by JK Ensley
Round the place… Where the dwelling stood
And the people… Of that village
Call that place… The Haunted Wood
*****
The play went on to tell how—after the gruesome death of his entire family—Thacius had trained hard every day, how he had rallied the good people of Atlaug against the Grindocs, and how they had finally gained their hard-won peace.
The narrator finished his epic tale with Thacius finding his true love in the midst of war, being crowned the first King of Atlaug, and happily living out his remaining days surrounded by his many beautiful daughters.
The elaborate performance ended with the knowledge that one of the first King’s ancient blood still ruled over the people of Dimthe Leard.
*****
“Are you gonna be okay, Princess?” Duhrias wrapped her up in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “It was beautiful, wasn’t it?”
Lala nodded. “Tragically so, yes.”
“The haunting story of Dimthe Leard’s first King—Thacius.”
“Yes…” She sniffed. “And I will ever after shed tears within my heart for that valiant man.”
“As will I,” Duhrias whispered. “But it ended well, did it not?”
Lala wiped her eyes as she gazed up at her loving River Spirit. “Yes. I am glad he had so many daughters. After losing his whole family like that… I’m glad he found love, and that Father blessed him with so many replacements for his precious sisters.”
“Replacements for his sisters?” Duhrias tilted his head to the side. “Is that how you saw it?”
Lala shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose so, yeah. I mean… it just sort of made sense to me like that. He had three sisters, right?”
Duhrias nodded.
“He ended up having twelve daughters—four for each little sister he lost.”
“Perhaps,” Duhrias mumbled. “I mean… he set four guards to each daughter.”
“Yes, but I believe that was because four Grindocs killed his family. Four skilled guards for every female in his household—zero chance of Grindocs ever getting to them.”
“Perhaps.” He pulled her back to him. “One thing I know for sure… King Thacius was the most honorable man who has ever lived.”
“Yes,” Lala said. “After hearing his story, I am hard pressed to believe any noble could ever match his great heart.”
“Agreed.” He hugged her and gazed out upon the lavender. “Naga would love to hear that story. You know how curious she is about such things.”
Lala smiled. “Yes. The next time we visit Dimthe Leard, we must ask the King when the next performance will be. I’m definitely taking Obaasan with us.”
Duhrias only smiled and closed his eyes, as he rested his cheek atop Lala’s head.
Chapter 5
Jinn
(JINN)
“So glad you made it back in time, Empress.” Yui softly kissed her cheek. “I was afraid you would miss the big day.”
Jenevier kissed him in return. “What big day are you speaking of, my most beautiful Shinobi?”
“Mistress, please do not tell me you forgot Lala’s Kougai—her reveal.”
“Of course I haven’t forgotten such a thing.” She half rolled her eyes. “What kind of grandmother would I be if I forgot the traditional ritual display of my only grandchild’s magical Shinobi powers?”
“You are a marvelous Obaasan, to be sure.” He gently twirled one of her curls around his finger. “Now, Naga.” He smiled softly. “Lala and Duhrias left for the village a few days ago. Tenshi took Mika there yesterday. Your darling son and his lovely wife wished to spend the past evening with the in-laws. Oh, and if I am not very much mistaken…” He glanced out the nearby window. “…that little windstorm blowing around out there could only be Kin Ryu. Goemon promised me a ride on his majestic golden Dragon.”
“Wait.” Jenevier furrowed her brow. “I thought the Kougai was next week.”
“This is next week, Empress.” Yui kissed her forehead. “Never fear, Naga. You still have a couple hours before it begins. And… just in case you came back at the last moment, I have already laid out your lovely pink—”
“No.” She shook her head. “I want to wear the blue one.”
Yui bit his lip, then sighed. “Very well, Milady. As you wish.”
He headed toward their chamber, but she stopped him.
“Yui,” she said softly. “I can manage to get ready all on my own.” She gently stroked his cheek before kissing him there. “Go. Your chariot awaits you, Milord. And believe you me, Dragons are not the most patient of creatures. I will be just fine—dressing myself. You spoil me, lovely ninja.”
