by Eric Vall
“And meeeee!” Valerie sang, stretched out over the bookshelf, and lifted a leg lazily into the air. “We have similar eyes!”
“Alright, now the ears,” I grinned, lifted my hand toward the crown of her head, accidentally brushed my fingertips against the fur of her rounded, left ear, and then snapped my fingers. “Fantastic, absolutely fantastic.”
Both of Daisy’s ears turned at the exact same time, and I repositioned my fingers toward the right side of her head. I snapped my fingers once, but unlike Valerie’s, the bear-girl’s right ear shifted while the left swiveled entirely around.
I chuckled deep in the back of my throat, came around to the other side of the bear-girl, and repeated the experiment with the other ear. Not to my surprise, the same thing happened again.
“Smashing!” I cried. “Patient Two’s ears work independently, or at the same time, and can swivel almost one-hundred and eighty degrees.”
“That’s fantastic!” Valerie shouted. “Mine didn’t even turn that much!”
“The mouth,” I murmured, crooked a finger under her chin, tilted her head back, and shined the light down her throat. “Hmmm, Patient Two’s teeth are human-like, but like Valerie’s, only the top and bottom canines are animal-like.”
“What’s next, Charles?” A.B. asked.
“I’m going to do something a little different,” I grinned, stepped across the room, grabbed a single piece of plywood, and a spare bar from the cells. “Here, try this one first.”
I handed Daisy the small wooden piece, but the bear-girl glanced at it, then back to me with wide, confused eyes.
“Wha?” Daisy muttered. “What do I do with it?”
“I had this idea,” I chuckled. “When you hugged me earlier, I noticed how strong you were, stronger than a woman your size should be.”
“I noticed that, too!” Valerie agreed. “I thought she was going to break my spine when she hugged me for the first time.”
“Right, that’s exactly what I mean.” I pointed toward the board in her hands. “I want you to break it, here, hold it by each end, put all of your strength into it and give it a good try. If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong, but if I’m right… you could be the strongest woman I’ve ever met.”
“O-Okay, Charles,” Daisy stammered. “I’ll give it a try for you.”
The bear-girl slipped her hands to each edge of the board, held it there for a second, stuck her tongue into the corner of her mouth, concentrated hard, and then pulled both of her arms down. My eyes widened, and my mouth fell open without realizing as the wood splintered in the middle, shattered, and then exploded upwards in a rain of wood chips.
“My god…” I breathed shakily. “That was… you.. you did it…”
“That was fantastic!” Valerie hooted. “You did it in one try! That was amazing!”
Daisy held on to the halved pieces in her hands, blinked, and then flicked her eyes up to my face.
“Did I do it wrong?” she asked. “I… I broke it.”
“No, my dear.” I shook my head, took the pieces of wood, tossed them aside, and then offered her the metal bar. “You did fantastically, I’m so proud.”
“What do I do with this, Charles?” Daisy tilted her head, inspected the metal bar, held it in one hand, swung it, and then gripped it with both hands.
“The same thing as before,” I nodded. “Go on, hold it from both ends, and try to break it.”
“I’m not sure if I can.” The bear-girl shook her head. “But… if you believe in me, Charles, I’ll give it my best try.”
“That’s all I ask, my dear,” I grinned, reached out, and stroked one of her rounded, soft ears. “Just once more, and we’ll be finished.”
“Then, can I take a nap?” Daisy tilted her head. “And have a snack? A snack and a nap?”
“Of course,” I chuckled. “You can do whatever you like after this. Valerie can show you around the manor.”
“Alright, here we go,” the bear-girl mumbled.
This time, Daisy stuck her tongue in the corner of her mouth, concentrated even harder, and her face turned a light shade of pink, strained against the metal bar, and grunted. I was about to stop her when, with a loud growl, the bar wobbled and then began to bend.
“By the science!” I grunted. “She’s… she’s really doing it.”
The metal bar creaked and groaned, and with one last jerk of her arms, Daisy bent the piece entirely into two, crossing the two ends to create something like a loop. The bear-girl blinked down at it, clicked her tongue, raised her head, and looked me in the eyes.
