Oh, we’ve left you some ointment for your cold sores by the tub. It works wonders! We all have to use it every time we venture out here to Maugrimm’s place. It works best if you rub some in before you get in the water, and then wash it out while you’re bathing. Then give a light application after you’re done washing, but leave it on. And don’t ask where it comes from just yet, because you’ll vomit! But don’t worry, it doesn’t smell or anything. Hah hah!
One more thing…I hope you weren’t too attached to your bike, because it’s still outside and frozen solid! We were so frantic when you came through the door and collapsed that we didn’t even stop to think about how you arrived here. Sorry.
Sing was amused at the kindness of the letter and was happy that she knew two of their names now. Bahzee was the daughter of the two women she now remembered hearing, and she recalled Maugrimm’s name as well.
‘Mawg,’ they’d yelled.
Smiling, she got up to start the water.
**
After her bath, Sing dressed and left the bathroom. Skin tingling from her open pores, she pulled her hood over her wet hair. She nervously paced back and forth, wondering how to make a good impression. This was the first time in fourteen years that anyone had cared about Sing. Now that it was time to meet her hosts, she was terrified of being disliked—especially after they saved her life.
Sing began biting her nails, further pacing to and fro. Just when she was about to collapse from anxiety, a voice said, “Hi.”
(Despite Asha’s pleas to let Sing sleep, Bahzee, impatient and curious, had defied her mother. All too eager to acquaint herself with the new guest, she’d taken it upon herself to check on Sing.)
Shocked, Sing turned around. The person before her was strikingly beautiful, and though she could tell that the girl was several years younger than she, there was an inexplicable maturity about her. This had to be Bahzee. Weary from years of fear and loneliness, Sing broke down, running to hug a complete stranger, somehow knowing it was right.
Touched by the tears, Bahzee embraced Sing as if she was someone she had known all her life. The fourteen-year-old played mother to a grown woman of twenty, and it seemed completely natural. As Sing sobbed in relief, Bahzee whispered ‘Shhh,’ gently stroking her hair.
All the while, Sing’s feet dangled two feet above the ground.
2
They entered another large room, which was more of the same except for that there were heavy tables and benches fashioned the same as the floor. Scurrying around was a small cat, draped in a fluffy, wool bodysuit. He ran to greet Sing, wrapping his tail around her leg.
There was something about being able to cry with Bahzee that had encouraged Sing to let her guard all the way down for the first time since her enslavement. As a result, she was quickly getting reacquainted with the child in her that she’d locked away at the age of six—at that age she’d always loved cats!
“That’s Toodles,” Bahzee said, laughing, as Sing picked up the cat and began smothering it with kisses.
“Oh you’re soooo cuuuuute!” Sing squealed.
Bahzee rolled her eyes, ashamed of Toodles’ ability to get what he wanted out of anyone. As Sing stroked the cat’s back, her attention was drawn to one of the tables in the room. She let Toodles down and went closer, inhaling the aroma as she went.
In front of her was a large tray filled with some of the most delectable foods she’d ever seen. There were golden brown bread rolls and a slab of meat from some animal Sing knew she’d never seen before. (No matter—she’d devour it, nonetheless!) Among the meat were mounds of steamed vegetables—broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and potatoes—and a plate of corn on the cob, adjacent to a large bowl of white rice. There was also a mountainous heap of macaroni and cheese (something Sing had never eaten before, but from its look she was all too eager to try it). Topping things off was a double-long loaf of Asha’s banana, chocolate chip bread. Sing salivated at the look of the warm puddle of chocolate and butter, formed at the bottom of the loaf.
The foods rested on a large rotating plate, covered by a clear glass lid with individual slots to attain each dish. Also, there were dials on a control panel attached to the table. They were set to “warm.”
Sing had seen feasts like this at the castle, but of course she was never allowed to indulge. These types of meals were solely for Phyllamon’s family and friends. Now that it dawned on her, Sing realized that the last time she was allowed such good eating was with her parents.
Her stomach growled, and she turned to Bahzee with wonderment. “Wow...can I try everything?”
