Crimson Black

by C C Morgen

  As a child when I first found out about the sisters re-born into winged-maidens of torment, it struck fear in my soul. When I became older, I learned to loathe their means of not caring for the life of others and their abilities that caused destruction. The Queen was so carefree at first glance, and I saw confidence in her every movement. She was strong willed, and chill as ice. I could perceive the hard shell of darkness that encased her heart. I’d simply heard tales about her contracts and the power she carried with her. The darkness she was drawn to was the opposite of me. Harpys were the contrary of everything positive and all held dear to my heart. I believed Harpys were vile creatures in all the realms. After being exposed to them on the island, only made me more conscious of their awful personalities and behavior. They were regularly so distant to other beings except clan members. They created much misery and have taken countless lives without remorse. How could creatures so cold hearted exist?

  The Queen hosted many feasts and social gatherings at the castle that were bewitched and intoxicating. Many times, I’ve seen illicit affairs take place on the estate, when I observed from the shadows, paying attention to how they lived. Celaeno played with her assortment of servants and that hound that seemed constantly enraged with the energy of fire and war. It emanated from her soul like heat from the bowels of a hellish inferno. From the cove I discovered the power of the Clans.

  Swift Storm brought with them bursts of wind and lightning across the sky, and the noise of thunder reverberated across the sea. The waves smashed into the rocks chaotically to the whirling winds that developed into cyclones; absorbing the water and splashing it in the air like rainfall.

  The sky was crowded with Harpy clan members who had levitated above the castle; their wings extended like black angels in the wind. The Queen wore her battle gear of black leather with the Hades insignia on her chest. She stretched out her hand, opening a colossal black portal in the churn of shadowy clouds circulating around the castle’s tower.

  I noticed the other clan members feared Celaeno’s power. Her gift over the shadows and darkness was to be feared. She manifested the black hole wide enough to allow her family passage in and out of the blackness. Even the God Poseidon feared the Harpy queen and remain in her good graces by not entering her territory. She offered me the option to not marry him. Because of their influence, I’m able to remain contented with my choice.

  The Dark Queen vowed my protection against Poseidon; however, in return, I shall never leave this island again or it would break our arrangement. It was a generous price for my peace of mind. I’m only safe from Poseidon as long as I lived here for the rest of my eternal life.

  My first few years were troublesome, but I instantly got over my anguish as I appreciated the elegance of the island itself. The women here were friendly, and some were broken, others needed security more than freedom. I found out most of them had hard beginnings and lived hellish lives. The isle was a refuge for all who desire freedom from the foreign world. That’s why the name given to this island was called Sanctuary. Although, having safety from the outside world came at a price for those who had the will to pay.

  Each new member on the island went through strenuous training to protect the Queen. It was the one pledge they carried out compulsory to securing their place on the island. Protect the Queen with your life and it will grant you sanctuary. I was the only one who didn’t have to adhere to that decree.

  My life before the island was about healing, not violence. Harpys flourished in bloodshed, which went against my beliefs of living in a peaceful, non-savage world. Water creatures had no desire for violence. We lived in tranquility with the currents of the sea and the tides of nature. I was about healing and friendship, things that gave my life meaning back when I had my freedom.

  I felt sorry for the downtrodden servants who served under Celaeno. So, I made myself useful by allowing the women to visit the cove, to be healed as needed. Some visited for physical healing, and some came to spiritually heal, to find peace once again in the world they see. However, my specialty was the art of water healing.

  Water healing was an extraordinary gift given to Oceanic Nymphs, to restore and rejuvenate all living creatures. My magic made me dominion over the sea to sway to my will. Water carries the energy to revive and soothe the body from any types of distress, even emotional stresses.

  I’ve never in my life undergone physical illness like others, since I naturally regenerate with the essence of water in my veins that relieved me with pleasure. However, water healing is a gift difficult to master. No other being, but an Ocean Nymph can master water healing. Even Water Nymphs don’t have that kind of magical skill to use water as a means to heal creation. Mermaids sometimes mistook us for Gods or Goddess because of our sovereignty over creation and life. I speculated if that was the reason we were so desired among divinities.

  Fortunately, the years have passed without extreme regret when I supported the women of the island. Until one particularly calm day when loneliness set in due to a lack of guests for weeks. I wondered if the ladies had become exceptionally adept at protecting themselves against Luna and no longer suffered from injury to come for healing. I felt depressed in the empty space. The hut was now regularly in silence. My way of life had become distantly quiet with no relationships with others.

  On a sweltering summer day, the sun was high in the sky, reaching mid-day. The breeze from the ocean cooled the hut from the moisture, making the air have a musty odor. Just when I thought the day would be another quiet one in the cove, a young blonde Wood Elf entered my hut. Her pale green dress and gold seams complemented her emerald eyes that appeared like gems glimmering in the light. She appeared bashful as the wind gusted on the beach, brushing her hair to the side.

