Chronicles of Eden - Act VII

by Alexander Gordon

“What do you mean? She’s screaming she hates me right now.”

  ‘She doesn’t hate you, Kitten.’

  “I don’t understand,” Kitten said looking to Alyssa with puzzlement. “Why is she saying she does if she doesn’t?”

  ‘Trust me,’ Triska thought as she gently held Alyssa in her arms. ‘She doesn’t hate you, even though she wants to right now.’

  Triska brushed Alyssa’s hair while holding her close, the witch clinging to her chest and sobbing as she finally let out all her emotions. Daniel scooted closer and gently rubbed the witch’s back with a sympathetic frown. Alyssa looked to him with teary eyes then quickly clung to him, crying into his chest as he took his turn holding her.

  “Alyssa,” he gently said as he held his mate close.

  “I failed her,” Alyssa whined shaking her head. “I lost her twice now.”

  “No you didn’t,” Daniel assured her. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You tried to reach out to her, we all did. She just didn’t want to take our hand.”

  “Am I a bad mother?” Alyssa whimpered with teary eyes up at him.

  “Not at all,” he replied holding her cheek. “You did everything you could, both in searching for her and trying to reason with her. She lost her way, Alyssa. If you had raised her I’m sure she would have become a good person in life.”

  “Wouldn’t she have become a lustful witch who just rapes men if Alyssa had raised her?” Falla asked raising her hand.

  “You’re not sleeping with us tonight,” Specca flatly told her with a dull stare.

  Alyssa sniffled and looked down with closed eyes as Daniel held her close. He glanced over to Ember’s body then gently kissed Alyssa’s ear.

  “Fate wasn’t kind to her, that wasn’t your fault,” he promised before gently lifting her gaze by the chin to look at him. “You are a wonderful witch, Alyssa. I only feel sorry that Ember didn’t want to see that.”

  The group watched as Alyssa buried her face in Daniel’s chest and held onto him, whimpering and closing her eyes as she mourned the loss of her daughter for the second time. Yet this time it didn’t strike her heart as badly as it did when Ember was first lost to her. She wasn’t sure if it was because Ember tried to claim her life, or because she had already gone through the pain of losing her daughter once before, but this time the blow of her being taken away seemed softened to her.

  With a deep breath she slowly glanced over to Ember’s body from out of Daniel’s chest, seeing her daughter finally resting with a peaceful expression on her face. Alyssa crawled away from Daniel and over towards her, wiping away a few tears before hugging her dearly.

  “I’m sorry, Ember,” she gently spoke. “Please, rest in peace, my dear daughter.”

  There was no anger or resentment from Alyssa towards Daniel or even Kitten for fending Ember off before ultimately striking her down, knowing that they didn’t do so out of malice but rather to save her life from the fallen witch. And she felt no hatred towards Ember either, knowing that she had lost her way during her life and was blinded to the truth. She only felt pity for her daughter, saddened that she couldn’t be shown what was right before her, what Alyssa wished she could have gotten through to her past all the hate and anger Ember had.

  “I love you,” Alyssa softly said before leaning back and gently holding Ember’s cheek. “I always have, and I always will.”

  Chapter 18

  Coping with Loss

  Death is an inevitability in Eden. Whether it be from old age, illness, or by a blade, the end was sure to come to all, one way or another. Sometimes it could be seen, prepared for, maybe postponed if lucky, while other times it could strike without warning or mercy. For many there was little that compared to losing a loved one or cherished friend, it could be more painful than death itself. The realization that they’re gone forever, the emptiness they would leave behind in the lives of those that cared for them, it could push one to tears or even into shock. In grim times such as these all that could be done was to accept the dark turn of fate, to think fondly of those that were taken, and to pray that they would finally be at peace.

  At the very least their memory would live on.

  *****

  Daniel was seated on the ground with Doku’s head resting in his lap, the harpy breathing quietly in her sleep while he gently brushed her long bangs away from her closed eyes. Beside them Specca was watching the sleeping girl with a small smile, her tail gently swaying behind her before she rubbed her hands with an irritated grimace.

