Act IX

by Alexander Gordon

  “How is it they’ve never eaten anything else before?” Triska asked with puzzlement. “Do all sand wraiths really go their whole lives never tasting anything?”

  “That’s a good question,” Daniel wondered. He looked at Cindy curiously while the wraith continued to stare at him with loving eyes as she held onto him. “Cindy, do sand wraiths really never eat like we do?”

  “I don’t know,” Cindy replied with a shrug. “The only other sand wraith I’ve ever known is my mother, and she doesn’t eat yummy food like this.”

  “Your mother only eats other people?” Luna worried.

  “Yep, and lots of them too. That’s how come I was born; she ate so many people until I came out of her.”

  “So she’s never eaten anything like this before?” Daniel asked holding up his plate.

  “Nope.”

  “Did she ever drink anything?” Alyssa wondered.

  “Nope.”

  “So wait a moment,” Specca spoke up. “You’re saying your mother never ate or drank anything in her life, she only devoured others into her being?”

  “I think so.”

  “Daniel, I believe we’re onto something here,” Specca realized with a growing smile. “If it’s true that sand wraiths have never even tried eating or drinking anything in their lives, then it could be true that they don’t know what taste is either. Do you know what this means?”

  “We know what we can offer them in return for peace,” Daniel concluded. “Sand wraiths may want to become allies of mankind if we show them the joys of cooking and dining.”

  “They love food,” Alyssa agreed. “That’s their nature, they live to feed. If we can convince them to eat normal food and not people they wouldn’t be dangerous to others anymore.”

  “That’s still so odd,” Triska commented in puzzlement. “They never even gave eating or drinking anything a try? Surely at least one of them would have done so out of curiosity, right?”

  “It seems not,” Specca answered with a shrug. “Cindy’s apparently never eaten anything before either, but she sure does love it. I think we found our way of negotiating peace with them.”

  “It could work,” Kroanette said with a bright smile. “Daniel, you’ve found another candidate for our plea to your queen for peace. One that I dare say would bring an end to a great amount of bloodshed in the world.”

  “Sand wraiths and humans, living together in peace,” Falla said aloud as she tried to comprehend it. “That’s the last thing I would have expected to come of this proposal.”

  “Not just with humans, but other monsters as well,” Triska mused looking over Cindy. “If we can help all sand wraiths change their diet from living people to normal food they won’t have a reason to attack anyone. They could be allies to everyone.”

  “A splendid idea,” Astreal complimented, with the group turning to the witch sisters as they clapped in approval. “My word, turning these vicious savages into kindhearted girls all over the world would indeed be a fantastic notion.”

  “It would save countless lives,” Apoch added with a nod. “If these monsters truly would give up their ways of killing all those they see in the world it would usher in a new age of peace for many.”

  “Exactly,” Daniel agreed with a smile, before showing a concerned look at seeing the sisters now shaking their heads at him.

  “However, there is one little problem with that idea, Mr. Daniel,” they both warned in unison.

  “Problem? What kind of problem?”

  “How are you going to convince all the sand wraiths of Eden to change their ways?” Astreal wondered.

  “You may not be aware of this, Mr. Daniel,” Apoch continued with a slight tone of remorse. “But there is no leader when it comes to their kind.”

  “No leader?” Triska repeated.

  “There is no alpha,” Astreal confirmed while gently swirling the wine in her glass. “No queen, no chieftess, no leader of any sort with sand wraiths. They all live for themselves, following their own judgment, and obeying nobody.”

  “There is no ruler of sand wraiths to speak to about your beliefs, Mr. Daniel,” Apoch informed him. “So, how do you intend to recruit this nomadic race in your support?”

  “Is that true?” Daniel carefully asked Cindy. “Do sand wraiths really have nobody to lead them?”

  “I don’t know,” Cindy replied with a shrug.

  “We assure you it is true,” Astreal said setting her glass down. “Our master knows everything about these creatures, and we have learned much from her.”

