“I thought the ether is the source of all magic in Eden,” Daniel questioned. “That’s what Alyssa taught me about it, that we draw power from the ether in order to use magic.”
“That’s correct,” Twilight mused as she slowly walked past them. “Everyone, even myself, would draw from the ether that flows unseen through the world in order to harness the power of magic. But Calam isn’t doing that. I don’t know how to explain it, but she’s able to use magic without connecting to the ether.”
She stopped and showed a dark glare as Daniel and Triska turned to each other in question behind her.
‘What is this? What manner of monster is she? And her aura, I’ve seen this unnatural makeup before. It’s the same as Flarah’s. This ant girl… she holds the same secret that annoying kitsune does. And here she is, suddenly drawn to Daniel Sorres. What does this mean?’
“That doesn’t make me trust her any more,” Triska worried shaking her head. “There’s something really strange about that ant girl, and I’m getting a bad feeling about it.”
“I figured she would have some secrets left unspoken,” Daniel reasoned. “However I can’t rightfully condemn her just because she can use magic in a different way than the rest of us. That alone doesn’t prove anything either way. But that’s not what I’m concerned about right now.”
Turning to Twilight he saw the reaper keeping to herself, the woman appearing lost in thought for a while before finally jumping a bit and glancing back to see Daniel and Triska watching her.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized walking back over to them. “I got a little distracted there for a moment. Just the mere idea that there’s some different form of magic left to discover in the world got me a little excited and my mind started wandering on its own. I’m so sorry about that.”
“That’s alright,” Daniel said with an empathic smile and shrug. “I can understand your interest in such things. And provided Calam does turn out to be a trustworthy individual I’m sure the two of you will have plenty to talk about.”
“Oh yes, we will indeed,” Twilight agreed with a weak smile and giggle. “Ahem. But back to the matter at hand regarding Stonegate and Kroanette, this is rather troubling news to hear.”
“Which is why I came to see you, Twilight,” Daniel explained. “Tell me, are you able to see Stonegate from where you are? Can you see if Kroanette really is there or if Calam is trying to trick us?”
“I believe I can give that a try,” Twilight pondered looking down in thought. She closed her eyes and seemed to focus her mind, with Daniel and Triska quietly observing as they prayed their friend could shed some light onto this mystery.
“Stonegate… Stonegate…” Twilight murmured. She hummed lightly now and again as she remained still with her concentration. “Let’s see… yes… there it is…”
“I hope Calam isn’t lying,” Triska whispered. “But if she’s not… what does that mean?”
“I’m not sure,” Daniel quietly replied. “All of this is very strange indeed.”
“Where… are… you…” Twilight mumbled. She focused on her task for a while longer, with Daniel and Triska anxiously awaiting her report, before finally opening her eyes and showing a confused expression.
“Any luck?” Daniel asked, with Twilight turning to him and slowly shaking her head.
“Daniel Sorres, I… I can’t tell if she’s there or not.”
“What do you mean you can’t?” Triska worried. “You can see the city, can’t you?”
“Yes, I can. But that’s not all I see,” Twilight explained. “There’s something very… unusual about that city now that I’ve taken a closer look at it.”
“Unusual how?” Daniel carefully asked.
“On the surface it appears to be what we’ve all heard. A very large expanse of slums and hostels filled with many dangerous and belligerent looking monsters. Taverns with drunken hooligans, alleyways cluttered with garbage and rats, trading shops of deadly armaments and terrifying potions. There are trolls, gremlins, goblins, arachne, ogres, and many other unsavory looking monsters wandering about within the city’s walls. Honestly, the entire place looks to be nothing but the worst of what monsters are said to be like in Eden.”
“Well that’s something we already knew, right?” Triska reasoned with a shrug. “How is that different from what you were expecting?”
“Because below the city is something else entirely,” Twilight cautiously answered. “Stonegate is built into the side of a steep mountain, and is clearly on display for all to see that it is a place very few should ever travel to. But behind it, inside that mountain and below it, I can see something else, almost. There’s a massive magical barrier hiding whatever it is from my view.”
