“What is she doing?” Clover asked as she sat down at the table, keeping two empty chairs between her and Luna.
“She and Kitten are discussing a few things,” Specca answered with a shrug.
“Shut up, you’re not helping me here!” Triska snapped before grabbing her hair in frustration. “That doesn’t make sense, I don’t know how that’s supposed to feel! …how the hell would I? I’ve never used magic before!”
“They sure are fighting a lot,” Luna mentioned with concern.
“I honestly don’t see how they’re going to live together in the same body,” Specca sighed while shaking her head. She noticed Clover watching Pip and Cilia out of the corner of her eye, the two fairies giggling while crawling around and into Luna’s bosom in a playful manner as the butterfly shivered and squirmed slightly with a weak smile on her face.
“These are so soft,” Cilia purred before she stuck her body down into Luna’s cleavage, a muffled giggle being heard from her before Pip popped her head up next to her from the mounds with a happy smile on her face.
“My boobies are the best boobies ever!” Pip cheered while waving her arms around.
“You’re not even going to stop them, are you?” Clover flatly asked.
“They’re having fun,” Luna reasoned with a shrug. “Besides it doesn’t feel bad, just… tickles a little.”
“It won’t tickle when they blow up right next to your boobs,” Clover retorted before setting her bow and quiver on the table then propping her arm up on the counter against her jaw.
“If you’re so concerned about them doing that how come you’re still here?” Specca inquired curiously.
“Good question,” Clover dryly replied as she watched the fairies playing in Luna’s chest.
“Because she’s our friend,” Pip reasoned with a giddy smile at her.
“No I’m not.”
“Yes you are.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes you are,” Pip insisted as she flew over and hovered in front of the annoyed elf’s face. “Last night you said you wanted to be friends. You even let me touch your boobies.”
“What?” Clover barked out at her with a blush. Specca and Luna watched her curiously while Triska continued to have a colorful argument with herself. “Last night didn’t mean shit! I was under that demon’s spell, I never wanted to say any of those things to you!”
“So… you don’t want to be friends, Clover?” Pip worriedly asked.
“Of course I don’t,” Clover snapped before crossing her arms and looking away with a grunt. “Why would I want to be friends with a fairy? The answer is I wouldn’t. And I certainly wouldn’t want her touching me all over either.”
Pip sniffled and lowered her head with a frown as she fluttered in front of the girl. Cilia watched her fairy friend with worried eyes while nestled in Luna’s bosom before Pip quickly flew out of the room in a blue blur.
“Pip!” she called out before taking off after her as well. All the girls watched the streaks of blue light fly through the curtain which flapped about from the fairies racing through then turned to Clover as she kept her eyes away from them with discontent.
“You’re so mean,” Luna softly said.
“What?” Clover scoffed with a shrug. “It’s the truth, I never wanted to be friends with her. The only reason I acted so fucking nice to her last night was because I was under a spell. That’s all.”
“She just wanted to be friends. How could you be so cold to her?” Specca scolded.
“I don’t want any of you people as friends!” Clover shouted at her. “I just want to go home! Goddammit, that’s all I want!”
“That’s it!” Triska yelled, with everyone turning to her as she glared at Clover. She marched over towards the girls then grabbed Clover by the collar, lifting her up out of her chair and into the air as everyone watched in surprise.
“I’m dealing with enough shit right now, Clover! I don’t need to be dealing with you as well! Get the hell out of here and find those two, bring them back right now!”
“What? Why should-” Clover started before she was thrown over onto the floor next to the entryway.
“You goddamned, foulmouthed, piece of shit,” Triska growled as she walked closer to the elf.
“Triska?” Luna nervously asked.
“Is this her or Kitten talking?” Specca questioned as the two girls hugged each other out of fright.
Clover shook her head a bit then watched in surprise as Triska stood over her with a stern expression.
