“But you still fought to try to save us,” Luna pointed out with an eager smile.
“Daniel,” Falla softly said as a blush formed on her cheeks.
‘He would actually stand up to those gemini to save us? To save me? I mean that much to him?’
“Falla? Luna?” Daniel said looking between the two sisters.
“They admitted it to us,” Specca spoke up, with Daniel seeing the nixie watching the sisters while slowly adjusting her glasses. “We overheard them talking, and then they told us the truth. They love you, Daniel. The fact that you drew from their spirit energy like you did is proof of that.”
“You two… love me?” Daniel softly asked the two butterfly girls.
“I do,” Luna said nodding a few times. “You saved me from being a bad monster, you taught me to be nice with the humans I meet in the world. You even came looking for me when I was lost. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you, Daniel.”
Daniel watched her with wonder then Falla as the butterfly looked down and away while blushing more.
“Falla?” he asked curiously.
“I want… someone to actually love me,” she admitted before slowly turning back to him. “I don’t want them to be with me merely because of a lie I told them or me having to tie them down against their will to make them stay. I want them to… love me for who I am, not what I make myself out to be. I want what your mates have, Daniel. Someone who cares about and truly loves me. Someone who wouldn’t see me as a monster but instead a normal girl.” She then started to cry while showing a remorseful smile at him.
“Someone who would be brave enough to stand up to a Darker One just for me. Someone… like you.”
“Falla?” Daniel said as he saw the butterfly slowly starting to break down. “You… are you saying that you…”
“I love you, Daniel,” Falla declared with tears dropping from her cheeks, causing him to be taken aback from hearing her say those words so genuinely. “I don’t want to be without you. After all the things I’ve done in the past, all the trouble I caused you, all the times I didn’t believe in you… you would actually fight to protect me still, to keep me with you. I don’t want to lose that, I don’t want to lose you.”
Silence filled the cabin as Daniel took in those words, his eyes going from Falla who was watching him with tears dropping from her face to Luna who was showing worried smile as she feared how he would respond to their confessions. Alyssa, Specca, and Squeak watched Daniel curiously as they too waited to hear his answer, with him remaining quiet for a few minutes before looking down to the paper in his hand while he tried to think of what to say. After a while he turned to Falla and opened his mouth to speak, pausing as she smiled hopefully at him only for a frown to come across her face as he didn’t say a word. She closed her eyes and nodded as she lowered her head, hands clenching the bed’s cover while she shakily took a small breath.
“This is what I deserve,” she mourned. “After everything I’ve done in the past, this is my punishment. To feel this pain…”
“Falla, I…” Daniel said softly. “I’m sorry, but… I can’t… I don’t…”
“You don’t love me,” Falla whimpered while nodding. “I know. I was fooling myself thinking you could ever love me. I’m sorry, Daniel. I’m so sorry for pushing you away like I did.” She quickly got off the bed and rushed across the cabin before flying out through the curtain and away from the caravan while crying to herself.
“Sister,” Luna whimpered as she saw Falla leave. She looked to Daniel then around at the other girls as everyone turned to her while remaining quiet. “I’m sorry. Please don’t hate me too.”
With that she quickly followed after her sister, with the girls watching her take off outside and the curtain fluttering then gently resting still before they turned to Daniel as he was looking to where the two butterflies had fled in their sorrow. Slowly he looked at the paper in his hand again before around at the girls, all of them watching him with concern before Alyssa turned her eyes back towards the entryway.
“Daniel, you shouldn’t lie like that,” she said shaking her head a little.
“Lie?” he asked looking to her.
“The spell goes both ways, Daniel,” Alyssa said to him before glancing to the paper in his hand. “The bond is shared both ways.”
“What do you mean?”
“Daniel,” Specca said softly before glancing down and away. “The aura sharing spell channels the energy of those you share a bond with. But it’s not enough that Luna and Falla love you for you to draw upon their auras like you did.”
