MOTHER

A mother's love is unsurpassed. So is her wrath.

 

 

Prologue

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Long ago, in an age forgotten by time, the world was a racked and war-weary place. Conflicts were more common than peace and monstrous beasts roamed the land. A terrible battle went on that was known as the Twenty Year War because of its incredible duration. A charismatic woman named Alrose stepped up to take the throne of Genesis, the capital city, and put an end to the violence. She was a peaceful and appeasing ruler, but after seven years of reigning, she seemed to be changing her ways. She was more secluded and hardly came out of her throne room anymore. She would often send her subjects on odd quests for her that no one understood. Had this ravaged world finally affected the Queen or was it perhaps something else…?

 

 

Chapter 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

            “By royal decree of the Great Queen Alrose, you will go the land of Fauna and defeat the evil Goblin King. If you return to Genesis within two weeks, you will receive fifty gold pieces. Anytime after that and you will receive twenty. Have I made myself clear?” said the guardsman standing in front of the throne room. He hadn’t looked Alexia in the eye a single time when he spoke to her. Instead he looked off into the distance, as if trying to stay focused on some far away object.

            Alexia tilted her head slightly and puckered her lips. She didn’t appreciate being drafted to go off on missions against her will, but she couldn’t go against the Queen’s orders. Treason was a crime punishable by death and Alexia valued her life.

            “If her Royal Majesty wants me to go somewhere, why can’t she talk to me personally?” she asked. She already knew what the answer would be, but she decided it was worth a try.

            “Queen Alrose has much greater matters to attend to. She is very busy, especially with all of the conflict going about these days,” he replied, still refusing to make eye contact. His silver armor had seen the wear and tear of war and appeared to be slightly rusted. She could see a lock of dark hair sticking out of his helmet. “I understand that this isn’t very convenient, but it is imperative that you do this job for the Queen.”

            “Why?” Alexia asked nonchalantly.

            “Because then you’ll have brownie points,” said the guard. Alexia could have sworn that she saw a grin feather across his face, but it disappeared too quickly for her to be sure.

            “No. I mean, why me? I don’t have any kind of training. No combat, no magic, no nothing. I don’t understand,” Alexia said, twirling a loose strand of her dirty blond hair. “If the Queen wanted a job like this done, she should have summoned for someone a little more experienced than me.”

            The guard sighed. “I do not know the Queen’s intentions for hiring a minstrel like you, but she insisted that you were the one who went on this journey. That’s all I can tell you.”

            “Okay… So what do I need to do?” she asked as she straightened her eyebrows. She hadn’t been awake very long so she didn’t have enough time to primp as much as she usually would. The draft required her to come at eight-o-clock a.m., which was very early to Alexia.

            “First, if you truly have zero experience in combat, I suggest you go to the Apprentice Guild to recruit some help. Then after you have your team prepared, you should head east to Harmony’s Lake. There’s a port there so you might be able to hitch a ride with a sailor. On the opposite side of the lake, you will find the Goblin Forest. It will be full of goblin sentries, but you and your allies should have little trouble defeating them. Once you get to the innermost part of the forest, you will find the Goblin King. Defeat him, bring us back the ring he wears on his left hand as proof, and you will receive your bounty. Do you understand?”

            Alexia pictured all of the steps in her head and then nodded. She said thank you before turning around to walk away. She hadn’t taken two steps when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head and found a pair of dark blue eyes locked on hers.

            “Be careful,” the guard said. “And good luck.” Alexia was almost stunned that he had looked at her. She could hear something change his voice. It wasn’t his usual informative tone; he was being compassionate. Alexia had never experienced this from a guardsman. Finally, she smiled and said, “Thank you,” before turning around and walking away.

            For good this time.

 

vvv

 

 

            ‘To the Apprentice Guild,’ Alexia thought. She had seen the place before as she walked about the city, but she had never gone inside. All she knew was that students went there who wanted to be trained in any subject. Alexia had taught herself how to play music and sing so she never had a reason to go there.

            Now she did.

            She pushed through the large, blue double doors of the guild to go inside. What she saw was very similar to a dojo; there were mirrors on two of the four walls in the large room and foam mats lying on the floor. There were many people busily training. Some were sparring, some teaching others fighting techniques and proper weapon use, while others were sitting against the walls resting or having a snack.

            There were people of all colors and creeds, but the one person who really caught Alexia’s eyes was a young man who was helping a little girl draw the string on her bow properly. He wasn’t abnormal looking by any means, but something about him distracted Alexia from everyone else in the room. He had spiky blond hair with a green streak going through it. He was wearing a brown wife beater, dark tights, and some tan slip on shoes. His hands must have been wounded because his palms were wrapped in white bandages. The most stunning thing about him was a tattoo of a phoenix on his right shoulder blade. Only half of it was visible underneath the strap of his tank top, but Alexia could still tell what it was.

            At some point while Alexia was staring at him, he turned and happened to catch her. He merely smiled and told the girl to keep practicing. He approached Alexia, who was still standing by the front door of the guild. He walked with the grace of a dancer that she had never seen in a guy before.

            “Can I help you?” he said. His voice was deep; the kind of voice that gives you chills the first time that you hear it but seems strangely peaceful later. The kind of voice that you would like to hear tell you a bedtime story. The kind of voice that could pacify a crying baby. The type of voice that could give appeasement to a bickering couple.

            Alexia stood in a daze for a moment before she realized that he had asked her a question. She scratched the back of her head and then smoothed down her hair. “Umm, maybe. My name is Alexia Gilbert. I need to recruit some help. The Queen sent me on a quest to kill the Goblin King, but I don’t have any kind of training…” She looked down at her feet and blushed. Why was she embarrassed? Because she was sent on a quest but was incapable of completing it alone? At least she wasn’t going on a suicide mission.

            The man closed his eyes and smiled a mysterious half-grin. Alexia could hear him chuckling quietly to himself. He thought it was funny. “We don’t have a lot of extra help right now, but I’m sure there are three or four warriors we can spare to go with you.”

            “Oh, thank you so much! I really need the help!” Alexia said. She didn’t feel embarrassed anymore, but she was still blushing. She couldn’t explain it, but this guy made her feel nervous in a way she never felt before. It was possibly an omen; whether it was good or bad, she couldn’t decide.

            The man smiled and nodded his head. “Just wait here. I’ll go find you some help. By the way, my name is Sebastion McCarter. I’m the assistant director here at the Apprentice Guild.” He turned, walked around the circumference of the large room, and then went through a door that Alexia hadn’t seen before. It was on the opposite wall in the back of the room, nearly hidden by insufficient lighting. She stood waiting for a moment. She paced around a little, but kept her eyes locked on the door through which Sebastion had exited.

            Finally, he reappeared with some companions with him: a Latino teenage boy, a short girl with a bow in her hair, and a large, bulky man. He spotted Alexia and grinned. He motioned for the others and they all proceeded towards her.

            “I’d like for you to meet your recruits,” said Sebastion. He pointed towards the muscular man. “Alexia, this is Kendrew. He is very experienced in melee combat and I’m sure that he will provide lots of assistance on your journey.” Alexia extended her hand to shake the large man’s hand, but he merely smiled awkward and put his hands in his pockets. He was tall, around 6’4”, and well built. He wore a sleeveless cowl that clearly showed his developed biceps and a pair of leather trousers. His head was large like the rest of him with a big nose right in the middle. He had bushy black eyebrows over his brown eyes. He had fuzzy dark hair that didn’t look like it had ever seen a comb. He appeared to be quite shy. ‘Is it possible for a guy this big to be bashful,’ Alexia wondered.

            “This is Carmyne. She is a powerful mage and enchantress. She’s a little clumsy, but she tries very hard,” Sebastion said, pointing to the girl. She was shorter than Alexia, but not by much. She was slightly pudgy, but it made her face cuter and rounder. She was smiling, which showed her bulging cheekbones. Her eyes were slightly squinted from grinning, but Alexia could see their lavender tint. Her cerise hair was in a ponytail and tied with a large pink ribbon. She was wearing a frilly pink dress that went to her knees and white stockings underneath. ‘Could a girl this petite and adorable really be a powerful mage?’ Alexia wondered.

            Carmyne giggled and bowed to Alexia. “I have a feeling that we’re going to be really good friends!” she said, her eyes squinting again.

            Sebastion cleared his throat and pointed to the Latino boy. “And this is Emilio,” he said. Emilio stood with his weight on his left leg with his head tilted in the same direction. He had his arms crossed and smirked at Alexia in a devious way. “He’s a restorative clergyman who can heal you and your allies if you get in a bad situation.”

She couldn’t deny that he was handsome, but he was rather dubious as well. His short brown hair curled at the tips. His bright green eyes created a contradiction next to his tan skin. He had long eyelashes that Alexia didn’t see on guys’ faces very often. He had a large diamond stud earring in his right ear. He wore a button-up green shirt with the first five buttons undone, exposing his bare chest, and had the long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He also wore baggy gray jogging pants that seemed to sag down a little, revealing the hem of his boxers.

“You let me know anytime you need a healing, hot stuff,” Emilio said, winking at Alexia.

Alexia scrunched up her face at him. “Don’t call me that,” she said in the gravest voice she could muster. At the back of her mind, though, she didn’t mind. She was actually kind of flattered. She could never let him know that, though. She wasn’t even sure why.

The one thing that Alexia was absolutely positive about was that this journey was going to be an interesting and unforgettable one.

 

 

Chapter 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

            “So let me get this straight, chica,” Emilio said in his thick Spanish accent. “We going to the Goblin Forest and we going to kill the Goblin King just because some guard told you that the Queen wanted you to? Sounds pretty sketchy to me, vato.” Alexia couldn’t deny that he had a point, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it without actually talking to the Queen. And apparently she was too busy for that.

            “I understand that it doesn’t make much sense, but you guys have to trust me on this,” said Alexia. She was trying her best to reassure them so they would go with her. It would be difficult with their help but nearly impossible alone.

            “Why should we trust you? We don’t even know you…” said Kendrew, still looking down at his feet. He hadn’t made eye contact with Alexia since they first met. Contrary to the guardsman’s reason for avoiding eye contact, Kendrew refused to do it out of pure timidity.

            Alexia sighed. It was true. These people knew nothing about her. Why should they listen to her, much less trust her enough to go adventuring with her? But she had to convince them somehow to go. “I understand why you guys doubt me; really I do. But if you don’t do this for me, do it for yourselves. If you go with me, I’ll give each of you a share of my reward. Besides, I know that you three are in training and doing this will give you good experience. Plus, it looks good for your reputation to do work personally for the queen. So… will you guys do it? Please?” she asked hopefully. She tried her hardest to smile�"something a leader would do�"but it ended up being more a painted on face. A contortion carved into her face like a jack-o-lantern. She hoped she was the only one who noticed the fakeness of her smile.

            The three were silent for a moment before Carmyne spoke up. “I trust you, Lexie! Maybe it’s just my woman’s intuition kicking in, but I feel like you are a very trustworthy person. This will probably be a lot of fun, anyway. I’m excited! Better than being cooped up in that guild all day long,” she said. She was always enthusiastic and optimistic. It must have been contagious because the other two nodded and agreed moments afterward.

            “Thank you, Carmyne. I had a feeling that I could count on you,” Alexia said after a heartfelt sigh. “But do me a favor and don’t call me Lexie.”

            Carmyne’s gasped and covered her mouth. “But… But… But… Why?” she stammered.

            Alexia shrugged. “I just don’t like nicknames,” she said nonchalantly. Though she never knew why, Alexia wasn’t a fan of pet names. Never had been. Anytime someone called her something other than Alexia, she felt extreme discomfort and annoyance. ‘It’s not that big of a deal,’ she thought, reassuring herself.

            “Okay… I won’t call you anything other than your name from now on,” Carmyne said, her bottom lip poked out and eyes watering. She was obviously a little oversensitive. Alexia made a mental note of that so she would know to be careful talking to her in the future.

            Alexia couldn’t find the words to say to Carmyne so she simply patted her on the shoulder and smiled at her. It seemed to work because she perked up in no time at all.

            “Okay, you guys,” Alexia began, “we have to get this done within two weeks. I know that sounds like plenty of time, but I did some asking around and it takes nearly four days just to get across Harmony’s Lake. In other words, we don’t have any time to dilly-dally. Once we get to the Goblin Forest, some brutal goblin sentries will greet us. Kendrew, I trust that you will take the lead at that point and get us to the King’s lair.”

            Kendrew nodded, but remained quiet, he still wasn’t looking Alexia in the eye, but he was at least looking in her direction. It was a start.

            “Carmyne,” she continued, “I want you to stay behind Kendrew and help him defeat any monsters he encounters with your magic. Can you do that for me?”

            “You can count on me!” she said cheerfully as she punched the air in excitement. This was obviously her first mission and the anticipation was taking over.

            “Emilio, you and I will stay in the back. If any of us get wounded, I trust you will heal them,” Alexia said as she flipped her hair to the left side.

            “Sounds good to me! All alone in the back with Alexia!” he said with his cocky attitude. Alexia would rather not be alone with him behind everyone else, but she had a feeling he wouldn’t try anything. He wasn’t that much of a pervert.

            “Just try to keep your eye on the goblins,” Alexia said sarcastically.

 

vvv

 

            The young warriors set off for Harmony’s Lake, remaining silent most of the way there. They passed a street vendor on the way who sold Carmyne a lovely hair ornament. It was a jeweled butterfly with a hair clip on the back of it and it had lace hanging from it that was adorned with tiny diamonds and other rhinestones. The jewels weren’t authentic, but it was so beautiful that she didn’t care. They also passed by a warren of creatures that looked like unicorn bunnies. They’re soft, fuzzy rabbits that have a twisted horn coming from their forehead, much like a unicorn. They are usually fairly docile, except in mating season. Thankfully it wasn’t. Finally, Carmyne decided to break the ice.

            “So, Alexia… The Queen asked for you personally? That’s pretty cool! You must feel really honored,” she said, lacing her fingers in the spaces between Alexia’s. Her exterior was around the age of sixteen, but she seemed to have the mindset of a nine-year old. Alexia was slightly irked by her happy-go-lucky attitude at first, but eventually she found it to be refreshing. There weren’t many people like that left in this war-torn world.

            Alexia let go of Carmyne’s hand and repositioned the bobby pin that held her hair back. “Well, I wasn’t exactly asked by the Queen. Technically, I guess that I was, but I never actually spoke to her in person. I was just drafted and one of her assistants gave me all the information.”

            Emilio turned around and walked slower. “Like I said before, it sounds pretty sketchy to me. But it’s whatever, homes. At least I’m getting paid and I get to hang around with a cool chica like you,” he said, winking at her again, his long eyelashes grazing across his cheek. Alexia got a funny feeling every time he flirted with her. It was a mixture of a sick feeling and the ‘butterflies in the tummy’ feeling everyone talked about. Was it because of the way she felt about Sebastion? Or just because no one had ever flirted with her before?

            They walked through the flower-covered meadow that lead up to Harmony’s Lake. It was a rather serene place; an island of beauty in a sea of conflict. The spectrum of colors of the field made it appear to be magical. Alexia could see the blue magnolias, the wild roses, the orange chrysanthemums, the crème colored zinnias, and the deep violets. There was a small pond in the midst of the field that had been sprinkled with an assortment of flower petals, as well as indigo lotuses that grew on bright green lily pads. The scent of the flora floated by Alexia’s nostrils. The fragrance was effervescent and aromatic; a sweet pungency that no perfume could ever hope to duplicate.

            Harmony’s Lake got its name from its tranquil waters. Legend had it that even in the most violent of storms, its ebb and flow never changed. Whether it was true or not was beyond Alexia. Nevertheless, it was a rather gorgeous place. It was hard for her to imagine that what lied across it, her destination, was so contrary.

            “It’s getting kind of late. By the time we get to the shoreline, it’ll be dark. We should probably stop and set up camp soon,” said Alexia, still admiring the floral spectacle all around her. Emilio, Carmyne, and Kendrew stopped and turned to face Alexia.

            “Umm…” Kendrew stammered, looking to the left of him, away from the others’ direction. “Perhaps we should wait until we get out of this area…”

            “Why do you say that, homes?” Emilio asked, raising one of his thin eyebrows. All of his facial features seemed feminine and out of place on his face, but it somehow worked together to give him a tender disposition.

            “Well, you see,” Kendrew began, “this area is native to hostile creatures that only come out at night. At least, I think it is…” He seemed to be knowledgeable, but his second-guessing made his knowledge unreliable.

            Carmyne approached Kendrew, staring him dead in the eye. Kendrew inhaled quickly and stared down at his feet. His forehead looked damp. Was he sweating? “Are you sure about that, Ken?” she asked. “I mean, come on. Just look at this place. Look how beautiful it is. Do you honestly think that there could be savage beasts that live here? Sounds pretty ridiculous if you ask me.”

            Alexia agreed with Carmyne�"this area seemed far too innocuous to be the home of monsters of any kind�"but she wanted to see how Kendrew replied.

            “I… I could be wrong. I mean, I think I read that in my study books, but… You know what, I’m probably wrong. Just forget I said anything…” He put his hands in his pockets and clicked the heels of his leather moccasins together. Alexia cocked her head, confused by abrupt give in.

            “Alright, esé. Let’s get our camp set up,” Emilio said. “I can cook, if you want. My papí taught me when I was younger. As long as you like Spanish food.”

            Alexia suddenly realized that she was extremely hungry. She hadn’t eaten anything all day. “Sounds good,” she said.

            Emilio walked off to a large oak tree that lied a few yards away, took his satchel from across his shoulder, and began unloading all sorts of cooking supplies. He took out some cans of beans, tortilla shells, vegetables, and other indistinguishable items.

            Alexia turned to Carmyne, who was on her knees picking flowers from the patch. The setting sun reflected off of her hairpin, causing it to shimmer and glimmer. “Carmyne,” Alexia said, “will you go help Emilio cook? I think he might need an assistant.”

            She giggled and plucked a small daffodil from its home in the soil. She laced the stems of several flowers together, making a floral chain. “Sure. But isn’t this place gorgeous, Alexia? I mean just look at it. I’ve never seen anything like it…” She wrapped the chain around her small wrist and bonded the two loose stems together. “Four years ago when I was twelve, I woke up in the middle of a wheat field. It was dark, but there was a fire burning in the distance. I heard screaming and I was so scared, so I ran away. And kept running. I ran until it hurt.

            “Finally, I found Genesis. I went inside the city and collapsed outside of the guild. They took me in. Gave me food, shelter, acceptance. They made me one of them. They accepted me for who I was. But …” She trailed off and closed her eyes, blinking away the tears. “But I couldn’t remember anything. Anything before waking up in that field. I had no clues about anything from my past life. They gave me the name Carmyne Tilley because I didn’t know what my name was. I may have seen a place like this before. You know, in my past life. But if I can’t remember it, then does it remember matter?” She rose to her feet and opened her eyes, her lilac irises twinkling from the moisture. “These days, people don’t take enough time to stop and smell the roses. So I make sure to do it every chance I get.” She turned to Emilio and called out to him, “Hold on, Em! I’m going to help you!”

            Could that have been the reason she was so cheerful all the time? Alexia had never thought about having that viewpoint on life, but it made sense. Will all the violence infesting the world, it was hard to take a step back and admire its beauty. But she had other matters to attend to at the moment.

Alexia didn’t really think that Emilio needed help, but she wanted to talk to Kendrew alone. She spied him a few feet away, sitting on a large rock by the pond. She walked slowly, careful not to make too much noise; she didn’t want to scare him away. As Alexia thought about what she was doing, she chuckled to herself. She felt like she was a predator and Kendrew was her prey. Kendrew finally noticed her presence when she was close enough to reach out and touch him. His spine stiffened, but he didn’t turn around.

            “Kendrew, can I talk to you for a second?” she asked as sweetly as she could. She didn’t want to make him anymore uncomfortable than he already was.

            “Uh, umm, sure,” he stammered nervously. He turned around slightly, but didn’t even come close to facing her. Alexia would never understand how a man of his stature could be so bashful.

            “Were you serious about what you said earlier? Is this place really a home to monsters that come out at night?” she asked.

            Kendrew scratched the back of his head, messing up his shaggy black hair more than it already was. “I… I don’t know. I mean, I thought I had read it in my study books, but I’ve been wrong before. Actually, all the time…” he said.

            Alexia tilted her head to the right and pulled a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “Kendrew… Why are you insecure of yourself? I mean, you’re a big guy. It seems like you’d have a lot of confidence.” She extended her arm and smoothed down his hair. It was a natural instinct to her, but she could tell he didn’t appreciate it.

            He remained quiet for a while and then turned back to the pond, watching a frog hop across a lily pad. Finally, he spoke. His voice was so low that Alexia wouldn’t have been able to hear him if she weren’t listening as closely as she was. “You shouldn’t stereotype people. Not everyone is a simple as you think.”

            The words struck Alexia like a punch to the face. She immediately felt guilty for putting a label on him. So what if he was big and bulky? He was allowed to be shy if he wanted to be.

            “And I’m insecure about what I said because I have no proof. None of you know me, so unless I have proof then you have no reason to believe anything I say. It was just something I thought I remembered, but I was wrong,” he said, slightly louder than before. “That’s what I get for speaking my mind.”

            “Oh. I guess I understand,” Alexia said in a dismal tone. She turned around to walk away, but looked back. “Just for the record, I’d believe anything you tell me just as long as you believe it too,” she said. She turned and walked from him. She felt that she had made her point.

She turned to the right and saw Emilio and Carmyne fixing burritos for their dinner. They were laughing about some joke that Emilio had made, but Alexia didn’t feel like joining them. Instead she walked to a tree stump several yards away.

The tree stump where she sat, the oak where Emilio and Carmyne stood, and the pond that Kendrew sat by formed the dissociate triangle between them. Emilio and Carmyne were trying to have a good time, Kendrew just wanted to be alone, and Alexia wanted to the group to be together but had no idea how to unite them.

She felt like a terrible leader.

 

 

Chapter 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Okay, Emilio! Stand back! This could be really hot!” exclaimed Carmyne. She and Emilio were about to begin preparing the food when they realized that they need a fire. Since Carmyne was a sorceress, she had the ability to manipulate the elements. In this case, she would use friction to cause a spark and increase its power to create a flame. … Maybe.

“Uh, Carmyne? Are you sure you know what you doing, niña? I’m not too sure about this,” Emilio said cautiously. He was standing behind the tree trying to get out of range of the soon-to-be fire.

“Of course! One hundred percent positive that it’ll work and it’s perfectly safe!” Carmyne said, reassuring Emilio. She knew that he was nervous about this, and he had reason to be.

Emilio released some of his tension at her words. “Oh, so you done this before?” he asked.

Carmyne had hoped he wouldn’t ask because she knew that he wouldn’t like the answer. “Umm… Not technically. I haven’t technically done it before. But technically I know how. You know, if you want to be technical,” she said, squinting her eyes. She was going to do this whether Emilio consented or not.

“Yes, yes I do want to be technical. And I’m technically scared out of my mind!” he said. He was a little peeved by her inexperience, but at the same time knew that practice made perfect. He backed up a few more feet before saying “Let ‘er rip, muchacha!”

There was a snap. Carmyne began snapping her fingers as if to the beat of a song. She closed her eyes and began concentrating. She focused on nothing but the snap of her fingers. She didn’t think about Emilio or the food or the mission. All she focused on was the snapping. Not the sound, but the feel of it; the friction creating by rubbing together thumb and middle finger. Her muscles stood on edge and her nose started bleeding from the concentration. Finally, her body knew when there was enough kinetic energy built up in her hand. She raised her arm and quickly snapped on the ascent, slinging a golf ball sized orb of fire at the kindling that had been set up earlier. She smiled, opened her eyes, and saw the small ember glowing on the fagot that had just been ignited.

“And we have fire,” she said smugly. She was obviously quite proud of herself for scoring perfectly on the first try. Emilio stood awestruck for a moment before approaching the combustion. “What’s the matter, Em?” she asked teasingly. “Didn’t think I could do it?”

He walked around the fire eyeing it suspiciously, perhaps wondering if it was merely some form of trick. “Honestly, no I didn’t. But hey! You did it! Congrats, chica!” he said, patting her on the back. Then he noticed that a dark stream ran from her nose. “Mind if I fix that nose, hermosa?”

Apparently, Carmyne just now noticed her bloody nose as well. She touched the blood and looked at it. She suddenly felt light-headed. Emilio saw her legs start to wobble and ran to catch her just before she hit the ground. He laid her on the ground next to the tree, propping her head up against one of its giant roots.

Emilio put one hand over his heart and another on Carmyne’s forehead. Then he began mutter words under his breath. Alien words. Angelic words. Indistinguishable words. He chanted silently until a golden glow enveloped both of his hands, causing his whole body to emanate an unnatural and otherworldly glow. He opened his eyes, which were completely white, and chanted faster and louder until Carmyne’s whole body radiated the same glow as his. Emilio suddenly stopped chanting and gasped, his lungs thirsting for air they were deprived of during the trance, before catching his breath. He stood and looked down on Carmyne, her body still resonating the same luminescence. Finally, the glow started and fade and Carmyne’s eyes twitched. After a moment, she opened them and coughed a little. She sat up and felt the space under her nose.

The blood was gone. Not just wiped away, but it was clean; as if it had never been there.

Carmyne was amazed. She rubbed underneath her nose again just to make sure, but it really was gone. “Oh my gosh, Emilio. That was amazing. You really are a powerful cleric,” she said with the utmost respect. “You fixed me up like nothing had happened in the first place!” She smiled wide and hugged h

Emilio, not used to this kind of praise, blushed and scratched the back of his neck. He chuckled a little out of embarrassment and shifted his weight onto his left leg. “Well, I guess we should start cooking before this fire goes out,” he said with a crooked grin on his face.

 

vvv

 

“Oye! La comida está listo!” Emilio called out. He had mumbled in Spanish the whole time he and Carmyne were cooking so he had forgotten to change back to English when he called for everyone.

“For those of you who aren’t bilingual,” Carmyne began, “the food is ready.” She had some flour stains on her dress from cooking, but she didn’t mind. She and Emilio had such a good time that she forgot about manners and tidiness.

Emilio shot Carmyne with a suspicious look, . “You speak Spanish?” he asked. His usually perfect hair was now a little messy from healing Carmyne and cooking the burritos.

“I can speak seven different languages,” she verified, flipping her ponytail in pride. “English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Russian, and Vietnamese. Spell books originate from all over the world so we mages have to be fluent in several languages. I was teaching myself Dutch before I left for this mission.”

Alexia and Kendrew were just now walking up in the middle of this conversation. “Wow. Is it hard to learn a new language?” Alexia asked. She had gotten bored waiting for the food to cook so she fishtail-braided her hair and practiced her vocal exercises. Kendrew simply sat by the pond the whole time, watching delicate petals drift into the pool, causing a small ripple around them.

“Not really,” Carmyne replied, just noticing their presence. “I guess I’ve always had an ear for languages. It just kind of comes naturally to me.”

Emilio served everyone a beef burrito and tortilla chips with salsa. “Okay, amigos. I hope this is good. My papi taught me how to make this stuff, but I’m not exactly in my usual cooking environment so it might be as good as it should be,” he said.

Carmyne and Alexia took a bite of their burritos and made noises of delight simultaneously. Spanish food wasn’t very popular and was usually only eaten by Spaniards so neither of them had ever had this cuisine before. It was obvious, though, that they would be willing to have it again.

“This is really good, Em!” Carmyne exclaimed. She had already dipped a tortilla chip into the spicy salsa and stuffed it her mouth.

“It really is. You’re a good cook,” Alexia said, wiping her mouth with a cloth napkin.

Emilio stared enticingly at Alexia. “Well, as long as a pretty lady like you compliments me, then it’s a good day,” he said scooting closer towards her.

Feeling awkward being this close to Emilio, Alexia slid over slyly in the opposite direction and looked around for Kendrew. ‘He was here only a second ago,’ she thought. She looked back at the pond and saw him sitting on the same rock as before eating his meal alone. She called out to him. “Hey, Kendrew! Why don’t you join us? We won’t bite!” she cried.

“Yeah, hombre! Not unless you’re into that freaky mess,” Emilio called out sarcastically. Carmyne giggled and shoved Emilio teasingly.

“Uh, I’m fine,” he replied. Alexia cocked her head to the side and frowned. She wished Kendrew would be more sociable, but she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. Carmyne, however, had no problem taking him out of his comfort zone. She stood up and skipped merrily towards him.

Emilio continued to munch on his meal while Carmyne talked to Kendrew. Alexia watched the two converse, Carmyne doing the majority of the talking, and trying to guess what their inaudible dialogue consisted of. Finally, Kendrew stood and Carmyne took his bulky arm, leading him to where the others were sitting. It was quite odd watching the two walk side-by-side. The contradiction of their sizes made it seem almost fictitious. Kendrew was nearly a foot taller than her and twice as broad. But Carmyne was by far more confident, leading him with pep in her step.

‘They might make a cute couple,’ Alexia thought, but then erased it from her mind. In science, opposites attract. The same wasn’t true in romance, though.

“You guys,” Carmyne began as she drew closer to them, “Kendrew here has agreed to eat with us. Let’s do our best to make him feel at home, okay?” Kendrew looked down at the ground, holding his paper plate with both hands. He sat on the ground between Carmyne and Alexia. The group remained silent for a few moments as they ate.

“So, Kendrew,” Emilio said, breaking the awkward silence, “You look pretty buff. Do you work out a lot or are you just naturally burly?”

Kendrew looked from side to side and then down at his food before answering. “Not really. I mean, I played a lot of football before going to the Apprentice Guild. But I really don’t work out as much as you might think,” he said, never taking his eyes off of his food.

“Oh, that’s pretty cool,” Carmyne said, nodding her head. “So, Ken, do you have any family or anything?”

He stopped chewing the tortilla chip in his mouth and closed his eyes. “No. Not anymore, anyway,” he said. “My whole family died during the Twenty Year War.”

Carmyne immediately knew that she had asked the wrong question. Many  people died in the Twenty Year War that was fought seven years prior. Kendrew’s family must have just been some of the nameless victims caught in the onslaught. The war was fought between all the dominant races of the land: humans, dragons, nymphs, goblins, and spirits. The humans ended up victorious, but uncountable casualties were suffered. There were still survivors of the other races�"excluding dragons, which went extinct during the war�"but they were far less plentiful than they used to be.

“Oh…” Carmyne said despondently. She couldn’t muster the words to say and apparently the others couldn’t either.

“I’m real sorry about that, hombre,” Emilio said finally. “My aunt and uncle died in that war. We were close, you know?” He trailed and then chuckled a little. “You know how us Latinos are; very family oriented.”

Everyone laughed a little. If Emilio could only be good at one thing, it was lightening up a tense mood. “Yeah, and good cooks, too!” Alexia exclaimed. She looked over to Kendrew and saw what appeared to be a smile growing on his face. She had never seen him smile before so it seemed a little out of place. She was glad to see a change, though.

“Okay, okay. Enough about us,” Emilio said. “We all know that I’m a master chef and that she’s hepta-lingual and that he is a regular Mr. Universe. What about you, Miss I-got-drafted-by-the-queen? What can you do?” Everyone’s attention was on Alexia, waiting for her response.

“Well,” she began, scratched her head as if searching her brain for an answer, “I’m a minstrel. I can sing, dance, and play music,” Alexia said. She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s nothing special, though. Not like you guys, anyway. I can’t heal or cast magic or smash boulders. All I can do is carry a tune.” She went back to eating her chips. Everyone was nearly done with his or her food already. ‘They must’ve been as hungry as I was,’ Alexia thought.

“Oh, really?” Emilio asked with a mischievous smirk on his face that gave Alexia a bad feeling. “Care to demonstrate?”

“Oh, goodness. I had a feeling this was coming,” Alexia said, suddenly regretting having said anything. “I guess so. Just wait a second…”

Alexia stood, leaving her empty plate on the ground, and walked over to the tree where everyone had left his or her provisions. She fetched her lyre and walked back to where everyone was seated. She strummed each string, making sure they were in tune and then began to play a harmonic melody that was unfamiliar to everyone but still captivated them as if it was their favorite song. After about a minute of just the instrument playing, Alexia closed her eyes and began to sing.

 

♪There’s a road that we’ve been traveling

♪Lost so many on the way

♪But the riches will be plenty

♪Worth the price

♪The price we had to pay

♪There’s a dream in the future

♪There’s a struggle that we’ve yet to win

♪But there’s pride in my head

♪Cause I know where I’m going

♪And I know where I’ve been

 

She played the instrument by itself again for a few more seconds before wrapping it up with an ascending arpeggio. When she opened her eyes, she felt refreshed; almost like she had just awoken from a peaceful nap. It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust but when they did, she found everyone had drifted off soundly to sleep. It wasn’t exactly what she had expected, but she wasn’t complaining.

‘At least I don’t have to listen to any of Emilio’s smart remark’s,’ she thought. ‘But then again,’ she thought, ‘if it was good enough to lull his loudmouth to sleep, then he probably wouldn’t have had any negative comments.’ She laughed to herself that she was arguing inside about this guy that she didn’t even like. ‘He sure does look cute when he sleeps though… And when he’s awake.’ She shook her head and lay down next to the tree, watching Kendrew’s massive chest expand and contract with each of his breaths until she fell asleep.

Little did she know that something else was watching her.

 

 

Chapter 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Crimson, leering eyes spied on the party as they slept, creeping closer with each passing second. They slithered in an unpleasant way towards the large oak that umbrellaed the gang, their eyes remained unblinking the whole time. The silent, serpentine movement of the creature made the darkness twice as eerie as it already was.

            Alexia and the others lay undisturbed and unbeknownst to the unwelcome visitor that was merely yards away. Emilio rolled over onto his back and blinked his eyes, adjusting them to the dark night. He groaned and sat up, resting his palms on his thighs. “I knew I shouldn’t have drank so much water before bed. It goes straight through me,” he said. He rubbed his eyes and scratched his head. He stood and walked behind the tree, away from the others, so he could relieve himself.

            “Got to make my bladder gladder,” he said jokingly. He was shirtless and only wore the red and black boxers he wore the day before. As he took a leak, he looked around at the field that they temporarily occupied. His gaze landed upon the lake in the distance, cradling the moon’s reflection in its petal-laden waters. His whole body relaxed as he felt like he was being drawn in by its calmness. Out of the corner of his barely-open eyes, he was a silhouette feather across the surface of the lake. He blinking, wondering if you would see it again. ‘Probably just my imagination,’ he thought, assuring himself that he was safe. ‘Either that or the spicy food!’ When he had finished urinating, he proceeded around the tree to take his place on the dirt bed where the others slept.

            Just as he was crouching to the ground, he heard what sounded like a twig snap. He stood, his nerves on edge, his senses alert. He looked in all directions, scanning the darkness for some kind of sign that something was out there. Fortunately, he found nothing. He still stood, spinning his head around and catching his breath. He could feel his heart beating, not just in his chest, but in his ears and fingertips as well. No one else was awake and he was completely vulnerable without any kind of weapon.

            Finally, after he didn’t hear anything else, he sat back down on the ground and lay on his side. He was afraid to close his eyes so he just lay on the ground for a few moments before he calmed down. Then he slowly closed his eyes and tried to think about something else so he could go back to sleep.

            That’s when he felt something touch his leg; something slimy and slippery. He jolted up into a sitting position and saw the creature sitting at his feet. It looked like a walking Venus flytrap. It had a large lime green head that split halfway down into a huge mouth that ran from one side of its head to the other. Its jaws were semi-parted revealing rows and rows of stained, razor sharp teeth. It was drooling a vile green liquid that dripped on Emilio’s leg. It had four long tentacle-like appendages that appeared to be its legs. One of them was wrapped around Emilio’s ankle. They were coated in the same fluid being secreted from the monster’s mouth that made them very sticky.

            Emilio yanked his leg, trying to free himself from the plant’s clutches, but its grip was too tight and the fluid was too adhering. He yelled as loud as he could and Alexia, Kendrew, and Carmyne jolted awake. Their eyes locked on the monster, but they were too stunned to move. “Help me!” Emilio yelled as the beast inched closer, opening its mouth wide. It obviously had all intentions of consuming Emilio.

            Devouring him whole.

            Kendrew was the first to ascertain the situation. He jumped to his feet and lunged at the beast, punching it in the side of its head with his right fist. It fell backward, but still refused to release Emilio’s leg. Alexia looked around for some kind of weapon she could use to help. She spotted a large branch not far away. She scrambled on her hands and knees towards it and grabbed it. She stood and ran around behind the creature, bludgeoning it in the back of its football-shaped head. Kendrew followed up with a hard kick to the same side he punched before.

            Carmyne still sat in the same spot in a dazed and confused state. She didn’t understand where the beast came from or how to deal with it. Emilio shouted at her. “Carmyne, get up! You can cast a fire spell, right? Plants are weak against fire. You can do some major damage!” Carmyne turned to him, her mouth forming a small o shape. Then she suddenly came to her senses and stood.

            “You’re right! Sorry!” she said apologetically to Emilio. She started the same process she had performed earlier the night. She closed her eyes and began snapping her finger. She concentrated on the motion of her fingers; the friction between them.

            Her concentration was suddenly interrupted by a smack to her side. The plant monster had slapped Carmyne with one of its long arms. She fell to the ground, scraping her elbow on the way down. She knew she would have to get up and regain her concentration, but it didn’t matter if she regained it if the beast struck her again. “Keep it busy for a while,” she called. “I have to focus in order to cast a spell.”

            “We’re doing the best we can!” Kendrew said between his clenched teeth. He and Alexia were pulling on the arm that was wrapped around Emilio’s leg, trying to free him, but to no avail. The creature slung one of its arms around Kendrew’s right arm and another around his left, yanking him backwards and off his feet.

