Familiar Bonds Part 7
Bell and Vivienne moved through the eerie room, their footsteps soft on the dusty floor as they examined each statue. The tension was palpable, the oppressive air pressing down on them as they scoured for any sign of life.
“I’m telling you, Bell, I can feel it,” Vivienne said, crouching in front of a particularly smug-looking cat statue. “This is definitely my cat. Look at the face. That’s pure contempt. That’s her.”
Bell frowned, her eyes scanning the line of statues that looked like Poe. “We need to be sure, Vivienne. If we choose wrong—”
“We’re not going to choose wrong,” Vivienne interrupted, straightening up with a dramatic flourish. “Because I’m a genius. Watch and learn!”
Before Bell could protest, Vivienne reached out and touched the cat statue’s head.
There was a pause, and for a brief moment, the room seemed to hold its breath. Then the cat statue twitched, its fur rippling as though it had come alive. Its green eyes glowed brightly, and with a loud, indignant hiss, it jumped down from the pedestal.
“See?” Vivienne crowed, folding her arms smugly. “Told you! Pure brilliance!”
But her triumph was short-lived. The moment the cat landed, the other statues in the room began to stir. One by one, they came to life, their movements stiff and jerky at first before becoming unnervingly fluid.
The room erupted into chaos. Cats howled and hissed, darting across the floor with their claws outstretched. Ravens filled the air, their massive wings flapping wildly and sending gusts of air that kicked up ash and dust.
“Uh… Bell?” Vivienne called over the cacophony. “This might have been a bad idea.”
Bell was frozen for a moment, overwhelmed by the noise and movement. But then she heard it—a familiar caw cutting through the chaos. She turned, her heart leaping as she saw Poe flying toward her.
“Poe!” she cried, relief flooding her chest.
He landed on her shoulder, his feathers glinting darkly in the dim light. His glowing eyes softened slightly as he nuzzled her cheek. “Bell,” he said, his voice low and urgent, “I wanted to choose you the whole time. I’ll always choose you.”
Bell’s breath hitched, her fingers curling into his feathers. “Then why—”
“There’s no time for that now,” Poe interrupted, his voice sharp with urgency. “We need to get out of here. The Hat Man won’t let this chaos go to waste, and he’s already—”
A loud, resonant laugh filled the room, followed by a howling wind that seemed to originate from nowhere. The flapping wings of the ravens intensified, their movements spiralling into a growing storm. Dust and ash swirled in the air, forming a vortex that tore through the room.
“Oh, that’s bad,” Vivienne muttered, ducking as a raven swooped past her head. “That’s really bad!”
Poe’s feathers flared as he flapped his wings, his form rippling unnaturally. Bell gasped as his body began to shift, growing larger and darker, his feathers lengthening and becoming sharper.
“Poe?” she whispered, her voice trembling.
“I’m sorry you have to see this,” Poe said, his voice deeper, more resonant. “But it’s the only way we’re getting out of here.”
With a final surge of energy, Poe transformed into a massive demonic raven, his size dwarfing anything in the room. His wings stretched wide, blacker than the shadows, and his glowing eyes burned brighter than ever.
Bell staggered back, stunned. “Poe…”
Before she could process what was happening, Vivienne rode past on the back of her now-enormous black cat, gripping its fur with both hands.
“Bell!” she shouted, her hair flying wildly in the storm. “No time to gawk—get on your giant murder bird! We need to go!”
Poe lowered his head, his voice urgent. “Bell, we have to move. Now!”
The storm intensified, the vortex pulling at the room as statues shattered and walls crumbled. Bell hesitated for only a second before leaping onto Poe’s back, her hands clutching at his feathers.
“Hold on tight,” Poe said, his wings spreading wide.
With a powerful beat of his massive wings, Poe launched them into the air, tearing through the swirling chaos as Vivienne and her cat bounded below. The ash and wind whipped around them, but Bell felt a surge of determination as they raced to escape the Hat Man’s twisted trap.
The wind howled in the darkness, the storm pulling at them with relentless force. Poe’s massive wings beat furiously against the void, but every flap seemed to take more out of him. The vortex of ash and shadow closed in, swirling with a malevolent energy that sought to drag them back into its clutches.
