by Eden Redd
“I’m sure there is a story to this!” Adam shouted over the sounds of the room being torn apart.
“I’ll tell you later. Cast your healing spell on me while I cast,” Jenny commanded.
The priest placed his hand on her shoulder as Jenny cast her spell again. The air elemental slowed down as daggers stabbed into white armor and black lightning struck hard. It was about to dissipate when Jenny finished her spell. Energy flowed into the librarian from Adam’s hand. The mana boost combined with her reactivation of the spell sent out a golden blast of energy. The air elemental glowed as new healing mana and power super charged it. Lashing out, the mace moved with blinding speed. The remaining lizard folk screeched as they ran for the balcony, a white mace slamming into backs and sending them over.
The lizard mage made a hand signal with one hand while streaming black lightning with the other. The satchel sprang to his clawed hand just as the air elemental rushed him. Dodging each swing with inhuman speed, the mage launched himself backward into the air. Jenny and the mage made eye contact and he smiled back. With a hissed word, darkness enveloped him and he was gone.
The air elemental turned to his mistress and bowed. Jenny nodded and the elemental faded from sight. Adam stood naked, letting his mana shield fade from his arm.
“How did you make my healing energy charge your elemental? I’ve never seen that before,” The priest said bewildered.
Jenny moved close to him, pressing her body to his, “Mana tunnel manipulation with chakra point techniques. Pretty simple once you get the concepts down.”
Adam looked to her, his eyes showing his disbelief, “Those are advanced magic systems. You really are a professor.”
Jenny smiled, “Actually, I’m a librarian.”
Adam raised an eyebrow, “You are full of surprises.”
Jenny nodded and ran a hand down the priest’s heaving chest, “We probably only have a little bit of time before someone comes up because of the noise. I could use another lesson before they get here.”
“What about your satchel they took? It was something valuable enough for monsters to come into town to get it.”
“It’s a long story. It is now a problem for another time. We should get back to your room or I will take you here and now for all to see.”
The priest nodded. Jenny took hold of his arm and pulled him back to the room. The elevator doors opened and magistrates stormed the hallway just as Adam’s door closed with a “Do Not Disturb” sign hanging off the knob.
Four
The train station packed with people as the sun shined down on them. Town folks quietly pulled down rainbow lanterns from street lamps and wall hooks. Jenny and Adam walked slowly through the cobbled streets, hands and fingers entwined. The priest looked to the packed station and let out a sigh. Jenny squeezed his hand.
“I’m not looking forward to the ride back. I fear I will miss you deeply,” Adam sighed again.
“What happened to my strong priest?” Jenny teased.
“He is still recovering from the last two days. We never left the room to enjoy the rest of the festival.”
“Did you want to leave the room?” Jenny smirked.
Adam shook his head, “Not really.”
Jenny stopped and turned to him, “I had an amazing time.”
Adam nodded, “As did I. I wish we had more time.”
“I’m still travelling. I will be here a little longer before moving on. One of my future stops is the city of Lumair.”
Adam gave a gentle smile, “I would love to give you a tour.”
Jenny moved her lips in close, “I will make sure to plan for a long visit. I may need future lessons intermingled with a private tour.”
Adam tilted his head and leaned in close, “I will be sure to clear my schedule.”
Lips touching, the librarian and priest kissed as the train blew its whistle.
Adam pulled away and looked into Jenny’s eyes, “You never told me what the lizard folk took.”
“I will tell you when we see each other again,” Jenny smiled.
Adam nodded. Their embrace broken, the priest made his way to the train station. Jenny waved to him as he walked onto the platform. Turning back to see her, he waved back before stepping into the train.
Jenny let her hand drop and she watched as people boarded the train. The doors closed and soon the train pulled from the station. Smoke pouring from the engine, Jenny hugged her own waist as the train chugged into the distance.
Mist flowed from the librarian’s thigh and Jaka appeared. The manticore hugged his mistress and she buried her face in his strong chest. They held each other for a long moment before she patted his chest and pulled away.
