“Where is she?” Daniel quickly asked. “Where did you see her?”
“Um, well,” Doku nervously replied as she looked around then pointed her wing off to the side. “I think it was over that way. After we ran from the woods we hid in a cave through the night, then I tried to fly away from there this morning before… well… I didn’t make it far before having to land again.”
“She’s close by?” Daniel inquired as Alyssa started breathing heavily. “Can you take us to her?”
“Take you to her?” Doku slowly repeated. “No, I’d really rather not go back over there again. That doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
“She could still be there,” Cilia whined before ducking down into Doku’s breasts entirely. Pip reached down and pulled the fairy back up then shook her head.
“We have to find her. Alyssa wants to see her daughter again.”
“She’s that way,” Cilia told Alyssa while pointing off to the side. “Good luck. Bye-bye. It was nice meeting you.”
“What are you afraid of?” Specca asked with puzzlement. “You’re a fairy; surely you’re more powerful than Ember is by far.”
“I’m not supposed to use my magic to hurt others,” Cilia explained looking up to Doku with worried eyes. “Doku said good girls don’t hurt others. I can’t fight her otherwise I’ll be a bad girl, and I’m not a bad girl.”
“Cilia could easily kill her I’m sure,” Doku softly reasoned. “But killing is a horrible thing. When we met she promised me she wouldn’t use her magic to hurt others. She’s a little angel, she’s better than taking a life.”
“I’ll always be a good girl for you, Doku,” Cilia promised hugging her chest.
“Doku, please help us find Ember,” Daniel beseeched, taking hold of the harpy’s wings and stepping closer. “We don’t want her to get hurt either. She’s mad because of a terrible misunderstanding. Alyssa needs to find her and set things straight, please take us to where you saw her last.”
“Well…” Doku slowly said as she turned her head towards Alyssa.
“Please, you have to show me where she was,” Alyssa begged. “I haven’t seen her since she was a baby, I didn’t even know she was still alive until recently. I need to find her and tell her that her mother still loves her, she has to know!”
Doku lowered her head for a while and quietly murmured something to herself before sighing and turning her gaze towards Alyssa again.
“I suppose if she’s your daughter… alright then. I guess I should help you find her since she’s family. But you’re not going to fight her, are you? I don’t want anyone to fight or get hurt because of me.”
“We don’t want to fight either,” Triska assured holding a hand up. “We’re going to talk her down and explain things to her, that’s all. Nobody is going to be hurting anyone.”
“Yeah, right,” Clover muttered while crossing her arms with a roll of her eyes.
“I’ll show you where we saw her last,” Doku decided with a nod. “But please be careful. She was throwing fire around everywhere and didn’t seem to be too happy. I don’t want any of you to get hurt.”
“We’ll be fine,” Triska promised her.
“Get Lucky ready to go,” Daniel ordered Kroanette. “We’re going to find Ember right away before we lose her.”
“It won’t take but a moment,” Kroanette declared before rushing over towards the horse.
“Kroanette, get back here!” Alyssa shouted out. Kroanette stopped and looked back to her curiously as everyone watched the witch shaking her head slowly. “None of you are going. I need to confront her alone.”
“What? Alyssa, that’s-” Specca argued before the witch glanced to her with a stern glare.
“I need to alone,” Alyssa stressed as she quickly summoned her staff up into her hand. “I’m not going to have any of you in Ember’s sights while she’s on a rampage like this. I’m going to talk to her, I’m going to calm her down, but I don’t want any of you to be seen by her until I do.”
“Alyssa, we’re not-” Triska contended before Alyssa swung her staff and held it out towards the girl’s face.
“I’m going to ride Lucky, with Doku merely showing me where Ember was last, and I’m going to stop Ember alone,” Alyssa firmly stated. “Triska, I just got you back. I’m not going to risk losing you again. Stay here with our family, and let me do this. Please.”
“But, we can help,” Triska insisted while holding her hands up.