“Poe, hold on!” Bell cried, clutching tightly to his feathers as they buffeted her face.
“I’m trying,” Poe rasped, his voice strained. His massive form wavered, his movements growing less steady. “But I don’t know how much longer I can fight this storm.”
Bell felt the tremor in his voice, the weariness in his body. “You can do this, Poe. I know you can.”
Poe’s voice softened, almost breaking. “Bell, you deserve to know the truth—what I really am.”
Bell blinked, her heart pounding. “What are you talking about? You’re my familiar. You’re my friend.”
“No,” Poe said, his wings faltering for a moment. He caught himself, surging forward with a desperate beat, but his voice was filled with pain. “I wasn’t born a familiar. I wasn’t born anything good. I’m a curse.”
“A… curse?” Bell whispered, her grip tightening on him.
“I was born from the hatred in your heart,” Poe confessed, his voice trembling with emotion. “A hatred so deep it cursed you—cursed me. But when time separated us, something changed. By the time I found you again… your hatred was gone. You healed, Bell. You had no more hatred left to fuel me, and I was happy for you. I didn’t care if it meant I’d fade into nothing. I just wanted to see you live. To see you happy.”
Bell’s chest tightened as tears pricked her eyes. “Poe…”
The storm roared louder, and the Hat Man’s voice cut through the chaos, cruel and sharp.
“How touching,” he sneered. “But don’t you see, Bell? If you still had that hatred, he could escape this storm with ease. He would be unstoppable—the strongest curse in existence.”
Bell’s breath hitched as the Hat Man’s voice turned seductive, dripping with malice.
“Let me help you, Bell. Let me unlock those memories you buried. Bring back that hatred. With it, you’ll save him, and he’ll become what he was always meant to be.”
“No!” Bell shouted, her voice fierce. “I don’t need your help, and Poe doesn’t need hatred to be strong. We have something better than that. We have love. We have trust. We have friendship.”
Somewhere far below Vivienne retched.
Poe faltered, his wings trembling. “Bell…” he said softly, his voice full of doubt.
“You have to believe me, Poe,” Bell said, her voice resolute despite the storm raging around them. “You don’t need to be defined by where you came from. It doesn’t matter how you were born. What matters is what you do with it.”
Poe hesitated, his wings slowing as he considered her words. “There’s something else,” he said, his voice heavy. “You have incredible latent magic, Bell. If I draw on it through our bond, I’ll be strong enough to get us out of here. But…” He paused, his voice breaking. “If I do, we’ll never be able to separate. You’ll be stuck with me forever. A curse. A being born of hatred.”
Bell’s tears spilled freely now, her voice trembling but steady. “I don’t care, Poe. You’re not just a curse. You’re my friend. My partner. My family. You’ve always chosen me, and now I’m choosing you. Draw on my magic. Do whatever you need to do. We’re in this together.”
Poe’s heart surged with emotion, his hesitation fading. “All right, Bell. Let’s do this.”
As he tapped into their bond for the first time, Bell felt an overwhelming wave of connection wash over her. She could see through his eyes, hear the storm through his ears, feel his powerful heart beating in sync with hers. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced—pure and unfiltered magic flowing between them, tying them together irrevocably.
The connection ignited a transformation. Poe’s dark feathers began to shimmer, the black melting away into pure white. His glowing red eyes softened to a radiant pink, and his form shifted, growing more elegant and radiant.
He had become a magnificent albino phoenix, his feathers blazing like molten silver, his wings carrying an otherworldly strength.
“Bell,” Poe said, his voice stronger than ever, resonating with power. “We can do this.”
Just then, another voice cut through the storm—a voice Bell recognized immediately. “Bell!”
“Elspeth?” she said, stunned.
Bell heard her companion’s voice in her mind, calm and steady despite the chaos. “Ava told me what happened. Hang tight—I’m opening a portal. It’ll take you back to the shop.”
A brilliant light appeared ahead, forming a swirling portal. Poe surged forward, his newfound power propelling them toward safety.
