"You're welcome?" she said, entirely unsure of what to do with this constant level of physical affection.
No. She knew. Her girlfriend, her fiancée, back when she'd had a home and a family and air in her lungs. She'd always given her hugs and kisses and taken her hand and rubbed her back. Not for any reason. She'd just seemed addicted to touching her.
And she'd been addicted back. Or at least she thought she had been.
But she couldn't remember her name. Or her face. Couldn't remember how long ago that had been; if she was still young and grieving her or if she was long dead herself. Had she died old, been allowed to stay in the ground? Or had 432 passed by her when she'd moved through the crowds of other Undeads for her turn at the submerging liquid?
"Are you okay?" Anneliese asked. "You're shaking."
"I'm fine. I'm fine," 432 repeated, as if hearing it often enough from her own lips would make it come true. "Let's get a fire started. Then you can splint my arm if you still want to. All right?"
Anneliese looked like she might argue, but then she simply nodded.
*~*~*
"I do think I could make it," Anneliese said, eyeing the tree.
"If you fell and broke your arm—"
"I know," she said. "But Meri must be so worried."
"She might be able to see tonight's fire," she said, though she knew the words weren't very reassuring. "She's not going to give up on us. She'll wait at the lake."
"I know. I just hate to think of her not knowing where we are."
"We'll be at the clearing soon," 432 said, trying to ignore the rush of fear that came with those words. Hadn't she already faced what should have been a killing fall, and a Tall Man? And she had twin holes in her back and a broken arm, but no pain, no aftereffects at all. She was dead. She couldn't be hurt. She had nothing to be afraid of.
"So what's my—what's the Kingdom like now?" Anneliese asked quietly.
"I'm afraid I couldn't say much that you'd be interested in," 432 replied. "I've only been in the castle once before, accompanying Alaric."
"Not the castle. I want to hear about what you know. Anything you remember."
"I remember trees with bright red berries," she said. "They grow in little clusters that look like stars. I used to go pick them. I think."
"Is there still that giant fountain in the middle of the main city?"
"Yes. Children climb into it and splash around in the summer."
"If you have an owner you don't like, can you leave?"
"We're not supposed to. Usually they trade out Undeads when it's time for us to be submerged again. Some Undeads stay with the same family for years, though. And some run away. It's not a good idea to run away." Then she reconsidered her words. The Princess already had enough to worry about; she was sure she'd wanted to hear something good, something bright. Not something else that would only add to her burden. "It's all right, though," she added quickly. "Everything's fine. They added lights to the fountain. You'll love it. At night the water turns all these beautiful colors—"
Anneliese stopped her by resting one hand on top of hers. "You'll stay with us, all right? When we get back."
She stared at her for a long moment, utterly unsure of what to say. Finally she managed a strangled-sounding, "Thank you."
The sound of beating wings finally lulled Anneliese to sleep. Judging from how many times the dragon circled around, 432 thought she must have seen the fire's light after all.
*~*~*
It was ridiculous. She'd asked, almost begged, Anneliese to stay behind at the tower. But now that they'd gotten within sight of the clearing, she didn't want to go on alone.
"Are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah," 432 said. “This is it."
"You'll do fine," Anneliese said. "And I'll be waiting right here for you. Okay?"
432 could hear the fear in Anneliese's voice, tried to ignore it and give her a smile. She wanted to say something flippant, maybe 'be right back' or 'sure I can't bring that sword?' but fear had locked 432's throat and so instead she just gave her a quick smile and a nod, and then reluctantly moved forward.
Skeletons nestled amongst the flowers.
Some were no more than vegetation-covered lumps, recognizable only because of their companions who hadn't yet been taken over by the greenery. White bone peeked out through vines and brightly-colored blossoms, some skeletons belonging to enormous animals and some to smaller ones, all lured to their death by the promise of a drink from the lake.
After taking a few more steps forward, she spotted the first human skeleton. Then another, then a third. Her gaze stayed on them for a long moment as she helplessly wondered why they had been there. Had they been running from a Tall Man or something else from the forest and simply plunged ahead, heedless of the danger? Had thirst overtaken their common sense? Or had they simply never seen needle-wasp nests before and strolled forward, unaware?
One of the human skeletons lay just a few feet into the clearing, vines of tiny yellow flowers creeping through the eye sockets. She bit her lip hard and took another step forward, resisting the urge to look back at Anneliese, to run back to her.
Far above her, Meri circled in the air.
Taking slow, deliberate steps, 432 moved forward. At the edge of the clearing, she saw the first needle-wasp nest, a grayish-brown mass formed around the base of a tree. To those unfamiliar with them, it might just be another part of the trunk. It was late enough in the day that the insects were up and around, milling around and over their home.
They hadn't noticed her yet, but at the most she had another minute.
She froze for a second, unsure of what to do. Should she move forward slowly, hope for a little more time before they descended? Or should she break into a run, try to cover as much distance to the lake as she could?
A loud buzzing sound right by her ear made up her mind for her, and 432 ran. She made it halfway to the lake before the buzzing grew deafening, and she glanced back despite herself.
