Enclave of Survivors

District of Travellers, Fourth Ring

Not usually one to notice the finer social details, even Annabelle realized the awkward quietness in the dining room. The mood was shot already after their little moment had been disturbed before but the situation in the dining room of the enclave was something else. The large room housed several tables placed in a U-shape, a cliché bear rug laid on the ground and enough food to feed everyone stood on the table. About thirty pairs of eyes glared in their direction. The goddess didn’t know what to do. She realized the hatred wasn’t directed towards her but rather at Tharia. The smaller girl sat quietly on the table and ate the soup. The motions looked mechanical and her love never once looked up to take notice of the scene.

Annabelle had lost all appetite but forced herself to eat regardless. This would be their last meal here, that much was obvious. No one spoke and it made the goddess damn conscious about every little sound she made. Clinking a spoon against a bowl had never been so nerve wrecking before. This continued for a while until Tharia put down her spoon and raised her head. The small woman met the stares head on.

“I thank you for the meal and your hospitality”, she said and put on a smile. Annabelle knew it was fake and so did probably everyone else. Still, Mayleen got up from the long table in the center and then walked over.

“You’re welcome”, the old woman lied, “We will prepare what we can spare, it should last you a week.”

“Again, my most sincere thanks”, Tharia said with her head bowed. Mayleen reached into a small pocket and pulled out a folded letter.

“Your demonic brood resides in the Second Ring. Just follow the trail of death”, the old woman said and waved the letter in Tharia’s face, “This letter is for him. It’s a list of names he is not allowed to forget.”

Tharia reached for the letter but Mayleen didn’t let go at first. Instead, she leaned forward until her face nearly touched the smaller woman.

“You’d be wise to hide that ring”, she said in a whispering voice and threw the letter onto the table, “It will get you killed in the places ahead.”

Annabelle opened her mouth to speak but Tharia stopped her with a wave of her hand. The short-haired girl kept her head bowed. Even though she gnashed her teeth, she kept her composure demure. Mayleen stepped aside and let a progression of people walk past her. Some spit on the ground, others just stared at the woman. Most were scared away after one look from Annabelle. Mayleen was the last one to leave the room. She paused just in front of the door and spoke over her shoulder.

“Everyone here lost something to your family. In times like these, people need an outlet. I’m sorry it had to be you, but this helps them and that’s all that matters to me. Call me selfish but my people come first”

The door shut behind her and the two were left alone in the large dining hall. Tharia didn’t say a single word. Her hands were clenched to fists and tiny rivulets of blood dripped out of her palms where the nails had dug in. Then, suddenly, as if nothing happened, Tharia jolted up. She brushed the blood off on a white tissue on the table and then threw it onto the bowl. There was a smile on her face but to Annabelle it seemed perverse. Tharia picked up the letter and some residual blood got on it. The goddess got an idea, it’s not something she would have done in her past but the weeks with Tharia had changed her. She leaned back in her hair and closed her eyes. Those would betray her but her listless voice could carry her plan.

“Fairy, I don’t think we can do this”, she said.

Would Tharia bite, she wondered. The girl was great at beating herself up, but one of Tharia’s key motivations was the urge to keep her friend going.

“This is just... insurmountable”, Annabelle added and allowed her shoulders to slump. This was just like that strange game they played. Lay out the cards and follow through. She heard soft steps on the parquet floor and felt two hands intertwine with hers.

“We can do it. I’m determined, you know?” Tharia declared, “This here? It’s because of the people and things we hunt. I can carry their anger and hatred. It’s nothing. You can’t let the cripple be the strong one. Carry me out into the night. I will be at your side when you take back what’s yours and you’ll be with me when I face my own evil.”

Annabelle finally opened her eyes and looked up at Tharia. The smile still seemed pained but there were a genuine spark and energy in it. But one look at her eyes was all it took for Tharia to realize what had happened. The slender girl frowned.

“You... just played me!”