“There’s something hidden below Stonegate?” Daniel wondered.
“It’s absolutely gigantic,” Twilight marveled. “Whatever it is, it’s beyond my sight. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m trapped in my prison or if the magic cloaking this mystery is that strong, but whatever they’re hiding is concealed by some force that not even I can look past. If Kroanette really is in Stonegate, she’s not in the city itself. She’s below it.”
“Again, that’s not making me feel any better about this,” Triska mentioned.
“This must be why Calam was sworn to secrecy,” Daniel realized. “She knows Stonegate’s secret and is forbidden from telling anyone else about it. And it looks like they’re going to great lengths to keep it hidden from the world.”
“I’m sorry,” Twilight apologized. “I wish I could find out more, but I cannot see past that barrier. It seems it’s not just Calam who is using some strange magic here. This is rather troubling. If Kroanette is there she could very likely be in danger. What should we do?”
Daniel and Triska turned to each other with growing concern, both of them then looking towards the door as they were only met with more questions than answers with Twilight’s help.
“Something weird is going on in Stonegate,” Triska speculated. “And I fear Kroanette is now involved.”
“No,” Daniel corrected shaking his head. “If there’s a chance Kroanette really is in Stonegate, then we’re all involved in this mystery now.”
*****
“And that’s when I untied her and let her go free,” Rolian giggled with a flushed face and eyes aimed in all directions. “She was so happy then. I mean not at first. Or at all. First she tried to kill me because she thought I was one of the bad monsters too, she was going to smash my head with a rock. But then she hugged me and I hugged her, and I felt so happy to have someone to hold like that. She became my friend and liked me even though I look like this. It was the best feeling in the world. You know what I’m talking about?”
“I think I do,” Calam giggled before sipping her tea, the cup magically floating up to her lips then back down to the small plate she held. Seated around her at the table were Doku, Specca, Alyssa, Clover, and Sheal while Rolian was hanging upside down over them from a strand of webbing. The arachne laughed happily before chugging more of her brew, the monster slowly turning around in midair as she let out a long belch and smiled happily down at the ant girl.
“I mean she was pretty sad about losing her home and family, she cried and cried a lot. My poor Kroanette,” Rolian said before sniffling and wiping some tears away. “She went through so much tragedy and loss. I wish she didn’t have to suffer like that. But I was glad I got to meet her. She taught me I didn’t have to stay with those mean jerks, I could be happy and live my life how I wanted to. That it was okay I didn’t want to hurt others. I’m so lucky to have a friend like her.”
She giggled awkwardly in her spin before suddenly lurching down towards the table without warning, her webbing stretching and snapping taut just before she hit the plates of cookies and cake underneath.
“Rolian!” Doku cried out. “Do be careful!”
“I’m fine,” Rolian droned before taking a few gulps of her drink. “You don’t need to yell,
I know what I’m doing. I’ve totally got everything under control. I’m totally fine. Ooo, are those cookies? Those look good.”
She reached down and took a few that she shoved into her mouth, with the girls just staring at her in disbelief while Calam calmly sipped her tea.
“Yes…” Doku slowly said. “Please… help yourself.”
“So good,” Rolian mumbled as she chewed the treats. With a big gulp she exhaled in delight before turning to Calam with a confused smile. “So when is Kroanette coming back? I’ve been waiting and waiting for her to return, but she hasn’t come back yet. Do you know where she is? I thought you said you did know earlier. Do you know where my friend is?”
“Yes, that’s correct,” Calam answered. “I know where she is.”
“I thought that’s what you said,” Rolian mumbled before turning herself upright, skittering down onto and over the table then atop the chairs above Calam, Clover, and Specca, and then promptly falling down behind them with a hard thump.
“Kroanette? Where are you? Yoo-hoo! Kroanette? Where’d you go? Juggy and I have been waiting forever for you! Where are you?”
