Daniel murmured a bit and shifted his head, the girls looking to him quickly as he mumbled in his sleep. After he fell quiet again the girls looked back to each other with fire in their eyes. They had made the point crystal clear to each other; they both wanted him as their mate. Alyssa genuinely wanted the boy to choose her, since if she only wanted him to breed with and nothing more she could have easily swiped him away using force. Triska wanted the boy just like she always did from the start, determined to finally tell him how she really felt and not to let any monster get in her way.
"He will be mine," Alyssa said with narrowed eyes. Triska shook her head and glared at the girl.
"No, witch, if anybody is going to be his mate, it's going to be me."
Chapter 6
Playing Dirty
In the world of Eden, women of humanity not only had to protect their men from being taken away by monsters, but also had to compete with each other in finding a mate in life. Either by sexual allure, commendable strength, or any other means available to them, they needed to make themselves known in the eyes of the man they wanted. However, there were stories and rumors of men choosing to be with monsters willingly, either out of lust or genuine love. Should a woman find a man she desired, one that had others after him, either human or monster, they needed to fight to win him over. Either by using brute force, or underhanded trickery, there was always one golden rule to this conflict.
All's fair in love and war.
*****
The sun was starting to rise over the horizon as another day began. Clouds gently rolled by in the sky while a few birds flew through the air above the rolling plains. The tall grass around the hills swayed slightly as a calm breeze swept around the land. And a white top carriage was riding along a dirt road with a white horse in front just as it had been doing the entire night.
Inside the carriage Daniel was sleeping against his backpack, sitting up against it with his head hung down. He was sound asleep with a witch sitting in front of him, being gently held by one of his arms as she slept peacefully with a small smile on her face. They had a blanket over their laps, with her staff lying on the floor next to the girl. Across from them Triska was sleeping against her duffel bag, having a blanket pulled around her as she dreamed about the boy she wanted to confess her feelings to. Slowly she opened her eyes and started to sit up, rocking a bit with the carriage as she awoke from her dream where she once again failed to tell Daniel how she felt. She rubbed her eyes and yawned quietly, then stretched out as she blinked a few times to clear her vision.
"Not the most comfortable way to travel, but it works," she admitted to herself. Looking over to Daniel she smiled softly, watching him dream as his head rocked slightly while the carriage was in motion. Triska smiled at seeing him then showed discontent at Alyssa, the witch still being gently held while she was asleep.
‘That should be me with Daniel… not that little rat.’
Triska held back her growl then looked out ahead of the carriage. Lucky was still going strong, just as Alyssa had said he would.
"We should be arriving at Ashwood today at this rate. That horse really does have endurance," she said in wonder as she watched Lucky continue on his run without seeming to tire. Whatever the witches did to turn him into part demon certainly gave the horse incredible stamina. Triska then looked back to Alyssa with a narrowed glance.
‘She may have helped us get to the city quickly, but like hell she can keep following us like this.’
Daniel yawned and slowly opened his eyes, shaking his head slightly before looking around as he woke up. He blinked then looked over to see Triska smiling at him.
"Hey, good morning," he said, rubbing an eye with his free hand. He then looked to see Alyssa still sleeping in front of him, her hands gently holding onto his arm as she smiled softly. Daniel smirked then looked to see Triska staring at Alyssa with narrowed eyes. She looked back to him then smiled quickly.
"Good morning. Did you sleep alright?" she asked quietly, not wanting to wake the witch up just yet as she knew the monster would keep her from speaking freely him. Daniel nodded and looked towards the front of the carriage.
"Yeah, I slept ok. Wow, Lucky's still going, I just hope he at least stuck to the right path," he said with a nervous laugh. Triska smiled slightly then watched the witch carefully again. After a moment she looked back to Daniel with a curious smile.
"Say, Daniel, about last night…" she said softly. He looked to her as she glanced away timidly.
"What I was trying to say to you… before we kept getting interrupted…" she said, slowly looking back to him. He watched her curiously as she felt her heart start to pick up again.