The frown then turned in an infectious smile that turned the corners of Annabelle’s lips upward.

“I’m flabbergasted, stupefied, boggled, sometimes ogled, dumbfounded and dazed. How did you do that? You did good, Annie. Truth be told, I deserved this too. I know, it’s not my fault”

What in the blazes did she feel guilty about now? Annabelle had no idea. There was something else she had learned from Tharia and it was that sometimes, bluffing and positive reinforcement were good enough.

“It’s not your fault”, Annabelle echoed. Take the small victories if you can. Tharia sat down on the edge of the table and leaned forward. The slight angle of the hip accented her feminine form and Annie once more found herself enraptured by her friend. The short-haired girl held up a finger and then started talking.

“Alright, Annie. Let’s lay out our plan. We’ve got a number of targets. How many essences do you feel?”

Annabelle closed her eyes and reached out to the world around her. She immediately felt the one right next to her. It was a small flame but also the most important of all. By far the biggest concentration was in the inner Rings. Three essences had found their way there. One of it would be her husband. Another essence was high up in the sky.

“Four of them, but six more people have stolen from me”, she replied after considering her words.

“Ten soon to be dead people then”, Tharia said and held up a second finger and then a third finger, “Add in my brother and the Dreamreaper. Here’s how we do it. Step one. Kick Dreamreaper arse. Step two, find the remaining targets. Three. We mop up the small fry. Four. Storm the inner two Rings and clean up the mess. Five. Sunset, sexy gowns and off we go!”

Annabelle shivered at the idea of being made to worn a gown but had no qualms with the so-called plan. Truth be told, they had no real plan. But they had drive, purpose, and determination. Still, there was one major roadblock ahead.

“We don’t know where to find the Dreamreaper”, Annabelle said. Tharia suddenly slumped her shoulders and showed quivering lips.

“Yeah about that... I need to be honest with you...”

Tharia led her out of the room and into the stable. Once there, she filled her in on what had really happened to her. Everything. Her meeting with Mother Bone, her memories, her guilts and fears and the fact that she knew the Dreamreaper would be at the precipice of the Third Ring.

Shadow of the Aqueduct

Parish of Accents, Fourth Ring

The world looked so much brighter now. Tharia wasn’t sure whether it was because she had just spent the last hour blindfolded. Deep within, she attributed it to her confession earlier. The others had left them in a wide plaza a long way away from their enclave. No more mushrooms covered the houses and the massive wings of the carcass were off in the distance. There was paranoia and then there was leading people so far out, that they had passed several districts at least.

“I’m grateful to them for the food”, Tharia suddenly said and rubbed her hands. There were bruises there. The enclave had been rougher with her than necessary. She considered healing it in secret but that would mean she’d be back to lying to Annie already.

“Are you angry with me?” she said and walked up to her friend, “because you should be.”

Annabelle looked her over, put up a smile and shook her head. Tharia needed closure. This little lie had driven her for days and just like that, it ended with a bit of honesty and a smile. These things should not be this easy.

“Why aren’t you angry with me?” she said and bounced on her heels, “Please. I don’t know how to deal with this. You can’t be kind and understanding, it makes no sense to me."

The human girl looked at her lover and sucked in her own upper lip. Annabelle seemed to mull over the words. Impatience started to gnaw at Tharia, but she patiently waited for the reply.

“Why can’t I? I’m in love with you. Why wouldn’t I be understanding?”

It was like talking to a dried painting, convincing it to change the motive just with words alone. Tharia blew out air and then sighed. She felt the sudden warmth of another body press against her. Annabelle snaked her arms around Tharia and rested the chin on her shoulder. Soft-spoken words reached Tharia’s ears.

“Being honest with people should not be met with punishment!”

This went against everything she had grown up with. Frustration welled inside her but for the first time in her life, she found no one to take it out on. Usually, the target would be herself but Annabelle wouldn’t allow that. She tried to bottle it up but it wouldn’t take. This was a new world for her and it upset her deeply.