“As you say, Milady.” He kissed her then, a real kiss. “I will anxiously await my beautiful wife.”
“I will be there.” She smiled. “Promise.”
*****
As Jenevier slipped on her sparkling sapphire shoes, she turned to admire her reflection in the mirror.
“I am honored,” Apollyon said, as he quietly entered her room. “That dress on this day… you give me too much glory, Anicee.”
She smiled. “I like the way I look in this dress. I like the way it makes me feel.”
“Is that so? Well, I like the way it makes me feel,” he whispered, lightly kissing her cheek. “In this…” He slowly ran his fingertips down the jeweled bodice. “…you are truly my Sapphire Princess.”
“Yeah.” She glanced back at her reflection. “I don’t think Yui was too happy with my adornment choice. Yet to his credit, that beautiful husband of mine didn’t say a cross word about it. He did sigh, though.”
Apollyon didn’t speak, only gazed at her reflection as he quietly stood behind her.
“Tell me, Vindicus. Why am I honored with your glorious presence here at the palace? Should you not already be partaking in the pre-Kougai festivities? I mean, you are the honored grandfather of the main attraction.”
He smiled when she chuckled. “I was in the village, yes—awaiting the ceremonial reveal—when I overheard the Emperor tell Tenshi of your return.”
“Overheard, huh? You mean… you were eavesdropping, right?”
“Call it what you will.” He waved his hand, dismissively. “When I heard you were here, I knew I would get the chance to speak to you… unaccosted.”
Jenevier snickered. “Is that so? Well, I guess it’s true. Your fan club around here is pretty slim.”
“You could say that, yes.”
“And…” She turned to face him. “What’s on your mind, darkest of Angels? Have you come to scold me for some unintentional transgression? Or did you plan on trying to steal me away from my perfect life?”
“Both… and neither.” He smiled and reached for her sapphire curl. “I have come to discuss an uncertain issue, Anicee, one that has me troubled.”
“Uncertain?” She furrowed her brow. “Why? What is it? I cringe when something is capable of troubling you. Tell me. Is something wrong?”
“I fear something soon will be, yes.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am not one hundred percent positive. Not yet. But… there seems to be a disturbance in Sheol.”
“In Sheol?” She visibly shivered at the word. “What kind of disturbance?”
“That is the part I am uncertain about. The walls have, how should I put it… thinned.”
“Thinned?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “I was passing through the Nether a few weeks ago and I heard a queer sort of mumbling.”
“In the Nether?”
“I heard it in the Nether, yes, but it wasn’t coming from there. I neared the individual portals and found that I could hear faint murmurings coming from each. Yet, it was louder, stronger near the entrance to Sheol.”
“And… that’s an unusual sort of thing?”
“Yes, Anicee. As you know, there is an entrance to each Otherworld in the Nether, yet they do not blend. One realm never bleeds over into the other
, even within the Nether.”
“So… what does it mean?”
Apollyon shook his head. “Nothing good, that’s for certain. Tell me, lovely Angel. Have you noticed anything amiss?”
“No. I have been spending my time watching over the mortal realms. Since I do not escort, I rarely have cause to know the comings and goings of the Otherworlds.”
He took her hands and gently squeezed them, smiling. “As it should be,” he whispered softly. “Very well then, worry not over this, my love. I will see to the bottom… while you remain at the top.”
“Do not tease me, Vindicus. I am far from the fragile, naïve little girl you once knew. If something is stirring, I would like to know the truth of it before I am blindsided.”
“I would never let that happen,” he whispered. “If I discover the cause, you will be the first person I come find… even if you are in the clouds.”
Jenevier’s eyes widened. Apollyon winked, one corner of his perfect mouth turning up in a knowing smile.
“Now, come,” he said. “Our granddaughter awaits us.”
Jenevier smiled then. “And my husband,” she chirped. “He will be sorely vexed if I am late.”