“Of course, silly! Mom’s a fantastic cook, isn’t she? There’s a lot more where this came from. This is just a small portion of the food that we ran away with!”
Ran away?
Sing was taken aback and meant to inquire further, but then someone caught her attention.
“Ah, sleepy head! You’re finally awake!” Asha exclaimed.
“Sing, this is my mother, Asha.”
Again, Sing ran into a hug. Asha grasped Sing as if she were a long lost daughter, suspecting that she and Bahzee had a new addition to the family. Why not? If this girl, Sing, had one of her own then she wouldn’t have been traveling about these parts, alone, nearly freezing to death, would she?
“Girl, are you by yourself? How did you make it all the way out here on a hoverbike and survive, precious?”
Sing didn’t answer. She was too taken with the wonderful feeling of having people care about her. For the first time in ages, she felt like a daughter again, and it was beautiful.
“You hungry, Sing?”
“Very.”
Asha nodded at Bahzee, telling her to get the utensils. Within a few minutes, Bahzee prepared everything at the table and then called them over.
“Let’s eat!”
**
Two hours had passed, and the three of them had gorged themselves, eating several helpings quick as possible so that the food wouldn’t freeze. They sat sluggishly on the benches, and Toodles was asleep in a corner.
Their tranquility was interrupted by a voice, whose tone bordered between irritated and angry. “Hey, so nobody remembers to feed us, huh?” it said.
“Nope…nobody cares about us lonely little plants over here that are about to starve to death!” spat another.
“What the hell are you guys doing over there? When do we get to tuck in?” said one more, joining in.
“Yeah, we wanna’ eat!” remarked the last.
Then altogether the voices chanted, “Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat!”
“Quiet, fools, before you rouse Maugrimm! One more word, and I swear you won’t nibble on a thing until he wakes!” Asha snapped irritably.
Sing’s mouth hung open. “Those are not talking plants, no way! Where are they?”
“I tucked them behind the counter and threw a towel over them, hoping that they wouldn’t smell the food. I should have known better.” Asha sighed. She went to the kitchen and uncovered them, rolling out the table they rested on.
“It’s about time! Geez, were you all not gonna’ share? It’s not like you need all that food…and, Asha, I’m speaking to you mostly, as you do look a bit heavier than you did the last time I saw you!”
“Watch it, smart ass!” Asha said to the plant in the center.
His eyes were a large sandy brown, and he had a torso like that of a man except for the fact that his arms and legs were vines. He had pink skin, and there were green vines attached to his head and armpits. He was the most intelligent of the four plants and also the most vocal—the wise cracker of the group. The other plants snickered at his comments.
Sing was awestruck at what she was seeing. Although she knew that strange creatures were not limited to Castle Xyecah, seeing them away from there was a new and exciting experience. And what was most astonishing was that these weren’t mean, snarling, or trying to kill anything!
“What’s your name?” she asked the plant in the middle.
“Watch it, Sing, he’s a flirt!” Bahzee said.
“Khyetarah Vyx Mune…that’s beautiful.”
“Yes, but my beauty doesn’t stop at my name...just check out this face! You don’t get prettier than this, wouldn’t you agree!”
In utter disbelief at his arrogance, Sing flushed red and raised her hand to her mouth. “You’re absolutely dashing!” she said, sniggering.
“This is oh so true! I wish everyone could be as honest as you! While you’re on a roll, why not just be completely real about your feelings for me! I know you want me…don’t fight it, baby.”
It was at this that Sing bellowed a howl of laughter. Khyetarah continued as if nothing had occurred.
“…I think you and I could make beautiful children together. Granted that I am the real beauty between the two of us, their good looks will be due mostly to my genes. That’s all right, I forgive you for being human. After all, nobody but me is perfect.”
Asha and Bahzee were speechless, unable to believe Khyetarah’s vanity. Sing couldn’t help but egg him on.
“And how would you get me to have your children? Would you not romance me first and eventually marry me? I expect a lot from my man, you know!”
“Of course, love…I can offer whatever you need. I always provide for my women. If you must know, PIMP is my middle name!”