“I broke this one too, Charles,” Daisy sighed. “I’m very sorry, would you like me to bend it back into place?”
“No,” I guffawed. “No, you did exactly what I wanted you to! You’re so strong! I’m so proud of you!”
I moved forward with my arms outstretched, but froze as a loud alarm blared through the entire laboratory. Valerie hissed loudly, raised her shoulders, and then jumped from the tall bookshelf. Daisy ducked, bared her teeth, jumped off the examination table and scurried underneath it with her hands held tightly to her chest.
“W-W-What is that, Charles?” Daisy stammered.
“The alarm,” I croaked, scrambled toward the high windows, grabbed a crate, slammed it down, and then climbed onto it. “Someone’s come onto the property.”
“Can you see who it is?” Valerie asked. “Is it the Duchess again? Should we hide in the cupboard like I did last time?”
“Hold on, I can’t see who it is yet,” I called out, squinted my eyes out into the darkness, and waited for the rumbling carriage. “No… it’s not the Duchess… that’s not her transport.”
“Then who is it?” A.B. murmured.
“I can’t tell yet,” I whispered.
The carriage came to a stop a few feet away from the stairs up to the front door, and the carriage’s small door swung open. I couldn’t see who stepped out, but whoever they were, they wore almost knee-high shiny black boots. They crunched against the gravel, hopped up the steps, and then banged angrily on my front door.
“It’s late, Charles,” A.B. sputtered. “Who could it be at this hour?”
“I don’t know…” I hissed. “But it can’t be good--”
My words were interrupted by more ominous knocking, and then a loud, male voice calling out my name from above.
“Stay here,” I instructed the two women as I hopped off the box. “I’ll go upstairs, find out who it is, and make them leave immediately. Do not leave the laboratory, do you understand?”
“Yes, Charles.” Daisy nodded from underneath the table.
“But why do we have to stay hidden all the time? I can sneak around!” Valerie protested.
“Valerie!” I muttered, threw off my lab coat, and headed for the door. “Promise me you won’t leave this room.”
“I prooooomise.” Valerie rolled her eyes.
“Raaaaybuuuurn!” a man shouted from above. “I know you’re in there. Scurry out of your lab and greet me, Alchemist! We have important matters to discuss!”
It was the warden.
Chapter Sixteen
“Hide!” I slipped out of my lab coat, hung it on one of the hooks by the door, turned, and then glanced around the room one last time.
“Oh! I love hiding!” Valerie slid open the large cabinet she’d hidden in before, ushered Daisy in, waved once, and then slipped inside.
“You’re in charge.” I pointed toward the brain. “Don’t let them sneak out. I’m not worried about Daisy, but…”
“Valerie, on the other hand,” A.B. tittered. “No, I get it. I’ll keep an eye on them, just go upstairs and get rid of whoever is up there.”
“Alright,” I breathed. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
I gripped the cold metal of the door handle, cleared my throat, swung it open, and then climbed the stone stairs two at a time. Night had fully fallen over the city of Edenhart, and from up here, I could make out the tiny, burning lights in th
e windows below.
“Raaaaybuuuurn!” the voice bellowed, banged on the door even louder, and then called again. “I know you’re in there!”
I hadn’t recognized the voice from inside of my laboratory, but I did now, it could be none other than Deputy Warden Milton Nenderthaw.
Shit.
I gulped loudly, squared my shoulders, and then came around the corner of the house.
The short man stood on my covered porch in the same uniform I’d seen earlier, but this time, he held a cane similar to the one the Duchess’s carried. I inwardly scoffed, raised my eyebrows, and cleared my throat loudly.
“There’s no need to shout,” I called. “I’m standing right here.”
“Ah, there you are, Charles,” Milton sniffed, eyed the door to the inside of my manor, and then clamped his hands around the cane. “Why do you even have a manor? I’ve heard multiple times from Edony that you spend all of your time in that blasted lab, why don’t you just live down there and give the house to someone else who deserves it?”
