“What kind of signal would that be?” Falla questioned.
“How about…” Luna pondered before showing a deranged smile. “CILIA’S DOWN THERE! CILIA’S DOWN THERE! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”
The group just stared at her with blank expressions as she laughed manically then noticed Doku and Specca had halted from their walk with bewildered looks back at them.
“She’s just being Luna,” Triska called out shaking her head. “We’re working out a signal for them to give in case they find Cilia.”
Doku and Specca slowly nodded then resumed walking away while Luna giggled with a twisted smirk on her face.
“Sure, that’ll work,” Daniel reasoned with a weak smile. “Just… let us know if you see her.”
“Okay dokie,” Luna agreed with a happy smile before fluttering off into the air. Falla sighed then followed after her special sister, the two flying away together while scouring the landscape for any sign of their missing friend.
Alyssa brought over Lucky that she and Daniel then mounted, with him holding the reins while she held onto his hip and her staff behind him.
“Keep an eye on Clover, we’ll be back soon,” Daniel said to Triska with a smile before the two took off. Triska waved to them then glanced back to the sleeping elf while Squeak was finishing dressing her.
“Something tells me this is going to be one of those days.”
Chapter 16
Hellfire
In the world of Eden the element of fire was widely used and revered. Not just for cooking a warm meal or lighting the way at night, but also as a means to attack and destroy. From simple torches, to flaming arrows, to wielding fire with magic itself, there was no denying how powerful and dangerous it could be when used properly. Though that wasn’t to say it was a perfect weapon, as time and again many would be reminded that fire was difficult to control. It was chaotic, volatile, and unforgiving. Fire wasn’t naturally a benevolent force in the world, and an uncontrolled flame could prove deadly if left unchecked.
After all, almost nothing compared to the danger of a raging firestorm.
*****
Clover slowly opened her eyes, a strained breath escaping her lips as she regained consciousness. Her body felt rigid, sore, fatigued, all except for her side which had a strange sense of pleasure rolling across her skin. Turning her head on her pillow she saw Squeak licking her side with her tunic pulled aside, the ant girl’s tongue causing spikes of euphoria to spread across the elf’s side with each lick.
“What… are you doing?” Clover asked softly.
Squeak looked to her in wonder from seeing the elf awake then smiled and started squeaking at her. Clover just stared at her with a dull expression as the ant girl said something to her for a while before raising an eyebrow at her in question.
“Does anybody understand you when you talk to them?”
Squeak tilted her head curiously and squeaked something else, with Clover rolling her eyes before she tried to sit up. Almost instantly she grunted and froze in place, her stomach and side aching severely while her lungs strained to breathe properly. Squeak gently pushed the girl back down and shook her head, shaking her finger at the elf then pointing to where she had been wounded earlier and squeaking something else.
“What happened?” Clover coughed as she looked herself over. She was lying up front on the big bed with a pillow behind her head and fully dressed in her elven garb, something she was certain she didn’t have on when she passed out the night before from Alyssa’s punishment. Looking over to the side she noticed Triska standing by a large broken opening in the front of the cabin, the teen examining the severed planks of the wall carefully before noticing Clover was awake.
“What the fuck happened here?” Clover asked with bewilderment.
Triska walked over towards the bed, watching Clover carefully while Squeak sat up and scooted away from the elf. Standing next to the bedside Triska eyed Clover’s side that appeared healed and healthy again then smirked at the girl while crossing her arms.
“Why did you do it?”
“What?”
“Why did you save Doku’s life like that? You were ready to give your own life for her. How come?”
Clover remained silent as she averted her eyes from the girl. Triska and Squeak exchanged glances then watched as the elf didn’t say a word or move an inch.
“I think the stories about elves are true after all,” Triska mused with a shrug. Clover slowly turned her eyes back to her as the teen knelt down in front of the bed. “You elves are vulgar, deceptive monsters who speak in the foulest of tongues. But the rumors about you coming to the aid of those in trouble in the world aren’t just made up, are they? You’ve been coming to our aid ever since we met you.”