  “I know all this heat must be making your scales itchy,” Daniel mentioned with a glance at her. “You can go over to the river and take a dip to cool off if you want.”

  “I’ll be fine for now,” Specca assured shaking her head. “I want to be here when she wakes up to thank her for saving Alyssa.”

  Nearby Squeak was digging in the dirt, scooping away rocks and soil with her sturdy hands as she dug out a hole in the ground. Next to her Alyssa was knelt down beside Ember’s body, her hand gently brushing her daughter’s hair as she waited for Squeak to dig a grave for her. Triska and the other girls were scouring the scarred field for anything they could salvage, with Clover riding on Kroanette’s back and Pip fluttering around near them. And over by the side of the field where the grass wasn’t burned away Lucky was calmly walking about, finally having settled down after being scared of the fiery witch that had come earlier.

  “Daniel,” Specca said with a look of worry coming over her. “I just thought about something. Where do you suppose Cilia went off to? You don’t think she came across Ember and…”

  “I hope she’s just flying around nearby somewhere,” Daniel replied as he gazed around the area. “If anything she was lucky not to be here when all of this happened. We’ll head out looking for her when Doku wakes up.”

  Triska hopped over a pile of broken wood and debris while knocking aside clumps of dirt and rubble with her new sword, eyes gazing around in hopes of finding anything useful. Near her Kroanette was trotting about while looking around at the ruined field with remorse, spotting bits and pieces of what used to be their home lying everywhere from the explosion. The butterfly sisters fluttered over to one area then another as they searched for anything that wasn’t burnt or turned into ash, neither having much luck as very little had escaped Ember’s wrath.

  “I don’t think our snacks from Flairwood survived,” Falla dryly mentioned.

  “There’s nothing left,” Luna sadly replied. “Everything is ruined.”

  Pip zipped over to one spot of the field then another, flying around in a blue blur as she went past the girls in quick laps before stopping over something that caught her eye.

  “Clover!” she called out with a wave. “It’s your bow!”

  “My bow?” Clover gasped. She quickly hopped down from Kroanette’s back only to scream through her teeth before dropping to her knees holding her side in pain.

  “Clover, you’re not fully healed yet,” Kroanette lectured as she knelt down next to the elf.

  “I hate this day!” Clover whined as she struggled to stand up.

  Triska ran over to where Pip was flying around in circles and quickly brushed aside dirt and stones with her hand. She blinked then sighed as she slowly stood up holding what was left of Clover’s bow.

  “Clover?” she called out to the elf.

  Clover stared at the broken stick that was once her bow with frustration then snarled furiously as she shut her eyes tightly. Triska shook her head then looked down to see a green cloth visible in the dirt. She reached down and pulled out Clover’s cloak, the cape having its ends singed while there were seared holes in it all over.

  “Um… Clover?” she called out again.

  “Do I even want to look?” Clover grumbled with a hand held over her eyes.

  Kroanette helped her walk over towards Triska, the elf muttering something to herself before seeing the teen holding the cloak in her hands. With a startled jump Clover quickly stumbled forward and gra
bbed it, dropping to her knees with tears forming as she held the worn cape close to her with heartbroken eyes.

  “Clover?” Triska said kneeling down next to her. “Why are you so upset over this? I thought your bow meant more to you than a cape.”

  “It’s not just a cape,” Clover snapped while burying her face in it. “It was hers.”

  “Hers?” Pip asked tilting her head.

  Triska watched Clover whimpering and tenderly holding the battered cloak to her face then looked to the other girls in wonder as she realized why it meant so much to the elf.

  “Zoey?” she said before turning to the elf with concern.

  “That was Zoey’s?” Kroanette softly asked.

  Clover nodded and looked up to her with teary eyes.

  “She gave it to me before… she…”

  The girls showed sympathetic frowns as Clover cried into her cloak, the elf’s hands clutching it tightly as she held it like her life depended on it.

  “I can make another bow, but I can’t make another one of this,” Clover whined shaking her head.

  Triska gently rested her hand on the elf’s shoulder with a slight smile then eyed the ragged cape the girl was crying over.