  The fresh scent of salt energized my mood enough to give her a pleasant welcome. “Hello there. What can I do for you?” I looked at her neck where there was a deep scar. When Yuna didn’t respond to my question, I realized she had no physical voice. “Oh my…” I felt a wave of sadness fall over me. “Someone has taken your voice from you.” I noticed the depression in her eyes. “It must be hard to not express your thoughts to anyone and to be heard.” The scar felt old on my fingertips. Too old for me to heal without it taking years to regenerate the vocal cords back to their original state. I felt the memory of the power she once had that expelled from her skin.

  “Can you speak with your mind for me?” I asked her, trying to open her inner voice to communicate. Yuna gazed into my eyes in confusion. “Just try it… Tell me your name.” Yuna looked as if she was trying to focus on creating words. “It’s ok if it’s hard at first.”

  “Mmmm… I’m-Yuuuu…” She tried to think with stress in her speech. “Yuuuunnna.” Her inner voice became clearer for me to hear. “I’m Yuna.”

  “What a beautiful name, Yuna,” I responded with praise in my tone. “My name is Amphitrite, but I like to be called Amphis.”

  “Ammmmphiss.” Yuna tried to pronounce it.

  “Yes… Amphis.” I was happy as her spirits lifted to a better place. “I can hear creatures without a physical voice. Most are telepathic, so I’m familiar with communicating with just telepathy. As long as you use your inner voice, I can hear you fine.”

  “Will you help me?” Yuna asked while learning how to use her inner voice with a slight bit of hope in her tone.

  “I can,” I answered. “However, it will take time for me to regenerate your vocal cords. The power you had in your voice though… I felt an essence of magic. May I ask what magic you carried?”

  She down-cast her eyes. “I…. Did once had… Summoning magic.”

  “Summoning magic.” I uttered with defeat in my voice. To restore the essence of that magic was next to impossible. “Summoning magic is a wonderful gift. It must have made you happy to call upon magical creatures.”

  “They were all my friends,” Yuna replied with sadness. “Now I’ll never see them again.”

  “Yuna, I can help restor
e your voice in time…. But the magical essence to call for your friends. I don’t know if that will ever return.”

  “It’s ok.” She had a deep sadness in her tone. “It’s already been a long time. I’ve already accepted that I won’t be able to summon my friends again. If I can… I just want to speak. I’ll be happy with just that in my life.” She grinned as if she was relieved. “I miss being able to connect with someone. Thank you for having the ability to hear me. It’s been forever since I’ve had a conversation with someone.”

  “Well hopefully over time you will be able to have more conversations with anyone you please.” I stated with confidence. “I will help you. That I promise. Now you must see me every so often for healing. It will take time. Until you can speak again, which you will. You can come here anytime you’re free, so we can talk.” I sighed in relief. “I have to admit it feels good to have a conversation with someone occasionally.”

  “It must be lonely being in here on your own.” She gestured to the mood of loneliness in my hut. “No one comes on this side of the island. Why are you so far from everyone?”

  “As much as I’m grateful for the Queen's hospitality and for allowing me to stay, I don’t particularly see Harpys as friends. I rather keep my distance from the clans and the Queen herself. I help her, she helps me. That’s our arrangement nothing more.”

  “The girls think you are beautiful and kind,” Yuna commented. “They all mentioned how you helped them through tough times. It was their passing words through the castle that gave me the courage to come here and see you.” She paused, trying to collect her thoughts. “I can understand your perspective on the Queen and the clan. They are strong and intimidating, but they are all empathetic in their own way to souls like me. Harpys don’t step on the weak. Neither do they leave innocents to suffer... I am forever grateful to the Queen. She saved me from my fate, long ago.”

  “What happen to you?” I asked out of curiosity.

  “I was once part of the Eastern Wood Elves. Our tribes reigned in the vast green forests and bamboo trees where dragons were worshipped as spiritual beings in the spirit world. I loved my home and the creatures of the forest. We were guardians of nature for the longest time, living in harmony with the Dark Elves who protected us. My life was different from then. I was the daughter of a powerful summoner and my gifts surpassed my family lineage. I could summon dragons from the sky. Not just one, but many at once. I was considered then a prodigy and was the apprentice of a master summoner of all the tribes. All was well back then until the king of our tribe made the mistake of breaking the treaty we had with the Dark Elves for their protection. Our tribe's pride drove them to believe we didn’t need the help of others to prosper. They disregarded that the world was changing exponentially. The Demon world was growing with the times, becoming more powerful with the feeding and manipulation on man. All the dark energy that was being created became stronger, and it produced more Demons in the Underworld. Demons became more powerful with the negative energy that flourished from the suffering. They gained control over hordes and used them to plunder our villages across the land. They killed many skilled Elf warriors. Magic users like me were taken into slavery to serve under a Demon lord. This was before they made the treaty to stop the destruction caused in all the worlds. Demons took me to the Underworld to serve under the Sataneo Family. I was a gift to the son for his birthday. He had these temptations to hurt his servants. He tied their limbs, spread them apart and beat them until they bled out to death. With me he didn’t do that. He used to whisper there are far worse things than physical pain and that I was too beautiful to be given flaws. Because he saw me as a beautiful object I had to be unclothed at all times. I had to walk in shame before everyone, including the other slaves and their eyes would follow me. I felt scared every day that someone would one day take advantage, but they never did. He made sure no one touched me. I assure you, he did nothing to me. He only enjoyed the tears I shed and the suffering I endured, day after day, wanting to just to have my decency again. I was asked to perform despicable acts in front of everyone, those are forever burnt in my memory.”