“I just want to go home,” Clover snapped.
“Liar,” Triska accused shaking her head. “You could have left whenever you wanted. You could have left and found your way home without any problem. You have never needed us to get home.”
“I need you to speak in my defense about-”
“About losing your priestess’s treasure?” Triska laughed. “I doubt you would have been blamed for that other elf’s mistake of stealing it. And you’ve gotten a replacement to give her, haven’t you? You never took off with it when you’ve had every opportunity. Even when we’ve practically begged you to leave us alone, you stayed.”
“What are you getting at? You’re pissing me off now.”
“You saved Pip’s life, you saved my life, and now you’ve saved Doku’s at nearly the cost of your own,” Triska pointed out with a curious smile. “Tell me, why is it you’re helping us so much if we ‘piss you off’ like you say we do?”
“Shut up already!” Clover shouted before holding in her grunt of pain. She rested a hand on her side and shut her eyes as she struggled to hold in her voice.
“I see the girl Zoey did,” Triska gently said, with Clover looking at her curiously. “I see the elf she did now. You are a kindhearted girl, under your abrasive and unbearable exterior of course. You may not want to hear this, but you’re going to. Thank you, Clover, for everything you’ve done for us. I really am grateful we found you in Rackleholm.”
Clover turned her head away with a scoff, her cheeks taking on a faint blush as she tried to not only hold in her voice but also her tears from thinking about her fallen friend again. Triska gently patted the elf’s hand then stood up and took off her shirt, with Cover glancing to her with a dull expression.
“Oh great,” Clover droned. “You’re going to fuck me now that I’m weak, aren’t you? I was afraid this was going to happen with you perverts. Let me tell you, you lay one hand on me and I swear when I can move again-”
“I’m not going to have sex with you Clover,” Triska assured with a roll of her eyes. “I just don’t want my shirt ripped when she comes out.”
“She?” Clover asked, then jumped a bit and shook her head quickly. “Wait, that demon bitch? Why are you letting that whore out again? Why the fuck was she even out to begin with? Don’t let her out again, what the fuck are you thinking?”
“She’s going to apologize to you,” Triska explained with a stern glance to the side, watching Kitten in her mind nervously cringing as she looked between her and the bedridden elf. “She’s under orders to by her master, to seek your forgiveness for her horrendous actions this morning.”
“Triska, hold on,” Kitten pleaded with a worried smile. “I don’t have to come out for this. You can just relay my apology to her-”
“She’s going to come out and beg for your forgiveness,” Triska sternly repeated. “Because if she does not get it then she’s NEVER coming out again!”
“Triska, that’s not fair!” Kitten whined hopping up and down. “Doku said you shouldn’t be so mean to me, remember? Listen to Doku.”
“This is your last chance!” Triska shouted at her side, with Clover and Squeak watching as she appeared to be talking to herself again. “Get out here and apologize or else
you’re through! Those were Daniel’s explicit orders for you, and if you do not follow them like an obedient bitch then you’re never using this body again!”
Silence filled the cabin as the girls waited to see if Kitten would make her appearance. Triska lowered her head and closed her eyes, taking a slow, steady breath as she listened to Kitten muttering in her mind. Clover kept a close eye on the cambion while Squeak crossed her arms with a dull expression as she figured Kitten would drag this on as much as she could.
After a long period of silence Triska flinched slightly with a strained murmur. From behind her demonic wings slowly came through her back and extended out, her tail slinking down her pants and wrapping around her ankle. Clover forced a brave face as she saw the demon’s wings emerging out to the sides, blocking the light from the opening behind her in a wide spread. With a slow breath Kitten opened her eyes, the cerulean glow showing she was in control again while Squeak and Clover narrowed their eyes at her in discontent.
Squeak pointed to Clover with a stern squeak, the elf crossing her arms with a scowl at the demon as she averted her glowing eyes from either of them.
“So…” Kitten slowly said before looking down with a shrug. “I guess… I’m sorry.”