“Well,” Calam said, turning her amused smile from the twitching arachne behind her to the girls at the table. “She seems friendly.”
“Oh, we know she’s friendly,” Alyssa had to agree with. “That’s not what we’re troubled by.”
“Rolian?” Doku called over. “Are… are you okay?”
There was a loud burp followed by an awkward giggle from the arachne.
“She’s fine,” Clover flatly said. “Or at least as fine as she normally is.”
“How is that jug of hers still filled with rum?” Specca bewilderedly asked as she watched the spider stumbling onto her legs and again chugging away at the frothy beverage. “She’s been drinking from that thing for days now, it never runs out. Where is she getting it from?”
“It’s an Ouroboros Jug,” Calam calmly answered before drinking her tea again. The girls looked at her puzzled as she giggled and glanced back to Rolian who dropped onto her rear while still drinking her never-ending brew.
“Ouroboros Jug?” Alyssa repeated. “What’s that?”
“It’s a special enchanted bottle created by the oni. Those monsters love to drink after all, they have a high tolerance for rum and also a high preference for it. What magic they do know how to use all goes towards perfecting their drinking habits. That jug Rolian has is an Ouroboros Jug, one of their finest enchanted flagons. It will always recreate more of whatever type of rum it was made to hold. She could drink from it all day and night and it will never run out.”
“She has done exactly that and you are correct,” Specca marveled as the girls turned to see Rolian hiccupping and laughing as she coddled her jug of rum. “It never runs out no matter how much she drinks from it. That’s amazing, I never heard of such an enchanted bottle before. No wonder she’s so protective of that thing.”
“No,” Clover said shaking her head. “She’s protective of ‘Juggy’ because she thinks it’s a real person and her best friend. I’ve seen her having conversations with it.”
“She tried to feed it some bread the other day,” Doku hesitantly mentioned. “I feel as though Clover may be correct with that assumption.”
“I still don’t understand why she wants to drink from it though,” Clover mentioned. “I tasted some of what she spilled the other day to try and see what was so special about it. It tasted absolutely horrible. We had far better mead back in Green Haven than whatever it is she’s got there.”
“Did Rolian offer you a drink of it first?” Calam asked.
“No. I just tasted some of what she spilled onto the table. She didn’t even notice.”
“And that’s why it tasted bad. Those jugs are specially enchanted and only given to certain individuals. I’m not quite sure how Rolian came into possession of that jug, but it seems she is its owner. And as such it will only taste delicious to herself and any that she specifically wishes to share it with.”
“The jug… chooses who can drink from it?” Specca bewilderedly asked.
“In a matter of speaking, yes. If you think about it, her precious Juggy is in fact alive in a way. To her and those of her choosing, they will taste something quite divine. To those that don’t receive her permission, they will taste… well, something rather unpleasant, I’m sure.”
“Tasted like ass,” Clover flatly said.
“How did you know what it was just by looking at it?” Alyssa asked Calam. “There’s nothing special about it as far as I can see.”
“I’ve got an eye for spotting unique things,” Calam giggled before pointing to something nearby. “Such as that. That’s certainly something I’ve never seen before.”
“Eat the cookie, mother!” Cindy yelled, the girl having her mom pinned underneath her on the floor and struggling to get away. The elder sand wraith kicked her legs and screamed loudly while frantically trying to push away her daughter who was wrestling to force-feed her a cookie. Standing nearby Falla and Star were exchanging puzzled looks while Luna was gently cradling Snapper in her arms, the young swarm actively chomping on a bone with only bits of meat still left on it from her meal.
“Eat it, mother! Eat it!” Cindy shouted, her hands being held back by Felucia who was shaking her head and trying very hard to protest her daughter’s suggestion.
“Cindy! No! Get that thing away from me!”
“It’s yummy and good! Eat it, mother! Try it!”
“No! Stop! Get that horrible thing away from me, Cindy!”
“Put it in your mouth!” Cindy yelled as she struggled to move the cookie closer to Felucia’s lips. “Put it in your mouth right now!”
