Page 74 of The House of Whispers

The powder clung to my lungs, drying out my throat, as the room began to spin, my head aching as flashes of red moved across my mind. I could feel my consciousness fading, my arms reaching for Reynard as my body tipped, slamming into the wall. “Interesting,” he whispered faintly as the memory fell black.

The smell of fresh blood and the sound of distant screams echoed between my ears in the darkness of my consciousness. My body felt as though it was floating in water, weightless, moving with such grace as my mind kept my motions hidden from me. I could feel my hands burning with power unlike any I had felt before. The memory distorted, the sound of something shattering within as it flashed to a new scene. I was stumbling down a dark alley, the house slowly fading into view in the distance. Faint sounds of moans and mixed voices were carried by the cold air, hitting me as I continued toward the house in a weird trance.

As I closed in on the brothel, the image of two people, fully embracing one another became clear. Her wings fluttered as the copper-headed man thrust into her, her legs wrapped around his waist as their bodies pushed against the side of the brothel. My eyes squinted, my vision moving as the realization of who it was sank in.

Anger and power fueled me as I began sprinting toward them. The Whisp heard the quick taps of my boots, her eyes meeting mine as fear contorted her face. She gasped, dropping her legs as my hands ignited, pulling Reynard back onto the pavement, his head slamming into the stone. While he groaned, grabbing at his skull, the Whisp tried to flutter away. She was too slow, my raised hand full of magik preventing her from moving.

Glaring down at Reynard, my irises burned with jealousy and rage as I spoke through clenched teeth. “You used me.”

He huffed, groaning as he rose to his feet, adjusting his pants. “Casper,” he exhaled, touching the place on his head that had made contact with the pavement, “did you really think you were the only person I was screwing?” Reynard scoffed, his eyes falling to the Whisp I held within my power. “You’re all the same.” I watched him closely as he placed his hat atop his head, sniffing as his breath fogged the air. “Something to play with—my little games.” An eerie smile branched along his face as warm tears filled my eyes. I had no control over my feelings and emotions, I was completely unhinged. My head throbbed and ached, feeling as though something was tearing inside. Reynard watched me, shaking his head. “Tell me,” he crossed his arms behind his back, “how do you like my little experiment?” He stepped closer. “I made it special for you.”

My eyes burned as my body shook, struggling to control itself. “You just said I was like the rest of them,” my head motioned toward the Whisp, still frozen in place.

“Ah, yes,” he stopped in front of me, “sexually, you’re nothing special. But yourpower,” his eyes enlarged as he emphasized the last of his words, “that is something special.” Reynard turned, facing away as he continued to speak, almost gloating. “You see, all my powder really is, is Fairy Dust.”

My head pulsated, sending a shooting pain along my spine, causing me to wince. “Fairy Dust doesn’t do this to hexers.” My hands reached for my brain, desperate to make the pain stop.

“Indeed,” Reynard glanced over his shoulder, smiling. “But,” he turned, his head tilting, “if you infuse the dust with something powerful like magik,” he flourished his hand, vermillion flames swirling from his palm, “then it becomes something far more powerful.”

My eyes widened with fear. “You infused the dust withmagik?” That wasn’t possible… was it?

Reynard lifted his other hand, shooting the flame of his magik from one hand to the other, playing with it. “Not just any magik,” he flung his power into the frozen Whisp, flames quickly consuming her as she quickly reduced to a measly pile of ash. “Hexer magik.” He grinned, glancing back at me.

“No,” I breathed, stepping back as he moved towards me, “that’s not possible.”

“Are you sure about that?” Reynard’s magik slithered toward me, gripping my throat. It began choking me, holding me firm in my place. “You see,” he began to circle me, “I’ve discovered that I can personally infuse the dust with my own magik, leaving drops of my essence in each dose. Now, the real struggle was testing the effects onwillingsubjects.” He stopped. “Well, none really were willing, until you.” He glanced at me with enthusiasm. “What’s unique about you, Casper, is that unlike my other subjects, you’re a hexer. Others, Whisps, Scaleys—their minds couldn’t withstand the power of my magik mixed with the drugs. It warped their minds, toying with them until eventually their brains combusted inside their skulls. It was quite a sight to behold. After many trials and many errors, I realized the only one powerful enough to withstand the dark magik would be a magik wielding person.” My hands struggled, trying to fight his magik around my neck, gasping for air. “Now, Dwimmers, they lasted longer, but eventually they too couldn’t survive the darkness we possess. That’s when I realized I needed a hexer. And as you know,” he waved his hand in my direction, “there are very few of us left.”

