“C’mon, Daniel, let’s go,” she said happily. Daniel nodded then headed towards the carriage with a curious smile. Triska growled then picked up her duffel bag, then followed after her friend.
*****
The sun continued to shine down on the travelers as they started again towards their destination of Ashwood. Running along the dirt road Lucky was moving at a brisk pace while pulling the carriage, with Alyssa at the reins and Daniel sitting next to her. The witch was humming a happy tune while he was looking through his book of monsters. Inside the carriage Triska was sitting against her duffel bag and looking at the witch with narrowed eyes.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a horse like that in my books. And I thought all monsters were female too,” Daniel said scratching his head. Alyssa giggled and smiled at him.
“Lucky wasn’t born a monster. He was a normal horse my mom enchanted to be our protector. He scared off all those wolves that lived around our house,” she said happily. Daniel nodded then looked ahead at the horse that, if provoked, would show itself to be a terrifying monster in its own right. However it was all for show as the horse itself was rather timid and scared easily just like a normal horse. Daniel smiled at the new travel companion then looked to Alyssa curiously.
“Say, Alyssa, I’ve been wondering. Why did you need me to go with you to your home? You managed to bring the carriage out all on your own with your magic. You didn’t need me for anything,” he pointed out. Triska looked at him with a raised eyebrow then to Alyssa with a dull glare. The witch nodded and glanced back to Triska.
“I just didn’t want you all alone with her is all,” she said simply.
“What?” Triska barked out. Alyssa laughed a bit then looked to Daniel with dreamy eyes.
“Besides, I wanted just some quality time with you, you know, so we could get to know each other more,” she said gently.
“What? Are you kidding me? You had me chase after your demon horse just so you could have Daniel all alone with you?” Triska yelled out. Alyssa laughed then looked back to her.
“That surprises you? Really? I thought you would have expected that,” she said playfully. Triska growled then grabbed her handle to her sword. Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word Alyssa held her staff back at the girl and caused the sword, along with the furious teen, to fly out the back of the carriage and crash into the ground. Alyssa watched Triska roll to a stop with a smug grin while Daniel sighed tiredly.
“Alyssa…” he said weakly. Alyssa nodded and snapped the reins to get Lucky to stop, then looked to Daniel with a warm smile. He looked at her then back towards where his friend had gotten up and was now dashing towards the carriage with fire in her eyes and her sword drawn out.
“Please try to get along with her, Alyssa, she’s my friend,” he said tiredly.
“Whatever you wish, Daniel,” Alyssa said softly. Daniel looked to her as she smiled bashfully, batting her eyelashes as she leaned closer to him.
“Whatever it takes for you to consider me.”
Chapter 5
Clash of the Guardians
In the world of Eden, women were faced with the danger of their men being taken away by the monsters that roamed the lands. These dark beings used trickery, allure, force, and other methods to capture and take the human males away to mate with. That being the case, the women of the world have been known to take up the roles of fighters in effort to stave off these threats to humanity. Swords, arrows, spears, and even magic if it could be controlled properly were used by the women of the world when defending their men. When it came to dealing with a monster that had its sights set on the ones they loved, there was one mentality for the women that took up the blade.
Over my dead body.
*****
High up in the night sky stars were faintly seen as a few clouds gently rolled by. Moving along on a dirt road through the rolling plains a white top carriage was being pulled by a single white horse, the wooden ride moving along at a calm pace. At the reins Triska was looking ahead with a dull expression as she watched the horse in front of her trot along towards their destination. Her trusty sword was in its sheath behind her while she yawned and blinked a few times to clear her vision.
"Why did I get stuck with the night driving? Seriously," she muttered. Looking up she watched a few stars twinkle amongst the dark sky. Sighing she looked around then glanced back into the carriage with a tired expression.
"Hey, Alyssa, isn't it your turn to-" she started before stopping instantly, her jaw dropping as she stared with shock.
