Chronicles of Eden - Act IV

by Alexander Gordon

  “Daniel, I’d really rather not leave you here like this. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Kroanette asked worriedly.

  “I’ll be fine,” he replied with a wave of the hand. “No need to worry about me. Hurry up and leave before you’re seen, and thank you for all the help. I hope you find what you want in life waiting for you back in your home.”

  He started walking down the street, with Kroanette watching him with wonder before she looked behind her then back to him again.

  Daniel slowly glanced around at seeing building after building he passed by as he made his way towards the center of town, seeing not a single witch or hearing anything all the while knowing very well he was being watched. After a while he glanced behind him and realized why he felt that way, seeing Kroanette slowly following after him while watching the boy constantly.

  “I thought you wanted to leave,” Daniel questioned shaking his head.

  “I promised to take you to my mother,” Kroanette retorted arrogantly. “And damn it all, I’m not going to break a promise. The legendary courier Kroanette doesn’t fail in her deliveries or backs down from her word.”

  Daniel smiled weakly to that as the centaur walked over and turned him around to face her, holding him by his shoulders as she smiled down at him. The boy tried to keep his eyes focused on hers as he was now extremely close to her large breasts that bounced just slightly before him.

  “I’m taking your crazy self to my mother even if I have to drag what’s left of you all the way,” she mused with a smirk.

  “Thank you, Kroanette. I-” Daniel started before the girl held her arms close to her chest, pushing her breasts up and out towards him which caused his eyes to almost bulge out as well. The centaur then gently grabbed one of her golden bracelets and slid it off her arm, with Daniel watching with wonder as she rolled up his sleeve and slipped the bracelet up onto his left arm. Lowering his sleeve over the trinket the centaur then winked at him.

  “Hopefully this will keep you standing long enough to say what you want to say before they rape you to death.”

  Daniel looked to his arm as he felt the golden bracelet in place under his shirt then to Kroanette with a curious smile.

  “Thank you, I’ll be sure to return it after I’m done here.”

  Kroanette nodded before she quickly looked around, hearing some rustling and faint giggling in the shadows of the town.

  “I think they’re coming, we’d best find the alpha’s residence and quick,” she urged, the two then running down the road together as they made haste deeper into the village. The two ran along the road as houses and buildings they passed started to light up inside, the strange colors and faint sounds of giggling causing the two travelers to feel uneasy as they knew they were being noticed now. The sound of girls laughing started to escalate as the two raced through the streets before they came to a large plaza with a few steel poles sticking out in the middle, the black metal poles standing higher than Kroanette with skulls adorning the tops. Suddenly all grew quiet as Kroanette and Daniel looked at the skulls with growing concern.

  “Okay, that’s not making me feel any better about this,” Kroanette mentioned.

  Daniel looked around to seeing the connecting roads and paths to the plaza having slinking shadows creeping around them then over to a large manor that stood before them, the three story building having a balcony at the top with a black sheet draped over the entrance while the windows had small green lights coming from within. The front entrance to the building had two stone statues of skeletons that appeared to be strung up against the wall by black chains, the two being across from each other while the grand double doors to the estate were seen between the stone cadavers with torches set next to them with crackling yellow flames.

  “And that’s just making me feel worse,” Kroanette commented shaking her head as she looked at the skeletal decorations to the building.

  “That looks to be the biggest place here, we might have found it,” Daniel reasoned while looking up at the tall building.

  He and Kroanette crossed the plaza and approached the front entrance before stopping, both of them suddenly getting a very bad feeling inside. Slowly they turned to see a witch walking up behind them, the little monster having a blue and black dress on while holding a staff that had a black crow perched at the top.

  “What do we have here?” the witch mused playfully with a creepy smile, her blue eyes going from Kroanette over to Daniel before she eyed him over with an intrigued murmur. She giggled as she walked up to them before shaking her head with an innocent smile.

  “I’m sorry, are you lost?” she said before giggling to herself.

  “No, we’re not-” Daniel said before laughing was heard all around them, with him and Kroanette then seeing dozens of witches walking into the plaza, all of them dressed in various outfits and colors while some held staffs with strange and creepy looking trinkets on them and others held wands with colorful gemstones glowing softly on them. All of them were watching Daniel with vexing smiles as they gathered around the front of the manor, with the boy praying that the magic bracelet he had hidden under his sleeve would be enough to keep him safe for now. The witch before them giggled and walked closer while Daniel smiled nervously at her.

  “We’re not lost, I wanted to come here,” he assured.

  “Really? That’s great, not many humans do you know. Welcome to Rystone,” the witch greeted with a curtsy, her eerie smile remaining locked onto Daniel the whole time. “So, what brings you to our lovely home?”

  “He wishes to speak to your alpha about something very important,” Kroanette said while gesturing to Daniel.

  The witch before them looked at Daniel curiously for a moment then burst out laughing, being followed by the others behind her laughing and watching the boy with lecherous eyes.

  “Oh really?” the witch asked with an amused smile on her face. “Well how about you talk to me instead, what’s on your mind, little human?”

  “Sorry, but I need to speak to Charlotte about this. Please excuse me,” Daniel said shaking his head before he turned to walk towards the door.

