“Then why in Eden do you wish to approach this one?” Specca demanded before looking over to Triska. “And why haven’t you killed it yet, Triska? This is one of those instances where it would be wonderful for you to use your new sword of hell and fire to protect us! Why haven’t you struck her down yet?”
“Specca,” Triska said glancing back to her. “Stop. Now.”
“Stop?” Specca cried out. “What are you saying? Why aren’t you-”
“Specca,” Daniel interrupted. “Look at her.”
Specca turned her frightened gaze down to Cindy while grabbing hold of Daniel’s arm, herself and everyone else watching as the wraith was still wailing in fear and sorrow before Triska.
“What is she doing?” Specca asked shaking her head. “She’s acting like an infant.”
“Why didn’t you finish her off?” Clover asked Triska.
“Same reason I didn’t finish off Kitten when I had the chance to,” Triska sighed. “I can’t kill a frightened girl like this.”
“Don’t compare me to her like that,” Kitten scoffed in her mind. “I never cried like a weak little baby as she’s doing now. I at least had dignity when you beat me in combat.”
‘You begged myself and Daniel to spare you while you cried out of fear.’
“That’s… not how it happened…”
“She tried to kill me!” Specca shouted out. “Why are you all sympathizing with her?”
“She was just following her nature,” Daniel told her. “Just like all the monsters in this world do. You can’t condemn her for that.”
“You can’t be serious! Daniel, she tried to eat me! If it wasn’t for Kroanette holding onto me I would have been devoured before anyone could have gotten to me.”
“I know,” Daniel replied while gently holding her close. “And I’m so thankful you’re safe, Specca. We all are. But look at her. She’s not acting like a bloodthirsty monster, or even showing any signs of malice towards us. She’s crying out of fear like a young child. Could you honestly kill her right now?”
Specca sniffled and looked over to Cindy, seeing the wraith now cowering in a ball while hiding her face behind her hands. Cindy continued to cry and tremble in fright even though Triska had yet to take another step towards her, the wraith’s fearful whines causing Specca to slowly let go of Daniel and question what she was seeing.
“She’s… terrified,” she realized. “She’s actually scared of us now.”
“I think she’s more scared of Triska than anything,” Kroanette reasoned with a glance to the cambion. “That and her sword which is still giving me the chills just looking at it.”
“I don’t believe this,” Triska groaned as she sheathed her blade. “It would have been different if she had at least attacked me or tried to run away, but this… this is just sad. I can’t kill this naïve of a monster.”
“She’s frightened to death,” Doku sadly said.
“In all fairness, Triska scared us all to death a little while ago,” Falla pointed out.
“That sword is scary,” Luna whimpered.
“I can understand why she drew her sword just now,” Alyssa commented. “What puzzles me is what’s with this sand wraith. She’s not behaving how sand wraiths normally do.”
“I thought sand wraiths would be more… menacing,” Kroanette added with a shrug.
Cindy sniveled and shook in her ball before peeking through her fingers to seeing Triska just watching her with a raised eyebrow. Slowly the wraith sat up and wiped her tears away, showing an innocent appearance with pleading eyes at the group. Daniel took a few steps towards her before Squeak and Specca again grabbed his hands. Looking back to them he shook his head and pulled free, again walking towards the wraith while the girls kept close to him. As he approached Cindy the wraith leaned back nervously and whimpered, her eyes locked onto Daniel while her lip was still quivering.
“It’s okay,” Daniel gently said as he very carefully knelt down before her.
“Dan, what are you doing?” Clover stressed through her teeth.
“Daniel, wait,” Triska urged as she prepared to unsheathe her blade again.
“Stop, Triska,” Daniel ordered holding a hand back towards her. Triska gripped her sword’s handle tightly while watching him closely, herself along with Cindy who glanced back and forth between the two before seeing Daniel turning to her with a small smile on his face.
“Are you alright?” he kindly asked.
Cindy remained silent while watching him with unblinking eyes.
“What’s your name?”
Again she didn’t say a word while the other girls kept a close eye on her.
