Beasts and Maidens

by M.E. Timmons

  Chapter 14

  The witch was holding a black bow that had been enchanted to find its mark. When she saw that her arrow had reached its target she smirked and lowered the weapon. She almost started to laugh with glee as a panic ensued in the crowd around her, and the beasts started moving to the forest. She held back her laughter and instead let it dance around in her bright purple eyes, which she knew would scare the people more.

  Selene didn’t see any of that. She had grabbed Tornado and eased his fall to the porch beneath his feet, all the while staring in shock at the arrow and the dark red liquid that had begun to pool around the hole it made in his chest. She felt like her own heart had stopped, and everything else in the world faded away in the background as she held her best friend, tears silently rolling down her pale cheeks before she could stop them.

  Tornado moaned, and he looked at Selene. He showed no sign of fear; only a strong sense of purpose. “Don’t give up,” he said quietly. “Don’t let this all be for nothing.” He shuddered and gasped for air, holding Selene’s hand tightly in his.

  “I won’t,” she promised him.

  Tornado drew in one last breath, and then his hand went limp and his head rolled back. Selene’s emotions at that moment were so powerful even she didn’t know what to make of them. She pushed them away and felt a calm numbness take over instead. She reached up and closed her best friend’s eyes so that he may sleep forever in peace. She couldn’t let him go.

  Gradually she became aware of hands on her shoulders and voices speaking to her. The background noises and faces slowly came into focus. Jenson was kneeling behind her, and it was his hands on her shoulders. His own tears were falling on her, but he wasn’t the one speaking. Selene realized that her family was there, and then she looked up sharply at the square. All of the beasts were gone, and she could see them in the distance climbing the hill to the forest, where it was likely they would be returning forever.

  Velkan was speaking. Selene looked up at him. “It’s Wicesla, Selene,” he was saying. “She has returned.”

  Selene looked at Wicesla, who was still by the well, with pure hatred. Then she tried to reign in her anger since she knew it was an ugly thing to feel. If she acted in anger and hatred she would be no better than the evil witch. Tornado would not want her to turn her back on who she was, even for him. She kissed his forehead and let go of his hand, and then she stood. She was vaguely aware that she was covered in his blood. She reached blindly for Jenson’s hand, and found it.

  Before she could speak she became aware that the mayor and the watchers were standing right next to her, and the watcher had gotten his cuffs back and he moved to put them on Selene. She was too numb to really care at that point. The watcher didn’t get to put the cuffs on her, however.

  “No, let the girl stay,” Wicesla said, moving up toward the porch. She grinned for some mysterious reason, and her eyes sparkled. “Surely the beast’s death is punishment enough for her. She’s too weak to do anything anyway. The magic in her family isn’t strong enough to compare to mine, which has been growing for hundreds of years. Even her ancestor, the strongest in her bloodline, wasn’t a match for me.”

  Mayor Thornwood didn’t like taking advice from anyone, since she preferred to be the one in charge. Still, she had to recognize and respect Wicesla’s power. “Very well,” she said. “She may be free for now, but if she tries anything she will be punished immediately.”

  Wicesla couldn’t hold back her cruel laughter that time. “If she does, I will deal with her personally,” she promised. Then she disappeared in another puff of black smoke.

  Jenson knew that Selene hadn’t been paying attention, so he filled her in. “Wicesla said that she was going to put a spell around the entire forest so the beasts wouldn’t be able to get out and no one else would be able to get in except during the week of the ceremony. She’s making it a true prison.” His voice was sad as he told her.

  Selene didn’t think it was possible for her to feel worse, but now she did. She had made a promise to Tornado, and now it would be almost impossible for her to keep it. She fell to her knees at the edge of the porch and threw up over the side.

  She heard the mayor’s bark of laughter. “Get rid of that body and make sure everyone gets back to work,” she said to the watchers.

  One of them moved to the crowd to get them to move, and the other stepped over Tornado’s body and leaned down to grab him.

  “No!” Selene cried. She lunged from where she was to try to keep him away from Tornado, but Jenson held her back.

  “He’s gone, Selene. You have to let him go,” he said.

  She tried to push him away, but he held on tight. She could only stare in horror as Tornado’s body was carried away. She knew it would be the last time she would ever see his furry, tan form. The pain in her chest was so strong she felt like it would split her in two, and all she wanted was to be able to escape from it. A wave of blackness began to pass over consciousness, and left her blissfully unaware.

  Jenson’s heart felt like it was breaking from seeing Selene in so much pain. He was almost relieved when she finally fainted. He picked her up, and was surprised by how light she felt in his arms. He turned to her parents.

  “We should really take her home,” he said.

  “Who are you?” Velkan asked curiously.

  Jenson had to tell them the truth. “I’m Jenson Redwing. I fell in love with your daughter in the forest.”

  Frieda looked far more shocked than Velkan did. “What on earth was she doing in there?” she asked.

  “She was trying to help the beasts,” Jenson told her. “Tornado was her best friend.” He nodded to the pool of blood on the porch not far from where they were standing.