“In case you’ve forgotten, you owe your life to Pip,” Triska reminded her. Clover opened her mouth to speak in protest before the teen pushed her foot down on the elf’s chest hard. “She saved both of our lives in Rackleholm from the swarm, she saved all of us when she killed that succubus that came after me, and she’s been an angel to all of us and even you despite the fact that you don’t deserve any kindness for your behavior with her! You will go find them, you will beg for their forgiveness, and then you will bring them back. Otherwise don’t you dare come back here again!”
Everyone stared at her in stunned silence as she removed her boot from Clover’s chest and stepped back.
“Go. Either make peace with Pip and Cilia, or never return.”
Clover slowly stood up while keeping on guard, watching as Triska kept a sharp eye on her while Luna and Specca held each other and trembled nervously in the presence of Triska’s furious aura. After a while of silence Clover held in her grunt and left the cabin, knocking aside the curtain and hopping down onto the ground outside with gritted teeth and a growl escaping her mouth. Triska watched as the elf started walking away while grumbling to herself then noticed Luna and Specca staring at her with wide eyes.
“What? She needs to get her act together,” Triska reasoned before returning to the center of the room again.
“Yes, and you encouraged her to do so in a very frightening manner,” Specca pointed out.
“Are you alright, Triska?” Luna asked as the two girls slowly let go of each other.
“I’m just stressed,” Triska tiredly answered as she held a hand to her face. “That girl always gets under my skin with her attitude, but right now I can’t deal with her as well as Kitten. I just want her to shut up and leave you all alone. Hearing her making Pip upset like that was the last straw.”
“Poor Pip,” Luna worried with a frown. “I feel bad for her. Maybe I should go look for her too.”
“Yes, we shouldn’t count on Clover to do anything,” Specca agreed as they stood up. “We’ll go searching for our missing fairies together.”
“Let Clover find them,” Triska said shaking her head. The girls watched as she looked down at her hand while flexing it slightly. “This is her last chance to show she can be nice. She left her fragment of Eden in her pillow, she won’t run off right now. Besides, Pip and Cilia will come back on their own if she doesn’t find them. Pip won’t leave us like that and Cilia will want to see Doku as soon as she comes back.”
“I suppose,” Specca slowly agreed. “Though I don’t think Clover will honestly try to make things right with them.”
“If Pip and Cilia come back on their own Clover will have missed her chance to apologize, and then she’s out of here for good. Daniel made it clear she needs to treat us with respect. If she doesn’t start doing that then we’ll find another way to talk to the elves, if they’re even worth talking to.”
Specca and Luna sat back down at the table and nodded, both feeling worried about Pip and Cilia and doubtful that Clover would make the slightest effort to apologize to them. Triska sighed then glanced to see Kitten smiling amusedly at her from within her mind.
“Sorry for the interruption,” Triska dryly said. “Please continue with your less-than-helpful lessons.”
“Fine,” Kitten replied with a shrug. “By the way, nice toss with the elf. You could have put more of a spiral on her though.”
“Just tell me how not to blow up
my family with your power,” Triska ordered as she looked to her hands carefully. “Or our power, however it may be.”
At the table Specca and Luna watched as Triska again tried to learn what she could from her inner demon, asking questions and then arguing about the answers as she struggled to grasp how her new body and magic worked. As she appeared to be bickering with herself more and more Specca sighed and looked down with a troubled frown.
“Specca? What’s wrong?” Luna asked her.
“I’m worried about Alyssa. Soon she may come face to face with her missing daughter, who may try to kill her out of spite.”
“Alyssa can reason with her, right?” Luna hopefully said. “I mean Ember is her daughter, she wouldn’t really want to kill her own mother, would she?”
“I don’t know. There’s no telling what Ember has gone through in her life, what happened to her, or what she’s really thinking. Apoch and Astreal said she’s out for Alyssa’s blood, they warned us to stay away from Ember. I hope they’re wrong about her.”