“Yes, your husband…” Apollyon glanced away. “I am still uncertain about the man. Not in his devotion, no. He seems to love you madly—worships you, even. It’s just…”
When he didn’t go on, Jenevier prodded him.
“It’s just what, Vindicus?”
“It’s just… he doesn’t act scared of me. Not even a little. I don’t think I like that.”
Jenevier chuckled. “I have known him since he was a boy, and I can tell you under no uncertain terms… I have never seen that beautiful man scared of anything. I mean, for instance… when that Nephilim landed on our balcony, I was the one to scream out. But not Yui, no. He didn’t even bat a lash. He just whipped his hair out and—”
“Nephilim?” Apollyon squeezed her hands harder. “When did you see a Nephilim? How do you even know what they are?”
“Wha—” She furrowed her brow again. “Wait. What’s wrong?”
“I thought they were all dead,” he mumbled to himself. “I haven’t seen one in centuries. How did that vile little creature remain hidden for so long?”
“Tell me, Vindicus.” She forced him to meet her gaze. “What’s wrong?”
“Why didn’t you say anything before now, Anicee? When did the Nephilim come to visit you?”
“He didn’t come to visit me. Yui and I were out on the balcony—not long before we were married—and some strange… I don’t know, smoke monster was just perched there, watching us.”
“Before you were married? That long ago… and you never even thought to mention it?”
“I didn’t know what it was, Vindicus. I mean, if I mentioned every weird-looking creature I’ve ever crossed paths with, I’d be doing nothing but mentioning all the time. It was a smoke monster. That’s all I knew.”
“A smoke monster? You mean… it looked like Vashti?”
“Hey! I am not a smoke monster. Vashti is delicate and beautiful and fluid. This thing… it was dark and sinister—had glowing red eyes.”
Apollyon nodded. “…Like Vashti.”
“Dammit, Vindicus—”
“Wait.” He furrowed his brow. “If you didn’t know it was a Nephilim then… how do you know now?”
Jenevier blushed. “Because… I just met him.”
“Met him?”
“Yeah. Only just.”
“Where? How? And why the hell are you acting so calm about it?”
“Where—I met him as I was leaving layer eight. How—he floated right over to me and started speaking. And as for why I’m not scared.” She snorted out a laugh. “Why the hell would I be?”
“Ugh… damn Death Angel,” he mumbled under his breath. “What did he speak to you about? Why did he speak to you?”
“Well, apparently… he’s my stalker.”
“What do you mean, stalker?”
“Just what I said.” She sighed, exasperatedly. “I was stressing over losing track of time. The Nephilim decided to offer me some insight, I suppose. Anyway, while trying to reassure me… he let slip that he had been following me, been watching me.”
“Where? When?”
“For years, apparently. He said he first saw me here—on Jinn, during your epic freak-out.”
Apollyon grabbed her shoulders. “Do not speak thusly, Anicee. I need you to be serious. Your language skills have suffered greatly. You are too close, too familiar with the mortals. Now, speak properly and tell me exactly what he said.”
She started to roll her eyes, but stopped when he growled at her.
“Very well.” She sighed. “He said he first saw me here, during your… vengeful war.”
“That long ago?”
She nodded. “And apparently he has been following me ever since. He said he was in the Mangladune forest on Ashgard when Trelaina ambushed me… stole my soul. He followed me to Val Hal. There, he watched during my time minus my essence, and then after as well—while I was with Finnean. He even admitted to spying on me when I visited Syadar on Byzantha.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I guess… Rixx has made every step I have since the day I lost Varick… until now.”
Apollyon growled. The icy, lethal sound made Jenevier’s skin tingle.
“This isn’t good,” he said. “Nothing about that creature is good. I know him not, but I do know this… he has not spied upon you out of the goodness of his heart, no. Nephilim do not possess feelings. If he watched you, it was because he was commanded to do thus.”
“Commanded? By whom?”
“That I do not know. Yet, I will not rest until I find the answer. Tell me now, Anicee. Think… did he saying anything that could point us in the right direction?”