            “Kendrew!” Alexia called out releasing the tentacle she was holding. It left a trail of slime connecting her hands to the arm. Then, the creature’s last free arm slung around Alexia waist and yanked her away from Emilio. The beast raised Alexia up into the air, holding her above its gaping mouth. It lowered her until she could feel its hot breath on her bare feet. ‘I’m done for,’ she thought. ‘This is how it ends for me: eaten by a carnivorous plant.” She saw Kendrew struggling to free his arms, his muscles flexed to the max, but the monster was even stronger. The vile creature seemed to laugh a little, knowing it had won.

            Suddenly, Alexia heard a yell. “Fire!” the voice said. A flaming bullet the size of a soccer ball hurtled straight into the monster’s wide mouth. It swallowed the blaze and stood still for a moment. Then it released its grip on Alexia and Kendrew and they fell to the ground. It remained motionless and turned to an ashy hue of gray. It cracked and quivered before crumbling to the ground, disintegrating into nothing more than dust.

            Emilio still lay on the ground, his leg now free of the plant’s bondage. He breathed heavily, his chest inflating and concaving. He swallowed and stood, brushing the dust off of his bare legs. It was awhile before anyone spoke, they just stood or sat gasping for air. Emilio was the first one to speak. “Okay… What the hell was that?” he said. His voice was raised, but not quite a yell.

            No one spoke for a few moments. Finally, Kendrew said, “I told you that this area was native to monsters that came out at night.” He said this in a sympathetic tone, not the I-told-you-so tone that Alexia had expected.

Emilio looked at him infuriated. “Yeah, you did,” he said calmly. “You also told us that you were wrong and for us to forget you said anything!” He was shouting now, his eyes wide and unblinking with fury.

“I… I’m sorry… I just wasn’t sure that I was right and I didn’t want�"“ Kendrew stammered. He was looking at his feet and his cheeks were red. Whether it was from the battle, guilt, or anger was beyond Alexia.

Kendrew didn’t get to finish his statement; Emilio cut him off. “You weren’t sure? You weren’t sure!? Well, I’m sure about one thing! If any of us had been hurt tonight, it would’ve been blood on your hands, hombre!” he yelled. Even though Kendrew was much taller than Emilio, he appeared so small beside him.

            “Will you stop it, Em?” Carmyne said. They both turned toward her. “He’s right. He warned us, but we didn’t listen. If anything happened to us, it was our own fault. Not his. Give him a break, okay?”

            Everyone was silent. Emilio opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it, perhaps biting his tongue before he said something he would regret. Instead he stormed away towards the distant lake.

            “Emilio, where are you going?” Alexia called out to him. She was worried that there might be more of the plant monsters and if so, they didn’t need to be split up.

            “For a walk!” he replied in a shout. His voice nearly cracked and she could see his clenched fists even from so far away. ‘I need to calm down before I really blow up,’ he thought.

            Carmyne had a worried look on her face and stared at Emilio as he walked away. “I’m going to go talk to him,” she said, never taking her eyes off of him. She quickly jogged after him. The both disappeared into the darkness. Alexia looked over to Kendrew. He had his back turned to her and was holding one of his forearms with the other hand in embarrassment. Alexia empathized with him and wondered if she was capable of saying anything to make him feel better. She decided it was worth a shot and walked slowly towards him.

            “Hey… Are you alright?” she asked as compassionately as she could. She felt like she always had to try hard to be sweet around him or she would hurt his feelings.

            He sighed. “Physically, yeah. I’m just peachy,” he said. His unchanging voice made it hard for her to decipher if he was being sarcastic or not. He sat down on the same rock by the pond where he had sat most of the night. Alexia found another rock of a similar size and sat upon it.

            Alexia stared into the pond as if she was falling into it. It was usually clear but the night sky made it look a deep blue color. “You know it’s not your fault,” she said, not entirely sure that she believed it herself.

            “Oh, yeah? Then whose fault is it?” he asked. He wasn’t angry, or at least it didn’t show if he was, and his voice was stable.

            The cool water looking inviting so Alexia stuck one of her bare feet into it. She watched the water rippled from where her toes broke the surface of its peaceful state. “Does there have to be someone to blame?” she asked. “Sometimes things just happen. It doesn’t necessarily mean that anyone is at fault. Some things just can’t be prevented.” Alexia thought to herself that she sounded very philosophical right now.

            Kendrew didn’t say anything; he just looked up at the moon. It wasn’t quite full yet, but it was nearly round. The two sat in silence for what seemed like ages. Finally, Alexia stood and started to walk back to camp. Before she could get a few feet, a beefy hand grabbed her wrist. She got the same feeling that she got when the guardsman back at Genesis Castle grabbed her arm as she walked away.

            She looked back to see Kendrew, looking her dead in the eye for the first time. Probably the first time he had looked anyone straight in the face. “Thank you, Alexia,” he said, so deep and softly that she wasn’t sure if he had said anything at all. She smiled and leaned forward and kissed him tenderly on the cheek. It wasn’t meant as a romantic kiss; it was just a reaffirming kiss. One that let him know that she cared about him and didn’t want to see him hurt. Apparently, that was also the way he took it. He smiled at her and let go of her wrist.

            Alexia walked back to the tree, her face holding a small grin as she walked. She could feel her blue eyes glimmering even without being able to see them. Even though only hours ago she had felt like she had let her recruits down, she felt more like a leader now than ever before.

 

vvv

 

   Meanwhile, Carmyne was still chasing down Emilio so she could calm him down. “Will you please slow down, Em?” Carmyne called to Emilio. He wasn’t running, but his anger and frustration allowed him to walk faster than most people could jog.

            “Just go home, Carmyne,” he said without turning around. “I need to calm down and I can’t do it with you following me.”

            “Well, you’ll just have to stay mad then because I’m not leaving unless its with you,” she said stubbornly. Realizing he was fighting a losing battle, Emilio stopped walked. He looked down at the ground and allowed Carmyne to catch up with him. “Sit down. We need to talk,” she said.

            Emilio sat down on the soft ground next to the lake, allowed the night air to envelop his mostly bare skin. The coolness of the atmosphere felt nice against his anger-heated body. “There’s nothing to talk about,” he said as Carmyne sat down beside him.

            “I don’t know where you were at for the last ten minutes but I know what I just saw wasn’t the Emilio that I know,” Carmyne said, staring him in the eye.

            “I’m sorry! I lost my temper and said things that I shouldn’t have! I’m human; I’m allowed to make a mistake every now and then, right?” he said, allowing his frustration to take over him again.

            “Yes, you are. Kendrew is human too. So why did you give him such a hard time for making a mistake?” she asked rhetorically. “I understand why you’re mad. Believe me, I do. But you have to be able to forgive people and move on. Otherwise, no one will ever want to be around you.” She rubbed her scraped elbow, having nearly forgotten that it was even there. “And I think that’s really sad. Because you’re really nice and sweet.”

            Emilio sighed and looked down at a dandelion that was growing out of the ground near his hand. He didn’t want to admit it, but Carmyne was right. He didn’t have it admit it, though. Carmyne knew she was right and she knew that Emilio knew it. So they just sat in silent and listened to the soft tides of Harmony’s Lake. Emilio chuckled a little to himself and Carmyne looked at him oddly.

            “What’s so funny, mister?” she asked. Emilio looked up from the dirt and looked her directly in her lavender eyes. He had never looked at her this way before. He really looked at her; who she was, the innocence inside of her, the peacemaker that she was. She didn’t seem like she was physically capable of doing anything wrong. Her lavender eyes and crimson hair, despite being oddly colored, gave her a sweet outer appearance to match her caring heart and gentle soul.

            “I used to smoke weed to calm down when I got like this,” Emilio said casually. “I’m glad you followed me because I forgot to bring a blunt with me.” He laughed a little and looked at Carmyne. Her mouth gaped open for a moment and then she giggled. She shoved Emilio teasingly and almost pushed him into the lake.

            “Whoa, calm down, Carmyne,” Emilio said stabilizing himself. “You almost drowned me!”

            Carmyne giggled more and said “Oopsies. A total accident.” She winked at Emilio jokingly just before he shoved her.

They wrestled like this for a while until Emilio ended up on top of her. They were both breathing heavily and staring deeply into each other’s eyes. “You know,” Emilio began, “you look very beautiful in this light.”

Carmyne puckered her lips out at him and lowered her eyebrows. “It’s nighttime,” she said. “And is that seriously the best you could do? I figured a guy like you would have better pick up lines than that…”

They both laughed and Emilio closed his eyes and leaned down slowly in order to kiss her. At first, Carmyne was confused, not exactly sure what she was doing, but then after she realized what was going on, she placed her index finger on his puckered lips. He opened his eyes and blushed, realizing that he had been rejected.

“Look, I don’t think this is a good idea,” she said softly. “I’m sorry, Em…”

“No, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into my lately. I just… Sorry, Carmyne… You’re a really cool chica.” Emilio said, climbing off of her ribs and allowing her to sit up. She smiled at him kindly. “I guess we should head back to where the others are…”

Carmyne stared at him. She felt sorry for him, but she wasn’t exactly sure why. “Yeah, I guess so,” she finally said.

 

 

 

Chapter 5

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning was fairly uneventful. No one mentioned the incidents the night before; no one really said anything. They dressed in silence and grabbed their bags, getting ready to head out for the dock that would lend them the boat to get across Harmony’s Lake so they could enter the Goblin Forest.

They left the florid field behind them. Despite it’s lavish beauty, they all too well of the dangers that also lay there. They walked down a dirt path that was leading them to the lake. On the way there, they saw a confrontation between a fox with two tails and a wolf with gray fur and long ears. The wolf stood on all four legs with its back arched. It circled around the fox in a menacing way. The fox was lying on its side with its leg tucked underneath it, possibly injured. Its orange fur was splotched with red patches that appeared to be blood from a grizzly battle with the wolf. The wolf had a grim smile on its face, exposing its sharp, yellow teeth. It was toying with the fox, making it suffer with anticipation as it waiting for the wolf to strike its finishing blow.

Just as the wolf lunged at its wounded prey, the fox opened its mouth and puffed out a cloud of smoke. The wolf was thrown off balance in the fog, which gave the fox just enough time to flap its twin tails in the wolf’s face, slapping its nose. The wolf let out a squeal and rubbed its nose with its paw. The fox sat with its two tails swirling in a spiraling motion that let the wolf know that it wasn’t playing games. Feeling defeated, the wolf trotted away with its head facing the ground. The fox stood up and revealed the true reason for the fight.

The leg tucked underneath its body wasn’t injured; instead, it was protecting a baby fox that was very similar to the adult. ‘The mom was protecting her baby,’ Alexia thought. She had never been this close to wildlife so the concept of animal motherhood was alien to her. It was a beautiful thing but could also end very bloodily. They walked on.

Finally, they came to the harbor where a ship was waiting. They hoped that whoever was captaining the ship would be willing to give them a ride across the lake. They approached the port and were greeted by a friendly face.

“Hello! You guys wouldn’t happen to need a ride across the lake, would you?” the woman asked sweetly. She looked young, around Carmyne’s age, but she was tall and had long legs. This was exaggerated by the fact that she was wearing very short blue jean shorts. She also wore a green tank top that exposed her bellybutton, showing that it was pierced with a diamond-studded ring. She had straight auburn hair with red tips and big, inviting, cerulean eyes.

“Umm, yeah. We do, actually. How did you know?” Alexia asked. The woman looked familiar in a strange way, as if Alexia once knew her in another life, but couldn’t place a name to her face. Thankfully, she didn’t need to; the lady did it for her.

The woman giggled. “My name is Shimmer Ramsley. My sisters and I run the Queen’s personal harboring business. She called us and told us to be here to pick you up. We only just got here so you guys are a little early,” Shimmer said. Alexia hadn’t thought about it, but they got here in only two days so they were on time, if not a little early.

“Oh! We appreciate you coming all the way out here just to give us transportation,” Alexia said gratefully. She had no idea they were coming. The guardsman didn’t mention that anyone would take them across the lake. He simply said for her to cross it. She was a little nervous about hitching a ride with some stranger, but knowing that Shimmer was sent personally to escort her alleviated some of her worry.

Shimmer smiled at Alexia, revealing a small gap between her front two teeth. “Don’t mention it. It is our job, after all,” she said. “Come with me and I’ll introduce you to my sisters. She turned around and waltzed away. Carmyne skipped merrily behind her with the others slowly trailing after.

They walked down the pier and stepped onboard Shimmer’s ship, The S.S. Bedazzled. It wasn’t a big ship, only around two hundred feet long, but it was unlike any that Alexia had ever seen before. The entire frame of the ship was plastered with a wide variety of jewels and gems that made it glisten in the morning sunlight. Alexia saw rubies, diamonds, amethysts, pearls, onyxes, sapphires, turquoises, topazes, and then rounded off with splashes of twinkling glitter. The door to the Captain’s Cabin was a wooden door with a small window that had the letters ‘GR’ arranged from a mix of mutli-colored gemstones.

“Shine! Sparkle!” Shimmer called out. “Our guests are here. Come introduce yourselves.” Moments afterward, a short girl with a black smudge on her cheek carrying a wrench came out from behind a corner on the deck of the ship. She was dressed more modestly than Shimmer, wearing a sleeveless maroon shirt that frilled where the sleeves should be and a pair of tight jean pants, but she still wasn’t afraid to show off her figure. Her hair was light brown, like her sister’s, but it was in a messy bun behind her head. Her eyes, which were half closed, making her appear sleepy, were a calming brown that you could stare out for hours. She had a small patch of freckles on the bridge of her nose.

Her hands were blotted with a black fluid, probably the same that was on her cheek. She wiped the beads of sweat off her forehead, leaving behind a streak of the umber fluid. “I think I found the cause of the oil leak,” she said to Shimmer in a mellow tone. “I should be able to fix it up in no time at all.” She turned to Alexia and the group as if just now noticing them. “Oh, hey. I’m Shine Ramsley, lead mechanic of the ship.” She turned around exited the same way that she came.

Shimmer opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a voice in the distance. “Don’t have a cow,” the voice said. “I’m on my way.” Seconds later, a girl entered from a different area than Shine had come. She was dressed gaudily in a strapless dress covered in light blue and hot pink sequins and shiny silver heels. Her chestnut hair was a curly perfection upon her head, lovely pink ribbons corseting through it. Her eyes were a glimmering green that seemed to be filled with liquid. She wore lots of heavy make-up, including foundation, blush, sky blue eye shadow, eyeliner, hot pink lipstick, and a spritz of glitter to round it all off. On her ears dangled large, gold hoop earrings.

The lavishly dressed woman observed the group with a look in her eye that gave Emilio the intense desire to slap her across the jaw. “So these are the guys we’re taking across?” she said, with a slight disgust in her voice. “They sure aren’t what I expected. Are you sure the Queen sent them?”

“Yes, I’m positive,” said Shimmer. She was looking down at the lady’s feet as if she was afraid of her. Her eyes didn’t look as bright as they did before; instead they were a duller version of themselves. It was like someone took a black and white photo of her and replaced the eyes in the picture with her normal eyes.

“Mmm…” the lady mumbled discontentedly. “Well, I guess it will be okay. I’m Sparkle, the captain of this vessel. Just stay in your quarters and we won’t have a problem.” She turned around and walked back where she came from, swinging her hips from side to side as she walked.

Shimmer continued looking in the same place that she had been for a few minutes, even after Sparkle left. Did she have immense respect for her sister or was she afraid of her? Alexia was uncertain and didn’t think it was appropriate for her to investigate. Carmyne, however, did not have such feelings.

“Hey, is everything okay?” Carmyne said, putting her hand on Shimmer’s shoulder. Shimmer closed her eyes, danced a finger lazily across her chin, and looked up. She opened her eyes and they had regained their previous perkiness.

Laughing nervously, she said, “Yeah, I’m fine.” She stared off into space for a moment and then turned to Carmyne. “I should probably show you to your rooms.” She led them down the hallway that Shine had came from earlier. They passed by several paintings. Most were of boats or the ocean. There was one painting that caught Alexia’s eye: it was a bust of an older woman with brown hair, like all three sisters, and green eyes like Sparkle. She was wearing a purple ball gown with large shoulder sleeves.

“Who is that woman?” Alexia asked, pointing at the painting. She wasn’t sure why she asked. If she had waited, Carmyne probably would have done it for her.

Shimmer turned and smiled nostalgically. “That is my mother,” she said. “Gleam Ramsley; the original Captain Ramsley.” Alexia remembered the letters she had seen on the cabin door. GR. All three girls had names that started with S. The ship must’ve belonged to their mother.

“Oh, and where is she now?” Emilio asked. He had been so quiet that Alexia nearly forgot that he was there. She was used to Kendrew’s silence, but it didn’t quite seem the same with Emilio’s usual chattering.

Shimmer looked down disdainfully. “We lost her seven years ago. During the Twenty Year War,” she said. Kendrew sighed a sigh of sympathy, understanding the pain that Shimmer felt. “Sparkle is the oldest so she was the one who collected her inheritance. She got everything. Including this ship. Shine and I don’t own this ship. Legally, we just work here. Knowing Sparkle, she would probably fire us if she had a reason to.” She laughed a little at the private joke. She looked up and turned back down the hall. “Your rooms are just down here,” she said.

They continued walking until they came the end of the hall. There were three doors: one at the end of the hall and one on either side of that one. She turned around and pointed to the door on her left. “Guys will stay here,” she said. “And girls with stay here,” she said, pointing at the door on the right.

“What’s back down that way?” Carmyne asked, pointing at the door behind Shimmer.

“That leads to the engine room,” Shimmer said. “You shouldn’t go through there unless we tell you. It’s pretty dangerous. Shine is the only one who ever goes in there.” She smiled at them, exposing her gap. “I hope everything is to your liking. If you need anything, my room is down the hallway on the other side. That’s also where Sparkle and Shine stay, just so you know. I hope you enjoy your stay,” she said. She laughed as she walked away. “I sound like a receptionist at a hotel,” she said quietly so none of them could hear.

Everyone watched her walk down the hall and turn the corner to go to her room. Then they went into their respective rooms without saying a word. Just as their doors closed, the door to the engine room opened and Shine emerged from the dark room.

She wiped the oil off her hands with a paper towel before closing the door behind her. “Well, this doesn’t look good,” she said under her breath as she walked down the hallway. She walked down the opposite hallway and knocked on Shimmer and Sparkle’s doors. They came from their rooms and turned to Shine, who was holding a strip of metal with a chunk missing from the right corner.

“What’s up, Shine?” Shimmer asked, leaning against the wall of the ship.

Shine’s eyes still looked as unemotional as always. “I just found this in the engine room,” she said, holding out the sheet of metal. “You see this?” She pointed at the missing edge.

“So what? It’s broken? Can’t you just fix it or buy a new one or something?” Sparkle said with her arms crossed.

Concurrently, Kendrew realized he needed to use the restroom. He wandered blindly down the hallway, searching for the ship’s head. When he reached the end of the hallway, he heard the sisters arguing. He snuck around the corner on his tiptoes and peeked his head around to the other hallway and say them standing only feet away from him.

Shine cocked her eyebrow at Sparkle and pressed her lips together. “Of course I can,” she said. “But look closer. This didn’t just break. Those are teeth marks. Something got into the hull of our ship and decided to snack on parts of it.

Shimmer gasped and covered her mouth. Sparkle lowered her eyebrows and scrunched her nose into an odd contortion. “Did you see any critters in the engine room?” she asked.

“Well, no… But�"“ Shine started, but Sparkle interrupted.

“Then whatever it was is obviously gone. I say don’t worry about it. Just get a new part and lets get going,” Sparkle said.

“But, Sparkle, this could be something dangerous. And I don’t want to mess up our ship. Especially not with these people on board,” Shine said drawing closer to her.

Sparkle cackled at Shine’s words. “You know, I love how you both refer to this as ‘our ship’. Our mother left this vessel to me, okay? So unless you have a will saying otherwise, it shall be my ship. And I am the captain. That means that you do what I say without question, understand? Now, I said that you buy a new part and forget about it, right? So that’s what you do!” Sparkle stormed back into her room and slammed the door, causing the whole ship to rock.

‘Well,’ Kendrew thought, ‘someone’s not a happy camper.’

Shimmer walked over to Shine and put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, hon. Are you alright?” she asked compassionately. Even though Shine’s face had remained unchanged, Shimmer could tell that she was upset. A sister’s intuition.

“I guess so,” she said, her voice drowning in uncertainty. Shine looked her sister straight in the eyes. “What has been up with her lately, Shimmer? It’s like she’s been on a three-month long period. I mean, I know she was bitter before, but something has changed recently.”

“I know. I’ve noticed it too,” she said, looking down at her flip-flops. “I… I don’t know what to do about it, though. I mean, she’s our older sister and the captain. We have to listen to her…”

Shine gave her sister a reassuring hug. They stayed in this embrace for a few moments before Shine let go. She placed her hands on Shimmer’s shoulders and smiled at her, their faces only inches apart. “Don’t worry, Shimmer. Everything is going to be okay.”

Kendrew heard a door close and then saw Shine come around the corner. She nearly bumped into him. “Oh, excuse me,” she said. “Is there something I can do for you?”

Kendrew stood on edge for a moment, afraid that he had been caught eavesdropping. Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke. “I, uh… I need to use the bathroom,” he said, his voice nearly cracking.

“Oh, okay. Well, there’s only one. It’s in the Captain’s Quarters, which is right behind you,” Shine said, motioning behind Kendrew with her head.

            Kendrew turned his neck to see the door. “Oh, thanks,” he said, forcing himself to smile. He spied the sheet of metal in her hand. “By the way, what’s that?” he said, pointing at it.

            Shine looked down, as if she forgot what she was holding. “This? Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry,” she said. Kendrew nodded and she proceeded to walk down the hallway back towards the engine room. Kendrew stared at her suspiciously until she was fully out of sight before he walked through the door, his hand brushing against the initials adhered to it. He took care of his business and walked back to his and Emilio’s room. The whole time, his mind was stuck on one word that Shine had said when she was talking to Shimmer. “Recently.” Sparkle hadn’t always been so rude; it was something that had happened recently. It wasn’t the death of her mother, either.

            But he tried to put the thought out of his mind as he lay on the lower part of the bunk bed in his room. He closed his eyes and allowed the rocking of the boat on the water to lull him to sleep.

 

 

Chapter 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

            “Sebastion? Is that you?” Alexia said. She felt confused. Everything around her was black and the only thing she saw was Sebastion, the man she had met at the Apprentice Guild, standing just far enough so that Alexia couldn’t touch him. All of a sudden, Sebastion pulled a gun from behind his back and pointed it at his right temple. Alexia gasped and darted towards him so she could grab the gun.

            But the more she ran, the farther away he seemed to become. He put his finger on the trigger and smiled his peculiar half-grin. She reached out to grab him, but he was just beyond her grasp. She screamed his name, but he didn’t react. She fell to her knees and sobbed in defeat. There was nothing she could do to save him even though he was merely inches from her grasp.

            She looked back up to him, but Sebastion was gone. In his place was Alexia. She looked up at her own reflection, holding the pistol to her head with her finger on the trigger. Before Alexia had time to react, the doppelganger closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. Alexia screamed in pain, even though the bullet didn’t touch her.

            Alexia jerked into a sitting position and realized she was in the bed in the room on the Ramsley Sister’s ship. The silk sheet was a mess and half hanging off of the bed. Alexia realized that she must’ve been moving a lot from the distress of the dream. She peeked her head up to see the top bunk and saw that Carmyne wasn’t in bed. She placed her bare feet on the cold wooden floor and stood, but not for long. She wobbled horribly and fell to her knees on the floor of the room.

            “Looks like you don’t have your sea legs yet, chica” a voice chuckled. Alexia looked around and saw Emilio standing in the doorway to her room. “Come on, everyone else in on the deck. Shall we join them?” he said, extending an arm to help her to her feet. Alexia was breathless for a moment and then smiled and took Emilio’s hand. His hands were soft and smooth, unlike many men’s hands.

            She stood up and leaned onto Emilio until she was able to stabilize herself. Even then she would stumble occasionally. Alexia had never been on a boat and wasn’t used to the constant rocking. It had been peaceful last night as she drifted off to sleep, but now it was fighting against her.

            They walked onto the deck of the ship to find Kendrew, Carmyne, Shimmer, and Shine. Carmyne was leaning against the frame of the ship with her arms spread. Kendrew was leaning against a pole on the deck, off to himself. Shimmer and Shine were standing and talking to each other near the door of the Captain’s Cabin. Shimmer was the first to notice their presence. She smiled at them cheerfully and walked towards them, leaving Shine by herself.

            “Good morning, you two!” she said jollily. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “You smell that? It’s so fresh out here on the water. That’s the reason I love this work. I feel so free. I can’t get this feeling sitting in an office somewhere.” She turned and stared out onto the water. Her eyes looked dreamy and thoughtful, as if Shimmer could stare off into space for hours and daydream about things without a care. Alexia envied her carefreeness and freedom.

            Shine approached from behind her, holding a cup of coffee. “Did you sleep well?” she asked.

            Alexia was going to answer, but bit her tongue. Instead, she decided to let Emilio answer for her. “Like a rock,” he said jokingly. “I’m just glad I didn’t sink like one.” As Shimmer and Shine chuckled at his joke, Alexia wandered farther down the deck to where Carmyne was standing.

            Alexia laughed as she approached her. “Okay. I give up. What are you doing, Carmyne?” she asked.

            Carmyne turned and gave Alexia a look that said good morning without her mouth even moving. “I’m flying!” she said excitedly. She closed her eyes and allowed the sea breeze to wash over her whole body. Alexia stared at her for a moment, absorbing the beauty.

            Alexia never considered herself to be the type of person who had many friends but here she was on a boat with five people that she felt like she could trust and rely on. It was nice feeling to have someone to count on. It was nice to finally have friends.

 

vvv

 

   The next day, a violent storm rolled in. Even though the waters had been so peaceful the previous day, they crashed against the side of the boat, causing it to rock harder than usual. Shimmer, who later turned out to be in charge of steering the ship, assured them that everything was okay and that they would still reach the other side safely, but Alexia wasn’t completely convinced. She tried to focus on something other than the storm but the only other thing that came to mind was the dream.

            Alexia had the same dream again the next night. She didn’t understand it; she barely knew Sebastion but she was having dreams about him holding a gun to his head. The scariest part was when he turned into a mirror image of Alexia and she held the gun on herself. She was thankful to wake up every morning, but it didn’t stop her from being frightened. She feared that her dream was a premonition of things to come, but she pushed the thought from her mind and tried to focus on other things.

            “How long has it been storming?” Carmyne asked, fiddling with her thumbs. She was obviously bored having been confined to the safety of her room. She wanted to go outside onto the deck but it was extremely slippery. The violent rocking mixed with a slippery deck created a potential for a man�"or woman�"overboard.

            Alexia sighed and lay back on her bunk. “Too long. Lost myths about Harmony Lake always being peaceful are full of crap,” she replied with a groan. She looked around at the room where they were staying. Unlike the outside of the ship, it was rather plain; no diamond studs or anything. The only furniture in the room was the bunk bed that Alexia laid on, a beige loveseat where Carmyne sat, a dresser where their clothes and supplies were, and a wooden table that had an oil lantern and a book of matches sitting on it.

            Carmyne groaned and kicked her feet. There was a knock at the door and Shine poked her head in. “Hi, you guys,” she said in her monotone voice. “Everything okay?” Her hair was dampened from the rain and dripping softly on the wooden floor.

            “Yeah, we’re just bored!” Carmyne exclaimed. “When is the storm going to go away?”

            The edges of Shine’s mouth turned down and she looked out the corner of her eye. “We’re really not sure. It’s hard to tell. Sometimes they only last a few hours and other times they can continue for days at a time.” She sighed. “But at least we’re all okay. Stay in your rooms until it blows off. I’ll check on you again later.”

            Carmyne didn’t seem very convinced but she didn’t say anything. Alexia closed her eyes. She didn’t plan on going to sleep; she just had nothing better to do than lay on the bed. She heard the door close, followed by Carmyne’s silent grumbling. Then she heard the door open so she her eyes did the same. She saw Emilio and Kendrew standing in the doorway of their room.

            “Aye, chicas. Mind if we stay in here for a while?” Emilio said. “It’s getting pretty tedious over there in our room.” His feet were bare and hairy. Kendrew stood behind him, staring down the hallway.

            “You can if you want, but its not much better over here,” said Alexia, motioning for them to come in. Emilio walked in and swung himself onto the top bunk. Kendrew had to duck a little to walk through the small doorframe. He sat on the floor by the dresser, hugging his knees to take up as little space as possible.

            Carmyne sat up on the small couch. “Well, at least we’re all together!” she said excitedly. She smiled at Kendrew even though he wasn’t looking at her. She had a tendency to do that.

            “Yeah, I guess,” Emilio said, making himself right at home on their bed. He was sprawled out on the top bunk with any consideration that he wasn’t the one was supposed to sleep on that bed.

            Everyone was quiet for while. The room grew increasingly awkward without anyone saying anything. Finally, Carmyne said, “So… What is everyone’s favorite number?”

            They all looked at her questionably. The blithe expression on her face made it difficult for them to discern if she was just making conversation or genuinely curious. They assumed that it was a little of both.

            “Our favorite number?” Alexia asked with her eyebrow cocked at Carmyne.

            She smiled her wide smile that caused her light eyes to squint. “Yeah! Mine is 138,” she said. “What is yours?” She looked at them, sincerely expecting to get an answer from them. Alexia looked over at Kendrew and up at Emilio, both of which had a confused look on them.

            “Umm, I’ve never really thought about it,” Alexia said honestly. “I kind of like 17. That’s the day my birthday is on.”

            Carmyne smiled at her, glad she was participating. She looked to Emilio. “Well,” he started, “my favorite number is 21. Because I love that card game! I used to gamble a lot. I had a real problem!” Carmyne could tell that he was being sarcastic by the look on his face. She rolled her eyes and looked to Kendrew, waiting for his response.

            Kendrew looked around the room and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he said, his voice low. “I guess my favorite number is 4.”

            “Oh really?” Carmyne asked curiously. “Why?”

            He was silent for a moment, looked down at his hands. “That’s how old my little sister was when she died…” Everyone’s moods changed; they looked down, afraid to look at Kendrew. The awkwardness that was previously in the room just engulfed them all. No one said anything. What could they say?

            All of a sudden, the boat jerked violently, causing Emilio to fall of the top bunk of the bed. They all looked around in confusion, wondering what had happened. Moments later, Shimmer burst through the door to their room.

            “Is everyone okay?” she asked, breathing heavily. Her hair was wet and messy. Her white t-shirt with a water droplet design on it was torn. Her blue jean pants were wrinkly and she was missing a flip-flop. All around, she looked like a hot mess.

            “Yeah, we’re fine… At least, I think so…” Alexia said. “What happened?”

            Shimmer looked down at the floor. “I’m really not sure. I was at the wheel, trying to keep the ship steady, when it all of the sudden just stopped moving.” She walked out the door and motioned for them to stay there. “I’ll go ask Shine. You guys stay here.” She left them, closing the door behind her, and leaving a trail of puddles on the way out.

            Carmyne looked from the door with a distressed look on her face. “What do you think could have happened?” she asked. Kendrew opened his mouth, ready to disclose the information he had overheard two nights ago, but instead closed his mouth as if nothing had happened.

            “I don’t know, esé,” Emilio said, scratching his cheek and leaving a read mark behind. “Maybe the ship had a�"“ he was interrupted by a blood-curdling shriek that caused the hair on the back of his neck to rise. They all turned in horror to the door, which seemed to quiver too from the screech. After nobody came through, they decided to go outside and investigate for themselves. Emilio walked out first, giving them a thumbs up when he saw that it was safe.

            “We should split up and find the source,” Alexia said, emerging from the room. She wasn’t sure if that really was the best idea, but she wanted to seem more like a leader in their eyes. And one quality that all leaders must have is to be able to make good decisions in troubling times.

            “Split up? Split up!? Are you crazy!? Have you not seen horror movies?” Carmyne said, obviously frightened by the situation they were in. “Whenever stuff like this happens and people split up, the monster hunts them down one by one, starting with the extremely attractive and funny one!” She gasped. “Oh no! That’s me!”

            Alexia looked at her with her lips poked out. “Carmyne, please calm down. Nothing is going to get us, okay? Somebody probably just fell or hurt themselves, okay?” She smoothed the back of her hair down and rubbed her neck. “Carmyne and I will check the deck and the other rooms. Emilio, you check the cabin’s room. Kendrew, will you go check the engine room?” Everyone nodded and then took off in the direction of their destination.

            Kendrew was a little nervous about going into the engine room. Half because there was a chance that there was monster in there and half because of what Shimmer had said about the room being dangerous. But he wanted the others to think he was brave so he walked through the semi-opened door and into the dark room. He walked down the stairs blindly, seemingly taking a year to reach the bottom. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the shade in the room, but after a while he was able to see around the room fairly clearly. He could see large structures that were probably parts of the frame of the ship. He could see a large, dark mass off in the distance that he knew must be the ship’s engine. Then, he heard a faint voice from beyond the engine.

            He walked forward. Slowly. Carefully. Trying hard not to make a sound. He walked on his heels with his muscles and reflexes on edge, alert to his surroundings. He walked around the large engine and entered the only part of the room that was lit up. It was illuminated by a small, flickering bulb that hung from the ceiling. It didn’t seem very reliable, as if it could fall to the floor and shatter at any second.

            Then he saw Sparkle. She was on her knees in the lit up area and appeared to be sobbing. He could hear soft whimpering sounds coming from her. She was facing away from him, but he could tell it was Sparkle from her garish dressings and extravagant accessories. Her hair wasn’t in its usual picture perfect state. It was ruffled and frizzy like she had just woken up.

            Kendrew approached her slowly and cautiously. Finally, when she was within his grasp, he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Sparkle, are you okay?” he asked, his voice breaking from anxiety. She didn’t respond, but her sobbing grew louder until it gradually turned into a sinister cackle. Then, a hairy hand with long, jagged claws grabbed his wrist tightly. Kendrew gasped and pulled away, but he wasn’t strong enough.

            Sparkle turned around to face Kendrew. Her entire body was covered with a coat of fur that seemed like a second skin. Her nose protruded outward, much like a toned down version of a dog’s nose, and had whiskers extended from both sides. Her smile was wicked, extending from one side of her face to the other with gnashing flaxen fangs lining it. Her eyes were slanted and golden, with slit pupils like a cat. Her feet had grown out of her shoes and were covered in black fur and had razor-edged nails sticking out from them. She stared Kendrew down with her sadistic eyes, almost like she was looking through him. Like he was nothing more than a harmless ladybug in her path, just waiting to be stepped on.

            Kendrew tried to scream for help; he wanted to scream, but he couldn’t. He felt like this beast was strangling him. She stood up, never once breaking eye contact with him and holding firm onto the vice grip she had on his wrist. “Wh-Who are y-you?” he finally managed to stammer out.

            The creature stared at him and curled the edges of her lips up. “You mean ‘what’ am I,” she said menacing. Sparkle was gone and this beast had taken her place. Its voice was low and raspy and sent chills up Kendrew’s spine with each word. She cackled deeply. “And what I am is a shapeshifter. And what you are, my friend, is finished.”

 

 

Chapter 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

            “Why isn’t Kendrew back yet?” Carmyne asked. Her face showed her concern: her eyebrows turned down at the ends and she bit her lower lip. She and Alexia hadn’t found anything on the deck and Shimmer and Shine were both in their rooms.

            “And where is Sparkle?” Emilio asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. She was missing from her room and wasn’t in the Captain’s Cabin either. “Do you think they could be together?”

            Alexia looked down the hallway to the door to the engine room. “If they are, then they’re down there,” she said, pointing towards the door with her head. They headed down the hall towards the door but were stopped by a voice from behind them.

            “Wait,” the voice said. They turned around to see Shimmer and Shine approaching them. “Let us come with you. We need to find our sister,” said Shimmer.

            “Are you sure, chicas?” Emilio asked. “It might be dangerous, you know? I wouldn’t want your pretty little faces to get hurt.”

            The two girls looked at Emilio and then looked at each other. “We’re a lot tougher than we look,” Shine said. Just noticing the pistols that they were holding, Alexia agreed with the statement.

            “Okay,” Alexia said to them. “You can come. Just be careful.” Just as she grabbed the door handle, Alexia heard a wail from beyond the door. She slammed the door open and bolted down the stairs. All the others followed behind her. Alexia didn’t know where she was running�"she had never been in this section of the ship before�"but she couldn’t stop sprinting. She didn’t feel conscious, but instead felt like a marionette that was being controlled by some master puppeteer somewhere in the sky.

            Then she saw it. She saw the half human and half canine being standing over Kendrew’s limp body. He had a gory gash on his chest that trickled blood down his abdomen. Alexia lost her breath at the sight of it. How could a brawny guy like Kendrew have been taken down a creature half his size?

            Alexia realized that the creature had seen her. She tried to move her feet, but the felt like they were glued to the floor. The beast grinned menacingly and walked towards Alexia. It was interrupted, however, but a gunshot to the side. Alexia turned and saw Shine and Shimmer taking shots at the monster. Carmyne was standing still with her eyes closed, concentrating so she could cast a spell. Emilio ran over to Kendrew to see if he could heal him.

            Obviously, Carmyne had been practicing on her concentration so it didn’t even take half the time it used to take for her to send a fireball flying at the beast. The monster howled in pain. “A direct hit! Let me do another one!” Carmyne said joyfully.

            “No!” Shine yelled to her. “This room is practically an open oil field. We can’t risk you missing and blowing this place up!” Carmyne frowned in distress. Fire was the only spell she had perfected. She would have to try something new. Then she smiled.

            She had an idea.