Hundreds of them flew toward her, descending, moving so quickly that there was no way for her to beat them to the water. She started to fling her hands out, her first instinct to swat at them, but no blood could be shed, not even theirs, and she clapped both hands over her mouth instead.
The first one landed on her arm, stinger sinking ineffectually into her skin, but at the sight of it her mind flung her back.
Behind their house was a field. It was early morning, the red berries glistening with dew as she plucked them and deposited them into her basket. Her mother's voice rang out from the house, calling to her, telling her to come in for breakfast.
"Almost done!" she called back. Peering further back into the tree line at the edge of the field, she saw a great cluster of berries and reached for them, her body pressing against the thick tangle of vines that wove amongst the trees.
Then her foot slipped on a dew-slick rock and she pitched forward, cursing as she dropped her berry basket. She caught herself before she could strike her head against the tree trunk, and something crumbled underneath her hands.
She didn't even have time to push herself to her feet before the insects swarmed out of their shattered nest, crawling up her arms, flying into her face.
She stumbled back, hitting wildly at them, not even realizing she was screaming until one tried to get into her open mouth. It was too big to fully fit but it stung her on the tongue and she grabbed hold of it and crushed it in her hand, gagging and sobbing.
Though she tried to run, the pain overwhelmed her after only a few steps and she collapsed, trying feebly to sweep them off her skin. Then, once she stilled completely, no longer a threat, they left on their own.
She heard a horrified cry, peered up through slitted eyes to see her mother running toward her. She wanted to say something, anything, but her tongue was too swollen to let her speak. Her mother pulled her into her lap, stroking her hair back from her face, telling her that it'd be all right, everything would be fine, they'd
get her help, and then her eyes swelled shut completely and she could only hear her mother's sobs and then nothing.
432 came back to herself in the field of flowers and opened her eyes the tiniest bit, barely able to see the lake through the mass of needle-wasps surrounding her. She scrunched her eyes shut again, trying to ignore the sound of them flying around her head and the knowledge that they were crawling all over her skin.
Then she felt a breeze, strong, strong enough to signal a storm. But the sky had been blue and clear.
Meri. She had to be circling in closer, trying to see if she was all right.
She had to move. Had to get up. If Meri got much closer the rush of air from her wings would send her tumbling head over feet but the wasps, because they were so much lighter, would slam into trees, blood would be shed, and all this would be for nothing.
She'd warned Anneliese not to shout no matter what she saw, not to do anything that might draw the attention of the needle-wasps but she could almost feel the worry and panic radiating off her.
They were counting on her. Depending on her. Meri had waited decades upon decades for this chance and Anneliese had suspended her entire life in hopes of being with her love again someday. And they'd been forced to put it all into her hands.
432 struggled back up, forcing herself to move slowly, to give the things attacking her plenty of time to move out of the way of her feet. Then she walked toward the lake, one heavy step at a time, eyes tightly closed and hands clamped over her mouth and nose.
When she felt the water soak her feet she almost let out a laugh of relief but held herself in check, waiting until the water was almost waist-deep and then she ducked down, plunging herself entirely under and opening her eyes.
The lake was a murky greenish color. Silt stirred up under her feet as she moved, and the small creatures that darted out of sight as she scanned the area would probably give her nightmares until her next submerging.
It was all still the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
Grinning, she made her way to the bottom of the lake, to the faint golden light she could see shining there. The light grew brighter as she drew closer, almost blinding, and then something swam in front of it, blocking her view.
"Well. I didn't think any of you would ever make it down here[Jae3][Stephanie4]."
432 flinched back, clutching at her head. Had she been mortal she would've died right there, because she instinctively sucked in a breath.
The speaker in front of her hadn't moved her lips at all. She floated there, smirking, and then the voice came again.
“Go ahead. Say hello.”
“Hello?” she thought hesitantly.
“There. Now we're making progress.”
The speaker was a woman, in a way. The upper part of her body looked quite human; long hair and breasts and arms ending in five-fingered hands. But just below her belly button her form elongated and darkened into the body of an eel. Her tail whipped around as 432 stared, and an amused smile curved her lips.
"Aren't you going to demand my ring?"
"I—" 432 thought, still trying to come to terms with the sight in front of her. She focused on her words, on directing them to her companion. "Actually, I was going to ask."
The eel-woman chuckled, twisting the jeweled ring around on one of her fingers. "And why should I say yes?"
"Because you have so much treasure," 432 thought, gesturing to the overflowing, gleaming chest behind her. "Meri only needs that piece. And if you like, I can come back here once she's changed. I can return it to you." The thought of facing the needle-wasps again to get back across the clearing nearly set her to shaking, much less the idea of going through all this twice, but if that was what it took, then she could complete the task.
"You can't. If she ever takes the ring off, she'll transform back. Don't you know how curses work, you silly thing?"
"I suppose not," 432 admitted. "But I'm still asking for the ring. Meri did something awful once but she's paid for it a hundred times over. It's time for her to be herself again. Please."
Her expression softened. "Since you put it that way."
432 smiled. "Thank you so much."
She held out her hand, and the eel-woman's laughter echoed in her mind. "Answer's still no. I like this ring."