Everyone in town knew that Milton didn’t receive a manor house from the Duchess when she hired him on, and it was clear that he was jealous I’d received such a beautiful, large home. He lived in a small, rundown shack outside of the city, barely within the outer limits of Edenhart, and though I felt a twinge of pity for him, it wasn’t my fault that he wasn’t a capable scientist.
He was a replaceable peon. I wasn’t.
“What do you want, Milton?” I asked. “I’m quite busy and would like to get back to my experiments, you know, the ones Edony is paying me to do.”
“You dare speak to your superior in such a way?” the bald man grunted. “I should inform Edony of your insolence!”
“I don’t have time to argue with you,” I sighed. “What so you want, Deputy Warden?”
“I’m interested in where and how you have been spending your time.” Milton smirked, crossed his arms over his chest, and then planted his feet. “Why don’t you let me inside?”
“I would prefer to talk out here.” I glanced toward the closed door to my laboratory. “My deadline for the Duchess is quickly approaching, and I don’t have a minute to spare.”
“A minute to spare, Alchemist?” the Warden snapped. “Two of my men were slaughtered in the woods just outside of Edony’s property. Around the same spot we last saw you, I’ve been sent here on a critical mission by the Duchess herself to question you.”
“Ah, of course,” I nodded. “I’m very sorry about your men, they seemed like… good people…”
“They were!” Milton cried. “The best! We are very sorry to lose them, now, let me inside, we can sit down and discuss this matter.”
“Fine,” I stated, climbed up the stairs, brushed past him, and unlocked the front door. “After you.”
I flipped on the lights, and they thrummed to life, flickered once, and then held steady as Milton stepped inside. The short man hung his head back, gazed up the spiral staircase with awe, slammed his eyes back down to the fairly beautiful décor displayed around the entryway, and then sighed.
“We can talk in the drawing-room, or the conservatory.” I stepped past him and gestured down two different halls. “It’s entirely up to you, sir.”
“The drawing room is fine,” Milton grumbled, and the jealously was evident in his tone.
“Ah, yes,” I smirked. “You’re right. The drawing-room might be better. It’s not as dark and the plants I keep in there… might not exactly be safe for you.”
“Get on with it, Alchemist,” Milton barked. “I don’t have all night!”
“Fine, fine,” I tittered. “Follow me.”
I nodded softly, turned on my heel, went down the first hall, and the Warden trailed after me. I had to admit, my manor was beautiful, not as elegant or grand as the Duchess’s or Delphine’s, but I didn’t mind. The downstairs held the drawing-room, kitchen, dining, and formal dining rooms, the conservatory out back, two small bathrooms, and finally, a small office that I rarely used. The upstairs was mostly empty bedrooms that I’d never stepped foot in, the master bedroom and bath that I used for myself. The third floor was nothing more than an empty attic with a few dust-covered boxes filled with clothes from the last tenant, and I’d only touched them once when I looked into the crates.
A loud crash came from upstairs like the sound of breaking glass, and the two of us paused for a moment. My heart pounded in my chest, I shifted my feet nervously, and glanced over my shoulder.
“What was that, Alchemist?” Milton scoffed.
“I-I’m not entirely sure,” I stated. “Probably just a stray cat.”
“Aren’t you going to go check?” the Warden turned and glared. “Sounds like something broke, it might’ve been something expensive. Don’t want to ruin anything in your perfect little manor.”
“No, it’s alright,” I sighed, pushed away all the thoughts of Valerie sneaking around the house, and turned down the hall. “The house is infested with stray cats. They’re always breaking in and destroying things, eating all of my food, playing with my tools, jumping onto counters, and… attempting to seduce you.”
“What was that last part?” Milton cupped his ear and leaned forward. “Sorry you were whispering.”
“No, it’s nothing, here.” I shook my head, smiled, stepped aside, and gestured into the room. “Come in, sit down on any of the sofas. Though the red one by the bay window is the most comfortable in the house.”
