Chronicles of Eden - Act XII

by Alexander Gordon

All the monsters and children then halted as a loud, echoing crackle sounded off across the forest. Slowly everyone turned their eyes over towards the royal tree, the towering timber having its branches burning ablaze while it was both teetering and turning in place with a rumbling groan.

  “That’s… not good,” a goblin nervously said.

  “Oh… fuck… no…” an elf breathed out in horror.

  “The royal tree… it’s…” a child whimpered while slowly pointing to it.

  The grand timber suddenly jerked to its side as a fracture inflicted through its trunk broke apart with a blaring crunch, causing the mighty tree to begin falling over. Monsters of all races throughout the forest were heard screaming as the royal tree tipped over and dropped down with a roaring crash, driving its flaming branches into the elven village before the tree itself struck the ground with a devastating slam. Dust and rubble was thrown into the air over the smaller trees while the ground rumbled violently from the heavy impact, fires quickly spreading not only across the burning village but also the fallen grand timber.

  “No!” an elf cried out in horror. “God fucking dammit, no!”

  “Are you shitting me?” another yelled in anger. “That did not happen. No, that... FUCK! God fucking damn this day to the depths of the underworld!”

  “Why the fuck is this happening to us?” a child demanded waving her arms around. “What the hell did we ever do? This is bullshit!”

  “Haha, wow,” an arachne mentioned with a big grin. “That one went down real hard, huh?”

  “Your special tree dead now,” a goblin heckled, pointing to an elf repeatedly as the woman gritted her teeth with a furious growl. “Look, it fell over. It burning. Haha! Haha! No more tree!”

  “Too bad for you,” a gremlin snickered. “Oh well, not like you needed this place anymore. You girls are all coming with us when we leave, no sense crying over fallen trees.”

  “Good riddance,” another agreed with a careless wave. “Looks better burning as firewood if you ask me. Now then, like I was saying, let’s just get the fuck out of here. No point in staying any longer, right?”

  The monsters of The Sisterhood nodded in agreement with one another, while the elves all exchanged silent looks as a few of them displayed twitching eyes and flickering scowls from their internal rage.

  “For crying out loud,” Alice coughed, waving her hand to clear the floating dust while she backed up a step. Peering around with squinted eyes and holding her arm over her mouth she saw the lingering haze slowly settling inside the church while red light was cast throughout the hall from the open doors and broken window above as the wildfires outside intensified.

  “I hate this stupid forest,” she muttered. Clacking her staff onto the ground a burst of energy blew the sand away from her in a wave, the witch taking a moment to dust off her shoulders and then her hat before noticing the elven child starting to sit up while coughing a few times. She slowly looked around at the sand covering the ground and many of the benches then turned her eyes up towards the broken window as streaks of fire and smoke blew past through the sky.

  “Please,” she quietly begged. “Elywrnn. Malakka. Anyone. Please help us. Tell us what to do.”

  “Seriously?” Alice scoffed. She began walking towards the child who quickly turned to her fearfully. “Still? You’re still begging holy spirits to come rescue you? You honestly think anyone is going to come for you now? Wake up, brat! Nobody but me is hearing your worthless words. Look outside. That shit happening out there is about as far as it gets from what merciful gods would do. Do you get it now? The holy ghosts you prayed to, the ones you’re on your knees there begging to come save your ass, they don’t exist! They never did! You’re all alone, kid! Nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to save you!”

  The child dropped back onto her rear and leaned away with a nervous whine as Alice walked up and pointed her staff’s skull at her, the dangling gemstones clacking against the elf’s legs while she tried not to cry with the raven ornament aimed at her face.

  “We only need smart elves for our army, not useless trash such as yourself,” Alice condemned. “Time to say goodbye, kid. But take solace in knowing this; if there are any gods up there, you’re going to meet them very soon. Make sure to give them my regards.”

  Alice held out a hand towards the elf with a cruel smile, the motion coming to a sudden halt as she noticed something peculiar. Her confused eyes quickly darted around at something on the floor, with the child pausing for a moment before looking down as well. She saw sand sliding across the ground around them, dry powder that was coming from all over inside the church and flowing towards where a few broken benches were toppled over an indentation in the floor that was made from whatever careened into the building recently.

