by Amanda Churi
“Wow…” Lucy breathed whimsically, taking a step forward as her eyes raced across the beautiful structure. “It’s so nice…”
“Look where you’re going, Tripp!” Daisy exclaimed, looking at the large black steed before pointing to the post with her tiny finger. Tripp followed her line of sight, neighing in disappointment.
Daisy giggled, shaking her head joyously. “No, silly! You can’t come with us!” Locked into her own little tizzy of laughter, Daisy took the reins voluntarily from Kevin’s fingers, leading Tripp over to the post before tying his lead around it to assure he could not get away.
Kevin followed her, giving the knot another tug to make sure that she secured the horse properly. He removed their personal possessions from Tripp’s back, propping them up in his arms before meandering towards the door, giving Lucy a stiff nod to assure her they had everything they needed.
Lucy sighed uncomfortably but knew better than to protest now. Warily, she opened the heavy oak door, stepping inside as a wave of heat and excited, rowdy voices attacked them at the entrance.
The door swung shut behind Daisy, Kevin and Lucy pausing next to each other. A lovely cobble fireplace burned in the back of the medium-sized lobby, several wooden tables scattered about that were currently occupied with multiple people, who were conversing, playing cards, and arm wrestling to pass the time. The fire raging in the back was the only light source with the exception of a few candles mounted about, leaving the air warm and dry. A small flight of wooden stairs ascended to a second floor directly ahead of them, another hallway weaving below the staircase and granting access to several other rooms.
“Oh!” an excited, middle-aged voice came. “Newcomers!”
The family looked to their side, hardly having noticed an unsteady, poorly crafted table squeezed in next to the entryway. A short woman with pale skin and large cheeks stood behind the counter, her medium-blonde hair frizzed up from the heat, while her small brown eyes observed the new clients in excitement.
“Hi!” Daisy squeaked, grabbing the edge of the countertop and staring up.
“Why, hello there!” the woman cooed, raising the pitch of her voice to appeal to the young girl all the more. “Aren’t you a cutie?”
Daisy giggled, blushing as she awkwardly held her hands in front of her, tottering back and forth to suppress her embarrassment.
The desk lady turned her attention to the two adults, grinning. “Welcome to the Willow Tavern,” she said politely. “How long are you staying? One night? Two?”
“Uhm, actually,” Kevin began, placing their entities at his feet before looking back at the woman behind the desk. “A friend of mine told me we could stay here if we met certain… Requirements.”
The woman’s mouth dropped slightly, skeptical as she looked the ex-sorcerer over. “You’re a Returned?”
“No,” Lucy corrected, scrunching her shoulders closer to her neck as she tried to suppress her apprehension. “I am.”
The woman raised her hand, motioning Lucy towards the desk with a finger. “You wouldn’t mind me making sure? Not that I mind housing people, but there’s such a large number of you that I don’t exactly have much of a business anymore.”
Lucy took a deep breath, refusing to answer. She turned around, cautiously shuffling backward until her rear bumped the counter so that the base of her neck faced the woman. The woman cocked her head to the side for a moment before reaching up and carefully lowering the collar of Lucy’s dress so that she could see her vertebrae.
Etched onto her skin was the symbol of the Returned—a backward “S” that traveled a few inches down her spine, the ends of the design swirling inward like a vortex. Unlike many marks, the symbol of the Returned was no scar nor tattoo; this design rose up from the skin slightly so that one could feel its rough texture when they ran their finger along it. The symbol was black and abrasive; it looked and felt like obsidian, the only exception being a single golden jewel in the center, where each branch of the tattoo went their separate ways.
Hesitantly, the woman touched her marking, Lucy flinching in recognition to the source of heat on an area of her skin that had permanently turned cold.
The lady smiled. “Nice to have you back,” she said sweetly as she pulled her collar back up. Lucy turned around to face her, surprised when a pasty white hand was held out in her direction. “Lexi; I’m the owner.”