“To her, not the ground!” Triska yelled out in her mind.
Kitten flinched then smiled weakly at Clover, the elf glaring at her with anger while Squeak pointed to her again with a stern squeak. The demon opened her mouth, paused, and then rubbed the back of her head with a nervous smile. Her eyes glanced to the left then the right before she looked down again with a quiet groan.
“So… um… about earlier…”
“Quit stalling!”
Kitten cringed slightly then turned her eyes back to Clover who was still glaring at her with her lips flinching in her scowl.
“I… am… um… you know, I am.”
“Say it!”
“I’m sorry,” Kitten forced out before shuddering as if she just swallowed something horrifically foul.
Squeak shook her head slowly at Kitten then saw Clover still glaring at the demon in discontent. The elf scoffed then kicked off one of her boots, with Kitten glancing to her bare foot then to her as Clover raised an eyebrow with a cold stare at her.
“Kiss it,” Clover sternly ordered.
“Kiss… what?” Kitten slowly asked.
“My foot. Kiss it and beg for forgiveness, bitch.”
“No, no,” Kitten replied shaking her head. “I’m not going to be doing anything of the sort.”
“You want my forgiveness?” Clover threatened sharply. “Kiss it. Now!”
“See, that’s not going to happen,” Kitten argued with a forced smile and a twitching eyebrow. “I said I was sorry like I was ordered to by my master, I’m not going to-”
She paused and listened to something that the other girls couldn’t hear then stomped her foot with a frustrated grunt.
“What? You… you can’t be serious, Triska. This is your mouth too, you know.” Kitten looked away with a flustered huff then showed a bewildered expression. “What? No! I am not kissing that little rat’s foot. My master never ordered me to do something so degrading as that!”
Squeak watched Kitten curiously as the demon whined and tugged on her hair, the girl’s glowing eyes going from Clover’s bare foot to the elf’s face that had a smug grin on it from seeing the cambion’s resentment towards her order.
“No, I’m not doing it,” Kitten argued. “There is no way- …that’s not fair! My master never ordered me to- …you can’t order me to do that either! Is it you want to kiss her foot, you’ve got some sick fetish for this bitch or something? Why are you agreeing to- …this is your mouth you know! You’re going to taste that shit when you come back out, you do realize this, yes?”
Kitten snarled with anger then shut her eyes and lowered her head as she heard Triska berating her constantly in her mind. She grabbed her face and growled heavily before sighing and dropping down onto her knees. The girls watched as she held in her voice through gritted teeth and slowly moved over to face Clover’s foot. Kitten trembled with rage as she peeked at the elf with one eye, seeing Clover smiling bitterly at her as she awaited her apology. Squeak held a hand over her mouth to hide her giggle as she watched Kitten struggling with all her might to do as she was ordered, the demon’s hands clenched at her sides while her tail snapped behind her.
“Please… forgive me,” Kitten forced out before slowly kissing the elf’s foot. She cringed then glanced to Clover as the elf merely cocked her head to the side with a dull stare at the girl.
“I’m thinking you can put some more emotion into that apology,” Clover reasoned with a shrug. “I’m not really feeling how sorry you are. Let’s try that again, shall we?”
Kitten snarled with eyes glowing deeply, lips flinching in her scowl as she struggled to keep her composure.
“I did as you asked,” she growled through her teeth. “Do not push me, elf.”
Clover smirked and glanced to Squeak, the ant girl smiling amusedly at her and nodding in agreement.
“Fine,” she reluctantly agreed before lying back and looking away. “Just go the fuck away and bring Triska back. I’ve had more than enough of you for a lifetime.”
“Does this mean I have your forgiveness?” Kitten inquired as she stood up and wiped her mouth.
“You can tell Dan that if you want,” Clover answered with a sharp glance to her. “I still hate your guts though.”
“I can live with that,” Kitten scoffed, crossing her arms and looking away with annoyance.
