’s detached arm, then to Alisha, Zaramanni asked the woman who still wore an amused look boldly. “We need to take care of your injury, Alisha.”

“You are more than a human, aren’t you?”

Zara sighed as she looked around for anything that could be used to reduce the bleeding. “Alisha, please stop talking, you are losing too much blood.”

The woman cackled. “I will be just fine.” Before Zaramanni could get up, a tight grip found her elbow. That grip frightened her greatly. “You are not human,” Alisha repeated, her busty chest loving heavily.

“I am. I am human.”

”How were you able to tame his wolf, then? Humans can’t do that. The ritual doesn’t work with pure human blood.”

“Wh-what ritual?” Zara was startled as much as she was uncomfortable with Alisha’s determined grip.

“You know what I am talking about. Who are you, really?”

Zara quickly dismissed the crazy talk. “I don’t know what you are talking about, Alisha. Please, let’s focus on your injury.”

A look of anger flashed on Alisha’s face as her lips spewed some inaudible words. Her gaze intently on Zara, the witch reached for some leaves behind them. She covered her injury with the plants and, as her muttering became louder, the kind of smoke that comes after a fire emitted from her shortened arm.

Zaramanni watched, her entire being in awe as the blood ceased and the arm looked as though it was sewn together. Seconds later, the injury had been taken care of. Apart from the reduced arm, nothing else seemed to be wrong.

“I thought you wouldn’t be able to use your magic,” Zara uttered her thoughts.

“It’s not always about what you have but what you can do.” A grunt escaped Alisha’s lips as she tried to get up. “Now,” Alisha was finally on her feet, “tell me who you are.”

Zaramanni was beginning to hate the woman’s persistence. What did she expect her to say? Claim that she is part of their universe? Was she supposed to tell her that humans back on Earth thought she was a freak?

“I told you…” Zara licked her lower lip as she felt some burden fall on her. To make things worse, Alisha’s glares started to irritate her. “I am from Earth. I grew up there, so I am human.”

”That ritual I was talking about… it involves the blood of a king and a half-fairy. That man,” Alisha’s head nodded in the direction of King Darren, “is the king of Zenrada, isn’t he?”

“I-”

“I don’t know what you think, but you wouldn’t have been able to tame his wolf if your blood wasn’t used. So, if your blood was used,” Zara was beginning to dread the woman’s conclusion, “that means you are not entirely human.”

”That’s a lie,” Zara whispered as her legs felt weak again and her mind became unable to take into consideration the claims Alisha was making.

“You have fairy blood, Zaramanni.”

Zaramanni let out a laugh. The sarcastic touch in her cackle raided the peace that the atmosphere was about to achieve. “I do not have fairy blood or whatever fuck it is you just said. I told you,” her brows knitted with seriousness, “I am human.”

Alisha sighed. “The more you refuse to believe it, the harder it will become for you. Do you want my advice?”

Zara eyed the woman with the side of her eyes as she still refused to believe what Alisha was saying. Of course, Alisha’s claims explained the drama that happened in the so-called sacrificial room in Amarxona. But, Zara chose to not believe a word.

“You can say what you wish to say,” the girl replied grudgingly to Alisha’s question, her hand running through her forehead as she tried to keep calm.

“Go back to Amarxona. That’s obviously where you belong.”

”What?” Zara flared instantly, her voice caused some creatures of the forest to jump out of their hiding place.

“Do you really think you can survive in Zenrada? The fairies have caused them great pain. if they find out one of them is in the kingdom or even worse, close to their king, they won’t hesitate to kill you. It won’t matter if you are a half-blood.”

Zaramanni felt her whole system freeze on hearing Alisha’s words. She didn’t wish to die… not on that planet… not by being mauled by the vicious fangs of angry, big wolves.

“You should go back to Amarxona.” Zara could not ignore Alisha’s insistence.

But, the mention of Amarxona reminded her of Ezeman. Ezeman wasn’t someone she wished to see again. That devious creature caused her to fall into a path that could have led to her death.

Zara’s head shook from left to right without her realizing, that was the extent to which she hated the idea of going back to the fairies’ land.

“No.” Her hair flying with the passing breeze, her hands drawn into determined fists, Zara spoke further, “I will follow King Darren, he is my best option.”

”Zaramanni…”

”I know it sounds insane, but he is my best option.”

“Hmm.” Alisha’s eyes fell on the other part of her arm that was lying lifeless on the ground. “When we get to The Big Tear, I will give you something that will help you tremendously. For now, let’s tend to Darren.”

Both of them looked towards the naked man who looked like he was sleeping.

“We should leave him for now,” Alisha said. “Grab a garment in my bag and cover him with it.”

After Zaramanni did as she instructed, the both of them sat beside each other and watched the man keenly.

~

That must be what it felt like…

A journey to a void place…

Darren felt like he was just waking up after taking a long walk in a huge, empty space. He felt his nakedness rub against the rough ground and before he could open his eyes, his mind wondered what was going on.

Once his lids opened, his emotionless eyes stared into the thick darkness ahead. He heard nothing as well and his mind whispered to him that he had been abandoned.

Suddenly, Darren sat up and looked around, the image of the white-haired girl in his head as his eyes searched past the slight darkness of the night.

“Oh.” As he heard the girl’s voice he felt some sort of relief. “You are awake.”

Darren felt her presence more when she rushed toward him, the witch by her side. With wide eyes, he searched the depths of the girl’s eyes and he searched for his voice.

“Are you okay?” she asked, the blueness of her skin coming into sight as she placed her fingers on his chin.

“Wh-” Alpha Darren hated how weak he felt. “What happened?” The sound of his voice annoyed him. He sounded like a wasted man. The enemies of Zenrada would sneer at him if they found him in such a state.

“You turned into a wolf,” he heard Zaramanni reply.

His eyes twitched and he narrowed them instantly, his head finally pushing off the touch she had on his face. “What?”

That was impossible. Highly impossible.

“You turned into a wolf,” she repeated and he failed to detest ridicule in her voice.

“But-” Darren looked to the side as her words baffled him more and more. “I don’t have a wolf.”

”You bit my arm off, Darren.” Alisha swiftly pushed a mutilated arm in his face. “Your wolf did this to me.”

“What are you talking about? His scowl became deeper. ” I don’t have a wolf.”

”You have one now thanks to the ritual,” Alisha replied scantily, her hair almost whipping his face as she got up from her squatted position.

The ritual? King Darren thought.

Was she perhaps talking about the abomination the fairies were trying to work on? While he was yet to settle his thoughts and think extensively about the things that happened from the moment he stepped into Amarxona, the Alpha King hoped that things weren’t about to get worse for him.

”So, are you-”

Crunching sounds came from the depths of the forest that was behind him. As Darren paused his words, Zaramanni got up and the trio looked in the same direction. A grunt came from that area and the king became alert even though he was still unable to get up.

Darren listened as the witch quietly gave some instructions to the white-haired girl. As the both of them moved, their feet light on the ground, someone soiled with dirt and a weird smell staggered out of the thick bushes.

It was a woman, he noted.

As the weak lady dragged her steps toward them, he finally got a good look at her and once he got a chance to look into her desperate eyes, he knew who she was right away.

“Laura…” his low voice dropped. He no longer regarded his sorry state as he got up, rushed towards her, and hugged her dearly, his heart squeezing hard.