  “Should you convince this sand wraith to be a kindhearted girl,” Apoch softly warned him. “Then you will have convinced one and only one sand wraith to join your cause.”

  “That’s not good,” Alyssa worried.

  “If that’s true then I’m afraid this may not work at all,” Specca sadly agreed. “We can’t go looking for each and every sand wraith in Eden to speak to them about peace individually. We simply don’t have that sort of time.”

  Daniel looked down while trying to hide his concern about that news. He gently pet Cindy while she watched him curiously, wondering if sand wraiths really would be a lost cause in uniting with humans in peace. Turning his gaze around at the other girls he saw them all watching him in silence while waiting for his verdict, his eyes then resting on Cindy as she began to show a worried frown on her face.

  “Did I do something bad again? I’m sorry if I did.”

  “No, you didn’t do anything bad,” Daniel assured her with a kind smile. “You’re a good girl, Cindy. A very good girl.”

  “Daniel, what do we do?” Triska asked. “We can’t get support from the sand wraiths for your quest, they’re not united themselves in any way. No sand wraith can speak on behalf of their people about peace to the queen.”

  “Perhaps not,” Daniel had to agree with. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we have a sand wraith right here who is being kind to those around her. If she could show her heart, then more of her kind can too. She’s still living proof that sand wraiths aren’t all evil.”

  “She won’t count for Charlotte’s quota though,” Alyssa worriedly mentioned. “She may not even be able to sway your queen’s judgment of all sand wraiths either.”

  “True, but she’s still proof of my belief. And that’s something.”

  “I’m proof?” Cindy wondered.

  “You are,” Daniel assured while gently brushing the girl’s bangs to the side. “You’re proof that not all sand wraiths are evil monsters in this world. You’re a kind person, Cindy. If you’re capable of being like this then more of your kind surely is.”

  “So what are you going to do now, Mr. Daniel?” Apoch and Astreal asked together.

  “We’ll continue on like we were before,” Daniel reasoned with a shrug. “Gather more support to present my queen and find allies in this world. Cindy may not be able to represent her race officially to the queen, but she can still show her that sand wraiths are capable of having a heart if given the chance. She can still make a difference.”

  “He’s right,” Clover chimed in. The group looked to see the elf keeping her eyes down at her food while obviously listening to their conversation. “Getting even a single sand wraith to behave and not kill everyone around her is a feat in itself. Dan made an ally with a monster that everyone believes is merciless and bloodthirsty. If his queen doesn’t see how amazing that is then she’s out of her fucking mind.”

  “You really think that, Clover?” Daniel asked.

  “You convinced me,” she mentioned with a glance and small smile to him. “I’m sure you’ll convince your queen as well. I have faith in that.”

  “So now you suddenly have faith in him,” Alyssa dryly commented.

  “I’ve always had faith in him!” Clover yelled, slamming her fists onto the table. She jumped with a gasp as everyone looked at her curiously before she quickly lowered her head to hide her face while growling loudly. “I mean not always! I mean, yes
, I have, but… I’m just saying… shut the fuck up!”

  “You actually have believed in him for some time now, haven’t you?” Kroanette mused with a knowing smile. “All those times you criticized us for having faith in what he could do, and yet you were placing your confidence in him as well.”

  “Shut up!”

  “You loved Daniel like we all do, didn’t you?” Pip giggled as she flew around Clover, with the elf trying to swat away the fairy to no avail. “You loved him too! You loved him too! You loved him too!”

  “Knock it off!” Clover shouted at the moving blue blur. “Quit it!”

  “If that’s true why has she been such a bitch to us all this time?” Falla scoffed.

  “And she kept kicking Daniel in his penis,” Luna worried.

  “And she never kept her foul mouth shut,” Specca flatly added.

  “Back off already!” Clover yelled at them. “What do you want from me? I’m saying he can do all that shit now, aren’t I? I’m agreeing with him! You want me to come out and say it again? Fine, I will! He’s fucking amazing and he’s going to bring peace to this world! I don’t have a fucking doubt about that at all! And I’m sorry about how I treated him before, I’m really sorry! Alright? So just shut up and leave me alone!”