  “Hold it!” the witch behind him yelled out, waving her staff towards him as the crow perched on it leapt off with a caw. The ground below Daniel lurched back like a rolling wave, tossing the boy back into a tumble while Kroanette watched with surprise as the stone bricks rolled by her with a sharp wave before landing back down into place with a crackling rumble. Daniel rolled over into the plaza before landing on his back, with the witch then hopping down onto his lap with a cold look in her eye.

  “How do you know the name of our alpha? Who are you?”

  Kroanette watched the boy with worried eyes then looked around to seeing all the witches staring at them with cold stares, none of them laughing now while they were watching the boy and centaur closely.

  “I’ve met her before,” Daniel said while watching the witch carefully. “I need to talk to her about something important.”

  The crow above squawked before it landed down above Daniel’s head, the bird cawing at him as the witch set her staff down on the ground and smirked at the boy.

  “Well, she’s very busy tonight,” she mused before reaching for his pants. “But how about you and I get better acquainted in the meantime?”

  Daniel grabbed her hands and yanked her to the side then quickly got back on his feet, with the witch growling and swinging her staff forward at him.

  “I’m not done with you yet!” she shouted. “On your knees, human!”

  Everyone just watched as Daniel stared at the witch with a solemn expression, the monster then showing puzzlement and waving her hand downward at him.

  “I said down on your knees, now!”

  Daniel merely shook his head as the witch jumped back with a small gasp.

  “What the… I said down!” she yelled as she struck her staff into the ground. A distorted wave of air rippled around Daniel as the ground near him cracked slightly, wi
th the poles standing upright near him wavering slightly from the magical wave of energy. Kroanette crossed her arms with a smug grin while Daniel slowly walked towards the witch, the girl shaking her head with disbelief and backing up away from him.

  “What is this, why won’t you kneel?” she cried out.

  Another witch with a dark witch’s hat and long red hair ran over and held her hand towards Daniel with a cold glare.

  “Hold it,” she ordered, with Daniel stopping and merely glancing to her as her blue eyes gave off a soft glow. “You need to learn your place here, human. Now get down on your knees like a good little boy.”

  “I don’t think so,” Daniel replied while shaking his head, with the witch gasping in surprise.

  “No, that’s not possible,” she growled. “Take off your clothes and get down on your knees, right now!”

  “I will do no such thing,” Daniel replied while crossing his arms. “That’s a horrible thing to ask of a visitor in your village.”

  “What the hell, why can’t I charm him, what’s his deal?” the witch whined while backing up with her friend. Two more witches ran over in front of them and twirled their staffs around, the twisted metal poles sparking a bit before the girls swung them towards Daniel with loud yells.

  “Bad human!” they shouted together, with everyone watching as a scattered web of electricity shot forth and crackled along the ground towards him, only to part and strike into the poles nearby as Daniel remained standing without feeling a thing. The bright blue and white lights of the lightning sparked about wildly before vanishing with a crackle, leaving the crowd of stunned witches staring at Daniel with open mouths.

  “Impossible,” one of the spell casters breathed out as she backed up with her friend.

  “Seriously,” Daniel said shaking his head. “This is just a rude way of greeting people. Where are your manners?”

  Kroanette giggled a bit as she watched Daniel standing there with no fear for the witches at all.

  “What the hell is he?” a witch cried out they all glared at him with glowing eyes.

  “I’m not here to fight,” Daniel called out. “I’m not here to cause any trouble, I merely wish to speak to your alpha peacefully.”

  “And just who the hell are you?” a witch yelled out at him.

  “Mr. Daniel,” Apoch and Astreal called out together.

  Daniel and Kroanette looked to seeing the witch sisters walking towards them from the manor, both of the girls having annoyed expressions on their faces while they held their staves upright and opposite of each other. The witches around the plaza quieted down and gave small bows to the sisters, with Daniel glancing around to seeing that Charlotte’s helpers were indeed treated highly amongst their own kind. Kroanette slowly backed off to the side as the sisters kept their eyes locked onto Daniel, the boy now standing alone in the plaza near the skull posts.

  “You were not to come here,” the sisters scolded together in perfect unison. “Ms. Charlotte was very clear with that order, yet you directly disobeyed her and caused quite the commotion in her town.”

  Kroanette looked from one to the other then slowly shook her head with a small flinch.

  “Okay, that was creepy how they did that.”

  “Please, I need to talk to her,” Daniel pleaded.

  “She doesn’t wish to speak to you,” Apoch rebuked. “You were not to come here ever again, did you not get that hint earlier?”

  “You just made a very foolish mistake coming here,” Astreal hissed as the two sisters held their staves in both hands while watching the boy with cold stares. Kroanette looked back and forth between them nervously then to Daniel as the boy slowly raised his hands defensively.

  “Please,” he humbly beseeched. “I need to talk to her, I need her to listen to what I have to say. She needs to hear this.”

  “My ladies, who is this human?” a witch nearby asked while pointing her wand towards Daniel.

  “He is a wandering idiot who is not welcome here,” Astreal announced. “Ms. Charlotte has already explicitly told him not to come to our village, yet he has clearly disregarded her words.”