In the back of the carriage she saw Daniel lying down with Alyssa straddling him, the witch looking back to Triska with a coy smile as she and the boy were both completely naked. He was lying back in a daze, his eyes seeming unfocused, as she held onto his chest tightly, her legs holding onto his waist as she rode on top of him. Alyssa's purple eyes glowed as she arched back, stifling a moan before smiling smugly at the Triska.
"Got him," she said with a wink.
"ALYSSA!" Triska yelled as she shot up, waking from her dream with a jump. She looked around quickly, the girl sitting in the back of the carriage against her duffel bag. At the front seat Alyssa and Daniel were looking back to her as the carriage was traveling under the night sky.
"What?" Alyssa asked simply.
"What's wrong, Triska?" Daniel asked curiously. Triska looked between them for a moment then leaned back against her bag with a sigh.
"Nothing… just a bad dream," she said shaking her head and rubbing her eyes.
"About me?" Alyssa asked raising an eyebrow. Triska glanced to her with a glare then looked away.
"Does that surprise you?" she muttered. Alyssa shot her with a dull glare then looked forward again while Daniel watched his friend with a worried expression. He sighed then looked back ahead as they continued on their trip to Ashwood.
"I get you this carriage and horse to help with the journey and you still act like I'm a bad girl here," Alyssa said while shaking her head.
"Act like it? Excuse me, but who was the one that nearly raped and killed Daniel?" Triska yelled out.
"I said I was sorry," Alyssa muttered with narrowed eyes.
"Oh, you're sorry, well I guess that makes everything just fine between us then. As long as you’re sorry then I guess all is forgiven," Triska said flatly. She sat against her bag with her arms crossed, glaring at the witch still. Alyssa rolled her eyes then glanced to Daniel, his gaze looking up at the stars with a blank expression while the carriage bounced a bit on the road. He glanced to her and smiled softly, the witch then smiling softly back. Triska looked between the two carefully then growled loudly.
"Something happened between you two didn't it?" she accused sharply.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Alyssa said happily as she looked ahead again. Triska grinded her teeth with frustration then looked to Daniel with worry.
‘He's not safe with this monster nearby, doesn't see that she's going to turn on us. He's in great danger.’
Triska looked down with saddened eyes, a few strands of hair dropping in front of her face. Brushing them aside she glanced back up at Daniel while he continued to watch the sky above.
"So how long until we get to Ashwood now?" he asked curiously.
"At this rate we'll be there sometime tomorrow. What do you want to do there anyway?" Alyssa asked glancing over to him.
"Just stock up on supplies we'll need before we head out further. We're going to be searching for other monsters around the region, hopefully ones that will be trustworthy like you," he said looking to the witch. She eyed him curiously then smiled.
"Well I'll be with you every step of the way to protect you, Daniel, don't you worry," she giggled.
"That's my job, witch," Triska said with narrowed eyes.
"Really? Because you couldn't do much against me, and I'm one of the trustworthy ones," Alyssa mocked, looking back to her with a smug grin.
"You are n
ot trustworthy," Triska argued sternly.
"Oh no? But Daniel says I am, and he knows best," Alyssa said sweetly looking to him. He chuckled nervously and smiled slightly then looked back to Triska, who was staring at the witch with more than evident anger. Alyssa looked up with a curious smile as she hummed a few notes, knowing very well the glare she was receiving from the teen in the back.
"Besides, he needs a girl in his life that can really take care of him. Let's see here, I've given him a ride and proper protection from other monsters out in the world, while all you've done is nearly break his back having him carry your luggage and failed to keep a sweet little witch from getting near him," she said amusedly. Triska growled loudly as she reached for her sword's handle.
"Ok, that's enough you two, really," Daniel pleaded as he waved his hands around. Alyssa hummed a happy tune while glancing back to Triska as the teen kept her hand on the sword.
"Triska has been a great companion and protector for me, Alyssa. She's always been there for me in the past, I trust her with my life," Daniel reassured. Triska smiled softly and looked down with a slight blush, her hand slowly lowering from her sword.
"Well, now it's my turn to protect you, Daniel. I'm far more suited for the job out here in the real world than she is," Alyssa said arrogantly.