            She closed her eyes and focused, but she didn’t start snapping her fingers. Instead, she engrossed herself on the thought of the oil. There were several puddles around the room, spills that had been neglected. She focused on the atomic makeup of the solution, the hydrogen and oxygen inside it that gave it its liquidity. Alexia knew Carmyne’s concentration had reached its peak when her nose started running blood. Then she saw a droplet of oil rise from the ebony puddle. Then another. And another until the entire puddle evaporated into a liquid bubble suspended in midair. Carmyne opened her eyes and slung her hand in the direction of the beast, sending the globule flying in the same direction. The lobo had stopped hopping around and stood still. It wasn’t expecting it and was coated in the greasy substance, falling to the ground in surprise.

            Emilio was knelt down next to Kendrew, examining his wound. “I can heal him,” he shouted, “but I need some time. Keep it busy, chicas!” He placed one hand on Kendrew’s injury and the other on his heart. He began his chanting process again, blocking out the world so he could only focus on the restoration.

            Shimmer reloaded her pistol and began firing again. The beast dodged the bullets easily with its incredible agility. Alexia stood still. She didn’t know how she could help, if there was anything she could do. ‘After all,’ she thought, ‘I’m only a minstrel. All I do is sing and play the harp. I can’t fight like them. I let them down…’

            “We could really use some help, Alexia!” Shimmer yelled. “Isn’t there anything you can do?” The beast lunged at Shimmer and Shine, grabbing them around the waist and throwing them against a wall. They cried out in pain and fell to the hard floor. They dropped their guns and the fiend stood over them, grinning with sadistic delight. Just as the monster raised his claw to strike them down, it was delivered a heavy kick to the side.

            It was Kendrew. Alexia smiled, glad that her friend was okay. She turned to Emilio standing in the corner, worn out from the curative process.

            “I thought I took care of you earlier,” said the werewolf creature in a low voice that sounded more like a growl than words.

            “Well you thought wrong.” This was followed by an uppercut under the jaw. The monster nearly hit the ceiling from the powerful blow. It landed on its feet, though and lunged at Kendrew. It was stopped by a bullet to each leg and fell hard to the ground. Kendrew kicked the demon in the face, causing it to somersault backwards. It opened its mouth to bite his leg, but received another pool of oil to the face. It lay sprawled out on the floor, breathing heavily and whimpering in agony.

            “Enough! Enough!” it cried out! Kendrew stood over the monster and stared into its weary eyes. The monster started losing sight of the world around it and then passed out into unconsciousness.

 

vvv

 

            When it woke up, it was on top of a large, wooden table. Its arms and legs were strapped down with steel cuffs. She looked more like a wolf now and less like Sparkle. Her snout was longer and she had more fur coating her body. She looked down at her hands and feet and gasped when she saw that her claws had been cut off. She growled deeply, but knew there was nothing she could do. Despite her immense strength, the titanium bars were stronger. Her fate was in the hands of her captors who had reason to have malice against her.

            Then she saw some figures approach. Out of the darkness around her emerged Alexia, Emilio, and Shimmer. Carmyne, Kendrew, and Shine were resting so they could recover. The fight had taken a lot out of them and they needed rest.

            “Who are you?” Alexia asked gravely. She wasn’t good at being serious but this situation required her to be as grim as possible. “Or what are you?”

            The beast remained silent, staring into Alexia’s eyes intently. Alexia looked to Emilio and nodded. He grabbed a bucket of water and heaved it on the creature. It gagged, having swallowed some of the water unexpectedly. Then she saw Shimmer raise two jumper cables that connected to a generator. If the tips of those cables touched her wet fur, it would send a powerful surge of electricity through her body. It wouldn’t be powerful enough to kill her, but it would hurt like a mother.

            “Answer the question,” Alexia said, “or you might feel a little pinch.” Defiantly, she remained silent. Shimmer lowered the cables to the monster’s neck and jabbed her. The creature could feel the electricity stream through her body and bit her tongue to keep from crying out in pain. “Answer me!” Alexia demanded.

            The fiend inhaled and exhaled deeply before closing her eyes, admitting defeat. “My name is Zeta-304B. I am a shapeshifter; more specifically, a werewolf.”

            “Where is Sparkle?” asked Shimmer. The stern look on her face defied her usual carefree persona.

            “Long gone,” the wolf said with a grizzly smile on its face. Shimmer gasped and her eyes began to water. “I switched places with her a few months ago and slit her throat. She was very yummy.”

            “Shut up!” Shimmer demanded, stabbing her with the cords again. She held them longer that time, causing the wolf to grimace and whimper a weak cry from the pain.

            The wolf’s expression changed from a scowl to an evil smirk. “It’s the truth,” she said.

            “Why are you here?” Emilio asked. He stood with his arms crossed and a regretful look on his face. He felt sorry for Shimmer. ‘There’s no way I can understand what she’s going through,’ he thought. ‘And I hope I never do.’

            “I was sent here to sink this ship with all of you on it,” the lycanthrope hissed. Alexia noticed something imprinted on the werewolf’s wrist. It said, ‘ζ-304B” in big bold letters. Her serial number.

            “Why?” Alexia asked. She was confused. ‘Who would want to kill us?’ she thought. ‘And who knew that we were even going on this trip? It wasn’t exactly a public mission.’

            The demon’s face changed from sadistic to an uncertain frown. “I don’t know why, exactly… She doesn’t tell me things. I’m simply a messenger. I only did this because Mother told me to,” she said casually.

            “Your mother?” Alexia asked instinctively.

            The werewolf tsk-tsked at her question. “She is everyone’s mother. Well, at least she will be. Soon.” She was silent for a minute and then relaxed herself. “And it doesn’t matter if you kill me or not. Mother’s plan will succeed. She is a genius.”

“What is this her plan?” Emilio asked. His eyebrows were lowered and he was scratching his left shoulder blade.

“Why should I tell you,” the werewolf began, “when you will be finding out personally soon enough?” She laid her head back and considered her options. “Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt to give you a little preview.” She sighed. “Mother’s ideal is that a new world be formed, one with creatures that are perfect. Creatures like me.”

“Well if you’re so perfect then how did we manage to capture you, perro?” Emilio asked.

“A minor setback. I am only a prototype, after all. The race that is under construction now is perfect. Flawless. Unlike you humans,” she said with a snarl. “You vile humans are full of flaws and imperfections. Cruel, greedy, lazy, lustful, malicious, over-indulgent, envious; that’s all you humans are. You say that we’re the monsters when, in actuality, the true monsters on this planet are yourselves. I was merely sent here to sink this ship in an attempt to get the word out. Mother herself will be making a public appearance soon. And if you have enough balls to stand up to her, well…” She trailed off and then cackled hideously. “Well then God rest your souls!”

            Shimmer took the cables and rammed one into each of the wolf’s fuzzy ears. She howled in pain and jerked violently, the electricity surging endlessly around her insides.

            “I got tired of listening to her talk,” Shimmer said as she walked away, never once looking back. Her eyes were filled with tears. She disappeared into the darkness, out of Alexia and Emilio’s view. Suddenly, the shapeshifter stopped screaming and they looked back at her. Her body lay limp. Her head lay on its left side and her eyes were devoid of life. Emilio put two fingers on her neck and, after a moment, looked to Alexia and shook his head.

            She was dead.

 

 

Chapter 8

 

 

 

 

 

 

            The ship docked the next day at the harbor on the opposite side of Harmony’s Lake. Alexia used to think that the name was fitting for the lake, but now she thought it was ironic, considered all the terrible things that occurred on it within that four-day period.

            “We’re really sorry about your sister, Shimmer,” Carmyne said to her. For the first time ever, Carmyne was looking at the ground instead of in her eyes. She had her hands clasped behind her back and she dug into the grass with her toes.

            Shimmer smiled at her and gave her a hug around her neck. Carmyne stood still at first from surprise, but after realizing what was going, she hugged her back. Shimmer placed her chin on Carmyne’s shoulder and squeezed her tightly. “I’ll be okay, Carmyne. Don’t worry about me,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper, just loud enough that Carmyne could hear her.

            “Come on, Carmyne. We have to get going. We only have nine days left to get done with this mission,” Alexia called from behind her. She was standing with Emilio and Kendrew at the entrance to the Goblin Forest. It seemed like normal woodland from outside, but they all knew the dangers that lurked inside.

            Carmyne heard Alexia, but made no immediate reaction. She and Shimmer stayed in their embrace for a few seconds longer. “Thanks for being such a good friend,” Shimmer said so low that Carmyne wasn’t sure if she had said anything at all. They let go of each and parted to go their separate ways. Shine was standing on the pier that led to the S.S. Bedazzled. She had told them that the ship was going to need lots of repairs before it sailed anywhere again. It was a miracle that they made it the last portion of the trip across the lake. Both of them waved good-bye to the adventurers as they set off into the portentous forest to complete their quest.

They were silent most of the way there, only breaking the soundlessness when Kendrew sneezed, which was often. He had acquired a little bit of a cold during the storm on the sea. He had been under the weather all day long. His sneezes were loud and booming, seemingly causing the trees to shake with each one.

“I haven’t seen a single goblin the whole time we’ve been here,” Emilio said to Alexia. “Are you sure we’re in the right place, chica?”

Alexia wanted to say yes, but she really wasn’t sure. She had the same feeling herself but hadn’t said anything. “Shimmer said this was it so I guess it is,” she said uncertainly.

Kendrew cleared his throat and said in his consistent quiet tone, “I read that the goblins here are incredibly intelligent. When people come here, the goblins don’t attack them at first; instead, they observe them vigilantly, paying close attention to their flaws and weaknesses.”

Suddenly, Alexia flashed back to what imitation Sparkle said: “You vile humans are full of flaws and imperfections.” The memory sent a chill down her spine. She shoved the thought to the back of her mind, but couldn’t help think about it every now and then. She had never thought about it before, but humans were extremely faulty creatures. But that’s what made them unique.

“Then,” Kendrew continued, “they strike when they least expect it, exploiting their defects and faults, so they can them down in one fell swoop. They’re savage creatures but they also very tactical.” His words made Alexia paranoid. She felt like she was being watched from all directions�"which was likely according to his words.

“That’s really creepy, homes,” Emilio said as he smoothed his hair down. He ducked under a low tree branch and stepped over a decaying stump. He appeared to be fairly comfortable in the woods; unlike the others were who tripping over roots and getting tangled up in abandoned spider webs.

Carmyne stumbled over her own feet. Alexia remembered Sebastion saying that she was a little clumsy. He was true to his word. “You seem to be a pretty smart guy, Ken,” she said, wrapping her elbow around his. Her arm was nearly horizontal from this action.

            “Thanks,” Kendrew said blushing. “I read a lot. I guess I have a pretty good memory because I can recall a lot of stuff that I’ve read before. It just kind of comes naturally.” He never boasted or bragged but he seemed to enjoy receiving recognition for his positive attributes.

            Alexia decided to take advantage of his extensive knowledge. “Do you know how large this forest is?” she asked, leaning against the trunk of a large cedar tree.

            He stopped walked and looked down at the ground. Then he looked up the sky, to his left, and to his right. “I believe it’s around two hundred acres,” he said indefinitely. If that was true, then they could wander around blindly for days before they found the King’s lair. “The interesting thing about this forest is that there is a perfectly circular area of land directly in the center where nothing grows. In the past, people have been there and stayed the night, but no one has ever lasted the whole night. They always report having strange dreams and even seeing apparitions.” He ruffled his hair up some and sneezed twice in a row, followed by two blessings from Carmyne. “It gets weirder. If anyone leaves their belongings in the clearing during the day, it will have mysteriously disappeared the next morning. If the Goblin King lives anywhere in this forest, I would put my bottom dollar on that area.”

            “Well, in that case, we need to get to that circle,” Alexia said. “Do you think you can help us get there?”

            Kendrew frowned and looked at the forest floor. “I don’t know,” he said uncertainly, shrugging his shoulders. “I’ve never been here before, but I have seen a map of it. I can try.” Alexia nodded. She wasn’t sure how this was going to go, but it was better to have some kind of a guide and wander around with no direction.

            All of a sudden, a horde of goblin sentries leaped from behind the trees. They surrounded the group on all sides holding small knives, around the size of a butter knife but much sharper. Much sharper. The goblins were shorter than they had expected, only around three feet tall, but they seemed to be incredibly agile. There were around twenty of them and they all had the same menacing expression on their face.

            “Oh my God!” Carmyne exclaimed. “What do we do?”

            Kendrew looked at the goblin in all seriousness. “We fight.” He darted at two of the goblins, grabbed their small bodies, and clanked their heads together. They both fell to the ground unconscious.

            Several of the munchkins bounded onto Kendrew, stabbing him with their tiny blades. The adrenaline rush that surged through him kept him from feeling the pain. He slung his arms out, sending the tiny devils flying in all directions.

            Through lots of practice, Carmyne was able to cast her fire spell without the lengthy concentration sequence that it used to require. She snapped her fingers nervously in all directions, sending baseball-sized balls of fire everywhere. She squealed each time one landed.

            Emilio grabbed a tree branch and swung around it, kicking a goblin in the face on his way around. His picked up one of the munchkins and threw it against a tree. He felt like it almost wasn’t a fair fight, since they were so small and weak, but he didn’t mind.

            Four of the dwarfs surrounded Alexia and lunged themselves on top of her. She fell to the ground and curled into a fetal position, trying to defend herself from the sharp pains that flogged her body. She looked to the left and right. Kendrew, Emilio, and Carmyne were all too busy to with their own issues to even notice her. She was defenseless. There was nothing she could do. She was going to be killed by these diminutive devils.

            Then, she felt the weight on top of her decreasing. She heard a high-pitched yell and a thud. She turned her head and saw the silhouette of a man a few yards away holding a bow and arrow. She saw him grab an arrow from his quiver and place it in his bow. He pulled the string back, aimed towards Alexia, and let go. She closed her eyes and covered her ears. But the arrow didn’t hit her; instead, it pierced through three of the goblins, shish kebabbing them on the long arrow.

            The strange man tipped his feathered hat in Alexia’s direction and then ran away, disappearing in the labyrinth of trees and vegetation. Alexia stood up and brushed her shirt off. ‘Who was that man?’ she wondered. But there were bigger things to worry about so she shook her head to dismiss the though.

Kendrew grabbed one of the goblins and spun around. He slung it as far as he could. Alexia watched it fly through the air, but it went so far until she could no longer see it.

Emilio grabbed a goblin and threw it up into the air. “Looks like all those years of playing soccer with my cousins are finally going to pay off,” he said, as he kicked it with his right leg, sending it flying into the treetops.

Carmyne, still squealing, sent fireball after fireball at the creatures. Two kept avoided her, laughing in their high-pitched voices each time she missed. Finally, she got mad. She closed her eyes and focused on the earth, the ground that they were all standing on. The goblins inched towards her ominously, holding their knives out at her. She concentrated harder and harder, but not to the point where she was bleeding. Then she jumped and punched the air. The ground beneath the goblins lifted beneath their feet, sending them sailing upward. Carmyne spun around and sent two fireballs flying at them. Two direct hits.

Alexia looked around them. There were either dead or unconscious goblins covering the path. It was difficult to walk around without stepping on one. She and her friends were all breathing heavily, tired from the hectic battle. “Did… Did you see that… guy? The one with… a bow?” Alexia said between gasps for air. She bent over and put her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

They all looked at her dumbfounded. “What guy are you talking about, homes?” Emilio asked.

“The guy with a bow and arrow,” she replied, having gotten enough breaths to last her for a while. “He shot and killed some of the goblins that were attacking me.” She pointed to the place where she had been assaulted, showing them the arrows sticking through the deceased munchkins. They gasped at the sight, realizing that there had been an archer in the area to commit the act.

Carmyne looked concerned. She bit her lower lip and scratched her tummy. She looked to Kendrew and Emilio and, after seeing that they had the same expression on her face, discovered that they were thinking the same thing. “I didn’t see anybody, Alexia. Like, at all.” Alexia could tell by her face that she wasn’t joking around. Besides, this was neither the place nor time to play a prank.

“Well, maybe he�"“ Alexia began, but was cut off by an excruciating pang in her back. She winced in pain and fell to her knees. This was a pain unlike any she had ever experienced before. It felt like she was rotting from the inside out; like she was dying a slow, painful, drawn out death.

Kendrew ran to help her, but experienced the same throb in his chest and abdomen. He felt like his lungs were on fire, preventing him from screaming out. All he managed to do was choke out a muffled groan before falling to the ground, his head lying against a large root.

Alexia trying to retain consciousness, but she was slowly drifting away. Before she slipped off, she managed to whisper, “Poison…” She fell face forward and landed on the hard earth.

Gasping, Carmyne ran over to her fallen friends. She turned to Emilio. He was checking Kendrew pulse. He scooted over to Alexia and did the same. “They’re still breathing,” Emilio said thankfully. “But they might not be much longer.”

“Can’t you just do your magic on them?” Carmyne pleaded. She was nearly in tears.

Emilio sighed and closed his eyes. “I can, but it isn’t safe here. We need to reach some kind of shelter first. Then I can heal them.” He looked at his friends lying comatose on the forest floor. Alexia would be easy to carry, but it would take three or four men just to lift Kendrew’s large figure off of the ground. There wasn’t an easy way to do this, if there was a way at all.

Then, they heard a voice.

“Looks like you guys need a hand,” it said. It was a tenor, high-pitched man’s voice. The voice seemed appropriate for a young boy, but not for a grown man.

They turned around to find out from where the voice came. They saw a man standing amidst the woods behind them. His mash-up of colors made him stand out like a sore thumb amongst the greenery. He had snowy white hair and bright turquoise eyes that were visible through a black eye mask. Carmyne knew that mages were the only people who changed their hair and eye color so that meant that this man was a mage, or at least had been one sometime in his life. He wore a red t-shirt that was covered with an unzipped blue jacket. He wore baggy gray pants and white tennis shoes. On top of his head was a dark green hat with a white feather sticking out of it. On his back was a green quiver and in his hand he held a brown bow.

He looked like he put on normal clothes in the morning and a rainbow threw up on him sometime during the day.

“Who are you?” Emilio asked. The tone in his voice made it sound more like a demand than a question. The look in his eye was the look of determination. He wanted to get Alexia and Kendrew to a safe place quickly and this mysterious man was wasting his time.

The unknown man crouched to the ground, nearly sitting on it, and then sprang himself in the air, landing on his feet beside Emilio with the grace of a cat. Beside the man, Emilio appeared to be one of the goblins. He was around 6’8”, even taller than Kendrew, but he was narrow and slender. He also had a fuzzy white goatee on his chin. His chalky hair wasn’t a sign of age; instead, it gave him a look of cleverness.

“Who am I?” he said. His voice had a slight accent in it, but it was undistinguishable as to what kind of accent it was. “You silly boy. But it is of no consequence. I am not offended, not this time anyway. You are quite lucky! If I was offended, you would be in serious trouble!” The man rambled on without a second thought. He walked around the bloody path, his lanky legs allowing him to easily step over the dead goblins.

Carmyne was beginning to get annoyed by the man’s lengthy babbling. “He asked you a question,” she said, puckering her lips and placing her hands on her hips. “We’d appreciate it if you answered.”

The man gazed over to Carmyne and sighed. Then he smiled wide, exposing his crooked teeth. He spun around in a circle and then struck a pose, lifting one leg and pointing at the sky. It looked like some kind of demented yoga position. “I am music! I am poetry! I am the great, the magnificent, the Amazing Clandestine!”

 

 

Chapter 9

 

 

 

 

 

 

He stayed in his previous position for a while longer before moving. “Tough crowd, huh?” He stretched his arms above his head and yawned loudly.

“Look, hombre, can you help us or not?” Emilio asked, giving Clandestine an ultimatum. Emilio looked him dead in the eye, the usual comic expression on his face completely faded away.

Clandestine cleared his throat and then smiled peacefully. “Yes, I can,” he said. “I have a small cabin in these woods not too far from here. We can take your friends there to allow them to rest. What do you say?”

 It was a deal that Emilio couldn’t refuse. “Okay,” he said. “Can you help us take them there?”

Clandestine placed a finger under his nose, forming a fake mustache. “Of course I can! The Amazing Clandestine can do anything!” He grabbed Kendrew’s body and hoisted him on his shoulders. Despite his scrawny physique, Clandestine was able to carry Kendrew’s bulky frame single-handedly. Emilio was amazing by his unexpected strength. He snapped out of his awestruck gaze and picked up Alexia, carrying her newlywed style.

The three walked about half a mile before coming upon a small clearing with a wooden cabin in the center. It wasn’t, however, the clearing that Kendrew had described. It wasn’t a perfect circle and there were rotting branches in the area.

“This is it,” Clandestine said pointing in the direction of the cabin. “Mi casa es su casa.” On any other day, the cabin might have been considered inhospitable; however, in their current circumstances, Carmyne and Emilio considered the shed to be eye candy.

They entered the seemingly abandoned hut and placed Alexia and Kendrew on two straw beds. “Do you know what’s wrong with them, esé?” Emilio asked hastily. He was obviously in a hurry to cure his companions.

Walking over to a wooden cabinet in the corner of the hut, Clandestine said, “Your friends have been infected with the Brownie Virus.” He opened one of the small cabinet doors and examined its contents: several small bottles of all colors, three sealed test tubes, a dirty flask, and many unused syringes.

“Brownie?” said Carmyne with a puzzled look on her face. “Like, the kind that you eat? I love brownies!”

Clandestine turned around and looked at Carmyne the way a woman might look at a newborn puppy or a kitten. “No, my sweet,” he said, placing his index finger underneath her chin. Emilio stared in ire at what the lanky man was doing. He still had suppressed feelings for Carmyne and didn’t appreciate him touching on her. “When I say Brownies, I mean the race of goblins that attacked you earlier.” He went back to his workplace. “They’re pesky little critters, those Brownies. And smart, too.”

“Wait, I don’t understand,” Emilio said. He managed to subdue his wrath. ‘Now isn’t the time,’ he reminded himself. “Why were they infected and we weren’t?”

Clandestine turned around again and eyed Emilio suspiciously. “Take off your shirt,” he instructed.

Taken back by the man’s words, Emilio lowered his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“Take off your shirt,” he repeated.

“Umm, no think you. I don’t roll that way, homes,” Emilio said, raising his hands and taking a step back.

Clandestine rolled his eyes and sighed. “Not like that. I just need to check something out.”

Reluctantly, Emilio took buttoned down his shirt and slid his arms out of each sleeve. Carmyne watched him, smiling slyly. Noticing that she was watching, Emilio relaxed some. His took his shirt and spun it over his head before tossing it into a corner. Carmyne blushed and giggled, feeling like she was watching a stripper perform.

Emilio turned around in a circle slowly. “Are you happy now?” he asked.

Clandestine nodded and went back to his work again. “The reason that you two weren’t affected by the virus was because you weren’t injected with it. Neither of you were stabbed the Brownies’ knives.” He took out one of the test tubes that contained a deep purple liquid that foamed at the meniscus. He took the cap off, sniffed it, and returned it to its location.

“You see, Brownies like to toy with their victims. They like to kill them slowly by infecting them with venom. Then, they watch from afar as their prey twitches and convulses as they slip slowly into their death. They are quite sadistic creatures.” He removed another tube that was filled with a golden liquid. He removed its lid, sniffed it, and smiled. “But I have an antidote that should save them.”

“Should? What do you mean should?” Emilio asked. He was growing irritated with Clandestine.

Apparently, Clandestine was growing irritated with Emilio’s constant questioning. “It means it should. I haven’t tested it yet but I mixed it together just like she told me to.”

“Fine,” Emilio said, deciding that his best bet was to trust the man. “Just do it quickly.” Clandestine removed one of the syringes from the cabinet and closing the door. He inserted the needle into the tube and sucked some of the golden liquid into it. He squirted a few drops out, making sure it was functioning properly.

He walked over to the floor beds where Kendrew and Alexia lay. He crouched down, his long legs sprawled out on either side. “Now, you’ll just feel a little pinch,” he said as he inserted the needle into Alexia’s neck. He squeezed the liquid into her, but she remained still; unflinching. Clandestine stood and walked back to the cabinet. He grabbed another clean syringe and siphoned some of the liquid into it. He jabbed the prick into Kendrew’s thick neck and squeezed the liquid into him. He didn’t move either.

“Well, that should do it,” he said casually as he proceeded to throw away the used syringes. “They should wake up within the hour.

“And they’ll be okay?” Carmyne asked. She didn’t seem too convinced about the anti-virus. In Emilio’s academy, he had studied medicine and how to use it correctly. Carmyne, however, had taken no such classes.

Clandestine smiled at her lightly. “Of course they will, my sweet. Don’t you trust me?”

“I don’t have to trust you in order to believe you, vato,” Emilio said, interrupting whatever rebuttal Carmyne had planned. Clandestine peered at Emilio vexedly and went back to rearranging his antidote cabinet.

“So, you live here?” Carmyne asked politely.

“Indeed I do,” Clandestine said, stroking his chin hairs. They were the same oddly white color as his hair, but there also seemed to be a tint of baby blue on some of the strands.

Carmyne frowned melancholically. “It must get lonely living out here all by yourself,” she said.

Clandestine stopped working. “Well, you see,” he began, “I don’t exactly live alone.”

Before Carmyne got a chance to ask, the door to the cabin flew open and a small girl darted in. She stopped in her tracks, though, when she saw Carmyne and Emilio standing there. She was petite, around four feet tall and very skinny. Her hair was fishtail braided and, at the roots, was a yellow-orange color. The color transitioned subtly to her tips, which were a bright pink. Her eyes were a light periwinkle that made them seem to sink into her face. She had a small pixie-like nose and ears that stuck out. She wore a short dress that seemed to be made entirely of green leaves and ivy. Her feet were bare and her toenails were painted the same hot pink color as the tips of her hair. On her shoulder sat a purple squirrel-like creature with large buckteeth and coral dragonfly wings.

“What the cocoa puffs?” the little girl said, her tone sounding brash and blunt. Her voice was incredibly high, higher than Carmyne’s. Her voice made it sound more like a squeal than words. The rodent on her shoulder crawled down the back of her shirt and hid.

Clandestine rushed to meet the girl. “Lillip, these people are friends of mine. It’s okay. No need to be alarmed.” He was genuinely frightened that the little girl would be upset with the guests in his house. Even though he was much taller than her, he was the one who took orders.

Lillip looked over Carmyne and Emilio, sizing them. The look on her face was the look of someone who had eaten a lemon. “Well, if it’s okay with you then I guess its okay with me,” she finally said. “They sure don’t look like the kind that we associate with.” She walked over to the straw beds on the floor and observed Alexia and Kendrew closely. With her back turned, a small pair of pink butterfly wings could be seen. “Why, if I didn’t know anyone better, I’d say that they look like humans.”

Carmyne thought it was peculiar that she said that. She figured it was safer not to say anything though. She turned to Emilio and got a look from him that told her to keep her mouth shut. Emilio knew how prejudiced some creatures could be towards human and that it was safer to keep Lillip in the dark.

Lillip turned around and coaxed the hiding creature to emerge from her shirt. It crawled it way up her torso, creating a mobile lump of fabric. It finally came into view, poking its head out of the collar of her leafy dress. “It’s okay, Theo,” she said, her voice lower than usual. “They’re not humans.” Theo looked around the room, scanning each of their faces cautiously. Then it smiled cutely and let out a small cry that could’ve been mistaken for a kitten’s meow. It climbed back onto Lillip’s shoulder scratched one of its fuzzy ears.

“So, what are you guys, then?” Lillip asked, eyeing them curiously. She was trying to decipher what race they were but had no luck.

Emilio’s eyes widened and his mind went blank. He wasn’t expecting that question and couldn’t search his brain for an answer. Carmyne was better at thinking under pressure than Emilio and smiled brightly. “I’m a nymph and my friend here is an incubus.” Emilio wasn’t exactly sure what an incubus was, but at least he had a cover.

Lillip smiled. “You’re a nymph?” she said to Carmyne. “I am too! Well, more specifically I’m a dryad, in case you couldn’t tell.” She motioned towards her clothes.

“Oh, cool!” Carmyne said, genuinely intrigued. “I’m an undine.”

Lillip smiled again and turned her attention to Emilio. The look on her face was indecipherable. Emilio couldn’t determine her emotion the way he usually could with people. “You’re an incubus, huh?” she said, looking him up and down. “Just don’t try anything on me while I’m asleep and we should be okay.” She extended her hand for him to shake.

He stood still, staring at her outstretched arm, lost in his gaze. ‘This is dangerous,’ he thought to himself. ‘We’re going to get caught and something bad is going to happen to us. I just know it.’ Finally, he came to his senses and smiled. He shook Lillip’s hand and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Lillip leered at Emilio suspiciously, not entirely certain of his authenticity. She turned to Theo and whispered something in his ear. The squirrel creature nodded its head and then brought its tail around its body, enveloping itself with the bushy fleece.

She turned to Kendrew and Alexia. The color was beginning to return to their faces, a sign that they should be fully recovered soon. “What about them?” she asked.

“The girl is a lamia and the boy is a berserker,” Carmyne said without a second though. Emilio was impressed. He wondered if she had this whole thing planned out for weeks.

Lillip was taken back by her words. “A lamia? Seriously? I didn’t think those things existed anymore. Don’t they, like, hunt kids?” she asked.

“Well, typically lamias do, but she wanted to turn from her evil ways. She got a job at a daycare center and now she loves kids!” Carmyne said. “But doesn’t love to eat them.” They giggled at her joke. Clandestine was standing in silence, staring at the floor. Even know Emilio hadn’t known him long, he knew that this wasn’t his typical behavior.

“That’s very good,” Lillip said. “I know how hard it can be to change your ways.” Then, there was a stir by the beds. Everyone turned to see Alexia standing. Her eyes were squinted and she had a hand on her temple. She looked like she had just woken up with a bad hangover.

“Where… Where am I?” she asked, dazed and confused. She wobbled a little, but managed to stay still. Once she was able to maintain her balance, her eyes adjusted and she was able to make out faces. “Carmyne? Emilio?”

“You’re safe, my new friend,” Lillip said, grasping Alexia’s hands between hers. She stared at her in the eyes and smiled softly. “And by the way, I’m very proud of you for changing your child-eating habits.”

Lillip’s words confused Alexia more than she already was. She turned to Emilio and Carmyne who were both mouthing the words “Just go with it.” Not entirely sure what she was getting herself into, Alexia smiled and said, “Thank you. It was difficult, but I managed to do it.”

Kendrew groaned loudly and sat up. As he rose to his feet, he stumbled and nearly fell down. He was able to catch himself, though, and regained his sense of balance.

“Hello, friend,” Lillip said sweetly, extending her hand to Kendrew. “My name is Lillip. Just manage to keep your cool around me and we should get along swimmingly.” Kendrew stood deathly still. He blushed from embarrassment and looked down at the floor. Seeing that she was not going to be met halfway, Lillip retracted her arm and simply smiled at Kendrew.

“So, why are you guys even in this forest anyway?” she asked. “The only race that lives in this forest is goblins.” She took Theo off of her shoulder and petted him softly, stroking his long, fuzzy tail. “I mean, you must be here for something, right?”

Alexia smoothed down her long dirty-blond hair. She looked to Carmyne and Emilio for their okay. “We’re here to assassinate the Goblin King,” she said, not holding back. ‘Well, beat around the bush, why don’t you?’ Alexia though, scolding herself for being so forthright.

“The Goblin King?” Lillip asked, a little shocked. “I hope you don’t my asking, but… Why?” Alexia racked her brain for an excuse as to why. She wasn’t sure if she should say that the Queen sent her or not. Her thoughts were interrupted by Lillip’s sighing. “Oh, I bet Mother sent you. Did she?” The word smacked Alexia in the face like a sucker punch. She felt queasy all of the sudden.

Despite her nauseous feeling, Alexia was able to muster up a smile. Although, she felt like the smile had been carved into her face with a knife. “Yes,” she managed to say.

“That explains it!” Lillip said, throwing her hands up into the air. “I don’t know what she has planned; sending her children on strange trips, being shady and not going out in public. Well, I guess she knows what she’s doing. After all, she is Mother.” Lillip laughed at a joke that no one else understood. “Well, I know this forest pretty well so I should be able to take you where he stays. It’s really not that hard to find if you know your way around. Isn’t that right, Clandy?” Clandestine was still looking at the ground. He merely nodded his head. Was he afraid of this girl?

“We’d be eternally grateful,” Carmyne said, smiling brightly. Alexia had never noticed before, but Carmyne’s teeth were perfectly straight and white. She had never seen someone with teeth as good as hers.

“Well, let us be on our way,” Lillip said as she walked out of the cabin. She placed Theo back on her shoulder and motioned for everyone to follow her. Carmyne and Emilio went first, followed by Kendrew and Alexia.

Alexia felt a cold hand on her elbow. It was the same feeling she got when the soldier grabbed her arm and Genesis Castle and when Kendrew grabbed her arm at Harmony’s Lake. She turned to see Clandestine holding out his bow and quiver.

“Here,” he said. “I might not be able to rescue you next time and you need some protection.” He guided the strap of the quiver over Alexia’s head and around her shoulder. He placed the bow into her right hand and coiled her fingers around it. His face was so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her cheeks. It was a surprisingly cool breeze. “Take care of this. It’s made from a branch of the Yggdrasil; the world tree. It’s also my best friend.”

Alexia smiled at him. She just met this guy, didn’t even know his name, but felt like she had known him for years. He was the man who had saved her in the forest, the man who had given her an anti-virus when she was infected, the man who supplied a roof over her head when she needed it. Clandestine had already done more for her than her own father had and she didn’t even know his name. “Thank you,” she said. Despite the simplicity and over-usage of the words, they seemed to be the only appropriate thing to say. She turned around walked out the door to catch up with her companions, pushing the door closed on the way out.

She reached Emilio and grabbed his arm. He turned and smiled his trademark crooked grin. His teeth weren’t as nice as Carmyne’s, but his smile was strangely enticing.

She didn’t have to say anything to him. He was able to read her by looking into her sapphire blue eyes. “I’ll explain on the way, chica,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist.

 

 

Chapter 10

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hey, Carmyne? What exactly is an incubus?” Emilio asked, cocking his eyebrow at her.

Lillip was leading them to their destination, but she was far enough ahead so that she couldn’t hear their conversations. Emilio and Carmyne managed to explain their situation to Alexia and Kendrew. They told them about how the Brownies’ knives were bedaubed with the toxin that infected them. They told them about how Clandestine found them and helped them get to safety. They told them about how they were posing as non-human creatures and that they couldn’t admit that they were human.

“An incubus,” Carmyne began, “is a demonic creature that goes into the bedrooms of sleeping women and… does things to them.” She felt awkward giving the explanation.

Emilio looks at her sideways. “’Does things?’ You mean sex?” he asked bluntly. “Why did you tell them that? Now she probably thinks I’m some kind of evil w***e.”

Carmyne blushed from embarrassment. “Yes, I meant that. And I’m sure that you could pass for an incubus if you had to. You fit the profile.” Emilio wasn’t sure how to take that, but he chuckled lightly and shook his head.

“I am an undine, a mystical water nymph.” She smiled and spun in a circle, her long cerise ponytail spinning with her. “Alexia, you are a lamia, which is a snake-lady creature that finds lost children at night and feeds on them.”

“Why do I have to be the snake lady?” Alexia asked, smiling at the irony. She didn’t take it personally, but she was still curious as to whether or not there was a reason.

“Hey, just be glad that I was able to come up with covers for us! Mr. Smooth Talker over here froze up whenever she asked,” Carmyne said jokingly, pointing at Emilio.

They all laughed at her joke, but Lillip didn’t seem pleased. “Quiet down, you guys,” she said sternly without even turning around. “We’re in hobgoblin territory now. They’re usually fairly docile, but they don’t take kindly a lot of loud noise.”

Petering out their laughter, the group walked in silence. Alexia walked slightly faster so she could catch up to Lillip. She needed information on Mother and she knew Lillip was a valuable resource that she couldn’t pass up. ‘But I have to be careful with how I go about asking,’ Alexia thought. ‘One wrong word and she might realize that I’m a human. She’ll never talk to me then.’

“Hey, Lillip. Can I ask you something?” she asked, walking by her side. Alexia was over a foot taller than her and had to tilt her head down just to meet her eyes.

Lillip smiled, the edges of her lips seeming to curl upward. “Of course, what’s up?”

“What do you know about Mother’s master plan?” she asked, wincing. Lillip glared at her, her eyes full of suspicion. “I mean, I know what it is, but I don’t exactly understand it. Can you clarify?”

She was silent for a moment, as if contemplating whether she should share or not. After a few moments, she sighed and spoke. “Mother’s ideal is to create a perfect world, one inhabited by epitome beings. No conflicts, no corruption, and no humans.” The way Lillip said the word ‘humans’ sent a chill down Alexia’s back. “Have you actually talked to Mother personally?”

Alexia bit her lip, unsure of how to answer. “No, have you?” she asked, playing it safe in case there were any follow up questions about Mother’s appearance.

Lillip frowned, obviously discouraged by her answer. “No… Honestly, I don’t know anyone who has. Only the important people have actually seen her face to face. I don’t think the prototypes have even seen her,” she said. Alexia remembered the werewolf creature saying that she was a prototype. “Have you met any prototypes?”

“Umm, yeah, actually. I met a shapeshifter that told me she was a prototype, but…” she trailed off, braiding three locks of her blond hair. She was avoiding looking in Lillip’s eyes, fearful that she would be able to see through her ploy. “But, she died.”

Lillip’s eyes lowered solemnly, as if she just found out that a family member had passed away. “Do you…” she started. “Do you remember what her genus was?”

“Her genus?” Alexia asked, perplexed.

“Yeah, genus. Like, it could be alpha, beta, gamma, or another one. Do you remember what it was?”

