“But they looked exactly like them,” Pip insisted, pointing to the witch sisters who continued to show no interest or surprise from the accusation.
“But if you killed them it couldn’t have been them,” Luna reasoned while pointing to the sisters as well. “Because if they were dead they couldn’t be here now. And they are here now, so they couldn’t have been the ones chasing you that you killed.”
“I… guess so,” Pip slowly replied with confusion. She looked down and held her head while humming in thought, the group watching as she closed her eyes and tried to remember what was out of reach in her mind.
“Mr. Daniel,” the twins spoke with growing impatience. “Will you help our master or not?”
Daniel looked to the relic in his hands as everyone turned to him, his eyes going over the artifact while deep in thought about what he wanted to say. After taking some time to consider his words he turned to the sisters and raised an eyebrow in question.
“Is Twilight listening to us right now? Is she here?”
“No,” Apoch replied shaking her head. “It’s very tiring for her to peer into the world outside of her prison. Right now she is resting.”
“Then please tell her I want to talk to her myself before agreeing to anything,” Daniel requested. “We are grateful for all she and you have done for us, make no mistake about that. But I want to know more about her, I want to know who it is exactly I would be trying to free. And I want to speak to her directly.”
“Do you not trust our words, Mr. Daniel?” the twins asked together.
“No,” Daniel answered without hesitation. “The truth is Pip has seen you two before, and is scared of you. I don’t know exactly what happened with you and her, her story doesn’t quite make sense, but she doesn’t trust you. And that’s enough for me to be cautious of you two.”
Apoch and Astreal opened their mouths to speak again before he held out a hand to silence them, with the girls watching curiously as the twins actually halted with their words at his request.
“Maybe you can be trusted,” he reasoned. “Maybe Twilight really is the damsel in distress like you say. However we’re not seeing the full picture here, and I would much rather hear the details from Twilight herself than from you two. There’s too much uncertainty with you, especially how you two don’t seem to be who we thought you were. If Twilight really does believe in and trusts me, then she’ll understand my reasons for this.”
Apoch and Astreal slowly eyed the group over, seeing all of them watching the sisters carefully as none of them trusted the two witches completely and all supported Daniel’s decision.
“Very well,” Apoch spoke softly. “If that is your choice, then so be it.”
“When our master is able to, she will contact you,” Astreal informed them before the two started walking towards the entryway together.
“I want to trust you,” Daniel mentioned, with the sisters stopping and glancing back to him questionably. “I do. I want to believe you and Twilight are good monsters, ones who wouldn’t lie to us. If she’s really a good person then yes, I will do what I can to help her. If she or you are lying to us then we will not help you. Regardless, the gifts you brought us are greatly appreciated, we do thank you for that. And we won’t speak any of this to Charlotte, you have our word. At the very least you returned something precious to Alyssa, and for that we’ll keep your secret.”
The twins watched him for a moment then nodded and left the room without saying a word, the curtain sliding back over the entryway behind them as they vanished into the night. Daniel watched them leave then turned his eyes to the relic in his hand, the girls around him looking to him curiously as he considered what he had just done.
“Daniel? Are you okay?” Triska asked, resting a hand on his leg as she saw him distantly gazing at the fragment.
“Yes,” Daniel replied with a nod. “I figure if we’re going to help one another, we should get to know each other better first. I just hope she really is as kind and generous as she seems.”
“I don’t trust them,” Falla mentioned shaking her head.
“Were they lying to us?” Luna asked her.
“I don’t know,” Falla admitted with a shrug. Everyone looked to her as she appeared perplexed while glancing to the entryway. “That’s the weird part. I couldn’t tell if they were lying or not. It didn’t sound like they were, but…”
“But what?” Kroanette asked.
“It didn’t sound like they were telling the truth either,” Falla warned Daniel. “Something isn’t normal about those two, I couldn’t see if they were lying like I can with everyone else. It was like… they were hollow, like there wasn’t anything behind their words. Not deception, but not honesty either.”