Lunging forward before the eel-woman realized what she was going to do, 432 grabbed her wrist with her good hand and held tight. A small, cold smile was her only answer for a moment, and then the woman lit up brighter than the chest, the light starting in her tail and flashing throughout her body, sending a jolt of electricity into 432.
She didn't flinch.
"Look at all these holes," she thought, nodding to her arms. "The needle-wasps did that. Didn't bother me at all. I'm an Undead, by the way. Pleased to meet you." She took a step back, then another, dragging the other woman with her. "Now," she thought, pitching her tone to be conversational yet cruel, adopting Alaric's tone. He had to be good for something, after all. "You can give me the ring, or I can drag you all the way to the surface. I doubt the wasps would be happy to see you."
The woman jerked back, tried to pull away, but 432 tightened her hold and planted her feet in the mud and rocks.
"You can't!" she finally snapped. "If you drag me up there, they'll draw blood and the curse will stay. You're bluffing."
Though a part of her wanted to draw her shoulders in and admit it, admit that even if the curse wasn't a factor she couldn't subject anyone else to those things, she forced herself to shrug. To remember the words that had so terrified her a few short days ago, using them now to help. "Then I shall have some reward for all the trials I've faced on the way here."
Her eyes rolled back white as she tried one more time to pull away, and then she bared her teeth and stuck out her hand. "Take it," she hissed.
432 pulled off the ring and then released her grip on the eel-woman, expecting—and receiving—the sharp slap of a tail to her face as she swam away.
The blow made her stumble, but she clutched tight to the ring and made her way back to the shallows.
A roar of triumph sounded from the air as she emerged from the water, and she looked up at Meri and grinned, waving the ring.
"Go north!" the dragon shouted. "You'll soon come to a stream!"
432 nodded, and then she raced through the field of flowers, mouth shut and shielding her eyes, withstanding the stings of the wasps until she came once again to the shelter of the trees and she moved far enough away from their nests that they lost interest.
Then Anneliese was there, wrapping her into a hug, tracing her fingertips lightly over the multiple puncture wounds on her arms, the ones on her face. "I'm so sorry. If I could have—"
"No. I think it was something I needed to face. Needed to know."
She frowned. "What?"
"What happened to me," she said. "When I was still mortal. I couldn't remember anything, but the fear I felt at the thought of those insects...I knew I needed to look closer. Did you hear Mari?"
"Yes," she said, turning north and starting to walk.
"I can take the pack again if you like."
"No, no. It's the least I can do," she said with a smile, keeping hold of her good hand as they headed for the stream.
*~*~*
They found the dragon pacing back and forth on the banks of the streambed, water trickling in to fill her giant footprints where she'd tracked too close to the water. At the sight of them, she leaped forward, nearly knocking them both over in her rush to pat them with her wings and bump into their shoulders with her head, seemingly both a greeting and a reassurance that they really were there.
432 laughed at the sudden attention and then opened her palm, revealing the bright golden ring. For the first time she truly looked at it, at the tiny dark stones embedded in the gold, stones as dark as Meri's scales. At the way it shone in her palm, illuminated by some inner magic.
Then she looked up, and the expression on the dragon's face made her catch
her breath. Beside her, Anneliese nodded once, tears streaming down her face.
Meri held up her hand, and 432 gently slid the ring onto the tip of one claw.
The change was instantaneous, a flare of light and sound surrounding the three of them, making Anneliese and 432 cover their ears. When they opened their eyes again, Meri stood before them, human again, smile broad and bright, and clad only in that ring.
Though she knew she couldn't be blushing, 432 still felt like she was, and she quickly looked away and rummaged through the pack Anneliese had set down, pulling out Alaric's coat.
Anneliese, having no such inhibitions, threw herself into Meri's arms and kissed her repeatedly, breaking each kiss to trill something about how glad she was to have her back, how frightened she'd been, how once they got back to the castle she was never letting her out of her sight, only to return to her mouth an instant later.
Meri laughed and kissed her back, finally moving her to arm's length so she could take the coat from 432 and slide it on. It fell barely past her hips, but it was enough of an improvement that 432 could meet her eyes without feeling the need to stammer.
"I can't thank you enough," Meri said, and her voice, without the dragon's roar to it, was low and rich and sent a thrill up 432's spine.
She glanced away this time out of something far deeper than embarrassment, managing to finally say, "You're welcome."
"I can't believe you did it!" Anneliese exclaimed, hugging her again and kissing her on the cheek. "When you fell in that clearing I thought you were gone, I thought they'd managed to kill you somehow anyway, I..." She trailed off then, shock overtaking her face as she stared at her.
"What?" 432 asked. "Anneliese? What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure anything's wrong," Meri said softly. "Look at your face."
She nodded to the stream and 432 stepped forward, catching glimpses of her reflection in the slowly moving water. There was color in her cheeks.
"But I— it can't—" she mumbled, stepping quickly away from the impossible sight. A kiss had awoken Anneliese, yes, but— "I wasn't under a spell.."
Last Petal on the Rose and Other Stories Page 17