  The other girls exchanged doubtful looks with one another while Clover turned away from them with a frustrated grunt. She swung her hand around at the fast moving fairy still while keeping her face hidden from view, the sight of her blushing something she wanted to keep the others from taking notice of.

  Daniel smiled weakly at his temperamental elf then turned to Cindy who was keeping close to him while watching Clover with an uneasy frown.

  “Cindy, what were you going to do now since you don’t need to take Alyssa with you anymore?”

  “I don’t know,” Cindy replied with a shrug. “I guess I’ll try to find my mom again. I hope she won’t be too upset that we’re not getting any gold now.”

  “Where is your mother?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “How are you going to find her?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Hold on,” Triska spoke up raising her hand. “If you don’t know where she is or how to find her, how were you planning on taking Alyssa to her?”

  “I wasn’t going to take Alyssa to her,” Cindy snapped at the girl while holding onto Daniel. “I was going to… um… uh… just shut up, meanie!”

  “You had no idea what to do with Alyssa once you found her, did you?” Triska dryly summed up.

  “Meanie!”

  Daniel gently pet the wraith’s head, getting a curious look from her as he showed a sympathetic smile.

  “Do you know where your mother could be? We can help you find her.”

  “I don’t remember. I think she wanted to meet up with me somewhere if I couldn’t find Alyssa, but I don’t remember where. I forget stuff a lot, sometimes stuff that my mother tells me not to forget. But I do know that if I ever got lost she would find me. She always does. She’ll find me if I don’t find her, somehow.”

  “I see,” Daniel replied curiously. “Well, would you like to stay with us for a little while longer? At least until you find your mother again? We’re trying to show other people in this world that not all monsters are bad, and it would help us a lot if we had you with us to prove that belief.”

  “You really want me to stay with you?” Cindy asked with an eager smile. “You like me that much?”

  “Of course I like you, we all do. And we would love to get to know you more, to know more about sand wraiths and-” Daniel explained before Cindy lunged forward and hugged him tightly, causing him to stagger in his chair briefly before Luna and Squeak helped keep him steady.

  “You really do love me!” Cindy cheered while squeezing Daniel close, his face being shoved into her chest and against her breasts which were a little more firm compared to the other girls’. “First you fought those mean girls to keep me with you and now you’re saying you want to keep me with you forever! I’m so happy!”

  “He didn’t say anything of the sort!” Specca argued. “Let him go, Cindy!”

  “Knock it off!” Triska yelled as she ran over to try and pull Cindy away from Daniel along with Squeak and Luna, the three of them being unable to pry the wraith off of him or loosen her grip on the flailing boy in the least.

  “Please let go of him, please!” Luna begged.

  Squeak shook her head and squeaked loudly as she struggled to budge even an arm of the wraith despite all her strength.

  “What is this? I can’t move her!” Triska cried out as she was unable to yank away the wraith who had a vicelike grip on Daniel.

  “How strong is she?” Kroanette wondered.

  “If even Triska can’t budge her I’d say very strong,” Falla worried.

  “Let him go!” Alyssa shouted as she quickly struck Cindy’s head with her staff. The skull ornament crushed in Cindy’s with a soft crunch and a poof of sand, the girls all then staring with wide eyes as the wraith continued to hug Daniel close with a happy cheer despite her head now being smashed inward.

  “That’s unsettling,” Specca commented.

  “Doesn’t that hurt her?” Luna nervously asked as she backed up from the girl.

  “She doesn’t seem to be in any pain,” Kroanette mentioned.

  “I don’t think she even knows you did that to her,” Clover pointed out, with Star shaking her head in agreement.

  “Let him go, he can’t breathe!” Triska ordered as she tried to pull Cindy away. To her surprise the wraith was as study as a rock, the girl balancing perfectly on one foot while her other was tucked up behind her rear in a gleeful fashion as she continued smothering Daniel in her bosom.

  “He’s turning blue,” Apoch and Astreal giggled.

  “Let go of him!” Specca demanded standing up.

