A chill settled in Eirik's bones as the wolf locked eyes directly at him. Each Velari had a distinct color to their eyes when channelling their power.
This was a fact known to all. Even hybrids ,crosses between different species would have one. A hybrid would inherit a color from one of its parents or a blend of the two but to have two distinct colors to each eye was unheard of.
Heterochromia.
Yes a velari could have two different colored eyes as did all other species such as humans, cats and dogs. But this was not the case when channeling their power.
Though humans according to their myths and legends thought werewolves were people who had lycanthropy, they couldn't be further from the truth. Lykans and werewolves were very different beings.
Although believed to be come from the same ancestor, Lykans could shift into a formidable humanoid wolf like form. A creature of muscle and fur standing merely 12 feet tall, part man part beast.
The only problem was that werewolves did not exist. The complete transformation of man into beast was a myth.
Perhaps this was a beast conjured by whoever was behind this fog, probably a familiar but still its size was astonishing. The beast moved slowly and deliberately, assessing the people in front of it. Only a few were left the rest having been massacred.
The look in its eye dared anyone to make a move, seeming to send an open invite to anyone willing to make the mistake of challenging it.
Like wolves, Lykans lived in a society built on hierarchy, strength meant everything. The strong ruled the weak, and the beast before them outclassed them. Every instinct in their bodies screamed submission. The others bowed their heads instinctively, a sign of surrender.
Alric stood frozen in awe with Eirik just as dumbfounded. Darius had lowered his head as well, the gesture unmistakable. Sera had collapsed entirely, unconscious from the sheer pressure of its presence.
Lira held Sera's head in her lap, a defeated look on her face. Then the sound of heels hitting the gravel broke the trance the were in.
Someone was coming.
A tall and regal woman appeared from behind the beast. She had long silver like hair that looked like threads of moonlight cascading down her back. A dark cloak hung from her shoulders, edges brushing against the ground.
Her eyes were a rare shade of violet. Witches could alter the natural color of their eyes at will. Magic pulsed around her as she moved foward towards them.
Eirik gave Tariq a look and without a word he nodded confirming that she was the caster and the architect of their current situation. She moved without a care in the world to the rear of the semi trailer, and with a simple flick of her wrist the armored doors flung open landing several feet away.
They had to duck to avoid decapitation. Inside pulsing faintly with trapped energy sat the Null box.
"No" Alric breathed, stepping forward but before he could take another step the wolf growled a low resonant sound that rippled across them. The vibrations struck Alric's bones like a hammer. He could not move, the growl having frozen him in place.
The woman climbed into the truck's interior.
"No one could possibly break into a Null box" Lira said her voice low.
"No" Tariq replied "I do not believe she can. There is no record of anyone ever being able to do so. No one wields enough power to do so. To break into a Null box one has to overflow it with their magic. An impossible feat given that it drains and nullifies magic"
"Is that so" The woman replied as she studied the etchings across the box's surface.
"I mist say, impressive work" she continued "Your work I presume?" She looked at Tariq.
He inclined his head. " I did my best, though I cannot take all the credit, a certain Witch knowledgeable in that area helped. Unraveling those runes won't be so easy"
"Unfortunately your best is not enough, who do you think created the Null box?" She smiled.
She snapped her fingers, light surged across the runes in an instant then shattering. A blinding flash and then they were gone as if stripped from reality.
"That's not possible" Tariq whispered.
It was becoming a night of impossibilities.
He had studied magic all his adult life. Null boxes were powerful enough to contain onjects that could alter reality. To tear through one with such brute force was unbelievable.
Rune magic couldn't possible be erased. It had to be undone, unraveled like a tightly bound string, retracing the steps of the caster. To obliterate it defied the laws of arcane structure.
She placed her hands on the smooth surface of the dark metal.
Glowing lines of magic crawled up her arms. The slowly her hands phased through the surface of the box.
With guttural effort, she pulled her arms apart, the box splitting open.
Inside, curled up on the floor was what appeared to be a corpse.
A man, withered and ancient, his skin stretched tight over his bones. He looked mummified and lifeless, probably from prolonged starvation but to do so, to cause such a state to a Velari would mean he had been imprisoned for decades probably centuries.
And he was a Witch Tariq noted.
Why would the Lykans be transporting a witch in a null box? And where were they taking him?
The corpse stirred and the woman's face flickered with emotion.
She lifted him as if he weighed nothing, his frail body limp in her arms, but given his state he probably did weigh nothing.
"I've got him" she said.
The great wolf turned its head, intelligence glowing behind its mismatched eyes. This was no mere beast.
It then lowered itself to the ground, as low as it could given its massive size. She then jumped from the truck and laid the man gently upon its back, then climbed on behind resting his head on her chest with her arm around his waist to grab the wolf's fur, securing them both.
"You cannot take him" Lira shouted " He is our prisoner"
"And why is that?" The woman replied coldly "Why would a Witch be held prisoner by Lykans?"
"Why else would one be held prisoner if not for committing crimes against us"
"Is that what you've been led to believe?" She asked "The only crime he committed was trusting your kind. Mark my words pup, you will all pay dearly for this"
Lira's voice rang out again "We will find you! You cannot hope to attack us and expect no retaliation! We will hunt you to the end of the world if need be"
"Oh! There won't be any need for that" The wolf suddenly replied its fangs displayed in a manner that could only be interpreted as a smile. "We will be coming for you."