“You have to feel something for them too,” Alyssa explained, with Daniel jumping a bit as the witch showed a troubled frown at him. “The only way your spirit would have found and connected with theirs is if… you felt something for them.”
“You touched all of us with your spell,” Specca said gesturing around to the three girls who were watching Daniel with worried eyes. “That’s because you love and feel a connection with us. And… you also did so with them.”
“But… I don’t… I wasn’t even trying to…” Daniel stuttered while looking from the paper in his hand to them then to the entryway then back to the girls while they exchanged silent glances with each other.
“Daniel,” Specca said looking back to him. “Be honest, both with us and yourself. Do you feel anything for Luna and Falla?”
Daniel opened his mouth to speak then looked to the paper with the casting diagram with concern.
“You were willing to throw yourself at the gemini for them,” Alyssa mentioned. “Even if it was just a hallucination, the look you had in your eye and the energy in your voice when you attacked with your sword, you really wanted to save them.”
Daniel looked around at seeing all the girls watching him closely now as he tried to either validate or argue with their claim.
“I wanted to save them, yes, but… that doesn’t mean… I never meant to…”
“Daniel, please,” Specca implored. “Just answer the question. Do you feel anything for Luna and Falla?”
All the girls waited anxiously for Daniel to say anything, watching as he glanced to the paper in his hand that showed that he had both seen and felt sheer love from the three that sat before him as well as the two that had flown away. Slowly Daniel set the paper down and looked towards the entryway, his eyes set on the curtain covering the exit and not the three girls that wondered just how much the two butterfly sisters meant to him.
*****
Triska continued to sit on the stairs while listening to the constant droning of the swarm outside, the incessant clicking and rustling of the monsters keeping her on edge as they crawled all over the building without rest. Next to her Kroanette was sitting down as well, holding onto Triska’s hand as she was trying to keep calm about everything that was happening while she kept nervously glancing around at hearing the tapping and thumping of the swarm on the walls and windows. What little moonlight there was outside was blocked off by the consistently moving swarm as they passed by the windows, the monsters unable to see into the darkened building where the centaur and human were.
“So let me get this straight,” Kroanette stuttered while shutting her eyes. “That little girl up there is the princess of Flairwood, and her being brought back safely would be a noble gesture towards forming peaceful relations with the giant butterflies.”
“That’s right,” Triska answered while glancing around at hearing the swarm relentlessly crawling around outside.
“And the reason I was separated from all of you and went through such misery along with being forced into contact with that insufferable elf is because Pip teleported all of you directly to Flairwood with her magic?”
“Yeah, about that,” Triska said looking up the staircase. “So she’s an elf?”
“Oh yes, she’s an elf, Triska,” Kroanette replied bitterly. “And believe me they are nothing like the world believes them to be. Oh sure, they are expert shots with the
ir arrows, I’ll give them that credit, but they are simply the worst, self-centered, degenerate, conniving, despicable rats that inhabit all of Eden.”
“Kroanette, you do realize that I was referring to the elf that is literally two steps above me right now, yes?” Triska dryly replied.
Kroanette jumped then looked to seeing a dark shadow standing over Triska in the stairwell. A brief passing of the swarm outside the window illuminated Clover in the pale moonlight while she stood above Triska on the stairs, showing her furious glare and bared teeth aimed at the centaur.
“Clover,” Kroanette squeaked out with fright.
“You fucking bitch,” Clover growled as she grabbed an arrow out of her quiver and took aim at the centaur. “You want to say something to my face? Well go on and say it.”
“Keep it down, you two,” Triska hushed while watching the window. “Those things are still awake out there.”
“Tell that to her, she’s crazy,” Kroanette whimpered while ducking down and holding onto Triska’s arm now.
“Crazy?” Clover snarled while aiming her arrow down at the frightened centaur’s face. “You ungrateful cow, I saved your life out there, show some fucking respect.”
“I said be quiet,” Triska sternly hushed as she grabbed Clover’s arrow and held it, with the elf turning her glare to her. “What the hell is your problem? I thought elves were supposed to be kind and gentle creatures of Eden.”
