Legacy of Death_Revenge

by Thomas J. L. Green

  “NOW!”

  “Alright, alright, alright,” Astril slowly picked up her clothes, “but if you want to play rough we can do that too, Elizabeth can go get us some apples to eat afterward.”

  Zerae gave Astril a look that made her shut up. “You too… chop, chop, chop!” she added toward Elizabeth.

  “What’s going on?” Elizabeth asked weakly.

  “Get dressed,” Zerae repeated. Elizabeth started getting dressed up.

  “Ah well… I guess training’s over,” Astril remarked.

  “Is she ready?” Zerae asked coldly.

  “No, but she will be fine,” Astril remarked and weaved herself to catch Zerae into a hug from behind.

  Zerae elegantly avoided Astril’s move, “You will not have time to babysit her. None of us will,” Zerae stated to pivot the topic.

  “She will manage,” Astril insisted.

  “She isn’t old enough to be considered adult. It might be better to just leave her here until she reaches the right age,” Zerae contested.

  “She can just join the other Fayelings at school,” Astril countered.

  “She is too old to start with young Fayelings, she would need an exception to get into the higher years and I cannot vouch for her,” Zerae admitted.

  “This is the point where you tell me that you have a plan,” Astril smiled sweetly.

  Zerae sighed, “Of course I do. I’m just not sure if she wouldn’t be better off living in the wilderness for a few more years… it would be way safer.”

  “Trouble ahead?”

  “Ton of it. Are you sure she will manage?” Zerae asked back.

  “I am.”

  “Then get ready, Leena will fill you in!” Zerae turned and left the makeshift house.

  “You can fill me… in many ways,” Astril smiled innocently.

  Zerae just spun on her heel and left the hut.

  “Astril… what’s going on?” Elizabeth asked with a fearful voice.

  “Training’s over. Pack up, we are leaving and not coming back,” Astril smiled.

  “That didn’t sound like it will be alright,” Elizabeth was unsure.

  “It will be. Trust me on this and try to get some rest on the way. You will have a big day tomorrow.”

  “In… which way?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I’m sure we’ve got a great plan,” Astril smiled and got out to call her mount. Elizabeth got out with Niuffie by her side. Astril’s mount, Birdie, was already there. It was a massive monster with front half and wings of an eagle and back half of a reptile. Next to it stood Zerae’s bird. Huge black bird with red trimmed feathers.

  “That took forever,” Zerae remarked, “now move! I’m already late,” Zerae commanded and got on her bird. Astril picked up Elizabeth and put her up on to the saddle. Niuffie leaped up to sit in Elizabeth’s lap. Soon they were up high in the air, flying.

  Elizabeth enjoyed the wind that was wrapping itself around her. She sat behind Astril who shielded her from the full force of the wind. What was left was a pleasant breeze. Elizabeth gave one last look to the hut where she spent over the past year. She hated this place, but now she was sad she was leaving it. Sad, because she knew she would never come here again. “Where are we going?” she asked carefully.

  “To the Voidspire. Now, few things you need to know. Zerae is our War Leader… which is something like a general. She’s always pissed so don’t make it worse. Plus, that’s my job anyway. If you need help, find me, Zerae or Leena,” Astril started explaining.

  “This doesn’t make much sense… I’m scared,” Elizabeth doubted. She had spent way over a year in the forest with Astril. She wasn’t sure she was ready for anything else. Especially not when she was battered like a field after a hailstorm.

  “Just go with the flow, it will be fine.”

  “Is that…?” Elizabeth breathed. Spread across the valley laid the weirdest city she had ever seen. Even from above she could see the mixture of ruins, chaotically spread out houses, plants and animals. A massive black tower dominated the city. "What’s with this air… this… magic?” she exhaled as, for no apparent reason, power flowed through Elizabeth. It filled her muscles, her mind, her heart.

  “Right! There is a breach under the tower. That’s where the magic comes from!” Astril said happily as if she wanted to say it all along and only just remembered.

  “The breach?”

  “Yea. Breach between reality and the Dream World. Magic flows in through it… ah, yes, it will make you really strong around the city so be careful not to hurt anyone. We are all sisters after all.”

  “Huh?”