“Me too,” Luna agreed as she looked down with concern. “But she’ll be fine. After all Ember can’t burn her with fire. She can’t hurt her, can she?”
“I hope not,” Specca replied while holding her hands to her face and taking a slow breath. “It’s just giving me a very bad feeling thinking about it.”
“She’ll be fine,” Luna assured, gently resting an arm around Specca and holding her close. “She loves Ember, she’ll make things right with her. Plus she has Doku with her. She’s so nice and friendly, she even got Kitten to be nice.”
“I hate you, you know that?” Triska scoffed while crossing her arms. “Seriously, quit ridiculing me here. This is all new to me, I’m doing the best I- …oh, fuck you. We all weren’t born with a vast knowledge of how magic works. …no, I’m not complimenting you, wipe that smug grin off your face!”
“Well,” Luna slowly mentioned with a weak smile. “Nicer than before anyway.”
“Yes, you’re right,” Specca agreed with a small smile. “Alyssa loves her daughter, and Doku is as friendly and heartwarming as can be. I’m sure with those two together they can help soothe Ember’s anger.”
“We need to have faith they can do this,” Luna encouraged with a gentle shake of the nixie, getting a giggle out of her. “Those two are going to turn Ember around, I just know it. And I bet nothing will stop them from doing just that.”
*****
Gazing up at the sky above Alyssa held in her groan of annoyance while she sat atop Lucky, the horse standing still on a worn path in The Outerlands while Doku was nearby throwing up violently into some bushes.
“Alright,” Alyssa reluctantly spoke up. “So you not only get sick from heights, but also riding on a horse.”
“I’ll be fine,” Doku weakly said, waving a wing behind her before keeling over behind the bush and vomiting loudly.
“We weren’t even going that fast yet,” Alyssa quietly added.
After a while Doku slowly stood up and wavered with a small burp, her breathing gradually calming down as she walked back towards Lucky and stumbled a bit.
“I’m sorry,” she remorsefully apologized. “I’ve never ridden on a horse before. I wasn’t aware it would be so… difficult.”
“You’re actually the only person I’ve met in all my life that got sick from riding on a horse,” Alyssa pointed out with a glance to her. Doku lowered her head in shame and whimpered, with the witch then tiredly rubbing her face before smiling weakly at her. “But that’s alright. I’m sorry it made you sick. Are you going to be okay now?”
“I think… I think so,” Doku shakily replied before lurching a bit with a wing held over her mouth.
“Uh huh,” Alyssa flatly replied as she saw the harpy was certainly not going to be okay. “So, how much further is it to where you last saw her?”
“Not too far,” Doku said as she looked forward and pointed with her wing. “It’s further ahead that way. We should arrive before nightfall easily enough.”
“Can you hold up until then?”
“I’ll certainly try,” Doku promised as she slowly climbed atop Lucky behind the witch. Alyssa watched her curiously then smiled and looked ahead while taking hold of the reins again.
“Thank you, Doku, for everything you’ve-” she said before the harpy quickly turned her head and threw up again to their side. Alyssa shut her eyes with a cringe while Lucky grunted and shook his head, the horse stepping aside away from the puddle of vomit the harpy had created. After Doku seemed to finish and faltered slightly behind her Alyssa sighed and slowly patted the harpy’s leg behind her.
“For everything you’ve done for us.”
“It’s quite alright, Alyssa,” Doku said with a small burp. “I’m glad to be of use. It’s no trouble at all, really.”
“Uh huh,” Alyssa quietly replied before she snapped the reins.
Lucky took off along the dirt path that stretched deeper into The Outerlands, with Alyssa keeping a sharp eye out for any signs of her missing daughter while Doku struggled to hold in her groans and whatever was still left in her stomach. As they raced along the trail together Alyssa remembered the last time she heard Ember when she was a baby, the loud cry of the infant witch making her heart ache while a fierce look of determination came across her face.