  “You know,” she mentioned with a raised eyebrow. “Specca is very good with a needle and thread. I’m sure she could fix it up for you.”

  Clover sniffled and glanced to her with a teary scowl then looked down to the cloak with worried eyes.

  “Provided we find the needle and thread in all this,” Triska continued as she looked around with a sigh. She then helped Clover stand up again, the elf clutching the cloak close to her while leaning on Triska for support.

  “What are we going to do?” Kroanette worried as they started walking together again. “We have no ride now; it’s going to take a long time to reach Ruhelia on foot.”

  “I can get you there,” Pip offered as she flew in front of them. “Just show me a map and point to where Ruhelia is.”

  The girls looked side to side, only seeing scorched land and smoldering debris from their ride all around them, then turned to Pip with blank expressions as she fluttered in place before them.

  “We don’t have a map anymore, do we?” Pip asked. The girls shook their heads in silence, with Pip just staring at them with an empty gaze. After a while she shrugged then quickly zipped over into Kroanette’s chest, her legs kicking about merrily as she dove headfirst into the centaur’s bosom.

  “Boobies!” she giggled happily.

  “It must be nice to be so naïve,” Triska dryly commented as the girls watched the fairy slink down into the soft mounds with dull expressions.

  “Triska!” Luna called out. The girls looked over to seeing the butterfly waving at them while Falla was struggling to lift something out of the dirt. “Help us! We found something but we can’t get it out!”

  “What did you find?” Kroanette asked trotting over to them. Triska helped Clover slowly walk towards the sisters, the elf glancing to her then down to her cloak with a worried eye as she held it close.

  “Something very heavy,” Falla grunted as she strained to lift something out of the ground by a leather strap.

  Triska walked over and handed Clover off to Kroanette before looking down at what Falla was pulling at. She reached down and grabbed the strap then effortlessly pulled up a familiar duffel bag that was covered in ash out from the dirt.

  “My bag, it’s okay!” Triska marveled in relief.

  “What the hell?” Falla barked out. “How can you lift that thing so easily?”

  “Triska, what is in there anyway?” Kroanette asked with both curiosity and concern as she pointed to the bag.

  Triska set her bag down and started rummaging through it, the other girls watching her in puzzlement as she pulled out some bandages, ointment, a few bottles of water, and-

  “What the fuck?” Clover shouted out as she watched Triska pulling out another sheath that was sized perfectly for her new sword.

  “Triska, I’m scared now,” Kroanette nervously said as Triska slid her new sword into the sheath with a small click.

  “That bag is haunted!” Pip whined before ducking down into the centaur’s breasts.

  “Here,” Triska said handing the bottles of water to Luna and Falla, the two just staring at her with wide eyes as she shook the containers at them. “Pass them around; I’m sure after all that fire everyone’s thirsty.”

  The sisters slowly reached out to take the bottles before looking to Triska’s duffel bag with disbelief.

  “How do you do that anyway?” Luna asked Triska.

  “What? They’re just emergency water bottles, and this is an emergency. Get going.”

  Triska waved them off then looked at her new sheathed blade with a curious eye, not seeing that the other girls remained still and were staring at her in bewilderment. After a while of Triska paying them no mind Falla handed Kroanette a water bottle before she and her sister headed over towards Daniel and the other girls. The centaur just passed the water off to Clover while keeping her eyes on Triska, the elf slowly taking the bottle and eyeing it carefully as she feared it was made of dark magic or something.

  “Where did she come from again?” Clover asked before taking a drink.

  “I honestly don’t know,” Kroanette softly replied while Pip popped her head up from her cleavage and watched Triska with wonder.

  Triska strapped her sword to her hip and fastened the belt around her waist before gathering the ointment and bandages in one hand then lifting her bag over her shoulder with the other.

  “Alright, let’s go,” she ordered before walking towards Daniel and the girls. Kroanette and Clover glanced to each other then slowly followed after, both of them along with Pip watching the duffel bag with growing curiosity as to what all it contained.