“Fuck you,” Clover spat out.
“Hey,” Tabitha quietly interrupted from above them. The girls looked up to see her silhouette at the top of the stairwell while flickering beams of moonlight were shining behind her from the window and the moving swarm. “What are you doing? They’re going to hear you.”
“Oh shut up, you’re not the fucking boss of me,” Clover snapped at her.
“Are all elves really as vulgar as you are?” Triska dryly asked.
“Be quiet, they’re going to hear you,” Kroanette whined while slumping down against the wall.
“All of you be quiet or I will silence you for good,” Tabitha hissed as she grabbed her swords.
A loud bang came from the door after a swarm flew into it, with the girls instantly looking to it while Kroanette yelped and quickly stumbled to her feet and backed away hastily. Triska grabbed her sword’s handle while Clover aimed her arrow towards the door, both tensing up while Tabitha slowly drew her blades out slightly. Kroanette shakily stepped back behind Triska towards the darker side of the room while holding her hands over her mouth to keep quiet. The buzzing and clicking of the swarm outside continued without raising or lowering while the monsters kept crawling around on the building as usual. After a while Triska and Clover slowly lowered their stances while breathing out in relief.
“That was close,” Triska said shaking her head.
“Those damn things are never going to sleep,” Clover muttered.
“Triska?” Kroanette whimpered. “Is that cat girl touching my tail?”
Triska and Clover looked to her before Clover held in her gasp as she went wide eyed.
“Why did you gasp like that?” Kroanette whined quietly.
“Don’t move,” Clover shushed while remaining still.
“Why?”
Triska saw Kroanette staring at her with fright while the back half of her body was shrouded in the dark. A few rays moonlight flickered in through the windows, providing just enough to illuminate the room and reveal a swarm crawling on its hands and knees right behind Kroanette, with its hand now holding onto the centaur’s tail.
“Kroanette,” Triska whispered fearfully. “Don’t move a muscle.”
Kroanette trembled then felt a hand grabbing hold of her rear leg’s thigh. Her heart skipped a beat then started pounding steadily before she slowly glanced back behind her, seeing with growing terror a shadowy figure with fluttering wings buzzing behind it grabbing onto her rear and climbing up her.
“Don’t. Make. A. Sound,” Clover ordered quietly as she took aim at the swarm with her arrow.
Kroanette slowly took a shaky breath, watching as the swarm became visible with another fleeting glimpse of moonlight. The locust monster hissed then slowly licked her rump before clicking loudly with its wings buzzing behind it.
“WAAAH!” Kroanette cried out before she kicked the swarm hard with her hind legs. The monster was launched back into the darkened kitchen before a loud crash was heard as it slammed into and through a pantry and out the backside of the building. From the hole it made in the wall blurry shadows were seen swarming around and through as the buzzing and clicking sounds of the ravenous monsters outside suddenly grew louder.
“Grab Complica now!” Triska shouted up at Tabitha before she yanked her sword out. Tabitha wasted no time taking off down the hall towards the butterfly girl while the swarm outside the upstairs window started scratching and cracking the glass.
“Why did you do that?” Clover yelled as she fired an arrow at a swarm before grabbing three arrows and quickly shooting them into three more of the monsters that were hopping around in the adjacent room.
“It was going to eat me!” Kroanette whined as she scurried away.
From the front door and windows more of the swarm crashed through and flew at the girls. Triska quickly swiped her blade and slashed one across the face before she was tackled to the ground by another. Clover shot an arrow into one pointblank before quickly grabbing three more and firing them at swarm that were scurrying towards them in the kitchen.
“Triska!” Kroanette yelled as she quickly turned around and kicked the swarm off of her friend, the monster flying straight into the nearby wall and crashing through it. She grabbed her whip and snapped it at another, striking it across its face and stunning it before an arrow pierced through its eye and dropped it to the ground.
“Nice job, fat ass!” Clover shouted as she fired three more arrows into the kitchen to make three more kills. “You just fucked us all!”
