Beasts and Maidens

by M.E. Timmons

  Chapter 12

  Selene squinted at the ancient clock on the wall in the dim light of the moon. It was a little after three o’clock in the morning. It was earlier than she had planned on getting up, but she didn’t want to go back to sleep. She could still feel the bites of the spiders that had covered her in her dream, as well as the sensation of them being in her throat. She shuddered and quickly looked down at herself, and was happy to see that she was spider-free. It was only a dream.

  There was a creak from a floorboard upstairs. Selene paused and listened carefully, and she heard a rustle of blankets. Whoever was up was going back to bed. They had probably been using a chamber pot. Selene listened for another minute, and she heard no more sounds.

  She threw back her blankets and got up. She shivered as she changed quickly out of her nightgown and into one of her newest dresses, which was a shade of pale grey, and put on a shawl. Since it was still night, it was bound to be cold out. She folded her blankets and then quietly tiptoed to the door. It had a tendency to squeak, but luckily it made only a soft noise as she opened it and stepped out.

  It was hard to see in the darkness, even though the sky was clear. Selene couldn’t help but wish the moon had been full. She walked to the forest with her shawl wrapped tightly around her. She didn’t see anyone else up, and there were only a couple of lights on in the whole valley. It was a quiet and still night.

  It was even harder to see in the forest. Selene made it to the clearing almost by feeling alone, but once she got there she wasn’t sure where to go next. She cursed the darkness and stood there, trying to decide what to do. The forest was quite large, and she didn’t want to get lost. The day was too important for that. She sat down on her usual rock as she deliberated.

  A light suddenly appeared in the darkness. It cast shadows of branches and leaves around the clearing as it moved closer, until Tornado stepped out of the trees. He was carrying a lantern, and he looked surprised to see Selene.

  “I was just coming here to wait for you,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting you to be here for another hour.”

  “I just got here. I couldn’t really sleep.”

  Tornado nodded. “Neither could I, really. I think most of us have been up all night. It’s hard to sleep when you know your life could change in the morning. There’s just too much to think about, and yet so many things you don’t want to think about. It’s frustrating.”

  “That’s very true. I actually managed to sleep a little, but I had a weird dream that freaked me out a little, and then I didn’t want to sleep anymore,” Selene said. “Are we going to go to the main camp to meet up with everyone else?”

  “Not right now. We aren’t leaving for a little while, so we might as well just stay here for a few minutes. This could be the last time we meet here. If it is I think I’ll miss this spot.”

  “I would too. It’s beautiful and serene, and this rock is strangely comfortable,” Selene said. She sighed and rested her elbows on her knees. Now that she was up she was starting to feel sleepy, but she pushed the sensation away. She needed to stay alert.

  Tornado sat on his log. For once he didn’t have his bow and arrows with him, and he looked almost strange without them. He looked around the clearing in the darkness as if trying to commit it to his memory, even though he had spent enough time in it to be able to navigate around it blindfolded. He grinned slightly at the willow tree across from where they were sitting, since it was essentially the reason they had met.

  “Do you really think this is a good idea?” Selene asked suddenly. She suppressed a yawn.

  “Not at all, but I’m ready for it anyway. It beats sitting around doing nothing at the very least. We could end up making history today. It’s a little exciting.” Tornado was still terrified, but he had resigned himself to whatever fate had in store for him. “Are you having second thoughts? You can always just go home and pretend you didn’t know about any of this. No one will really blame you for doing so. In fact, they’ll be surprised if you don’t, since they have little faith in normal people.”

  Selene smiled. “I would never do that. I plan on supporting you all to the end, no matter what the consequences. I’m hoping that somehow my support will have an influence on the other villagers. I want to help them see you all the way I do. Honestly, it feels great to finally be doing something after all this time.”

  “I know what you mean,” Tornado said, nodding. He stretched his legs out in front of him.

  “How’s Jenson? I haven’t seen him in a couple of days. Is he still coming with us?” Selene asked.

  “Yeah, he’s coming. He’s been a little antsy lately, and he tends to sulk around a lot, though I’m pretty that’s just when he misses you.” He was getting on Tornado’s nerves, actually, though he didn’t say so to Selene. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Jenson, because he did. He was just still jealous. He wished he could be normal and have a girlfriend as well, and he was actually secretly hoping that he’d fall in love during the rebellion, even though he knew the chances of that happening were slim.

  “It’ll be hard telling people who he really is. My family will be shocked, and Dahlia will probably be hurt because I didn’t tell her. I hope I don’t get in trouble. I’m hoping people will be too distracted by the beasts to care about my wrongdoings,” Selene said. She smiled to lighten what she said, even though she meant it seriously.

  “Well, it’s for the best. There will be too many questions if you don’t tell them, plus you wouldn’t get to be together.”

  “I know. I just really hope everything turns out well for all of us, even me. I suppose I’m allowed to have selfish wishes every once in a while.”

