“Apoch and Astreal,” Specca answered while keeping a close eye on the witches.
Upon approaching the bed they merely observed Daniel and the girls without saying a word, with all eyes on them while Pip trembled with fright at seeing the two witches. Apoch and Astreal took notice of the frightened fairy and Cilia, watching the tiny monsters in silence with no apparent surprise or shock to seeing them. Apoch then turned her eyes up to Kroanette, the centaur keeping on guard as she slowly held an arm around her chest to shield Pip from her.
“For you,” Apoch announced as she presented the bag to her.
Kroanette hesitated then carefully took the satchel, making sure to keep one arm around her chest while she opened the bag and looked inside. She jumped with a gasp then quickly took out two familiar golden spiral bracelets.
“My refraction bracelets!” she exclaimed. “How… how did you get them?”
“A gift,” Apoch formally replied. “There is more inside as well.”
Kroanette reached into the bag then pulled out a brand new coiled whip, the lash being made of taught weaves and wrapped neatly in the centaur’s hand.
“A new whip and my enchanted bracelets? How did you…”
Astreal lightly shook the black bag she was holding with a questioning glance at it then held it out towards Alyssa.
“Ms. Alyssa,” she spoke in a commanding tone. “This is for you. Please take it.”
Alyssa slowly moved closer and took the bag, watching the witch sister carefully for a moment longer before opening it and looking inside. She blinked then began to shake as tears welled up in her eyes, the group watching as she slowly reached in and pulled out a golden necklace with a softly glowing purple gemstone set in a silver frame.
“It… can’t be…” Alyssa breathed out.
“Wow, that’s pretty,” Cilia said in wonder.
“Alyssa? What is that?” Triska asked.
Alyssa clutched the necklace close to her chest and sobbed before looking at Astreal with teary eyes.
“Is this… really…”
“Yes,” Astreal softly replied. “Your mother’s focuser.”
Everyone looked to Alyssa in surprise as she held a hand over her mouth to keep her gasp from coming out. The witch held her mother’s relic close to her chest and cried while Daniel and his mates watched her with empathy.
“That was your mother’s?” Specca gently asked.
Alyssa broke down sobbing and lowered her head, holding the trinket close to her heart as she felt like she had found the most priceless treasure in all of Eden.
“Where did you get it?” she whimpered. “I haven’t seen this in so long, I thought it was lost forever. Where did you find it?”
“Ms. Charlotte held onto it,” Apoch explained. “That and many other treasures she deemed important to her, all kept locked away down below her estate in a private vault. After your mother’s demise it was kept there as Ms. Charlotte was very fond of her.”
“A gift to you, Ms. Alyssa,” Astreal announced solemnly.
“Thank you!” Alyssa wept, her teary eyes going from one witch sister to the other as she held the relic close as if for dear life. “Thank you for giving this to me. Thank you so much.”
Daniel and the other girls watched as Kroanette slipped on her lost bracelets and Alyssa crying tears of joy from holding her dear mother’s focuser.
“This is all so touching,” Doku mentioned wiping away a tear. “Though I still don’t understand what is going on here.”
“I’m so confused and sad,” Cilia whined with a frown. “What’s happening?”
Apoch and Astreal stepped back and looked to Daniel while standing at attention, their eyes quickly glancing to the two fairies in the group before returning to him.
“We can help you,” they said in perfect sync. “With your quest, if you aid us in ours.”
“Wow,” Cilia spoke with wonder. “How did they talk together like that? That was so weird.”
“Did Twilight send you two?” Daniel asked.
“Of course,” Apoch answered with a nod. “She was also the one who requested such gifts be given to your two mates.”
“Aren’t you two Charlotte’s helpers?” Triska carefully inquired. “How is it you know and work for Twilight?”
“That is none of your concern,” Astreal stated with a shake of her head.
“Yes it is,” Triska countered as she moved forward and stepped off the bed in front of the group. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re thankful you saved Kroanette from drowning, and appreciate the ‘gifts’ you gave us, but we still have a lot of questions about not only Twilight but also you two now.”
“Do you want our help or not?” Astreal hissed.
“If you think we chose to come here on our own accord you are mistaken,” Apoch softly retorted.
“What we want is answers,” Triska ordered, crossing her arms and watching the two witches with a sharp eye.
“Do you want our help or not?” the twins demanded with a sharp strike of their staves on the floor. The sound echoed loudly in the room, silencing everyone before the sisters slowly stepped closer. Triska moved back then dropped onto the bed, watching as the witches approached and glared at her with discontent.
“Let’s make something clear here,” Astreal spoke before pointing to Daniel. “Our master is interested in your potential. She believes you can save her where others have failed, that you are special in her eyes.”
“We’re not sold on that theory,” Apoch mentioned with an accusing stare at him. “Frankly we’re not sure how you even won over Ms. Charlotte with your wild ideas, but it seems you have a way of convincing others of the inconceivable.”
“However,” Astreal reluctantly continued. “She believes you are the key to her salvation, and wishes to aid you in your quest as a show of goodwill so that you may help her be free again.”
“So what you brought were bribes,” Triska summed up.
