“What is your name?”
“Hibiscus.”
“Well, Hibiscus, the Primrose family was destroyed, along with the town of Snapdragon. Her few remaining assets that survived are being folded into the Buckthorns. You belong to us now, and we have no call for any new house-husbands. You’ll not give me any trouble being assigned to the mines?”
His eyes fell farther. “No,” he whispered.
“Good.” She walked down the line to Akar. “And you, biter. You’re a strongback and my property, you’ll either wear that gracefully or you’ll fertilize the soil.”
She glanced over at Iris. ”How much for this one?”
Iris looked at him sadly. “For him? Four thaain.”
Dahlia chuckled. “You hear that, biter? You’re worth four thaain. Even my worst man can pull twice that out of the earth in an hour. So, don’t think for a second that I’ll shed a tear over losing my four thaain if you don’t work out. Pull your weight; do as you’re told, or I’ll have you strung up in front of the others as a lesson to them, you hear me?”
Akar’s eyes remained fixed, his fists clenched, struggling to contain the fire within him.
Dahlia tightened her grip on her staff, and the vines reacted, strangling Akar where he stood. He gasped for breath, gagging at the bit in his mouth. His eyes bulged from the pain, his skin turned pale, but he remained on his feet.
For a second, Iris raised her hand, as if she meant to stop her, but she remained silent.
“A woman asked you a question, man,” Dahlia spat. “When a woman speaks, you will answer swiftly and succinctly, do you understand?”
She slackened the vines and he gasped for breath, drawing the air in deeply to keep himself from passing out.
“I understand,” he whispered. The fire in his heart roared white-hot. In his mind, he recalled the words of Captain Ssykes. He remembered what he had seen. A man had stood up to a woman. It was almost unthinkable. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes…
Dahlia’s lips twisted into smug satisfaction. “Good.” She moved on to the next man.
“…I understand,” Akar continued defiantly, speaking as best he could through cracked lips. “I understand that you women hide behind your magic and your wealth…”
Dahlia paused and turned around in shock.
Akar spit against his bit. “…You hide behind these accursed trees. You hide because you are cowards.”
Dahlia stepped up, rage in her eyes. She gripped her staff tightly. When she spoke, her voice quivered with rage, barely above a whisper. “What did you say to me, pig?”
“You heard me, woman! You are a coward!”
Thorns erupted from the vines that held him, piercing his flesh. He felt the venom course into his body like red-hot liquid, robbing him of his wits. His vision went blurry and he watched himself detachedly crumple to the ground. The last thing he saw were Dahlia Buckthorn’s cruel eyes looking down on him.
Iris ran up alongside her, regret on her face. “Go easy on him, he’s had it rough,” she advised.
“Oh, I’ll go easy on him,” Dahlia snickered, cracking her knuckles.
* * *
The heat of the bubbling swamp water had caused Mandi’s blonde hair to become a drippy, frizzy mess. It clung to her neck as she hid in a knotted log along with Molly, watching the sky with an odd intensity, as if she expected it to bolt off and run away at any moment.
“I don’t like Senndai,” Molly complained, swatting at a mosquito that was buzzing around her ear.
“No one does, that’s why most of them leave,” Mandi responded without taking her eyes off her quarry.
As the shadows coming down from the drooping trees shortened, Mandi silently pointed to the fetid green waters before them.
“All right, we have to be careful as we do this,” she explained, a mosquito landing on her wrist. “We have to walk out to the center of the pond at precisely noon, or the god Ramma will notice.”
Molly covered her mouth to stifle a cough. “Why noon?”
Mandi watched as the mosquito tried to suck her blood. After a couple slurps, the poor little insect broke off and began contorting its body, writhing about until it boiled away to nothing but ash.
“Because that is when Ramma takes her tea break.”
The two sat quietly for a moment.
“I’m bored.”
Mandi exhaled. “I’ll buy you some stoneberry shortcakes when we’re done.”
“You’d better.”
“I will, now be quiet.”
Several more moments of silence passed by.
“I want sprinkles too.”
“Oh, by the gods, girl, give me a break!”
Suddenly the shadows reached their shortest point, and the heavens shifted. The clouds that had been dripping in the sky slid away, almost as if some invisible presence had flown off; the only indication of its presence being the wake it created.
“Now!”
Mandi slid out of the log, but Molly resisted when she saw the depths of the water.
“Come on.”
“Wait, I can’t walk on water, I’m not a magic kitty!”
“Just hold my hand and you will!”
Molly covered her face as she dropped down to the bubbling brown water, but just before her feet touched, black electricity sparked out from the bottom of her boots and she stood there as if on solid ground.
Molly opened her eyes in wonder. Mandi had the same sparkling beneath her boots, and a bit of it leaked out from where their hands touched.
Molly looked up, her mouth wide with amazement.
Mandi looked back. Her normally harsh and sharp eyes became tender. “See, I told ya, kid. I’ll never let you fall.”
Molly giggled. “It kind of tickles.”
“All right, now let’s go. Sometimes Ramma only has one cup.”