  Tornado laughed. “You should be selfish more often. Sometimes I feel like all you ever do is give. You deserve to get something in return.”

  Selene smiled. “It is nice sometimes, but I like helping other people. I feel like my life would be wasted if I didn’t. I can’t only live for myself, or my existence would be pointless.”

  “You know, I bet you’ll be a really good mother someday if you and Jenson get married and have kids. I don’t actually know any mothers, or even fathers, but from what I’ve read it’s good to be willing to give up your time and energy.”

  Selene frowned as she thought about having kids. She wanted to, but she didn’t like to think of things that she wanted at such an uncertain time. If she really wanted it and couldn’t get it, she would only be more upset about it. She pushed the thought from her mind.

  Tornado saw the conflicted expression on her face and changed the subject. “Do you think your friend Amber will come to the rebellion?”

  Selene scowled. “I hope not. I’m not even sure that we are friends anymore. She’s shallow and selfish, so there’s pretty much no way she’ll support us. Plus, she seems to become more and more like her aunt every day, and Mayor Thornwood hates the beasts.”

  “This is going to be difficult,” Tornado commented, and then they both fell silent.

  They sat there for a few minutes longer, and then Tornado suggested that they start walking toward the main camp. People would be starting to get up by the time they arrived.

  They mostly walked in silence. Selene followed behind Tornado, since she couldn’t see well enough to tell where they were going, even in the light of the lantern. The forest was quiet, so the only sounds were their footsteps and the occasional hoot of an owl or chirp of a cricket. The quiet gave Selene far more time to think than she wanted, and the fluttery feeling she had the night before returned.

  There was a crowd in the center of the camp when they reached it, and many people had lanterns so it was far easier to see. Selene was surprised by the number of beasts there, and there were still more coming from all corners of the forest. The noise of the crowd increased when they noticed Selene.

  “Glad you did decide to come, girl,” Brisham growled, stepping
away from the group and towards Selene and Tornado. He stuck out a hand that was surprisingly normal aside from its skin, which was as scaly and brown as the rest of his body.

  “I hope you didn’t doubt that I would,” Selene responded, shaking his hand.

  “How much longer until everyone will be ready?” Tornado asked.

  “Another half hour should be plenty of time,” Brisham told him. “There are still lots more to come, but they shouldn’t be long.”

  “Hey Selene!” someone called, and she looked over to see Andy waving and jumping up and down in his excitement, looking as much like a bright yellow sun as ever. He was one of the shortest in the crowd, and he looked like one of the youngest as well. He was standing with his brothers, who looked much more serious. Selene waved back.

  By the time the half hour passed, the crowd had grown to almost a thousand beasts. Selene marvelled at the variety of shapes and colors. One even had six legs that he crawled around on, making him look like a giant insect, and another had big feathery wings in a bright shade of purple. Selene wondered if he could actually fly.

  It seemed like no one else was going to join them, so they started their march. Tornado and Selene led the way through the forest, which was illuminated brightly by all of the lanterns. There were a few beasts whispering to each other, but the group was, for the most part, quiet. The tension was almost palpable as many silently considered what their fate might be. It was a time to be serious.

  Before they reached the edge of the forest, Andy jogged up and joined Selene. He slid his hand into hers, and held on tight with his chubby little fingers. She looked down at him and smiled, and he grinned in return.

  “What’s it like outside the forest?” he asked, his voice barely over a whisper.

  “You’ll find out in a minute,” Selene answered.

  “I’ll see it in a minute, you mean. That doesn’t tell me what life is like. Is it different than in the forest?”

  “Not really,” Selene admitted. “The differences are subtle. I suppose the basic structure of life is very similar. The people look different, and most are female. Plus we have to earn money, which I know doesn’t happen in the forest. You all just help each other out, don’t you? That would be nice. Money always tends to be an issue.”

  “Yeah, we don’t use money, though I’ve heard about it. We trade stuff, too.”

  “You know, now that I think about it, it wouldn’t surprise me if life was better in the forest,” Selene said. “It would be almost peaceful.”

  Andy shook his head. “It’s not better when you don’t have a choice. Plus, we have to be raised by people we aren’t related to because we don’t get to live with our families. I think that’s what I’d like most about living outside the forest. I’d get to be with the rest of my family. I’m glad I got to meet you at least. I like having a sister.”

  “Well, I’m more than happy to have four amazing brothers,” Selene said, smiling. She really meant it.

  It was at that moment that they reached the edge of the woods. Even Tornado hesitated before stepping out into the meadow for the first time in his life, but when he did a huge grin spread across his wide mouth. Andy grinned too, and squinted at the valley below. It was still quite dark outside, so they couldn’t see much.

  “You know, I think it’s a little more windy out here,” Tornado commented. He had stopped in the meadow as the rest of the beasts poured out of the forest. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, savouring the different scents in the air.

  “We should really keep moving before someone notices us here,” Selene said. She was still holding Andy’s hand as he looked around in all directions, trying to take in as much as he could.