“We’re not going to hurt you. You don’t have to be afraid.”
Slowly Cindy glanced up to Triska, the cambion resting her hand on the sword’s handle while she carefully nodded in agreement.
“It’s alright,” Daniel repeated, with Cindy quickly turning her eyes back onto him. “Sorry for scaring you like that, but we couldn’t let you eat Specca. Could you please tell me your name?”
Cindy lowered her head as she seemed to resist speaking, a low mumble escaping her lips before she looked away from everyone.
“He asked you a question,” Triska spoke up.
Moving quickly with a terrified yelp Cindy lunged forward and buried herself in Daniel’s chest, with the girls gasping at seeing her grabbing hold of his arms tightly.
“Daniel!” Specca cried out.
“Let go of him!” Triska yelled as she started to draw her sword out.
“Wait, stop!” Daniel pleaded holding his hand out. The girls froze with confused looks before seeing him watching the wraith curiously. Slowly all the girls gathered around him and saw Cindy trembling in fright while hiding in Daniel’s chest.
“Don’t draw your sword, Triska. She’s not hurting me, she’s just scared.”
“Dan,” Clover carefully spoke up. “That’s a sand wraith holding onto you right now. How the fuck can you be okay with this?”
“She’s going to eat you,” Specca frantically said. “That’s all you are to her, Daniel. Food!”
“Please be careful, Daniel,” Doku warned while holding her wings over her mouth.
“What are you waiting for?” Falla asked Triska. “Use your sword to get her off our man, hurry!”
Triska struggled against bringing her sword out, watching Daniel shaking his head at her while Cindy was peeking to her from her hiding spot. After hesitating for a while Triska slowly sheathed her blade with a click.
“Alright,” she carefully said. “If you say so, Daniel. Go ahead and try to reason with her if you really think you can. I don’t want to hurt a frightened girl, but if she tries to eat you then I’m not going to show mercy.”
Daniel nodded and looked down to the wraith trembling against him. Slowly Cindy looked up to him with a quiet whine, the wraith showing anything but a deadly monster lurking behind her fearful eyes.
“It’s okay,” he gently assured her. “You’re safe now. Please, what’s your name?”
“Cindy,” she whimpered. “Please don’t burn me.”
“Cindy. That’s a nice name. It’s nice to meet you. Don’t worry, Triska won’t hurt you now. You’re safe.”
Slowly Cindy leaned back and stared at him with eyes of wonder, her long blonde hair gently swaying in the breeze as she looked him over while tenderly holding onto his arms.
“No way,” Falla said shaking her head. “She’s a sand wraith, they’re killers through and through. Daniel, you’re not honestly hoping to win them over, are you?”
“Can they really be good girls too?” Luna wondered.
“I can’t imagine them doing so,” Kroanette warned. “Those monsters are allies to nobody, they feed upon all human and monsters they come across, they are evil incarnate.”
“There is no such thing as an evil monster,” Doku lectured her. “Nobody is an absolute evil in this world.”
“If it wasn’t for Tri
ska brandishing her sword earlier she would have eaten me alive,” Specca shuddered. “I understand that monsters need to be given a chance at being good, but I can’t for a moment believe a sand wraith would ever give even the slightest care to those she considers to be nothing but food.”
Alyssa carefully approached Cindy, eyeing over the sand wraith while keeping her staff held firmly in both hands. She slowly walked around the monster before stopping at Daniel’s side, taking a moment to examine the girl from top to bottom before shaking her head with a concerned glance at Daniel.
“I don’t know about this. Being around a sand wraith like this is really playing with fire.”
“Fire!” Cindy screamed before lunging forward and hiding her face in Daniel’s chest again. “Don’t burn me!”
“It’s okay, Cindy,” Daniel assured her. “There’s no fire. You’re safe.”
“Fire bad! Fire bad! Fire bad!”
“Okay then,” Triska said with a raised eyebrow. “Looks like we know what she’s afraid of.”