Together, they walked out into the center of the pond, Molly skipping happily along. In any other context, they could have been a pair of sisters out in the park for holiday.
“Okay, now hold your breath,” Mandi said, holding her close.
“Hold my what?”
The water beneath them swirled open into a black hole and they fell through.
Molly screamed as they passed through a tunnel of stars, agonized faces swirling about them, the screams of dying children everywhere. They landed in a cool concrete bunker, filled with glowing lights and a trio of men in black suits.
Startled, the men turned to the new arrivals. The one closest to them opened his mouth, his eyes growing wide.
“You!”
Mandi set Molly down gently behind her. “Yep, me.”
The man turned to a big red lever set against the wall. “She’s betrayed…”
But he had no chance to finish. Mandi kicked out her leg, her foot shifting black and growing to five times its normal size, stretching out as it shoved him backwards, smashing him into the wall like a rag doll.
The second man drew his blades and released crossing waves of silver energy, but Mandi was already gone before they reached her. She became a long serpent in midair, slithering in between the blades and coiling herself around the man’s neck.
Instinctively, he brought his arms up to protect himself, but it was already too late. She flipped herself over, becoming a gorilla, then throwing him into the third man, smashing them both against the wall and cracking the concrete.
Molly opened her eyes and saw all the men lying unconscious on the floor.
“Wow, I like this game,” she said, clapping her hands. “We’re like heroes, off to save the princess.”
Mandi pulled the three men together and became a large spider, covering them from head to toe with a cocoon of silk.
“I’m no hero, kid.”
Molly scratched her head in
confusion. “You’re not?”
“Nope.”
The spider exploded, and Mandi became herself again, covering up her body with a stray jacket and walking over to a wall. When her hand touched the concrete, a glowing series of circles appeared. Mandi twisted her hand back and forth, at one point rotating her hand all the way around, disengaging each lock in turn.
Molly walked up and tugged on her sleeve. “Well then, what are you?”
The final lock clicked, and Mandi looked down at Molly, sadness in her eyes.
“I’m…”
For the first time in her life, she found herself feeling ashamed.
“Look kid…I’m…I’m the bad guy. The people who took you and put you in that tank, I used to be one of them. Now, I’m just trying to stop them from hurting any more little girls like you.”
Mandi looked away. “I’ll never be a hero. It’s too late for me.”
Molly slid up next to her and innocently wrapped her little hand around Mandi’s finger.
“You’re a hero to me.”
Mandi felt something wet on her cheek. Surprised, she reached up and found black tears there.
Am I…crying?
Mandi looked down at the little girl, staring back up at her with pure, trusting eyes.
Unable to hold back, Mandi dropped down and wrapped her arms around her.
“Thank you, Molly,” she said softly, feeling her heart would burst if she did not hug this precious little girl as hard as she could.
“I…can’t…breathe…”
“Oh, sorry!” Mandi apologized, releasing her and checking her over to make sure there was no permanent damage. “I’m not used to being gentle.”
There was another click behind the wall, and it became transparent, like glass. Beyond there were rows and rows of dusty tanks like those they had found on Maliao.
Mandi slammed her fist down on a desk, breaking it in half. “Blast, I was wrong! They weren’t prepping this place for a startup, they were shutting it down.”
Molly looked out at all the scary tanks. “What does that mean?”
“The Kabal must have something new they are doing. Some new plan to generate sufficient black shakes before the eclipse.”
“What happens at the ekky clips?”
Mandi folded her arms. “If they restore the light of creation and resurrect Valpurgeiss, that’s when the world ends.
Molly’s eyes went wide. “Like, everything?”
Mandi nodded.
Molly put her thumb in her mouth and sucked on it. “Even rainbows and butterflies?”
“Even rainbows and butterflies. And don’t suck your thumb, big tough girls like us don’t suck their thumbs, remember?”
Molly pulled her thumb free, her innocent face deep in thought. “That would be bad if that happened.”
Mandi chuckled. “Yes, yes it would.”
Molly perked up. “Are you going to stop them?”
Mandi ran her fingers through her damp hair. “I’m going to try.”
Molly smiled brightly. “You’ll stop them.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I know so.”
Mandi raised an eyebrow, her face becoming harsh. “Oh yeah, how do you know that, kid?”
Molly held up her arms. “Because you’re the hero.”
Mandi’s face softened and she laughed. “Thanks kid,” she said, patting her on the head.
“I’m not a puppy!” Moll protested, pushing her hand away.
“And I’m not a kitty, so I guess that makes us even.”
Molly looked around. “So, where do we go next?”
“Well, first, I’m going to burn this place to the ground.”
“Yeah, uh huh,” she said expectantly.
Mandi pointed her thumb back at the men tied up. “Then, they’re going to tell me everything I need to know about the Kabal’s new plans, or at least tell me where I can find someone who does.”
Molly linked her fingers together. “Yeah, and then, and then?”
Mandi sighed. “And then we go out for stoneberry shortcakes with sprinkles.”
“YAY!”
* * *
“Wake up.”