Squeak smirked then kicked off one of her own boots, the other girls watching as she leaned back and lifted out her foot towards the demon with a squeak. Kitten glanced to her wiggling toes then to her with a raised eyebrow as the ant girl watched her with a knowing smile.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Kitten snapped. “You think I’m going to kiss your foot now too?”
Squeak nodded and squeaked at her with a smirk.
“And just why do you think I’ll be doing that?”
Squeak started squeaking at her in discontent, waving one hand around in indecipherable signals while using the other in a clawing gesture near her abdomen. She pointed over to the floor in the middle of the room then to Kitten before at her foot with a stern squeak at the end of her speech. The demon just stared at her for a moment before shaking her head slowly.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to say and I don’t care. I’m not kissing your foot.”
“You toyed with her,” Clover explained to her. “You held her down and scratched her abdomen the other day.”
“So what?” Kitten demanded.
“You touched her inappropriately and she wants retribution,” Clover reasoned with a smirk at Squeak, the ant girl nodding to that while watching Kitten with a smug grin. “Let’s go, Kitten. Get on your knees and beg for her forgiveness too.”
“I shall do no such thing!” Kitten shouted at them. She twitched then looked to the side with shock. “What? You can’t be serious! This wasn’t part of my orders at all!”
Clover and Squeak giggled at seeing Kitten arguing with Triska in her head, the demon’s hands clenched into fists while she stomped her foot in frustration.
“Why are you agreeing to this? This is your mouth you want kissing that girl’s foot! What are you thinking?” Kitten yelled out. She paused then shut her eyes and growled furiously. “No! I’m not doing that! I owe this bitch nothing, and I will certainly not- …Triska, that’s not fair! Doku said not to be mean to me, remember? I’m not- …no! I won’t do it, I won’t!”
The girls watched with amused smirks as Kitten whined and shook her head, the demon trying to get a word in with Triska and being cut off every time. After a while of bickering with the voice in her head Kitten looked to Squeak’s foot then her as the ant girl cocked her head to the side and gently waved her foot at the demon.
“Kiss it,” Clover repeated
with a mean smile.
*****
“Why did you make me do that?” Kitten yelled out in Triska’s mind.
‘Because you had that coming,’ Triska thought as she rummaged through her duffel bag, her eyes going over the broken boards around the large opening then back down into her bag’s contents as she listened to the demon inside her whining constantly.
“It was awful enough I had to kiss that fucking elf’s foot, but making me do so with the ant girl’s as well? That was totally uncalled for!”
‘I’m thinking the other girls could stand for an apology from you as well,’ Triska replied with a smirk. ‘I bet they would appreciate knowing how sorry you really are for your actions.’
“No way! Nothing doing, I’m not kissing any more feet! Why are you being such a mean bitch to me, I’m trying to be a good demon here!”
‘Trying, and failing,’ Triska reasoned shaking her head.
Sitting on the bed Squeak was watching Triska curiously while Clover was lying next to her, the elf merely watching the teen out of boredom as she was confined to the bed with her injury.
“Can you at least hand me my bow and arrows?” Clover called out, glancing to her bow and quiver resting beside her bed. “Seriously, I’m bored as fuck here.”
“No archery in the caravan,” Triska reminded her as she pulled out a tin of nails and rattled it slightly before setting the can down on the floor.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s dangerous and we don’t need any more notches in the walls,” Triska reasoned as she then pulled out some boards from her bag.
“Oh yeah, heaven forbid I make any tiny marks in your home. I mean, sure, there’s my blood on the floor over there and a fucking hole in the wall right next to you, but I can see how my arrows hitting the walls at this point would simply be crossing the line with you people.”
“Glad you understand that,” Triska dryly replied while pulling out more boards from her bag.
Clover opened her mouth to argue with her then froze with a puzzled look as she saw Triska piling her repair supplies and materials next to her duffel bag, which included long wooden boards, a tin of nails, buckets of paint, and a brush. Squeak slowly eyed over the supplies then tilted her head in confusion while Clover rubbed her eyes in disbelief of what she was seeing.
Chronicles of Eden - Act VII Page 51