“I suppose if she were to try anything it wouldn’t do her much good,” Kroanette reasoned curiously. “All it would take is for Triska to flash her sword to get her to stop in her tracks.”
Daniel gently pet Cindy’s head while holding her with one arm, the wraith whimpering before slowly peeking up at him.
“As long as you promise not to try and eat us, we won’t let any fire get near you. Does that sound fair?”
“But… I have to eat you,” Cindy whined.
“Why?” Daniel asked with concern.
“Because if I don’t my mom will be very upset with me,” Cindy worried as she sat up and wiped her tears away.
“Your mom?” Triska questioned while looking around the area carefully. “There’s another sand wraith nearby? Where is she?”
“I don’t know,” Cindy replied with a shrug. “She went one way and I went another. I haven’t seen her in a long while now.”
“You only wanted to eat Specca because your mom told you to?” Daniel wondered.
“I have to eat everyone I meet,” Cindy answered factually. “Everyone I see has to be eaten. No exceptions, no mercy, and no… no… um, no… ummmm…”
Everyone watched the wraith staring off into space while she seemed to be thinking hard about something, the girl pausing for a long time before blinking and turning her attention back to Daniel.
“And no mercy.”
“You already said that,” Alyssa pointed out.
“I did? But what was the third rule then?” Cindy worried with a frown. “Uh oh, I can’t forget the rules mother gave me, she won’t be happy if I do. Oh no, what was the third thing I shouldn’t show any of to others?”
“No kindness?” Kroanette dryly asked.
“No, that’s not it.”
“No remorse?” Specca snapped.
“Nope, not it either.”
Squeak squeaked and waved a hand about as she offered her thoughts on the topic.
“…what?”
Star meowed and tilted her head curiously.
“…huh?”
“No reason?” Alyssa questioned with a raised eyebrow.
“No, that’s not it.”
“No fear?” Triska wondered.
“That’s it!” Cindy cheered with a hop. She giggled and clapped her hands excitedly while the group exchanged puzzled looks with one another. “No fear! Because I’m not afraid of anything!”
“Except this?” Triska asked as she pulled her sword out slightly.
Cindy stared at the heated edge and smoke coming from the sheath with wide eyes before screaming and once again hiding herself in Daniel’s chest.
“Fire! No! Go away!”
“Fearless, huh?” Clover flatly commented.
Daniel waved Triska to put her sword away, which she did so with a puzzled look at the dreaded and crying sand wraith, then gently held the frightened girl as she trembled in his arms with her face hidden in his chest.
“It’s alright, she’s not going to burn you,” he reassured her, doing nothing to stop her sobbing. “You’re safe, I promise.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Alyssa spoke up. “But… that is a sand wraith, right?”
“I don’t understand,” Specca said shaking her head. “She’s behaving nothing like sand wraiths normally do. I know they’re averse to fire, but not to the point where they break down crying and begging for mercy when faced with it.”
“Sand wraiths are supposed to be ruthless monsters,” Kroanette remembered. “Whoever they find they devour without sympathy, be they man or monster, or even children should they be unfortunate to come across these monsters. They show no kindness to any but their own.”
“They’re bloodthirsty savages,” Clover added. “Nothing but pure evil.”
“And yet…” Falla said as the group watched Cindy now clinging to Daniel’s chest for safety with a teary eye glancing back towards Triska.
“She doesn’t seem evil to me,” Luna reasoned.
“Nope. Not at all,” Pip agreed while sitting down on her head.
“She tried to eat me,” Specca reminded them. “But… now that I think about it, she didn’t seem to show any malice towards me during it. She acted so… friendly with me, even when she was trying to absorb me.”
Daniel gently brushed the wraith’s hair, noticing that it felt a little coarser than what hair should feel like, then slowly leaned Cindy back and showed her a kind smile that her watery eyes turned to.
“Please don’t cry,” he said while carefully wiping a tear from her cheek. “I told you, you’re safe. We’re not going to hurt you. Now, are you okay?”
Cindy slowly nodded while keeping her eyes on Daniel, the look on her face reminding him of a curious child rather than a cruelhearted demon.