Alexia did remember. “I believe it was Zeta.” Alexia hadn’t been taught at the Apprentice Guild, but she knew enough to know that zeta was the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. She inferred that this meant that the werewolf was in the sixth generation of prototypes.

“Oh,” Lillip said half-heartedly. Alexia didn’t understand why she was so sorrowful over this prototype’s demise. Alexia, almost instinctively, placed her arm around Lillip’s shoulder to console her.

The two walked in this silent, condoling embrace, passing by a variety of verdant flora. Despite its hostility, the Goblin Forest was an orientation of luscious wildlife. Bountiful conifers, lush evergreens, winsome and stout bonsais, fruitful apple and pear trees, and bushes that sprouted all natures of berries. What would be a rather aromatic fragrance was masked by the fact that violent pucks lurked around every tree.

“Umm, Carmyne?” Kendrew said, barely above a whisper. “What did you tell Lillip I was? I mean, I know she told me to mind my temper, but I still didn’t understand…”

Carmyne turned to him with a tender smile on her face, making her cheekbones slightly more visible. “I told her you were a berserker. They’re basically like modern day cave men. They live in the mountains and hunt large wild animals like buffalo and yaks. They’re known to have an extremely hot temper and will attack anything that moves.” Carmyne looked up and down Kendrew and then giggled. “You would kind of look like one if you were wearing a fur pelt!”

She giggled in her high-pitched voice and shoved him teasingly. He wasn’t expecting it and began to fall down. Carmyne grabbed his wrist and tried to save him, but his weight caused her to fall down with him. He landed hard on his band and she landed on his chest. Their faces were mere inches apart. Carmyne could feel Kendrew’s hot breath quickening, could feel his heartbeat speeding up.

Kendrew gazed deeply into Carmyne’s lilac eyes. He suddenly had an intense desire to kiss her, but he knew that he couldn’t. He liked Carmyne, he couldn’t deny that, but he refused to take the risk. Instead he just lay in silence and tried to calm his breathing. But that’s when it happened.

Carmyne leaned in and grazed her lips against his. He could feel excitement in his bones, but he remained still. Then she closed her eyes and locked her lips in his. Kendrew was petrified, half in shock and half in exhilaration. All he could do was accept the kiss, which he didn’t mind. He closed his eyes and lost focus on all things�"their location, the mission, the others�"and only focused on this moment, longing to live in this moment for the rest of his life.

He focused on the warmth of their lips interlocked together, the warmth of her chest pressed against his, the warmth of their breaths combining. He would give anything to feel this same warmth forever.

But Carmyne broke their seemingly never-ending lip lock and raising her face from his. She stared into his eyes and smiled at him. “I guess she would go catch up with the others,” she said, her eyes blinking rapidly.

Kendrew didn’t expect to be able to move, but he was able to say, “Yeah, I guess so.” Carmyne rose to her feet, dusting off her pink dress. Kendrew stood after her and they starting walking after their companions. Carmyne grabbed his hand, corseting her fingers in the spaces between his. Her entire hand was only as big as his palm, but, at the moment, it seemed to fit perfectly in his.

vvv

 

“Is that him, chica?” Emilio asked, referring to a large goblin in a clearing in the forest. They walked for what seemed like forever in a labyrinth of shrubbery. Even though it appeared they were going in circles with no direction, Lillip assured them that she knew where she was going. Alexia remember hearing Lillip say that it wasn’t hard to find if you knew your way, but she thought that was a load of crap since she knew she wouldn’t have been able to retrace a single step since they left the cabin.

“Yep,” she said without looking at him. They hid behind a small grove of olive trees watching him. He was sitting on a natural throne�"which was basically just a cluster of rocks that just happened to form an oblong chair shape�"watching his servant goblins work. They were pushing handmade wheelbarrows filled with creatures that looking like Theo.

But they weren’t alive. They were cold, lifeless cadavers of purple fuzz. Lillip gasped when she saw them and covered Theo’s eyes. But it was too late. He had already seen them and was trembling. Alexia was unable to determine if his quivering was from sadness, fright, or anger. Either way, she knew it wasn’t good.

Then she realized what the goblins were doing with the wheelbarrows. They were taking the loads to the king’s side where he would pick them up and dump them into his mouth. They were making his dinner. The King was the queen bee and the other goblins were his worker bees.

“Theo here is one of the last living members of his species,” she said without even turning around. “There used to be millions of them, but now it has dwindled down to less than two hundred. The sole reason for their endangerment is him; the Goblin King. He considers them to be a delicacy and, as you can see, eats whole barrels full at a time. It makes me sick.” She said the last sentence with a distinctive disgust in her throat. She looked down solemnly. “It’s sad, really. They’re a beautiful species. And so gentle and peaceful. I know the rule of nature is that bigger creatures eat smaller creatures, but does it have to be so wide-spread…?” She allowed her voice to trail off and didn’t say anything else.

They all sat in silence, waiting for the others to make the first move. Finally, Alexia stood. “We’ve come all this way. Can’t get cold feet now. It’s now or never.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.” They hesitated at first, but then realized that Alexia was right. They couldn’t let their long journey be in vain. They stood and proceeded to enter the clearing.

It was time. They were approaching the end of their journey. The final battle.

 

 

Chapter 11

 

 

 

 

 

 

They walked boldly into the clearing where the Goblin King sat. He was too busy devouring a wheelbarrow full of creatures like Theo. Some of his goblin minions, however, spotted the group and darted towards them. Since they were empty-handed, they weren’t much of a threat.

Alexia pulled one of the wooden arrows with an orange pinion on the end, placed it in her bow, pulled the drawstring back, and let fire, piercing the skull of a goblin with greenish looking skin. She had never used a bow before, but it somehow seemed to come naturally to her. ‘Probably just my intuition from playing the harp all those years,’ she thought to herself. She aimed her bow at another goblin that was dashing towards her and shot him in the kneecap.

Kendrew rammed through a crowd of working goblins, knocking them off their feet. He grabbed an empty wheelbarrow and swung it around, sending the imps flying in all directions. He threw the cart at another crowd of distracted dwarfs, flattening some and scaring away others.

Carmyne focused her energies and let loose a volley of spherical flames. They exploded upon impact, sending sparks flying in all directions. They singed particles of the pucks’ clothing, causing them to run around aimlessly in circles. Others that were directly hit by the incineration flamed up completely. She also tried to perform her newly learned skill, which she called “Earthquake. She focused on the hard earth that the goblins were standing on and then punched the air, evoking a pillar of stone to rise from the ground and sent the imps off balance.

Emilio ran over to the wheelbarrows that still had the squirrel carcasses in them. He wasn’t sure if his abilities would work on them, but he figured it was worth a try. He closed his bright green eyes, grazing his cheekbones with his long, feminine eyelashes, and placed his right hand on his heart and his left on the frame of the wheelbarrow. He focused his aura, channeling it through his body and into the cart and into the tiny bodies of each creature. He opened his eyes and could see his energy spiraling down his arm and into the barrow. He watched as their faces regained their natural violet glow. Some even twitched their eyes or noses. He smiled at them wearily, fatigued from the procedure, and moved on to the next cart.

A group of the imps surrounded Lillip and Theo, leering at them menacingly. One of them darted toward the two, but Lillip caught it in the face. She flung her arm out and it transformed into a whip of ivy with sharp thorns protruding from it. She spun in a circle with her arms extended, smacking each goblin the face with her vines. She stopped spinning after each goblin hit the dirt, unconscious from the thrashing. Theo leaped off of her shoulder and attacked a dwarf trying to sneak up on Lillip. He opened his wipe mouth and sunk his mighty incisors into the neck of the goblin. Alexia had previously discovered that Theo’s saliva was paralytic and he would often bite his predators to stun them, giving him enough time to escape. In this case, however, he was indifferent as to whether his bite simply stunned the puck or killed it.

The Goblin King sat silently, observing the battle going on at his feet. He was nearly sixteen feet tall, taller than Clandestine and Kendrew’s heights combined, and muscular. He had large facial features and wore a pair of ripped shorts, a torn vest, and a beautiful ruby ring on the middle finger of his left hand. Maybe Alexia was mistaken, but she thought she saw a hint of a smirk on his face. Was he enjoying watching his minions die? It was too heartless to even think about…

After all the goblins were either dead, unconscious, or out of sight, the King spoke. “Who are you?” he said in a voice lower than any they had ever heard before. It was so deep that it seemed to make the entire forest rumble. “And why are you here?”

No one wanted to answer, but some one had to. “We are journeymen sent by the Great Queen Alrose to defeat you,” Alexia said in a sober tone, but she immediately wondered why she had been so bold about. She figured that he would strike them then, but instead he just stared at them. And then he laughed. He laughed a heartfelt, full laugh that caused the ground to ground beneath them to tremble. Alexia was a little peeved by the fact that he thought this was funny, but she used this moment as an opportunity to strike.

She drew her bowstring and fired one of the wooden arrows at the giant. But it didn’t even seem to faze him. She thought she face it pierce his chest, but it was rejected moments later and fell to the ground. He finally stopped laughing and wiped the tears out of his eyes. “You petty little insects,” he said, with an ominous grimace on his face. “I don’t know if I should be amused or insulted that Her Majesty sent you weak worms to defeat me.” He laughed again, but lest soulful this time.

“Quit laughing at me! I’m serious!” Alexia insisted, stomping her foot. She wanted the Goblin King to take her seriously, but this only seemed to egg him on more. Finally, she grew tired of being laughed at. “Attack!” she yelled to her companions.

Alexia pulled more arrows and shot them at the beast, but it didn’t seem to do much good. Carmyne sent her fireballs at him, but they merely dissolved upon contact. Kendrew bolted at the behemoth and punched it hard in the side. The Goblin King noticed that and swatting Kendrew away, almost effortlessly. He tumbled backwards a few feet and landed on his rump. “How are we supposed to beat this things?” Carmyne said with a concerned look on her face. Our attacks aren’t working on it!”

“Fight harder, right?” Lillip asked, reading her thorn whips.

“Not exactly,” Alexia said. “We don’t need to fight harder, we need to fight smarter. Exploit his weakness and combine our efforts.” Everyone nodded in agreement and Alexia placed another arrow in her bow. “Carmyne, shoot a fireball at my arrow mid-flight, okay?” Carmyne nodded.

The arrow zipped through the air and was coated in the flame. It pierced the goblin’s chest and stayed there. He groaned and pulled the arrow out and tossed it aside. “Is that the best you can do?” he said teasingly.

He reached out to grab Alexia and Carmyne. Lillip flung her extendable ivy arms around his wrists and bound him in natural handcuffs. Her feet transformed into roots as she ingrained herself into the earth for a better hold and stability. She was still just barely able to hang on to the monster. “A little help, berserker?” she said between her clenched teeth.

Kendrew sprung into action, using the King’s hands a boost to get himself on top of the giant. He pummeled the goblin’s cranium with his powerful fists, landing blow after blow. Carmyne used her Earthquake ability to upheave a chunk of earth right in the monster’s face.

Emilio was still going from wheelbarrow to wheelbarrow, healing the fallen squirrel creatures. The ones he had previously cured were alive, but not quite awake yet.

Theo launched himself at the goblin’s neck and plunged his fangs furiously into his body, infecting him with the paralyzing saliva. He tore away at the skin, trying to do at least some damage, but was shaken off by the monster’s erratic jerking.

Alexia ran around the beast’s head and shot an arrow into his ear canal, causing him to cry out in pain. She shot another at his eye, but only managed to hit his eyebrow.

Suddenly, the Goblin King decided he done playing games with the teenagers. The look in his eyes changed from grizzly amusement to annoyance. He broke free of his rope-like bonds and swatted Kendrew from on top of his head. He raised his foot into the air and smashed it into the earth causing it to shake and tremble beneath their feet.

Then he picked up an empty wheelbarrow, easily lifting it with one hand, and three it at Alexia. She just did manage to roll over in time. She pulled another arrow from her quiver and realized that she only had three left. ‘I have to use them sparingly,’ she reminded herself. “Carmyne! Now!” The blazing arrow struck the beast’s ankle, causing him to nearly tumble over.

Were the situation different, Alexia might have smiled in her own self-pride. She realized that the Goblin King’s weakness was his ankle. It looked like the only scrawny part of his body, probably from sitting on his throne all day instead of walking around. “Everyone!” she called out. “Aim for his left ankle!”

Lillip wrapped her whips around his Achilles’ heel, laughing to herself at the irony. Carmyne sent a charged fireball, around the size of a beach ball, at his weak spot. Kendrew kicked the back of his ankle heavily with his right foot.

All the while, the purple squirrel creatures were beginning to wake up. It took them a minute to identify their surroundings, but they finally realized where they were. And what they wanted to do: take revenge. “Go get him, muchachos!” Emilio said, pointing at the off balance Goblin King. They were tentative at first, but after exchanging glances realized that they were all in agreement. They all rushed towards the mighty oaf, squealing their high-pitched war cry.

Despite their minute size, their vast quantity gave them the edge over him. They trampled over him, causing him to fall to the earth. The whole forest floor quaked from his tumble, which led to many squirrel creatures falling over. They arose quickly, however, and began kicking and punching him, landing tiny, virtually painless blows on his body.

Was Alexia hallucinating or did she see the ruby ring he was wearing glow? She thought it was just a glare from the evening sun, but then it happened again until it was glowing solidly. Then she heard the Goblin King laugh again, somehow more menacingly than before.

He stood, brushing off the critters that held their grip to his clothing. Then she smiled, an evil smile that should never exist on a creature’s face. He raised his fist into the air and punched the earth beneath his feet. This time was worse than before. It was all Alexia and her friends could do to keep from flying backwards into the woods. The squirrels were sent sailing through the trees and out of sight from the tremor.

“Theo!” Lillip called out, watching her friend disappear into the grove behind her. He was simply too light to remain with them. Alexia, Kendrew, Emilio, Carmyne, Lillip, and the Goblin King were the only beings that remained the clearing. There were large cracks and even missing chunks of earth beneath them. It was as if the ring had somehow given him even more power than he already had.

Then she heard him laugh. “Now then,” he said. “Where were we?”

 

 

Chapter 12

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Why can’t we eliminate him!?’ Alexia thought. ‘We’ve hit him with everything we’ve got but it just doesn’t seem like enough!’ She was breathing heavily, exhausted from dodging his attacks. The strange force exuded from the ring made him more powerful and quick. He was able to chase after them now and his ankle didn’t seem to be a weakness anymore.

Kendrew was lunging at the Goblin King repetitively, attempting to land a few good blows on him, but all of his efforts were futile. The goblin would either block him effortlessly or dodge his attacks. Both ways, Kendrew was growing fatigued with no results.

Lillip thrashed the giant with her thorn whips, digging into his flesh with the sharp prickles. Though it trickled a trail of blood, he didn’t even seem to notice. He just kept going. ‘Eventually he’ll tire,’ Lillip thought, reassuring herself, though not knowing how true it was.

Emilio felt like a sitting duck, unable to defend himself. ‘All I’m good for is healing people,’ he thought. ‘I can’t fight. I’m useless…’ He looked around his vicinity, checking for something he could use as a weapon. All he saw was broken wheelbarrow parts and leafs. Then he had an idea. It was a long shot, but it was worth trying. He remembered during his training at the guild that his powers were restorative�"primarily used for healing�"but that they could also be reversed. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and ran his fingers through his thick, brown hair, striving to remember how to reverse his powers.

Then he remembered. He placed his left hand on his heart and his right into the air. He chanted silently, uttering strange, inhuman noises beneath his strained breathing. This was a technique he had never before attempted and it required intense concentration. His nose started bleeding, but his trance was so deep that he couldn’t even feel it. He zeroed in on his central aura, focusing it through his body. He could feel it working its way from his heart to his shoulder. It was chilly, causing the hairs on his neck to rise. It reached his biceps, which were on end from the physical strain he was putting his body through. Finally, he could feel the aura resonating in his fingertips. He balled his fist up and then opened it slowly, forming an orb of sky blue energy that floated above his palm. He opened his eyes and wailed, flinging the orb at the Goblin King.

Despite its minuteness, the azure sphere caused the Goblin King to cry out when it struck his back. It left a small, exposed wound on his backside. He put his arms behind his back in order to feel the injury, but it was just beyond his grasp. Instead he turned with a growl and swiped in Emilio’s direction, attempting to strike him, but Emilio’s nimbleness allowed for an easy dodge. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to generate another energy sphere without passing out, but he felt accomplished simply from helping fight.

Carmyne flung a barrage of fireballs at him, but they didn’t seem to do much damage. She struck him with her Earthquake ability, desperate to knock him off balance, but it was a failure. She decided she’d had enough. She closed her eyes, a gamble in this situation, and focused on the air; the intangible vapor that filled every nook and cranny of the planet. Carmyne’s abilities didn’t allow her to create or destroy matter, she was only able to manipulate it or increase it’s power. In this case, she would do both. She concentrated on the gentle, barely noticeable current of the breeze and escalated it. She opened her eyes, which were bleach white, and raising her arms. She was creating a typhoon.

The violent squall surged towards the beast, sucking him into an uncontrollable gyration. Even his enhanced weren’t enough to stop a force of nature. As the tempest subsided, the Goblin King continued to revolve in an unsteady daze. He finally stumbled over his own feet and fell to the earth, causing a loud boom.

This was their one-in-a-million chance.

Lillip, using her arms as a stimulant, lunged herself above his fallen body and extended all four of her limbs. She bound him in her natural ropes. Her arms and legs shackled his. “Hurry, please!” she squealed in her soprano voice between her clenched teeth. She was straining from the effort and was on the verge of losing her grip.

Alexia pulled two arrows out of her quiver, leaving only one left, and fired them into his eyes, blinding him. Her roared from the pain and broke free of Lillip’s bonds.

But he was helpless. He stood and flailed his arms aimlessly, hoping to his something. He tripped over a wheelbarrow and fell back to the ground. It was a little amusing to watch, but now was not the time.

Kendrew dashed towards and landed a solid sucker punch to his left cheek. Kendrew knew that he could do his damage if he could get his hands on the king. And now he was able to. He punched and kicked the monster’s body more until he stopped reacting. He lay limp and lifeless.

Cautiously, Carmyne proceeded to approach his flaccid body. She kicked it in the shoulder and smiled. “It looks like we did it!” she said with an awkward cheer in her voice.

“Yeah, I… I guess we did,” Alexia said breathlessly.

All of a sudden, the Goblin King swung his arm forward and grabbed Carmyne’s arm. She gasped and the monster lifted her from the ground and threw her across the clearing with a growl. She landed against the trunk of a tree, a broken branch stabbing her in the left part of her chest. She grunted and slid down the tree slowly to the earth below.

“Carmyne!” Alexia heard someone yell. She turned to see Kendrew and Emilio bolted where her body lay. She turned back to the beast with a vengeance. The giant was smiling with glee, knowing he had injured Carmyne. Alexia took the final arrow out of her quiver and stomped to his face. She pulled the drawstring back and fired the wooden arrow down his open throat. She saw it disappear in the darkness and then heard him gag.

He grabbed his throat and gasped for air, but there was none for him. He kicked furiously. Alexia and Lillip jumped out of the way of his flailing limbs and then watched him stop. His head fell to the side and he lay dead.

For real.

Then Alexia remembered Carmyne. She turned and ran towards her, focusing on nothing else. Lillip saw what was happening and decided she would rather not get involved. She turned the woods and jogged away, off to search for her friend Theo.

“Carmyne… Carmyne!” Kendrew yelled, shaking her body. The branch had fallen out, but left a gaping wound in her chest, right above her heart. It was bleeding profusely and showed no signs of stopping. “Carmyne, don’t die on me! Please, don’t die!” His eyes were welling up with tears. He turned to Emilio who sat in a hypnotic state. He punched him across the face. “Fix her! Don’t let her die.”

It took Emilio a moment to react. He placed one hand on his chest and the other on her chest. He tried to concentrate, but couldn’t. “I… I can’t do it. I don’t have enough power…”

“Save her, damn it!” Kendrew shouted, tears streaming down his face.

“I can’t!” Emilio replied. “I don’t have any energy left from the battle!”

Then they saw her eyes twitch. She opened them slightly and coughed, spewing a few drops of blood on her dress. “I… I... I guess this is it…” she said, her voice strained and hollow. Alexia could feel her eyes starting to water, but she blinked them away. “I… I’m not ready to… die, but… I guess everyone has to… sometime.”

“Don’t say that, Carmyne,” Kendrew said, his voice cracking from sobbing. “You’re not going to die, okay? You’re going to be just fine, okay? We’re going to get you back to Genesis and get you to a doctor! You’re… You’re going to be alright!”

Carmyne looked at him. Even on the brink of death, she still looked him in the eyes. “Stop… lying to me, Ken. I know… that my time here is… over. And I… accept it.” She was breathing heavily, wheezing between sentences. “I sure am… going to miss you guys. I… never had real friends, but… I considered all of you to be my… friends.” She chuckled, causing herself to cough up more blood. “Hell, you guys were… my family.”

By now, they were all in tears. “Hey, stop… crying. I’m not… worth it,” she said, blood running out of the corners of her mouth. She had tears growing in her own eyes. “Ken, I want you… to lighten up some… okay? Stop being… so uptight. These people are… your friends. Let them… get to know you…”

“I will, Carmyne. I will,” she said, his entire face wet and red from weeping. He had one hand behind her head and another clasped around hers.

She turned to Emilio, though it was undetectable whether she could see at all. “Em… Keep cooking… I’m going to… miss your jokes.” She paused and coughed some more. “Maybe that was… my problem. I never took you… seriously. I know that you had… a crush on me. I’m… sorry I didn’t give you a chance.”

“Carmyne, don’t apologize to me,” Emilio said between sniffles. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You never did anything wrong, chica.”

She smiled weakly. “I’m going to miss… those little nicknames too,” she said and turned to Alexia. “You were like… a sister to me, Lexie,” Carmyne said before coughing again. “I’m sorry… I forgot that you didn’t… like it when I called you that…”

“Well, I love it now,” Alexia said, wiping the tears from her face.

Carmyne smiled again and her eyes closed. “Promise me one thing. Don’t’… forget about me…”

And that was the last thing she said. The final tears streamed down from her eyes and she her head rolled over the right side.

“Carmyne? Carmyne! No! Please, God! No, don’t die on me! Carmyne!” Kendrew yelled, covering his face with his hands and sinking into a ball on the ground. Alexia covered her mouth to keep herself from crying out. She closed her eyes, pushing the tears down her face. Emilio put his hands on his head and stood in grief. He paced around and chuckled hysterically before shouting out numerous swear words.

‘How can I forget you, Carmyne?’ Alexia thought. ‘You were the girl with the lavender eyes and cherry hair. You were the girl with perfect teeth and a smile that spread joy wherever it went. You were the girl who knew seven languages, working on eight. You were the girl that I dared to call my non-biological sister. You were the girl I trusted. You were the girl I loved.’

When Carmyne died, the whole world died with her.

 

 

Chapter 13

 

 

 

 

 

 

The journey back to Genesis was in silence. No one had anything to say. What could they say? Carmyne, the glue that held them together, was gone. Alexia racked her brain for the right words to say, but came up empty handed. Instead, she just led the way.

They walked back to the S.S. Bedazzled awkwardly. As thought she was emotionless, Alexia couldn’t feel anything. She thought that she should cry�"she wanted to cry�"but she couldn’t cry. She felt like her tear reservoir was dry. She couldn’t be angry that the Goblin King had killed her best friend. She couldn’t be glad that their journey was over. The only thing she felt was tiredness. She was tired of everything.

“Hey, how did it go?” Shimmer said, her cheery face greeting their return. But her mood instantly became somber when she saw their despondent faces. She noticed that Carmyne was missing, but figured it was better not to ask.

She brushed down the back of her head, her manicured fingernails gliding through her auburn hair, and motioned for them to come onboard. She was wearing a teal tank top that exposed her dream catcher belly button ring and a pair or skinny jeans. Her jeans were tucked into a pair of cowgirl boots and she wore a silver pendant around her neck. Not expecting a response, Shimmer chattered freely to the group, hoping to clear the air. “Umm, Shine said that she got the engine all fixed up and everything. I know much about marine mechanics, but it looks okay to me.” She snickered to herself. “It’s still kind of hard to believe that I was harboring a monster on my ship for that long. It seems like I would’ve noticed at some point that Sparkle wasn’t acting right. Red flag, you know?” She shook her head, putting away the depressing thoughts. “But that’s all in the past. No point in dwelling on it. You can’t pick up anything new if you’re still holding onto yesterday’s trash, right?” she said, smiling feebly.

“That’s what they all say,” Kendrew said under his breath as he walked wearily to his room. With the extra space, all the guests onboard the ship were able to have their own room. Emilio stayed in his old room, Kendrew stayed in the room Carmyne and Alexia had stayed in, and Alexia took over Sparkle’s old room. She didn’t feel comfortable sleeping in Sparkle’s room, almost like it was disrespectful, but Shimmer allowed her to; insisted that she should, actually.

Shine emerged from the engine room where she spent most of her time to greet the guests. “Back so soon?” she said, brushing her hair back behind her ear, exposing an red and white industrial bar that Alexia hadn’t noticed before. She was wearing a loose-fitting sweatshirt and a pair of baggy jeans. Her light brown hair was slightly frizzy from working, but a pair of goggles sitting on top of her head hid it. Whether it was intentional or not was indecipherable. Looking around at their gloomy faces, Shine noticed Carmyne’s absence. She turned to Shimmer who gave her a look that told her not to ask. Instead, Shine simply smiled and walked to Captain’s Cabin, carrying a black toolbox with her. “Just let me know if you need anything,” she said before disappearing around the corner.

 

vvv

 

Unlike Emilio and Kendrew, Alexia wasn’t able to go to her room and go to sleep. She had gone to her room earlier and attempted to slumber, but to no avail. She would rather not sleep, anyway. She was tired, but fearful of what horrible nightmares might await her in her subconscious. If she had murderous dreams about Sebastion, a guy she barely knew, then they was no predicting the horrors she could dream about Carmyne, her deceased homegirl.

Instead, she went out onto the deck of the ship, staring blankly into the deep cerulean brine. She watched as the moon’s reflection danced on the waves; a hypnotic pirouette that seemed to draw Alexia in. She closed her eyes and felt the cool night air against her skin. She was only wearing a thin, white spaghetti strap shirt and a pair of red sleeping shorts, so the majority of her body was bare. But she didn’t mind. The chilly breeze from the water engulfed her body, causing the hairs on her arms and legs to rise.

Alexia exhaled deeply and opened her eyes. She looked at her hand, admiring the ruby ring she had taken from the Goblin King. The Queen needed it back as proof that the job was complete. It was mad of pure gold with alien markings carved into it and a large, lustrous ruby on top. It fit snuggly on the middle finger of her right hand. How it managed to fit on the king’s hand and on Alexia’s hand was a mystery to her. The incredible power that it radiated was an even bigger mystery. “Was it really worth it?” she said to herself, not realizing that it had been out loud.

“I’m really sorry, Alexia,” a soft said behind her. Alexia turned around to see Shimmer approaching, clasping her hands together in front of her body. She was wearing the same shirt she wore earlier, but her jeans had been switched with a pair of short shorts that seemed to barely cover her bum. The startle from her unexpected presence caused Alexia’s heart to race. She put her hand and her chest and exhaled deeply. Shimmer seemed regretful of sneaking up on her. “Sorry,” she said sympathetically. “I didn’t mean to startle you…”

After calming down her pulse and breathing, Alexia smiled weakly at her. “It’s fine,” she said dryly, unable to conjure up any type of emotion to spice up her words. She turned back around and looked back out to the water, hoping that Shimmer would leave.

She didn’t. Shimmer walked closer and stood beside Alexia and looked at the lake too. She pondered the right words to say, but nothing seemed fitting. Finally, she just placed her hand on Alexia’s back and rubbed up and down, moving from the small of her back to the bottom of her neck.

The odd gesture seemed someone comforting to Alexia and she released some of her tension. “We appreciate you giving us a ride,” Alexia said, looking down at where the ship vanished beneath the water’s surface.

“It’s not a problem at all. We’re more than happy to do it,” Shimmer said, but not turning to face Alexia. That was one major thing that separated Shimmer from Carmyne. Shimmer knew what made people feel awkward and knew how to avoid it.

After a few moments of silence, Shimmer began to hum a tune that Alexia didn’t recognize. She turned to Shimmer and smiled a little. Not a happy smile, but a smile that let Shimmer know that her attempt at cheering Alexia up was working. A little. “Do you sing?” she asked, merely making conversation.

Shimmer turned to Alexia and poked her lips out slightly. “A little. Sparkle was the one in the family who had the true pipes. I was mostly just back up.” Shimmer thought for a moment. “Wait, you don’t know about the Ramsley Damsels, do you?” she asked inquisitively.

Alexia cocked an eyebrow at her. “Umm, no. Should I?” she said blandly. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had heard it before.

Smiling, Shimmer proceeded to tell her story. “Well, before me and my sisters became sailors, we were a music group called the Ramsley Damsels. It was really Sparkle’s dream, but we wanted to support her, you know? That’s what sisters are for, after all.” The wind was blowing a little harder now and Shimmer had to push her blowing hair out of her face. “Sparkle was lead and me and Shine sang back up. We traveled everywhere and performed. We even sang for some rulers. We were actually pretty famous for a while…” She allowed her voice to trail off, as if she had no intentions of finishing the story.

“So, what happened?” Alexia asked, genuinely interested in her story. Being a musician herself, Alexia enjoyed hearing stories of past ones.

Shimmer giggled to herself. “I hate to say this, but I became a little bit of a diva. I let all that glitz and glamour go to my head. I didn’t like who I was becoming. So I dropped out of the band. Not only was I a back up singer, but also the group’s event planner and financial advisor. Without me, the Ramsley Damsels went under. They blew all of their money and couldn’t book enough gigs to make up for it.” She sighed and turned back to the sea. “Sparkle never forgave me for it, but I don’t blame her. I crushed her dreams and she was left with was this raggedy ship. I mean, we fixed up nice, but its nothing compare to the fame and fortune that is entailed with the music business…”

Alexia wasn’t sure what to say. ‘It’s not your fault’ sounded too cliché and commonplace. Then she got an idea. “Hold on a second,” she said, holding up a finger to Shimmer. She jogged back to her room, retrieved her harp, and returned where Shimmer was.

She fingered each string, making sure they were in tune. Then she began playing a solemn melody, one that Shimmer didn’t recognize. Nonetheless, she closed her eyes and nodded her head to the instrumental song, allowing the notes to wash over her body. She was surprised at just how lovely the song sounded.

Shine heard the music from her room, waking from her slumber. She stood up and walked over to the door. She pushed it open and poked her head out, the music growing louder without the wooden barrier. She smiled and ran her fingers through her frizzy hair.

Emilio also heard the music. He had nearly drifted off to sleep when the tender tune infiltrated his room. He sat up in his bed and looked towards his door. The wordless song squeezed a tight smile onto his face. He missed Carmyne, more than he would have every imagined that he would, but the melody seemed to bring him comfort and appeasement. He lay back down in bed and closed his eyes, feeling like he was able to go to sleep now.

Then the song reached Kendrew’s ears. He was laying in his bed in a fetal position, whimpering in his own self-pity. When he heard the song enter through his doorway, he stopped. His ears perked to attention and he listened attentively, as if the song was a message specifically designed for him. The tune enveloped his body, creating an appeasing atmosphere. He sat up and wiped his damp eyes on his thick wrists. He looked around his room, perhaps searching for the source of the tune. And then he saw her.

An apparition of Carmyne was standing in his room. He stared intently into her glazed eyes. Her gray lips were compressed into a tiny smile and she wore a frilly, gunmetal dress that cut off at the knees and ruffled out into winsome ruches. Her hands were behind her back and she wore a pair or black, strap on dress shoes. She approached him, her feet silent as the moved across the floor. She didn’t even really seem to touch the ground. Once she was close enough to him, she leaned forward and placed a frosty kiss on his mouth. Even though her lips were cold, they seemed to warm him up completely. She leaned back and giggled silently.

Then she vanished. Kendrew could have sworn that he heard her say, “I love you” before she disappeared, but he wasn’t entirely positive. But it didn’t matter to him. Not now. He had a moment of closure and he knew inside that he was going to be okay. He lay back down on his bed, wiped his cheeks where his tears had dried into nothing but a streak, and closed his eyes. The way he felt that moment was unique. Alien. A way he had never felt before.

He felt at peace.

Alexia wrapped up her melody in an arpeggio all the way through her scales, not opened her eyes until she strung the last note in succession. When she did open them, she saw Shimmer asleep, supporting her head with her arms. She smiled at her and walked down the hallway to her room. She saw the door to Shine’s room ajar and peeped in. She saw Shine passed out on her bed with a smile on her face. Alexia almost giggled and then went to her room.

She placed her harp in its case and lay on her bed. She smiled at the ceiling and thought, ‘I love music,’ before drifting off soundly to sleep.  

 

 

Chapter 14

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Alexia woke up breathing heavily, panting and sweaty. She sat up in her bed and looked around the room. She had dreamt the same horrible nightmare that she had the first time she was on the S.S. Bedazzled. The dream where she saw Sebastion holding a gun to his head and then he transformed into a reflection of Alexia. She would always wake just as her doppelganger pulled the trigger, the sound of gunshot ringing in her ear.

            She wiped the sweat from her brow and tried to calm her breathing. “Why is this happening to me?” she said to herself in a whisper. “I don’t even know him. Why am I having dreams about him?” She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. She looked around the room, examining the unlit furniture. This room was much nicer than Alexia’s old room. The bed she lay on was a huge, twin-size bed, unlike the stiff bunk bed in her old room, with a pink, silk curtain that would’ve blocked her view of the room. Alexia wasn’t used to such pleasantries so she rolled the curtain back. ‘Besides,’ she reminded herself, ‘I would like to be alert if someone tried to sneak up on me while I’m asleep.’

            There was a picture of Gleam Ramsley, Shimmer, Sparkle, and Shine’s mother, hanging on the wall. It wasn’t the same picture that Alexia had seen earlier. This one showed Gleam wearing a green gown and sitting on a stool with a baby on her lap. The three sisters looked fairly similar, but Alexia could assume that the baby was a Sparkle. She didn’t even look a year old and wore a blue dress of the same style as her mom’s, long and puffy. Her fine, brownish hair was tied with a pink, lacey ribbon. She had her same watery green eyes.

            The lack of illumination peeping from underneath the door told Alexia that it was still dark out. It had been three days since their moment of closure and Shimmer had assured them earlier that day that she would have them across the lake the next day. Alexia rose to her feet, her bare feet chilly against the cold wooden floor, and walked across the room to the door. She opened the door and, though it was dark outside, Alexia found her way onto the deck.

            There was an ominous fog covering the surface of the lake, giving it a slightly eerie appearance. She walked cautiously across the deck of the ship, ankle deep in a thin blanket of mist. She was slightly apprehensive walking in this foreboding haze, but she didn’t want to go back to sleep just yet. Besides, it was as if some unseen force was pulling her outward.

            That’s when she saw her.

            Alexia saw a pale woman dressed all in white standing on the edge of the ship, peering out intently at the lake. Alexia felt apprehension fill up inside of her as she approached the woman. She looked like a poltergeist and the fog made her appear even spookier.

            Finally, when the ghastly lady was within her reach, Alexia reached out and tapped on her shoulder. The woman turned nonchalantly, her face somber but familiar. “Why am I here?” she asked, pleading Alexia for an answer. Alexia felt like she recognized the woman, but couldn’t be positive about who she was. She had long, gray hair and a ruffled evening gown that went past her feet. Despite its length, Alexia could see plainly that the woman’s feet were not touching the floor. She had a melancholic expression on her face, the edges of her silvery lips turned down. Her eyelashes were abnormally long and brushed against the bridge of her nose when she blinked.

            “Who… Who are you?” Alexia asked, backing up slightly. The phantasmal woman didn’t seem hostile, but she wasn’t willing to take any chances.

            The lady tilted her head and sighed. “My name is, or was, Sparkle Ramsley.” Alexia then realized that was where she had seen the face before. She looked slightly different as a specter, though. Just dissimilar enough to be beyond recognition. “I need to ask you something,” she said. “Be honest with me. Am I… dead?”

            Alexia wasn’t sure the safest way to answer the question. She never saw Sparkle actually pass over, but she remember hearing Zeta-304B say that she was long gone. “It would seem that way,” Alexia said finally.

            Even though her eyes had a natural liquidity to them, they appeared to be more so than usual as she closed them and placed her hand on her cheek. “Oh…” she said despondently. She remained quiet for a moment and turned her head toward the ship’s stern. “Do you know my sisters?” she said finally. “Their names are Shimmer and Shine. This is our ship.”

            “Yeah, I know them,” Alexia said with a small grin on her face. “They’re here. Would you like to see them?” She started to walk away, but was stopped by an ice-cold hand on her shoulder. It was an inhuman chill that Alexia had never felt before. It made her whole body shiver.

            “Please, don’t,” she said, looking down at the ground. “I don’t think I could bear to see them. Not after all that I’ve put them through…”

            “What… What do you mean?” Alexia asked, shifting her stance so that they icy hand fell from her shoulder.

            Sparkle turned back and stared into the ocean. “I wasn’t very kind to them,” she said. Then she laughed. “No, I was a total b***h to them. I was lucky, though. I was the first-born child, I was blessed with good looks and a strong voice, and mom left everything to me. I wasn’t expecting it, either! When the will was read, I was as surprised as anyone! But they all claim that I had something to do with it…”

            “Did you?” Alexia asked impulsively.