  “Are… you doing this?” the child slowly asked, with Alice merely shaking her head as they watched all the grains of sand being pulled towards the pile of debris with a rustling noise that was easily heard in the echoing chamber. After the last of the sand appeared to seep under the toppled seats a moment of silence followed, with Alice and the child glancing to each other in question before a sudden thump was heard. Shortly after another happened, then another, with the witch and child watching the pile of broken pews being banged on from underneath. With a powerful blast the benches were thrown off in mangled pieces before a lady with long green hair slowly stood up amidst the rubble and small crater that was punched into the floor under her.

  “Okay,” Felucia said, stretching her arms out before looking around in confusion. “That had to be the craziest thing to ever happen to me. And I’ve seen some crazy shit in my life. Wait. Cindy? Cindy, are you okay?”

  “I’m okay!” Cindy cheered as she sat up beside her mother, a joyful smile on her face and hand raised into the air. “Wow, that was really weird, wasn’t it? One second I’m in a hole in the ground, and the next… wait. Mom?”

  Turning to Felucia with a jump she quickly looked her over before scrambling to her feet and clinging to her mother as worry came over her again.

  “Mom! What are you doing here? It’s not safe! There’s lots of fire everywhere, and mean monsters, and… and… hey, hold on, where have you been? I didn’t know where you went or how to find you! I was worried I would never see you again! Oh, mom! I missed you so much! I missed you and-”

  “Cindy!” Felucia cried out, arms pinned to her sides as her daughter was not only hugging her tightly but also holding her up in the air. “Put me down! Put me down right now!”

  “Oh, okay,” Cindy said, setting the woman down and watching her curiously. Without pause Felucia grabbed and held her daughter close, with Alice and the elven child still watching in confused silence nearby as another tremor struck the building.

  “Oh my baby!” Felucia bawled as she smothered her daughter’s face in her bosom. “I was so worried about you! I’ve been going through hell with these despicable freaks, it’s been absolutely dreadful, and all the while I was worried sick they were going to find you too! Thank goodness you’re alright! I didn’t know if I would ever get the chance to hold you like this again! Oh, Cindy! My beautiful, dear, Cindy!”

  “I’m alright, mom,” Cindy reassured while hugging her emotional mother. “I promise. I’m okay. I’m just glad you’re okay. Hey, please calm down, mom. I’ve been doing great walking on my own two feet, just like I said I would. And Daniel has been taking great care of me too. He’s the best and-”

  “Daniel?” Felucia repeated with a jump. She held her daughter back by the shoulders and leaned in towards her face with a flabbergasted expression. “Did you say Daniel? You mean that human man who owns a flaming sword of destruction? You really know that guy?”

  “Oh, you met him?” Cindy asked with a bright smile. “Yeah, I know him. He’s really nice and likes me and takes such good care of me. He gave me lots of yummy food and made me so happy. I’ve been having the best time since I met him. He makes me feel happier than anything ever has and he teaches
me lots of cool new stuff! He’s amazing!”

  “He… what?”

  “And don’t worry about his sword,” Cindy continued with a small shake of her head. “He would never hurt us with it, he’s really nice to monsters like us. It’s actually not even his. It belongs to his friend, Triska. She’s really nice too. She gave me lots of yummy things to eat too. We’re best friends now. Her and a lot of other nice girls. You have to come with me, I need to show you-”

  “Wait… WHAT?” Felucia cried out. “Hold on, hold on! What the hell are you talking about, Cindy?”

  “What are either of you talking about?” Alice shouted out. The two sand wraiths turned to see the witch scowling at them while tapping her staff on the ground impatiently. “Who the hell are you two and what are you doing here? Where did you even come from? Hey, wait a second. You, the old hag with the green hair. I’ve seen you before. You’re that sand wraith that belongs to the gemini, aren’t you?”

  “Oh, me?” Felucia stammered with a nervous smile. “Um, yeah. Yeah! That’s right, I’m with them, with you! I’m on your side. We both are. So… we’ll just be going now, need to get back to our revered leaders right away. Don’t mind us, we’ll show ourselves out. Sorry for… intruding on whatever it is you were doing. Carry on.”

