by Alicia Fabel
“So your memories are wiped out?”
“Completely. Our ability to function and understand the world remains, but the rest is gone. I think it is a way for the trauma of our lives to be taken from us. This way we are healthy in both mind and body.”
“So as far as the nymphs and satyrs above are concerned, your people have always lived together on this mountain,” Vera concluded.
“But this is our mountain,” said Airlea. “Those satyrs do not belong here.”
“That may be, but our people need them,” said Delia.
“For what?” Vera couldn’t think of any good reasons.
“Satyrs protect us from gorgons. They can redirect those beings with a whistle. Otherwise, the gorgons would have destroyed us decades ago.”
“I thought you were immortal?” Vera was confused again. “Wait, what’s a gorgon?”
“A gorgon, you know…turns victims to statues,” said Airlea.
Vera’s heart thumped in her chest. “Do they have snakes for hair by chance?”
Airlea laughed. “I guess their matted locks do look like snakes, but no. The only snake is them.”
Vera wondered if the nymph meant that literally or figuratively, but Delia continued to answer the rest of Vera’s question. “We’re immortal only if we revert into our healing forms before we die. In that form, though, we are rather defenseless.”
“How do you know that you are sisters if no one remembers anything?” Vera asked.
“Airlea knows because I told her. I know because I have never reverted,” explained Delia. “I retain all the memories of my long life, including that of the sister who raised me until the day she did not come home again. She was attacked by the old Aegis, a couple of generations ago. He was a boy when his kind invaded, and he wanted to be sure he was the last to remember.”
“But they missed you,” Vera pointed out.
“They did not notice me because I was just a child. I tried to leave the mountain but could not. While I hid, I found this cave.”
“The fact that Delia has been so careful to not be seen or get injured this long is unheard of,” said Airlea, with an obvious fondness for her old-little sister. “But she will have to revert soon, or she will die of old age.”
“I was going to revert weeks ago,” said Delia. “Airlea knows the truth now and can teach it to me again. But I stuck around to see what trouble Addamas had brought to the mountain.” Delia eyed Vera. “I’m still trying to figure it out.”
Vera squirmed under the dual appraisals. “So you need the satyrs for protection. I get that. But why do you put up with all their crap?”
“No one would believe the truth if we told them. The satyrs were taught that the nymphs came to them for refuge, not the other way around. As far as they are concerned, this was their mountain first and their fountain too. We are nothing more than parasites, who owe them, and in a way, we do. For keeping the gorgons away, even if that’s not why they came here.”
“Why did they come here?”
“The mountains keep them safe. Satyrs are the favorite food source of cyclopes.”
Vera cut a face. “They eat satyrs?”
“Roasted, stewed, and satyr jerky.” Airlea grinned happily at the thought.
Vera’s stomach knotted. “That’s disgusting.”
“The satyrs are trapped on this mountain just like we are because cyclopes can smell them and track them.”
“The satyrs can’t whistle them away?”
“Cyclopes are tone deaf,” Airlea chortled. “But they are also clumsy and mostly blind, so they cannot navigate the mountains and come for dinner.”
“You plan to keep living like this, knowing that the satyrs invaded your home?” asked Vera.
“For now, it’s an arrangement that keeps us all alive,” said Delia.
“Yeah, alive and miserable. What kind of life is that?”
“When life gets too hard to bear, a nymph can revert. Only my sister and I have to stay alive so that we can keep the truth from disappearing.”
“No wonder nymphs are so happy all the time,” Vera murmured, “even though satyrs are jerkwads to them.”
“The new Aegis does not allow them to treat us the way his father and grandfather did.” Airlea shrugged. “I don’t remember the old king, but I know to be glad that he’s gone.”
Vera still thought it was abhorrent, but they seemed willing to continue the cycle. “What happens if the next king is not so benevolent?” The word was bitter on Vera’s tongue. That’s not how she’d describe the temperamental Aegis, who always had a smiling nymph on each arm.
“Perhaps when that day comes, we’ll ally with the cyclopes and hope they can keep the gorgons at bay for us.”
“The gorgons eat nymphs?”
“Oh no.” Delia shook her head. “They desire the water from our fountain. It gives them beauty, but the effects are short-lived. Once they find a fountain, they drain it. Since it is the life source of the nymphs on this mountain, we would all die if that happened.”
“The satyrs don’t know this?”
“They believe the fountain is sacred to their people but have no idea why.” Delia’s face crinkled with a grin. “We make sure it is not a place they want to visit often.”
“Are there more nymphs out there somewhere?” Vera asked.
“From what I’ve overheard, we are the last. And we will only live for as long as the satyr stink masks our existence here.”
“A stink that draws the cyclopes,” reminded Vera.
“Luckily, cyclopes don’t seem to smell nymphs. If we hold still, we’re invisible to them.”
Vera yawned. The adrenaline from the night was wearing thin.
“Why don’t you sleep,” suggested Airlea. “We will keep an eye on Addamas and let you know when it is time to get him out.”
As much as Vera felt she should do something other than sleep, she was exhausted. “Will the fountain make anyone more beautiful?” she asked for no particular reason except curiosity. The nymphs exchanged wary glances.