            “No! Absolutely not! I didn’t want this dumb ship! I wanted to be a singer, and I would’ve been able to if Shimmer hadn’t�"“ She stopped and took a deep breath in order to calm down. She smoothed down her long hoary hair. “I didn’t forge those papers,” she said finally and gave an exasperated sigh. “I guess it doesn’t even matter anymore, though. Since I’m all dead and stuff…”

            Alexia would see a ray of light coming from beyond the horizon. A sign of morning. “Will you do me two favors?” Sparkle asked, staring Alexia down. “When you see my sisters, tell them that I’m sorry and that I love them so much.”

            “Of course,” said Alexia reassuring her. “What’s the other?”

            Sparkle looked from left to right and leaned in close to Alexia. Their faces were so close that Alexia would’ve been able to feel Sparkle’s breath�"if she was breathing. “Don’t trust Mother,” she said, barely above a whisper. Alexia’s eyes widened and she leaned in slightly closer. “She is very persuasive. She makes you think that she has it all figured out and that you’re her best friend, but you have to promise me that you won’t listen to her. Do you understand?” She was dead serious.

            “Yes,” Alexia said. “I promise.” Sparkle smiled and nodded. Then she took a necklace from under the collar of her white dress. It was beautiful but in an odd way. It was a silver pendant on a chain with what appeared to be a black stone in the middle of the pendant. The stone itself was only around the size of a dime, but it was beautiful and speckled. “What’s that?” Alexia asked, referring to the necklace.

            “It’s my pendent. The only thing I have left from my mother. It has some of her ashes in it.” It wasn’t a stone; it was Gleam’s ashes from being cremated. “And I want you to have it.” She took it from around her neck and placed it in Alexia’s hand.

            Alexia stared at the locket in her hand, watching the ashes shift positions. “I can’t accept this, Sparkle. It’s too precious.”

            “Look,” she began, “I’m about to move on to the other world. That thing will do you much more good here than it will with me. Keep it. It was blessed by the Holy Priestess to ward off against evil spirits.” Then Sparkle started to become more and more difficult to see. The sun was coming from over the clouds and she was disappearing. “I’m sorry we never got a chance to meet while I was alive, Alexia. You seem like a pretty cool chick. Well, looks like I’m moving on. But I guess everyone has to at sometime… Good-bye, Alexia! Tell my sisters I said I lov�"“

            And she was gone.

            Alexia looked around the ship, partly expecting her to reappear. When she didn’t, she turned to the sunrise. It was a gorgeous spectrum of oranges and pinks that faded into the navy night sky. A daily miracle. She opened her hand and saw that the pendant was still there. She felt immoral putting it around her neck, but a necklace like this was too precious to be locked in a drawer or stored away. It was made to be admired.

            Alexia walked back to her room, lay down in her bed, and fell back asleep. In peace.

 

 

Chapter 15

 

 

 

 

 

 

            “Well, I guess this is good-bye,” Shimmer said, hugging Emilio tightly around the neck. “I’m really going to miss you guys.” They arrived back in Genesis territory later that day, after Alexia caught up on her sleep.

            “I’ll miss you chicas too,” Emilio said.

Shimmer released him and turned to Alexia. She spotted the necklace around her neck. “That’s such a beautiful pendant, Alexia,” she said adoringly. “It looks just like the one Sparkle had. It had our mom’s ashes it.”

“Actually,” Alexia replied, holding up the charm so she could see it, “it is Sparkle’s necklace. She gave it to me, Shimmer.” Shimmer seemed a little taken back at first and opened her mouth to say something, but Alexia interrupted her. “I met her.”

Shimmer shook her head. “You never met my actual sister. You only met her imposter. Don’t you remember?” She had a concerned look in her eyes, but it wasn’t evident in her voice.

“No, I met her.” Alexia was acutely serious, staring into Shimmer’s dark pupils. “Last night. She was on the deck of the ship. Well, her spirit was. I talked to her,” she added.

Biting her bottom lip, Shimmer said, “But… How did you�"“

“I’m really not sure,” Alexia interrupted. “But she was there. She told me to tell you that she didn’t forge those papers. And that she loves you.” Shimmer’s eyes watered slightly, but she blinked away the tears and chuckled lifelessly.

“It’s funny,” she started, “how people always want to start listening after they’re dead.” She opened her eyes and hugged Alexia tightly, placing her chin on her shoulder.

“Do you want the necklace, Shimmer?” Alexia finally said after they separated. She was reluctant about giving it away, but figured Shimmer would want it as a memento of her sister.

But she shook her head. “No, you keep it,” she said. “Someone people prefer to remember, but I find it easier to forget… Besides, it looks ravishing on you!” Alexia struck a pose and gave a little twirl. They both laughed.

“Well, I guess we’ll be seeing you,” Alexia said as she started to walk off. Emilio and Kendrew had already gotten a few feet of a head start on her.

“I guess so,” Shimmer said. “Good-bye, Alexia! Good luck! And if you ever need a ship when you go any future missions, you know who to call.”

“I don’t plan on going on any more missions,” Alexia said teasingly, “but I’ll keep that in mind.”

And at that, the two went their separate ways.

They walked in silence through the flower-trodden field, taking priority in getting across before dark. They still remember what happened last time they were foolish enough to spend the night in the seemingly innocent meadow. After dark, hostile plant creatures rose and searched for young children to devour.

Alexia still found it hard to believe that a place this beautiful and pure could harbor such nasty creatures. But she knew now not to judge something based off of its appearance. She learned that lesson from Carmyne…

Then, Alexia heard a cry.

“¡Ayúdame! ¡Ayúdame!” the voice cried. Alexia couldn’t find the source, but the words rang out like a bell clearly as if the caller was right beside her. The voice was Latina with a slightly thicker accent than Emilio’s. The feminine voice sounded stressed and concerned. Alexia knew enough Spanish to know that the words meant ‘Help me.’

“¡Ayúdame! ¿Está alguien allí?” said the mysterious Latina voice. Then they saw a woman come over the peak of one of the many hills that resided in the florid field. She spotted them and ran towards them, her long, brown, braided hair bouncing behind her. She was wearing a knee-length white dress with black speckles on it. Her feet were bare and she nearly tripped as she ran down the hill. As she got closer, she cried out, “Mi casa está en llamas!”

Emilio’s eyes widened and he ran to meet the woman at the base of the hill. He could obviously understand her, but Alexia and Kendrew were clueless as to what was going on. They trusted Emilio, though, and ran after him.

Emilio clasped the lady’s hands and said, “Hay un fuego?” He seemed genuinely concerned, even though Alexia couldn’t understand him.

“Si, señor,” she said. “Ayúdame, por favor! Mi hija todavía está en la casa!” She pointed up the hill and started up it, pulling Emilio behind her. They ran up the hill, hand in hand, almost looking like brother and sister. The girl was nearly the same shade as Emilio�"only slightly darker�"and they had similar heights and builds. Emilio was a little short for a guy his age and the girl seemed to be a little tall for girl her age. Emilio’s hair was lighter than hers and his eyes were an unusual green, while the girl’s eyes were a light chestnut hue.

As they reached the top of the hill, they saw the girl was talking about. There was a house around one hundred feet away that on fire. Emilio wasted no time as he bolted towards the burning building. It was a small wooden cabin; not very dainty, but it seemed rather homey. “We’re not too far from Genesis Castle,” Kendrew said. “I’ll go see if I can get some help.”

“Okay,” Alexia said. “Hurry back!” Kendrew took off running in the direction of Genesis, his long legs taking wide strides with each step. “It’s going to be okay,” Alexia said, reassuring the woman. The Latino lady went into a tirade of Spanish words that Alexia couldn’t comprehend. “Whoa! Please, calm down! It’ll be okay. Take a deep breath, okay?” The woman seemed to understand and inhaled deeply. “Now, do you speak English?”

The lady exhaled deeply before saying, “A little. Not much, though.”

“Okay. Well, what’s going on?” Alexia asked, looking in the direction of the burning shack.

“That’s my house over there. Just my nine-month-old daughter and I live there. A few minutes ago, it caught on fire! Out of nowhere! Like, oh, how do you say… spontaneous combustion! Yeah, that’s it.” She frowned. “I was outside when the fire started, but my daughter was taking a nap upstairs. Is your friend going to save her?” Her russet eyes showed her intense concern for her daughter.

“Emilio is going to do everything he can,” Alexia said, placing her hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Now, what’s your name?”

She was silent for a moment and then gulped deeply. “Cariña Nieve,” she said. “And my daughter’s name is Adeline.”

 “Okay, Cariña. My name is Alexia. My friend Emilio is a trustworthy guy so you can believe that he’ll get Adeline out of there, okay?” Alexia said, smiling at Cariña. She was a very pretty girl. Her skin was the same tone all over and her light brown eyes had a friendly disposition to them. Her hair was long, nearly to the bottom of her back, and was French braided, tied nicely with a white ribbon at the end. She had large lips and a small nose that seemed to work together nicely. Her eyebrow was pierced with a red and white striped bar that reminded Alexia of a candy cane. She was thin, but not sickly thin. She had a purple and pink homemade band of beads around her ankle.

Cariña was silent, but then smiled, seeming to be convinced. “Okay,” she said, “I trust you.”

 

vvv

 

Emilio was searching around the burning house for Adeline. He pulled the collar of his brown t-shirt over his nose and mouth to keep from inhaling any of the smoke. They whole house was filled with a layer of the fumes that made it next to impossible to see. But he was adamant to find the girl.

‘But why?’ he wondered. ‘I don’t know this girl or her daughter. I don’t even know their names. So why am I so determined to find her?’ He walked into what appeared to the kitchen, hoping to find a possible source of the fire: burned food or something. But he didn’t see anything.

‘Was it because she was so pretty?’ Emilio speculated. ‘I mean, she was gorgeous… But could that be why?’ He got so lost in thought that he nearly bumping into a burning. ‘Get a grip, Em! Whatever the reason, there is a little girl in this house who needs rescuing!’ He looked from left to right, straining his eyes to peer through the thick smog. Then he saw what appeared to be the base of a flight of stairs. ‘That looks like as good a place as any.’

As he proceeded towards the steps, a piece of ceiling fell in front of him. He nearly jumped out of his skin from the fright. “¡Dios mío!” Emilio said, muffled through the fabric of his shirt. ‘Got to hurry!’ he thought. He bolted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. When he finally got to top, he turned to his left and saw three rooms�"the smoke being slightly less dense in the upper part of the house. The one at the end of the hall was slightly cracked open and the rooms on either side were wide open.

He checked the room on the left side first. It was a small bathroom consisting only of a porcelain sink and toilet. He checked the room on the right next. It was a medium sized bedroom with a twin sized bed, tan wardrobe, a bureau, and a nightstand. But no child.

He pushed open the door to the last room and it squeaked slightly. Emilio gasped at what he saw inside. It was a standard nursery room�"containing a lacy bassinet, a dresser, a toy box overflowing with toys, a playpen, and a bookcase�"but there was man standing in the room with his back turned to Emilio. He was standing adjacent to the bassinet with his hands in front of him. From behind, he appeared to be a normal man wearing a suit. But when he turned around, quite the contrary was evident.

His face was horribly disfigured with a crooked nose and uneven black eyes. His mouth was contorted into a horrendous smirk, exposing his rotten teeth. His dark hair was mangy and the small portion of his skin that was exposed was covered in scorches and scars that gave him an orange-ish complexion. In his arms he cradled a sleeping baby. Adeline.

She was sucking silently on her pacifier, completely unaware of what was going on around her. She looked similar to her mother�"well, as similar as one-year-old baby can get. She was wearing a pink, button-up onesie and sleeping silently in the man’s arms. “A beautiful child, isn’t she?” the man asked, his voice low and raspy.

“Who are you?” Emilio asked, lowering the collar of his shirt. He felt it was safe to do so since the smoke wasn’t very thick upstairs and there was hardly any in this room.

The man looked down at Adeline and made kissy noises. “My name is Kappa-196C,” he said. Emilio remember that the werewolf creature had a name similar to his.

“Are you the cause of this fire?” Emilio asked forcibly. He stepped slightly closer to the man, but he wasn’t sure why. He had no way to defend himself if the man suddenly decided to attack.

Looking back to Emilio, the man said, “More or less. I didn’t start it, per se. I just, you know, helped it.” He smiled at him, simpering at him in a grizzly way. “That’s all magic does. Isn’t that what Carmyne told you?”

Her name hit Emilio like a brick. “How do you know about Carmyne?” Emilio asked apprehensively. He was demanding answers from the mysterious man.

The man chuckled, sounding more like a gagged cough than a laugh. “I know everything about you, Emilio.” Emilio’s eyes widened and he took a step back as the man stepped forward. “Emilio Guillermo Castillo. Five foot nine, one hundred sixty pounds. Born in San Gonzalo on September twenty-first to José and Maria Castillo. You have three brothers and two sisters. Their names are Enrique, Estefan, Eduardo, Esmeralda, and Elisa. Your family moved to Genesis thirteen years ago when you were four years old and had you immediately enrolled into the clerical program at the Apprentice Guild. You never liked it, but you took it anyway to please your family.” Kappa eyed Emilio with a perverse look. “What was the program that you wanted to be enrolled in?”

Emilio froze at the question. “It was culinary, right?” Kappa said with a chortle.

‘How did he know that?’ Emilio wondered, becoming flushed. ‘I never told anyone that. Not even my parents. I just thought about it a lot… Who is this guy?’ Emilio tried to act cool about it, though; the way he handles every situation. He put his hands behind his hand. “Nah, hombre. You must have me confused with another Emilio. I’m doing exactly what I want to.”

“Is that so?” Kappa asked, looking down at Adeline again. She rolled over and pressed forehead against the man’s chest.  She yawned, showing her nearly toothless mouth, but remained in her slumber.

“Yes, it is,” Emilio said. “It seems like you would know that if you know so much about me.”

“Hmm…” The walked about the room for a moment and then turned to Emilio. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but didn’t. He opened his mouth wide, his jaw seeming to stretch beyond human capabilities. The inside of his mouth was like a black whole, seeming never endless. When it had seemed like he was finished stretching his mouth, the darkness inside began to illuminate. Then Emilio saw a stream of fire rush from up Kappa’s throat. He nearly didn’t get out of the way or the inferno breath and he felt the tip of his shirt singe.

“Whoa!” Emilio cried out. “How did you�"“

But Kappa didn’t give him a chance to finish. “Dragons can do lots of things.” Emilio gave him a suspicious look, hearing the word ‘dragons.’ “I figured you of all people would know that,” he added mysteriously under his breath.

“Dragons? I think they all went extinct during the Twenty Year War…” Emilio didn’t want to admit it, but a dragon in the area would explain what was going on. The burning house and Adeline getting kidnapped.

Kappa laughed wryly, a puff of smoke popping out of his flared nostrils. “They nearly did. But Mother’s making more. Dragons were the closest of the great races to being flawless. But somehow, the humans were able to defeat us.”

“Yeah, we did,” Emilio said, his confidence building gradually. “Dragons not be so perfect after all if we were about to defeat them.” His crooked smile teased Kappa, egging him on.

But he didn’t react in a negative way. Instead, he smiled. “You must not know. I don’t know if I should find it vexing or humorous.” Emilio didn’t like the tone in his throat. “Perhaps both!”

“What are you talking about?” Emilio asked, raising his voice. Kappa’s vagueness was upsetting him.

“Why don’t I show you instead?” Kappa said he suddenly teleported within grasping distance of Emilio. He raised his free hand and placed his index and middle fingers on Emilio’s sweaty forehead.

He felt an excruciating migraine surge through his temples. Emilio squeezed his eyes closed from the pain. He fell to his knees and grabbed his head, a high-pitched twang resonating in his ears. Finally, after the agony subsided, Emilio opened his eyes. Everything around him was snowy and white.

“Where am I?” Emilio said out loud. He heard his words echo. He looked in all directions but saw nothing. Only an endless void of white. He shivered and rubbed his arms to warm himself up.

“You’re home.”

 

 

Chapter 16

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Where could Emilio be?’ Alexia wondered. She was worried something was wrong, but didn’t want Cariña to see her concern. They stood at the base of the hill watching Cariña’s house burn, waiting for Emilio to emerge.

But he never did.

Then she turned towards the gates of Genesis Castle. It had been long since Kendrew had departed. She wondered by he hadn’t returned yet. She and Cariña stood together at the base of the hill for over thirty minutes, the anticipation of her friends’ return eating away at her.

“He’ll be out soon,” Alexia said, reassuring Cariña. She didn’t know how true that was, but she felt like she should say something. The silence between them was unbearable.

Cariña didn’t even look at her. Her eyes were locked on her house. It was barely even burning anymore with mostly just smoke streaming from it. Her lips were pressed together from concentration and her eyes were watery. “It’s been too long. They should’ve been out by now…”

Alexia patted her on the back in empathy.

But she agreed with Cariña. And she was genuinely afraid that something had happened.

 

vvv

 

 

“What’s going on here?” Kendrew said to himself quietly, perplexed by all of the commotion inside the gates of Genesis. There people everywhere, walking in all directions and talking amongst themselves. People kept bumping into Kendrew and he would always excuse himself afterwards.

He saw a large group of people gathered together at the steps of Genesis Castle. That seemed to be the heart of the mayhem and the best place to get some answers. He walked towards the steps, sidestepping to avoid running into people. When he arrived at the area, he saw that the people formed a semi-circle around a man standing on the bottom step. He had his hands up as if trying to quiet down the crowd.

Kendrew had never met the man in person, but he recognized him as being the Queen’s chancellor. He was her public face. He was an elderly man, but not yet decrepit. He wore a button-up white shirt, a pair of black dress pants, and a dress coat. His gray hair was slicked back, giving him a very dignified look. He carried a scepter with a large stone on it around with him everywhere, but he didn’t use it to walk. Instead, he used it as a pointer and to attract people’s attention.

“Quiet down, everyone! Please!” he shouted, above the crowd’s murmuring. He clacked his scepter against the stairs, causing an abnormally loud sound that echoed throughout the city. As all the other citizens gathered together, the noise gradually dwindled down into a hushed whisper. Kendrew stood next to a man who was nearly as tall and well built as him. He wore a leather vest, a pair of tan slacks, and he had his brown hair spiked. He had a light five-o-clock shadow that made him somehow appear dangerous. “Thank you! Now, most of you probably know that Queen Alrose is coming out today to talk to her subjects. For those of you who don’t know, she is. She will be exiting shortly. Now, when she does come out, I need you all to treat her with the utmost respect. You will not talk while she is in your presence. You will not leave the premises while she is in your presence. You will not eat, drink, or smoke while she is in your presence. Have I made myself clear?” All of the townspeople whispered to each other as the man turned around and walked up the stairs.

The man next to Kendrew elbowed him in the side to get his attention. “It’s about that hussy came out of hiding. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of her in nearly three years.”

“I know, right. Me neither,” Kendrew replied. He wasn’t as shy as he used to be, but he still wasn’t very fond of talking to people that he didn’t know.

The man snorted a little and then extended his hand to Kendrew. “Grayson,” he said. He had a loud, gruff voice that caught people’s attention.

Kendrew didn’t move at first, but then he realized it was rude to shake the man’s hand. He grabbed his hand firmly and shook it. “Kendrew.” He let go of Grayson’s hand and cleared his throat. “So, what do you know about the Queen. Do you know why hasn’t come out of her castle in so long?” Kendrew had completely forgotten about finding help for Cariña. He was more interested in the Queen’s advent.

“Well, it’s no big secret, Ken,” said Grayson, folding his arms. “You must not be from around these parts, though.” It was true. Kendrew had moved to Genesis only two years prior. “When Queen Alrose took over seven years ago, she was young and beautiful and had a bright future ahead of her. Everyone loved her because she was friendly, charismatic, and she saved our kingdom from catastrophe. It was her idea to name this place Genesis, for new beginnings.”

“So… What happened?”

The man was silent for a moment, his eyes focused intensely on the palace steps. “Have you ever heard the expression ‘No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself?’” Grayson closed his eyes and tilted his head downward. “I have a feeling that’s what happened with Queen Alrose. I mean, people liked her because she was a likeable person, but I don’t think she was ready to rule a nation. She just didn’t possess all of the qualities that you have to have to be a good leader.”

“I can understand that,” Kendrew said.

Grayson opened his eyes and looked at Kendrew. “Yeah, man. I guess all that unprepared power went to her head and made her crazy. She locked herself in her castle almost three years ago and refused to come out. She wouldn’t even talk to the chancellor or the High Priestess.”

“Dang,” Kendrew said. Then he looked to the stairs and saw the door at the top opening. Then he saw a woman walk out the door and proceed down the stairs. The crowd immediately silenced when they saw her approaching. She was wearing a long, flowing, strapless, orange gown that was embroidered with orange stones. She also wore long, white gloves that nearly reached her elbows. They had large topazes on the external part of the wrist. Her ginger perm had curls so perfect that they seemed almost unreal, forming a silky halo around her head. Her eyes were a deep, emerald green that stuck out against her pale skin. She had long eyelashes�"probably fake�"and bright, glittery lipstick. Sitting on top of her luscious curls was a gorgeous crown of jewels, mostly topazes, which she was clearly a fan of. She had an all-over dignified look that earned the respect of her subjects. She wasn’t tall, but her upright posture made her seem to be above everyone else. Her lips were pressed together tightly and her eyes had a look of determination in them.

She finally reached the bottom of the steps, after what seemed like an eternity of her descending. The crowd was dead silent, anticipating her words.

“Greetings!” she said, her booming voice not seeming to fit her petite physique. “I know that I haven’t exactly been the best ruler to you people and I am extremely sorry. There are no words I can use to describe my selfish actions. I locked myself in my castle and wouldn’t see any of you, something that I deeply regret…” She allowed her voice to drift off in order to raise the suspension.

“But I believe that people can change, which is something that I need to do! After all, how can someone change a nation before they first change themselves?”

At this, they crowd burst into the cheer. Kendrew looked and saw that he and Grayson were the only ones who weren’t. Alrose smiled, revealing her bright, shining smile. “Isn’t that why we came up with the name Genesis? For new beginnings?” The crowd cheered louder.

‘She sure is good at telling people what they want to hear,’ Kendrew thought.

Alrose patted the air with her hands in an attempt to quiet the crowd. “I believe that, with your support, we can change the face of, not just this nation, but of the whole world!” They all hooped and hollered, seeming to be in support of her plans.

“My dream,” she started, “is to create a perfect world. One inhabited by flawless beings. You see, when I took over during the Twenty Year War, races were killing each other. Isn’t that sad? Brother and sister fighting tooth and nail just because they were different. Is that the kind of people we want to be?” Everyone was silent. “I didn’t think so. That’s why I have this dream. I want everyone to be peaceful. If everyone is perfect and equal, then my dream will be accomplished. If no one is different from each other, they’ll have no reason to fight. We can avoid an avalanche of bloodshed with my ideals! Now… who’s with me?”

No one said a thing. They looked around at their neighbors, but nobody said a single word. Alrose looked across the crowd, her wide smile beginning to fade. When she saw that no one was going to step up, she spoke. “Is that so? You all seemed so eager to support me only moments ago. Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Because you’re crazy!” a voice called out from the back of the crowd. Everyone turned around to see who it was.

Alrose’s previously sweet face turned into one of pure disgust. “Will the owner of that last comment please come forward?” Her words sounded innocent, but Kendrew could hear a hint of malice in them.

Then he saw a man walking from the back of the crowd and up to the front, pushing his way between people. “Look at this guy,” Grayson said, elbowing Kendrew in the ribs. When he reached the place where Alrose was standing, Kendrew recognized who the man was. He recognized his blond hair with a green streak. He recognized his dancer-like grace when he walked. He recognized his mysterious half-grin. He recognized his deep, peaceful voice.

“Please state your name for us, young man,” Alrose said, even though she didn’t look much older than him.

He grinned at her and slipped his hands in his pockets. “My name is Sebastion McCarter,” he said. He was the man who ran the Apprentice Guild. The man who had assigned Kendrew to travel with Alexia. The man Alexia dreamed about at night.

“And you have the gall to say that my ideals are crazy?” she asked him inquisitively. “Please explain!”

“It’s just stupid,” said Sebastion casually. He obviously wasn’t afraid of getting in trouble with her, even though treason was a serious crime. “A world filled with perfect creatures? It’s not possible! There is no such thing as perfection. Everyone and everything has some sort of flaw or weakness.”

Alrose listened attentively to his words, absorbing each one into her mind. And then she smiled strangely. “So, you are saying that everyone has his or her flaws? You and I included?”

“Exactly,” Sebastion said. He turned to the crowd and said, “We all have weaknesses, right?” Most nodded, some even yelled, but everyone seemed to be in agreement of what Sebastion was saying.

Pacing around the area, Alrose said, “What is your weakness, Mr. McCarter?”

He seemed to be little taken back by her unexpected question. “Excuse me?”

“Tell me. What is your weakness? I’m curious.”

He scratched the back of his head as he thought. “Umm, well… I totally suck at magic. I’ve tried to cast a few spells in my day and none of them were successful.”

“Hmm… Interesting…” Alrose seemed sincerely intrigued by his words. “But with proper teaching, training, and practice, you could easily become a master magician. Am I wrong?”

Reluctantly, Sebastion said, “Yeah, I suppose, but�"“

Alrose cut him off. “Yes! You see, even though we may have issues and flaws now, they can be corrected. We can be perfect if we try hard enough. The only problem is that people have become so lazy these days that no one tries to be. But not me!” Her voice was rising slightly. “I’m not going to be lazy! And I’m not giving up with my plans until they are complete. The creatures will be flawless one day. And anyone who objects will be thrown in jail for treason. The first of these criminals shall be this man!” She pointed at Sebastion.

He looked around. “Me? For what?”

“For treason against the Queen. I will decide your fate later. Guards!” Suddenly, two large men�"even larger than Kendrew and Grayson�"came from behind the crowd and seized Sebastion. “Throw him in jail. Does he have any followers?” Alrose asked. She didn’t think anyone would speak up, but, to her surprise, someone did.

“I am!” Kendrew said quietly, but loud enough that the Queen could hear him. ‘What are you doing?’ he asked himself. But it was too late to back out now.

“Dude, what are you doing?” Grayson asked him.

“The right thing,” he said as he proceeded the approach the front of the crowd. “And if you have any kind of moral values, you’ll come with me.” Grayson lowered her eyebrows at Kendrew, unsure of what to do.

Finally, he decided. “Me too!” he said in his usual loud voice. They pushed and shoved their way to the front of the crowd and stood beside Sebastion.

“Very well,” Alrose said. She didn’t take the time to think about the situation. “Guards, take these three to the cells.” A few more guardsmen arrived and grabbed Kendrew and Grayson by their wrists. They all walked with the same rhythm in their movement, seeming to be more robotic and human. Their strong arms grabbed the three men.

Kendrew saw Sebastion mouth the words “What are you doing?” at him. He responded by mouthing “I’ll tell you later.”

“Oh, and one last thing,” Alrose said as the guards took them away. Her green eyes lit up brightly as she stared out into the eyes of everyone in her audience. Suddenly, their eyes shifted the same, bright emerald. “Don’t call me Queen Alrose anymore.” In the lowest voice possible, she said, “Call me Mother.”

“Yes, Mother,” everyone in the audience said in eerie harmony. Mother smiled, pleased with her work, and climbed the steps back up to her palace, her long dress flowing behind her.

 

 

Chapter 17

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Who’s there?” Emilio asked, spinning around in a circle. But he saw no one; only an empty chasm of blank snow. It reminded him of a wintery forest. He could see the brown bark and green needles of pine trees peaking through the dense layer of snow. Light snowflakes glided through the air peacefully, melting into droplets of cold water when they landed on Emilio’s warm skin. It was a beautiful scene, but also bitterly cold. He rubbed his bare arms, which were laden in raised hairs and goose bumps. He found himself involuntarily chattering his teeth. He suddenly wished he had worn more clothes. When he didn’t see anyone, he called out again. “Who’s there?”

Then he saw a short, dark-skinned girl stepped from behind one of the trees. She had big, round, dark eyes that had a look of half curiosity and half fright in them. Her black hair was in neat cornrows on her head. She wore a short pink dress with zebra stockings underneath and a fuzzy mink coat over her arms. She also wore bedroom slippers of the same color and fabric as her coat.

“Hey, where am I?” Emilio asked. But the girl said nothing. Emilio took a step towards her, his bare feet digging into the blistering snow. At his movement the girl took a step back. Emilio paused for a moment and then took another step forward. Again, the young girl took a step backward. “What’s your name?” he asked, trying to sound friendly.

But the girl remained silent. She turned around and began to walk away. Emilio stood still for a moment but the took a step to follow her. Hearing his feet crunch against the icy snow behind her, the girl broke out in a full speed sprint. Emilio ran after her, his bare feet throbbing from pain of the bitter cold. The snow was like tiny razors slicing into his feet. But he ignored the pain, the thought of frostbite never emptying his head; instead, he focused on the girl, making it his top priority not to lose track of her. He was in an unknown place and she had answers. Answers he needed. Kappa’s words had baffled him and he had faith that this girl knew what he was talking about.

“Stop running,” he yelled to her, not really expecting her to follow his commands. “I just want to talk to you.” But she didn’t stop. In fact, she seemed to speed up. Or maybe Emilio was just growing tired and slowing down.

Or both.

They rain through an eternal maze of snow, ducking under low branches, jumping over stumps, and sidestepping large rocks. Finally, they reached a clearing in the endless forest. The girl ran into a small cabin that sat in the clearing. It was small and wooden with a chimney that puffed out smoke. ‘Maybe someone lives there,’ he thought. He was reluctant to enter the shack, but, against all better judgment, he did.

He pushed open the door�"it creaked slightly�"and walked inside apprehensively. He saw he burning fireplace and rocking chair in front of it. It was rocking slightly and he could see the top of a head with gray hair over the back. There were lots of bookcases scattered across the room and a small flight of stairs that turned a corner so Emilio couldn’t seen what was at the top. But he could see the girl’s head peeping around the corner, eyeing him suspiciously. He considered going to her, but decided to approach the person sitting in the rocking chair instead.

While he approached her, he stepped on a creaky floorboard. The lady sitting in the chair stopped rocking and turned her head. Her beady eyes met his and she stood, but instead of having an angry expression, her eyes showed a look of compassion. “Ryu? Is that you?” she said, her voice sounding weak and weary. She was dark-skinned, but not quite as dark as the girl on the steps. Her thin, gray hair was tied into a clean bun on top of her head. She had many wrinkles and walked with a thin, wooden cane. She wore thick glasses and a long, tan dress. “Oh, Ryu. I’ve missed you so much!” she cried as she walked ran and embraced him.

Emilio didn’t return the hug, though. He was puzzled. He pushed the elderly woman away. “Umm, I think you have the wrong person. My name is Emilio, not Ryu,” he said. He stared into her eyes and watched them line with tears.

“You… You don’t remember your old grandmother?” she said. “I know it’s been a few years, but still…” Emilio felt like he knew the woman from somewhere, as if he met her in another life, but he couldn’t place a name. It was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t figure it out.

“I… I’m sorry, but no. I don’t remember you,” he said. “Besides, all of my grandparents are deceased. Maybe I should just go…” He turned to walk out, but her hand grabbed his shoulder.

“Please, don’t go,” she said, on the verge of weeping. “I can’t afford to lose you again. Just… Just let me explain.” She motioned towards a small stool next to the fireplace. She sat in her armchair as Emilio placed himself on the small stool. It was only a step above sitting on the floor, but she preferred it.

They were both silent for a moment, waiting for the other to speak first. Finally, Emilio spoke up. “So, you say my name is Ryu?”

She smiled at him and said, “Yes. Ryu Addams. And I’m your grandmother, Libelle Addams.” She motioned behind her towards the steps. “That’s Kaida, your cousin. You honestly don’t remember any of this?” Emilio shook his head. “Oh… Well, I suppose it makes sense, seeing as how you were so young at the time.”

Emilio was growing more and more confused the more Libelle spoke. “Wait, I don’t understand,” he said, shaking his head.

“Perhaps I should just start at the beginning,” Libelle said and took a deep breath. “You’re a dragon, Ryu. Kaida and I are too.” Emilio shuddered at her words, remembering what Kappa had said. He opened his mouth to say something, but Libelle interrupted whatever words he was going to say. “I know you probably thought that dragons went extinct after the Twenty Year War. And that’s partially true. You, Kaida, and I are the only remaining dragons. I hear that new Mother figure who has come around is making more, but we are the last of the originals.”

“So, I’m a dragon?” Emilio asked intrusively? “Can I, like, breath fire and stuff?”

Libelle shook her head. “I’m afraid not,” she said, her voice hushed. “Only red dragons have fire breath. You’re a blue dragon.”

“Well, what can I do?”

“Blue dragons are docile, not for war. They’re good at restoration, though.” Emilio realized that was why he always had a knack for curative spells. It was in his blood to be skilled at them.

“What other types of dragons are there?” he asked, growing curious about his unknown heritage.

Libelle pushed her glasses up on her nose and glared at him underneath them. “Well, there are green dragons, which is what I am. They’re nurturing. There were also black dragons, the only ones more skilled in combat than red, white dragons, the wise ones that used to be our leaders, and pink dragons, the ones who made all the aesthetically pleasing things.”

Emilio realized that she hadn’t mentioned Kaida. “What is she?” he asked, pointed towards the steps.

“Kaida is a rare case. She’s an omni-dragon,” she whispered, trying to keep her from hearing. “They have qualities of all the other types, but they’re much more powerful. And also extremely rare. As in, there have only been seven in the history of our existence. She’s still young, though, and can’t yet harness her powers. It won’t be long, though…”

They were both silent for a moment. “So, why can’t I remember anything?” Emilio asked, scooting his stool slightly closer. He was still trying to absorb the idea that he was a dragon. From all the stories he had heard, he knew dragons to be large, reptilian monster that wreaked havoc wherever they went. It was hard for him to get the picture that dragons could be humanoid beings through his mind.

“Because…” Libelle started, but drifted off. “Because during the Twenty Year War, some humans came into this forest to annihilate all the dragons that lived here. This is blue dragon territory so naturally you lived here with your parents. You were only a toddler at the time, around four years old. Your parents were worried something would happen to you so they… they took you to the river, placed you in a woven basket, and sent you sailing down it. It was the hardest thing that they ever did, but it was the only way to keep you safe. Shortly after, the humans showed up and slaughtered the entire community. They killed everyone. Even your parents…” She took her glasses off and wiped a tear from her eye.

Emilio felt his own eyes start to water. ‘Why am I crying?’ he wondered. ‘I mean, yeah, they were my parents, but I never knew them. Is that logical? To cry over someone you’ve never met?’ He blinked the tears from his eyes and feigned fixing his eyebrows so he could wipe them.

“I… I’m sorry,” Libelle said, putting her glasses back on. “Anyway, so you drifted down that river for a long ways until you came to small pond in human territory. A family of Latinos fished you from the water and raised you to be their own. I assume that is where the name ‘Emilio’ came from. That was where I lost track of you. Dragons age slower than humans so you were still pretty under-developed, even though you were four. You speak some words, but you didn’t know your name or where you came from. You grew up learning human ways and traditions.” She paused and sighed. “And that is where you are now.”

This was a lot of information for Emilio to absorb at one time. His mind was spinning with all of this newfound knowledge. The family he had loved and called his own all his life wasn’t really his family. He was a member of a nearly extinct race of beings that most people only knew from legends. He found his eyes watering again, but he wasn’t sure why. Then he felt Libelle’s arms wrap around him, but he didn’t fight them this time. Instead, he returned her warming gesture. They stayed in this tearful embrace for what seemed an eternity. They parted and wiped away their tears.

“So, how do I get home?” Emilio asked. He saw the sadness return to Libelle’s face.

“You… want to return so soon? But we only just met…”

Emilio understood why she was sad. He was family. Other than Kaida, she didn’t have anyone. He wanted to stay, but he couldn’t let his friends down. “I have some business that I need to take care off. After I finish, I’ll come back. I promise,” he added.

Libelle remained stern for a moment, but then her expression softened and she smiled lightly. “Okay,” she said. “I understand. But hurry back. We have lots of catching up to do.”

“Yeah, thirteen years’ worth,” Emilio said jokingly.

Libelle laughed dryly and then spoke. “Even though there are many different breeds of dragons, they all share one common ability. Teleportation. I assume that’s how you got here, Ryu?” Emilio was about to shake his head when he remembered that Kappa had been the one who teleported him.

“Yes,” he said. “Something like that.”

“Okay,” she continued. “It’s pretty simple if you know how to do. Focus on the place you want to go. Don’t have to know coordinates or anything, but you have to know the location. And you focus. You focus harder and harder until it hurts. You’ll probably feel lightheaded the first couple of times you do it. After a while, it won’t hurt as bad. If you want to take something or someone with you, hold it or put your arms around them. There are many variations, such as sending something somewhere while you stay where you are, but all that comes later. All you need to know now is that you focus on where you want to go and you will whimsically transport yourself there. Make sense?”

It really didn’t, but Emilio nodded his head anyway. “So I just concentrate on where I want to be and I go there?”

“Pretty much,” Libelle said. She and Emilio stood and hugged one last time before his departure. He stood with his feet aligned with his shoulder and closed his eyes, but he was stopped by a nagging on the sleeve of his jacket. He looked down to see Kaida standing at him, her wide brown eyes looking up into his. In her hand, she held a leather pouch.

Emilio bent down so he was eye-level with her and she cupped a hand over his left ear. “Take this with you,” she whispered, her hot breath tickling his ear. “It can help you.” He saw her hold out the pouch. He clasped his hands around hers.

“Thank you, Kaida,” he said in a whisper. She had a broad smile on her face, exposing a missing front tooth. “I’ll be back soon, okay?” She nodded and he slipped the pouch from her hands and placed it in his pocket. She backed up, her fuzzy slipper never leaving the floor.