Behind them, Vivienne’s voice rang out. “Don’t leave me behind, you jerks!”
Bell turned just in time to see Vivienne riding her massive black cat, the two of them bounding through the storm.
“Vivienne, hurry!” Bell shouted.
“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Vivienne yelled, clinging to her cat’s fur as they leapt through the portal right behind Poe.
The storm roared one last time before the portal closed behind them, and the world fell silent.
The portal had spat them out into the familiar chaos of Elspeth’s shop—a cramped, cluttered room filled with the scent of old books, herbs, and magical residue. Bell stumbled as they landed, her legs shaky from the adrenaline and the intense connection she’d just shared with Poe.
Poe perched beside her, his now smaller, radiant form filling the room with a soft, warm glow. His new albino feathers shimmered, and his piercing pink eyes radiated calm reassurance. Bell looked at him, her breath catching.
“You’re beautiful,” she said softly.
Poe tilted his head, his voice steady and warm. “And you’re braver than you know.”
Behind them, Vivienne and her now-shrunken black cat tumbled to the ground. Vivienne landed on her feet, barely holding onto her balance, while the cat hopped down gracefully, glaring up at her with judgmental green eyes.
“Great,” Vivienne muttered, brushing ash off her jacket. “I ride a giant demon cat through a storm, save the day with my incredible shoe aim, and this is the thanks I get?” She looked at the cat. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
The cat hissed in reply, flicking its tail as it padded away to explore the shop.
“Glad to see you all made it,” Elspeth said, stepping out from behind a stack of books. She looked remarkably unruffled, her green eyes glinting with amusement. “I wasn’t sure Vivienne would survive without both shoes.”
Vivienne rolled her eyes. “Laugh it up, Green Eyes. But I’m telling you, holy water-filled boots? Revolutionary. I’m putting in a patent.”
Bell chuckled weakly, the tension finally leaving her shoulders as she slumped into a nearby chair. Poe hopped down beside her, folding his wings delicately as he perched on the armrest.
Elspeth leaned against the table, her expression softening. “What happened in there? Ava gave me the short version, but it sounds like you’ve been through hell.”
Bell hesitated, her hand resting on Poe’s back. “The Hat Man… he tried to twist everything. To use Poe against me.” Her voice faltered, but she took a steadying breath and continued. “He told me Poe was a curse born from my own hatred. That I could only make him stronger if I brought that hatred back.”
Elspeth frowned but said nothing, letting Bell continue.
“But he was wrong,” Bell said, her voice firm. She looked at Poe, her gaze unwavering. “It doesn’t matter where he came from. It doesn’t matter what he was born from. What matters is who he is now. And who we are together.”
Poe’s feathers ruffled slightly, his voice soft with gratitude. “And I’ll always choose you, Bell. No matter what.”
Vivienne clapped her hands together, breaking the solemn moment. “Okay, so, group hug? Because I feel like we deserve one after that mess.”
Bell laughed, shaking her head. “I think we’re good, Vivienne.”
Elspeth smirked. “You really have a knack for chaos, don’t you, Vivienne?”
Vivienne shrugged, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “What can I say? Chaos follows me. Or maybe I just look good in the middle of it.”
The room filled with a moment of easy laughter, the tension of the past hours melting away.
Bell glanced at Poe, her hand stroking his radiant feathers. “What do we do now?”
Poe’s gaze turned thoughtful. “We keep moving forward. Together.”
Elspeth crossed her arms, her tone half-teasing. “And maybe you let me know next time you decide to anger a supernatural entity. I could use the entertainment.”
Vivienne snorted. “You mean you want in on the action. Admit it, Elspeth, you’re bored out of your mind here.”
Elspeth smirked but didn’t deny it.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Bell felt a lightness in her chest. The storm was behind them, the Hat Man was gone—for now—and they’d come out stronger.
As the shop bustled back into its usual rhythm of organised chaos, Bell leaned closer to Poe and whispered, “We’ve got this, right?”
Poe’s soft, melodic caw was all the reassurance she needed.
And with that, they stepped into the next chapter of their journey, ready for whatever came next—together.