“That makes me distrust them even more,” Triska confirmed with discontent. “They’re hiding something, I just know it.”
“Well they did say they had reason to hide much about themselves,” Kroanette pointed out. “They don’t want any harm to come to their master when she’s freed. They’re protective of her.”
“I’m not sure if we can trust them or not,” Specca admitted with a troubled look. “They have done great things for us, however they could be just trying to sway us with such generosity.”
“I know I’ve seen them before,” Pip insisted with a pout. “I’m not making this up. I have seen them. It’s true.”
“I believe you, Pip,” Daniel assured her. “There’s more they’re not telling us, and before we do anything to help them we’re going to get all the answers.”
“Alyssa?” Luna softly asked.
The group looked to the witch as she was holding her mother’s focuser close with her head lowered and eyes closed, seeming to be holding back her tears as she shakily breathed in and out. She gently caressed the gemstone and whimpered before looking to Daniel with teary eyes.
“I don’t care if they can’t convince Charlotte to forgive me for my past. This gift means so much to me, I never thought I’d hold this again. I owe them for this, I do.”
“I’m glad you have it back,” Daniel kindly said as he wiped a tear from her cheek. “Even if we don’t help Twilight, we’ll keep their secret of serving Twilight from Charlotte as thanks for giving you that treasure.”
Alyssa nodded and held her mother’s focuser close, treasuring the relic as she felt like she found a lost piece of her life from the past.
“Um,” Doku softly spoke up. “May I ask you who those two girls were and what it is you’re all talking about? I’m still a bit lost as to everything you’ve been discussing.”
“We don’t understand what’s going on,” Cilia whined while waving her arms around. “Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!”
“I suppose we can,” Daniel said, giving one last look at the fragment of Eden before handing it towards Alyssa. “Here, take this and return it to Clover, and also would you please remove her ‘punishment’ for the night?”
“But, Daniel,” Alyssa whined with a pout. “She was very bad, she needs to be taught her lesson still.”
“It’s late, Alyssa, and I don’t want her suffering through the night. Please untie her and remove what you forced into her, and give her back this artifact. As things stand now it’s still her property and will be returning to Green Haven along with herself.”
“Fine,” Alyssa sulked as she took the relic. She crawled off the side of the bed and gently placed her mother’s necklace with her belongings then headed towards the elf in the corner of the room.
“Well, Doku,” Daniel started, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to figure out how to begin telling her everything. “You see, a while ago we-”
“Daniel?” Alyssa called over while eyeing Clover with a raised eyebrow. “If she’s unconscious does it even matter to untie her anymore?”
“She’s unconscious?” Specca asked.
“Yep yep. She passed out,” Alyssa confirmed, seeing the elf out cold with a blush on her face and a few tears still on her c
heeks. “Looks like she couldn’t handle it after all.”
“I was wondering why she was so quiet,” Kroanette mentioned with a shrug.
“Yes,” Daniel sighed while lowering his head. “Please untie her and remove what you put in her. Don’t let her sleep through the night like that.”
“Fine,” Alyssa pouted before reluctantly undoing the ropes around the elf.
Daniel shook his head then turned to Doku with a weak smile, the harpy merely watching him with a curious expression while Cilia hopped about in her chest.
“Well, I guess I should start from the beginning.”
*****
Kneeling down with their heads lowered Apoch and Astreal were struggling not to tremble in fear while they listened to the rhythmic drumming of fingernails on a hard surface, something that signaled displeasure with their recent report from the outside world. The sound echoed in the darkness surrounding the witch sisters, the floor they were on seen as a sleek metal with etched engravings glowing with a soft blue hue. The trails of light were scattered about in the large hall they were in, the ominous glows against the stark darkness giving the room a very unsettling feel to the girls, though not as much as the cold presence they felt in front of them.