‘Ember, I’m coming for you. Your mother will never abandon you, and I swear that nothing will keep us apart again.’
Chapter 9
Rainstorm
In the world of Eden the weather was always to be heeded when roaming The Outerlands. It would be great if it was always clear skies and sunny outside, but conditions wouldn’t always be so pleasant even for the luckiest of explorers. A common shift of weather to be prepared for was rain, something that would make traveling about more difficult for many. Often times during these drizzly and perhaps thunderous days it was best just to wait it out, to take some time to relax and enjoy the company of others while keeping dry under shelter. Of course there were those that would be caught out in the rain, either without warning or because they chose to venture outside for one reason or another.
For them the day may not be as peaceful or harmless as it was for others.
*****
Specca leaned out the caravan’s entryway looking up at the sky above, watching as the clouds were beginning to turn darker with thunder being heard in the distance. The air began to cool while a few droplets of rain landed on the roof of the ride with soft patters.
“It’s going to rain soon,” she said walking back into the room and sitting at the table next to Luna. “I’m worried that Pip and Cilia will be caught in it.”
“I’m sure they’ll be back soon,” Luna reasoned with a hopeful smile.
“They can’t fly in the rain, Luna,” Specca reminded her while growing tense from the thought. “Remember what Pip told us about the rain? A light shower will keep them from flying properly, and a heavy rainstorm can actually be deadly.”
“Maybe it won’t rain hard here,” Luna mused with a shrug.
A loud bang of thunder echoed outside, prompting the girls to jump in a startle before looking to each other worriedly.
“Maybe she’ll come back before it does,” Luna unsurely speculated.
“If it wasn’t for Clover they wouldn’t even be out there in the first place,” Specca huffed with a flustered tone. She looked towards the curtain which was flapping gently in the wind then to Triska as the teen was still focusing on her conversation with Kitten in the middle of the room.
“Triska, aren’t you worried about Pip and Cilia? It’s going to rain soon, and they’re not back yet. We should-”
“They know to stay out of the rain,” Triska interrupted while keeping her eyes focused on her hand. “If Clover doesn’t find them first they’ll fly back here before it gets bad out there.”
“Don’t you care that they’re in danger?” Specca asked with disbelief. “If it starts pouring out there they’ll be pelted
by the rain, they could die from it!”
“Specca, if I don’t learn how my magic works properly you could all die from me,” Triska countered with a glance to her. “We’ve all been out in the rain before when traveling, we know what to do. I’m sure everyone will find a place to stay dry or else they’ll come back here. When it rained the day we left Flairwood Pip zipped in here faster than anyone. She knows to stay out of the rain, she’ll be fine.”
“I know that, but still,” Specca worried while lowering her head. “I’m just getting a bad feeling.”
“She’ll be fine,” Triska reassured her. “The real question is whether she’ll come back on her own or if Clover will find and apologize to her first.”
“That damned elf,” Specca muttered. “She’s been nothing but a nuisance since we found her.”
“She saved Pip’s life before. She even came after me when that succubus took me away. I’m not overly fond of her either, but there are worse monsters we could have with us.” Triska glanced to the curtain then back down to her hand as she tried to put away her worries about the missing fairies. “Besides, odds are Pip and Cilia will come back on their own and Clover will be caught in the rain by herself. Maybe that’ll get her to think about her actions.”
“We can only hope,” Specca sighed.
“I wonder where Falla is,” Luna mentioned with a curious look. “And Daniel hasn’t come back from when he went to pee either.”
“Squeak and Kroanette are probably with them,” Specca reasoned with a shrug. “Maybe they even came across Pip and Cilia and are bringing them back before the rain comes. At least I hope they do.”
“Would everyone quit worrying so much?” Triska spoke out loud. “They’re probably just out of sight of the caravan minding their own business. They’ll all be back soon with our fairies and if we’re lucky a drenched Clover, so just relax.”
Chronicles of Eden - Act VII Page 27