“Let’s continue”, Tharia said and pointed to the road ahead, “We’ve got a few hours of light left.”

She unwound from Annabelle’s embrace, even though she appreciated the soft touch of hands on her and then set a brisk pace. It didn’t take long for her friend to close up. The city around them looked normal again and after that weird fungus place, normal was the new strange. Tharia didn’t know this building style and seeing it, quickly told her why. It was ugly.

There wasn’t a single straight line to be seen, walls were skewed in odd angles and even the doors and windows had distorted proportions. The street they were in looked like it was in the process of melting but this wasn’t damaged, it was deliberate construction.

“Funny thing is”, Tharia began, “I’d expect some critter to attack us just about now.”

She stretched her back and ignored the shot of pain it brought her. There was but one threat and it entailed being offended by just how ugly these houses were. Some of the skewed walls reached all the way across the street. Practicality had forced nudges in their underbelly to allow the passage of people and goods but if anything, this made the houses even uglier.

They closed in on the ancient wall ahead. It loomed high above them. Tharia remembered stories about the third Wall. It withstood the last assault of the Turesai and the attack had brought down the Aqueduct. The marvel of the ages had been reduced to short pieces along the wall. Somehow the wooden waterwheels had managed to survive the centuries while the walls had fallen away. They littered the fortification, starting about twenty meters up and reached all the way to the top. Something large moved up above and Tharia gently touched Annabelle with the tip of her staff to draw her attention.

“Is that a...”, Tharia began, only for Annabelle to finish the sentence.

“Bug?” Annabelle said.

It certainly looked like one. It was a hunchbacked bug that had the wings of a butterfly but had lost them to rot, spindly muscles stuck out of its back. They fluttered, but the broken wings gave no lift. Six legs kept the bug against the wall. A long spike at the end of the head poked into one of the aqueduct holes in the wall. Gruesome noises could be heard. The head then jerked back and dragged out a lengthy rotten carcass. The spike slipped inside of the carcass and sucked it dry within seconds. At the same time, the butterfly wings wobbled and distorted until they snapped back into place, whole once more.

“Well that was an affront to the senses but it’s still no beast attacking us”, Tharia said as the bug simply flew away. It did leave a carcass in view that was in an advanced state of decay. It came with a foul odor. They quickly hurried along the third wall until the stench faded away. Tharia waved a hand in front of her face and made gagging noises.

“So Annie”, she said after taking a deep breath, “if you become a full goddess again, can you just create the domain of soap and rinse this place clean?”

“Can I practice on you?” Annabelle replied with her emotionless look.

“What? I’m not dirty!”

“You are”, the goddess said with the same dry expression.

“No, I’m not... Oh! Oh, wait. Girl, was that a deadpan joke? Where did you learn this?”

Tharia felt like the carpet had been pulled from under her feet. Annabelle had joked and not just any joke but one that suited her quite well. Now that she took a closer look, Tharia noticed the fine wrinkles around the eyes and the mischief therein. Annabelle pursed her lips. Another detail Tharia hadn’t seen before.

“From bloodthirsty sheep”, the woman said and pulled her silver-hair to the side. It looked so adorable that it broke Tharia’s brain. The human girl was dumbfounded by what she had heard and seen. She stood still with her mouth open in bewilderment. Annabelle suddenly leaned down and kissed her on the lips. Not even the slightly naughty touch of a tongue broke her moment. Only when Annabelle finally leaned back, did Tharia snap out of it. She started her sentence twice before it got out.

“No more games for you”, she exclaimed to her grinning beauty of a lover. Bloody blazes, this was dangerous. She might fall in love all over again.

Sometimes the calm before a storm could lead to carelessness. In Tharia’s case, it made her restless. By now her senses were attuned to every little detail. A stone crunched under her shoes? Be prepared for an attack. Some resilient rat scurried in the dark? Maybe it was a Whiskerhush. Every wall-painting they passed? Tharia scorched them with her staff. That one had an ulterior motive, many of them were so ugly that she was convinced they had started the end of all days.