“Master?” they shakily asked as they heard the fingernails tapping in the uncomfortable silence of the unseen woman.
“Girls,” Twilight finally spoke, with the sisters hopping a bit and keeping their heads lowered. “Let’s see if we can isolate what is wrong with this picture, shall we? Not only did you fail to secure his trust and assistance with unlocking my seal, but you also allowed two fairies to fall into their circle. And one of those fairies is the very same that you two let escape, isn’t it?”
“Yes, master,” the twins nervously admitted.
“Well, it just so happens that having the fairy known as Pip with them will work out in our favor,” Twilight chuckled. “She is actually fueling his own power further with her love for him. In a way we’ll get more in return by having her stay with him. For now. So that isn’t a problem after all.”
“That’s good to hear, master,” the sisters shakily agreed with worried smiles.
“However,” Twilight sternly spoke, with the witches again trembling in fear. “That other fairy is not needed by Daniel Sorres and would have been fair game to capture. Yet you did not. You were supposed to be keeping a close eye on him and those girls, you were supposed to know where they go and what they come across. A fairy falling out of the sky into their laps should not have gone unnoticed!”
The sisters cowered in fear as the woman’s voice was deafening to them, their bodies freezing in place out of fright as they felt a deathly chill run down their spines.
“We… shall go get her, master,” Apoch shakily offered.
“We’ll bring her back for you, we swear,” Astreal desperately promised.
“See that you do,” Twilight harshly ordered. “And the next time you are in Daniel Sorres’s presence you will do everything in your power to gain his favor. I don’t care if it requires you both to give your bodies to him, do whatever it takes to make sure he brings the key to the gate!”
“We will!” the sisters quickly assured her. They shakily got up and bowed again before slowly turning and walking away.
“And don’t harm any of those he loves,” Twilight mentioned, with the twins glancing back curiously to her voice. “Each one of those girls makes him stronger, and I want him as strong as can be when we meet.”
“What if he isn’t as powerful as we hope?” Apoch questioned. “What if he proves to be too weak?”
“I fear he may be a waste of our time,” Astreal worried. “We should bring you somebody more powerful for you to devour.”
“Like your alpha?” Twilight asked with a bite.
“What? No!” the sisters pleaded shaking their heads. “Not her, not her!”
“Tell me, girls, have you forgotten your place?” Twilight wondered with an innocent tone. “Have you forgotten that it was I who brought you to life? That I continue to bring you to life? That you belong to me!”
“We have not forgotten!” the sisters cried, quickly turning and bowing to the booming voice.
“Your only purpose for being near that alpha witch is to use her name and influence to gather the fragments more quickly,” Twilight reminded them. “In fact, that’s your only reason for pretending to be her assistants, isn’t that right?”
“Yes, we know,” Apoch insisted with eyes shut tight. “And it’s working, we’re able to use all the witches who follow Ms. Charlotte to search for the fragments. That’s many more eyes and hands to search and retrieve the artifacts for us.”
“We’ve even enlisted a neko under her name to find them for us,” Astreal mentioned eagerly. “One that has infiltrated the ranks of Mr. Daemon and his hunters.”
“Daemon Warrick?” Twilight hissed with anger.
“Yes, the very same. She will snatch away any fragments he finds and give them to us for some petty gold. All because of Ms. Charlotte’s name that the deal was made under.”
“Why didn’t you have the damned mercenary kill him instead?” Twilight demanded.
“My master,” Astreal humbly implored. “There is no denying that Mr. Daemon is a very skilled hunter with finding these relics. We thought it best to use that to our advantage. Fear not, every piece he finds shall be taken away by the neko and given straight to us. After they’re all collected we can then give the neko her final order to kill him.”
The rhythmic drumming of fingernails in the darkness were all that was heard as the sisters nervously awaited their master’s response. After a while the woman chuckled and the clacking of her nails stopped.