“What we brought were gifts, you ungrateful human,” Apoch softly condemned. “We cannot force you to aid our imprisoned master. However she wanted you to have those trinkets, with or without your agreement to help her.”
“It was very difficult to find those bracelets,” Astreal added with a glance at Kroanette, then looked to Alyssa with a stern glare. “And we had to sneak into Ms. Charlotte’s private keep to bring you that focuser; we had to steal it from her. You should be damn grateful we did that for you!”
“I am,” Alyssa squeaked as she cowered before the sisters. “I do thank you, I really do.”
“And I am grateful as well,” Kroanette promised. “Both for saving my life and also returning to me my mother’s gifts that I feared were lost forever. I do thank you for all you’ve done.”
“Do you know why we’re cautious about asking for help for our master?” Astreal sharply asked Triska, only getting her to shake her head in silence as a response. “Because we don’t know who we can truly trust to help her.”
“Those that unlock her seal may wish to harm her,” Apoch explained. “In her prison lies knowledge and power long forgotten to this world. If a truly horrible being should get its hands on any of it, it could be disastrous.”
Daniel and the girls looked to each other curiously then to the twins as they showed him worried faces.
“There are those in this world who seek to unlock her seal,” Astreal reminded him. “And not to free her, but to steal all her power, all that she has. You know some of these hunters, don’t you?”
“You mean Daemon and Katie?” Daniel asked.
“Yes,” Apoch agreed with a nod. “They seek our master’s prison, not to free her but to take all the power she has locked away with her for their own. They wish to kill her and bring about a truly evil reign in Eden.”
“Mr. Daniel,” Astreal softly spoke while watching him carefully. “Our master believes that you would not harm her, that you would truly help her be free. She trusts you. Although we reserve our suspicion
s about you and your friends, her word is absolute. So, please, will you be the knight she needs to be rescued?”
“If you show us that you are the knight she wants you to be, we shall aid you in return,” Apoch promised. “We cannot speak on Ms. Charlotte’s behalf for you to the witch community, but we can persuade her to believe in your cause. We can speak in your defense.”
“And we can also speak to her about forgiving Ms. Alyssa for her past sins,” Astreal offered with a questioning glance to Alyssa. “We can help persuade her to forgive you, Ms. Alyssa. She trusts us and our words. We are her closest advisors after all; we can help you be absolved of your past doings.”
“You could?” Alyssa nervously asked. “You would do that for me?”
“We will help you, if you help us,” the twins replied before turning to Daniel for his answer. “So, will you answer her prayer, and help her be free again?”
“Twilight needs me to rescue her?” Daniel repeated while pointing to himself worriedly.
“She trusts you, Mr. Daniel,” Apoch reasoned with a nod.
“She sees the potential in you to be the one to save her,” Astreal commended with a gentle wave to him. “If she didn’t, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“But why Daniel?” Specca asked with confusion. “Why does she need anyone else to free her? Can’t you two help her?”
“We’re trying,” Apoch replied with remorse. “It’s difficult to locate and secure all the pieces of her key. However…”
“We lack the power to use it,” Astreal admitted with a frown. “Even if we had all eight pieces right now, we couldn’t unlock our master’s seal. We need someone strong of heart and spirit, someone capable of great power in their own right to actually use the key.”
“And you think Daniel is the one to do that?” Triska wondered.
“We don’t,” Apoch said shaking her head. “However our master does.”
“She can only watch the events of the world unfold from her prison,” Astreal explained. “She can only search for a suitable knight to free her, and we extend her wishes to those she deems worthy.”
“Aren’t you assistants to Charlotte?” Kroanette asked. “Isn’t she your alpha? Does she know about Twilight?”
“No, she does not,” Apoch sternly told her. “And if you would all be so kind, please do not speak a word of any of this to her.”
“We do not want her to get involved in any of this,” Astreal reasoned. “She is our alpha, we care for her and all the witches in Rystone, and as such we want what is best for them. This isn’t Ms. Charlotte’s concern, nor is it something she has time to deal with.”
“But Twilight is your master,” Specca carefully pointed out. “How can you serve two masters? Whose side are you truly on, Charlotte’s or Twilight’s?”
Apoch and Astreal closed their eyes and fell silent, refusing to answer that question as everyone waited for them to respond. With a steady breath the two then looked down and away in the same direction from the group.
“Do you want our help, or not?” Apoch asked again.
“Will help our master, or not?” Astreal questioned.
The two witches looked back to Daniel with questioning glances as the group watched them curiously from the bed. Everyone then turned to Daniel as he looked down to the artifact on the bed, his hand slowly reaching out and grabbing hold of the weightless object as he considered their options.
“How could we help though?” he said, turning his eyes back to the sisters with a small shrug. “We don’t know where the other pieces of this key are. What is it you want us to do?”
“Keep your eyes and ears open for them,” Apoch instructed. “Should you come across one of them on your way, please do secure it for us.”
“We’re not asking you to abandon your quest, Mr. Daniel,” Astreal explained. “Only that you will add rescuing our master to your list. If you find these pieces, collect them for us. If we get them all, please release our master from her prison. Don’t let anyone else get their hands on her or her power.”