“NO!”
“Should we… stop her?” Falla slowly asked with a raised eyebrow. Star merely shrugged with a soft mew.
“Cindy?” Luna worriedly spoke up. “I don’t think she wants to eat it.”
“Yes she does!” Cindy yelled as she kept thrashing with her mother in their struggle. “Stop being so stubborn, mother! Cookies are yummy! You have to try it! Put it in your mouth and eat it like a good girl!”
“Cindy! Stop! Stop it right now! Don’t do this! Oh my god, no! Don’t do it! Cindy, mama’s begging you, please don’t do this!”
“It’s yummy!” Cindy roared as she pushed the cookie against Felucia’s tightly puckered lips. The elder sand wraith whined and kicked her feet furiously while Cindy kept the treat pushed down. “Stop being so stubborn, mother. It’s really tasty. Chew it. Move your tongue around it. Put it in your mouth and savor it. Taste it. Taste it!”
Felucia shook her head and groaned with eyes shut tight. She kicked and batted her hands against Cindy before looking up at her with a fearful whine as her daughter narrowed her eyes at the woman.
“Eat it, mother.”
Felucia shook her head nervously. She groaned heavily before shoving Cindy aside and promptly started spitting, the woman hastily wiping her mouth with both hands while coughing and gasping loudly.
“Dammit, Cindy! This isn’t funny! You can’t make me-” she started to say before Cindy tackled her down to the floor with another cookie held in hand.
“Don’t waste them, mother! Alyssa made each of these with love and tasty stuff! It’s bad to spit it out! Now eat it!”
“Cindy! God, no, not again!” Felucia cried out before Cindy shoved the cookie against her mouth. As the two wraiths rolled around on the floor Star and Falla merely took their cups of tea and quietly sipped them while watching the girls with blank expressions.
“I’m just going to say it,” Falla mentioned. “This is weird to see.”
“Cindy! No!” Felucia shrieked.
“Put it in your mouth and lick it!” Cindy yelled. “Taste it, mother! Taste the yumminess! Eat it like a good girl!”
“Cindy! AHH! Stop!”
“Put it in your mouth right now! Open wide and say ahh!”
“Don’t do this to your poor o
ld mother, Cindy! I beg of you!”
“In! It! Goes!”
Felucia’s muffled scream was heard while Cindy grunted and again straddled her mother on the floor, both constantly struggling against each other while the other girls merely watched in silence. Even Snapper was curiously observing the sand wraiths while gnawing on her bone, the youngling gurgling as she looked up to Luna for a moment then back to the two fighting wraiths.
“I’m starting to think Cindy isn’t as innocent as we all believe she is,” Falla flatly said.
“What makes you say that?” Luna wondered.
“Say you like it, mother!” Cindy demanded while Felucia coughed and whined beneath her. “Say you like it in your mouth! Say it! Say you like having it in your mouth! Say it and swallow it all like a good girl!”
“Just a guess,” Falla reasoned before drinking her tea.
Star tilted her head slightly with a small mew before glancing behind to see Reiko floating over the table. The harvester had a fish that she teasingly waved before the jinx who suddenly focused intently on it. Seeing that she had her undivided attention, Reiko floated down onto the table and shoved the fish under her dress, with Star jumping with a loud yowl as the harvester waved her closer.
“Come and get it, my dear kitty,” Reiko purred.
Star stared at where her fish had been lodged with horror before screaming in anger, the jinx promptly warping atop the table and furiously slashing the harvester with her claws.
“Oh yes!” Reiko cheered as she was hacked to ribbons. “Give me your love, Star! Love me! Love me!”
While Star ferociously clawed Reiko on the table and Cindy was again knocked aside by Felucia who frantically wiped off her mouth with a disgusted cry, Falla and Luna shook their heads and walked away from them to sit with the other girls who were watching the loud displays from the opposite end of the table.
Chronicles of Eden - Season II - Act I Page 12