  Frieda sighed. “She’s going to be heartbroken for a long time,” she said sadly. “I lost a friend when I was her age, though she wasn’t murdered. It was the flu that got her.”

  “Do you have anywhere to stay?” Velkan asked, after placing a comforting arm around his wife.

  “I’ve been staying in the forest, but if Wicesla casts that spell I won’t be able to go back. I hadn’t really thought about that before.”

  “You must stay with us, then,” Frieda said. “We don’t have much space left, but surely it will be better than being on the streets. Besides, if you changed for Selene, that makes you family. She’ll need you now more than ever.”

  Jenson didn’t want to be a burden on the family, but he didn’t know what else to do, and he did want to be close to Selene, so he nodded. “That would be greatly appreciated,” he said. “We should best be going there now before there’s any more trouble.”

  Jenson carried Selene all the way home, and she didn’t stir. Her parents walked ahead of him, and her sister and Henry walked behind. He could hear them talking about everything that had happened, but he didn’t join in. He didn’t even want to think about it. Tornado had been his friend as well, and he felt the loss greatly.

  He looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms. Her head was resting on his shoulder, and he could see the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Her eyes were closed and her lips parted slightly, and to Jenson she looked like a sleeping angel. He knew the peace she had then wouldn’t last long. When she woke up the crushing weight of reality would threaten to tear her world apart.

  Jenson was surprised by how small their house was. He had seen the houses in the village, and he had though that a witch would be able to make more money, but he supposed that would be difficult when even her customers had no money. There certainly wouldn’t be much room for him in the little two-story house that had only two bedrooms. He would have to sleep in the living room with Selene. There was a comfy-looking worn out chair in one corner that he thought would work for him. It would be better than his bed in the forest anyway.

  Under Frieda’s instruction he lay Selene down on the couch. She mad
e a small noise and her eyes moved slightly beneath her eyelids, but she didn’t wake up. He threw a blanket over her and sat on the edge of the couch so he could keep a close eye on her.

  “We have to go out to do some work,” Frieda said to Jenson. “I’ll be back when I finish my spells, and then I have potions to make. Dahlia will still be here, so if you need help with anything just let her know. Take good care of my daughter while we’re gone.”

  Jenson promised that he would, and Frieda, Velkan, and Henry all left. Dahlia had gone upstairs when they had arrived, but once her family left she came back downstairs and sat across from the couch in the chair in the corner.

  “How long have you known Selene?” Dahlia asked quietly, not wanting to disturb her sister.

  Jenson took Selene’s hand in his and just held it. “Not long,” he said. “We met the day after the ceremony ended.”

  “You were there, weren’t you? At the ceremony, I mean.”

  Jenson nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been going for only a couple of years, but I was already starting to lose hope of ever finding anyone who could love me the way I was. Then your sister came out of nowhere and completely changed my life. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect person. Not only is she beautiful, but she cares about people, no matter what they look like. It takes someone with a strong heart to see past the ugliness of the beasts.”

  Dahlia smiled. “Yes, she has a very big heart.” She paused, and her smile turned into a frown. “I hope it isn’t broken by what happened to her friend. That was a horrible thing to see. I can’t believe Wicesla returned. She’s the most famous evil witch in history. I’d heard she was still alive, but I never really believed it until today.”

  Jenson nodded thoughtfully. “I wonder why she returned, and how she knew about what was happening here. Was she waiting for something to happen?”

  “She must have been. Maybe she knows a seer,” Dahlia suggested. “There’s also the possibility that she has spells that tell her what’s happening. She had a staff, so she must be very powerful. I don’t know much about dark magic, though. To be honest, I know little about magic in general. Selene has always been the young witch in the family. I was never very good at controlling what little power I had.”

  They sat in silence for a moment, both thinking. Jenson watched Selene, but she still didn’t show any signs of regaining consciousness, which worried him. He thought of trying to wake her, but decided to let her rest for a little while longer to give her a chance to wake up on her own.

  “You know, now that I’m beginning to see things differently, I really do wish the beasts lived here with us instead of being in the forest,” Dahlia said suddenly, breaking the silence. “I never would have said that before, but both Henry and Selene have managed to convince me. Besides, I would like to know my brothers. I met two of them during the ceremony, but I barely got to speak to either of them.”

  “I like your brothers,” Jenson said. “I know Max well, and he’s a very responsible and caring kind of guy. I really like Andy, too. He always knows how to cheer people up. I think you’d like all of them.”

  “I hope they aren’t really stuck in the forest forever,” Dahlia said sadly. “I think I’m going to go to the forest now, actually. I want to know for sure if Wicesla cast the spell.” She stood up, and then she went over to the couch and kissed her sister on the cheek before heading out.

  Jenson watched Selene again. Her eyelashes fluttered as if she was having a dream, but she still showed no signs of waking up. He was about to go out and get some water to use to wake her up, but then she stirred. He stayed by her side as she opened her eyes. He could see her pain in their grey depths as she looked up at him.