  “I told you. We are all daughters of the Goddess. That makes us sisters!” Astril announced.

  “Please, Astril… no more of this bullshit,” Elizabeth sighed.

  Astril just smiled and ignored her. They soon landed on a platform by the side of the city.

  The city took Elizabeth’s breath away. There were animals and plants everywhere.The flowery stench was overwhelming. Each house or hut was different. It was a total chaos... yet beautiful. Among them were women of all shapes, clothes and color. The Daughters of Dreams. The Faye.

  “Where are the men?” Elizabeth asked as they walked through the city. Zerae looked at her, then at Astril when she saw Elizabeth wasn’t kidding.

  “Did you teach her who we are?” Zerae pierced Astril with a look.

  “I just told her,” Astril tried to evade.

  “ASTRIL!”

  “I forgot.”

  “How about our law, did you teach her that?”

  “That’s just a pile of horseshit,” Astril stated.

  “Did you teach her what is required to live here among us?” Zerae pressed.

  “I did, everything she isn’t too young for!” Astril agreed happily.

  “What exactly does this everything contain?” Zerae narrowed her eyes.

  “Well, what she needs to know is how to fight and how to satisfy a woman… but she’s too young for the second part, so I did teach her everything I could have,” Astril explained.

  “Did you teach her ANYTHING other than how to fight?” Zerae pierced Astril with a stare.

  “Ooooh! Butterflies!” Astril spun and leaped to butterflies floating among the flowers.

  “Tell me, Elizabeth, what did Astril teach you in the past, what was it, thirty-two months?” Zerae turned back to Elizabeth.

  That’s over two and half years. I know this was our third winter, but I never realized how long it’s been. “Ehhhh…”

  “Answer me!” Zerae commanded and Niuffie dug herself into Elizabeth. Her ice-cold voice was beyond terrifying.

  “Nothing! She was just non-stop beating me worse than an animal, she ate all the sweetest fruit I found and burned firewood like crazy! All the time!” Elizabeth blurted.

  “Oh, that’s not fair! I did teach you how to fight!” Astril protested.

  “TEACH? You just beat me up at every move!” Elizabeth protested, “and when it started getting better, you always speeded up and started hitting me harder! I have never seen a slave beaten up as bad as I was, every day!”

  Zerae rubbed her face with her palm as she sighed. “Long story short, we used to have a queen, now she is dead and we have a council of elders. We are split into clans, there are many but generally fall under one of the three main ones. Hellwinds, Darkscreams and Voidwalkers. We, Hellwinds, wear eyeshades made to look like wings like I have, Darkscreams have black lips and black makeup around mouth going into the cheeks, Voidwalkers always wear something purple,” Zerae started explaining.

  “Astril and Leena don’t have it,” Elizabeth observed.

  “Don’t take those two as an example… for anything. Anyway, we are ruled by the high council made of the three heads of the main clans. There is also lower council, which is made of the military commanders of the three main clans. Together, the six of us make the grand council. We set laws, judge disputes and lead the clans,” Zerae continued, �
��in terms of our society, we live here in Voidspire and have a couple more fortresses in the Zaraguza highlands. People do what they want unless commanded by someone from the council. We split between warriors and the rest. All Faye know how to fight, warriors are the best of us. There are about three thousand warriors among the fourteen thousands of us. Warriors have ranks, but those are mostly formal.”

  “Useless. The ranks are useless,” Astril jumped in.

  “They are not useless, Astril!” Zerae exclaimed “and our law is simple. Don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t destroy stuff that isn’t yours, don’t disobey the leaders.”

  “And billion other bullshits like ‘don’t do things with other girls in public’,” Astril sighed.

  “That law was made solely because of you,” Zerae sneered, “anyway, just get her ready for tomorrow’s trial,” Zerae ordered Astril.

  “Trial? What trial?” Elizabeth exclaimed.

  “It needs to be decided whether you can become one of us or not. Astril will tell you the details,” Zerae cut her off and turned to leave.

  “ASTRIL?” Elizabeth shouted at her.

  “Second,” Astril waved Elizabeth off, “wait, Zerae, how about you skip a meeting and we go have some fun?” Astril tried sweetly. She caught Zerae by the waist and leaned in for a kiss.