  “What did he order you to do?” I asked.

  “He had me sit sometimes in the center of the table in front of everyone when he eats, and I had to spread my legs for him, so he could see how beautiful I was. I became so tired that I didn’t care anymore if I died. I didn’t know how long it would be before someone would take my chastity. One night, I summoned an air dragon to help me escape, but he found me before I could call it through the portal. His dagger stuck into my neck and my magic slipped away at that moment. Even though I broke the rules, he kept me alive. The blade hit my vocal cord exactly right without killing me. He didn’t want to lose his beautiful sculpture, but he was ok with leaving one flaw on me. The first time I saw Queen Celaeno she appeared from the shadows. I saw her but acted like there was no intruder in my master’s chambers. She came for him that night. A contract from one of his victims who survived his torture, wanted him to die suffering just as they had to suffer. I watched the Queen give him a thousand cuts. In his final breath after all the pain; with just one hand she grasped his neck and crushed it. His soul cracked before my eyes and he shattered like glass on the floor. It didn’t take long as I watched his body disintegrate into nothing. I felt a sense of justice, watching his existence being ripped away so easily. However, I had the choice then, to stay as a slave or to serve the Dark Queen. Her eyes compared to most were the gentlest I’ve seen. She extended her hand that night with care and I knew she would let nothing happen to me ever again. It didn't matter who or what she was, I grasped that hand and never looked back.”

  I was in shock, listening to her story. “I’m sorry you went through all those awful experiences,” I mustered up words to react. I had to find it within myself to not cry for her because the pain of her past struck like a knife in my heart. She’s such a sweet Elven woman. “I’m glad you chose to be here. If the Queen is taking care of you. I am grateful to her she has helped you find a peaceful life once again. But don’t you wish to find your tribe again and your home?”

  “This is my home now.” She smiled. “It feels good to share about life with someone. But the past will remain the past. My home in the eastern forest isn’t who I am anymore. My family, my tribe, I know they’re all dead. I will not feel at home, living in another tribe. The Queen has made this a lovely home and has made me feel like I belong even though I don’t have a voice anymore. Sometimes, I even feel like she knows exactly what I’m thinking deep down. Like she tries to have me known in her presence. She trusts me with important tasks, and she allows me to practice magic with her. Now I am the strongest among her servants. Almost as strong as Luna.”

  “Is that so?” I replied with enthusiasm. “Luna sends a lot of the servants for healing. It’s hard to believe someone could ever match her in strength.”

  “It’s true,” Yuna answered. “She is a very skilled fighter, but not that well against someone with both sword and magical skills. Only just once, I defeated her in a duel.”

  “You won a duel against Luna?” I asked, surprised. “No one defeats Luna the grumpy hound.”

  “The grumpy hound,” she giggled. “Let me guess, you heard from the other servants. They don’t care too much for Luna’s aggression. But yes, I defeated her. Doing so earned me the title, left hand of the Queen.”

  “That’s amazing, to become so strong and become the Queen’s left hand!”

  “I had a lot of time on my hands, since no one would try to talk to me, so I spent my years training and studying magic. But your magic is like the power of the Goddess. I’d only wish to have the power the heavens gifted you with.” Yuna bowed her head. “Thank you for agreeing to help. I hope one day you can help me find my true voice again.”

  I placed my hand on her neck once again I directed the energy of water, circulating in my chest like a whirlpool, spiraling faster and faster. The water energy flowed through my v
eins, down my arms and out of my hand, into her neck. I pushed the energy into her, trying to force the skin to come alive after being dead for so long. The process took too much energy and soon enough I felt drained and had to pull away.

  “Well, that’s enough for today,” while moving my hand away. “Little by little, I will help regenerate the wound to come alive again. Then I can heal it properly.”

  “It’s actually time for me to head back to the Queen,” Yuna stated. “It’s getting late, and she usually needs me for something by now.” She smiled at me with appreciation. “I’m not free as often for healing, but I’ll make sure to visit when I am.”

  “Whenever you’re free it’s fine,” Talking to her made me feel like I no longer had to fake a smile with her presence. “Come by anytime.”

  “I will,” she replied. “Maybe next time we can talk more.”

  “Of course.”

  Yuna exited the hut and strolled down the beach, towards the location of the castle. She turned back and waved at me in the distance that lifted my heart from the loneliness and sorrows I’d succumbed to earlier.

  Then I realized there was no more regret, being on this island if I could see a smile like that here in the kingdom of the Harpys. Yuna might end up becoming my only friend here on Sanctuary. Bye! I waved back.

  I looked forward to our friendship.

  CHAPTER XVII

  The Mysterious Succubus

  IT HAS BEEN TWELVE YEARS AND COUNTING since I arrived on the island. Within that time, I continued treating the women when they needed healing. The other Fairy creatures that flourished in peace in the nearby forest also sought for my aid from time to time. The creatures kept me busy, and I eventually felt like there was a place for me here.