  “My ladies,” another witch nervously spoke. “He wouldn’t be charmed or harmed with our magic, what is he?”

  Daniel glanced to the surrounding witches then to the two sisters while Astreal rolled her eyes and waved her staff to the side, causing one of the steel poles nearby to launch off from the ground in a spin and smack into Daniel’s side, throwing him back onto the ground with a loud cough as the steel pole bounced off to the side of the plaza with a loud clatter.

  “Daniel!” Kroanette cried out, and then looked over to seeing the sisters watching her with amused smirks.

  “Because he has one of that centaur’s enchanted refraction bracelets,” Astreal explained. “That human cannot be touched by raw magical energy. He can, however, be touched by everything else.”

  She then waved her staff down, causing the steel pole off to the side to fly back over and whack across the back of Daniel’s head, the boy dropping to the ground with a painful groan as the pole bounced off to the side and struck against another with a clank.

  “Did you believe that we didn’t realize what those were?” Apoch lectured while shaking a finger at Kroanette. “Ms. Charlotte saw them in Eston very clearly. We know how you’re immune to magical spells.”

  “And we saw you giving him one of those bracelets before approaching Ms. Charlotte’s home,” Astreal added. “Did you really believe you could protect him from us like that?”

  “Hey,” Kroanette said holding her hands up defensively. “I just wanted to help him stay in one piece while he talked to you witches, that’s all.”

  “He shouldn’t have come here to begin with,” Apoch scorned. “That magical bracelet will do nothing to protect him from us.”

  The sisters turned to Daniel again with harsh stares, the boy slowly getting up while holding the back of his head. He blinked a few times as his vision slowly stopped spinning then glanced around to seeing all the witches watching him with bitter smiles, some of them even laughing and pointing to him with amusement.

  “I came all this way to speak to your alpha like civilized beings of Eden,” he called out with discontent. “I had hoped that someone as revered and distinguished as your grace would at least have the courtesy of speaking to me in person about this important matter, and not have to treat an unarmed visitor so callously.”

  “You have no right to be in our grace’s presence, let alone speak to her,” Apoch snapped.

  “How dare you come here and speak of our alpha like that,” Astreal scorned. “The nerve of you, human.”

  “I have to talk to her,” Daniel pleaded. “I can’t let what happened in Eston be the end of this. I can’t give up and accept that she could never understand.”

  The witch sisters scoffed then stepped forth while striking their staves down into the ground, the loud clank echoing out as all the witches around the area fell silent.

  “If you desire to speak to our alpha so badly,” the sisters challenged together. “Then you may do so if you can get through us.”

  Astreal spun her staff around then aimed it at Daniel as a bright red glow came from her crescent end, with Apoch spinning her staff around before holding it across as the crescent end glowed with a white hue.

  “Daniel,” Kroanette worriedly called out. “Again, are you sure about this?”

  “I have to speak to Charlotte,” Daniel declared. “And I will not be scared or chased away from doing so.”

  Astreal swung her staff down at her side, causing three bright crimson lines to streak through the air behind her in parallel to her relic. Daniel and Kroanette watched as the glowing lines took shape into crimson steel longswords with a small metallic whine, the blades having razor sharp edges with an obsidian sheen to them while their handles were a gray steel. The blades floated in midair while having an ominous red glow around them.”

  “What in the worl
d?” Kroanette said with wonder.

  Daniel narrowed his eyes as he stared down the witch, watching as the girl held her staff back behind her while the three floating blades tilted slightly from her movement.

  ‘They’re just trying to scare you, to make you run away. They know you can’t be touched by magical spells, they even admitted it. Her spell can’t harm me at all.’

  “I’m not backing down from this,” he repeated. “I’m not leaving until I speak to Charlotte.”

  “Stupid human,” Astreal scoffed before she aimed her staff at him with a sharp thrust, causing the three floating swords to suddenly fly towards Daniel through the air. Daniel kept watching Astreal with a firm expression, not willing to let the witch intimidate him with her tricks as the swords closed in on him.

  “Daniel, get down!” Kroanette cried out, with the boy then jumping a bit before diving down onto the ground as the swords streaked by over him. While they did one of the blades sliced through his shirt with a clean cut, the crimson swords then striking into the ground behind him with sharp impacts as Daniel looked back to them with surprise. He grabbed his shirt and looked to seeing that the sword had cut through it at the edge then over to the witch sisters as Astreal was smiling coldly at him.

  “But how?” Daniel asked in disbelief.

  “Those swords aren’t a spell, Daniel, they’re real!” Kroanette cried out, with Daniel quickly turning around to seeing the blades then being thrown back towards him from the ground in sharp spins. The swords flew through the air before Daniel lunged over to the side, just missing them by an inch as they spun around before coming to a halt in front of Astreal in midair.

  “What do you mean they’re real?” Daniel asked. “She made them with magic, didn’t she?”

  “You’re only immune to raw magical spells and blunt forces of magic, not summoned objects, remember?” Kroanette reminded urgently.

  Daniel jumped then watched as Astreal waved her staff around, creating three more glowing crimson blades as all six turned to aim towards the human.