The girls broke up, roaring with laughter at this. It wasn’t until an angry growl echoed into the room that they stopped. Sing looked around for the source.
“What da’ ruddy hell is all this blasted racket?” said a massive creature whilst trudging down the hallway.
He encompassed the entire space, knocking little pieces of ice off the walls and ceiling as he bowed his way into the room. Maugrimm was ten feet, six thousand pounds of flesh and muscle. All but one was completely unimpressed with his entrance. Sing’s mouth hung open in disbelief, never having seen anything like him. Maugrimm looked upon her, grinning.
“Methinks the words you’re lookin’ for are, ‘Hello, me name is so and so. What’s yours?’ ” he said chuckling.
She was so taken aback by this imposingly beautiful creature. Maugrimm’s torso was pale with numerous, thick red veins, visible through the skin, whereas the rest of him was green and scaly with blood-red patches of fur standing sporadically about. His feet were webbed, and there were large tannish-brown spikes that grew from his shoulders, spine, and the back of his head. Maugrimm’s face, which was punctuated with long, leathery-looking whiskers in the beard area, consisted mostly of his eyes—very large and ocean blue with immensely long lashes.
“I’m Sing,” she said, finding her voice at last. She removed her gloves and tentatively reached out. “Do you mind?”
Maugrimm shook his head.
Sing gently rubbed her hand on Maugrimm’s belly and found that he was soft and very warm, despite the cold temperature. She then went around his back and gently ran the tips of her fingers up and down his scales, which were surprisingly smooth, much more so than the tufts of red hair. The hair may have had a fluffy appearance, but to Sing it felt rough as sand paper. Then there were the horns. Sing gently grabbed hold of one, but…
“Hey, quit it…that tickles!”
Shocked, Maugrimm had jumped and hit his head on the ceiling, causing mild ice breakage as his horns stabbed into the surface. Upon landing, their section of the Igloo quaked slightly with spoons and forks falling off the table nearby. Then came the sound of ice and snow plummeting from the roof outdoors.
Maugrimm’s reaction had shocked Sing, and she fell to the floor. He’d landed on his butt, next to her. The racket had woken Toodles, and Maugrimm grinned as the cat leapt into Sing’s lap.
She cringed. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, dear…don’t get your panties in a bundle over it! Ya’ just hit one of me spots, is all!”
Glad that he wasn’t angry, Sing questioned further. “So…what exactly…are you?” she asked, looking to the others, wondering if her question was offensive. They all smiled, as if they too had asked him the exact same thing once upon a time.
“Hah! There ain’t a blasted clue under heaven! Me parents musta’ died when me was just a lil bloke, cuz’ me gots no memory of them. Never met anybody else like me…ain’t got no relatives, methinks,” he said scratching his head. “…But me should find a wife soon, if me’s ever gonna’ have any offspring and invent a whole new race.”
The girls all rolled their eyes. Seeing that Maugrimm was in good humour, Sing teased him.
“Maugrimm, I can tell you’re a nice person...er, um, beast...but that can only go so far. A woman would have to be borderline crazy to sleep with you. You’re too big…you might kill her, you fool!”
“Excuse me, missy, but me will have you know that there are plenty o’ women around here that are ready and willing to get all three tons o’ this hot lovin’!”
“Not that again, Maugrimm! Having a relapse, are we? I thought you’d learned your lesson!” Asha yelled, rebuking him.
“No, no relapses. Me just remembering the ole’ days, is all!” Maugrimm said, grinning as he recalled being taught a very harsh lesson about dealing with more than one woman simultaneously.
3
Asha and Bahzee had been in Rhameeryla for several months. By now, Khyeryn and Lyn Sha had gotten to know them extremely well, for they were frequent visitors to the secret town. Zynathian, on the other hand, hadn’t met them yet, for no one in Rhameeryla had seen him in nigh on seven months! He was busy in his lab perfecting a painkiller that he’d been working on for nearly two decades. It was an incredibly difficult project, which involved a complete transformation of Khyetarah Vyx Mune’s blood.