The air had gotten cold and the last sounds of the district had died away minutes ago. Annabelle looked self-assured but there were few things that could trouble her divine friend. Tharia looked at the graceful sway of her movements and became momentarily distracted by it. That should be the stuff of pictures, true art in motion and stillness too. A loud clang made her freeze in place. It was just a window shut by the wind but it brought her attention back.

Each step felt like they walked into the belly of a beast. She knew it was just another road in the capital. No monster blocked their path and not even humans were near. When the last sounds except for their own disappeared, Tharia knew something was wrong. She set down her foot and the echo rang through the street and bounced back from the looming wall above. Another step came and this sound too carried far and wide.

“Careful, something isn’t quite right”, she said. Annabelle nodded in reply. While her taller friend didn’t show any hesitation, she had brought out the Scythe and slowed her pace. Something icy ran along Tharia’s skin. Goosebumps sprung up and her heart leapt in her chest. Her breath condensed into a fine fog and the temperature was still falling. Cold water splashed onto her cheek, she rubbed it aside and noticed a blank smudge on her fingers. More drops hit her skin until tiny rivers of black color ran down her body.

Don’t look up, she told herself. Just don’t look up! She looked up but there was nothing but clear blue sky and a massive wall that soaked up most of it. It’s just dirt from above, she thought. The buildings around her all had a black taint to them. It made sense. Old aqueduct, no more maintenance, of course, it would start dripping dirt.

She suddenly realized how absurdly loud their steps had become. Even just the sound of moving clothes seemed like an invasion in this place. Tharia became aware of her own breathing, had it always sounded this ragged? Annabelle too. The breathing of the goddess was quick, with a steady thump of her strong heart.

Her eyes focused on the walls of a nearby building. It was the workshop of a puppet maker. Dozens of creepy dolls looked out of the window. Their empty listless eyes reminded them of her own living doll. And so did their white-silvery hair and the overall shape too. Tharia suddenly sucked in air. Each of the dolls was the spitting image of Annabelle. All of them looked at her. She blinked and shook her head. That was just a trick of the mind, wasn’t it? None of them looked in her direction. They didn’t even have silver hair. She turned around and saw that the wall had grown black feathers.

“Annie?” she said.

“I’m seeing it too”, came the reply, “We’re in his domain. I can feel his anger.”

Buildings suddenly fell away like cardboard imitations. This wasn’t the capital anymore. Not even the ground remained the way it was. Her feet suddenly touched soft dirt. She found herself standing on a floating island with more of them hovering against an ambient sky. Massive chains connected them. There was neither light nor warmth, only contours. She blinked as Annabelle suddenly fell to the ground. She curled up, rocking her body back and forth while sobbing with heart-wrenching pain in her voice.

“Don’t leave me behind”, Annabelle whimpered and pulled the hand of a doll out of the ground, “Please come back for me. Please!”

The sound of the voice broke Tharia’s heart. She knelt down next to Annabelle and began to gently caress her head. Her voice was soft when she spoke.

“I’m here Annie. I won’t leave you alone. Never”, she said to the quietly crying woman. Annabelle continued caressing the detached limb of the doll. Without warning, a golden light sprung up from Tharia’s staff and forced away the layer of darkness around them.

“You can’t help her here”, a squeaky voice from within the staff said, “Her mind is fighting Antescedante.”

“I should fight for her sake as well then”, Tharia said but the fire sprite shook its tiny head.

“Gods can’t physically hurt each other - but he can hurt you”, Sisi said and flew a circle in her cage, “If your friend is strong, she’ll survive this. Right now, the one you call Dreamreaper doesn’t consider you much of a threat.”

“That just means I get first strike”, Tharia said with a grin towards the staff.

Sisi giggled and clapped her hands, “Good answer. Let’s hunt us a god.”

End: Determination | Coming up: The shape of dreams.