It was time. Emilio stood straight up with his feet aligned with his shoulder and took a deep inhale. He closed her eyes, brushing his long eyelashes against his cheekbones, and exhaled just as deeply. Then he pictured Cariña’s house. The smoldering building was probably a pile of ashes by now, but he remembered it the way it was. He remembered his exact position when Kappa touched his forehead. He was standing between the back bookcase and the doorframe. He remembered that spot and he focused on it. He focused harder, squeezing his eyes tightly shut and clenching his fists. His nose started to trickle blood, but he couldn’t feel it. His trance was too intense. He focused harder and until her felt like he was there.

Unbeknownst to him, Kaida fetched a picture book about a dragon who learns to fly and placed herself on Libelle’s lap. Libelle took a long look at Emilio’s concentrating face�"his locked jaws, his lowered eyebrows, his squeezed eyes, his flared nostrils�"and then turned to Kaida and her book. She opened to the first page and opened her mouth to read when she realized she had forgotten to tell Emilio that she loved him.

“Ryu, I�"“ she started. But when she turned to face him, he was gone. All that was left was an impression in the rug where his feet had been.

 

vvv

 

“You can open your eyes now, moron,” a voice said. Emilio hadn’t felt anything change, but he didn’t recognize the forthright voice as either Libelle’s or Kaida’s. He loosened his tension, unclenching his fists and relaxing his facial muscles. He opened his eyes and saw that he was back in Cariña’s house. In the exact same location he had focused on. Once his eyes readjusted the world around him, Emilio saw Kappa standing in front of him. He was still holding Adeline, her face showing how snug she was in his arms.

Emilio looked to his face and found a smug, cocky look that he didn’t like. “Well, now you know the truth,” he said. “I figured it was only fair to let you know who�"what�"you really are before you die.” He chortled loudly, causing Adeline to wake. She made small, gurgling noises before bursting into a loud, obnoxious cry. Kappa looked down to her, peeved. “But I might as well shut this one up first.

He extended his jaws wide, opening the endless abyss that was his mouth. He turned his head toward Adeline, prepared to breath his flaming breath on here Emilio was frozen. ‘I can’t let her die,’ he thought. ‘But what can I do?’ Then he remembered what he done to the Goblin King. He remembered how to reverse his curative abilities.

He closed his eyes and focused his aura, channeling it through his body. He found it much easier to concentrate this time, though. He opened his fist and felt the orb of cerulean energy grow in his palm. He opened his eyes and flung the sphere at Kappa, just as he saw his mouth glowing with fire.

“Gah!” Kappa cried out from the pain of the blow. The orb struck his chest, leaving a baseball-sized indention in his ribcage. He dropped Adeline to tend to his wound. Emilio lunged forward and caught the falling baby just in the nick of time. He lay on his back with Adeline on cuddled to his chest. She was still crying, probably from fright and confusion.

Emilio looked up at Kappa. His wound was sizzling and smoking, but he wasn’t attending it; instead he was staring square at Emilio, his eyes feathered with undeniable fury. He opened his mouth and Emilio could instantaneously see the fire building in the back of his throat. ‘What do I do?’ Emilio thought to himself. He couldn’t do much while holding Adeline it was too late for to try to defend himself, anyway. He just watched helplessly as the torrent of conflagration streamed from Kappa’s stretched jaws. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced from the inevitable impact.

But he didn’t feel it. He felt the heat emanated from the fire, but not the burning sensation he was expecting. He opened his eyes to see an invisible barrier protecting him from the flames. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he wasn’t complaining.

After the inferno subsided, Emilio jumped to his feet. He laid Adeline down in her bassinet and turned to Kappa. He was holding up his hands, which grew long, jagged fingernails. On his wrist, Emilio saw his serial number, ‘κ-196C.” He lunged at Emilio, his claws slicing through the fabric of his short-sleeve t-shirt. Emilio writhed from the pain, but returned the favor by giving him a hard jab by his right hand. Emilio hadn’t spent a lot of time practicing his melee skills, but he was able to hold his own in a fight.

Kappa swung his right arm at Emilio’s chest, but Emilio grabbed his wrist and shoved him away. Kappa retaliated by kicking Emilio hard in the gut with his left foot. Emilio backed up queasily from the blow. He grabbed his stomach and looked up just in time to dodge and uppercut coming his way. Emilio flicked a small aura ball at Kappa’s face, hitting him square in the nose. He let out a yelp and rubbed his face. When he was able to look again, Emilio jumped into the air and planted his foot on Kappa’s forehead. Kappa was knocked off of his feet and felt the breath leave his body.

He landed heavily on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He watched as Emilio stepped forward and looked down on him. Then kappa laughed in a hysterical way that made Emilio uncomfortable. “Go ahead,” he said, a nasty twang in his tone. “Go ahead and kill me. It won’t make a difference. Mother has already created entirely new breeds of dragons. All of them are far more powerful than you. She is on the verge of creating a perfect race and there is nothing you can do to stop her. In fact, killing me might be the most that you’ll ever accomplish in this war.” His words sounded eerily similar to the Zeta’s, the shapeshifter who impersonated Sparkle the first time they rode the S.S. Bedazzled.

‘Do all prototypes have this mindset?’ Emilio thought to himself.

Kappa deserved to die. Even though he showed Emilio the truth about his identity, the things he did were unforgivable. He torched Cariña’s house, put Adeline’s life in danger, and tried to kill Emilio. Despite all of this, Emilio couldn’t bring himself to kill him. He wanted to, but he couldn’t do it. Instead he let out a sigh. “Get your sorry a*s out of her right now and I won’t kill you, hombre,” he said, his tone grave and sharp. He watched as the smug smirk on Kappa’s face melted into a disappointed frown.

And then he was gone.

Wondering why the inferno didn’t come in contact with him, Emilio took the pouch he had received from Kaida out of his pocket. He opened pulled the drawstrings apart, loosening the neck of the leather pouch. He poured out its contents into her palm. He saw a medallion with a strange insignia, a vial containing an alien blue liquid, and a clear cube that appeared to be filled with some sort of crushed up leaves. He looked on the back of the medallion and saw the words “Fire Ward.” ‘That explains it,’ he thought to himself. On a sticker around the test tube, the phrase ‘All-Purpose Tonic” was written. On the lid of the cube was inscribed the phrase “Herbicidal Antidote.”

Emilio looked over to Adeline. He had nearly forgotten about her. She was lying in her bassinet sucking on her hand, her wide green eyes staring into his. He almost giggled at the cuteness before him. He slid the items back into the pouch and the pouch back into his pocket. The adrenaline from the fight was wearing off and he felt the sting from the claw marks across his chest starting to kick in. He bit his lip to keep from crying out and picked up Adeline. He turned around and walked out the door and down the steps. The fires in the house had all dwindled away, leaving only a pile of ashes and charred rubble. Most of the roof had collapsed and he stepped over the tiles.

When he walked outside, the cold night air hit him like a wall. In the distance, he saw Alexia and Cariña embracing. He walked toward them, squeezing Adeline tightly to his bleeding chest in order to keep her warm. Alexia finally noticed his approach when he was nearly to them. She gazed up and her eyes met his. She let out a sigh of relief and said something inaudibly to Cariña. She turned, squealed, and ran to meet him halfway. Emilio braced himself for a heartfelt hug, but instead had Adeline snatched from his arms.

“Mi amor!” she cried, pressing her cheek to Adeline’s. She kissed her daughter, tears streaming down her cheeks, and turned to Emilio. “Oh, Emilio, cómo pudeo pago tú?”

Emilio shook his head and smiled heroically. “You don’t have to pay me, chica,” he said in a voice deeper than usual. “I’m always willing to help a pretty girl.” He winked at her, making his long eyelashes apparent. Cariña blushed from the compliment and Alexia rolled her eyes.

‘He’s such a flirt,’ she thought to herself as they all starting walking towards the gates of Genesis. While they were alone, Cariña and Alexia had discussed what they were going to do. Alexia made a note that Cariña’s house wasn’t going to survive the fire but that she would be willing to take her to Genesis and she could find a place to stay there. Cariña agreed reluctantly, but not before explained how the house had been in her family for four generations, Adeline being the last Nieve to live there. But she knew it was for the best.

Alexia turned around constantly to see Emilio and Cariña following a few feet behind her, chattering together in Spanish. She couldn’t understand them, but she got the gist of their conversation from their body language. They pressed on towards the gate, the thought of finally accomplishing this gruesome mission dancing around Alexia’s head. She wondered where Kendrew was, but it wasn’t her top priority. ‘After all,’ she thought, ‘once I give the queen this ring, I’ll be done with this place.’

She gazed at the ruby ring sitting on the middle finger of her right hand. She felt stronger just from wearing it, but she knew she would have to relinquish it to the queen. This brought another question to Alexia’s mind: ‘Will I finally meet Queen Alrose face-to-face?’

She doubted it, but hoped for it as well.

 

 

Chapter 18

 

 

 

 

 

 

The door slammed. Queen Alrose marched angrily to the make-up station in her room. Her ginger hair that had been flawless earlier was now a frizzy rabbit nest. Her eyeliner was running down her face from tears. The gorgeous topaz dress she had been wearing was winkled and torn on the waist and sleeves. She sat down in the velvet chair in front of her enormous mirror. She looked at her battered reflection. She rubbed her cheek, wiping away her blush with the dampness of her hand. She pushed her hair behind and looked at the laceration on the side of her neck. She touched it softly with her fingers but winced from the pain that throbbed from it. She started weeping again�"half from the physical pain and half from the emotional pain�"and laid her head on the desk part of her dresser.

‘Why do I do this to myself?’ she wondered through her sobs. Then there was a knock at her bedroom door. She rose quickly and wiped the tears away from her eyes. She cleared her throat and called out. “Who’s there?” she asked, struggling to sound as stern as possible.

“The High Priestess is here to see you, your majesty,” said a man’s voice from beyond the door.

Alrose let out a breath she had been holding for a long time. She attempted to smooth down her hair, but it did little to improve it. “Send her in,” she finally said.

A few moments later, a woman Alrose recognized as the High Priestess entered her bedroom. She was dressed lavishly in a long white robe with purple trimming. It extended beyond her feet and fingertips giving her a majestic appearance. She was naturally pale, but her heavy make-up gave her a pallid and sickly look. Her long, smooth, black hair dropped well beyond her rump and always seemed to be perfectly straight. Her eyes were an odd shade of violet that made them look dull and glassy. Her scarlet lips contradicted her pasty skin and ebony hair in an odd way. She looked like the kind of person who wasn’t very attractive, but she tried incredibly hard to appear that way. She was only slightly taller than Alrose, probably from heels hiding under her robe.

“Hello, Yenalyn,” Alrose said, wiping her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

 The High Priestess cocked her perfectly waxed eyebrows at Alrose and walked closer towards her. Her long robe made her look almost ghostly as she glided across the floor. When she was close enough, she extended her arms and hugged Alrose tightly around her neck. Alrose didn’t return her warming gesture, though, and instead stood incredibly stiff, almost uncomfortable. “I heard you finally left the palace yesterday. I’m so proud of you,” she said and kissed her cheek.

Alrose pushed Yenalyn away from her gently and walked sat back down at her make-up table. “Yeah, I did. What’s it to you?” she asked wryly. She began applying all sorts of cosmetics to her face, starting with a layer of foundation. She administered a ring of eye-liner around her eyes, but it didn’t do much good since they were still moist from the tears.

“Well, you’re my sister,” Yenalyn said. “I care about you.” She stood beside her sister and looked in the mirror, powdering her nose with some blush. After she finished, looked at her sister’s reflection. “Are you alright, Rose? You don’t look so good…”

“I was just fixing myself up when you came, Yen. I’m fine,” Alrose shot back with a sharp tone in her words.

Yenalyn scowled thoughtfully and said, “You know you can’t keep anything from me, Rose,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “If something’s wrong with you, I will find out. It’s in my older sister intuition.” She smiled mockingly at her sister, but not in a derisive way.

“I said nothing’s wrong!” Alrose retorted, almost in a yell. She got out of chair and faced her sister, their noses mere inches apart. Neither said a word. They both held their breath, neither wanting to be the first to speak. Alrose finally realized it would have to be her. “You should leave,” she said, sitting back down in her chair. “I have to get ready. I tell you, ever since I went outside, people have begging me to make public appearance after public appearance.” She turned to her sister and smiled satirically. “It sure was nice to see you, though, sis.” The last word came out as more of a hiss than a word.

Yenalyn frowned, concerned. But Alrose was the queen. Even if she was her sister, Yenalyn had to follow her orders. “I understand… Don’t get busy to the point where you forget about your priorities.” She walked through the door and exited Alrose’s room. Just as the door closed, Yenalyn said, “I love you, sis.” She said it so quietly that it would have had the same effect to leave in complete silence.

Alrose watched her sister leave, a nasty frown on her face. When the door closed, she turned back to her mirror. “I don’t need her,” she said to her reflection. “I don’t need anyone. I can accomplish my goals all by myself. That’s what I’ve done all my life, after all.” She smiled weakly and continued to put on her maquillage.

She walked into her closet and picked out a new dress since the one she was wearing was ripped and worn. She found a white dress with paisley design, a green business suit, and a long aquamarine and turquoise mermaid-style gown. She chose the latter and dressed herself in it. It had spaghetti straps and a low chest line. It was turquoise at the chest and subtly transitioned into a dark blue at the bottom. She walked back to her enormous mirror and looked at her reflection. She gave a turn and made note of the way her dress spun with her. She was about to reapply her fake eyelashes when there was another knock at the door.

“Who is it?” she asked, not having to feign seriousness this time.

The same voice spoke. “There’s someone here to see you, your majesty.”

“Well, who are they?”

There was a silence and then the man replied, “Her name is Alexia Gilbert. She doesn’t look like more than a common bard. Should I send her away?”

Alrose had nearly forgot about Alexia. She smiled deviously and snickered to herself. “No, no,” she replied. “It’s okay. Send her in.”

After a brief moment, Alexia pushed open the doors to the Queen’s chambers and walked inside. She had a look of admiration on her face as she gazed upon the luscious furniture and decorations of her room. The queen-sized bed was appropriately named, since it was larger than any bed Alexia had ever seen. There were porcelain dressers and cabinets around the room containing china plates, hair dye, and everything in-between. The most eye-catching thing in the room was a painting of the Queen that was as large as the wall. In the artwork, she was depicted wearing a gorgeous golden dress and crown. She was also adorned with a variety of jewelry that was too gaudy for Alexia’s tastes but worked together on Alrose.

“Good afternoon, Alexia,” Alrose said in a seemingly innocent voice. “How are you?”

Alexia finally stopped ogling around the room and focused her gaze on Queen Alrose. “I am great!” she replied joyfully.

The Queen smiled tenderly at Alexia. “Wonderful. How did your mission go? I trust it was a success?”

Nearly forgetting about the mission, Alexia slipped the ruby ring off her hand. “Yeah, it was successful! Well, a friend of mine didn’t make it… But I know that’s none of you concern! Anyway, here’s the Goblin King’s ring.” She extended her supine palm with the crimson ring sitting on it.

Alrose nearly gasped at the ring. It was more beautiful than she had expected. She eyed it lecherously, fully aware of the bountiful power it stored. She took it from Alexia’s palm and placed it on the middle ring finger of her left hand as if it were a wedding band. She held her hand up and stared in awe as the ring readjusted its size to fit snuggly onto her finger.

“Oh, thank you, Alexia,” said the Queen appreciatively. When she saw the slightly curious look on Alexia’s face, she realized she would have to make up a lie. “For killing the Goblin King, I mean. He was wreaking havoc with my kingdom, not to mention almost killing off the entire race of Squirples. Poor things…” Alrose drifted off and thought to herself how she was such a talented actress.

Alexia blushed. “It was nothing,” she said modestly. She didn’t want to be the one to bring it up, but it needed to be brought up. “So… I’m supposed to receive some kind of reward, right?” Queen Alrose smiled eerily at Alexia. She walked over to the door, the tail of her dress skimming over the tile floor, and locked it. Alexia was confused as she stood watching the queen walk around her room. “Umm, sis everything okay?” she asked.

“Hmm?” Queen Alrose said, lost in thought. Then she refocused on Alexia and smiled menacingly. “My dear, why should I give you a reward when you won’t live to enjoy it?” She chortled in a spine-tingling way. Alexia bolted towards the door, her heart beating in her fingertips. Just as she was about to grab the doorknob, she felt her entire body immobilize.

“Uh, uh, uh,” Alrose teased. “No one escapes from Mother.” Even though Alexia was frozen in place, she felt a shiver run over her body. Mother. The only word that was capable of sending chills down her spine. She felt her body move, but it was involuntarily. She managed to turn her head and saw Alrose was the one responsible. She had used some kind of powerful magic and was now controlling Alexia the way a puppeteer controls a marionette.

Alexia grunted as she struggled to free herself from the magical bonds. “So, you’re Mother?” she said between clenched teeth. “I should have known.”

“Yes, you should have,” Alrose said in a derisive tone. “I sincerely expected more from you, Alexia. You have really lowered my expectations.” She pondered thoughtfully and smiled. “Although, you did pass the test so I give you some credit. Too bad it won’t do anything for you!” She grinned menacingly. She was a beautiful woman, but she was capable of making some ugly faces.

“Are you… are you going to kill me?” Alexia stammered, dreading the answer to come.

Alrose menacing smile melted into one of pity. It gave Alexia an uneasy feeling. “I’m afraid I have to. No choice. You’re too powerful to allow you to live.” Upon seeing Alexia’s confused expression, Alrose said, “Wait, you don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“Your powers.”

“I have powers?” Alexia was dreadfully perplexed. She didn’t have any powers or special abilities that she knew of. All she could do was sing and play the harp.

Alrose scowled, annoyed by Alexia’s innocent ignorance. “It’s difficult to decipher whether you are feigning idiocy or if you are just that stupid.” She sighed and rubbed her pointed chin. “I suspect the latter is more probable. I guess there’s no harm in telling you since you’re going to die soon, anyway.” She took a deep breath before beginning. “You are more than a common bard, Alexia. You have tremendous power inside of you that you have never utilized. You are like a sharp blade that remains in its holster its whole life. It’s quite sad, really. You had potential…”

“I still don’t understand,” Alexia said. She was growing increasingly muddled by Alrose’s words. “Exactly what kind of powers do I have?”

Alrose wafted towards herself and Alexia found her legs unwillingly taking her closer to the Queen. Alrose grabbed her once she was within grasping distance, placing her palms around her neck. She leaned in close, letting Alexia feel her cool breath on her chin. “My dear sweet child, you have the powers of manipulation.” She smiled wickedly at Alexia. “Too bad they’re not as potent as mine.” Her eyes metamorphosed into the vibrant shade of emerald they were when she gave the speech to the citizens of Genesis. Alexia gazed deeply into them, watching the color swirl around her eye sockets. She started to feel light-headed and dizzy, but not beyond the point that she couldn’t recuperate.

After Alrose’s eyes returned back to their natural hue, she looked to Alexia and gasped. “How… how are you not hypnotized?” she stammered out, flabbergasted that her powers had no affect on the young girl.

Alexia was at first confused but then smiled confidently. “Looks like your powers aren’t so ‘potent’ after all!” She punched Alrose hard in the gut, causing her to lose her breath. Alexia backed up and watched at the Queen fell to her knees and gagged up a puddle of blood.

“You’re going to pay for that, you b***h!” Alrose shrieked. The look in her eyes showed pure hatred. She extended her arm forward and performed her marionette trick on Alexia again. Alexia grunted from the agony. Alrose was squeezing her fingers together and Alexia felt like her insides were doing the same. She dropped to her knees and groaned.

She couldn’t handle anymore of the internal torture. She stopped fighting it and fell into unconsciousness.

Alrose stood weakly, her legs wobbly and unsteady, and looked down on the passed out girl. She smiled, still struggling to regain her constant breathing. Alexia’s blow had knocked the wind out of her lungs and she was still trying to catch it. “You see? Mother always comes out above her children…” She spat a few drops of blood on the floor near Alexia’s hand and called for her guards.

Two soldiers marched in her bedroom, one being the gatekeeper to whom Alexia spoke before going on her journey. His eyes widened when he saw who it was sprawled out across the floor, but he didn’t make it obvious. “Where should we take her, Mother?” asked the other guard, his voice gruff and rugged.

The Queen turned away from them and shooed them away with her hand. “I don’t care. Throw her in one of the empty jail cells or something. Just make sure she doesn’t get out, understand?”

“Yes, Mother,” the gruff-voiced guard said. They both picked up Alexia and carried her away.

Back in her bedroom, Alrose calmly walked to her door, closed it, and turned the lock. When she heard the tumblers fall into placed she screamed and pulled her hair, ripping out several silky strands. She tore at her gorgeous gown with her long, manicured fingernails, leaving large rents in the oceanic fabric. She walked over to her mirror and gazed at her abused reflection. She breathed heavily and her chest bobbed up and down from the hyperventilation. She watched as a tear slid down her right cheek, leaving behind a stream of black eyeliner.

Staring intently at her reflection, Alrose let out an exasperated growl and punched the mirror where her face’s was, leaving behind a fist-sized indention with branching cracks. She drew back her fist, which was penetrated with shards of glass and trickled a puddle of blood at her feet.

She gazed at the mirror with a feral look in her eye. She let out a hysteric cackle and walked to her dressing room. “I believe I’ll be needing something else to wear.”

 

 

Chapter 19

 

 

 

 

 

 

“This is crazy,” Sebastion said, pacing around the floors of his jail cell. He, Kendrew, and Grayson were all thrown in separate cells�"orders from the Queen�"so they couldn’t collaborate. The prison was a raggedy place, more like a dungeon than anything. It was ten feet underground and made of pure steel. It was an iron cage for criminals. In this case, Sebastion was that criminal. It was a labyrinth of cells, hallways, and security guards. They paced the floor, making equal rounds around the prison. “What is up with the Queen? Or should I call her Mother?”

He sat cross-legged on the cold, hard floor. He stared outside the bars of his cell as a guard passed him by and continued walking down the hall. He never made eye contact with Sebastion, but his eyes were the same emerald color as all of the hypnotized townspeople.

That’s when the guards brought Alexia. He saw them carrying her lifeless body and throw her into the cell adjacent to his. She hit the floor and simply rolled over onto her side, her limbs limp. He watched silently as the gruff-voiced guard walked away, his eyes the same bright green tone. Then he saw the other guard�"the one Alexia met with�"hesitate before he left. His eyes weren’t emerald; instead, they were a dark shade of blue with lighter speckles that seemed strangely concerned. He turned around and reluctantly walked away, looking back frequently at Alexia.

Sebastion rose to his and walked over to the where his cell bordered Alexia’s cell, the only thing between them was a wall or steel bars. “Hey, kid,” Sebastion said, calling to Alexia. “Kid, wake up.” He whistled tunelessly in an attempt to wake her, but she remained unconscious.

He looked around his cell and saw a cup of water that a guard had brought him. It was only water in the sense that it was a liquid to drink. It was far from clear, being murky and impure, and smelled potently of rotting fish. Sebastion dared not drink it. Instead, he picked it up and splashed Alexia with it.

The turbid liquid landed on Alexia’s head and chest area, making a splashing sound when it landed. She gasped and woke up from the cold. She sat up and looked around in a confused state. Her eyes met Sebastion’s and she lowered her eyebrows. “Sebastion?”

“Hey, kid. What are you in for?” he asked jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. He could tell by the look on Alexia’s face that she wasn’t in the mood, though.

“Where am I?” she asked.

“Well, I can tell you one thing. It sure ain’t a five star hotel,” he said, setting down the rusty cup that had contained the contaminated water.

Alexia looked at him seriously. “I’m serious, Sebastion. What as this? A prison?”

“Something like that…” he said, allowing his voice to drift off so wouldn’t have to explain more. He looked around him. Behind him and to his left were walls. Alexia’s cell was to his right and in front of him was a locked door and hallway that led to the surface. He sighed. “I’m serious too,” he said, turning back to her. “How did you get in here?”

Blushing involuntarily, Alexia explained her current situation. She told him about how she went on the journey for the Queen and was captured by her when she came back. Sebastion would stop her every so often, requesting more detail here and a clarification there.

When she finally finished, Sebastion took a deep breath and twiddled his thumbs, unsure of what to say to console her. Then he remembered something. “Wait, Kendrew… He’s in this prison too!” he exclaimed, a glimmer of hope in her tone. “I didn’t manage to see which way he was taken, but I know he’s in here somewhere.

Alexia cocked her head on her right shoulder. “It won’t really matter that he’s in here if we can’t get out…” The fragment of faith that was exuded from Sebastion’s expression disappeared as quickly as it appeared with Alexia’s words. “I’m not trying to be a Debbie Downer. Just being a realist.”

Sebastion poked his lip out and pulled on his goatee that he had grown on his chin while Alexia was away. Then he smiled. “Maybe we can get out,” he turned to Alexia, getting as close as possible to her with the bars blocking their way. “I saw one of those guards giving you a sympathetic look. Plus, his eyes weren’t the same color as all of the others. I think he may be different from them. He might be willing to help us. If he comes by again, you should ask him.” He jogged to the opposite side of the cell and scrunched his body close to the wall so he could look down the hallway. The coast was clear, not a guard in sight. In a usual prison break, this would be a plus. For Sebastion’s plan, though, it was a detriment.

“Dang,” he said. “No one’s coming. Let’s just give it a few minutes.” He turned to Alexia. “Besides, I don’t mind having some alone time with you.” Alexia gave him a deplorable look, but she could feel her cheeks getting hot. She was embarrassed to be so close to him. After all, he was the man she had murderous reams about. She felt like there was something more between them than prison bars, but didn’t bother to say anything.

Sebastion slid his back down the wall until his bottom hit the floor. He stared at Alexia, but she was looked out of her cell. She could feel his stare on her, as if it was burning a hole through her soul. She dared not look at him so she continued staring at a small indention in one of the cinderblocks that formed the wall outside her cell.

Then he came. After an eternity of waiting, the strange guard came walking down the hallway to their cells, a bit of a rush in his hurried steps. He walked by them, avoiding eye contact with Sebastion but making open contact with Alexia. His step slowed and he made no hurry to get by. He suppressed a smile and nodded. “How you doin’?” he said casually as he went past their cells.

“Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?” Alexia asked, trying to sound as sweet as possible. She gave him an endearing look and batted her eyelashes. She felt ridiculous doing such lecherous gestures, but figured it might help.

He winced and said, “I’ll get in trouble if I talk to you.” He looked in both directions and took an iron key and a folded up piece of paper out his pocket. He slipped them to the bars and motioned for Alexia to take them. After she retrieved the items, the guard continued on his way, never looking back.

Alexia watched him as he walked away and then turned her attention to the note. She unfolded it multiple times until she was able to see writing:

 

I might have some answers for you.

Take the key and meet me in my office

in thirty minutes. A map is on the back.

Sincerely,

Someone who cares...

 

The practically perfect handwriting seemed oddly comforting to Alexia. She read the note over and over again, feeling consoled by his words. Then she flipped it over and saw a hand-drawn map of the prison. There was a circle representing her location and an X marking where his office was. Alexia placed her finger on the map and moved it up and down the hallways, trying to find the quickest path to his office. She knew they would have to dodge the patrolling guards and find Kendrew.

But if Alexia could get to this strange man and talk to her, it would be worth it.

 

vvv

 

‘Where could Alexia be?’ Emilio wondered. She had insisted that she go to meet the Queen by herself and left Emilio, and Cariña outside. He took Cariña to the Genesis Inn so she and Adeline could have a place to rest before they start looking for a permanent place to stay. It had been a long night and they were dreadfully tired.

He turned to the receptionist at the inn and smiled at him. He was tall and scrawny. He wore thick glasses and a bellboy outfit. His eyes were the same bright green as all of the other people in town, but Emilio thought nothing of it. “Hola, señor. Do you have any vacancies?”

The tired-looking man picked up a clipboard with a stack of papers on it and flipped through them. Then he turned to Emilio. “I’m sorry, sir,” he said in a strained voice. “We don’t have any room. Please try again at a later date.” He turned away and took a sip of coffee as if Emilio had never been there.

Emilio was taken back by the man’s nonchalant rudeness. He looked around and saw than he, Cariña, and the young receptionist were the only people in the lobby. “So, you’re all booked up, huh?” Emilio asked, leaning close to him. “Well, where is everybody?”

The young man picked up his clipboard again and flipped through the pages. He turned to Emilio, his glasses sliding slightly down the bridge of his nose, and said, “I’m sorry, sir. We don’t have any room. Please try again at a later date.”

Barely above a whisper, Emilio said, “Listen, esé. My patience is running thin with you. Now, I have a young woman and a nine-month-old baby with me. Do you have any idea how much a nine month old baby cries when it’s sleepy? You have no idea! Now, you will give me a room one way or another. Understand?”

“I’m sorry, sir�"“ the man started, but Emilio didn’t give him a chance to finish. He gave him a hard right hand sucker punch to the jaw and the man fell out. Emilio put his arm around Cariña’s shoulder and led her to the stairwell. The walked up the first flight of steps and went down the hallway on the second floor. They checked the rooms and every single one was locked.

But none of them had lights on. There was no sign of life, but they were all apparently occupied.

Finally, at the very end of the hallway, Emilio found a door that was unlocked. He sighed a sigh of relief and pushed the door open. What he saw inside the room robbed the breath from his lungs.

There was a large machine in the room that puffed clouds of haze. It seemed to go through the wall, connecting it to similar machines in other rooms. But this mechanism was producing something. Wooden crates ran down a conveyor belt and fell, piling onto the floor. They were all marked with the serial numbers of the same π ranking.

Pi: the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. They were getting closer to the end. ‘Would the last rank be Mother’s ideal and perfect creatures?’ Emilio wondered. But he shook his head and the thought with it.

He and Cariña went back to the stairwell and walked up another flight. Most of the rooms on this floor were locked, but they finally found a vacant room. It was a modest room with a bed, a futon, and two dressers. Emilio reasoned the only reason that it was vacated was because it was too small to have one of those massive contraptions inside of it. The wallpaper was embroidered with eccentric and elaborate designs that not only made his head spin by also gave him an uneasy feeling.

Cariña and Adeline lay down on the large bed in the room, falling into a deep slumber almost as soon as they hit the mattress. Emilio gazed at them, enamored by their bond. He had always wanted to have a family like this. Knowing now that he was a dragon made him feel slightly apprehensive as to whether or not he would ever be able to.

He wondered if he would only be able to date dragon woman and have dragon children. Their rarity in the world, however, made this a problem. The only ones that were left�"that he knew of�"were either relatives or prototypes. The thoughts made him sad so he didn’t think about them; instead, he laid down on the orange futon and lay his head on a fluffy pillow.

He closed his eyes and realized how pleasing it felt to finally be able to do that. He relaxed all of his muscles and drifted into a sleep so deep that he couldn’t wake up from it if he wanted to.

 

 

Chapter 20

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sebastion stood flat against the wall and looked down the hallway in front of his cell bars. He squinted his eyes and pulled on his goatee. Then he looked towards Alexia. “It’s all clear, kid,” he said.

Alexia nodded and reached outside of the bar with the key in her hand. Her hand shook profusely from anxiety but she steadied her breathing and tried to calm down her jerking. She slid the steel key in the hole and turned it, the wrong way at first. Realizing her mistake, she turned the key the right way.

But she dropped it. Her hand slipped when she readjusted it and the key fell from the hole, clanking loudly when it hit the stone floor. Alexia’s heart skipped a beat and she felt the breath get sucked out of her throat. The sound echoed and resonated through the entire cellblock. She just knew that the guards would hear it and come looking for the source. She scrambled to her feet and reached through the bars to grab the key.

Her fingers were just out of reach from the metal key ring. She stretched as far as she could, her shoulder squeezed between the bars, but it was still just out of reach. So close but yet so far.

Then she heard footsteps. In the distance, she heard the soft pitter-patter of shoes on the stone floor. She gasped breathlessly and reached farther, forcing arm to stretch another inch or two from the bars. Her throbbing fingertips grazed against the cold key ring. She pulled it to her, but she was stopped.

A black, slip on shoe was standing on the keys, pinning them to the ground. Alexia looked up to a dark figure dressed all in black right in front her, her fingers only inches away from the sole of the figure’s shoe. He wore a tight, black, spandex body suit, a pair of black boots, and an ebony cloak with a hood that had a mesh covering where the face would be. He was short and thin, but his mysteriousness gave him a menacing persona. Alexia watched silently as the figure bent down and picked up the keys from under his shoe. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. His movements were so slow that Alexia wasn’t sure if he was moving or not.

He grabbed the keys and stood back up, looking through all three of them for the one to the lock. When he found it, he slipped it in the lock and turned it. The silence in the prison allowed Alexia to hear the tumblers turning. The figure pushed the door open and stepped towards Alexia. She backed up until her back was against the stone wall. She turned to Sebastion and he his eyes wide and unblinking. She turned back to the figure and saw him reach for his hood. He pushed back the black hood and Alexia gasped when she saw the person’s face.

Light lilac eyes, a small nose and chin, a perfect smile, round cheekbones, and locks of crimson hair on both sides of her face. Carmyne.

“Hey, Lex,” Carmyne said in her usual cheerful voice. “It’s been a while.” She smiled at Alexia and extended her hand to help to her feet. “I didn’t expect to find you in this prison, but hey, stranger things have happened!”

She turned to Sebastion. “Oh, hey, Bastion! I haven’t seen you in forever!” She walked out of Alexia’s cell with the keys and opened the door to Sebastion’s cell. He was already standing so she gave him a hug, pressing her head against his clavicle. He stared at her in bewilderment, unsure of what to say. He patted her on the back.

Finally, Alexia couldn’t take it anymore. “Carmyne, how are you… you know, here?” She scratched the back of her head awkwardly. “I mean… I watched you die…”

Carmyne released Sebastion and looked at Alexia, an expression of worry on her face. “Umm, I’ll explain later. Where is Kendrew? And Emilio?”

“Emilio is staying at some hotel with this girl we met. Kendrew is… somewhere in this prison. We need to find him,” Alexia said as they all three walked out from their cells.

“Oh, okay!” Carmyne said with an out-of-place excitement in her tone. “I’ll join you! There’s power in numbers, right?” She giggled a little and then turned and walked down the hall. Alexia and Sebastion looked to each other before following her, evaluating their situation.

‘How is she alive? How did she get here? How did she know where I was?” Alexia wondered. She had so many questions about her old friend and no answers. But she trusted that she would explain.

In time.

 

vvv

 

“Okay,” Alexia whispered, pointed at the map on the back of the guard’s note, “according to this map, the quickest way to get the guard’s office is by going down this hallway, taking a left, going through cellblock C, and then taking a right at the end.” He pressed his lips together and nodded his head. “Sounds simple enough.”

“Yeah, but don’t forget that we have to find Kendrew first,” Carmyne said with a sense of worry in her tone. “Do we have any idea where he is?”

 Sebastion frowned, accentuating his large jawbones. “Not a clue. The guards took he and some other guy in separate directions. I think the Queen believes that we’re conspiring against her or some kind of nonsense. She’s crazy, I tell you.”

‘You don’t have to tell me,’ Alexia thought. She knew just how senile the woman was. She had experienced firsthand. But just thinking about the Queen�"or Mother�"made her angry so she shook the thoughts away. “We’ll just have to look for him on the way. This prison is like a maze. It’s really easy to get lost in here.”

“Well, I’m just telling you,” Carmyne said, her voice too loud for comfort, “I’m not leaving without Kendrew.”

Alexia shushed her and then they heard relaxed footsteps approaching their location. They were stuck between a rock and a hard place; nowhere to run to and someone was heading their way.

The footsteps grew louder, ringing in Alexia’s ear. She couldn’t see her own face, but she knew that her expression was one of pure terror. She felt her heart pounding against her chest and her breaths were quickening in her throat. Then she saw a man�"a guard�"appear from behind the corner. He gasped at their presence, but then calmed himself. He walked towards them, tiptoeing in a hurried way. Then Alexia realized something odd about him; his eyes were navy with flecked hints of ultramarine and cobalt. Tufts of dark, almost indigo hair stuck from the edges of his silver helmet, nearly matching his eyes.

He was the guard that wrote the note. The guard meant to meet them. He had strangely large lips that were pursued into what might have been a suppressed smile. He placed them next to Alexia’s ear and whispered breathily, “It’s been more than fifteen minutes. Follow me. The big guys are probably already there.”

He proceeded to walk down the hall, away from them, the way they were planning on going. He turned another corner before Alexia and the others followed him. She was planning on meeting with him anyway so Alexia wasn’t sure why she felt so nervous.

They finally reached the door to his ‘office,’ which was peculiarly engraved with “Janitor’s Closet” on the front door. Were the situation different, Alexia might have found herself laughing at the humorous satire. But when they walked inside, she thought different. It was a large room that didn’t contain any cleaning supplies. It had a long table, eight chairs, two empty bookshelves, and a swinging lamp hanging from the ceiling that illuminated the whole room. Two of the eight chairs were occupied: Kendrew and Grayson.

When Carmyne walked in the room and saw him, she squealed in her usual high-pitched tone and ran to him. He stood to meet her and she jumped in his arms. They embraced for what seemed like forever, kissing frequently. “I take it you two know each other?” Grayson asked sarcastically, turning away from the romantic couple.

“Carmyne! How did you�"“ Kendrew started, but he was cut off by another lip lock. He didn’t seem to be peeved by the interruption, though. “How are you alive?” he finished, able to get his words out.

Carmyne leaped from his arms and stood on the floor. “It’s a long story. I’ll explain later,” she said vaguely, leaving everyone in suspense. She sat in the chair beside him. Alexia and Sebastion found seats around the table and the mysterious guard locked the door to the closet.

“Okay… We have some things to discuss,” the guard said, seating himself in a chair at the head of the table.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Sebastion retorted, a tinge of irritation in his tone. “First of all, who are you? Most of the people here are acting like zombies.”