‘Ok… you can do this… just tell him. Tell him before-’
Alyssa yawned and slowly stretched out her arms, groaning softly as she started to wake up. Triska looked to Alyssa with annoyance as the witch slowly opened her eyes then back to Daniel, who was still watching his friend as he waited for her to continue.
"Triska? What is it?" he asked. Alyssa blinked a few times then looked up at Daniel, smiling brightly as she held onto his arm.
"Good morning, Daniel. Did you sleep well?" she asked sweetly. He looked to her and nodded with a weak smile as she giggled. She held his arm and snuggled up closer to him under the blanket, glancing to Triska with a quick smirk.
"I slept so well with you holding me, thank you so much, Daniel," she gloated, the witch then looking up to Daniel with a cute smile. Triska held back her anger the best she could while Daniel just rubbed the back of his head with a nervous laugh.
"Well… glad to help I guess. Um, Alyssa?" he asked. She looked up at him lovingly while Triska narrowed her eyes at seeing something.
"Yes, Daniel?" Alyssa asked playfully.
"Could you please… move your…" he said worriedly.
"Let go of his crotch. Now," Triska said through bared teeth. Alyssa looked down and smiled innocently as she slowly pulled her hand back up from beneath the blanket, right over his lap. She giggled then looked up at him with a wink.
"Just making sure you slept well, Daniel, and… I'd say you did. Was that because of me? Were you dreaming about me, Daniel?" she asked coyly. Triska growled then reached back for her sword. Alyssa glanced to her as she held out her hand, the witch's staff hopping up and being caught instantly.
"Wait, hold it!" Daniel called out. Both girls stopped in place then glanced to him. He looked between the two then sighed.
"Please don't start the day off with another fight. We all just woke up, don't go through this again," he said tiredly. Both girls glanced to each other then back to him. He shook his head then looked back to Alyssa.
"No more of that, Alyssa, you said you wanted me to consider you as a mate, right? Then you need to-" he started before the witch smiled happily and hopped up onto his lap, holding him closely from around the neck.
"Is that what you were dreaming about? Mating with me? Oh, Daniel, you read my mind!" she cheered. Triska yelled as she drew out her sword, glaring at the witch with fury.
"He was not dreaming about mating with you, Alyssa! Get off him!" she raged before swinging her blade towards the witch. In a flash the sword yanked away and flew out the back of the carriage, with the teen holding onto it still. Daniel watched Triska crash into the path behind then looked back with a dull expression to seeing Alyssa bouncing energetically on his lap.
"Can we, Daniel? Can we, can we, can we? Please?" she asked eagerly. He just looked at her with a deadpan expression then up with a sigh.
"Alyssa…" he groaned. She stopped and looked at him curiously for a moment, then back to see where Triska was dashing after the carriage with her sword drawn out. Alyssa breathed out and nodded, then reluctantly clapped her hands to get Lucky to stop.
"Fine. But in all fairness, if I hadn't thrown her out she might have hacked you into two as well. I mean, I'm really close to you. You know, really close," she purred while looking back to him with a coy smile, leani
ng closer to him and batting her eyelashes. Daniel shook his head then looked back to the witch.
"Alyssa, if you're going to come with us then you need to keep under control. I'm trying to trust you, but you're making it incredibly hard," he said tiredly. She looked at him with wonder as he stared into her eyes. After a pause she bounced once on his lap then smiled innocently.
"Yeah, I know, I can feel it," she said softly.
"Alyssa," he said firmly. She looked at him with a pouty smile and nodded, then slowly scooted back and sat down in front of him. Daniel nodded then looked to Triska who was climbing back into the carriage.
"Sorry about that. Are you ok?" he asked. She nodded slowly while watching Alyssa with narrowed eyes.
"Daniel, I don't think we should be bringing her along with us. She can't keep in control of her nature," she warned, sitting down next to him while keeping her eyes on the witch. Alyssa glanced to her then away with a scoff as Daniel leaned back against his backpack with a sigh. Triska kept her sword in her hands as she eyed the witch closely, her fingers drumming on the handle of the blade slowly. Lucky started to run again while Alyssa just looked at Triska with a dull expression.