When Akar came to, he found himself chained to a corner. The room was dark and filthy, and filled with rotting junk. His face was beaten and bruised almost beyond recognition. His nose was broken, but even damaged it still picked up the faint smell of burnt flesh. Reaching up, his trembling fingers found the hard tissue of a brand on his cheek. Around its edges, it felt like his skin was on fire. He knew what it was without looking at it. The Wysterian symbol of ii’ainta, a broken vessel. The mark of a man who had defied his Matron.
“Wake up,” the voice came again.
Akar looked around, his swollen eyes straining against the dark. Beneath a rotting bed sheet, a faint glow was beginning to emerge. Instinctively, he backed away from it fearfully, but something about it intrigued him.
“Speak to me,” the voice said again.
Hesitantly, he reached out and pulled the bed sheet aside. Beneath it was a planting pot. It seemed common enough, but for the glow it gave off, now filling the room.
“What sorcery is this?” Akar asked shielding his eyes.
“I have been watching you for some time now,” the voice sang again. It was sweet, but twisted.
“Who are you?” he asked as he looked around, expecting some trick.
“Before this house belonged to the Buckthorns, it belonged to the Sotols. I am Spirea Sotol, the last remaining of that bloodline.”
Akar snorted and wiped some of the dried blood off of his neck. “You look just like a pot to me.”
“This pot is a special device, one of many my family used to smuggle ruper spice into Wysteria before we were betrayed. The Buckthorns tossed it into this storeroom along with the rest of the garbage, never suspecting that something so plain could have powerful magics woven into it.”
Akar reached into his mouth and found a tooth knocked half out. Carefully he pulled it the rest of the way and tossed it onto the floor. “So why tell me? You don’t think I’d actually trust you.”
“You shouldn’t trust me. I am a woman; therefore I am deceitful, jealous, and selfish.”
Akar sucked at the bloody hole in his gums. “I won’t argue with you there.”
“But I am not asking you to trust me. I am only asking you to accept my help.”
“Help?”
“Yes. I am going to help you free the men of your island.”
Akar laughed and spat blood out onto the floor. “Why would you help me do that?”
“Because I want revenge on those women who cast me out. Don’t you know the old saying? The enemy of my enemy…”
He looked up, intrigued. “…is my ally.”
* * *
“What do you mean your Queen is not here?” Lord Wellingtin asked, his jowls shaking indignantly. “I am here to deliver the sibling pendants she requested.”
Dahoon looked around at the other court officers, sweat forming on his thin neck as he stood before the empty throne. “I’m afraid the Queen has taken a fifteen minute break to spend some time with her son.”
Lord Wellingtin scoffed. “Can…can she do that?”
Dahoon looked around again, unsure of how to answer. “Um…”
* * *
Athel cradled the baby’s head over her shoulder and patted his back gently, taking a moment to snuggle her face into his back and enjoy the incomparable scent of a clean newborn.
Ash burped loudly, a trail of amber-colored spit up dripping down her neck and into her collar.
“Ah, he got me again,” Athel gagged, sticking her tongue out as she handing him back to Mina.
Mina and Captain Evere chuckled.
> “What’s the point of using a spit-up cloth if he misses it every time?” Athel asked as she grabbed the cloth off of her shoulder and wiped her neck.
“The trick is to put the cloth at the nape of your neck,” Alder explained as he took out a fresh outfit from the baby’s drawers. “That’s one of the first things they teach you in house-husband training.”
“Yeah, well I didn’t get any of that,” Athel complained, stretching out her collar and trying to shove the cloth down in there. “Aww twigs, it’s dripping down into my bodice.”
Mina stretched luxuriously and fell back onto the incredibly soft bed. “Oh, this feels so nice, I could get used to living in a palace.”
“I wouldn’t know,” Athel added. “I feel like I haven’t had a real night’s sleep since I took the throne.”
“You haven’t,” Alder said, concerned for her.
Mina wrapped her tail around herself and rolled around on the enormous bed, giggling to herself like a little kid. “This is so much better than the bed we had back on the ship.”
“Say what you like, I miss the skies,” Captain Evere said, looking out a barred window longingly. “The sway of these trees just feels wrong to my old knees.”
“You wish to sail again, husband?”
Captain Evere’s aging face became pained. “I’ve loved the skies ever since I first stepped foot on an airship. If felt like freedom. It felt like home. But now, I’ve learned that the magic that held those ships aloft was as black as night. The freedom I enjoyed came at a horrible price. Raw souls, taken against their wills by the Stonemasters. I can’t help but feel that my whole life has been a lie, and I wonder if I’ll ever sail again without feeling guilty about it.”
Mina rolled over and wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck. “I know how you feel, sweetie.”
Evere placed his strong hand on top of hers. “Thank you, woman.”
Alder rubbed the bags forming under his eyes. “For as often as you have cared for Ash, I am surprised you are both as well rested as you are,” he commented as he changed the baby. “Perhaps you could teach us your trick.”
“The trick is to marry a Tomani,” Mina tittered as she stood up. “Nothing puts you in a deeper sleep than having the best dream of your life.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “The feeling you get when you wake up is so yummy.”
Isle of Wysteria: The Monolith Crumbles Page 13