“Hmm, I’m impressed,” Twilight mused. “You’re actually playing him quite well. Using that troublesome knight to aid us like that, very good work.”
“Thank you, master,” the twins gratefully replied.
“This pleases me,” Twilight happily announced. “I was afraid I would have had to punish you two for making so many mistakes, but the thought of Daemon Warrick acting as a mere puppet for us brings a smile to my face. Be gone while my mood remains as such, and bring me that fairy. The one Daniel Sorres does not love, of course.”
“Right away, master,” the twins acknowledged before turning to leave.
“And also your alpha,” Twilight added, causing the sisters to freeze with a gasp. “I feel you can still use her name to manipulate the other witches based on your own ranking amongst them, she does not have to be present in her village anymore.”
“No, you don’t want her!” Apoch cried out with eyes shut tight.
“I don’t? That’s interesting to hear. And why is it I don’t want her?”
“She’s not powerful at all, my master,” Astreal shakily reasoned. “She’s actually quite weak.”
“Weak?” Twilight laughed. “An alpha witch, one who goes by the name Charlotte the Invincible, is weak? That doesn’t sound right.”
“She’s invincible only in name and reputation which she forged for herself,” Apoch insisted. “It would be a complete waste to bring her to you, she would much better serve as our… puppet in Rystone.”
“The other witches revere her,” Astreal mentioned, keeping her face turned away to hide her nervous frown. “Her presence will keep them all under control, and thus we can use them for as long as we need to.”
“I see,” Twilight mused. “So she’s lying.”
“Yes, she’s lying,” the twins eagerly agreed.
“I do hate those who lie to me,” Twilight hissed, the hissing sound then echoing as if there was more than one source doing so behind the sisters. “Perhaps I should devour her simply as a form of punishment. Don’t you think so?”
“She’s no good to you in your belly,” Apoch implored while trying not to tremble in fear. “If you eat her we may lose support of all the witches if they discover she is gone.”
“She won’t give y
ou any power worth the trouble,” Astreal insisted. “It would be a waste of your time to bother digesting her.”
“I suppose that is true,” Twilight replied distantly. “Very well. Leave her to her own means, just bring me the fairy that Daniel Sorres does not love.”
“Yes, master,” the twins agreed before leaving. They walked across the hall with the soft blue glows from the many etchings and light sources blooming around them, making their way into the darkness before they twirled their staves around and clanked them together. With a bright flash they vanished, the two leaving the sealed city that their master was confined to still.
“How very annoying,” Twilight bitterly spoke to herself. “Only little insects can crawl through the cracks of my cage, yet I, with all my power and wisdom, cannot leave unless a few accursed stones are gathered outside the gate. As soon as I get out of here I’m destroying this accursed city. It will be the first of the world to feel my wrath.”
*****
Inside their room within Charlotte’s manor the twins were holding each other while trying to calm their nerves, with Apoch hiding her face in her sister’s bosom while the blonde haired witch held her close. The two were seated on one of the twin beds, with parchments and books lining the walls in bookshelves that surrounded the entire room. The ceiling above had an astrology pentagram written in stars against a painted night sky, the glows of the stars showing they weren’t just normal drawings while the cosmos behind them had a thin veil of fog that moved about in the painting.
Astreal listened to her sister whimpering in her chest as she watched the candle in the single lamp they had in their chamber burn, the light glowing softly in the middle of the room and flicking slightly behind the glass.
“It’s going to be okay, sister,” Astreal gently hushed Apoch. “It will all be alright, I promise.”
“She’s going to eat Ms. Charlotte,” Apoch whimpered. “She’s going to order us to bring her to the city soon. If she does… we have to obey, sister. We’ll have to feed Ms. Charlotte to her.”
“We won’t let that happen,” Astreal quietly spoke into her ear. “As long as our master believes Ms. Charlotte is weak she won’t bother to eat her. We won’t let her be taken away.”
Chronicles of Eden - Act VII Page 46