  She turned Cindy around by the shoulders and started pushing her down the aisle with a forced laugh, with Cindy watching her in puzzlement while Alice slowly turned her eyes to follow them with a narrowed stare. While they did the elven child’s eyes were locked onto Cindy as something poked into her mind from seeing the blonde sand wraith.

  ‘That girl… I’ve seen her somewhere before. But where?’

  As the sand wraiths got closer to the doors several of the pews were lifted over and stacked atop each other in front of them, the two girls jumping a bit at the sight before turning to see Alice shaking her head at them.

  “Despicable freaks,” Alice repeated with a raised eyebrow. “That’s what you called us just now, wasn’t it? How very hurtful to hear you say such things about The Sisterhood like that. And forgive me for prying, but why are you not on your knees by our leaders’ side right now? You’re their pet sand wraith, aren’t you? You wouldn’t by chance be trying to run away from your owners now, would you?”

  Felucia stammered something with a fearful smile, nothing being said managing to pass for actual words, as she leaned back and tried to push aside the floating benches that remained firm in place.

  “Hey, my mom isn’t anybody’s pet,” Cindy argued. “Nobody owns her.”

  “Cindy, shh!” Felucia hushed through her smile.

  “And The Sisterhood are nothing but mean jerks!” Cindy shouted at Alice. “You’re one of them too, aren’t you? I saw witches out there that look like you, I know I have. You’re part of The Sisterhood, you’re being mean to all the elves here in the forest. Isn’t that right?”

  “Indeed I am,” Alice agreed with a tip of her hat. “The name’s Alice, friend. And just who might you be?”

  “My name is Cindy. I’m not your friend. And I’m not going to let you hurt these elves anymore. I’m not.”

  “Oh, no? And just what are you going to do to stop me?” Alice sneered. Waving her arm around she formed her casting ring on her wrist before swinging it aside, in doing so yanking the elven child off the ground into the air with a scream with a magical force. The young girl thrashed about in fright before her body locked up, a painful sensation being felt all over as if snakes were constricting all her limbs. Shakily she turned her gaze down to Alice, the witch glancing up to her with a cruel smile as she clenched her fingers and prepared to skin the child alive just as she had done to the elven cleric.

  “What’s a stupid sand wraith going to-” she said before looking forward and seeing Cindy running towards her with a large stride and furious scowl on her face.

  “Gonna bop you one!” Cindy yelled as she swung a fist towards the witch. Alice quickly held her hand forward, halting the wraith in place with her fist being an inch from her face. Cindy growled and struggled to move as her body was bound by a magical force, with the young elf watching anxiously as Alice was now giggling with a mean grin on her face.

  “Are you now?” Alice wondered. She lifted the sand wraith into the air with a laugh before slamming her down onto the ground, splattering her body into grains of sand that washed all over the floor. The witch laughed and held her side while the bound elf watched in stunned silence as the wraith was smeared across the ground.

  “What a foolish girl,” Alice chuckled. She looked ahead then gasped as she quickly held out her hand, focusing her magic to catch and stop a bench that was hurtling towards her at high speed. Moving it aside in the air she stared in surprise at Felucia who was grabbing another long bench near her while glaring at the witch.

  “Nobody touches my baby girl like that!” Felucia roared, hurling another heavy pew towards the witch in a wild spin. Alice swung the floating bench she caught into the flying stand, smashing them both off to the side in pieces before she reached out, grabbed Felucia with a magical bind, and then threw her aside, sending her careening through multiple stands with a loud crash. With a powerful yell Alice lifted her hand, yanking Felucia out of the debris with a loud scream, and then threw her over at the wall where she slammed into with her side crumbling to sand from the impact. As she dropped with a grunt to the ground with sand pouring out of her crushed side Alice reached out at one of the large chandeliers above, yanking it towards the downed sand wraith with its chains clacking and struggling to hold as it was pulled on. Felucia slowly reformed her shoulder and arm before gasping as she saw the flames and smoke above the circular chandelier that was trying to break free from its chains to fly at her.

  “Only one thing to do with traitors like you,” Alice condemned, repeatedly swinging her hand at the wraith while the chandelier sharply swung back and forth to break its chains. “And that’s to put you down like the mangy dogs you are.”