"What? Like hell you are, witch!" Triska yelled as she reached back and unsheathed her sword. A mere second later and she was flying out the back of the carriage as the witch's magic caused the girl’s sword, and the girl holding onto said sword, to fly back at high speed. Daniel sighed and looked down with a hand covering his eyes.
“Alyssa,” he said flatly. Alyssa looked to him with an adorable smile, snapping the reins to have Lucky to stop once again. Daniel shook his head and looked up with a tired expression.
‘This is going to be a long trip.’
After Triska had gotten back into the carriage and was somewhat calmed down by Daniel, they resumed their trek towards the human city. Alyssa was humming a happy tune and looking up at the stars while Daniel was sitting back in the carriage against his backpack. Triska was leaning back against her duffel bag across from him and was watching her friend with concern.
"Daniel, you… you don't think I'm useless on this trip do you?" she asked quietly.
"What? Of course not, why would you think that?" Daniel asked, shaking his head. Triska looked at him for a moment then down.
"She's right though, I couldn't protect you from her. If she… if she didn't resist her nature you would have been hers without anybody to save you," she said softly. Daniel watched as Triska closed her eyes and shook her head.
"I couldn't save you… I couldn't do anything but watch as she kept you away from me without even trying. What kind of guardian am I when I couldn’t even stop the first monster we found from taking you away?” she asked with shame.
"Hey, it's alright, Triska. You came after me, that's all I could have ever asked. And Alyssa's on our side now, one of the first of many hopefully," Daniel said gently. Triska nodded a bit then looked to him with saddened eyes.
"But I want to protect you, that's why I came on this trip. I want to be the one that keeps you safe, that… you want with you," she said before glancing away.
"But I do want you with me, Triska, that's never changed," Daniel said softly. She looked to him with wonder as he smiled at her.
"Don't ever think I wouldn't want you by my side, Triska, you should know better than that. I wouldn't feel safe out here without you with me," he reassured. Triska smiled softly at him then looked down.
"Thank you, Daniel," she said quietly. Glancing to see Alyssa still looking ahead, the witch humming a happy tune still, Triska paused for a moment before looking back to Daniel curiously.
"Say, Daniel, nothing… nothing did happen with you and her, right?" she asked carefully. He looked at her for a moment then glanced to Alyssa, hesitating for a moment before smiling and shaking his head.
"No. She fought her inner nature and won, Triska. She overcame it just like I knew monsters had the power to do. She proved my theory right," he said calmly. Triska nodded then tilted her head a bit, watching him curiously. He looked back to her for a moment then smiled nervously as she seemed to be thinking something.
"What?" he asked.
"She didn't… kiss you again, did she?" she asked slowly. Daniel jumped slightly then quickly shook his head.
"No, nothing like that happened. I promise," he said gently. She nodded then looked down.
"I saw that she did before… I was worried she put a hex on your when she did, that she got inside your mind with her magic," she confessed. He shook his head and smiled at his friend.
"I feel perfectly fine, Triska, and nothing like that happened. And forget about that first… encounter, she was still being controlled by her nature then, I'm sure she didn't mean it," he said assuredly.
"But I did mean it," Alyssa said. The two teens looked to see the witch sitting next to Daniel while smiling at him lovingly, then over to see nobody driving the carriage as Lucky was still running along the dirt road. That raised two very important questions right away.
"What do you mean you did mean it?" Triska yelled out with anger.
"Who's driving the carriage?" Daniel cried out.
"Hee hee, just what I said. I did mean it, why wouldn't I want to kiss this cutie?" Alyssa said before she hugged Daniel, nuzzling against his chest with a happy smile. Triska growled loudly as Daniel was still looking to where there was nobody driving now.
"What do you think you're doing? Get off of him!" Triska yelled as she pulled Daniel to the other side of the carriage, the boy looking between the two as Alyssa held onto his other arm and giggled playfully.
"Just enjoying a relaxing ride with Daniel of course," Alyssa said innocently as she pulled him back.
