Power of the Krsnik

The slap Peter received, bringing him back into his own reality, was not much more pleasant for him. The sharp stinging across his cheek had his eyes opening as violently as Tinnie's next wind up to strike him again.

“You’re not dying today, damn you.”

Peter stared in disbelief at the dwarfed creature as he tried to gather his bearings, his childlike palm ready to strike down upon him once again as his reddened hair twirled around his face. He came within inches of striking him again, before stopping himself and bellowing his signature grading howl, “It appears our Lord has returned from the grave.”

“I’ll be sending you there myself if you don’t get off me”

“Perhaps we’ll see Your Grace transform into a bear once more, truly remarkable work, you’ll have those ruffians pissing themselves into the next fortnight.”

Peter shook Tinnie off him, struggling to pull himself up. While his world gradually stabilized, he still could feel everything moving around him at once, while his head burned, as if every synapse was firing simultaneously. He stayed in his huddled state, the faces of Jakov and Lyana still churning around him. What he saw in his vision, the howling screams, the woman who looks so much like his companion, the whole experience was far too much for him to bear or process, not even including the toll his transformation took. His muscles twitched and contorted, writhing and pulling as they adjusted to his original form once more.

“Your Grace, we need to get you to Ragusiic before you try that again. You look as white as a ghost.”

Lyana leaned herself onto one of the trees nearby. “He’ll live, perhaps this wasn’t a complete fool’s errand after all.”

“I-I don’t even know what happened. One m-moment I was here, the next…I-t was like something possessed me.”

Tinnie rolled himself upright and adjusted his tunic back into place, “The power of the Krsnik is vast. They say the spirits of the Anointed themselves possess their chosen when transforming, giving them the power to enact its will. Even dragons must respect their prowess.”

“So you’re telling me there are dragons here too?”

Jakov helped his lord to his feet, “Dragons have been extinct for centuries now. It’s the wyverns in the mountains you have to look out for.” Peter waited for someone to laugh, but not a chuckle came after. If magic, woman that are cursed to become owlish monstrosities and spirits possess him by transforming his essence into a form of an animal, perhaps encountering a dragon wasn’t completely off the table.

Peter regained his footing, and the faces around him began to stabilize. He looked over to Lyana, who took the extra time to sharpen more sticks, her bow still by her side. The vision he just had, that same ferocity to her gaze, there was no doubt in his mind it was her he saw. “Why didn’t you wake us?”

She looked at him and Jakov. “You two really think you could climb a tree in a pinch? Besides, you weren’t in any real danger with us striking from above, and if you were, you’ll need to adapt faster than that if you wish to survive out here. Death waits for no one.”

Jakov picked up his sword, seeing himself in it. “Death would’ve claimed me today if not for your bravery, My Lord, I am eternally in your debt.”

Peter inspected the forest trees around him. He couldn’t determine where they had ridden in from the day prior, whether they were going north, south, east or west. All he knew was that the four of them didn’t have the supplies needed for an extended trip, and the longer they delayed with gathering the resources needed for a siege from their duchy, the more people would become nothing more than a meal for the striga in Zemliharos.

“Eternity won’t be l-long for us if we don’t get to Ragusiic soon.”

Jakov surveyed the trees, attempting to gather his own bearings. He pointed in a direction. “The path is this way, Your Grace. We’ll gather the forces needed to free our people before long.”

Lyana leered at Jakov. “Isn’t that the way we came?”

Tinnie pointed in a different direction. “Is it not this way? No matter, it’s all the same to me. It’s been oh so long since I’ve seen the capital”

“Sir Branković led a caravan this way a winter ago, I’m certain. This is the way forward.” Jakov stepped forward with conviction, going to gather Bura, still loyally awaiting her companions at the end of the fray. Peter scrambled to get their bedrolls packed on her back.

Lyana stared into the wilderness that surrounded them, looking for an answer of some sort to materialize. “May these fools guide us to grace.”

“I prefer the term idiot savant.” Lyana glared at Tinnie, who stepped forward in the direction Jakov pointed, not waiting for the others to finish packing the camp. Soon enough, the remaining three ventured deeper into the woods, trusting that the capital would be within range soon enough.