Reynard snapped his fingers, releasing his grip on me as my body fell to its knees, my throat burning while I coughed. Cold air filled my lungs causing me to gag, struggling to control my breathing. “Why me?” I wheezed.

He crouched in front of me, grabbing a handful of my black hair, forcing my eyes to his. “You may be one of the most powerful hexers in Bedeville, but your mind is feeble. You were the perfect target.” His hand dropped my head as he stood. “Because you, Casper, areweak.” A piercing ringing grew behind my ears, black flashes distorting my view as something deep within my soul bubbled, boiling over.

My hands squeezed into fists, trembling as magik slowly seeped from every pore of my skin, violet light leaking into the night. The pain and rejection I felt coursed through me, powering the rage within. Reynard glanced back at me, curious. My head rose, a bloodcurdling scream escaping my throat as a wave of dark magik boomed from my body. The bright purple surge slammed Reynard into the wall of the brothel, knocking him unconscious and draining my energy.

I wobbled to my feet, shaking as my breathing struggled to calm itself. The back door of the brothel swung open as Min fluttered from within the brothel. “Casper? Casper, what was that loud noise?” She glanced at me as I trudged across the pavement to Reynard. “Are you okay?”

I sniffed, rubbing away a small drop of blood that had dripped from my nose. “Go back inside, Min. It’s just another John.” I wiped the blood on my fingers on Reynard’s jacket as I lifted his body over my shoulder. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

Min remained still, watching as I slowly carried Reynard’s unconscious body away from the house. “Do you want me to fetch Nathair?” She called after me.

“No, this one is mine.”

The memory flashed, pain shooting across my skull as it faded into something different. The sounds of my groans filled my ears as the scene rippled into focus. My glowing fist slammed into Reynard’s face, slowly waking him. I swung a second time, then third, each hitting their mark as blood dripped from his broken nose. He moaned, unable to defend himself as I gripped the collar of his jacket and raised him to my face. “Who’s weak now?” I growled, my arm raised, ready to strike.

Reynard smiled, his blood stained teeth reflecting the moonlight. “My powder has already begun to untap your true potential.” He spat at my feet. “Do you feel that power coursing through your veins? That extra surge that’s fueling your rage?” I remained still, my magik pulsating. He wasn’t wrong. I felt more powerful than ever before. “Yes, that’smypower. It’s mixing with yours, creating something completely new. Something dark and powerful.” The way his drug made me feel was euphoric. I felt weightless, able to do whatever I wanted. My body craved for more, wanting this feeling to never end.

Reynard laughed, pleased with his experiment. I pulled him closer, “As much as I’ve enjoyed our business together,” my fist rammed into his cheek, “we’re finished.” Reynard coughed as I stepped behind him, retrieving my blade from the sheath around my thigh. I raised his head, twirling the knife as it hovered above the skin of his neck. I leaned in close to his ear, whispering. “Any last words, doctor?”

“The game has just begun,” he coughed, “I’m a part of you now, Casper, forever.”

The familiar words became morphed and distorted as red and black flashes stretched through my brain. The sight of Reynard’s death and body falling onto the pavement repeated itself, on a loop, increasing in speed and volume with each painful replay. As his death played again and again, loud piercing sounds rang as it all came crashing to a halt, the memory shattering into pieces amongst the darkness.

The fragments sprayed across the pavement, drenched in a thin layer of black water. I stepped along the wet street, looking down at my reflection in the many broken glassy fragments. “This isn’t what happened,” I whispered, my voice slow and drawn. “This isn’t how it was.”

Soft taps in the distance rippled the water as Jakkal slowly approached me. “Are you sure about that?” His voice echoed, overlaying itself as he spoke.

I slowly dropped to my knees, my fingertips sliding across the pieces, picking up each shattered memory, examining them closely. A different memory played in the separate shards, revealing the hidden truth of that night. “Why?” Tears slowly fell from my eyes.

“Because, little ghost,” Jakkal crouched in front of me as his hand lifted my chin, “the memories you thought were your own, were nothing more than fabrications of the truth, weaved to protect you from yourself.”

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