"Seriously, we can't trust her, Daniel," Triska said as she glared at the witch.
"Hey, I'm not doing anything bad here. Besides, he's the one who dreamed about me," Alyssa said arrogantly.
"He did not, you little bitch!" Triska yelled out with fire in her eyes.
"You just love to yell at people don't you?" Alyssa asked flatly.
"Only if they piss me off!" Triska shouted out.
"And who wouldn't that be?" Alyssa questioned. Triska tightened her grip on the sword as Alyssa narrowed her eyes. Daniel groaned and looked up with closed eyes.
"Enough. Enough already!" he shouted out. The girls looked to him as he shook his head, the boy then glancing to both of them with annoyance.
"No more of this. Alyssa, please keep your magic and nature in check while with us. We could really use your help out there, and I don't want to just abandon you again, but you need to treat Triska with respect. Got it?" he said sternly. Alyssa looked at him with worried eyes while Triska smiled arrogantly.
"But she keeps trying to kill me," Alyssa whined.
"And you keep throwing her around like a ragdoll. You're going to seriously hurt her if you keep doing that. If you want me to trust you, Alyssa, then you need to behave," Daniel argued. Alyssa nodded slowly as Daniel looked to Triska.
"I know you don't want her with us, but she can help us on our journey. Try to get along with her, ok? She is showing some control so far, and I have faith she can keep her nature in check. Please try to control your temper with her," he said gently. Triska looked at him with worry then to the witch with a glare.
"You are far too trusting, Daniel, I see no reason to trust this witch or to get along with her," she said sternly. Alyssa looked at the girl for a moment then to Daniel.
"I am trying, Daniel, really I am. I didn't do anything bad last night when you were asleep next to me, just like I promised," she pleaded. He looked down a bit as Triska glared at the witch. Alyssa sniffled then looked down as she started to cry.
"Please don't leave me, Daniel, I will be the proof you need, I swear I will," she whimpered. Daniel looked at her with worry while Triska just shook her head, not buying the witch's sorrow for a minute.
"I'm not going to leave you, Alyssa, it's just-" he started before Alyssa jumped across the carriage and hugged him, burying her face into his shirt.
"I'll be good! I promise!" she pleaded before crying. Daniel held her and smiled gently while Triska growled through her teeth. Alyssa shook her head as she cried, shooting a quick glare over to Triska out of the corner of her eye while holding onto Daniel’s shirt. Triska's grip on her sword tightened as Daniel held the witch.
"It's ok, Alyssa, we're not going to leave you," he reassured gently. Triska kept her anger from breaking out as she glared at the young witch.
‘That little… I'm so going to hack her into pieces!’
Alyssa sniffled then looked up to Daniel with gentle eyes as she held her hands on his chest.
"You mean it? I can stay with you?" she asked softly. He nodded and smiled calmly at her.
"As long as you behave yourself, and treat Triska kindly, then yes," he said as Alyssa gazed up into his eyes. She nodded with a smile of relief then hugged the boy, nuzzling against his chest again. Daniel smiled down at the witch, not seeing her smiling smugly at Triska from that angle.
"Whatever you want, Daniel, whatever you want," Alyssa said softly as she narrowed her eyes at Triska. Trembling with fury Triska struggled against her desire to swipe at the witch with her sword again, knowing very well that the blade would never reach her.
"Triska?" Daniel asked. She looked to him with a jump as he was glancing to her with a raised eyebrow. Triska blinked then looked back down to Alyssa, the witch smiling innocently at her.
"Friends?" Alyssa asked. Triska gave her with a dull glare then glanced to Daniel, the boy waiting to hear what she would say with an inquisitive expression.
"Daniel…" she said softly.
"Please, Triska, try to get along with her," he said gently. Triska glanced down to seeing the smug grin on Alyssa's face then looked away.
"Fine. On one condition," she said softly.
"Condition?" Daniel asked. Triska nodded then looked back to him carefully. Alyssa watched her with narrowed eyes as the carriage rocked a bit on the road.
