“I’m not convinced of that in the slightest!” Reiko shouted back at her. “And if you dare remind me of what happened to my precious Star again I’ll reap your soul without a word more!”
“Well that was poor timing,” Velm sighed. “They were starting to trust us until that damned flower attacked their friend. Now they think we’re all devils again.”
“They’re just upset about what happened to Star,” Calam reasoned. “You can’t blame them for being further on edge now. Once they see that Star will be fine they’ll ease up.”
“One thing is for certain,” Jezzele dryly mentioned. “With their current attitudes they’re going to fit in perfectly with the locals in town now.”
The riders made their way along the winding trail under the moonlight, with Clover and Reiko remaining on high alert the whole time as they were more than ready to kill the first thing that attacked them, be it present company or otherwise. Every now and then they would pass by lanterns hanging from trees or lampposts along the way, with Clover and Reiko exchanging sharp glances as they knew this road had others traveling on it during the night, and perhaps waiting around any of the bends ahead of them. Not a word was spoken, only the galloping hooves being heard as they made haste towards the city of Stonegate with tension running high in the air.
After enduring the prolonged silence between them for as long as she could, Calam looked back to Clover, seeing the elf watching her closely with one hand remaining at her side, being more than ready to snatch hold of her bow if needed.
“May I ask one thing without you killing me?”
“What?” Clover snapped.
“When I first came to your home, your friend Pip greeted me, thinking I was the one named Squeak. I remember that name from Kroanette, how she was part of your family. I also remember how everyone thought by my arrival that Squeak had returned to life. I’m almost afraid to ask, but am I correct in assuming that… that your friend…”
“She was my co-mate,” Clover sternly argued. “She was my family. And yes, she’s dead. She gave her life to help my people escape The Sisterhood.”
“I see,” Calam said with a saddened frown. “My apologies, I didn’t wish to be rude by asking. In truth I was hoping I hadn’t heard correctly and that she was still alive. I am sorry for your loss.”
“No offense, Calam, but you are the last person I want to hear speaking about her right now. I’m already scared for not only Kroanette’s life but also Star’s, and I’m told to believe you and your band of merry monsters are somehow good people who can be trusted with their lives. Good people, even though I watched Squeak die at the hands of those who had led monsters just like your friends on a bloody crusade across Eden to destroy countless innocent lives and homes, mine included. Show me Kroanette is alive and well. Show me Star is going to be just fine. Show me that, Calam, and then we can talk about my loved ones on a personal level. Until then, fuck off!”
“I understand,” Calam empathized. “We will show you that, Clover. I promise.”
The riders continued along the trail as it curved and dipped through the lush woodland, the steeds going strong and making good time with reaching their destination. After a long stretch of more silence from the girls Calam glanced to the side, catching sight of something moving through the shadows alongside them without making a sound. Slowly and carefully she took notice of Jezzele and Velm watching the road ahead of them. Looking behind she saw Clover still searching their passing surroundings, showing no signs of spotting the same thing the ant girl did. Reiko hadn’t noticed either, rather was merely flying around erratically above the elf and seeming to be mumbling to herself.
Looking down to her horse Calam saw the steed galloping swiftly beneath her. With a small smirk she quickly flicked her hand, creating a brief surge of magic that rushed along the ground and struck the horse’s front leg, causing the animal to cry out and stumble in its run. Everyone quickly turned to see Calam screaming as her horse lost its footing and dropped into a crashing slide on the dirt, throwing the ant girl off into a tumbling roll along the ground.
“Whoa!” Clover called out as she quickly steered her ride past them, narrowly missing the downed horse and the ant girl who slowly rolled to a stop.
“Calam! You okay?” Velm called back.
“What happened?” Jezzele exclaimed as the women began slowing down and turning around.
“I have no idea,” Calam replied as she slowly got up. “Heavens, tonight really is a night for surprises.”
“Are you alright?” Jezzele asked as the riders trotted back towards her.