  Daniel continued to hold Doku on his lap while Specca eagerly took one of the bottles of water from Luna. She began pouring some onto her legs and arms before down her shirt, with Luna watching curiously as the nixie appeared to be bathing with the water instead of drinking it.

  “Um, that’s for emergencies,” Luna slowly mentioned.

  “Yes, and I do appreciate it, Luna,” Specca sighed in relief as she rubbed her hands over her slick scales. “Oh, that feels so much better.”

  “I don’t think you’re supposed to bathe with it.”

  “Dry scales are an emergency, Luna,” Specca lectured with firm tone.

  Daniel smiled weakly at the nixie before Falla handed him a water bottle with a wink.

  “I had a sip of it already,” she said before taking another bottle over towards Alyssa and Squeak. Daniel smirked then drank from the container while Luna sat down beside him with hers.

  “Want some of mine?” she offered him timidly.

  “No thank you. You and Specca can share that one.”

  “I don’t think she’s going to drink any,” Luna mused as they watched the nixie pouring some more of her water onto her lap and thighs.

  “So good,” Specca sighed softly before running her wet hands along her tail.

  Triska walked by and set her duffel bag down behind Luna with a thump, the butterfly girl squeaking and looking back to it with surprise while Triska passed them towards Alyssa with the bandages and ointment. Specca examined the bag with a raised eyebrow then slowly shook her head as she rubbed some of the water on her rear.

  “Of course that thing would survive,” she dryly commented.

  “Daniel… how…” Luna said, looking to him with confusion then back to the duffel bag that was causing the ground under it to crack from the weight.

  “Don’t ask,” Daniel replied before taking another drink.

  Alyssa watched as Squeak dug out a resting place for Ember, the ant girl squeaking quietly with each toss of dirt and rocks to the side, then turned to Falla as the butterfly girl held out a bottle of water towards her.

  “Here,” Falla kindly offered.

  “Thank you, Falla,” Aly
ssa replied as she took a small drink from it. She then passed it to Squeak, the ant girl taking the bottle with a slight smile and nod while Falla knelt down next to Ember’s body.

  “I’m sorry, Alyssa. I really am.”

  Alyssa lowered her head and nodded once before Triska sat down in front of her. The teen looked to the hole that was being dug for Ember then sighed quietly as she gently brushed Alyssa’s hair.

  “Alyssa,” Triska gently said before she carefully parted Alyssa’s shirt near her shoulder to examine her wounds. “I’m sorry that-”

  “I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Alyssa interrupted shaking her head. Triska tenderly started bandaging the witch’s cuts while Alyssa looked at her daughter’s peaceful expression with remorse. “Not now, not anymore. At least not today. It hurts, in a quiet way.”

  “A quiet way?” Falla asked softly.

  “I’m crying on the inside. I’m hurt. But… it’s not like the first time I lost her. Everything about this time is different. Just let me deal with this on my own right now, okay? I can’t handle everyone saying they’re sorry over and over again, it makes this more painful for me hearing it.”

  “Okay,” Triska quietly agreed as she tended to the witch’s cuts. Falla nodded and looked away while Squeak handed Alyssa the water bottle. The ant girl resumed digging out a grave for the fallen witch while Triska bandaged Alyssa’s wounds that weren’t fully healed yet.

  After a while Squeak finished digging then turned to Alyssa and squeaked something with a frown. The witch nodded and scooted aside with Triska, both of them watching as Squeak gently lifted Ember into her arms and brought her over the rut in the ground. Alyssa lightly rested her hand on Ember’s forehead and closed her eyes, wishing a silent prayer for her daughter before moving back and nodding at Squeak. The ant girl slowly lowered Ember down into the hole, resting her body gently in the ground before she climbed out and began pushing the dirt she had tossed aside into the grave. Alyssa watched in silence as her daughter was buried, a tear dripping down her cheek before she closed her eyes and turned away.

  Daniel and the other girls saw Squeak burying Ember while they rested nearby, something that made Luna’s eyes tear up while Kroanette lowered her head in mourning. After the fallen witch was laid to rest Squeak and Falla walked together over to the others while Triska finished bandaging Alyssa’s thigh.