"Yeah, can I speak to you… alone for a minute?" Triska asked softly. Alyssa growled softly to herself as Daniel watched his friend curiously.
"Talk to me alone? About what?" he asked. Triska nodded then smiled at him gently.
"Please?" she asked.
"We shouldn't really stop now, we're making good time towards the city," Alyssa commented while keeping her glare fixated on Triska.
"This will only take a minute. Please, Alyssa?" Triska asked while looking to the witch with a gentle smile, knowing full well if she showed anger that would only cause problems. Alyssa growled quietly then glanced to Daniel worriedly, the boy looking out towards the moving scenery outside before glancing to Alyssa.
"Well, ok then. Alyssa, could you please stop the carriage for a moment?" he asked.
"If you want, I can just sit on the front seat while you two are back here, I'll give you your privacy," Alyssa offered with a smile.
"I'd rather we be on solid ground when I talk to him. Besides, we could use a moment to stretch out. Didn't you yourself say how uncomfortable it was to sleep on the floor of the carriage? Walking around a bit could be good for you," Triska reasoned. Alyssa glanced to her with a frustrated look then over to where Lucky was still going strong. After a pause she nodded then clapped her hands. Lucky slowed to a stop as Alyssa picked up her hat and staff.
"I'll just let Lucky find some tasty grass to feed on nearby. I'll… be right back then," she said as she glanced back to the two humans. Daniel nodded and smiled at her while Triska smirked and waved politely. Alyssa reluctantly hopped out the front then unfastened Lucky from the carriage, the horse grunting slightly as she brushed his nose. She then walked off to the side of the road with the horse following her closely, glancing back to the carriage with narrowed eyes while Lucky was sniffing around the grass. Triska watched her lead Lucky off from inside the carriage with a careful eye while Daniel watched his friend curiously.
"So what's going on here, Triska? What did you want to-" Daniel started before Triska jumped over in front of him and leaned in close to his face.
"Please Daniel, we can't let her come with us. You have to trust me, she's up to something," she quickly hushed out.
"What are you talking about? She hasn't done anything bad since she started traveling with us," he questioned while shaking his head.
"Aside from her attempts to take your pants off and kill me, yeah, she's been a delight. But still you need to trust me. She just wants you to m
ate with her, she's going to take you away by force again," Triska pleaded.
"We're out here to try to find allies to mankind, remember? She could be one of them, maybe all of her kind if she helps convince them. Plus we could really use the help against the ones out there that wouldn't be so… reasoning. She's trying to keep in control, that's what we had hoped the monsters could do out here," Daniel reasoned. Triska shook her head and looked at him with pleading eyes.
"I'm begging you, Daniel; you can't let her come with us. She'll ruin everything. She'll take you away and rape you and use you to make more monsters. She'll steal you away from me again, I just know she will, it's written all over her face," she said urgently. He looked down with concern as Triska jumped back towards the front of the carriage and searched around outside quickly, seeing no sign of Lucky or Alyssa nearby.
"What… where… where did they go?" Triska asked looking around carefully. There was no trace of the horse or witch around the path or carriage. Daniel looked out the back around the area curiously.
"She probably just took Lucky off somewhere nearby to find something to eat," he said with a shrug. Triska looked around nervously then back to Daniel.
‘We're all alone, now's my chance. This may not be the most romantic spot to tell him, or the most idealistic moment, but he needs to know.’
She jumped back over to him, the boy leaning back against his backpack with surprise as she leaned in closer to him.
"Daniel, please… there's something I've been trying to say to you since we came out here. I need you to know… that… that I…" she started, and then once again struggled to continue as she felt her heart racing. Daniel watched her curiously as she struggled to force the words out.
"Triska? What is it?" he asked. She gulped and looked at him with nervous eyes.
‘Do it, Triska… say it. Be strong… be strong… dammit, just say it!’
"Daniel… I lo-"
"Daniel!" Alyssa's voice cried out. The two looked over to see the witch running up to the back of the carriage then hopping up onto it. She looked at the boy with worried eyes as she caught her breath.
chronicles of eden - act I Page 16