“It will,” said Delia slowly. “But anyone who drinks that water will find they are always fighting their thirst. Do you know what it is like to always be thirsty and never able to satisfy that thirst?”
“That sounds horrible.” Vera thought about her siphon’s thirst for magic. About the urge she’d once had to suck the power from all the witches around her. That feeling still lingered in the background of her void, but it was not insistent like it used to be. With each magic she awakened inside herself, it lessened a little more. She would not want that feeling back again, no matter how young and beautiful their fountain water would make her.
Airlea handed Vera a blanket.
“I guess it’s a good thing Addamas peed in it instead of drinking it,” Vera mused.
Both nymphs choked a bit. “He did what?”
Vera flinched. Maybe she shouldn’t have told them about that. But then they started laughing. They laughed until tears fell down their cheeks. “We’ve been peeing in that fountain for years.”
“Why?”
“With the old king dead, and no one around who remembers why the law says none are to drink or speak of the fountain, I wanted to make certain assurances. The whole cavern reeks of piss. No one goes near it, but they still guard it like treasure. They have no idea why except that it is supposedly special.”
Vera spread the blanket out on the cave floor and curled up with a smile. The nymphs were turning out to be nothing like she’d thought.
2
Kale eyed the mousy human girl with disinterest. He didn’t understand why Mimi’s brothers had called him over when the girl crossed into the new meadow. She wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle. The girl hugged a notebook to her chest and clutched a pencil in a lead-smudged hand. She took in his unnatural form and made a choked gasp before darting behind Pili—the easy-going twin—and using him as a not-so-human shield. Seb’s brow flew up in surprise. The moody twi
n looked spectacularly uncomfortable so close to the human.
“Let Mother know there’s a hole in her wards so she can get it fixed.” Kale turned to leave.
“What do we do with her?” Pili took a step away from the girl, but she moved whenever he did.
“I don’t care,” said Kale. “Just make it quick.”
Seb got the gist and slipped a dagger from his belt.
Pili shifted in front of the girl, who suddenly clutched his shirt. “What are you doing?”
“Getting rid of the human,” answered Seb easily.
“Mimi said no killing the humans,” reminded Pili.
“It’s just one human. I don’t think Mimi will care if it keeps our home protected.”
Seb tried to step around his brother. Pili put a hand out to stop him. Kale had never seen the brothers challenge each other. This might get interesting.
There’s been lots of interesting stuff happening lately, Ferrox interjected. If you came out more often than when Vera is gone, you’d know that.
Have you told her that I’ve been around?
No.
Good. Kale relaxed to watch the fight playing out in front of him.
“We need to put her back,” said Pili.
“So she can go blabbing to all the other humans?” Seb shook his head.
“I won’t say anything,” came a trembling voice. “I promise.”
“See? She promises,” said Pili.
“She’s human. Their promises don’t mean anything.”
Kale half expected the girl to be offended and snap back, but she was too busy trying to look small. Vera would’ve said something.
What would she say if she saw you right now?
Kale swallowed back the curses he wanted to throw at Ferrox. The demon was right though. He sighed. “Just send her back. No one would believe her anyway.”
Seb was not pleased, but he sheathed his blade while Pili quickly ushered the girl toward the Earth-gate.
“That seems like a bad idea,” observed Seb once his brother was gone.
“Scared of a pathetic human?”
Seb offered a dark look and stalked away. Kale was disappointed. He’d been hoping the man would lash out at him. But no one here had the nerve.
Your girl would give you all the hell you want if you’d give her the chance.
Drop it, Ferrox.
“Wishing you were in Diyu?” asked Marianna, coming up behind him.
Okay, almost no one had the nerve to challenge him. The weaver sidled up beside him. She had no problem throwing barbs, but in her case, Kale had to tread carefully. Otherwise, she might put him in the ground—still alive.
“At least in Diyu, there’s something to keep me entertained.”
“Oh yes,” said Marianna drolly. “Skinning people, cutting off bits of them, shoving it down their throats, and then setting them on fire.”
“You are opposed to the torture of evil people?”
“I didn’t say that, but I am concerned about how fast your taste for it seems to be coming back.”
“I’m in control of myself.”
“Are you? How long has Vera been gone—do you even know?”
“Vera can take care of herself.”
“Yeah, that girl never gets herself into trouble she can’t handle,” Marianna said sarcastically but with fondness as well.
His tense muscles flinched at the reminder of how much trouble Vera was capable of. “Addamas will watch over her.”
To which Marianna scowled. She was not Addamas’s biggest fan. Honestly, the satyr didn’t have many fans, but he had been a good friend to Kale. They could trust him to keep an eye on Vera… Okay, the satyr had helped Vera run headlong into trouble more than once. Kale swiped a hand through his hair. Marianna seemed pleased by his agitation.
“She doesn’t need my help,” Kale persisted.
“Are you trying to convince me of that, or yourself?” she taunted.
Kale clenched his teeth and kept his mouth shut.
Marianna eyed him with condescending amusement. “Ah. I see. You’re hoping to convince Vera. How long before you plan to walk away from her for good?”