Milton glared at me out of the corner of his eyes, cleared his throat, mumbled something, and then lumbered in. The stout man threw himself down on the large, crimson couch, rolled his shoulders, reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small pad of paper. He glanced down at the surface, flipped it open, thumbed through the pages, and settled on the right one.
I crossed the room, settled myself into a plush, high-back chair, crossed my legs, and rested my folded hands on my knees.
“What are your questions, then?” I cleared my throat.
“What were you and your handler doing out in the woods?” Milton leaned back in his chair.
“Ah, ah, ah.” I waggled a finger at him. “We already covered this. My handler explained it to you. We were doing a top-secret task for the Duchess and propriety forbids me to speak about it. Next question.”
“Fiiine.” The stout man growled, shifted, and thumbed down the page. “Did you see my two companions, Adgar, and Fredrick later in the night without me?”
“No, not that I can recall.” I shook my head, shrugged and pursed my lips. “My handler and I went into the forest, did what the Duchess asked of us, and then promptly left. I didn’t see anyone except for you three that night… but now that you mention it, I did hear some strange sounds. Like the tramping of feet, though I couldn’t be sure if it were an animal or a human.”
“Did you hear anything else?” the Warden quipped.
“No, besides the rustling of branches and crackling of leaves,” I shrugged. “I’m not sure how much help I can be. May I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead,” Milton muttered, didn’t look up from his paper, and crossed his legs.
“Do you suspect me of something?” I leaned forward, rested my elbows on my knees, and rested my chin on a fist. “I was only following instructions from the Duchess.”
“Well, uhm,” the Warden cleared his throat. “Not only were my men killed, but poachers were spotted close to the area you were in, so I am here of my own volition to find out if they were the ones who killed my men or… if it was you, Alchemist.”
“Well, I had my handler with me,” I smiled. “Do you think I’d perform such an act in front of her? If I’d tried to harm another citizen, she would’ve either executed me on the spot, or reported me to the Duchess.”
“Ahhhh… yes,” Milton sighed, widened his eyes, puffed out his cheeks, and scribbled on his pad of paper. “I apologize, I’d forgotten about her.”
“I’m surprised,” I laughed. “She was a stri
ct one, barely let me finish my task without breathing down my neck and ordering me around.”
“Don’t talk bad about your handler, Alchemist,” Milton hissed. “They’re put in charge to make sure we’re doing our jobs, there’s no reason to fault them for being more powerful than us. In fact, we should be thanking them for watching out for us so closely, if we didn’t have them, we’d probably fuck everything up.”
What a sniveling toad of a man.
I was about to take him down a few notches.
“Milton,” I started, smiled, and then tilted my head. “May I ask you a question?”
“What is it?” the Warden croaked.
“You said something just now, and it piqued my interest,” I uttered, leaned back, and crossed my right leg over the left. “You said, ‘I am here of my own volition to find out if they were the ones who killed my men.’”
“And?” Milton snapped, leaned back, squinted his eyes, and set his jaw.
“Does the Duchess know that you’re here?” I asked, tilted my head, and grinned. “When you arrived, you said you were here on important business, directly from the Duchess, but from what you’ve just said, you’ve contradicted yourself. I know Edony pretty well, we’ve worked together closely for the past few months and each time she’s had an issue, she’s sought me out herself. If she wanted to find out what happened, why isn’t she here, questioning me herself?”
Milton clicked his tongue, lowered his eyes to the coffee table, shifted in his seat, and took a sharp inhale.
“This is a matter that Edony shouldn’t be involved with just yet,” Milton grumbled. “I know she’s a very important woman, and shouldn’t take these tasks upon herself.”
“Then you lied.” I sneered.
“Edony will hear about eventually!” the Warden snapped his head up, crossed his arms over his chest and glowered. “I came here first since you were the last person seen at the scene.”
“You know, Milton,” I snickered. “I’m not entirely sure that Edony would be too pleased if she heard about you interrupting my work.”
“I’m the warden!” the stout man cried. “It’s part of my job!”
