Chronicles of Eden - Act IV

by Alexander Gordon

  “Please stop doing that.”

  She then glanced over to Alyssa with a raised eyebrow as the witch was watching her with nervous eyes still.

  “Oh, that’s right, I still need to deal with all of you,” Charlotte mentioned as she looked over to Daniel and the other girls before back to Alyssa.

  “You know,” Triska offered with a weak smile. “If you’re busy that’s fine, we don’t want to keep you.”

  Charlotte gave a small amused murmur to that then walked over towards Alyssa with a dull glare, the alpha being accompanied by her two helpers who watched Alyssa cower before them with scowls on their faces.

  “Shall we slit her throat and be done with it?” Apoch asked softly.

  “I say we hang her, watch her kick around for a bit before her neck snaps,” Astreal suggested.

  Charlotte walked over and stood above Alyssa’s head, looking down at the terrified witch with a cold stare as Daniel and the other girls watched with growing concern.

  “Alyssa, you shouldn’t have come here,” Charlotte said while slowly shaking her finger down at the witch.

  Alyssa gulped and shook her head a bit, being unable to really move much with the obsidian blades poised over her throat.

  “Please, I’m sorry about Ritherwood. It was an accident, I never meant-”

  “Silence,” Charlotte ordered, with Alyssa whimpering quietly while staring up at the alpha with fright. Charlotte tilted her head slowly as she eyed over the witch then glanced over to the others who were trapped in their razor-edged prison.

  “I’m not in the mood to settle for the boy in there now, not after seeing a real man up close. Apoch, Astreal, you may have him tonight, rape him all you want, I don’t care,” she offered, with the sisters looking towards Daniel with sly smiles as he and his friends watched them worriedly.

  “We’re going to play with you all night. All night,” they called out friskily before giggling together, with Triska and Squeak quickly stepping in front of Daniel while holding him back behind them.

  “No you’re not,” Triska snapped at them. “Over my dead body you’ll be touching him.”

  “Again, I think that’s their plan, Triska,” Specca mentioned nervously.

  Charlotte looked down to Alyssa as her eyes gave off a soft glow, with Alyssa whimpering with a few tears dropping from her cheeks.

  “Please,” Alyssa begged. “Do whatever you want to me, just don’t hurt Daniel.”

  Charlotte raised an eyebrow in question as Alyssa closed her eyes and prepared to face the end at the hands of the alpha.

  “Please, don’t hurt him,” she softly begged again.

  Charlotte slowly looked to Daniel, eyeing him over for a moment before glancing down to Alyssa.

  “Why do you care about him so much?”

  “Because I love him, with all my heart,” Alyssa answered sincerely.

  “You love him?” Charlotte replied cynically.

  Alyssa looked up to her and nodded a bit. Charlotte stared at her for a moment then walked over towards the cage with a dull glare at Daniel, the boy slowly stepping forth from behind his friends while the girls all watched the alpha carefully.

  “What’s to love about this one?” Charlotte questioned. “He looks rather meek and poorly, hardly a good candidate for getting a seed from.”

  The girls glared at her with discontent before Daniel sighed and shook his head, the boy kneeling down to face Charlotte with a troubled expression.

  “Please, we didn’t come here to fight, or to come between you and that artifact. We-”

  “You came here to try to talk to me about the ridiculous notion of witches and humans living together happily,” Charlotte scoffed. “To put all the fighting and bloodshed behind us and live with one another in a dreamland.”

  Daniel looked at her for a moment as he could tell the alpha certainly didn’t believe in such things then down while closing his eyes.

  “How many witches have been killed by humans? How many that you knew of personally?” he asked, with Charlotte remaining silent as the boy slowly looked up at her again. “How many witches have killed humans, all just to rape our men and get pregnant?”

  “That’s called the way of life,” Charlotte lectured with a faint smile. “Monsters rape you humans, it’s what we’re made to do, it’s what we have to do. There’s no changing that.”

  “No you don’t, it doesn’t have to be that way,” Daniel reasoned hopefully.