Lucy thankfully took her hand, a sigh of relief escaping her lips; that had gone much better than expected. “Lucy,” she said. She pointed to her family. “This is Daisy and Kevin.”
Lexi dipped her head. “I’m happy to have you with us.” She turned her back to the family momentarily before handing Lucy a small key. “Room six on the second floor. It’s a bit tight for three, but it’s the only room left.”
Lucy waved her hand dismissively. “It’s more than enough. Thank you.”
“No problem,” Lexi told her.
“Kevin, my lad!”
Kevin turned to face the main lobby, surprised when he saw Cecil walking towards him, waving a hand in hopes to catch his attention.
“Hello, Cecil,” Kevin greeted him, extending his hand. Cecil dismissed his handshake as though it was nothing more than a fly, wrapping his arms around Kevin and giving him a hefty slap on the back instead. Kevin didn’t move, stunned by this sudden display of affection. Both Lucy and Daisy giggled, finding Kevin’s lack of social interaction to be quite amusing.
“Was startin’ to wonder if ya would show up!” Cecil continued, taking a step back and looking at his new friend with gracious eyes.
“Ha… I told you I would?” Kevin replied tensely.
“Ya, but people back out. I—” His voice escaped him.
Kevin looked at him queerly, a bit taken back when Cecil’s pupils widened to the point where almost no green in his eyes could be seen. He followed his line of sight, curious when he saw that it was locked onto his daughter. Daisy did not seem to be intimidated; she simply stared back at Cecil with a mystified, inviting smile.
“I-I didn’t know ya had a l’il gal, bud,” he stammered, his body language quickly shifting from happy and carefree to guarded and stern.
“Yeah,” Kevin told him stiffly, wrapping an arm around Daisy’s shoulder and protectively pulling her close to his chest. “This is Daisy.”
Cecil exhaled incredulously, dropping down into a crouch to get a better look at her. “Hey there, angel,” he said quietly.
“Sup!” Daisy exclaimed, pushing her chest out and holding her head high.
Cecil smiled briefly before the happiness on his face was overtaken by sorrow. Clearing his throat, he stood up, shaking his head ever-so-slightly to clear his brain of whatever thoughts plagued it. Kevin kept an eye on him, especially when he turned to face Lucy next, his expression not nearly as friendly. “And ya’re Kevin’s wife I presume?”
Lucy chuckled awkwardly, unable to keep the fire from filling her cheeks. “Ha, uhm, well—”
“Yes, she is,” Kevin answered for her, Lucy whipping her head towards her lover in surprise. Kevin simply smiled, a light chuckle escaping his lips. They basically acted as if they were, and if he did, in fact, come to rule, she could not legally be his queen unless they were wed.
Cecil said nothing for a moment, his eyes boring into Lucy’s and pulling her gaze back towards him. “Ah,” he replied briefly in a monotonic voice, trying to reach into the depths of her soul with his eyes. Lucy did not notice this particularly hard stare, but Kevin sure did, and it made him very protective of his lover very fast.
“So, Cecil!” Kevin interrupted in an assertive tone, Cecil and Lucy breaking their invisible link and turning towards him in puzzlement. “Where is that lady of yours I have yet to meet?”
Cecil raised his eyebrows. “Uh… Yah, I don’t know if that’s a good idea…”
“Trying to keep me hidden still?”
Cecil exhaled irritably, rolling his eyes and lowering his head.
A lean,
tall woman came up behind Lucy, who courteously took a step to the side to let her into the small congregation they formed at the door. She looked over at Cecil with sharp eyes as she stood next to him, scoffing smugly when she realized he would not acknowledge her presence.
She was definitely a looker—any man, taken or not, had to give her that. She had a minimal amount of fat, though the curves to her hourglass figure were mainly from the dense muscle beneath her pale skin. She had large lips, small blue eyes that held a mischievous glint, and long auburn hair rampant with natural waves. She wore nothing more than a large shirt hardly cut above her knee, a slit purposely made below her collar, revealing a decent amount of cleavage from her large breasts.