“I’m the only one here that’s fireproof,” Alyssa reminded her. “Ember can’t burn me, but she can burn all of you. If she really wanted to hurt me she could even go after all of you, I can’t risk that.”
She looked around at the group as everyone fell silent then to Doku while the harpy watched her with a worried frown.
“Just show me where she was and then you can stay back out of sight. You don’t have to risk your life by staying near me. I’m the only one Ember needs to see, I’ll handle her by myself.”
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Doku softly asked.
“As alright as I’ll ever be. Please, we have to go now before we lose her trail.”
“Well, okay, if you say so,” Doku said before looking down to the fairies in her bosom. “You two stay here. I don’t want you in danger.”
“Don’t go,” Cilia pleaded while hugging her chest. “That mean witch will cook you for sure! Please don’t go!”
“Cilia,” Doku lightly jested with a smile. “You’re the one that was insistent on helping these people before. I’m merely following your example of being a good girl.”
“But I was following your example of being a good girl first,” Cilia pouted.
“Nuh uh,” Doku said nudging her nose down and bumping Cilia’s forehead. “I’m following your example. You are an angel after all.”
Cilia smiled softly for a moment then forced a frown as she hugged her friend again. Doku giggled then turned her head slightly towards Pip.
“Please watch out for her,” Doku kindly requested. “She’s very important to me. You two should take this time to play and get to know one another, I’m sure you’ll become fast friends.”
“Okay,” Pip softly said with a nod.
The two fairies climbed up out of the harpy’s bosom then fluttered into the air together in front of her. Cilia smiled worriedly at Doku then showed a stern look towards Alyssa as her blue glow shifted to red. Everyone watched with a growing sense of dread as the fairy pointed to Alyssa with a cold stare.
“Bring my Doku back, or else I’ll be a very bad girl,” Cilia threatened.
“She’ll be safe, I promise,” Alyssa quickly replied with a few nods. “Ember won’t lay a finger on her.”
Cilia nodded then looked down with a sorrowful frown while her glow returned to blue. The group breathed out in relief from the fairy recalling her power before Doku slowly walked over towards Alyssa.
“Alright, let’s go find your daughter,” Doku declared with a forced tone of determination. Alyssa quickly started leading her towards Lucky while the group watched them with curious eyes.
“Doku,” Daniel spoke up. The harpy stopped and turned her head back towards him as he smiled at her. “I pray all harpies are as kindhearted as you are. You really are an angel yourself.”
“Daniel,” Doku softly said with a blush. “I just… I’m just doing what I can to help.”
“Thank you so much,” Triska gratefully praised. “We really appreciate it.”
Doku smiled a little and lowered her head before following Alyssa over towards Lucky. The witch brushed the horse’s nose then motioned for him to get down, which he promptly did with a grunt.
“Have you ever ridden on a horse before?” Alyssa asked as she hopped onto Lucky’s back.
“No, I can’t say I have,” Doku curiously replied before she slowly mounted the horse behind Alyssa. “Though surely it can’t be any worse than flying.”
“Just hang on,” Alyssa said taking hol
d of the horse’s reins with one hand. Doku held her wings on the witch with a nervous murmur as Lucky stood up and turned around. “Alright, now which way, Doku?”
The harpy held out a wing in the direction to go, with Alyssa snapping the reins and causing Lucky to take off along the grass with a hasty gallop. They rode past the group who watched them head off in search of Ember, all remaining silent as the witch and harpy raced towards the horizon.
“Please come back soon,” Cilia softly said while waving to them. Pip fluttered close to her and held her hand, the two glancing to each other then looking at the group as they watched Lucky heading over a hill and vanishing from sight.
“Do you think they’ll find Ember?” Luna worriedly asked.
“Better question, what will they do once they find her?” Falla said glancing to Daniel.
“I just hope Alyssa can talk Ember down,” Daniel spoke before looking down with a quiet sigh.