  Charlotte scoffed then waved her hand to the side, causing Daniel to be thrown forward and smack against one of the blades of the prison, his cheek being pressed against the flat side of the steel while the girls watched with surprise. A small trickle of blood came from his skin being cut as the boy watched the alpha worriedly, the girl just staring at him with a dull glare.

  “Quit wasting your breath,” she admonished harshly. “What you say is utter nonsense. Humans and witches can’t live together. Humans would never agree to something like that, and frankly neither would I. Your whole quest is nothing but a fool’s errand. Monsters and man will never live together in peace.”

  “It’s not nonsense,” Daniel pleaded carefully. “You don’t have to be enemies of mankind, we can live together in peace, I know we can.”

  “No, we can’t,” Charlotte argued sternly before waving her hand at him, throwing the boy back down onto the ground near his friends with a grunt. Specca and Squeak quickly kneeled down to help him sit up while Falla and Triska watched Charlotte carefully as the witch walked back towards Alyssa with a dull expression on her face.

  “Stupid human,” she derided.

  “He’s not stupid,” Specca snapped at her. “He’s right, we can live together in peace if only you would give it a chance.”

  Charlotte stopped then slowly glanced back to the nixie, with Specca then showing a nervous expression from seeing the witch just staring at her. After a moment’s pause Charlotte pointed her wand at the girl then swung it down, throwing Specca forward into the wall of their prison with a scream.

  “Ow, OW! STOP!” Specca cried out as she was pushed against two sides of the razor-edged blades, the opening between showing the nixie’s body with her clothing being cut against it. Blood dripped down the edges as the nixie whimpered while her hands were held down at her sides by the witch’s magic.

  “Specca!” Triska exclaimed as she rushed over and tried to pull the nixie back, with Specca then screaming as she was pushed forward still by the magical force. Her breasts were fortunate to be pressed against the flat edges of two of the blades so not to get cut, however her lower body and legs had blood dripping down on them from being pushed forward against the sharp edges.

  “Stop it, let her go!” Daniel shouted out as he got up and rushed over, with him and Triska then trying to pull Specca back by the arms as the nixie was trying to keep her head back from being pushed against the razor edges in front of her.

  “No,” Charlotte merely replied before holding her hand out to them, throwing Triska back into Squeak while Falla was pushed back and dropped to the ground, with Daniel still struggling to hold onto the nixie with all his might from the forceful wave of magic. Specca screamed again in pain as her body was being pulled towards the alpha, which meant going through the small space between the razor-edged bars of their prison in what would be the equivalent of meat going through a grinder. Daniel pulled as hard as he could with her, the nixie then slowly being brought back a step as the boy held her from around the waist and above her breasts with both arms. Specca whimpered as she grabbed onto his arm around her waist, feeling her body still being pulled forward with great force.

  “Daniel,” she cried as she felt her sandals dragging forward an inch in the dirt.

  “Stop, please let her go,” Daniel begged as he looked to Charlotte, the witch having a cold expression on her face while Apoch and Astreal merely watched with amused smiles. Alyssa couldn’t see her friends still but based on hearing how Specca was crying out in p
ain she knew something bad was happening.

  “You should let go,” Apoch giggled.

  “Yeah, or else you’re going to be sliced into pieces with her,” Astreal laughed.

  Daniel narrowed his eyes at Charlotte and held onto Specca tightly, the alpha watching him with a raised eyebrow as he struggled to keep the nixie from being forced through the bars in what would be a painful death.

  “I will never let her go,” Daniel replied sternly, with Triska and Squeak watching him with worried eyes as they got back up.

  “Your choice,” Charlotte said carelessly while waving her wand to the side. The group watched as three of the razor edged blades then twisted in place to face Specca and Daniel, the openings between them still being too small to fit between without getting cut into pieces first. Daniel struggled to hold Specca back as the two were dragged forward a bit towards the blades, with Specca staring in fright at the edges that would likely slice right through her with little trouble should he let go. Triska and Squeak tried to run towards them before they were stopped suddenly, the two being lifted up a foot into the air and held in place by a magical force. Falla looked to them with a jump then over to seeing Apoch and Astreal shaking their fingers at them while holding their staves towards the two bound girls.