She shook her head. “I’m not certain. Like I said, we only just spoke. I haven’t had time to dwell much upon his words. I did try to reap him, though.”
Apollyon’s eyes went wide. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, but he vanished.”
“Vanished?”
She nodded. “Then when I flew back to the palace, Yui was on his way out. I have had only the Kougai on my mind since then.”
“Yes.” Apollyon nodded, his brow still furrowed. “First things first. Come, my love.”
When the breathtaking dark Angel, Prince of Hell, extended his arm, Jenevier took it with a smile.
“Let us see to our family now,” he said. “This trouble can wait until tomorrow… Lala cannot.”
*****
“Is there something troubling you, Empress?” Hanzo whispered, as he leaned over toward her.
Jenevier turned from the colorful festivities and glanced toward the Elder Shinobi seated to her right.
“Is it that obvious?” She smiled and looked back out upon the traditional Iga parade. “No need to worry, good Hanzo. I am becoming almost used to my seemingly constant state of confusion.”
He lightly touched her arm, regaining her attention. “Confusion concerning what, Madam Empress?”
“Oh, just the passing of days has me at a bit of a loss at times.” She glanced back at her smiling granddaughter. “For instance, look at that beautiful young lady.” She motioned toward Lala. “Tenshi was a full grown man by the time he was two years old. His daughter, on the other hand, seems to be an eternal teenager.”
Hanzo nodded. “Yes, and what about that is troubling, Milady?”
“Well…” Jenevier furrowed her brow. “I was recently reminded that it has been at least fifty years since I lost my essence, while visiting my homeland.” She turned to face the Shinobi proper. “If that is true…” She quickly did the math in her head. “…Lala should be around forty. No… that can’t be right. There’s no way.”
Hanzo smiled. “Yet, is it not true that you and Emperor Yui have been married almost that long?”
Jenevier turned to her husband, studying his elegant profile. Yui lightly s
queezed her hand, but kept his attention on the parade.
She shook her head. “No, Lord Hanzo. It is not possible. I fear you must be mistaken.”
“Am I?”
When she glanced back at the village elder, he gave her a slight wink.
“Tell me, Empress,” Hanzo said. “How many years do you believe I have claimed?”
Jenevier didn’t answer, didn’t know how to. If she were to judge the Shinobi by looks alone, perhaps he was in his mid-forties. But that couldn’t be right, and she knew it. He was already a Shinobi Elder when she first met him… many years ago.
Hanzo chuckled softly. “Very well, then. Can you tell me the age of your rare husband over there?”
Jenevier turned toward Yui again. Still, she did not, could not, answer.
Yui smiled then and gently patted her hand. “Fret not, my love. I will be seventy next year.”
Jenevier’s mouth fell open, but words refused to come.
Hanzo chuckled again. “Did you not think it odd that his rare beauty never faded?”
Jenevier remained silent.
“I believe,” Hanzo continued. “…the people of Ashgard live to be near a hundred. Well, that has been their average lifespan, since the passing of the Olden Ones. Am I right?”
Jenevier could only stare at the speaking man beside her. Yet, her mind was fast swirling inside an impossible time vortex.
Hanzo smiled. “An Olden, fair Empress, was blessed with extreme longevity because it was their task to govern the people. An Olden’s years would stretch across several generations—thus ensuring their ways, their laws, their blessed peace would remain intact.”
“…I never knew that,” she barely whispered.
Hanzo touched her arm again. “And that is because the Oldens were wiped out when Shibta’s plague spread across that land, long before you were born. They were her main target—the Oldens.”
“And just how have you come by such knowledge, Shinobi?” Apollyon asked, leaning down between his Anicee and the Elder, breaking their gaze. “How is it a ninth-layer is privy to the History of Ages?”
“Because,” Tenshi said, coming to stand next to his father. “…their Guardian Angel fancies himself a bit of a know-it-all. Especially concerning all things Naga-related. Isn’t that right, Munenori?”