“It’s okay Jaka. We will see him again. However, let us go see Kutter. We have unfinished business in the Broken Islands.”
Jenny walked back, deeper into town with her familiar at her side. The afternoon sun blazed bright on another prefect day in the beachside town.
~Fin~
Vanessa’s Heart
One
“This is a perfect time to rebuild this section of the city.”
Vanessa looked up as the Lord Mayor of Stukarr stretched his arms out to the destroyed section of the city. Professor Hart was at his side, looking out at the destroyed buildings and hills of rubble. The dead woman hung back, turning and looking around. A rat scurried from one gaping hole, over a section of rubble and down another gaping hole. Vanessa wondered if the rat’s life was any easier in the ruined buildings.
“What do you have planned, Lord Mayor?” Professor Hart asked while glancing back at the Vanessa and giving a reassuring smile.
“This section of the city has been nothing more then abandoned buildings for a decade. Now we can rebuild and make it livable again. With the threat of war, the city will receive an influx of people looking for shelter.”
Vanessa touched a small red brick in the street with her booted toe and turned it on its side.
The Lord Mayor turned to the pale woman with kind eyes, “My dear Vanessa, how long do you think it will take to rebuild this section?”
The raven-haired dead woman looked up; white streaks ran from her temples down the length of her lustrous hair, “I would say about a month,” Vanessa shuffled her feet, uninterested.
The Lord Mayor looked to the dead woman, nodded and turned to walk in a little further. Professor Hart stepped to Vanessa, concern bleeding into his eyes. When the Lord Mayor was about thirty feet away, Professor Hart reached up with his hand and cupped a finger under Vanessa’s chin, lifting her face up slightly to meet his gaze.
“You are doing an amazing job helping the city,” The professor said with a kind smile.
Vanessa pulled back and looked away. Her dead heart pumped when he touched her. Even after all this time, his touch was still intoxicating. Stepping away, she pushed those feelings deep down, her heart no longer beating.
“The dead of the city are doing the work. I’m just relaying the orders,” Vanessa hugged herself as if she was cold, which she never was anymore.
Professor Hart moved to her but did not touch her, “The dead love you. They are doing a great service helping rebuild the city after the giant slime attack. This will work in your favor to bring good will to the city as a whole.”
Vanessa’s mouth grimaced, “Maybe. Or maybe I’m just being used until reconstruction is complete. Then they will burn me.”
“We both know you don’t believe that. Is there something you want to talk about?”
The dead woman turned away, “It has been difficult lately.”
“Still adjusting to college life?”
“You could say I’m adjusting to being myself again. When I was the Dead Mother, I spent my time plotting revenge on you and building my army. Now I’m just a messenger. I’m attending college once again like nothing happened.”
Professor Hart wanted to reach up and touch her shoulders for comfort. Instead, he kept his hands at his sides, “
You are a hero. You saved many lives from certain death.”
Vanessa kept her back to him, “For now. There is still a prejudice against monsters and a larger one against the undead. I think once the city is rebuilt, myself and the dead of the city will be pushed back underground.”
Professor looked up to the sky. The sun was setting and a warm glow covered the heavens. He let out a long breath.
The professor moved closer. Vanessa felt his living warmth radiate against her cold skin. Her heart beat once and she wanted to turn around, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. The urges were there but her spirit was weak and tired.
“Tell me what is really wrong?”
The dead woman turned to Hart but kept her head tilted forward, “It’s Castor. I think I’m slowly starving him and I don’t know what to do.”
“Have you spoken to Gwen about him?”
“Not yet but I already know what she will tell me. I have to eat and drink more so he will be well fed with mana from food. I keep forgetting and he is paying the price.”
Professor Hart nodded, “Have you both made love?”
Vanessa kept her eyes focused on the cobbled street, “Once. It was nice and he is very patient. Gwen told me his kind are wise and understanding. He is capable of lasting a long time between feedings but I think we are going longer than usual.”