“And if she can’t?” Clover asked looking to him with a raised eyebrow.
Daniel glanced to her then to Triska as the teen had her arms crossed and a solemn expression on her face. She then gazed up at the sky above in silence while the other girls began to worry not that Alyssa wouldn’t find Ember but rather what would happen once she did.
“What if she can’t?” Kroanette repeated, fearful of what the answer would be.
Squeak looked towards where Lucky had ridden off and squeaked with a troubled frown then to Triska as the girl turned to Kroanette with a small shrug.
“For her sake, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Chapter 8
What the Heart Wants
In the world of Eden there were those who followed their dreams, chased after their goals, and refused to let what was truly important to them slip out of their grasp. Perhaps what they desired was considered wrong, foolish, or unattainable. Whether it was strange, confusing, or even embarrassing, they knew what they wanted as their heart and soul made it clear without words. They knew what they needed to be happy, to feel alive, or to feel loved. And once they got a taste of their dream, or if their fantasy finally came true, they would hold onto it with all their might.
Whatever their heart yearned for would make their spirit soar.
*****
Daniel took a slow, soothing breath before nonchalantly gazing around the area, seeing a few trees behind him and bushes growing among the thicket beside coarse boulder that rested nearby. A gentle breeze quietly rolled through, rustling the shrubbery and leaves above while Daniel closed his eyes and relaxed while he took this peaceful moment of solitude to urinate in a bush away from the campsite.
“So when exactly are we leaving for Green Haven?” Clover suddenly asked from behind. Daniel jumped and quickly turned his head while his stream wavered and went all over the shrub, seeing the elf leaning against a tree and watching him with a raised eyebrow.
“Or are we just going to stay here until something else tries to kill us?”
“Clover! Do you mind, I’m trying to do something here!” Daniel cried out with embarrassment.
“Why would I mind?” Clover said with a shrug. “I don’t care if you piss or shit over here, I just want to get an answer. When the fuck are we-”
“Can we have this conversation when I’m not peeing in the bushes?” Daniel snapped before looking away from her.
“You’re either taking a piss, fucking your girls, or dealing with problem after emergency ever since we left Flairwood. I’m starting to wonder if I would get home faster if I just walked there.”
“Clover, let me make two points clear to you,” Daniel groaned as he tried to finish his business as quickly as he could. “First, if you want to leave to find your own way home, none of us are going to lift a finger to stop you. Second, I promised we would take you home, and we’re going to do just that. You have to understand that with Alyssa’s missing daughter coming into the picture and Triska being turned into a cambion, we’ve been dealing with some pretty difficult stuff lately.”
“Excuses, excuses,” Clover muttered while looking away with a dull expression.
“That’s it,” Daniel firmly said before pulling his pants up in the front and adjusting them. He turned and marched towards Clover as the elf watched him carefully while tensing up. “I don’t need your attitude now, Clover. I haven’t needed it at all since we met you, but I certainly don’t want to deal with it right now.”
“Attitude?” Clover scoffed before Daniel walked up and shoved her back against the tree with one hand, getting the elf to quietly gasp in surprise as he narrowed his eyes at her.
“My family comes first, do you understand that?” he demanded. “My mates come first, they always come first, Clover. If Alyssa’s daughter being missing and Triska nearly being taken away from us by a demon never happened we would be on our way to Ruhelia as we planned right now then to Green Haven to take you home. But things didn’t play out that way. We’re still going to take you home, however our more pressing issues come first.”
“We haven’t moved from this campsite for two days,” Clover retorted. “Don’t you think we need to get going? You wanted to get to Ruhelia so badly, didn’t you? You wanted to speak to the centaurs and even the elves, right? Isn’t that important to you?”
“My mates are important to me!” Daniel shouted at her. “Our quest to bring peace to the world hasn’t ended, however we will not continue on when we have important matters to handle first. I don’t want to hear one more word out of you about us not getting you home fast enough, not one more word, Clover, or else you can just walk home. Do you get me?”