The guard closed his eyes and sighed. “I know. It was hard to watch my friends transform into mindless capsules.” He opened his eyes and stared down the table, avoiding eye contact with all of the people around the table. “And as for my name, you may call me Alpha.” Alexia noticed him grab his wrist when he said his name, as if checking his pulse. ‘Probably nothing,’ she thought.

“Okay, Alpha,” Sebastion said, stressing each syllable of the name, “what is going on here?”

“I’m sure that you are all fully aware that the Queen is endeavoring to generate a new race of flawless drones and she has been spawning prototypes in an attempt to find that ‘perfect being.’” They all nodded in agreement.

“So why is everything acting like they’re under mind control?” Alexia asked, shifting her position in her chair to face him better.

“Well, it hasn’t been working. The prototypes always come out with flaws. Some were greater than others, but they all had them. So…” He drifted off and scratched the back of his neck, searching for words to say. “So, she’s been trying to repair their flaws. Both the prototypes’ and humans’…”

They were all silent for a moment, scanning each other’s facial expressions. “How is she controlling everyone?” Carmyne finally asked.

With a sigh, Alpha said, “I don’t know… All I know is that everyone who is under her control has emerald-colored eyes. Remember that.”

“Yeah, we noticed,” Sebastion said, sinking down into his seat.

Alexia felt the urge to tell them about what happened in the Queen’s bedroom but kept quiet. “Why did she have us go after the Goblin King?” she asked instead.

“Mother�"“ Alpha started, but cut himself off and cleared his throat. “Umm, the Queen wasn’t so much interested in his death as she was in the retrieval of his ruby ring. It withholds tremendous powers, you know. With it, she would be virtually unstoppable. Plus, the Queen was trying to get all of the five great races�"excluding humans�"to join up with her. Dragons are extinct and she already persuading the Nymph Empress and the Lord of the Spirits to join her. The Goblin King was the only one left, but he wouldn’t agree to his conditions. He wouldn’t relinquish the ring over to her. That is why, I assume, she sent you.”

“What about the werewolf she sent after us on the ship?” Kendrew asked, remembering that she said that the Queen told her to sink their ship.

“I doubt that the Queen ever really expected the prototype to succeed. I believe that she was merely testing you,” Alpha replied. Alexia’s eyes widened and she felt her heart stop for a split second. The Queen was testing her? Why? “The Queen knows what you are capable of, Alexia, and she doesn’t like it. You have potential to defeat her. You know that, right?” After seeing the dumbfounded expression on her face, Alpha realized that she didn’t. “Wait… you don’t know? You don’t know about your abilities?”

Alexia shook her head. She remembered Alrose saying something similar to that, something about manipulation. What powers does she have? And why doesn’t she know anything about them?

Alpha placed his palms on the table and leaned in close, his dark eyes staring deeply into Alexia’s lighter aquamarine irises. “Somehow I find that hard to believe, Alexia. Even if no one told you about them, surely you would have realized that you had them by now.” His tone was grave, but his expression remained unchanging. Flat and generic. All except those glassy eyes. Alexia wondered if he had any feeling behind those eyes. “But it’s of no consequence. Even if you haven’t figured it out by now, you will soon. Probably sooner since you had a run-in with Mother, uhh I mean, the Queen.” He blushed from his mix up�"even though, in reality, Mother and Queen Alrose were the same person.

Cocking her head at Alpha, Alexia said, “If you say so. It’d probably just be easier if you told me.” She wanted to know what she could do. Would her powers be useful in bringing down Alrose? Could she use her powers at all? Her questions were multiplying and her answers were depleting.

There was a rustling outside the door and voices could be heard. Despite the incomprehension of the shouts, Alexia made out the words “escaped prisoners.” Alpha turned to the door with a look of haste on his usually perpetual face. “It’s not safe here. They’re already looking for you. I have to get you out.” His tone, while urgent, also seemed surprisingly concerned for their safety.

He stood and walked over to one of the bookshelves behind the table. Nothing special about, just a large wooden bookshelf with four shelves. While there was mostly empty space between the shelves, there were a few encyclopedias that loitered on its dusty surface. Alpha placed a hand on it and pushed it with an inhuman force. He seemed to barely exert any force in the feat.

When he finished pushing the bookcase, Alexia saw a small door behind it. “This door leads outside,” Alpha explained. “It’s a, how you say, emergency exit. We only use it during times of veritable urgency. It’s perfectly safe. Just follow the path and you’ll be outside in no time.” He opened the small door, revealing a pitch-black passageway, only illuminated by occasion lit torches on the stone walls. All in all, it had a dubious aspect to it. The edges of Alexia’s mouth twitched downward, reluctant to go down.

“Come on, Al, we have work to do,” a gruff man voice called out before a thudding came on the door. Alexia’s heart jumped. Other guards were right outside the door.

“Coming!” Alpha called back. Inaudibly, he shooed them through the door, closing it behind them. He pushed the bookshelf back into place. With a deep exhale, he walked towards the door. He opened it, joining his companions outside. ‘Good luck, Alexia.’ 

 

 

Chapter 21

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ear-wrenching clang of metal on metal woke Emilio with a start. He jerked forward, ready to defend himself from whatever mysterious attackers there may be, but he found himself restrained. He glanced down at his wrists and say that they were bound to planks of plywood with thick ropes. His ankles were too and he could see nothing; only an eternal sea of darkness. Where was Cariña? And Adeline? ‘Where am I?’

“Why, Ryu,” began an arcane voice concealed by the darkness, “you’re right where you belong.” Stricken with fear and apprehension, Emilio’s muscles tensed on edge and he stared into the abyss of obscure blackness, struggling to focus his line of vision. But it was in vain. He couldn’t make anything�"or anyone�"out from the shadows.

Half from desperation and half from peeved fright, Emilio let out a grunt. “Who’s there?” he shouted, trying to alleviate his fear by seeming bolder than he felt. How he felt was completely and utterly helpless. He was tied up, in the mercy of his captors, and had no idea where his friends were. “Show yourself, you coward!”

A shrill cackle erupted from the dusk, send a wave of gooseflesh down Emilio’s skin. A rusty silhouette emerged, its limbs long and wiry. The lips on the androgynous face curled in sadistic pleasure while the thin eyebrows squeezed together. Shoulder-length silver hair draped over the figure’s ears and a few loose strands fluttered in front of the face. The figure was dressed in a navy blue hooded rope that refused to show any curves or muscles, leaving Emilio clueless to the person’s gender, much less their identity. The height suggested male, but the voice suggested female. The only clue about the person’s identity was a tattoo of an eagle on the collarbone, poking out beneath the V-neck of the robe.

“Who… Who are you?” Emilio stammered, warily sizing up the unknown captor. “And where am I?” He struggled to regain his composure, but he could feel a lump swelling in his throat.

The figure’s menacing smile showed a hint of pleasure�"pleasure in Emilio’s fear and worry�"and the eyes tinged with excitement. “You don’t need to know who I am,” said the person in a low, gurgled voice. “But I know who you are, Ryu Drake.”

Emilio remembered Libelle calling him Ryu. That was his real name, after all. But how did this strange man�"or woman�"know that? Were they working for the Queen? Kappa had known. Emilio’s eyes skirted across the figures body, looking for an inch of uncovered skin, preferably a wrist. But they were both covered. In fact, the only part of this person’s body was from their face to lower neck. There was no way to be sure if this figure was a prototype, but Emilio had all suspicions that he�"she�"was.

But Emilio wasn’t going to let this person get the best of him. “Ryu Drake? Now that’s a nice name, but mine is Emilio Castillo. You must have the wrong person, homes.”

The person slowly walked around Emilio, never breaking eye contact. Emilio was smug, feeling confident, but his captor was still in control. He exemplified this by punching Emilio hard across the jaw. His head lurching the left, Emilio gasped for breath. The blow knocked the breath out of him and he could taste the pungency of blood seeping past his lips and down his chin. He laughed from the hysteria. “Is that the best you’ve got? You punch like a g�"“ he started, but an uppercut to the chin stopped him mid-sentence.

“Stop playing coy with me, Ryu,” the voice hissed through clench teeth, the same hard grin painted on its face. “You won’t get hurt if you just cooperate with me, little dragon boy. I’ll see to it that your family doesn’t get hurt either.” Emilio looked up at him and thought of his family. His mom and dad, his brothers and sisters. But then he thought of his biological family. Libelle and little Kaida. He couldn’t risk them getting hurt. He had to play along. ‘At least for now…’

Emilio swallowed, but immediately regretted it, tasting his own blood slide down his throat. “Okay, I’ll do whatever you want,” he said half-heartedly. “Just don’t take advantage of me. I know I’m in a vulnerable position, but try to control yourself, esé.” This was Emilio’s way of dealing with stressful situations. Humor. But he wasn’t sure how long he could keep it up before the strange captor got angry.

Silence roamed the room for a moment, building tension. Finally, the man�"woman�"spoke. “All we want to know is the location of the surviving dragons. Then I can let you go. Sounds fair, doesn’t it?” Emilio doubted his sincerity about releasing him, but decided to play along. He was getting some answers first.

“First of all, why do you care?” he asked. The adrenaline was slowly dwindling out of him and the throbbing pain in his chin was beginning to take full effect. “Wait, let me rephrase that: why does your Mother care?”

The person’s smile was wiped from his face and was replaced with a disgusted grimace, clearly appalled by the casual use of his leader’s name. “Mother’s plans are beyond your comprehension. You couldn’t possibly hope to understand her ideals. In fact, the only purpose you serve is giving us information on a location. We could find them ourselves, but why bother when you so kindly waltzed into our home. Mother just couldn’t resist an opportunity like that. Thank you, by the way” By now, the grim simper had reappeared, as frightful and ugly as Emilio remembered it.

He couldn’t believe he had fallen so blindly into Mother’s trap. How could he not see the danger! The other rooms in the hotel were filled with machines making prototypes. Did that not strike him as DANGER? But nevertheless, he was stuck in this situation. He would just have to get himself out of it.

“Oh, and by the way,” the captor continued, “that girl you had with you was a real cutie.” He made a sound of approval and Emilio was convinced that this person was male. “And that baby. So adorable. I bet she would’ve made a tasty snack!” He snarled his teeth and chortled cruelly.

“You better shut the hell up!” Emilio yelled, feeling his heart pound against his chest, beginning to be released. Why was he getting so defensive over Cariña and Adeline? He barely knew them…

His smirk grew�"if possible�"and twisted at the edges. “Oh, got a soft spot for the lady, eh? Well, that’s good to know. Could be useful.” He turned and walked away from Emilio, as if he was going to conceal himself in the darkness again, but he stopped. “Now, are you ready to tell me where the surviving dragons are?”

Emilio calmed his pulse and breathing, trying his best to calm down. “That depends, are you ready to kiss my a*s?” He laughed at his joke, even though he knew it was face and forced. He watched as the man turned around, holding a six-inch long silver blade with a dark handle. The only light in the whole room was a dim bulb hanging precariously from the ceiling by a lace of intertwining wires, but the blade gleamed from the illumination.

He stepped toward Emilio, slowly. Almost too slowly. If he was going to strike, why wouldn’t he go ahead and do it to get it over with? “Sorry, but that wasn’t the right answer. Let’s try again. Where are they?” He leaned in close, his face inches from Emilio’s. Emilio could feel his temperature-less breath breezing over his cheek.

“At your mom’s house,” he replied and smirked cockily. He blinked, but in the fraction of a second that he wasn’t looking, the knife plunged into his palm. Emilio screamed from the agony, starting at his fingertips and pitchforking throughout his entire being. His hand dripped into a crimson puddle on the cement floor. The man retracted the knife and Emilio bit his lip to keep from crying out again.

He laughed, hysteria infesting him and causing his thoughts to scramble. “What… what are you going to do… kill me?”

Cackling under his breath, the man wiped the scarlet fluid from the knife on the hem of his shirt. “No, it’s against protocol to kill you.” His voiced to point that the drip of Emilio’s blood was louder than he was. “But I sure can make you wish you were dead.”

 

vvv

 

Progressing deeper into the passage behind the bookcase, Alexia wondered if the path was ever going to end. They had been traveling through it for what seemed like an eternity, the small torches on the wall the only thing lighting their path. The area was in complete silence, except for the rhythmic plop of falling drops of stagnated water. She looked behind her and she could see the silhouette of her friends trailing after her. She wished someone would say something. Anything to lighten the mood. Then she had an idea. Flipping her golden hair over her left shoulder, scattering drops of water that flew from it, she said, “Carmyne, you never told us how you managed to make it back.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess I never did. Well, I’m not entirely sure what happened myself,” Carmyne replied with a dry giggle. “It may sound strange, but I remember everything. Like seriously. I remember dying. I didn’t want to, but I didn’t want to fight it anymore either. When I finally slipped away, I felt like I was dreaming. I was transported to some strange place. It was so cold and quiet. I couldn’t see anything. Like, at all. No people, animals, anything. It was completely barren.”

“Kind of sounds like the World of the Dead to me,” Kendrew said emphatically. “I’ve heard varying accounts of people who have been revived after near-death experiences, but the one thing that remains constant is that they were first taken to a bleak place with no sign of life.”

Carmyne nodded. “Yeah. I called out, but nobody replied. I started walking in a direction, but it didn’t seem like I was going anywhere. It was very frustrating!” She sighed. “Well, after a while I just stopped. I sat down and cried. I didn’t know what else to do! Somehow, through my sobs, I heard a voice. I thought I had imagined it, but I heard it again.”

“Well, what did it say?” Alexia asked.

“It was a woman’s voice,” Carmyne clarified, “and it said, ‘Go back. You’re not done.’ Pretty crazy, right?”

A woman’s voice in the World of the Dead? Could it have been the Goddess some people proclaimed? Alexia never had many religious values, but she remembered hearing people talk about the Goddess Poitreene that reigned over the world. Supposedly, the Goddess Poitreene was locked in a never-ending stalemate against the Diablos, the evil god of the Underworld. Diablos sought to put an end to human kind, apparently disgusted by their vile wretchedness But the Goddess Poitreene saw the purity and love in the humans’ hearts and decided to show mercy on them. Their opposing ideas started the War of Numen. Many said that the Twenty Year War was the earthly version of the War of Numen. She wondered if there was anything to their stories, but was hesitant to put her faith in a woman she had never seen or heard.

“So then what happened?” Sebastion asked.

Smiling with her perfect teeth, Carmyne said, “I woke up. I felt my back where the tree back stuck through, but it was gone! Like, completely. I was healed. You guys had already left, though, so I had to find my own way back here.”

Alexia could see a light off the distance and knew that they were almost at the end of the path. They would be outside soon. What happened after that, she didn’t know. “Well, how did you get here?”

“Okay, you guys aren’t going to believe this,” Carmyne began, snickering to herself, “but when I woke up in the forest after dying, I was surrounded by fairies.” Everyone stopped walking at the sound of the word rolling out of Carmyne’s mouth. Carmyne looked around and saw the same dumbfounded expression on everyone’s face. “I know, I didn’t believe it either at first. Fairies. Like from the legends. They’re real. Not only that, but they told me that I was one of them.”

Sebastion laughed from the ridiculousness of her story. “Alright, Carmyne. I’ve known you for a while and I know you have a wild imagination, but this is going a little too far. You seriously expect us to believe that you’re a fairy?”

“No, I’m serious! I promise! They told me that I was their princess. Alexia, remember when I told you about how I woke up in that burning field? They said that I used to live with them, but then some humans came through and burned down the forest. The screams that I heard in the distance were other fairies. Apparently I hit my field at some point during the attack and I had amnesia when I woke up.” Alexia remembered Carmyne telling her that story while they were in the field off the coast of Harmony’s Lake, but she wasn’t sure how much she could believe of this new story.

“Carmyne, are you sure you didn’t just dream it?” Alexia asked, trying to sound sympathetic. She wanted to believe her, but her story was simply too absurd.

She stomped her foot in protest. “I didn’t dream it! It happened! They helped me get back here! I thought you of all people might believe me, Alexia!” Carmyne said, tears swelling up in her eyes. She darted away from the group and toward the light in the distance.

“Carmyne, wait!” Alexia called after her and jogged to catch up with her. ‘She may be little, but she can run,’ she thought as she watched as Carmyne disappeared into the brightness of the light. Alexia reached the end of the tunnel, the incredible light temporarily blinding her. What she saw after her eyes adjusted to the shift in shade caused her heart to jump in her throat.

Soldiers. They all looked like copies of each other; male humanoids with shiny silver armor and bright, glowing, emerald eyes. Their guns were unholstered and pointed in Alexia’s direction. She looked to her left and saw Carmyne, a still statue with her arms raised in surrender and her eyes wide with terror. They were soon joined by Sebastion, Kendrew, and Grayson, who all stopped in their tracks upon reaching the other side. They were far outnumbered and defenseless.

One guard spoke in a monotone voice, his gun remained pointing at them. “Alexia Gilbert, Sebastion McCarter, Carmyne Tilley, Kendrew Gallante, and Grayson Chavez: you are all under arrest by the decree of her royal majesty Mother. She requests Alexia’s presence but the rest of you are to do with as we please.” They all clicked their guns in unison, preparing to rapid fire a barrage of bullets at them.

“Stand back you guys!” Carmyne declared, jumping in front of the rest of them. She clapped her hands together and then spread them apart, forming a cobalt, crystalline barrier in front of her that spread until it was wide enough to protect the whole group. The soldiers pulled their triggers and a bombardment of bullets rained on the barrier, but it remained strong. The bullets ricocheted off the surface of the force field, creating ripples that echoed across it.

“And where did you learn that?” Alexia asked. She had never seen this spell performed before and the last time she saw Carmyne, she only knew a few low-quality spells.

Carmyne remained silent, her concentration centered on her spell. Casting a spell required tremendous concentration, but maintaining one for this long of a time required much more. Most wizards didn’t have enough focus or magical energy to focus a spell for this long, but somehow Carmyne was doing it and showed no signs of letting up anytime soon.

The gunfire continued and so did the barrier. “What are we supposed to do?” Grayson asked, feeling a litter helpless. His feisty attitude and desire to clobber the soldiers added together to make him antsy in this situation. “Should we run or back her up or what?”

Alexia kept thinking that the soldiers would soon run out of ammo and be forced to reload, but it never seemed to end. They had a seemingly endless supply of ammunition.

“Alexia, play your harp!” a voice said. Alexia turned to see Alpha pushing his way through the crowd of soldiers. He had his helmet off and his long black hair was tasseled behind him. His dark blue eyes locked on hers and she could see the desperation in his expression.

After recovering from her stun, Alexia retrieved her harp from her backpack. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt like Alpha’s instructions could make a difference. Both he and Mother had told her that she had powers; maybe they were somehow linked to her music. She danced her fingers along the thin strings of her lyre and allowed its song to escape her grasp. The notes floated around the inside of the barrier and slowly made their way to the place where the soldiers were. Their gunshots petered out and finally ceased as the melody flowed through their ears. Even though they were under Mother’s mind control, Alexia’s mind control was able to cancel them out.

Their limbs suddenly felt heavy and flaccid and they all started to sink to the floor. Alexia had her eyes closed to concentrate better on her music and when she opened them, all of the soldiers were knocked out; unconscious. Smiling, Alexia looked around her and saw that her friends were too. Carmyne’s barrier had faded and she lay in an abnormal state, her limbs tangled together in an uncomfortable-looking way. Kendrew and Grayson were asleep too.

But not Sebastion.

“You finally utilized your full potential,” Alpha said as he approached the two. His gaze skirted over Sebastion and he said, “Why didn’t it affect you?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Sebastion replied in a sassy tone.

Alpha pressed his lips into a tight line. “I guess it doesn’t matter since you are on outside. Were the situation different, I would thoroughly examine you and find out why you were immune to her mind control.” The two words stuck in Alexia’s mind. She remembered Mother mentioning to Alexia had powers of mind control. At the time�"with all the adrenaline and endorphin surging through her body�"Alexia didn’t give the possibility a second thought. Now she thought that it could be fairly probable, especially after witnessing it for herself.

She reminisced back to the flower field outside of Harmony’s Lake and the night on board the S.S. Bedazzled. She remembered playing her lyre and it had an effect on the people who heard it, but she hadn’t thought of it as mind control. She merely labeled it as soothing music. Now it all made sense. This was why Mother was after Alexia. She was immune to Mother’s powers because she could control them as well. But why was Alpha immune? And Sebastion?

Just then, a question jumped into her mind that she hadn’t thought of before. “Emilio. Where is he?”

“Emilio?” Alpha asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Oh, you mean the Latino boy. He�"“ he stopped mid-sentence and gasped. “Last I heard he was under Sigma’s supervision! If that’s true… We have to get to him! Now! Before it’s too late!”

Alexia didn’t know who this Sigma guy was, but the Alpha described him didn’t sound very pleasing. “Do you know where he is?”

“Maybe,” he replied, scratching his ear. None of the other guardsmen seemed to have any human qualities. An action as innocent as having an itch was arcane to them. It was refreshing to see that Alpha was capable to feeling these things. “But we have to hurry!”

“What about them?” Sebastion asked, referring to Kendrew, Carmyne, and Grayson. “We can’t just leave them here.”

Alpha pondered this and finally closed his eyes. With a sigh, he raised his right hand and pointed at their sleeping bodies. His eyes opened and were completely black. Blacker than the darkest midnight or the thickest tar. Alexia lost her breath at the sight and turned to Carmyne and the others. Their bodies were radiating with an umber glow that sparkled. Alpha closed his eyes and lowered his hand. “There, they’re protected. One of side effect of Mother’s mind control is inheriting her emerald eyes. The thing is that she can’t see anything in ultraviolet light. This means that the soldiers won’t be able to either. When they wake up, they won’t be able to see your friends. They’re safe.”

“Oh,” Alexia replied, slightly astounded by Alpha’s incredible knowledge and powers. “Shouldn’t you cast it on us too?”

He smiled. “I already did. Don’t worry your pretty little head.” He grazed his hand against her cheek and felt herself blush. “Well, let’s go.” He turned and walked away. Alexia and Sebastion followed.

“Jerk,” Sebastion mumbled under breath so no one could hear.

 

 

Chapter 22

 

 

 

 

 

 

The blade sliced through Emilio’s chest, just to the right of his heart, and he could feel his hot blood running down his abdomen. He cried out, unable to contain himself any longer. He had been tortured like this for hours. His captor would slice into him, sometimes as small as papers cuts, and then pour alcohol onto them until his flesh sizzled. It was agonizing; a pain that Emilio had never felt before. It felt like he was being torn to shreds.

“Are you ready to tell me?” the man asked, fetching his jug of alcohol. He put his face close to Emilio’s face. “It will all end if you do.”

Emilio could taste blood seeping into his mouth. He summoned together a pool of spit and blood under his tongue and spewed into the man’s face. Emilio laughed as the man cursed and grabbed a towel to wipe his face off. “Suck it,” Emilio said weakly as the man leered at him. Emilio could easily heal himself if he could get his hands free. His captor didn’t seem to have that on his mind, however.

He picked up the knife and plunged it into Emilio’s thigh and twisted it. As he shrilled from the torment, Emilio’s body lurched forward, begging to be released from his bonds so he could attack the man. But the man simply smiled and chuckled as he corkscrewed the blade in Emilio’s thigh deeper.

“Sigma!” a voice cried out from beyond the darkness. Suddenly, Alpha, Alexia, and Sebastion appeared from the shade. “Sigma, as your commanding officer, I order you to release him at once!”

Sigma was still for a moment and the whole room was enveloped in a layer of silence. Then he smiled and chuckled his sinister cackle that sent chills down Alexia’s spine. “Commanding officer, huh? Mother told me about you, Alpha. She said that you were a traitor and that I had permission to kill you if I saw you. Don’t mind if I do.” He lunged at Alpha, knife in hand. Alpha stuck out his right hand his palm rested on Sigma’s forehead. Alpha’s eyes transformed to the darker-than-pitch shade they were earlier and Sigma stopped moving. His limbs dropped and the knife fell to the ground beneath him.

“Twilight Song,” Alpha said in a voice that wasn’t his own. It sounded animatronic and altered, like it belonged to some kind of machine. Sigma’s pupils dilated and his jaw dropped. Alpha gave a soft shove forward with his palm and sent Sigma tumbling to the floor, his body devoid of life.

“Is he… dead?” Alexia asked, fearing the answer.

“Yes,” Alpha replied as if it was nothing. “That’s Twilight Song. They sleep the eternal sleep.” The logical half of Alexia’s brain was relieved that Sigma was dead, especially after seeing what he did to Emilio. But the other half of her brain, the half that considers and ponders a little too much, was afraid. Afraid of Alpha and his powers. Afraid of what he was capable of doing. She knew he was different from all of the other prototypes�"if he was one at all�"and believed that he wouldn’t harm her, but she was still fearful.

Her attention was brought back to her captive friend. “Emilio, are you alright?” She jogged to his side and gasped as she examined his wounds up close. She could see bone underneath the torn flesh in some of the gashes and others were still streaming a river of blood that dripped to the concrete floor.

“I’m fine, chica,” he managed to wheeze under his breath. He coughed and the crimson fluid leaked from the corner of his mouth. “Just… untie me and I can heel myself.” Alexia worked on the knot on his right hand while Sebastion fumbled with the one on his left. Alpha easily broke the two on his ankles without breaking a sweat and proceeded to assist on the other two. Emilio was free before long and began the curative process on himself. His body emanated an unearthly glow and the wounds slowly began to close.

“It’s easier to heal myself than someone else,” he declared upon completion. “It’s an energy transfer process so curing myself creates a cycle of my magical energy, while curing someone else requires for me to transfer my energy to them.” This explained why he usually needed to rest for a few moments after healing someone. He was restoring his magical energy.

“What do we do now?” Sebastion asked, feeling a little worked up.

“We need to go find Mother,” Alpha suggested.

“But what about Cariña and Adeline?” Emilio asked. Alexia had nearly forgotten about them, but wondered where they were as well.

Alpha turned to the door. “I don’t know where your friends are, but we don’t have time to worry about that. Mother is at her weakest right now. If we’re going to strike, we need to do it soon!”

“You guys can do what you want,” Emilio stated, “but I’m going to find Cariña.” He rose to his foot and jogged out of the room, turning left down the hallway. Alexia felt her head tip subconsciously to the left. She pitied Emilio. He finally found his true love, but he had lost her. There was no telling where she could be, if she was even alive.

After a moment of silence, Alpha said, “Mother is in her throne room. Let’s go.” He took off at an inhuman speed and Alexia and Sebastion followed, struggling to keep up with him. The place that they were in was alien to Alexia and she would be out of luck if she got lost. Thankfully, she had Alpha to lead her.

“So, that Alpha guy is pretty strange, don’t you think?” Sebastion said, probably just trying to make conversation in lieu of their situation.

“Yeah, I guess so,” she replied, unsure where he was going with this.

“I mean, he seems like a good guy and all, but he’s still one of them.”

“One of who?”

“The prototypes.” Alexia turned to Sebastion. The green tips of his hair bounced with each step he took and his legs seemed to pirouette from one foot to the other. He really did have grace like a dancer. Alexia had considered the fact that Alpha was a prototype�"especially since his name was another Greek letter�"but he act so independently from the rest that she forgot.

She turned back to face forward and say Alpha round a corner a few yards ahead of them. “Yeah, I kind of figured.” They were both silent for a moment before Alexia asked, “Do you think we can trust him?”

“Honestly,” Sebastion began, as he rounded the corner, “no. But we don’t have much of a choice right now.”

Alexia nodded in agreement. Right now, her priority was defeating Mother. Her tyranny had to be stopped, and Alexia had a feeling that she was capable of stopping her.

Suddenly, the sound of a microphone facing a speaker sounded throughout the area. They stopped dead in their tracks and turned in all directions. Alexia felt her heart skip a beat when she heard her voice. “Good afternoon,” the voice said.

Mother.

“I’m very proud of you, Alexia. You have far exceeded my expectations. Not only did you manage to break out of the prison, but you also took down my entire army of soldiers. Very impressive.”

“What do you want from me?!” Alexia screaming, her words come off as more of a demand than a question.

Mother’s chuckle echoed around the area, ricocheting off the walls and ringing in her ears. Alexia knew her voice was coming from an intercom system, but it sounded like she was all around her. “Your soul,” she finally said. “I need it. You are my perfect being, Alexia. Never have I seen such a specimen of flawless beauty. And the fact that you have tapped into your powers only makes me want you more.”

“Well, what’s stopping me from just leaving right now and never coming back?” Alexia asked.

Mother was silent for a moment, as if contemplating the question. Analyzing each feature of it. Dissecting it and storing the parts in the cavities of her brain. “I have your friends.” The gasp that was about to erupt from Alexia’s throat disintegrated and left her body devoid of air. “The fair girl, the two big guys, the Latino girl, and even the baby.”

Suddenly Alexia regretted ever leaving Carmyne, Kendrew, and Grayson outside of the prison. “But, how? Alpha casted a spell on them! You shouldn’t have been able to see them!”

“Alpha?” Mother asked inquisitively. Her tone sounded more mocking and derisive than surprised or curious. “You actually trusted him? You’re more gullible than I thought!” She cackled horribly and Alexia turned down the hall, expecting to see Alpha holding the answers to all of the questions spawning in her brain.

But he was gone.

“I knew we couldn’t trust him!” Sebastion spurted off. Alexia could tell he was angry and she placed her hand on the tattoo of a phoenix on his shoulder blade.

“I’ll tell you what,” Mother said, a hint of resolve in her tone, “I’m a fan of games. Let’s play one. You have five minutes to make your way to my throne room and confront me. If you make it in time, I can assure your friends’ safety. If you don’t, well…” Her words drifted off and she chuckled under her breath. “Let’s just say that they won’t be doing so well.” The same ear-bleeding sound resonated throughout the underground prison and the intercom was cut out. And Mother was gone.

Alexia could hear a metronome ticking in her ears, counting down each of her precious seconds. Five minutes. “We have to hurry,” Alexia whispered in Sebastion’s ear. She didn’t mean to whisper�"she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs�"but that was the only thing she managed to choke out. Why was Mother so cruel? Alexia didn’t know Queen Alrose before, but the stories she heard of the Great Queen made her seem like a valiant and peaceful queen. This was not the same woman. Whatever it was that happened to the Queen that turned her into the beast known as Mother had to be something calamitous.

They ran in all directions, going down varying hallways and passages. The climbed two flights of stairs, only to find themselves in an area similar to the one from which they escaped. They were like mice, trapped in an eternal labyrinth. And Mother was pulling all the strings. Alexia knew that she and Sebastion would be able to take Mother down if they could just get their hands on her, but that was the hard part.

“Alexia!” a familiar voice called out. Suddenly, Emilio darted from behind her and to her side. “I heard what Mother said on the intercom. Do you know where the throne room is, homes?”

“No,” Alexia said between breaths, “I don’t have a clue. But we have to look!” They jogged up another flight of stairs, burst through a set of double doors, and were finally somewhere different. Alexia recognized the paintings on the walls of the hallway; the throne room was nearby. She took a left, nearly tripping over a roll in the scarlet rug that adorned the floor.

The enormous doors to the throne room were in sight. “Come on! We’re almost there!” Alexia declared, pointing toward the doors.

Alexia had counting the seconds in her head the whole there. Fifteen. Fourteen. Thirteen. Just a little father. Eleven. Ten. Nine. Almost there. Seven. Six. Five. Alexia felt her body moving in slow motion as she reached for the door handle. Three. She pulled on the wide handles. Two. One.

Locked. Alexia felt her heart sink to the floor. The door was locked. They finally made it, but the door was locked. They got there in time, but it wasn’t good enough. It was too late.

“Alexia,” Sebastion said from behind her, “you’re supposed to push it.”

She was silent for a moment, absorbing what he had just said to her. She coiled her fingers around the handle and pushed. It opened. They stepped inside the throne room. It was a lavishly decorated room, but not quite as gaudy as her bedroom. Crimson curtains hung over beautiful stain glass windows, allowing in little light. The tile floor was painted with a pixelated map of Genesis in all different colors. There were white columns that spiraled up from the floor, diverging into rope-like structures upon reaching the ceiling. A blood-red carpet cloaked the floor with a stream of white rose petals on it. The petals formed a trail that ended at the golden throne. And sitting on the throne was Mother.

She held a white rose in her hand that contained only one single petal. She plucked it off with her long skinny fingers and tossed it in front of the throne before her. “Time’s up. I’m actually surprised you made it. I keep underestimating you, Alexia. And you keep proving yourself worthy of my concern. Honestly, I’m growing a little weary of this game. Time to end it.” She placed her heels on the floor and rose, her ginger hair swinging delightfully as she stood.

“Stand back, you guys,” Alexia said. Her tone had changed. She meant business. “This is between me and her.”

“No way, Jose!” Emilio said. “You’re our friend so we’re going to help you!”

“He said it,” Sebastion chimed in. “We can’t let you do this alone.”

Alexia turned around, her pale blue eyes holding an ocean of reverence. “I appreciate your help. More than you know. But I have to do this alone.

“She’s right,” a voice stated from behind them. They all turned to see Alpha standing in the doorway of the room. “This is her battle. Only she can fight it.”

Reluctantly, Sebastion and Emilio backed away. “Well, we’re going to go look for the others,” Emilio said as he ran to the back of the throne room. “Good luck, chica! Knock that witch’s bra off!”

Sebastion’s eyes locked on her and he smiled his trademark half-smile. “I know you can do it,” he said.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the traitor.” Mother stepped forward and the rose petals around her began to rise and swirl. “Alpha-001A. You were the original prototype. My very first failure. But somehow, you have been able to slink from my grasp.” She stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes calmly. “And it pisses me off!” She opened her eyes and they were fully engulfed in a sea of white. The rose petals revolved around her, creating a floral tornado. “You’ll be the first to die!”

She flew towards him, her feet never touching the ground. She reached out her hand to grab him, but Alexia got in the way. She positioned herself between Mother and Alpha and held up her left hand as if saying ‘stop.’ Her pale blue eyes stared into Mother’s deep emerald eyes. Time froze for a few seconds as they simply stared at each other. Finally, Alexia balled up her right fist and slugged Mother hard in the cheek. She tumbled over and rubbed her damaged spot. “Ow,” she grunted.

“Alpha, get out of here!” Alexia demanded. “It’s dangerous. And like you said, this is my battle!”

“I can’t,” he said. “I betrayed you. I’m nothing but a traitor. You should allow her to kill me.”

Alexia raised her hand and slapped his cheek. “Listen to yourself, Alpha! I don’t care if you betrayed me or whatever because you came back! That’s all that matters. Now do me a favor and go! Help Sebastion and Emilio find the others!”

He was stunned for a moment, unsure how to respond. But he finally grinned and agreed. He bolted through the same doors that Sebastion and Emilio had gone through earlier. Alexia turned to Mother. She was back on her feet now, her topaz dress ruffled and torn. “You know, Mother,” Alexia said, putting a disgusted twang on the word, “orange isn’t really your color.”

“Silence, you w***e.”

“Oh, so now we’ve resorted to name-calling? Very unbecoming of a new mother like yourself.” Alexia felt strong, empowered.

“I said silence!” Mother bellowed and lunged at Alexia. Her palms found Alexia’s shoulders and she pinned her to the ground. Their faces were centimeters apart and Alexia could see Mother’s pupils contracting and expanding. Her emerald eyes looked so peaceful and calming. Alexia felt herself get lost in their flow. She was falling for Mother’s mind control, but there was nothing she could do stop it.

Suddenly, everything around her was gone.

 

 

Chapter 23

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexia careened her neck to get a full view of her surroundings. Nothing but black. Suddenly, structures began to materialize in front of Alexia’s eyes. She watched as pixels merged together, forming solid objects. A pole manifested to her left and she grabbed it. Solid, rough, sturdy. Real.

More and more of the pixels began to solidify around here, creating a vaguely familiar setting. It was a small playground with standard equipment: a slide, two swing sets, a jungle gym, monkey bars, and sandbox with a shovel and pail sitting in the tan mineral. Alexia felt a bizarre sense of longing in being in this place. She felt like she knew where she was, but didn’t at the same time.

Then some more structures began to manifest. They oblong shaped things with long appendages and odd attachments. Humans. Kids, more specifically. Alexia studied each one’s face and determined that they were all under the age of ten. One girl in particular caught Alexia’s eye. She was hunched over in the sandbox by herself, drawing pictures in the sand with a twig. Alexia bent down so that she was level with the girl and cast her gaze over the girl’s shoulder. She had drawn five horizontal lines with symbols sleeping on them�"a music staff with notes. An odd design for a young girl.

“Hey look! It’s Alexia!” a childish voice shot off from behind them. Alexia and the girl turned concurrently, their eyes landing on the same boy. He was a little bigger than the rest of the kids�"but not by much�"and had messy red hair and freckles. He resembled a bulldog in his gait as he approached Alexia and the girl. “What are you doing, freak? Drawing more stupid pictures?”

“Music isn’t stupid, Lincoln!” the girl replied, rising to her feet. At her full height, she went up to Alexia’s chest. She had long blond hair that was tied into a knotty ponytail with a strip of lavender lace. She wore a button-down blouse with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of blue jeans. Her small hands were clutched into tight fists and a muscle feathered across her jaw�"a sign of deep irritation. “And why are you such a jerk to everybody? That’s why no one likes you, Lincoln!”

“Yeah, and no one likes you because you’re a weirdo and a freak!” shot back at her. Their bodies were close, their faces closer. He cocked an ugly grin, his teeth yellow and crooked, and squeezed his eyebrows together. “Hey, everybody!” he called out, his voice loud, deep, and booming. All of the other kids on the playground turned their heads and listened to Lincoln. “Alexia’s a freak! Alexia’s a freak!” His cruel words rang out and echoed across the playground. The others joined in with the chant, and Alexia turned to the little girl.

