‘Leshy, guardian of the forest, we’ve always been on good terms. Please don’t let something make me their dinner,’ I muttered, cautiously walking in.
The den was more spacious than it appeared from the outside. The chamber extended to the side, the roots creating a small nook filled with dry leaves and grass, as if someone had woven a nest there.
And it was empty.
‘Don’t get your hopes up. Just… don’t,’ I muttered, rushing out and gathering as much firewood as I could, ripping dead branches and dry grass from the ice with a ferocity that surprised me.
A few moments and one fire sigil later, I had a small fire crackling away cheerfully while I spread my cloak over the leaves piled in the cosy corner. I could finally rest, and I was too tired to care about anything else. I curled up, my body shaking from the cold, as I absorbed the warmth provided by the fire.
I should gather more branches, I thought as my eyes closed.
Warmth still enveloped me when my awareness returned.
Just a few more minutes, I thought, sighing and reaching for the cloak to pull it closer. I grasped something coarser than the rabbit fur trim of my hood. Still, it was warm, and I stroked it gently, my hand tangling in its long hair until my cloak… purred, and my soul jumped out of my body.
My eyes snapped open, all senses on full alert, while I forgot to breathe in fright. My meagre fire had died, the embers not even glowing anymore, but behind me, a furnace purred quietly like a snoring dragon.
I exhaled shakily, keeping my body as still as I could, then looked down. A massive paw, armed with vicious claws, was wrapped around my waist, and I’d been stroking it for several minutes.
‘Right. Good cub… I’ll let you sleep,’ I muttered, pulling away as slowly as I could.Bears shouldn’t be active this time of year. Whatever had awoken it earlier must have gone, as the animal had returned to its hibernation, giving me a chance to escape.
I rolled, letting the giant paw slide off me. Inch by inch, I crawled away… or I was, until the claws twitched, then wrapped themselves around my calf, pulling me back. My yelp was so loud in the den that it startled us both. I turned to face the bear, and my heart sank as a fresh wave of fear spread over my skin, covering me with a cold sweat and goosebumps.
I would trade this beast for a bear, even an angry one. I would stick my head in a dragon’s mouth rather than face a bies, a monster even other monsters feared. My hand slid to my belt; I still had my poisons.
Jagon’s corpse had been a treasure trove of toxins, some even powerful enough to stop a monster, given time. Not that I had the time or the courage to risk it. The bies’ large, round eyes with golden pupils drifted to my hand. There was no aggression in the beast’s gaze. If anything, they reminded me of the eye ofa certain male. It was still holding me with a curious tilt of its head.Yes, I’m an idiot for wandering into your lair.
‘Look, I’m sorry. I thought the den was empty. I’m not a hunter, I’m a mage. Look…’ I raised my hand and called on the emerald strands of my ability.
The bies’ pupils dilated, an exasperated huff escaping the bovine nostrils. I realised far too late that biesy were a vivamancer’s creation. If Ciesko was right, their entire species came to be because someone like me had played at being a god and blended a bull, a bear, and a stag for good measure.
‘Oh, Sana, you monumental half-wit,’ I muttered, withdrawing my magic whilst observing the beast’s reaction. If he attacked,I’d have no choice but to fight back. I didn’t want to kill the creature whose only fault was having a cosy lair. Equally, I wanted to live.
‘I wish you could understand me. I’m shit scared right now, and if you’d just let me go, I will leave you in peace,’ I said without much hope, hissing when its claws flexed, their sharp tips pricking my skin. Still, it wasn’t hurting me, just pulling me close before its giant nose nudged my hand. Again, it nudged me. Then again, this time more urgently.
‘You want something, yes?’ I whispered, observing the beast’s reaction. ‘You want this?’ Vivamancer’s aether, as vibrant as fresh spring grass, curled around my hand, and the beast purred, rubbing its nose against my palm, until a large wet tongue flickered between my fingers.
‘The fates have a sense of humour,’ I said, shaking my head and squinting at the light growing in the entrance. ‘You aren’t the handsomest beast I’ve spent a night with, but you were the warmest. Now, that’s enough of that. I need to get up.’ I wiped my palm over its fur. The bies was watching with incredible concentration, tilting its head this way and that, as if trying to guess my intentions… and an idea formed in my head.
‘I wonder, is that why you were created – as a companion animal?’ I said while my hand drifted to its paw. I unhooked one claw, then another, and it just watched me until my calf was free and I rose to my feet. There was so much I didn’t know about my power. Ciesko, bless his heart, did his best, gave me any book I asked for, but they were all biased. Vivamancy was evil, a corrupted magic wielded by power-hungry maniacs who played with life itself to create monsters for war.
Yet, the creature in front of me wasn’t malicious or evil, and neither was my power.
The aether thrummed in my veins while I pondered how to repay the creature for saving me from death’s embrace. Biesyas a species were omnivorous, eating berries and roots, but not shying away from warm-blooded prey. I couldn’t hunt for it, but fresh fruit in the middle of winter? That I could do.
Emerald power danced between my fingers when I delved into the bies’ nest. I drafted a crude sigil, allowing my magic to filter through it to the bedding, reviving the plants without altering their structure.
Somehow, with the acceptance of the power I wielded came control… and pleasure. I grinned when the spell was completed, and a blackberry bush filled the space with the scent of its succulent berries. The beast stood up, showing no interest in the food I’d provided; instead, it stepped towards me.
‘It’s just a little magic; no need to be alarmed,’ I said, taking a step back. A strange, mournful sound rose from the bies’ throat as it stepped forward, pining for something precious it refused to lose. I climbed to the pinnacle of foolishness, reaching out and petting it again, solidifying this strange bond.
The three-eyed bovine head, topped with a magnificent crown of sharp antlers, dipped, the wet nose returning to my palm, snorting as it sniffed me. The purr intensified, then the magnificent beast dropped to its knees, calm, submissive… docile beneath the vivamancer’s touch.
I huffed, still unsure what was happening, but the fear had evaporated. Now I marvelled at the monster before me. A monster that, for some reason, chose to be mine. I’d never seen a bies up close. Those who did rarely survived to tell the tale, and I couldn’t help but wonder,Can I ride it?
It was taller than a bison and twice as wide, covered with coarse, thick fur from the muzzle to the hooves of its hind legs. The front legs ended in huge paws, equipped with sharp claws. When my gaze landed on the space between its shoulder blades, I couldn’t help but smile.I can ride it. Maybe the fates have finally provided me a way home.
‘I bet it gets lonely here during the winter,’ I said, scratching the bies behind the ears, making it lean closer, the massive body rubbing against my side still as hot as a furnace. ‘Thank you for saving me… and for letting me sleep in your home.’ I was babbling to the beast as if it could understand, but it was good to talk to someone, somethingagain. And it was good not to be afraid for once.