“This is such bullshit,” Clover growled as she grabbed his hand, only for him to jerk her back against the tree and cause her to jump again.
“Do you get me?” Daniel sternly repeated.
Clover gritted her teeth and held in her snarl, watching Daniel with a glare as he held her against the timber. Slowly she nodded and turned her eyes away from him, with Daniel then letting go and backing up a step.
“I don’t like having to be strict like this,” Daniel mentioned as he looked away from the elf. “And I don’t want to be mean to you, Clover. But I need to draw this line and make it clear that my mates come first. I love them, I can’t forsake any one of them, and I’ll always do my best to take care of them. That is my priority right now.”
Clover huffed then marched past him, bumping his shoulder with hers on purpose and knocking him aside. After a few steps she stopped, hesitating for a moment before glancing back to him as he watched her with annoyance.
“I will say this,” she reluctantly admitted. “It’s better seeing you actually being strict and taking charge rather than being a fucking pussy and doing nothing when shit happens to you. That’s the way a man should be in my opinion. That being said… I’ll overlook you touching me like that this one time.”
Daniel watched curiously as the elf walked off away from the thicket with her quiver swaying slightly behind her along with her pigtails. Clover shook her head with an agitated grunt, not out of frustration from Daniel being assertive but rather to shake off the faint blush she had on her cheeks.
“I wonder what it would take to make her genuinely happy in life,” Daniel mused to himself as he scratched his head.
Clover walked across the grassy field towards the caravan, mumbling to herself the whole way while keeping her eyes down towards the ground. As she got closer Kroanette sat up from her resting spot near the ride and looked around curiously as she didn’t see someone else with the elf.
“Did you find Daniel?”
“Of course I did. Not like any of us are leaving this spot any time soon,” Clover snapped as she went past the centaur and climbed aboard the ride.
Kroanette watched the elf disappear into the cabin behind the curtain then noticed Daniel walking towards the campsite.
“Daniel,” she called out before quickly trotting over towards him with a smile. “Is everything alright? I se
e Clover is in another one of her bad moods after having spoken to you.”
“You know how she is,” Daniel tiredly reasoned as the centaur came to his side and walked alongside him. “She’s just impatient to get home.”
“I must admit I’m rather eager to see my mother in Ruhelia again,” Kroanette agreed. “Though I understand we’ve had other things to deal with that take precedence.”
“You understand that, Clover doesn’t. Though I think I managed to get that point through to her. I hope.” Daniel stopped and looked around curiously then to Kroanette as she continued to watch him with a warm smile. “Where are all the girls at?”
“Falla said she was going to stretch her wings out and fly for a bit,” Kroanette said scanning the sky with a curious glance. “Squeak said something to me then headed off a little while ago, though I have no idea what she was saying or where she went. And the others are inside the caravan as we speak.”
“I see,” Daniel said looking around the area, noticing how quiet and peaceful it was and wondering how long it would last. “So you’re out here all alone?”
“It’s alright,” Kroanette assured with a wave of the hand. “I’m used to being outside like this anyway, not like I could get inside the caravan even if I wanted to. It doesn’t bother me.”
“It bothers me. You shouldn’t be alone, Kroanette.”
“It’s no trouble. And the others are enjoying themselves inside in comfort, I don’t want them to come out here and sit on the grass all on my account.”
“Well I’m not going to leave a beautiful woman all alone out here,” Daniel mused with a smirk. Kroanette blushed as he gestured towards the field with a small bow. “How about we go for a walk together?”
“A walk? You and I?” Kroanette softly asked. “But… wouldn’t you be more interested in seeing Triska again? She’s inside and likely still yelling at her inner demon to silence herself.”
“She’ll be here when we get back. Besides you and I don’t spend enough quality time together, I don’t want you feeling left out or alone ever.”
Chronicles of Eden - Act VII Page 24