Forsaken Fields: Godspawn Part 5

Prompt 3

Lock walked carefully down the mossy steps, still a little uncomfortable on slippery stairs in this form. The evening sun turned the air golden as she reached the clearing where druids, nature spirits, and sentient animals alike chatted and ate, getting ready to start the bonfires and sing and dance the night away. It reminded Lock of the celebrations back home when she was just a cub. She would have to take Keys and Thomas with her back to the homeland soon to make some memories like that. Goodness knew they needed all the good memories they could get. 

Lock was greeted by several people who recognized her by her toasted marshmallow appearance and horns. 

“Hey! What are you doing here?” an exuberant druid called. 

“Just here to take a peek at the scroll halls. Don’t mind me,” she replied, walking comfortably across the clearing to a huge tree, the doors in the base of it wide open and welcoming. 

“Hope you find what you’re looking for!”

Lock nodded again and entered the tree. The place smelled like paper, though there wasn’t much dust as a trusty little breeze spell kept everything clean without throwing scrolls off the shelf. 

“Hello to you too,” she muttered to the little spell as it played invisibly through her fur before taking off to get back to its duties.

She went deeper, surprised to hear that someone else was looking through the scrolls, loosely bound books, and folders instead of out celebrating. 

She came around a shelf to see a lovely tan woman, feathers peeking out around her neck and arms as she pushed dark hair back, looking down at a scroll. She looked up and Lock realized that, while she didn’t recognize this form, she knew this woman. 

“Well, if it isn’t my crow friend. How have you been, dearest?”

The woman, Ianira, flushed a little. “Oh! Oh, I’ve been alright. It is good to see you again, Lock.”

Lock hummed. “I was actually wondering about you. I heard that there was a spree of strangely gotten presents becoming monsters without warning. I’m glad to see you’re alright.”

“Oh, yes. I heard of that, as well,” Ianira said, rolling up the scroll and putting it back where it was meant to go. “I had passed on the gift before I learned of that prank going around. My friend handled it quickly, though. They didn’t even tell me about it till the week after when I got their real gift. I felt terrible!”

“No need to feel too bad about it,” Lock assured her. “It wasn’t your fault. I should let you get back to your reading. I need to do some searching through here pretty quickly. Time does not act naturally here and I do not want to keep my boys waiting.”

“Ooh!” Ianira said, eyes lighting up like she’d seen something shining. “What are you searching for? I wasn’t looking for much, really. At least, I wasn’t really able to find anything.”

“Well, Keys and Thomas lost their memories to some creature and we’ve been looking into it, mostly for Thomas’s sake. He’s very eager about the whole thing. What were you looking for? Perhaps I can help keep an eye out as I search.”

“Oh, I’ve been all over this place,” she said, her tone clicking with disappointment as she pulled her shawl around her in discomfort. “I was looking for a way to appear more human when I wish. I wasn’t able to find much that worked.”

“Ah, well, I will keep you in mind. It is likely me and the boys will be searching for a while in many places before we find our answers.”

“I would appreciate that. Can I help you look?”

“Absolutely,” Lock said, getting onto her back legs to peruse the top shelves, her horns scratching gently against the ceiling of the room. 

The half harpy chirped to herself as she looked through the scrolls. 

It wasn't long until she came back with a few in her arms. “I found these while I was looking earlier.”

Lock thanked her, taking the scrolls and opening them. Most of them were just descriptions of beasts, not worth much as they looked over them. Lock carefully opened one book, mostly just papers pierced with string and held between two slabs of wood. She turned the pages gently with her claws as Ianira put the discarded scrolls back, perusing the shelves for more. 

The book’s title page showed the words: The Timely Guide of Victims

Further pages named a monster with a list of names underneath. 

“This might be something,” Lock said, getting Ianira’s attention. “Would you come help me here please?”

Ianira nodded and crouched by the book. 

“You look through the names on this page and I’ll look on this side. We’re looking for the name Keys or Thomas,” Lock said. 

She started turning the pages, scanning her side and looking for the names she needed. 

They looked, stopping whenever the name Thomas cropped up. It was a common name, though, and it was difficult to know if it was her Thomas since he didn’t know his last name. So, they were stuck looking for Keys’ name, though it occurred to Lock that they might not find him on the lists since Keys wasn’t his name before he met her, but they didn’t know his original name either. 

Still, she continued, hoping. The book updated before their eyes, new names written under monstrous titles as monsters continued their hunts, so she could only hope the book kept up with names as well. 

She turned the page, her eyes landing on the monster’s name. Godspawn. That wasn’t very descriptive, she thought to herself, scanning the list. 

Ianira signaled she was done with her side and Lock was about to turn the page when she noticed half faded names crop up at the bottom of the list, flickering strangely. 

She looked for a moment longer and froze.
Keys

Thomas

Lock got quickly to her feet, nearly knocking Ianira to the ground. 

“They’re in trouble,” Lock said, reading the monster’s name again. Godspawn. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be a match for her fury, her tail lashing and fur raising on her back. 

“Godspawn,” Ianira said. “What is that?”

“I don’t know. I’m about to find out.”

“I’ll come with you,” Ianira said, getting to her feet. “I’ll be able to search from the sky as need be.”

Lock nodded firmly. “Yes, thank you. Come. I know they were going to an old library we passed on the way to the town. We must hurry.”

Ianira nodded and turned into her small crow form with a high croak, hopping onto Lock’s back and digging her talons into thick fur to hang on as Lock quickly shoved the book back onto a shelf and pounded out of the hall, weaving through guests and going up a hill instead of taking the stairs. When they reached the edge of the hallow darkness fell completely, the quiet marking how late in the night it truly was where time moved more quickly than in the hollow. 

With that, Lock found her way to the path and ran like the boys’ lives depended on it, Ianira dipping low against her back to keep from falling off.