“I’m fine,” Calam assured with a weak smile. “It startled me more than anything. Don’t worry, I’m okay.”
She dusted off her tunic and skirt then giggled a little at her companions with a small shrug. The girls then turned and saw her horse stumbling back onto its feet with loud whinnying before shaking its head and running off into the forest.
“What has gotten into him?” Calam huffed with a pout. “I’ve never been treated so rudely by our horses before. I thought they liked me, I’m always so gentle with them.”
“Maybe it smelled evil on you,” Clover flatly guessed.
“Very funny,” Calam quipped. She peered around at the darkened thicket for a moment before turning to the girls and shaking her head. “I don’t understand it. He must have gotten spooked by a shadow or something. I’ll go find him, you girls go on ahead. I’ll catch up when I manage to calm the poor thing down.”
“We’re not going to leave you,” Jezzele argued shaking her head. “Nobody is to travel alone out here, especially at night.”
“There could be another Violet Princess lurking around in there,” Velm worried as she pointed to the dark woods. “We’ll go with you and-”
“Ladies,” Calam spoke up raising her hands. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m just going to fetch my horse. Clover and Reiko are rather concerned with reaching Stonegate as soon as possible, we don’t need to keep them waiting all on my account. Go, I’ll be right behind you. Don’t worry, I’ve traveled dangerous parts of Eden by myself before, I think I can handle a dark forest for a few minutes.”
“But, Calam,” Jezzele worried.
“I’ll be fine. I promise. Go, take them to Stonegate so they can see the truth with their own eyes. Their friends will be waiting for them. Don’t keep them waiting any longer.”
“You sure about this?” Clover asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I don’t know how long it will take to find my horse and reassure him that nothing is going to harm him. But I do know how anxious you and Reiko are to get to Stonegate. I can handle myself just fine, I promise. Velm and Jezzele will guide you to the city and make sure you regroup with the others. Besides, it’s safer for me to venture into those dark, spooky woods alone.”
“Why is that?” Clover wondered as the ant girl turned to walk away.
“Because without my dear friends nearby I don’t need to concern myself with accidentally harming them with my magic should danger truly come after me,” Calam called back with a wave. “Relax, there’s probably nothing in there but my cowardly horse. Go on ahead and find the answers in Stonegate you seek. We’ll meet again soon.”
“Can we just go already?” Reiko snapped. “It’s bad enough I have to babysit this stupid elf, but we’re wasting even more time standing here. Let’s move it!”
“I don’t like the idea of leaving her behind,” Velm argued.
“Me either,” Jezzele said, biting her thumbnail. “Especially knowing those demon flowers could be blooming somewhere out there.”
“Then go after her,” Clover told them. The gremlins looked to her in question as the elf turned her horse around. “I know how to get to Stonegate from here, I’ve been there before. Reiko and I can find our way just fine on our own. All I need to do is tell the guards that Countess Eirene invited us, right?”
“Are you okay with that though?” Velm asked. “We don
’t mind taking you to Stonegate.”
“To be honest, I’d rather ride alone anyway,” Clover said shaking her head. “Go make sure your friend finds her horse and then meet us in Stonegate afterwards. Unless of course this is all a trick, in which case you’d better pray we never meet again.”
“If you’re fine riding without us we won’t stop you,” Jezzele reasoned. “You’ve got a harvester with you, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Just tell the guards you need to see the Doc, they’ll help you find your way. And, Clover?”
“What?” Clover asked as her horse bucked back with a whinny.
“For what it’s worth, it was nice meeting you,” Jezzele said before dismounting her steed.
“Take care of yourself,” Velm added as she hopped off her ride.
“Yeah… thanks,” Clover managed to say before she took off along the road. Reiko soared after her while the gremlins walked their horses over to a tree to tie them to a low branch.
“Let’s hurry and help Calam find her horse so we can all go home together,” Velm said.
“Yeah,” Jezzele agreed as she peered around carefully into the darkened thicket. “Just watch your step in there. Don’t want to bump into anything unpleasant.”