  Zerae shover her aside, “I can’t skip meetings, it just doesn’t work that way.”

  “How about later then? When do you finish?” Astril tossed up.

  “I’ve got too much stuff today, I won’t have time,” Zerae rejected the notion.

  “You barely came to visit me in the past three years, you know. Tell me, Zerae, will you have time for me tomorrow?” Astril asked with narrowed eyes.

  “Two and half years,” Zerae corrected her, “okay, I will try, but I can’t promise anything. See you later.”

  Astril sighed. “Meh. Let’s go get you patched up,” she pivoted toward Elizabeth. “And don’t worry about the trial. For now, I tell you it will be alright.” Soon she led her deeper into the city.

  “Astril!” two young dark-skinned women stepped out of the shadow of a house. They looked almost identical, dressed in black leathers with swords and bows over their back.

  “Sonja! Tanja! I’ve missed you!” Astril leaped to them and caught them both in a hug. They each hugged and kissed her.

  Elizabeth’s face caught a light shade of red. “What are you doing?”

  Astril ignored her.

  “ASTRIL!”

  “Just saying hi,” Astril smirked as she detached from the girls, “this is Elizabeth.”

  “Hi,” the twins greeted Elizabeth in unison.

  “What? Wh.. what was that? Weren’t you with Zerae?” Elizabeth got almost used to the fact that whenever Zerae came around, she and Astril did things which girls weren’t supposed to be doing together.

  “That’s not how it works around here,” Sonja smiled at Elizabeth.

  “Then how does it work?” Elizabeth shot back, hoping to get some answers.

  “Well… in this city are about fourteen thousand young and beautiful women and there is not a single man in a hundred-mile radius. We do things together… very, very often,” she smiled at Elizabeth. Elizabeth turned bright red.

  “Got something for me?” Astril interrupted.

  “Sure,” Tanja confirmed and handed her a piece of paper.

  “Thank you,” Astril gave Tanja another obscene kiss.

  “Later,” the twins waved, tossed Astril a crumpled sheet of paper and disappeared in a side street.

  “What’s that?” Elize asked.

  “Instructions from Leena. She is probably too stoned to talk, so she left it with the girls,” Astril smiled.

  They soon entered a bamboo hut.

  “Orii?” Astril announced herself.

  “Astril!” a smaller black-haired woman jumped to Astril and caught her for a passionate kiss.

  “Where have you been? It’s so boring without you around!” she exclaimed once they stopped.

  “Orie, meet Elizabeth. Can you please patch her up?”

  “Sure!” she smiled and let them to a side room. There was a large van filled with water in there. Oria walked to it, traced a few magical symbols above it and the water turned bright red.

  “Undress and get in,” Oria told Elizabeth.

  “Why?”

  “Your muscles are torn, this will put you back together,” Astril revealed, “and it should help with the bruises and swelling since you aren’t very presentable at the moment.”

  “Because of YOU! YOU made these bruises and swellings and everything!” Elizabeth shot. Astril just gave her a smug smile. “A bit of privacy?” Elizabeth tried as the girls didn’t seem to have any intention of turning around.

  “Hmm… how much time do we have?” Astril gave Oria a provocative look.

  “About half an hour… I’ve got some new toys.”

  “Sounds like fun,” Astril grinned.

  “Have fun, because I sure will,” she smirked to Elizabeth and disappeared with Oria through the door. What the hell is with them?

  Elizabeth was tired and hurting all over, so she undressed and got into the van. It was warm and pleasant. She lied down into it. It was her first warm bath in over a year. It felt like all the tiredness and pain are slowly dissolving into the water.

  “Not coming in?” she asked the little tiger who was huddled on the mat next to the bath.

  “Mrrrr,” Niuffie growled in refusal.

  “UUUUUUUUUNHHHHHHHHHHH!” echoed through the next room. Are they?

  “Unnnh… aahhh… AAAAAAAH!”

  Elizabeth sank into the van and blocked her ears with her fingers. She could still hear more than she wanted. Way more. She had never heard women moan and scream like Oria did.

  “Done?” Astril came back after half an hour. She was finishing dressing and was chewing on a large chunk of chocolate. The smile on her face told Elizabeth everything. Elizabeth shook her head and got out of the van. Her pain was gone.