“It sounds to me like you’re depressed.”
“Maybe…..I don’t know.”
Professor Hart gazed at Vanessa’s sad eyes, “We should make some time for you. Cheer you up.”
Vanessa was silent, her eyes turning up to the handsome professor.
“We could put a new park here for children to play,” The Lord Mayor shouted by an intersection.
Large walls of ruined stone stabbed into the evening sky. Professor Hart and Vanessa turned to see the Lord Mayor moving his hands, pointing at spots where kids could play. A crack appeared along a wall. The breeze picked up. Professor Hart’s eyes caught the crack getting longer.
“Lord Mayor!” the professor shouted.
A wall tipped in the breeze, slowly moving, the crack getting longer. Another gentle breeze pushed and the wall came crashing down. The Lord Mayor barely had a chance to see it before the wall came crumbling down toward him. Professor Hart flashed forward, appearing next to the Lord Mayor. There was a faint glow and the falling wall exploded.
Vanessa stared horrified. Dust and debris lay scattered. Running forward, she looked for any sign of them. The dust settled and Professor Hart stood over the Lord Mayor, a mana shield encircling them. The good professor helped the Lord Mayor to his feet and let the shield drop.
“Thank you,” The Lord Mayor said with relief in his eyes.
The ground trembled. All three turned to see another wall buckling. The vibrations shook the ground, weakening the ruined buildings further. Several walls came crashing down. Vanessa turned her head to a shadow. A wall tilted, falling toward her. Mist flared from her right shoulder blade. The streaming mist changed form halfway between Vanessa and the falling wall.
The dead woman stared as her familiar appeared from the mist. Large furry butterfly wings flapped. A T-shaped muscular body flew toward the wall with large spindly hands reaching out. Fuzzy antenna twitched and glowing, red eyes stared unblinking. A light layer of fur covered his black and gray body. The moth man caught the falling wall in his hands and flapped his wings furiously. It wasn’t enough to stop it but it slowed its descent.
Professor Hart made several hands signals, his mana flaring to life. All stone in the area stopped moving. The moth man let go of the wall and dived down to his mistress. Arms taking hold of her, he lifted her up and jumped into the sky away from the shadow of the crumbling wall.
Professor Hart whispered an arcane word. The falling walls all changed direction, falling the opposite way. The crashing and rumbling shook the area before it settled down. The moth man floated down and gently let his mistress’ booted feet touch the ground.
“Is everyone okay?” asked the professor.
“I’m fine. Thank you,” The Lord Mayor dusted himself off.
“We are fine,” Vanessa said, her eyes looking up to her familiar’s glowing eyes.
“We should leave before anything else shakes loose,” Professor Hart said as he surveyed the area.
Everyone nodded in agreement and began walking with a bit of haste in their step.
An hour later, Vanessa found herself wandering the streets. She had said her goodbyes to Professor Hart and the Lord Mayor as they headed to a bar to discuss plans. The dead woman thought to go home but the emptiness of being there would only make her gloom thicker. She disliked that she was given a house on campus. The Headmaster and Headmistress said it was for her benefit so she may have time to adjust. Vanessa knew the real reason was to have a place to keep an eye on her and separate her from the other students. Not that any would room with her if she was in a dormitory. Before the giant slime attack, students went out of their way to avoid her. She tried to let it roll off her shoulders but the sting was still there, boring into her dead heart.
Street lamps lit up the cobbled streets. The dead woman continued to walk and thoughts floated to Professor Hart. Her heart beating in her chest, she still felt butterflies in her stomach when he was around. She remembered their times together. How they talked all night and made love for hours on end. It was a magical time, but with the pleasant memories came the painful ones. Vanessa stared at the sidewalk as she walked along. Foolish and sad memories crept into her undead mind. She had hung herself because if she couldn’t have him then she didn’t want anyone else. How her heart beat only for him. A sad smirk appeared on Vanessa’s black lips. Even dead, her heart seemed to still beat for him.