  Tornado nodded, though reluctantly. He was as eager to look around as Andy was, but he knew Selene was right. They didn’t really want to be noticed until they were in the village square in front of the hall, so they were going to have to move as quietly as they could. They extinguished their lanterns.

  As they began walking down the hill there was no sound except that of their feet against the earth. Since they were now in a territory that Tornado was unfamiliar with, it was Selene who led them. There were still very few lights on in the village, and as they passed through no one came to investigate. The walk to the square took around thirty minutes, and it passed uneventfully.

  The thousand or so beasts took up the entire square. It was surrounded on three sides by the village hall, the courthouse, and the watcher headquarters, and the ground was covered with flat stones. There was also a well in the center of the square surrounded by a small, round platform that was only about a foot high and five feet in diameter. The porch in front of the hall was the highest raised area around, so that was where Selene went. She was glad the buildings were empty at that hour of the day as she went up the three steps. Tornado followed her, since he was kind of leading the rebellion.

  Once Selene was standing there on the porch, she looked out at the sea of strange faces before her. Many of them looked as apprehensive as she felt, and maybe even more so. She spotted Jenson, who had been near the rear of the group as they had walked, though he was now making his way toward the front. He looked strange to her when surrounded by so many beasts.

  Selene wasn’t really sure what to do, since they had to wait until people started getting before anything would really happen. She thought that maybe she should say a few words, but she wasn’t sure what to say.

  Tornado stepped forward instead. He held his hands up for silence, even though there had only been a couple of beasts whispering. They stopped immediately, and everyone looked at him expectantly, which made him nervous. He wasn’t really used to being a leader.

  “Hi everyone,” he started. “I’d like to thank you all for coming here and supporting our rights. We wouldn’t have been able to make a difference if only a few came, so it’s great to see so many faces. I hope that we can make a difference, and change things for the better. We’ve been stuck in the forest for too long, with no choice in how we live. At least we’re finally doing something about it.

  “Things could get dangerous once the people start realizing we’re here. I recommend that everyone stays together, since we’ll be stronger that way. I hope we all make it through this.”

  There was a polite smattering of applause, but most didn’t respond. They were frightened, and reasonably so, Selene thought. Anything could happen.

  Selene and Tornado sat down on the steps of the village hall. Jenson joined them while everyone else just stood about; some quietly talking while others remained silent, anxiously looking around for signs of people.

  “I hope we can all handle this,” Jenson said quietly as he sat next to Selene. “I don’t necessarily doubt anyone’s courage, but none of us have much experience with conflict. We’ve all just sat back and done what we were told until now.”

  “That just means we were saving up our energy,” Tornado said from Selene’s other side.

  Jenson shrugged. “I hope you’re right,” he said.

  Selene grabbed his hand, and he squeezed it tightly. His touch was comforting to her, and helped sooth her agitated nerves. She still couldn’t think of anything to say, so she sat there in silence.

  The sky gradually started to lighten. By the time the sun was finally visible over the mountains, Selene was starting to get excited. She was growing tired of waiting, and she desperately wanted to know what the outcome of this day would be. She kept a close eye out for signs of people. She could see some farmers in the distance getting up and heading out to the fields, but none of them seemed to notice the large crowd in the square. Perhaps it was still too dark outside. It was becoming quite cloudy, which didn’t help.

  Finally, the sounds of a carriage rolling down the bumpy dirt road caught Selene’s attention. She looked up and saw it approach, and she knew immediately that it belonged to the mayor. Her feeling of ex
citement left her suddenly, and she was left feeling nothing but dread. Jenson chided her softly for squeezing his hand too hard, so she let go and stood up. Jenson and Tornado stood as well, and watched as the carriage grew ever closer.

  The mayor wasn’t the only one on her way to the square by then. A few other people had seen the dense and strangely colourful crowd and were coming to investigate. Most were more curious than anything else, though when one older woman finally saw who was in the square, she choked back a scream and fainted. Thankfully, most weren’t quite so fearful.

  The carriage pulled up at the end of the square, where the crowd stopped. Mayor Thornwood stepped out of her carriage, and she was flanked by two watchers, who were dressed all in black. The mayor looked furious, but she showed no sign of fear. She walked purposefully through the group of beasts, who parted so she could pass. Her furious look turned to one of open disgust.

  Other villagers were starting to reach the group, and their reactions varied. Some were shocked, some disgusted, and some interested. They stood around the edges of the crowd and watched what was happening.

  The mayor finally reached the hall. She stomped up the stairs past Selene, Tornado, and Jenson without even looking at them, and the watchers followed closely behind. Their presence would have been more menacing if they weren’t so old and thin. They weren’t used to there actually being any trouble.

  Mayor Thornwood stopped on the patio and turned. She glared at the beasts with her beady dark eyes, which looked even smaller when narrowed in hate.

  She didn’t acknowledge the crowd. She turned instead to the pair of watchers. “Arrest them all,” she commanded, and then she promptly turned and entered the hall, slamming the door behind her.