  “Now now, don’t ruin the fun,” Apoch insisted as Triska and Squeak struggled to move their bodies, both of them being held in place firmly by the witches’ magic.

  “Yes,” Astreal mocked with a smirk. “Let’s see if he still holds onto his belief that she’s worth saving while he’s being forced through with her.”

  “Daniel!” Specca cried out as her feet slid along the dirt, her eyes staring at the blades in front of her as she felt her body being pulled with great force by something while Daniel struggled to keep her from flying forward and being sliced into pieces.

  “She’s a monster, what do you care if she dies?” Charlotte ridiculed before holding her wand out towards them, a bright glow coming from it as Specca watched with fright. She and Daniel slid forward a bit more towards the blades before the boy regained his footing again and stopped them.

  “Didn’t you hear me?” Daniel retorted. “We’re out here to show the world that monsters and humans can live with one another peacefully. I don’t care that she’s a monster, she’s just as much a woman in my eyes as a human would be.”

  Specca whimpered and looked back to Daniel with watery eyes, seeing him glaring at the alpha witch while holding onto her with all his strength. Charlotte chuckled and tilted her head playfully while giving him a small smile.

  “Oh really? She’s worth killing yourself over?”

  “Daniel, let me go, she’s going to kill you too,” Specca shakily said.

  “I’d rather die than watch her be murdered by you,” Daniel scorned while glaring at Charlotte.

  Specca stared at him with an open mouth as she felt him holding her tightly, her heart beating faster while the other girls watched Daniel worriedly as he and the nixie were pulled forward again closer towards the blades. Charlotte looked at him puzzled then slowly shook her head.

  “You really are a foolish human, choosing to die over a monster,” she said carelessly before holding her wand up, with Specca gasping at the sight while Daniel braced himself.

  “Daniel, let me go!” Specca cried out. “Now, please!”

  “I’ll never let you go, no matter what,” Daniel said sternly, with the nixie looking back to him with fearful eyes.

  “Daniel, I’m not worth-”

  “I’d rather die than forsake any one of you!” he shouted out, with the girls all then looking at him with wonder while Alyssa stared up at the sky and questioned what she just heard. Charlotte and her two helpers watched the boy curiously as he closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.

  “I don’t want to lose any of you,” he gently said. “I can’t, I just couldn’t bear it. I… could never let any of you go.”

  “Daniel?” Specca asked softly.

  Daniel paused for a moment then looked to Charlotte with a stern glare, the witch watching him curiously as he slowly pulled Specca back a step.

  “We came out here to talk to monsters about living in peace,” he snapped. “To talk to those who would wish to end countless generations of bloodshed and fighting. But it seems to me that you aren’t able to do such a thing. Is this what witches like you are, how you want to be, how you want the world to see you as?”

  Charlotte growled quietly while turning to face them with narrowed eyes.

  “I don’t believe I like your words much. I think I want you to stop talking now,” she threatened while pointing her wand at him with a glare. Daniel continued to stare her down while holding onto Specca, with Falla backing up towards the side of the cage to get as far away from him as she could while watching the alpha witch nervously.

  “There’s an ant girl nest that’s willing to give peace a try,” Daniel stated. “We have a nixie here who is an advocate of living with humans peacefully, and even the Wildfire Witch herself wants to bring peace between humans and monsters. Yet you couldn’t care less, could you? A noble alpha witch, a leader of her people, and you don’t want peace at all, do you?”

  “What you speak of can’t be done,” Charlotte snapped back. “It’s not possible, you stupid human.”

  “Not if everyone was as closed-minded as you,” Daniel retorted. “Not if everyone wouldn’t even give it a try because they’re so pessimistic. But luckily there are monsters in this world that want to give it a try, monsters who are capable of doing so, unlike you.”