Now that the blood sample was ready and could kill pain in any wound indefinitely, Zynathian had spent the last seven months documenting the magnificent results of his work. He also took this time to copy the transformed blood many hundreds of thousands of times over, for it was such a slow process that he was unwilling to repeat the endeavor and wanted a lifetime supply. This unnamed miracle drug was Zynathian’s greatest accomplishment in decades, and he couldn’t possibly allow the finishing touches of this project to be disturbed—hence his vehement self-denial of breaks from his work to visit friends.
The kids wanted to do something special for Zynathian’s fifty-first birthday. Knowing he was upset about being unable to visit Rhameeryla because of the work he’d been swamped with for the last half year, they thought to bring some of Rhameeryla to him. Yes, Bahzee would be an excellent gift! Not only had he not met this new addition to their lives, but Khyeryn and Lyn Sha knew Zynathian would be longing for a different project soon, now that he’d completed a near twenty year project.
However, before bringing Bahzee to meet Zynathian, they thought to introduce she and Asha to Maugrimm, another integral being in their lives. In several days time, they would set off to the skies, leaving Asha behind. This was necessary, for not only was Bahzee meant to be a surprise for Zynathian, but her operation was simultaneously a gift to Bahzee and her mother as well. Khyeryn, Teshunua, and Lyn Sha had gone to incredible lengths to say as little as possible, despite Asha’s constant badgering. She now lagged behind, complaining as they made their way through a long, icy tunnel.
“I don’t understand why you must be gone for nearly a month to the home of a man that I’ve never met!”
Bahzee rolled her eyes. “Mom, I’ll be fine! It’s a perfectly safe trip, and I’m sure this Zynathian is harmless! I think Khye and Lyn would know if their father was an axe murderer!”
“If it’s so safe then why can’t I come?”
Khyeryn looked back and winked at her. “You can come next time, Asha, we promise! This time we have some top secret matters to attend!”
Bahzee smirked, extremely curious about what they had in store for her…something incredibly fun no doubt! She was eager to try out those cloud pistols Lyn Sha had
mentioned! Bahzee excitedly squirmed in her chair, hovering behind the others.
“It wouldn’t be so awful if I could hear from you everyday, Baz, but let us not forget that Rhameeryla has no manner of contact!”
“We already worked that out, Asha. We’ll send a letter with Jix every three days, so that way you get to hear from us at least twice a week.” Teshunua gave a charming smile, attempting to warm Asha to the idea. “Don’t worry so much.”
“Bah! DON’T WORRY? Yeah, that’s a really easy one, Tesh, considering the fact that I haven’t let her out of my sight for over thirteen damn years!”
“Mom, everything’s going to be okay!”
“Yeah, ‘Lyn Sha, the Magnificently Brilliant, Green-Eyed Queen of the Library,’ commands you to stop worrying!”
Asha crossed her arms indignantly, as she walked.
Teshunua, however, was all smiles as he stood on back of Bahzee’s hoverchair, playing in her hair as he rode along. She reached up as much as her best arm would allow and lightly swatted his hands, giggling. Though Tesh had the urge to lean over and smother her with kisses, he thought better of it, knowing Asha probably would have flogged him silly, being as protective of her as she was. Yes, he would have to give it some time…maybe another year or so?
Hopefully then I’ll have enough of a sack to tell her how I feel! Teshunua thought, chastising himself.
Maugrimm looked back at Asha, addressing her mood. “Oi! Straighten that face up, lady! Me takin’ ya’ out to meet one o’ me pals and have a good time…not so ya’ can walk around with a gloomy mug!”
Asha forced a tiny smile but kept her distance. Despite the fact that the kids swore he was the nicest creature in the world, Mawg was still a stranger to her, and his size was intimidating.
In opinions on Maugrimm, Bahzee was opposite her mother. She thought of him as nothing more than an overgrown teddy bear and took an instant liking to him. Therefore she was totally comfortable with making small talk or asking him questions. “What kinda’ restaurant is this, Mawg? …I mean the food!” she yelled forward.
The Gift of Volkeye Page 15