“Can I please eat you now?” she timidly asked.
“No, I’m sorry,” Daniel answered with a weak smile. “But I don’t want to die right now. Are you hungry, Cindy?”
“Sort of.”
“Sort of?” he repeated confusedly. “If you’re not hungry why do you want to eat me?”
“I’m always hungry,” Cindy explained with a shrug. “But I don’t need to eat. It’s just my mom said I have to eat everyone I meet so I can get big and strong. And my mom knows best.”
“I see. Well it’s nice to know your mother cares about you and wants you to eat well.” After a pause Daniel showed an awkward smile. “Hold on, did you just say you’re always hungry?”
“Uh huh.”
“Sand wraiths are different from the rest of us monsters, Daniel,” Specca informed him. “They breed by devouring others until they are able to split themselves into two. Essentially she would give birth to another wraith like herself once she’s eaten enough.”
“They don’t need a man’s seed to reproduce,” Alyssa added shaking her head. “They don’t even need a man at all. They just need others to eat.”
“And since that’s how they breed, their inner nature is… different,” Specca concluded while adjusting her glasses. “They don’t desire to have sex, they… desire to feed.”
“Are you saying she’ll always be hungry?” Falla asked.
“Yes, exactly.”
“Forever?” Luna worried.
“Forever,” Alyssa agreed. “A sand wraith’s hunger is never satisfied. They can’t starve to death, they don’t need to eat anything like we do to survive, but their nature is to feed so… that hunger is always there.”
“Oh dear,” Doku sadly said. “The poor girl, to always be hungry like that.”
“I understand,” Daniel empathized while looking over Cindy. “I’m sorry to hear that. A never-ending hunger for your entire life, that must be so hard for you.”
“No, it’s not so bad,” Cindy reassured him with a small smile, her words sounding like she genuinely didn’t want him to worry about her. “Really. I find others to eat just fine. I’m okay. See?”
“You’
ve eaten others? How many have you killed, Cindy?”
“Um,” Cindy said looking down, seeming to be thinking really hard about her answer. The group watched her count on her fingers before she held out six towards Daniel with a big smile on her face. “I’ve killed six people in my life, and I did it all by myself. I ate them all up like a good girl.”
“You’ve eaten six others?” Daniel worried. “I see…”
‘I don’t think I can condemn her for following her nature. She’s obviously not trying to be malicious; she’s just doing what she thinks she has to in life. Still, I can’t see someone this innocent and cheerful being a ruthless killer, she isn’t evil. There has to be a good soul in her, even if she is a sand wraith.’
“Only six?” Alyssa questioned. “That’s actually pretty low given sand wraiths go after all they see.”
“Hey, I’m trying really hard,” Cindy pouted with a frown at her. “It’s not always easy. Sometimes they run away and then I can’t find them again. Other times they’re dirty, dirty liars and they lie to me and get away! That dirty liar, grr.”
Everyone saw the sand wraith growling to herself with muttered words of discontent for a moment before she turned to Alyssa with a snooty look on her face.
“And I’ve been doing other stuff besides just eating people too, you know. I’m a busy girl with things to do. Important things.”
“Really? Like what?” Alyssa dryly asked.
“Well if you must know I’m looking for a witch,” Cindy boasted. “My mom and I are both searching the region for her, and when we get her we’re going to be given lots of gold.”
“You’re hunting a witch?” Kroanette wondered. “That’s what you’re doing out here?”
“Uh huh!” Cindy cheerfully agreed. “I’m going this way and my mom’s going another way. One of us is bound to find her, and when we do we’ll have lots of gold.”
“What do sand wraiths need gold for?” Triska asked.
“To buy lots of fun stuff!” Cindy enthusiastically cheered. “I don’t know what that means yet, but it sounds amazing! And my mom said we can also buy a whole lot of humans to eat too! I can’t wait, I’m going to get big and strong just like my mom after I eat them all up! All we have to do is find that witch Alyssa and then we’re going to have so much fun with all our gold!”
Act IX Page 5