“What in the world is happening?” Lyse unconsciously asked aloud.
“No idea. But something is, and it’s up to us to find out what before dusk,” Sidis replied.
Sidis guided their raptor down toward the wall in front of the monsters, but the knights on the ground signaled him to the right. He followed their instructions, but the wall looked like it was standing firm to him. He wasn’t sure why they wanted him to land elsewhere. He brought the bird down in a clearing farther away from the wall, and the couple alighted.
“Oh, Prince Sidis! We’re glad to have you here!” called a knight as he ran over to them.
Sidis was more concerned about what had just happened. “Why was I stopped from landing on the wall?”
“We’ve been having problems there, Your Highness. Things have calmed down a bit at the moment, but a few of the soldiers standing near it have transformed into dogs.”
“Even here?” Sidis said, scowling.
People turning into dogs again was bad enough as it was, but the fact that it had now happened twice within the capital alarmed Lyse. It was far too frequent for comfort. The Donan threat was growing. This had to be their doing as well.
“How are your people handling the monsters?” Sidis inquired of the knight.
“I’ve assigned, erm, people who were fine with becoming dogs,” he responded coolly.
“That’s one way of doing things...” Lyse awkwardly chuckled to herself.
It was a commendable decision to select those who were willing to become dogs in order to defend the empire. The alternative was to turn the reluctant into tragic heroes, which wouldn’t be good for morale. Moreover, sending in those who weren’t opposed to the canine transformation meant it wouldn’t take them by surprise or shake their nerves in battle. Being prepared was one thing, but Lyse couldn’t help thinking they should’ve given more thought to the aftermath.
“Believe it or not, quite a few of them consider the transformation to be an extended leave of sorts,” explained the knight.
“And they know that they’ll retain their human memories?” asked Sidis.
“They seemed less concerned about the transformation than you do, so I didn’t mention that part.” The knight slyly snickered. “But hey, life is long. What’s the harm in trying out something new every now and then?”
What a brilliant knight, Sidis thought. He nodded in approval of appealing to the soldiers’ adventurousness, then approached the scene for himself.
“First, I’ll wipe out all the monsters here with magic. Then, Lyse, I want you to secure the area with your monsters and keep the others at bay.”
“Understood.”
The couple climbed the wall directly above where the monsters were congregated. After a quick count of their numbers, Sidis conjured flames and reduced them all to clouds of black smoke in a single strike. A sparkle of green light then caught his eye.
“Hmm?”
Right by the city wall where the monsters had just been incinerated, something was glimmering.
Lyse went to release her monsters, but they were fidgeting restlessly. Their wriggling tickled her hand in her pocket. “Um, Lord Sidis? My monsters are behaving oddly as well.”
“Something must be affecting them. Can you keep them under control?”
“I believe so, yes, but I doubt they can guard us in this state.” Lyse was disappointed to learn that she was ultimately useless at a crucial time like this.
“Worry not. We knew that something was attracting the monsters here, yet not even I foresaw your monsters being drawn to it too,” Sidis said in a comforting tone.
He then enlisted the help of several knights on standby and used his magic to lower their group safely down to the ground on the other side of the wall. “What is this...?” he muttered.
The green light stood about the height of a person and was surrounded by a handful of black rocks. It slowly lost its brilliance before finally extinguishing.
“Oh. The monsters have calmed down somewhat,” Lyse remarked. They weren’t completely pacified, however. Their fur was standing on end like it had been ruffled on a dry winter’s night, and they continued to stir in her pocket. “They’re still wriggling around. Maybe it’s because of the stones?”
Sidis approached where the light had been, but with the first step he took, something shattered beneath his foot. Upon closer inspection, the ground was covered in what looked like a thin coat of dried black mud, but it was much harder.
“Is this...stone?” Lyse wondered.
“Seems like it. But what exactly...” Sidis paused, racking his brain before a eureka moment struck him. “I just had an idea.”
“Do you know what it is?”
“I do. I’ve seen something similar before, but I’ll have to confirm it first before reporting to His Majesty,” he replied.
Sidis then set about gathering the rocks. He grabbed a nearby shovel, hastily piled the shards of rock together, and bagged them up. Afterward, he used his magic to ascend the wall again with everyone.
“How are the soldiers who’ve been turned into dogs?” he asked.
The knight in command shook his head. “It doesn’t look as though they’ll be recovering soon, Your Highness.”
“Pity. I was hoping they would, given how quickly the other victims did.”
“We need to do something to prevent more cases in the future,” muttered Lyse without thinking.
She believed they needed to act quickly, before the whole city was overrun with dogs. If it came to that, casually asking soldiers if they wanted to try the doggy life would be out of the question. The city’s defenses would be left in shambles, and with the traders and townsfolk transformed too, so would the economy.
“In any case, this ought to stop the monsters from gathering here. Let’s return to the palace and report to His Majesty, Lyse.”
When the couple arrived at the emperor’s private office, they found Egbert and Alcede already waiting for them.
“What’s the story?” Alcede asked, getting straight to the point.
“The short version is that Donan stones were attracting the monsters,” said Sidis.