“What is she exactly?” Triska asked. “I assume she’s not human, is she a witch like you?”
“She’s our master,” Apoch cryptically replied. “What difference does it make what she is on the outside?”
“She’s not human,” Astreal confirmed. “Though you likely already knew that. However what she can be is a powerful ally to have for your cause.”
“An ally?” Kroanette wondered.
“She wants order to be restored to Eden,” Apoch replied with a slight smile. “I believe Mr. Daniel is seeking a future along those lines, isn’t that correct?”
“Well, yes,” Daniel admitted with a weak smile. “That is what we’re out here to accomplish.”
“You and our master see eye to eye,” Astreal complimented. “There is much disorder in the world, and she wishes for all of that to end. Please, Mr. Daniel, help free our master, and she will help make your dream come true.”
Daniel looked to the artifact in his hands as all eyes turned to him. He slowly tilted it around and eyed the strange relic, wondering if Twilight really was like him in his search for peace in the world. After thinking hard about it he turned to the sisters as they waited for his final answer with curious expressions.
“Before I make my decision with your request, could you please answer one thing for me?”
“What is it?” the twins asked, cocking their heads to the side in unison.
“Our fairy friend Pip seems to know you two girls,” Daniel said, gesturing over to Pip who was keeping low in Kroanette’s cleavage for protection. “She’s told us of some very unsettling things, things about you two that don’t quite add up.”
“Really?” Apoch wondered as the twins glanced to the fairy questionably.
“I don’t see how that’s possible,” Astreal argued shaking her head. “We don’t know her at all.”
“She knows you two,” Triska pointed out while eyeing the sisters carefully. “She’s scared of you, saying you’re going to take her away. That and you don’t stay dead when you’re killed, which I do not understand at all but don’t like too much when I hear it. Care to explain what she’s talking about?”
“We’re not going to take her away,” Apoch promised with a smirk. “Why would we do such a thing?”
“And I don’t believe we’re quite immortal,” Astreal mentioned with a roll of her eyes. “If this is some sort of joke we’re not following.”
“Pip?” Daniel asked as the fairy slowly crawled up between the centaur’s breasts. “Are you sure you know them?”
“Yes, I do,” Pip answered nodding a few times.
“Where have you seen them before?” Specca asked while keeping a close eye on the sisters.
“I don’t remember.”
“What did they do to you?” Luna worriedly asked.
“I don’t remember.”
Squeak pointed to the twins and squeaked something while shaking her head.
“…what?”
“Are you sure it was them that caused you trouble before?” Kroanette wondered with a shrug.
“I… I don’t remember. I thought so. But now I’m not sure. I’m getting confused now.”
“I’ve got a question for you two,” Falla demanded while pointing to the sisters. “How come you aren’t surprised to see fairies like this?”
“What do you mean?” they asked together with similar shrugs.
“Fairies are supposedly super-rare monsters in the world; many don’t believe they even exist still. We were sure shocked to find them, but you don’t seem to be at all. You’re not the least bit surprised or curious about seeing two of them with us?”
“Not really,” the twins replied before nonchalantly brushing their noses in unison then turning to Daniel with the same raised eyebrows in question. “So, will you help our master or not, Mr. Daniel?”
“How are they talking at the same time like that?” Cilia wondered. “That’s s
o strange to see them do that.”
Daniel and the girls exchanged questioning glances then looked at the witch sisters curiously as the twins showed absolutely no interest in either fairy before them.
“Where is your master being held anyway?” Doku asked raising a wing.
“The City of Eden,” the twins formally replied.
“And where is that?”
“In the Solhouasta region,” Apoch informed them.
“Solhouasta?” Specca exclaimed. “That’s halfway around the world from here.”
“Yes, Solhouasta,” Astreal agreed before pointing down. “And the City of Eden is located two miles under the arid wastes of the Rekvendar Desert.”
“It’s underground?” Triska asked looking down.
“Two miles underground?” Specca repeated with disbelief before looking to Squeak. “Ant girl nests don’t even go that deep. What kind of city is built that far underground?”
Squeak looked down in wonder then to the twins as she squeaked something as she seemed to question the same thing.
Daniel eyed the relic in his hand curiously then glanced to Pip, the fairy still watching the twins from the safety and comfort of Kroanette’s bosom.
“Pip? What do you think we should do?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I trust your judgment just as I do with all my mates. If you think we shouldn’t trust them then we won’t.”
Pip slowly fluttered out of the centaur’s chest and hovered in front of the witch sisters, eyeing them over carefully while they merely watched her with bored expressions. The fairy flew around each girl quickly then raced back over to Daniel to sit on his shoulder.
“I remember them. I remember them chasing me and trying to take me away somewhere. I remember killing them, and then they came back and chased me some more. So I killed them again, and then they came back again and chased me some more.”
“Made sense at first,” Falla mentioned with a raised eyebrow.
“Pip, are you sure it was them?” Kroanette asked curiously. “It sounds like you saw witches chasing you, but they probably weren’t the same ones. I mean you couldn’t have killed these two and have them come back to chase you again, right?”
Chronicles of Eden - Act VII Page 45