The two gremlins hitched their horses and made their way into the woodland in search of their friend, with one of the steed’s grunting and shaking its head as it tried pulling away to no avail.
*****
“You’re not supposed to be hanging around here,” Calam warned, having a stern scowl on her face. “That was an order, remember?”
Standing at the edge of a slim clearing within the forest, the ant girl had her arms crossed in discontent while glaring at someone in the shadows of the trees before her.
“I’ve issued explicit warnings to all of you that you need to remain far away from this place,” Calam snapped. “Something our master has also agreed upon for the benefit of my work. I don’t need you wretches blowing my cover. That being said, why have you disregarded his order and come here anyway?”
“Stop acting so high and mighty with me,” a woman snidely remarked. “I was merely passing through and noticed my master’s lowly bug crawling around above the dirt rather than below it. Naturally I was curious what you were doing other than wasting more of my master’s time with your laughable exploits.”
“You do realize I’m the master’s favorite disciple, correct?” Calam retorted with a twitching smile. “Whereas you are his least treasured and, let’s be honest, most degenerate. I may be an ant girl but my pussy is far cleaner than yours. I shudder to think of him having to settle for such horrid meat as yours when he could have perfection with mine whenever he wishes.”
“Odd, you’re not the one he keeps by his side. In fact, you’re the one who’s sent off to dig a hole in this miserable corner of Eden. Perhaps my master wanted you to dig your own grave for him rather than dirty his hands in doing so himself.”
“Frankly I’m surprised he shows you such mercy by keeping you around rather than lopping your head off and being done with it,” Calam retorted with a bitter smirk. “Bringing you back to life after your first failure was once too many if you ask me. You aren’t worth his time in the slightest, and certainly unworthy of him thrusting inside you. I get it, you’re a natural born whore, but my master deserves only the best and quite honestly you’re not even close to that.”
“Aw, I’ve missed you too,” the woman chuckled. “Always nice to see you getting jealous over me spending more time with the master than you. But back to the matter at hand, what are you doing outside of your little hole? Isn’t that the whole reason you hang around that dump? To dig, just like you bugs love to do?”
“I have other obligations to those in that city,” Calam scoffed. “I need to keep up appearances and help those archaic creatures with whatever silly little task they need done.”
“Why go through this elaborate sham with them? Why not simply kill them all and dig to your heart’s content without their horrid presence lurking over your shoulder?”
“Because those idiots in Stonegate are helping me, that’s why,” Calam snapped. “Why destroy them when they could serve a better purpose for the time being? The countess of that city adores me, I’m one of her most trusted friends. And through her friendship comes many benefits. Ears that stretch far into the land to listen for any useful information. Hands to help me dig deeper with. Peons to cook me meals. And best of all, I’m hidden from those minotaurs quite well inside that city thanks to our dear friend the countess and her magical barrier. I can work uninterrupted for as long as I need to in order to claim what my master wants.”
“Of course,” the woman laughed. “You do love to hide and avoid any fighting, just like every other ant that scurries away from danger like the cowards they are. You must be absolutely frightened every time someone walks by with heavy boots. Don’t want to get stepped on after all, do you? Hahaha!”
“You would do well to remain on my good side, Torment,” Calam warned with a deep glare, her eyes now showing white rings in them. “Master has blessed me with far more power than you seem to remember. I don’t like unnecessary fights, I find them to be barbaric and foolish. I have more grace than that, master did train me well and raise me to be a proper disciple of his after all. But if it’s in the interest of shutting you up, I wouldn’t mind ripping your wings off and shoving them up through your ass to pierce your heart.”
“I’d like to see you try,” the woman dared, the glowing white rings in her eyes showing within the darkened thicket. The two stared each other down with growing tension before a twig snapped, prompting Calam to slowly breathe out in annoyance before looking over her shoulder. Standing at the edge of the clearing were Jezzele and Velm, both of them staring at Calam in shock while keeping close to each other.