Triska got back to her feet then quickly swung her blade and cut down a swarm as it landed on Kroanette’s back before she spun around and struck through another swarm’s chest. As the monster screeched and jerked about with blood spurting out of its mouth Triska shoved it over and slammed it against the wall.
“Get Complica!” she called out again towards the stairs.
Tabitha raced into the bedroom where Complica was now screaming with her eyes shut tight and her hands held over her ears. The window behind the sheet started cracking and breaking while the swarm were heard above tearing apart the roof.
“We have to go!” Tabitha ordered as she quickly grabbed Complica and held her close. Before she could move swarm crashed through the window, knocking the sheet down over the two girls before they fell to the floor while the swarm flew into the room. Tabitha quickly covered Complica’s mouth, doing nothing to conceal the child’s screams, as she felt the monsters pouncing on them over the sheet.
“We could use some help up here!” she screamed before she felt one of the monsters chewing on her tail. As she shrieked and kicked the swarm away from her Complica was grabbed by the arm and dragged out of the sheet onto the floor away from the neko.
“No!” Tabitha yelled as she lunged up and quickly grabbed her swords, swiping them out while spinning around and slicing apart the sheet and two other swarm who were nearby. She yanked the torn covering off of her head then gasped as she saw a swarm holding down Complica while screeching at her, the butterfly girl staring with an open mouth and wide eyes as she was held down by the monster. The swarm lunged down to maul her face before an arrow struck through its skull, the monster jerking to the side and dropping down on top of the terrified princess. Complica shakily looked over to the hallway, seeing the moonlight shining through the window and illuminating an arrow that was poised to fire from a bow by a shadowy figure.
“Stay down, kid!” Clover yelled before firing her arrow clear across the hall and into another swarm as it flew into the room. Tabitha spun around and cl
eaved through two more before she darted over and knocked the dead swarm off of Complica. She crouched down and spun around with her swords, slicing two across the face before an arrow flew by and struck another that was flying into the window right between its eyes.
“Fuck yeah!” Clover shouted before a swarm crashed through the wall next to her, tackling the elf into a tumble down the stairs.
“We need to go, get up!” Tabitha ordered while swiping her blades around, slicing a few of the swarm that tried to fly at her while Complica remained motionless on the floor in shock.
Clover and the swarm that was trying to maul her tumbled down the stairs before landing on the ground floor with the elf being pinned down by the ravenous monster. She held it back by the neck and shoulder while her bow bounced to a stop next to her, growling with frustration as the swarm kept trying to snap at her while its hands frantically scratched at the girl’s tunic.
“You fucking bitch!” Clover yelled while trying to push the monster away before it scratched her across the cheek. She screamed in pain before the swarm swatted her arms away and lunged down to bite her face, right before Triska’s blade struck through its head from the side. Clover stared at seeing the stunned face of the swarm with surprise while blood dripped down its mouth then watched as Triska threw the monster off of her with a yell before she aimed her bloodied blade down at her.
“There, I saved your life!” she yelled out. “So that makes you my bitch, now doesn’t it?”
Clover glared at her with fury before they heard Complica screaming upstairs. Triska looked over to seeing Kroanette kicking another swarm through the wall with her legs then snapping her whip at one that was flying in through the broken front door. She then looked up the stairs again as Complica and Tabitha were heard yelling while more of the swarm crashed in through the side of the upstairs hallway.
“There’s too many!” Tabitha shouted as she hacked and slashed with her swords wildly, each swing slicing through a swarm or two as the monsters kept flooding into the room. With every one she killed two more seemed to crawl in to take its place, her eyes frantically shifting around at the constantly moving targets as she tried to fend the never-ending wave of the monsters off while Complica was now curled into a ball screaming for her life. Tabitha kept darting around the butterfly girl as she attempted to fight off the swarm from all sides, with a few of them now digging and clawing down through the ceiling with loud hisses and screeches.
Chronicles of Eden - Act V Page 32