"Let go of him, Alyssa!" Triska yelled as she pulled Daniel closer to her, the boy then being pulled back by the witch again.
"Again, why is nobody driving this thing?" Daniel cried out.
"Oh, don't worry about that. Lucky knows to stay on the path from here. We'll be fine," Alyssa said, glancing to the front of the carriage. Daniel nodded slowly then looked to see Alyssa pouncing him into a hug, the two landing back on the floor of the carriage as Triska growled with rage.
"Now I can enjoy a relaxing sleep back here in the arms of my savior. I feel so safe knowing you'll hold me all night, Daniel," Alyssa timidly said while having a gentle smile on her face.
"What? I never agreed to that!" Daniel cried out as he tried to push the witch off of him. Triska growled then yanked Alyssa off of the boy then pushed her towards the front of the carriage.
"Like bloody hell you'll be sleeping with him, Alyssa. What makes you think you can do that?" she yelled out with anger. Alyssa looked at her amusingly.
"Well of course I'll be sleeping with him, we're all sleeping back here tonight aren't we?" she asked simply. Daniel and Triska looked at her with confusion then around inside the carriage.
"What? But… we're not stopping to make camp?" Daniel asked. Alyssa giggled and shook her head.
"Why would we need to do that when Lucky can get us to the city quicker if he goes all night? He doesn't tire easily and can make the trip no problem. Besides, there's plenty of room for you and me to sleep here all cozy and comfy like,” she said happily. After a pause she glanced to Triska then shrugged with a dull smile.
“And your loudmouthed friend can sleep here too if she has to," she muttered. Daniel looked at her with surprise as Triska growled loudly while again reaching for her sword.
"Loudmouthed? Who you calling loudmouthed, you little bitch?" she yelled as she unsheathed her sword.
Two seconds later, which is one more compared to last time, the sword wielding girl was flying out the back of the carriage and crashing into the ground as Daniel looked back towards her worriedly.
"Look at that, Daniel! Now we have plenty of room to sleep back here! Yay!" Alyssa cheer
ed as she hugged him tightly.
"Alyssa, we're not going to be doing that, and you need to stop the carriage so Triska can get back on," he said trying to pull the witch off of him. Alyssa sat back with a pouty smile and crossed her arms.
"Aw, please, Daniel? I've always slept all alone before, and we're out in the wilderness with bandits and monsters all around in the darkness. Please won't you let me sleep with you?" she asked in a sweet voice. He shook his head with a weak smile.
"I don't think that would be best. Besides, you have nothing to fear here with your magic, you're my protection, remember?" he said with a laugh. She sighed with a smile and nodded, then clapped her hands to get Lucky to stop. The horse slowly came to a halt as Alyssa smiled at the boy with a coy expression.
"I suppose you have a point. Still, it would be awfully nice of you to hold me, I am just a little girl after all," she said innocently while holding a finger to her lips, batting her eyelashes as she tilted her head slightly.
"You just love playing the part, don't you?" Daniel asked tiredly. She giggled and nodded.
"It's so much fun!" she cheered. Daniel sighed then glanced back to see Triska running towards the carriage with her sword drawn out, screaming something that could only be assumed to be obscenities and threats of death towards the witch.
‘Yeah… this is going to be a really long trip.’
A few minutes later Lucky was again pulling the carriage at a brisk pace towards Ashwood under the night sky. Sitting in the back Daniel was looking between the two girls as they glared at each other with fire in their eyes. Triska's sword was sheathed again, after much pleading from Daniel, as she growled through her teeth at the witch. Alyssa had her eyes narrowed while her staff was in her hands, ready to eject the temperamental girl at a moment's notice.
"Ok, we need to talk about you two… always doing that. That's going to be a problem if we're going to be traveling together," Daniel pointed out.
"Then tell her to quit pulling her sword on me. It's so very rude," Alyssa stated.
"You're one to talk, you little witch, you're the one trying to get closer to Daniel just so you can hump him," Triska said with anger.
chronicles of eden - act I Page 13