“Ladies,” Calam spoke up, the glowing white rings in her eyes electing fright with the gremlins. “I told you both to continue on to Stonegate with Clover.”
“C-Calam?” Velm breathed out.
“What is this?” Jezzele nervously asked. “What’s going on here? What… you…”
“How long have you been standing there?” Calam asked with a knowing smile. “Though I suppose it doesn’t matter. You two do know it’s not polite to eavesdrop on friends, right?”
“Who are you talking to?” Jezzele feared as she and Velm slowly took a step back. “What was that you were saying? What… what is this, Calam?”
“Calam?” the woman in the shadows laughed. “That’s what you’re going by in that rat hole? Haha! Wow, hardly original, my dear. That’s just being lazy.”
“It’s simple enough to do the job,” Calam reasoned with a shrug. “Not like anyone would have ever suspected anything about it.”
“Calam?” Velm whimpered. “What’s going on? Why are your eyes… why are you… what…”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, ladies,” Calam empathized with a gentle smile that did nothing to ease their anxiety. “But you really shouldn’t have come out here. I told you to go back home where it was safe, didn’t I? You should have listened to me.”
“Calam,” Jezzele nervously said, her hand slowly reaching for one of her alchemic pouches.
“Now, now,” Calam playfully warned, turning to face the girls with a smile that appeared as cold as a Darker One’s. “There’s no need for that. I know this is very confusing for you both. So let me put your worries to rest and be completely honest with you two.”
“Those eyes,” Jezzele feared. “What… what are you?”
“A fair question,” the ant girl conceded. Slowly she raised a hand up before giving it a sharp swirl with golden radiances trailing in its wake. In front of the gremlins appeared a large, crystalline barrier made of iridescent light. Jezzele and Velm stumbled back and watched in terror as the barrier extended further out between the parties out before curving inward and around to encase them, the gremlins then screaming and turning to run away in a panic. They only manage
d to take a few steps before seeing the barrier ripping through the ground and trees as it closed together further ahead of them with a sharp crackle. The barrier flashed with a haunting white glow, with the two gremlins slowly turning around to see the ant girl walking up to the magical dome she had encased them in with a smile most cruel on her face.
“Calam!” Velm cried out in a muffled voice from inside the glowing walls. “Stop this! Please!”
“What are you doing?” Jezzele screamed in a panic. “Why are you doing this? Goddammit, just who the hell are you?”
“Who am I?” the ant girl laughed. “And what am I. Two very good questions I suppose. How lucky for you the answer is one and the same.”
She slowly clenched her hand, fingers curling inward with a buildup of white energy growing in her palm. As they drew closer to forming a fist the gremlins could feel a surge of power filling the air around them, along with crackling hazes of light expanding throughout the dome which set some of the trees on fire. The gremlins fearfully looked around at the rising surge of magical energy surrounding them then slowly turned to the ant girl as they held each other close in fright.
“I am Calamity,” the ant girl declared with a sinister leer. She then opened her hand wide, forging the white light into a casting ring around her wrist that spun sharply in place.
“Sorry, ladies, but our friendship is now over,” Calamity said, and then promptly struck her hand against the barrier. The casting ring flashed and shattered into a spiraling frenzy, just as the interior of the dome lit up and exploded with a muffled roar. The inside turned into a hellish firestorm with debris and smoke quickly filling the expanse in a matter of seconds, with only a small rumbling shockwave managing to ripple outward from the powerful barrier. With a cold smile Calamity watched her magic obliterating the enclosed coppice and two gremlins with overwhelming force, the grand eruption being perfectly contained in her barrier that didn’t flicker at all while housing the catastrophic explosion with great strength. Slowly the destructive energy began to dissipate and quiet down, leaving only billowing smoke and small bursts of flame running against the barrier as the ant girl’s magic had annihilated all life within it.
Chronicles of Eden - Season II - Act I Page 37