  “Excuse me, what did you just say?” Charlotte demanded loudly. “Are you belittling me?”

  “Kill him, my grace,” Apoch hissed.

  “Yes, we don’t wish to play with him tonight anymore,” Astreal growled while the twins glared at Daniel.

  “You are digging your own grave here, human,” Charlotte threatened coldly. “I don’t care for your words at all.”

  “Then prove me wrong,” Daniel challenged. Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him as he smiled confidently at her. “I know good witches are in this world, Alyssa is proof of that.”

  “Alyssa?” Charlotte scoffed. “She is hardly an example for your belief in any manner. How could you possibly credit her with anything when she’s the lowest of any witch in this world?”

  “Because she’s saved my life and my friends’ lives. If it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t be here now.”

  “That’s only more of a reason to kill her,” Charlotte derided. “I don’t like that you’re here at all. Are you going anywhere with this?”

  Daniel grunted as he and Specca slid towards the blades again, struggling to hold the girl back from being sliced through the prison by the magical force.

  “She’s helping us,” he defended. “She’s helping me with my quest, she wants there to be peace between our races as well. If she can do so then other witches can as well, ones that want the fighting between us to end for good. She’s the most trustworthy witch I know, I trust her with my life, we all do. And that means that there are witches in this world who aren’t evil, who can be allies of mankind.”

  Specca whimpered as she got closer to the blades, feeling her feet digging through the dirt as Daniel struggled to hold her back. The boy glanced to her then to Charlotte with worried eyes.

  “I’ve seen witches in this world, ones that raped and killed humans all to get pregnant from the men they captured. And one that risked her life, her very soul even, to help me with my wish to bring peace to this world. My grace, you are an alpha witch, a leader of your people, don’t you want the fighting to come to an end for them? Don’t you want them to live peacefully in this world rather than as scavengers and murderers?” Charlotte watched him carefully as the boy smiled a bit and shook his head a little.

  “I can’t force you to believe in this,” he humbly beseeched her. “I can only tell you that it is possible if we both try, if we both have the willpower. Alyssa has
the willpower. She resisted her inner nature and refrained from charming me, from raping me, from using me. As you called her, ‘the lowest of any witch in this world’ has the willpower to try and make a difference for everyone. Surely you do too.”

  “Are you mad?” Charlotte questioned skeptically.

  “No, I’m just a human who wants the world to stop killing and raping each other.”

  “You’re mad,” Charlotte replied while shaking her head. She glanced to Specca then to Daniel with a raised eyebrow. “You would really give your life for this monster?”

  “My grace,” Daniel proudly answered. “I would give my life for her, for Alyssa, for any of my friends. I told you, I believe in peace between our races, and that means helping each other survive in this world together.” He grunted and struggled to pull Specca back before looking at Charlotte with desperation.

  “The choice is yours, I can’t tell you what to do, but I will not betray those that mean the world to me. If you want to kill her, if you really wish to choose blood over peace, then you’ll have to kill me too.”

  “I mean the world to you?” Specca asked quietly while watching him with wonder.

  “Daniel,” Triska said softly, with Squeak squeaking a few times as they stared at Daniel with adoring eyes. Alyssa almost felt a smile forming on her face from his words, still feeling scared to death about herself and her friends to actually smile though.

  Charlotte looked at him carefully then slowly glanced around at those in the cage while Apoch and Astreal just continued to scowl at Daniel.

  “You’re all serious about this?” she chastised harshly. “This is some sort of bad joke, it must be. There is no way humans and monsters can live together peacefully.”

  “Open your eyes; Daniel’s willing to give his life for a monster!” Triska cried out at her.

  Alyssa closed her eyes and struggled to speak, knowing that angering the alpha witch would result in her immediate death like this, yet still wishing to say something.

  “I’ve resisted the urge to charm and rape him,” she spoke, praying the words wouldn’t be her last. “It’s hard but it can be done, and because of that he’s let me stay close to him. He trusts me, just as I trust him.”