looked, bristled at this, shaking his head a little. Then something started to happen, and I gasped, unable to help the shudder that wracked my body. I hadn’t even realised that Trice had reached me, and my reaction made him take another step closer to me.
“Tis all right, lass,” he assured the moment the air around his brother started to turn into a vapour. It was as if an immense heat had warped the elements around him and the very fabric of time was shaking and vibrating. In fact, any minute I expected him to be sucked into some kind of alternate universe. Then again, I had seen way too many sci fi movies and was admittedly a massive geek.
But whatever was happening to him started gaining momentum, as pretty soon it started to warp the image enough that all I could make out was colour. The black and hints of red started to merge, until eventually more colours were added and the jumble of a distorted image started to create a shape once more. This meant that soon, Vern was stepping through the chaos, leaving it behind him the moment he did. His cocky grin said it all, and the dimples shown at his cheeks said even more.
“I don't know which one I preferred, but I have a feeling that if I said this one, then that will probably go straight to his head,” I commented, making his brothers laugh. But with that cheeky grin still playing at his lips, he strode over to me with a cocky stride and then said to me when he was no more than a foot away,
“My lady, I cannot express what it means to see you unharmed and looking ravishing as… oh darn…” The moment it was out of his mouth he stopped whatever else he was about to say, and his eyes widened in shock just as ours did the same.
Then in an overly posh English way, he said…
“Dash it all… I am a gentleman again!”
4
A Fly by Shooting
The moment this came out of Vern’s mouth, his two brothers burst out laughing as if their hilarity could not be contained.
“I fail to see how this is amusing,” Vern said as well as crossing his arms and tapping his foot. Which I had to say, in that moment, all he was missing was a tweed suit, a large glass of brandy and a springer spaniel stood next to him with a dead pheasant hanging from its mouth.
“I think ye'll fin', brother, tis very funny,” Trice said in between laughter. As for poor Vern, well, none of us seemed to know why it happened, only that the moment we had made it through the portal, Vern had been affected in a way his brothers hadn't been.
To begin with, he had been the only one to fully shift into his other form. Which made me question if because of it, it had some kind of reverse effect of the spell Nero had put on him? A spell that back in Hell had naturally worn off after a time, making me now wonder what it was about this realm that had brought it back?
“Well, at least one good thing comes out of this,” I said rolling my lips inwards to try and prevent myself from laughing along with his brothers.
“And pray do tell me what that is, my lady,” Vern said in a voice that didn't match his pissed off demeanour. I smirked and told him,
“At least I'll be able to understand one of you.” Then I gave him a wink that made him roll his eyes at me. I patted his chest once and teased,
“Now that wasn’t very gentlemanly of you.” At this, Griff burst out laughing yet again, making his whole muscle clad belly shake, and Vern just granted him an unamused look in return. As for Trice, he was now the one with his arms folded across his chest, scowling as if the idea of me being unable to understand him was one that vexed him greatly. But as for me, well I just kept the big smirk on my face as I walked over to him, smacked him on the side of the bicep, and said,
“Come on, broody, let's get this journey over with.”
“And whit journey may that be, lass?” Gryph asked as I started to make my way down the hill. I looked over my shoulder at all three of my Scottish saviours, and instead of crumbling to the floor