Her eyes watered and her lower lip quivered. She blinked to cast away the tears, but they merely flowed down her cheeks to her chin. Lincoln exposed his hideous smirk and raised his fist. It kissed the little girl’s cheek and she fell to the ground. “Stop it!” Alexia screamed. “She’s just a little girl!”

But they couldn’t hear her. She had her back hunched, supported herself with her palms and knees. She turned her head to face them and Alexia could see the sorrow and self-pity engraved on her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bloodshot from an overdose of tears. Her lips were dotted with sand and bleeding from being pushed down. A button popped from her blouse, exposing an inch of young cleavage.

Suddenly, it all hit her. A revelation exploded in Alexia’s brain and she knew where she was. She looked northeast just to confirm and saw the sign in front of the playground. Rhinesdale Park. Alexia came to the realization that she was in her hometown, and the little girl that was getting bullied was her.

She was reliving her past. But why? Why had Mother sent her here? What was so significant about this memory? It wasn’t a pleasant one, but Alexia couldn’t remember anything out of the ordinary happening. Back then, this was Alexia’s daily life. ‘Maybe my questions will be answered if I keep watching.’

“I heard that both of her parents are dead,” a girl with pink braces remarked.

“I heard that she lives at the dump and never showers,” another girl with a long black braid replied.

“Well, I heard that travels from town to town with a caravan of freaks,” a different girl with big hoop earrings said.

They were all right. Alexia’s parents died in a terrorist bombing during the Twenty Year War. She was left alone and an orphan at the bottom of valley. A traveling caravan group of performers found her and took her with her. They gave her food, shelter, a loving family. Everything that she needed and had been deprived of. They taught her how to perform, sing, and dance. They often went without showering for weeks and had to live in unappealing places. Once she turned sixteen, Alexia left the caravan, seeking to travel on her own.

“That’s quite enough!” a woman’s voice said sternly. All the kids turned to see a tall, slender woman in an orange robe standing next to the sign.

“Oh no. It’s Mother Lovely,” one kid said. The woman had long, curly orange hair and bright green eyes. She walked towards the children, her long robe giving her a look of ethereal levitation. She wore minimal make-up�"perhaps just a splash of blush�"but she was genuinely beautiful. On her head sat a beautiful headdress that dangled topaz stones and diamonds.

“What is going on here?” she inquired, her gaze drifting from eye to eye of each of the children. Her eyes finally landed on young Alexia and they stayed there for a few moments. After no one spoke up, she glared at Lincoln. “Well, Mr. Rosbourn?”

His spine stiffened and he wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Umm, nothing really. Just, playing around, you know.” He turned to young Alexia. “Right, Lex?”

“Yeah, just playing,” young Alexia agreed, wiping the blood from her lip, leaving a red streak on the back of her hand. “And don’t call me Lex.”

Mother Lovely ambled around the playground a moment. “Just playing, huh? Well, I’m sure the mayor would love to hear about the way you ‘just play.’”

“N- No!” Lincoln shrilled, his cheeks reddening. “Please don’t tell my dad, Mother Lovely!”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Rosbourn. He’ll never find out if you leave now.” They were all silent. “All of you. This is my park and it is officially closed for the day.”

After a groan, the playground began to clear. “I’ll get you for this, Lex,” Lincoln snarled on his way out, elbowing young Alexia in the rib. The blow wasn’t hard enough to make her fall, but it did knock young Alexia off balance. She pressed her palm against a tree to stabilize herself. A hand draped itself across her shoulder. She turned around and her bird egg eyes met a pair of bright emerald ones.

“Oh, Mother Lovely,” Alexia said disdainfully. She wiped the snot that was running from her nose on her wrist. “How are you?”

She was silent for a moment and pressed her lips together. “I’m perfectly fine, Miss Gilbert. How are you?”

“I’m, uh, fine,” she replied nervously, turning away from her, hoping she wouldn’t see the blood on her lip.

Young Alexia started to leave, but Mother Lovely’s hand stopped her. “Put some ice on that lip. It’ll keep it from swelling.”

She turned around and was greeted but a cheerful smile. “It will?” Alexia asked. She’d never heard of such a thing. Everyone in the caravan believed in healing themselves naturally in order to make themselves stronger.

“Why, yes!” she replied. “After all, Mother knows best.” She smiled wider, her eyes squinting slightly. Young Alexia couldn’t help but smile as well and felt herself warming up inside.

A bird tweeted and they both turned in the direction from which the noise came. They saw a mother sparrow fly into tree they were standing by, carrying a sunflower seed. It released the seed into the mouth of its baby and flew away again, in search of more food.

“Have you ever had a pet, Miss Gilbert?” Mother Lovely asked, slicing the silence in half.

“Oh, no ma’am.”

“Pets are a lot like children in some ways. They’re both reliant, dependent, helpless without their mothers. I don’t have any children of my own yet, but I certainly do wish to some day. I suppose that’s why I do what I do,” she added with a chuckle.

“I don’t think I could handle the responsibility,” young Alexia said.

“But that’s the best part. Knowing that they love you, need you, and rely on you. Leading them in the right direction, guiding them with your wisdom and insight. It gives you a strong sense of self-worth.” They were both silent again. “Don’t you want to have self-worth, Miss Gilbert?”

“Mother Lovely, I just want to know that I care about are safe. I don’t have time to worry about myself. And adding another burden on my shoulders won’t alleviate any of that worry. It will just add more. Maybe one day I would like to feel like my life means something, but not today.”

Mother Lovely stared into young Alexia’s eyes, even though they didn’t return the favor. “You’re very wise for your age. Run along home.” Young Alexia began to leave, but was stopped by Mother Lovely’s words. “Oh, and Alexia? Don’t forget about the ice.” Young Alexia smiled and jogged out of the park and down the road.

The playground, trees, and Mother Lovely all began to disintegrate. The pixels that made them up began to break apart and float away into an endless void of black. And Alexia was alone once again.

“Even back then I knew you were special.”

Alexia turned to see Mother standing behind her. She was wearing the same thing she had worn before the black out. Her eyeliner streamed down her cheeks, but her eyes seemed free of tears.

“You were different from the other children, Alexia. You were stronger. Braver. Smarter. Everything about you far surpassed them, but they were too dumb to realize it and you were too young to utilize it. I knew I would find my perfect child. I prayed to that Goddess everyday to be granted the perfect daughter, but I never got a thing.” Her eyes welled up with tears. “But now, I’ve found you.”

“No,” Alexia stammered and took a step back. “I am not your daughter. And I am far from perfect. No one is perfect.”

“But, my dear, you are. My whole life I watched as those disgraceful humans murdered each other. I hoped and prayed that there would be a day when they would all get wiped out, but it never came. So I decided to do something about it myself.” She drew closer to Alexia. “I started the Twenty Year War. I wanted to single out which creatures were the strongest, which ones were devoid of flaws. I had my hopes set on the dragons. Imagine my surprise when the humans came out on top. Years later, I became Mother and I created the prototypes, attempting to artificially generate the perfect being. Little did I know that she was already in the same town as me.”

“You are so stupid!” Alexia shrieked. She had grown angrier by the second listening to Mother’s words. “Yeah, the world is a pretty screwed up place. And sure, we’d all like for it to be a little better. But do you honestly believe that all the murdering you’ve committed makes up for the murdering us humans have done? I mean seriously!” Mother didn’t seem affected by Alexia’s words at all.

But she remained silent as if thinking of the words to say. “The ends justify the means. It doesn’t matter how I get there, as long as I make it. If there happens to be a little bloodshed along the way, so be it.”

“That’s bullshit! My parents were killed during that war, as well as many other people that I knew and loved!”

“But you survived! And that’s all that matters, Alexia. The people you call your parents could never appreciate your perfection the way I can!” She extended a slender arm to Alexia. “Please, come with me. And it will all be over.”

Alexia shook her head and backed away. “Never.”

“Well, then you leave me no choice.” She pointed behind into the void behind Alexia and flashed a grin across her face. Alexia turned around to see Sebastion. He was standing leisurely with his hands in his pockets. Where did he come from? How did he get here? Why was he here?

She looked back to Mother and saw her nod. Her gaze traveled back to Sebastion and she saw him nod as well. He removed his hand from his pocket and it clutched a pistol. He raised and pointed it at his temple and smiled at Alexia.

‘No!’ she thought, and darted toward him. Her feet bounced across the surface beneath her, but she wasn’t moving. Sebastion was just barely out of her reach, the hem of his shirt on inches from her fingertips, but yet he was still so far away.

Then Alexia realized that she was reliving her reoccurring nightmare. She stopped in her tracks and turned back to Mother. She was closer and still had her hand extended. But this time it was holding a pistol similar to the one Sebastion was holding. “Take it,” she said endearingly. “Take the gun and take his place. Kill yourself. Otherwise, Sebastion’s brains are going to decorate this corridor.”

It really was Alexia’s dream. Just in a different way. She had to sacrifice her life to save Sebastion’s. “Take it!” Mother shrilled. “Prove me to me that you are selfless enough to die in the place of your friend! Then I’ll know that you really are perfect!” She shoved the gun into Alexia’s hand and positioned her index finger over the trigger. She raised her arm so that the barrel was in line with her temple. Alexia was nearly in tears and her hand trembled, causing the bullets to rattle against the inside of the pistol. She turned back to Sebastion and saw his muscular finger shift to the thin trigger.

Her heart beat in her fingertips and she felt herself squeezing the trigger. She heard a click, but couldn’t tell whose gun it was from. She relaxed her muscles, closed her eyes, and fired. ‘I’m sorry…’

 

 

Chapter 24

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fluttering her eyelids, Alexia regained focus on the world around her. She was back in the throne room. She looked around and saw the crimson curtains and snowy columns adorning the room. She heard a groan and turned around to see Mother hunched over by the throne, clutching her stomach with her left hand and holding on to the arm of the throne with her right. Even from several yards away, Alexia could see scarlet blood seeping through the spaces between Mother’s fingers.

Alexia turned her attention to the gun in her hand. It exhaled a puff of smoke and she could distinctly smell gunpowder whiz past her nostrils. She didn’t know how or when, but she had shot Mother. She searched the room for Sebastion, but he was nowhere to be found. Alexia concluded that he was just a figment of Mother’s imagination shoved into Alexia’s mind too. But he had seemed so real. She felt him. She felt his presence.

She couldn’t explain it, but she felt a hint of pity towards Mother. Mother was a cruel, murderous woman. She had started the Twenty Year War, which was responsible for the death of countless beings, both human and non-human. She dubbed herself Mother and created artificial beings in the search of perfection. She had more than her own blood on her hands, but Alexia couldn’t help but feel bad for her.

Sure she was the reason so many people were dead�"and Alexia couldn’t bring herself to exonerate her�"but her heart was in the right place. All she wanted was a perfect world where everyone could live in peace and happiness. She didn’t mean for there to be causalities. In fact, she was opposed to the very violence that she caused. It was almost laughable.

“Queen Alrose,” Alexia said as she approached the fallen queen.

“S- Stand back!” she stammered, holding out her bloodied hand. Her usually flawless hair was tousled and covered up her right eye. Her make-up ran down her face and her topaz dress was permanently stained with her blood. “Don’t c- come any closer! I’m w- warning you.”

Alexia ignored her words and closed the distance between. She knelt down beside her and helped her to her feet. “Don’t talk,” Alexia said breathlessly, barely loud enough for the Queen to hear her.

Alrose stood on a pair of wobbly legs and plopped down on her throne, her arms dangling flaccidly over the edge of the chair. She breathed heavily and her chest expanded and contracted with each one. “Why… are you helping me? She should just go now and let me die.”

“I’m not going to do that,” Alexia replied. “And I thought I said don’t talk.”

Alrose shot Alexia a don’t-tell-me-what-to-do look, but it melted into a tearful grimace. “When I was thirteen,” she began, “I was raped by my uncle. Despite my sister’s pleas to abort it, I gave birth to it. I had a beautiful little girl named Kimberly. But…” Her voice drifted off and she sniffled. “I lost her. I was walking home one night and some man mugged me. He took my pocket book and knocked me out. When I woke up, she was gone. I spent my whole life looking for her, but it was in vain. I assumed she was dead, I prayed that she was dead. I would rather her be dead than live a life that she wasn’t meant to. A life without me.”

She looked up and made eye contact with Alexia. Her eyes seemed to be a duller shade of their previous self. “When I found you that day, you reminded me so much of my daughter. I wanted you. I wanted you to be my child. I wanted you to love me, to call me mother, to rely me. I wanted you to want me. But I knew it would never happen…”

“Please stop talking,” Alexia pleaded. “You’re too weak to handle much more.”

“My daughter was perfect. She meant the world to me. I couldn’t forgive the world for taking her away from me. So I swore that I would create a world of my own. A world filled with people like Kimberly. People… like you.”

“Alrose!” a voice called. They looked simultaneously to see the Queen’s sister Yenalyn�"the High Priestess�"standing in the doorway of the throne room. Her long, shiny, black hair flowed behind her as she ran toward them. “Alrose, what happened?”

“Yen, I missed you,” the Queen said weakly. “I wish you didn’t have to see me like this.”

“Rose, I’m your sister. I don’t care what you look like. Are you okay?”

Alrose spoke slowly and took long, deep breath breaths between her sentences. “I’m going to die soon. If I have to go, this is the way I want it. With my sister and my daughter. Even if neither of you feel the same.”

Alexia felt something infiltrate her eye and realized that she was crying. But why? This was what she wanted to the whole time. Why was she upset now? Alrose continued, “Yenalyn, I want you to take over as Queen after I’m gone. I know you’ll do a better job than I ever did. You’ve always been better than me.”

“No, that’s not true,” Yenalyn replied, wiping the tears from her eyes. Her make up was running and her pale face was disintegrating.

“Alexia, I want you to live the life I never got a chance to. Be happy. I know now that perfection is impossible. Even if it were possible, I wouldn’t want it to be that way. I love the flaws of this world. I never stopped to smell the roses because I was too caught up in wallowing in my own self-pity. Don’t do the same thing, Alexia. Don’t be another Alrose.”

Alexia nodded and pushed the blond bangs out of her face. “I will. I promise.”

“Good,” she replied. “Now, I can rest in peace. The way I always wanted to.” Alrose closed her eyes and allowed a single tear to slip out. It slid down her cheek and chin, and fell to the seat of the throne. Alexia watched as Alrose’s body began to emanate an otherworldly glow. It was almost celestial. The light to secreted from her began to grow brighter and brighter. Suddenly, other lights similar to hers�"but smaller�"entered the room, coming through the walls and doors. Her prototypes. The came from all directions, but they all found their way to Alrose’s glow.

Alrose’s glow enveloped her body until she was nothing but the light. The light rose towards the ceiling and passed to the other side and all the other smaller lights followed.

The back door the throne room burst open and Alpha appeared. ‘I guess it’s time,’ he thought. He closed his eyes and lifted his arms. The same glow absorbed his body and he floated to the ceiling like misguided bubble. He passed through to the other side, ready to meet his peaceful end.

More and more of the glowing spirits came and evaporated past the roof. Finally, after all of the souls departed, Alexia looked back to the throne. She was surprised to see the ruby ring that the Goblin King had owned sitting in the seat of the throne. It shimmered in the reflection of the departing lights and seemed to radiate a vermillion aura itself. Alexia picked up and slid it on her middle finger, accepting it as a gift from the queen.

She turned to Yenalyn, who was wiping the tears from her eyes. “I’m so sorry,” Alexia said, unsure of what else to say. There were no words capable of mending the pieces of a heart broken by a lost family member. Alexia had experienced the relentless pain herself many years ago.

“Yeah, me too,” she replied. She rose to her feet and turned away, her long robe swinging behind her. She started to leave, but stopped. “The Goddess has a message for you.” She turned back around to face Alexia, but closed her eyes. The room went dead silent and the lights flickered. The earth seemed to tremble beneath their feet and Alexia grabbed one of the columns to keep from falling. Yenalyn opened her eyes, but they weren’t their usual glassy violet. Instead, her sockets were filled with orbs of cyan light. “Alexia,” she said in supernatural voice.

Alexia gulped and fluffed the hair out of her face. “Are you… the Goddess Poitreene?”

Yenalyn�"or the Goddess�"cocked her head to the right, her eyes remaining unblinking the entire time. “You don’t believe in me.”

“Well, I’ve never spoken to you before.”

“You have now. It’s almost laughable that you don’t know.”

“I don’t know what?” Alexia replied. She was growing tired of other people knowing more about her life than she did.

Yenalyn tsk-tsked and shook her head. “Alexia, my dear sweet child, I sent you here when you were six years old. I planted false memories of a childhood you never lived in your young mind, and sent you on your way. Alrose was correct in saying that you were different from the others, because you were. And still are. There is a reason that you are so close to perfect. A reason you have control in your music. Alexia, you are an angel.”

 

vvv

 

The doors behind the throne room led to long hallways with doors on either side. Sebastion and Emilio alternated opening doors, but found most to be empty or minimally filled with supplies. There was no sign of their companions, but they weren’t giving up.

“Where could they be?” Emilio asked rhetorically, yanking open the white door with paisley design. The room that it concealed was a small bathroom with a porcelain toilet and sink.

Sebastion shook his head, his spiky hair bouncing on top of his head. “I don’t know.”

Then they heard footsteps approaching. They stopped dead in their tracks and halted their breathing, trying to be as quiet as humanly possible. They looked down the hallway to see a shadow growing, it source coming from a hallway that was perpendicular with the one they were in. The silhouette slid across the floor and up the wall, its limbs long and swaying.

Sebastion looked to Emilio and mouthed the words, “On three.” He looked back down the hallway and held up one finger. They crept forward, inch by inch, to get to the jump on their visitor. Two. He reached for a small dagger he had in a holster on his belt and slid it out. Three.

He lunged at the person rounding the corner, his knife prepped to tear into them. Emilio jumped into the air and kicked, aiming for the skull of his assailant. They were greeted by a deep blue shield of crystal. Emilio’s foot bounced off, sending him to the hard stone floor. Sebastion’s knife stuck in the barrier, its handle protruding outward on his side and the point centimeters from their attackers nose. He looked at the face of the intruder and found a set of familiar lavender eyes.

Carmyne.

“Thanks for the warm welcome,” she said with a hint of sarcasm, a crooked grin feathering across her jaw.

“Carmyne?” Sebastion said, his heart rising back up from the floor. The cobalt safeguard faded and he holstered his dagger. “We were looking for you guys. Where are the others?” He combed back his hair with his fingers, the beads of sweat on his forehead following.

She smiled cheerfully and nodded. “Yeah. Kendrew and Grayson are in a room not far from here. I decided to go out and look for help, but it looks like help found me.”

“What about Cariña?” Emilio asked impatiently.

Carmyne shot him a confused look from the corner of her eye. “Who?”

Emilio shook his head, remembering that Carmyne hadn’t met Cariña or Adeline yet. “Umm, a Latina girl. Pretty, long black hair, probably has a baby with her.”

With a despondent nod, Carmyne said, “No, sorry. I haven’t checked most of these rooms, though. They’re probably in here somewhere.”

Emilio nodded and tried to smile, but it felt more like a pained grimace. “Sebastion, get Carmyne and the others to safety, homes. I’m going to find her.” He took off down the hallway and vanished around the corner.

“Come on,” Carmyne began, “they’re right in here.” She strolled casually to a green door a few yards away with golden doorknobs. She twisted the knob and the tumblers clicked in the silent hallway. The pitter-patter of Emilio’s footsteps had withered away, leaving the passageway hushed and pure of noise. The door opened to a small room that was nearly empty, except for a few couches that were covered in plastic wrap. Laying on one of the couches was a sleeping Kendrew and Grayson lay on another. “I guess they didn’t wake up from Alexia’s spell yet.” Carmyne’s voice was hushed to a whisper and Sebastion took it as a sign to whisper as well.

“Or whatever it was she did,” Sebastion replied, thinking out loud. He still wasn’t sure how to deem Alexia’s newly found out abilities. They helped out in a difficult situation, but they still frightened him. According to Alpha, she had mind control powers. If they were anything like Mother’s, they could be used from good or evil. But Sebastion had enough faith in Alexia to know that she wouldn’t use them for nefarious purposes.

Carmyne threw a concerned look in Sebastion’s direction and sucked in her lips. “So I guess you know as little about it as I do.” He nodded and looked away. With a lethargic sigh, Carmyne said, “Don’t tell Lexie I said this, but they scare me. I mean, all she did was put the bad guys to sleep, but still. If she can do that, who knows what else she can do.”

“Yeah.” Sebastion didn’t want to admit that he was afraid of Alexia’s powers. He loved her. Something about her drew him to her. She wasn’t necessarily beautiful, she wasn’t very charming, she was quite reserved, but there was a certain allure to her. Perhaps it was her bravery. All Sebastion knew was that he was in love with her, and you can’t fear someone that you love.

“Now that I think about it,” Carmyne began, forgetting to be quiet, “she’s used her powers before. The day after we left for Harmony’s Lake, we spent the night outside in the field. We were just lounging around the campfire and Emilio challenged Alexia to perform for us. She did, and we all fell asleep. I don’t even remember falling asleep, but I don’t remember her ending the song either. It’s an odd feeling…”

Sebastion, half-listening to Carmyne’s story and half caught up in his own thoughts, nodded his head.

“She used them again,” a voice said. They turned around to see Kendrew sitting up on the couch, his large palm pressed against his forehead, as if subduing a headache. “On the ship. On the way home from the Goblin Forest. We were all upset and about you dying and she sang. It eased us. It is a strange feeling, but not necessarily bad.”

Grayson sat up and rubbed his eyes. “You guys talkin’ about that girl? What did she do to us?”

“We’re not really sure…” Carmyne replied. She closed her eyes, but snapped them open immediately afterwards. “Wait, where is Alexia anyway?”

Sebastion’s eyes widened and he felt a chill roll down his spine. “Oh my God! I nearly forgot! She’s fighting Mother! She said she didn’t want our help, but we still need to go check on her.” He opened the door and jogged out, motioning for them to follow.

‘Please be okay, Alexia,’ he thought, the doors on both sides of the hallway waving good-bye to him.

 

 

Chapter 25

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feet throbbing as they bounced against the floor, heart pounding against his chest, aching to be released, Emilio ran down the hallway. He didn’t feel Cariña’s presence. When she was near, he got a feeling of light peace. Something he couldn’t describe. But he didn’t feel it. She wasn’t near. He had no idea where she was.

‘But I have to find her,’ he thought.

The air raked though his bronzed hair, his curled tips hopping with each step. He felt no moisture in his mouth; it was absolutely dry. A ringing infiltrated his ears, echoing around his whole head.

And then he stopped. He felt something. That feeling. The peaceful feeling that overwhelmed him when he was around Cariña. It was weak, but strong enough to know that she was here.

There were four doors on the hallway, two on either side. He opened the first: nothing. The second: empty.

The third door was silvery and had a certain mirror aspect to it. He stared into his reflection for a moment before reaching for the doorknob. Before leaving the guild, Emilio used to love looking at his reflection. He was good-looking and he knew it. But now, after everything that happened, after finding out who he really was�"a blue dragon�"it didn’t have the same appeal. And at the moment, the only thing he cared to see was Cariña and Adeline’s smiling faces. Not his own. The twisted the knob and pulled open the door.

But the room was empty. Except for a few unoccupied, dusty cages, the room was barren. No Cariña. No Adeline. Nothing.

He closed the door and reached for the handle on the forth door, but that room was vacant as well. He decided to move on down the hallway, struggling to convince himself that his feeling was false.

“Emilio?”

He turned around at the sound of his name and saw Cariña standing in the mirror door he had stared in earlier. Her hair was tangled and knotty, her dress wrinkled and torn. Adeline lay on her shoulder, quiet, hopefully asleep. “Cariña?”

“Emilio? Alexia? Ayúdame! Help me!” she cried out, her voice flooding with frightened desperation. Her brown eyes held back an avalanche of emotion, waiting to be poured out.

Her image in the door began to fade away, her torso becoming slightly transparent. “Cariña! I’m coming.” He took a step back and ran toward the door. He jumped into it, prepared to be greeted by broken glass. He closed his eyes and tensed his muscles for impact.

But he didn’t feel anything. He opened his eyes and he was in a new world. There were stalagmites of crystal rising from an aquamarine floor. A frozen lake rested in the distance, its icy surface twinkling in the light of the sun. Emilio looked up to see that the sun was the same crystalline material, shimmering a light blue light. It was cool, but not exactly cold. He planted his palm on one of the crystals and cold sensation flowered, sending a chill through his whole body. He drew is hand away, not sure if he liked it or not.

“Cariña?” He walked around the unknown place, searching for his lost love. Before he jumped in, she was right there, just beyond his grasp. Now, she was nowhere to be found. Then again, in this world, perhaps it was an illusion.

“You’re looking for your friend?”

Emilio turned around quickly to see where the voice came from. Standing behind him was a short little boy with large yellow eyes. He stood completely still and the sun’s turquoise rays rained on his shaved argent hair. He was slightly taller than Lillip had been, but not by much, and he was incredibly skinny.

“Who are you?” Emilio asked.

But the boy remained silent. His jaw hung loosely and his lips were just barely apart. He walked toward Emilio but swung to the left to go around him. Emilio turned and watched so the boy kept walking in the direction of the lake, his feet barely lifting from the ground. “I’ll take you to your friend.”

He wore a dark blue outfit that looked like a bed sheet wrapped around his body in a spiral design. Like Emilio, his feet were bare, but they didn’t share the same wear and tear. “Where am I, homes?” Emilio asked, looking around at the parallel universe that he was experiencing.

“We are here. Where else would we be?” And then, once again, the boy utilized his right to remain silent in full effect. He simply kept walking. If his foot-sliding means of transportation could even be considered walking. Finally, he spoke, his voice small and weak. “The Crystal World isn’t a dangerous place, but it’s easy to get lost here. Watch your step,” he added, stepping over a shift in elevation.

“The Crystal World?” The name seemed fitting, but Emilio had never heard of such a thing. But then again, over the past few weeks, he had discovered several things that he never would have dreamed. Dragons are real; not only that, but he was one of them. One of the only remaining ones.

“You’re not normal,” the boy said. “Your friend isn’t normal either. But I guess that makes good friends.” He stopped walking and turned right and left. “I told her to remain still. Why does she insist on moving?”

He held out his arms and extended his short, bony fingers. He trembled and tingling, feeling for Cariña’s presence. “This way,” he said as he started shuffling towards another direction. Emilio hesitated, but followed.

They walked in silence, but brainchildren kept spawning and bouncing around his cranium. He had many questions, but was almost sure the boy wouldn’t answer them. And if he did, they wouldn’t be straight answers. But he decided to give a try. “Are there more people like you here?”

“More people like me? Or people like us?” Emilio didn’t really know what the difference was, but the boy didn’t give him a chance to respond anyway. “There are others here. They’re not normal either. He nodded at a crystal pillar that they were passing and greeted it. “That was one. Say hello.”

“Umm, hi?” Emilio stared at the crystalline structure, thinking that maybe it would transform into a little person like the boy, but nothing happened. It seemed to be just a regular crystal.

“So, you talk to crystals?” Emilio asked, instinctually cocking an eyebrow. He knew the boy couldn’t see him, but he found himself doing it anyway.

The boy nodded and said, “Is that so strange?”

“Oh, no. Not at all, esé. Do they talk back?”

He stopped in his tracks and careened his neck to make eye contact. “Everything talks back if you take time to listen.” He faced forward and began walking again.

Emilio still had loads of question swirling in his brain, but he decided to quell them. This boy wasn’t making any sense and he was growing more and more confusing with each “answer” that he gave. But he had one last question that he decided to ask. “What’s your name?”

“Name?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused. “Do you mean the things humans use to identify themselves?” He turned around again and Emilio nodded. “You may call me nothing.”

“Okay, Nothing.” The boy stared into Emilio’s eyes. Emilio couldn’t help but flash a grin across his jaw, but the boy didn’t do the same. He simply blinked and turned back around.

Just then, a sound slipped in Emilio’s ear. A small cry. Like one from a baby. ‘Adeline.’ Emilio took off running in the direction of the cry and pushed past Nothing. He fell to the ground from Emilio’s push and watched as he ran away.

‘I’m coming, Cariña.’ He darted in a straight line to find a valley beneath him. He looked down to see Cariña at the bolding, holding Adeline in her arms. She was trying to pacify her, but she continued to cry. “Cariña!”

She turned upward from hearing her name and her eyes met his. “Emilio?”

“I’m here, Cariña. It’s going to be okay.” He plopped onto his belly and reached down the deep valley to grab her.

But instead of extending her hand for him to grab, she held up Adeline. “Take Adeline. Make sure she gets to safety. Just leave me. I’ll slow you down.” For the first time, Emilio noticed that there was blood trickling down Cariña’s leg. She probably injured it when she fell down the valley. But she went to all ends to make sure that Adeline was okay.

Reluctantly, Emilio took Adeline, but didn’t stand up. “Nothing!” he called. Nothing rose to his feet and slid over to where Emilio was on the ground. “Hold her for a minute, homes, okay?” He handed Adeline to him, but Nothing was awkward in holding her. He didn’t appear to have ever held a child before and stared into her eyes as he awkwardly held her against his chest.

Emilio turned his attention back to Cariña at the bottom of the pit. He reached for her, stretching his arm as far as he could. “Take my hand,” he said between clenched teeth.

“No, I’ll just slow you down. I’d rather die alone here than cause us both to,” she insisted and turned away. She clenched her leg and the blood seeped through the spaces between her fingers.

“I’m not leaving with you, Cariña!” He reached farther, half of his body hanging down in the pit. He was an inch away from falling, but was willing to take the risk.

                            

She looked at him, her eyes streaming tears. He loved her. Genuinely loved her. He loved her with a love so pure that he was prepared to give his life for hers. “But…”

“No buts! Take… My… Hand…” He attempted to stretch farther, but couldn’t do it without tumbling to meet her same fate. He felt the muscles in his arm expanding and flexing, struggling to go the extra inch.

She wiped away the tears, leaving dark streaks under her eyes. Reluctantly, she lifted her arm up, reaching for him. He grabbed her wrist with both of his hands and pulled. She took her other hand are grabbed his wrist, intertwining their arms in perpetual love-lock. He pulled again, gritting his teeth, his muscles flexing. She slowly started to rise, lifting her injured leg from the ground first.

He finally managed to pull her out of the ravine and up to safety. They embraced and Emilio kissed her cheek, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay with any words. They turned back to Nothing. He was still clutching Adeline as she cried. “Why must this small human make so much noise?”

Cariña laughed breathlessly. “Tell me about it.” She reached out to take her, but Emilio stopped her and shook his head. Smiling, she got the point. “I guess I’m too weak…” Emilio wrapped his arm around her shoulder to support her.

“How do we get back, chico?” Emilio asked.

Nothing turned around, still staring into Adeline’s eyes. She had started to calm down, comforted by his embrace. He started walking in random direction without a word. Emilio and Cariña looked at each other, chuckled, and followed.

They trod through the glistening, crystalline field. Nothing greeted many crystals as he passed them and careened his neck, expecting the others to greet them as well.

 

 

Chapter 26

 

 

 

 

 

 

“An angel?” Alexia asked, cocking a questioning eyebrow. After all she’d been through, it honestly wouldn’t surprise her that angels were real, but she never considered herself anything but human.

Yenalyn nodded, her eyes still shining bright cyan light. “Alexia, are you familiar with the angelic hierarchy?” Alexia shook her head and Yenalyn chuckled. “I didn’t think so.” She began to pace around the room as she talked. “The highest rank of angels is seraph and there are only a handful of them. Then there are cherubs, thrones, dominions, virtues, powers, archangels, principalities, and then regular guardian angels.

“So, what am I?”

Drawing close to her, Yenalyn placed her hands on Alexia’s shoulders and stared into her face. “Alexia, my dear sweet child, you’re a seraph.”

Alexia felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. Not only was she an angel, but she was of the highest rank. “Are you serious?” she asked.

Nodding, Yenalyn let go of Alexia’s shoulders and began walking again. “I knew Alrose would have to be stopped, and I knew you could do it. But,” she spun on her heels, “I wanted to see if you’d be able to do it if you had no memories of being an angel. I was pleased to find out you did.”

Staring blankly at the woman, Alexia felt a cascade of emotions wash over her. “So this was all just a test? Nothing I felt, nothing I knew was real?”

“If you felt it,” Yenalyn began, “then it was real. Now I’ll admit that all the memories of your parents dying were simply my own fabrications, but you created everything else on your own.”

“I don’t believe this…” Alexia looked away, feeling the familiar sting of tears in her eyes. “All the crying and praying I did, it didn’t mean anything.”

“Oh, my child,” Yenalyn said as she hugged Alexia. “Don’t be sorrowed, for you may return to heaven now.”

Alexia gasped and looked at her. “I can?” She had always wanted to go to heaven, even if it was just to see her parents again. Now that she knew they weren’t real, she wasn’t sure what she wanted.

She opened her mouth to say something, but a low, sinister voice resounded around them. “No one will be going to heaven today.”

Yenalyn tensed up and spun around as the lights in the room flickered. “Diablos,” she whispered, and Alexia felt the hairs on her nape rise. “I always had a suspicious he had possessed Alrose. I’m afraid I was correct…”

The voice chuckled, sending chills down Alexia’s spine. “Instead, I’ll drag you both to hell!” All the light bulbs in the room shattered, raining broken glass down on their heads. The floor trembled like a leaf in the wind beneath their feet as the room filled with unending darkness. “I’ll tear this castle down with all of you in it!”

Grabbing Alexia’s wrist, Yenalyn said, “Come on, Alexia. I’ll take you back to heaven now. He can’t stop us. He’ll consume everything in the darkness, even himself, but we have to go.”

“No,” Alexia said, wiggling herself free of the Goddess’s grasp. “My friends are still inside. I can’t leave them.”

“Alexia,” Yenalyn snapped, “you’ll make new friends. If we’re going to leave, we have to now.”

“Then go on without me!” Alexia yelled. She bolted for the door in the back of the throne room, the door she watched her friends go through. As she turned the corner, she nearly bumped heads with Sebastion.

“Alexia? You’re alive?” he said, grabbing her shoulders. “Thank God, I was so worried about you! Come on, we have to get out of here. The whole place is crumbling down.” He grabbed her by her forearm and dragged her through the throne room.

Alexia stared at Yenalyn’s limp body as they ran by her, and she dragged her heels into the ground. “Wait, what about the others?”

He turned back to her. “They’ve already escaped. We’re the only ones left in here. I was looking for you…” He yanked on her arm. “Come on, we have to go!”

“Wait,” Alexia pleaded, and pointed at the unconscious priestess. “Can you carry her?” With a sigh of reluctance, Sebastion ran over to Yenalyn and cradled her in his arms.

The two frantically ran down the stairs and through the chamber halls, desperate to escape from the collapsing palace. Alexia wondered if she should tell him about her true identity, but decided against it. She would keep the Goddess’s words locked inside of her heart. Even if the memories she had weren’t real, they were all she had. And she was willing to hold on to them.

 

vvv

 

Alexia and Sebastion barely made it out of the castle. As soon as their feet landed on the ground outside the door, the whole thing caved in on itself. After reunited with their friends, they discovered that Grayson hadn’t made it out of the castle. They thought he was right behind them as they were escaping, but when they turned around, he was gone.

Cariña nestled Adeline lovingly against her chest as Emilio stood beside her with one arm draped over her shoulder. He couldn’t get over Nothing’s words. “But your friend’s not normal either.” What had he meant by that?

Hugging Alexia tightly around her neck, Carmyne said, “I’m so glad you’re okay, Lex.” For the first time, Alexia didn’t mind being called by a nickname. She simply smiled at her cerise-haired friend and hugged her back. Carmyne went back over to Kendrew, who was awkwardly staring at the ground, and locked her fingers between his. “Well, we’re going to the Goblin Forest.”

Alexia cocked her head to the side. “Why? Is that where your so called ‘fairy village’ is?”

Sticking out her tongue, Carmyne said, “Yes, it is, actually. I’m going to see if they’ll let me and Ken live there. I’m sure they won’t mind. I’m their princess, after all.” She dramatically flipped her hair to one side and the rhinestone-studded butterfly hairclip shimmered in the rays of the setting sun.

“Have fun, chica,” Emilio said as Carmyne and Kendrew walked away. “Well, we’re going to find a place to stay here in Genesis. How about you?”

Alexia bit her bottom lip, realizing she hadn’t really thought about it. “I guess I’ll just go where the wind takes me, like I always have,” she said.

“But this time,” Sebastion said, locking his elbow around hers, “she won’t be alone.” Startled by this, Alexia found her cheeks flushing and she caught a glimpse of Emilio smirking at her. She shot him a look that said ‘shut up or I’ll kill you’ and the sneer melted away.

“What about her?” Emilio said, pointing at Yenalyn who was still lying limp on the ground.

“She’ll be okay,” Sebastion assured him. With a shrug, Emilio and Cariña turned around and walked into the town.

As Alexia and Sebastion made their way through the city, they saw the people were beginning to come to their senses. The emerald hue that used to live in everyone’s eyes had now faded away. It seemed that things were returning to normal. They exited the town’s gates, not really sure where they were heading.

In the field of greenery they walked through, Alexia saw the same two-tailed fox that she had seen before getting on the S.S. Bedazzled for the first time. Its child was running around, chasing after a butterfly, while the mother sat in the grass, watching endearingly. Alexia smiled at the beautiful display. A mother’s love was unsurpassed.

But, as she knew all too well, so was her wrath.

Author's Note

Yo, please comment and whatnot. Point out any mistakes, no matter how small. Be honest.