Kale winced at the accuracy of the weaver’s assumption. She couldn’t pull thoughts from his mind, but she had a way of reading him like a book. Of course, she’d known him for a couple of centuries. That was plenty of time to learn his nuances. It also made her old enough not to be afraid of him.
“I’m not the man she knew. The longer Ferrox and I are merged, the further from that man I’ll become.”
“So, you’re leaving to protect her.” Marianna rolled her eyes.
“Is that wrong?”
“It’s cliché and boring.”
“You’d rather I destroy her?” Kale released a measured breath and continued calmly, “If I stay here, she’ll keep trying to save me. You and I both know she’s too stubborn to quit. Failing will crush her. Over and over.”
“You say too stubborn. I say too good.”
“And yet, the results will be the same: She’ll get hurt.”
“I understand that you have little faith in yourself, but I’m surprised that you have so little faith in her,” Marianna chided.
“You think she can ward off the monster inside me? I mean, she’s pretty incredible, don’t get me wrong, but that’s a stretch.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Marianna replied. “I mean, do you actually think there’s anywhere in this unraveled world where you could run that she wouldn’t find a way to track you down? No matter how dangerous.”
Kale hadn’t thought of that. Stars blast me. He’d been planning to head to Diyu, where his depraved inclinations could be put to good use. What if the girl followed him there?
“Welp, I think my work here is done. I guess you’ll be sticking around a bit longer. At least until you figure out how to save that girl from yourself without getting her killed.” Marianna wiggled her fingers in farewell before walking away, leaving Kale standing there, gaping.
That manipulative witch.
Manipulative, yes. Wrong, no, Ferrox said.
The demon-horse had been spending a fair amount of time sleeping since Kale had come back. How long had it been? Marianna had asked if he knew how long Vera had been gone. The truth was, he didn’t.
I’m sleeping because I’m bored out of my mind with all this Guardian business.
I’m not the Guardian anymore, Kale reminded.
Maybe not under compulsion, now that the meadow has fallen to Earth. Apparently, you can take the magic bindings out of the Guardian, but you cannot take the Guardian out of you. You just have more graphic daydreams now of how you’d like to eviscerate everyone.
I’m surprised you don’t appreciate that.
Oh, I do. It’s like porn for me, Ferrox replied. But since I am not allowed to indulge in the flesh around here, I’m sleeping so I don’t lose my mind and bite off something that someone would rather keep. And get us cut down in the process.
Kale hadn’t thought about that either—how much Ferrox had to be struggling. All the more reason to retire to some underworld and be the torturer in residence for the rest of his days. However many days that would be. Unnaturals never lived to old age. Except for the now-dead Errock, who’d somehow been frozen in time until a witch unleashed him in Earth the year before. Otherwise, Kale had no idea how long an unnatural lived if no one killed them.
Which brings us back to that girl you fell in love with. How are you going to handle staying away from her for the rest of your life?
I’ll get over it, Kale told him.
Ferrox snorted inelegantly. You’re already delusional, then? I thought we had a bit more time before you lost it that bad.
Shut up.
You know you sound like her too, right? Ferrox asked. She doesn’t even care that you’re half horse now. So what’s the problem?
The problem is I’m half horse, Kale said.
I’d be offended if I wa
sn’t equally unhappy to be half man at the moment. But if she doesn’t care, why do you? And none of that load about you losing your mind and hurting her. I’m in your head and know that you’d cut us in half before you’d hurt her—I’d probably allow it.
I didn’t realize you cared for the girl.
I don’t, but I couldn’t live with your remorse if you ever harmed her. You’re already insufferable.
Why did you surface, if I’m so annoying?
Because I’m hungry, Ferrox complained.
Kale gazed up at the darkening sky. It was later than he’d realized. Wake me when it’s morning and you’ve filled yourself.
Don’t want to come along for the hunt?
Kale hesitated. Part of him wouldn’t mind scenting out a tainted soul and feasting on his flesh alongside Ferrox. With Marianna’s warning ringing in his mind, though, he was afraid to indulge and fall faster. He had to come up with a plan to separate himself from Vera first. Somewhere he could go that she couldn’t follow.
Your loss, Ferrox said.
Kale pulled back, letting himself fall away. Eventually, he was unaware of what Ferrox did. He floated in a numb, mindless existence of nothingness.
3
Vera jolted when she sensed someone hovering over her. Airlea backed away just in time to avoid Vera bashing heads with her. Which probably would’ve crushed the nymph’s skull.
“They’ve thrown Addamas from the mountain,” Airlea informed her.
Vera jumped to her feet. “Threw him off the mountain?”
“They bound his arms and legs and sent him down the south line.”
The south line was, for all intents and purposes, a zip line that led to the southern side of the mountain. A basket on a cord, which they tossed down for supply deliveries.
Then Vera realized something. “The south side is where the cyclopes live.”
“Yes, you need to hurry,” urged Delia.
The cyclopes would smell him a mile away. The only way to get to the bottom of the mountain fast was the same way he’d gone. “Can you get me to the south line without getting caught by the peacekeepers?”