Looking up, stars twinkled in the vastness of night. The undead woman’s shoulders sagged and she turned to walk home. She had no other place to go and she had a full day tomorrow of helping with the reconstruction. When she reached campus, mist rolled off her shoulder blade. Castor appeared and walked alongside his mistress. Hand reaching out, he took her hand into his as they strolled.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been a good mistress to you,” Vanessa said without looking at him.
The moth man squeezed her hand a little.
Vanessa looked up to her familiar. Glowing red eyes looked down with an understanding kindness. Unspoken thoughts passed between them and Vanessa felt her gloom grow thicker.
“I know you’re hungry. We can try again,” Vanessa said in a low tone.
The familiar continued to hold her hand as they reached their home. The house was a single floor home. A small grassy lawn covered each side of the stone path to the front door. Vanessa and her familiar walked to the door, opened it and stepped inside.
Closing the door behind her, Vanessa looked to her familiar, “You were so brave.”
The moth man smiled. Vanessa thought he was incredibly handsome even with the glowing red eyes. His face looked like a man’s face with a strong chin and noble nose. Eyes were a bit roundish but she found them cute. A loincloth was the only bit of clothing he wore.
Anxiety crawled along the dead woman’s nerves. She hated how she felt. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be with him. It was more that she didn’t want to be with anyone. The depression wormed its way deeper into her heart, making the simple things, like feeding her familiar all that much harder.
Castor took his mistress’ hand and pulled her to the living room. Gently sitting her down, he stood up and walked toward the kitchen. Vanessa leaned her head back into the comfortable couch, eyes staring at the ceiling. Trying to push away how she felt and focus on her familiar, she let out a long sigh. Pale fingers moved to her boots and she pulled one off.
The moth man walked back into the room, flexing his wings and carrying a full wine glass in each hand. Vanessa gave him a small smile, taking a wine glass in her hand.
“You are a wise one,” Vanessa tried to keep it light.
Castor smiled and kneeled before his mistress. They toasted and took a sip. Vanessa could taste the mana infused wine as it flowed over her tongue and down her throat. The dead mistress watched her familiar drink his wine. She knew the wine was only a drop in the bucket and would barely satisfy him. Mages and their familiars fed through connection. He was so weak that if she cast a few spells, he would return to her skin unconscious, unable to reform until he leeched enough mana from her to come back. She could eat to feed him passively but there was no hunger or thirst driving her. The world had become gray as she slipped further into the gloom.
Castor put down his wine glass on the coffee table. Standing up, long fingers touched Vanessa’s shoulders. The undead woman turned in her seat. The moth man sat next to her, hands caressing her shoulders. The familiar’s warm hands helped ease her dead muscles.
Vanessa tried to relax but anxiety to feed her familiar was overwhelming. Her hand reached up and stopped his, “We should try another time,” She whispered.
Castor pulled his hands back. Vanessa didn’t look at him but knew he was disappointed. The moth man turned to mist and returned to her skin. The dead woman drank from her glass of wine, sitting back and staring at Castor’s wine glass on the table. Feeling terrible, she finished her glass in hopes it would help to feed him a little. This was turning into a crisis. She had to do something or her familiar would continue to starve.
Thoughts flowed to the ink witch, Gwen. Vanessa picked up Castor’s wine glass and sipped it. Silently she decided she had to see the witch tomorrow. It was her last chance to figure out what she needed to do to help keep her familiar happy. Drinking down the second glass, Vanessa stared at the coffee table, thoughts turning to her life and the thickening gloom.
Two
The door chimed as Vanessa walked into the Ink Witch shop. The undead woman noticed the place hadn’t fully recovered from the slime attack. The main counter had a large crack in it. The glass window to the shop was cracked and a few shards lay scattered on the floor. Dust covered the shelves and some books lay on the floor. From behind a beaded curtain, Gwen stepped out, her witch hat in her hand and a lost look in her eyes.