“You’re Cecil’s wife?” Lucy asked innocently, though there was a rough edge to her voice under the warmth as her eyes traveled across the very sensual body that the woman possessed and did not mind showing off.
The woman burst into uncontrollable laughter. “Ha, of course not!” she exclaimed through a hefty gasp. “As if I would burden myself with that!”
A growl rose in Cecil’s throat, though he refused to look up.
“I’m just a close friend,” she continued. “You see—”
“Her name’s Sam,” Cecil finally spoke up, his voice smooth and unaffected by his friend’s indecent exposure as he raised his head. “Don’t get used to seein’ her like this; it’s rare she doesn’t have a glass in one hand and a man in the other.”
Sam whisked her gaze to Cecil, her eyes sharp. “Excuse you!” she snapped furiously.
“Ya’re excused,” Cecil hissed, shifting his cold, menacing gaze to the woman who stood beside him, her face quickly becoming red as the steam within rose and her knuckles cried to plant themselves in his face.
“Ha… You two don’t seem like friends,” Lucy chimed in awkwardly.
“Oh, I said friends?” Sam gasped incredulously, pressing a hand to her heart while fluttering her eyes. “I meant forced acquaintances.”
“You can force people to be your friends?” Daisy wondered, her jaw gaped as she stared at Sam.
She huffed in amusement. “No dear, it’s nothing that…” Her small blue eyes drifted over to Daisy, and just as Cecil had, Sam paused; everything seemed to cease for her the moment she looked at the young child. Unlike the adoring gaze that Daisy gave Cecil, however, the look she gave Sam could not compare. Although fascinated, Daisy did seem to be a bit wary of the woman before her. Perhaps it was her trampy aura—rebellion clashing with purity.
“Oh my…” Sam said through an airy gasp.
“Sam—” Cecil began in a warning tone, resting a hand on her shoulder.
She shoved Cecil’s hand off of her, taking a step closer to Daisy. Kevin’s protective hold on his daughter immediately intensified, Daisy squeezing her father’s waist as well.
Sam stopped her advance the moment she saw this; her eyes flashed with pain when Daisy did not let her come closer.
“I-I’m sorry,” Sam rasped, taking a shaky step back. With that, she turned away, racing down the hall below the staircase before bolting into a room and slamming the door shut behind her.
“She wants me,” Daisy mumbled, turning her large eyes to Kevin for guidance. “Why?”
“I don’t think that’s it…” he assured her. Kevin turned to Cecil, who averted his gaze once more. He swallowed heavily, his lips pale and eyes hanging as he struggled to control the emotions racing within his heart.
“It’s alright, Cecil…” Lexi cooed softly, having watched everything unfold silently before her.
He sniffled, quickly remembering that others were around him. He wiped his dripping nose with his arm, forcing the plagued waters back down where they could not be seen. “Y-yah,” he stuttered, looking back at Kevin with bloodshot eyes. “Beautiful baby gal ya’ve got there… Make sure ya cherish her…”
Without a word more, Cecil took his leave. He hunched forward as he trudged off down the hallway after his frenemy, his shoulders convulsing with agonizing sobs as he distanced himself from the others. Kevin did not call out to him, but even from where he stood, he could feel the cold chill that encrusted Cecil’s heart.
“W…What happened?” Lucy wondered aloud, echoing the very words Kevin was thinking.
“You guys are in for a shock,” Lexi said quietly, her eyes clear and serious as she watched Cecil vanish into his room. “Between the fires and the Returned, much grief has left this old town scarred.” She sighed, turning back to the young family. “Cecil lost Sam and his child long ago in a terrible accident…” she explained. “Sam came back, but the child was not as lucky. I don’t know their whole story, but Sam’s revival caused Cecil much grief, and the forever deceased child caused much more. Please, don’t hold it against them; they, like many others, have been through more than you can imagine.”