  “You’re starting to piss us off!” Clover shouted as she did the same.

  “Let Daniel go!” Pip chanted as she quickly flew around Daniel and Cindy. “Let Daniel go! Let Daniel go! Let Daniel go!”

  After two more loops she quickly zipped off to the side and down into Luna’s chest with a happy giggle.

  “Boobies!”

  At this point Daniel had given up trying to free himself or even attempt to push off Cindy, choosing to wait out his time while firmly lodged in the sand wraith’s chest for either her to let him go or to pass out from lack of oxygen.

  Cindy giggled while holding Daniel close, her head slowly reforming again and leaving not a scratch on it as she didn’t seem to realize the other girls were shouting relentlessly at her. After a moment she jumped with a startle then let go of Daniel, his release prompting desperate gasps for air from him as he was close to blacking out.

  “Wait a second!” she exclaimed before grabbing her head in distress. “If I stay here with you then that means…”

  “That means what?” Alyssa cautiously asked while Luna and Squeak were gently rubbing Daniel’s back as he caught his breath.

  “That means I’m here with her!” Cindy whined as she turned to Triska with a pout. “I don’t want to be here with her. She’s loud and mean.”

  “I’m not loud and mean, you bitch!” Triska shouted at her.

  “Way to defend yourself,” Falla dryly mentioned.

  “I don’t want to stay here with her,” Cindy stubbornly huffed before looking to Daniel with pleading eyes. “Make her go away. Please? I don’t want her here. She’s mean.”

  “Cindy,” Daniel said shaking his head slowly. “I’m not going to make her leave. She’s my mate. Please try to understand that.”

  “But I don’t like her!” Cindy whined hopping up and down, her breasts bouncing about causing all the girls to twitch slightly in annoyance.

  “Young child my ass,” Clover muttered in disdain.

  “Please, Cindy,” Daniel spoke holding out his hand, both to halt the wraith’s complaining and also her jumping as it was very hard
to speak to her with her breasts waving like that in front of him. “I know you two can get along if you only try. She’s not a bad person, I promise you that. She just cares about those close to her and wants to protect them. Can’t you please try and work things out with her?”

  Cindy moped with her head hung low, gently kicking the floor with her foot before she sighed heavily and nodded a few times.

  “Alright. If you want me to, Daniel.”

  She slowly walked over to Triska and gave her a dull stare, the cambion returning the look as she wasn’t too anxious to become friends with the wraith either. After a while of silence Cindy rolled her eyes then stepped closer, reaching out and bringing Triska close into a hug. Triska glanced to her cautiously then slowly showed a small smile and held the girl as well.

  “There, you see?” Daniel said kindly.

  Triska smirked and hugged the wraith then jumped in surprise as she felt herself being pulled into Cindy’s body. Everyone watched in shock as Triska’s legs and waist were enveloped by the wraith’s sand while Cindy kept her arms wrapped tightly around the cambion.

  “Wait, what are you doing?” Triska yelled as Cindy held her head from behind and started to push it into her neck.

  “Eating you. Meanie,” Cindy muttered while Triska’s muffled scream was heard inside the wraith’s body.

  “Cindy, stop!” Daniel called out. “Don’t eat her!”

  “Let her go, let her go this instant!” Specca cried out.

  Triska tried to yank her hands out of the wraith’s body to grab her sword, the sand swallowing her up providing more resistance than she expected as she was unable to free herself. It was like sinking into quicksand that was twice the thickness as usual.

  “Go away,” Cindy scowled.

  “Cindy, don’t!” Luna pleaded. “You’re being a bad girl!”

  “But she’s a bad girl!” Cindy whined while still pulling Triska into her. “She needs to go away!”

  “Cindy, let her go right now!” Daniel ordered. “If you don’t we can’t be friends! I won’t like you!”

  Cindy looked back to him with a whimper while Triska stopped sinking into the wraith’s body, her nose still free and allowing her to breathe while most of her body was covered in the magical sand with a painful stinging sensation rolling across it.