  A few candles were thrown from their holders at the sand wraith, with Felucia screaming and trying to dodge side to side to avoid the flaming sticks that struck the wall behind her, before the entire chandelier snapped free from its chains and wobbled in the air. Felucia grit her teeth as she pressed back while watching the fiery candleholder leaning towards her, the elven child screamed and tried to move her body while suspended in the air, and Alice smiled wickedly at the sand wraith as she kept her hand held up.

  “Burn in hell, you bitch,” Alice said, then threw the chandelier towards Felucia with a heavy swing of her hand. Before she could complete the motion she suddenly screamed and swayed off-balance, causing the candleholder to veer to the side and smash into the wall just as Felucia jumped away. Getting back onto her feet Felucia turned around to see the flaming wreck lighting nearby benches and tapestries aflame, stein glass murals shattering from another tremor hitting the building with great force, and the sight of Alice falling back and being lifted up by her feet from a pair of hands that were forming from sand on the floor. The elven child watched in amazement as Cindy slowly regenerated with her sand flowing back towards her, the wraith rising up from the ground with her angry glare directed at the witch she had grabbed who was now screaming and thrashing about while being held upside-down by her ankles.

  “Nobody burns my mother!” Cindy yelled as she finished reforming. “You mean meanie!”

  “Wait, stop!” Alice cried out. “Put me down! Put me down!”

  Swinging the witch over her back Cindy roared as she prepared to slam the little monster into the ground, the wraith poised to smear the magical caster all over the floor before she suddenly stopped. Alice screamed and frantically clawed at Cindy’s rear while batting the girl with her staff, trying in vain to free herself from the wraith’s iron grip, while the elven child and Felucia saw Cindy now hesitating with finishing off the monster.

  “What are you waiting for?” Felucia called over. “Smash her, Cindy! Finish her!”

>   “Do it!” the child cried out. “Please! Send her to hell!”

  Cindy whimpered and slowly shook her head as tears started to form in her eyes.

  “No,” she shakily uttered. “Killing is bad. Killing is wrong. Don’t kill others. It’s not right. It’s mean. It’s not what good girls do. Don’t do it, Cindy. Don’t do it.”

  “What are you talking about?” Felucia demanded. “Cindy! Do it! Kill her!”

  “She’s evil!” the child begged. “She’s going to kill us all! Please get rid of her before it’s too late!”

  “I can’t…” Cindy breathed out. “I can’t… do it. It’s not right. I want to be good. I want to be a good girl.”

  Alice screamed as her focuser glowed bright green, a sudden blast of magic ripping across Cindy’s back and exploding outward as the witch let loose a powerful bust of energy from her hand. Cindy flew forward while the pulse tore apart her legs and hands, throwing the wraith away and onto the floor with sand raining behind her while Alice rolled away in the middle of the aisle with a few grunts. Scrambling back onto her feet the witch snarled at the torn-up sand wraith who was strewn across the ground in pieces.

  “Alright,” she scorned as her eyes glowed deeply. “Now I’m mad.”

  With a powerful thrust she slammed her staff onto the ground, the loud echoing clack sounding off as a large casting ring lit up beneath her while taking up nearly half of the entire floor space in the church. It’s haunting violet and green light shined brightly up between the pews and against the walls, it’s sharp emblems lining the edges and floating across the middle giving off distortions of light and air, and the force of wind it cast forth knocked the remaining chandeliers around in their chains. The flames from the burning seats and wall-hangings continued on, with Felucia observing the ominous spell base beneath them with growing trepidation before she and everything that wasn’t nailed down lifted up into the air from a powerful magical force. The sand wraith screamed and thrashed about as broken and burning debris hovered above the ground in the church, her eyes witnessing flames passing on to stands one by one in the air before turning to the witch who was glaring at Cindy with rage. The blonde sand wraith finished pulling all her sand towards where her upper body had landed and regenerated herself before she slowly got back onto her feet, watching as the witch was staring her down with her cape fluttering in the wind while everything around them was floating in the air. Everything rose up around Cindy, the bodies of fallen elves, broken debris and gravel, bubbles of blood from the ground; everything except Cindy herself who remained standing while her ponytail floated up behind her.