Kevin looked down at Daisy, who could not take her eyes off of her father, begging him to not let her go. Kevin knew the pain of losing everything that you once loved… So much had been taken from him throughout the course of his life that he did not hold the slightest grudge against the young, awkwardly paired duo. They were grieving victims, much like Kevin had been year after year. Lucy especially sympathized with them; her son had not returned from the grave either, leaving a permanent hole that could never fully heal.
Phantome was truly broken… Both the town and those within. The war brought the small village to its knees, and now, in the midst of their pain and suffering, they needed someone to guide them.
Hopefully, Kevin would be that person… He prayed that he could do it. No one should have to endure such agony… But only time would tell if he would truly be the savior they needed, because right now, they needed all of the saving they could get…
From themselves.
Five
Falling Down
If there was anything to push me to find safety, the vicious assault last night did just that. After the mysterious girl who identified herself as The Seeker vanished, I couldn’t wait to get out of the forest and to the possible refuge that she pointed me in the direction of.
No one slept; we were too shaken by the brutal attack from the demonized pixies. According to the girl, she did not allow Griffin nor Laelia to see her, which was quite believable considering the moment that she had taken her leave their bodies suddenly jumped to life, and they were thanking the heavenly burst of sunlight that had appeared from nowhere. I didn’t know why she chose to keep her presence hidden from them, though… That definitely struck me as odd.
Regardless, I chose to keep her existence a secret; she said that she could not stay or she would risk being found. Who was hot on her trail, I didn’t know, but she saved our lives, and I would protect her in return. Besides, I knew the risk of being hunted probably much better than her anyway: the Nobles, my mother, Satan Himself, and not to mention the mysterious robotic man, nor the ominous presence who had been lurking in the shadows since the first time I stepped through a portal. I was still afraid just who they were, wondering if they were still keeping tabs on me.
Mabel lived just as The Seeker said she would. She was far too weak to walk, and as the three of us pushed on through the perilous night, she was carried. Laelia and I took turns holding our fallen ally throughout the trek. There had only been one short frame of time where we had stopped, and while Laelia and I rested our muscles and caught our breath, Griffin took watch, not trusting one thing as we crossed into the desolate, open lands once more.
We continued our trek until night turned to day, though honestly, the only way to tell the difference between the two time frames was the slight lightening of the sky and the milder temperatures.
It was my turn to carry Mabel, and no matter how badly my body ached, I forced myself to hold her up. She was curled in my arms, her breathing steady but slow. Her wounds were healing fairly quickly, but these did not heal cleanly; the skin had been slit so deeply on her arm that the light scab which stopped the bleeding t
urned a sickly shade of blue and purple—a nasty scar would certainly be left behind. And an arm was a bad enough place to bare such a terrible mark, but it was nothing compared to the three crevices running down her right cheek, healing in the same way. I highly doubted it would ever heal properly, making my heart ache for her. She was a warrior from birth, yes, but she was still a girl nonetheless, who could be as self-conscious as any other.
There were a few exchanges of light conversation here and there, but for the most part, we didn’t have anything to say. We were exhausted beyond words, deprived of sleep, food, water, blood, heat, and now hope. It was only our second day in Hell, and already, even after witnessing what I had last night, I could feel my optimism plunging with each passing minute.
“I’m hungry…” Laelia complained as she dragged her bare feet across the frozen soil, her eyes drained of life as she glanced up at me.
I don’t know why she thought I would have food, and if I did, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t give it to her. “Well, I don’t see us eating anytime soon unless we find a campfire and some marshmallows.”
“What’s a marshmallow?” Laelia asked, sincerely interested.
I paused. “Uh… It’s like a sweet, sticky cloud. It’d probably taste terrible to someone so sour.”
Laelia inhaled angrily, but she only gave me a death sentence with her eyes instead of her words.