  “Seriously? Did you just?” Elizabeth didn’t resist asking.

  “Mmhmm.”

  “God,” Elizabeth slapped her face.

  “Shh… Orie is sleeping,” Astril whispered.

  They walked out and headed further.

  “Astril… why is everyone so young?” Elizabeth asked as they advanced through the city. She ignored it at first. Yet now that she saw over hundred women around the city, the fact that almost all of them were young was becoming disturbing.

  “We don’t really age,” Astril smiled innocently.

  “What do you mean… don’t age?”

  “We are born of a dream. Time means nothing to dreams. I mean, most of us do age, but it’s much slower than at how it is with humans,” Astril explained.

  “How old are you?”

  “Guess,” Astril smirked.

  Let’s check… she has a lot of scars, but her skin is otherwise fresh and beautiful. Her face and hands are well kept… but I actually never saw her to take care of them. She might be younger than I thought.

  “Twenty-five,” Elizabeth tried.

  “Eighty-four.”

  “WHAT?”

  “I stopped aging when I was something over twenty. I have been like this ever since,” Astril revealed.

  “How are you still such a jerk? Old people are supposed to be wise and nice!” Elizabeth exclaimed, “you are none of that!”

  “Nice try. Otherwise, Zerae, Leena, Sonja, Tanja, Oria and a bunch of others from our clan are the same… most others age,” Astril explained.

  “Why do you think some age and others don’t?” Elizabeth pried.

  “Dunno,” Astril breathed.

  “This is literally the most obvious lie you’ve ever told me… and you’ve lied a lot,” Elizabeth mused.

  “Okay, fine, we are all born from the Goddess, but some of us are much closer to her than others. The closer you are, the slower you age,” Astril revealed.


  “You were born in the sun’s embrace, Elizabeth. Beware those who do not know it, for their envy shall drag you out of the heaven’s grasp should it be given a chance,” Elizabeth recited as she remembered it.

  “Hmmm?” Astril raised her eyebrow.

  “This was something my father used to tell me. He would tell me these weird phrases from time to time,” Elizabeth breathed, “I don’t know why I said it, sorry, it just felt like it fits. I don’t know why, sorry… anyway, why don’t you wear your clan makeup? Zerae has it, so why don’t you?”

  “Because I don’t give a fuck. We are all sisters, these marks and shades and colors are just stupid,” Astril grinned.

  Elizabeth just shook her head. They arrived at a larger house where smoke was coming out from a wide chimney.

  “ASTRIL!” a strongly built short-haired woman greeted Astril and engaged her in an obscene kiss. They are making a show on purpose… I am sure of it and I hate every bit of it!

  “Got the stuff?” Astril asked.

  “Always.”

  “Helen, meet Elizabeth,” Astril introduced them.

  “Hi! Come on in!” Helen motioned them inside. Her house was built into a stone ruin. It was hot inside and there were weapons by both walls.

  “Here… and here!” she led them through the house until she stopped in a smaller room. By the wall laid a small set of armor that looked like a copy of what Astril was wearing. Next to it were two sagged women.

  No…

  “Are those puppets?” Elizabeth exclaimed.

  “Yea. Astril had them made for you,” Helen confirmed.

  “How?”

  “Your father left you a book full of puppet designs on the dragon. We took it and made the hottest looking ones!” Astril smiled.

  “You went through my stuff?”

  “Yea… and?” both Astril and Helen looked at her confused.

  “Whatever…. Thank you!” Elize jumped to Astril to hug her.

  “Why don’t you try them and the armor for a bit?” Astril nudged her to them. Elizabeth extended her strings and probed the puppets. They were complex, much more complex than the ones she made herself back in the forest. These aren’t for practice. These are weapons. Weapons made to kill people… wait, where did Astril and Helen disappear to?

  They weren’t there. Where Astril stood lied a sheet of paper. Elizabeth picked it up. It was titled The Twins and contained rough sketches of her puppets and a lot of scribbled text. The handwriting was neat but disorganized. She quickly scanned it with her eyes. It contained a description of the puppets, their construction, maintenance and how to control them and all weapons attached to them.