Chương 61: Fenna's Fabrication

Light blinded me. Bright—midday sun. No signs of the mist anywhere. There was chatter. Familiar and warm. People. Lots of people. I forced my watering eyes open. A town, just as I had seen before. A town near an ocean. I could smell saltwater in the air, sharp and clean beneath the heavier scents of fish, baked bread, livestock, and dar too many bodies squeezed into too tiny a space. I stood on off-white cobblestones warmed by the sun.

Groups of dockworkers carried boxes through the streets, shouting to one another as they maneuvered around carts and pedestrians. The road stretched out before me, bustling with commerce. Wooden signs hung from buildings. Carts and livestock crowded the street. Merchants called out their wares. And food… so much food. It smelled incredible and with a heavy scent of spices. Where this was, they were a fan spicy meals. Across the way, I spotted Vaelith and Sable sitting at a table with Ysra.

They were discussing something calmly, and when Ysra noticed me, she jumped up and waved me over, her purple eyes appearing lighter in the sun.

"Over here, over here!" I had quite the time getting to them. I dodged around workers hauling crates, and a woman clearly dressed for nighttime activities tried to lure me into a dark building. I pulled away just as another person waved a fresh pie in front of my face. It smelled glorious. Apples and cinnamon. Crystallized sugar glittered across the crust. Now that was truly tempting. I dragged myself away despite my stomach's protests and finally reached the others. Ysra already had a seat waiting for me.

She tapped it eagerly.

"Sit, sit," she said. I opted to stand, leaning against the back of the chair instead. I glanced at Sable, who calmly sipped a cup of tea, then at Ysra, whose eyes darted between everyone at the table. Her feet tapped beneath her chair as though she could hardly contain her excitement. I cleared my throat.

"So what's next—""—You must all come to my play!" Ysra replied.

"I recreated it perfectly. My—""—Play?" I asked.

"Are there others here with you?" Now that I was getting my wits about me, I glanced around.

"And, come to speak of it, where are we exactly?" Sable finished her drink and set the cup down on the table.

"We're in Ysra's memory. Very likely, we're all passed out on the forest floor right outside the entrance to her castle." She glanced at Ysra.

"Am I right?"

"Bingo!" Ysra replied. Her eyes glowed purple as she became excited again.

"And don't worry. I have the raven watching over you to make sure you aren't eaten by wildlife or attacked by pesky monsters."

"And what would a raven do if we were?" I asked. Ysra shrugged. Sighing, I peered around. In addition to my party members, I spotted Moolisa attached to the cart nearby. The workers and townsfolk inside Ysra's memory didn't seem to notice her, but a cow and loaded cart sitting in the middle of the busy street stood out like a sore thumb. We were missing someone.

"Where's Darwin?" I asked.

"Theo?" Ysra replied.

"He's around here somewhere. He was the most confused of the bunch when he exited the dream."

"Who the hell is Theo?"

"Ma…ster…" The weak voice came from behind me. I turned. Darwin limped toward us, utterly drained. His wings drooped against his back, and each step seemed to take more effort than the last. I rushed over, knelt down, and scooped him up. I glared at Ysra.

"What the hell did you do to him?"

"Nothing," she replied. Darwin seemed to recover quickly once he saw I was safe. He hopped onto my shoulder and looked around. Something was different. There seemed to be a new understanding in his eyes. Then he locked those eyes with Vaelith. He stared. And stared. A low growl rumbled from him." Hmm?" Vaelith asked, noticing.

"Do I have something on my face?"

"De…mon," Darwin growled.

"Dem…mon…" I felt his claws dig into my shoulder.

"Hey," I said.

"Are you okay? I know you don't like Vaelith, but this isn't like you."

"Demons… die…" Darwin said, his voice low and filled with anger. Suddenly, Darwin's tongue lashed out. Toward Moolisa. She mooed in surprise, but his tongue wasn't aimed at her. It struck something inside the cart. Before I knew it, his tongue retracted and the stick of transformation came flying toward us—it smacked me in the side of the head. A puff of smoke erupted. Darwin transformed into a miniaturized stone golem. He kicked off my shoulder, knocking me to the ground as he launched himself toward Vaelith.

"Oh, what fun!" Ysra called out. Darwin slammed into Vaelith and knocked over the table. Cups crashed against the cobblestones as his stone hands wrapped around her neck.

"Demon die! Demon die! Demon die!" Darwin screamed over and over. Vaelith grabbed his wrists and tried to pry his hands loose. She failed. I felt her drain my stats as she tried again. Darwin only squeezed harder. Vaelith's purple complexion darkened toward red. Her eyes rolled upwards into the back of her skull as he limbs went weak.

"Darwin, stop!" I yelled. He didn't hear me. Vaelith fell to her knees. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Stop!" I yelled again, scrambling upright and rushing toward them.

"I said stop!" I kicked out and activated Thunderous Stomp. The concussive force struck Darwin in the back and sent him flying. He hit the ground. Another puff of smoke enveloped him, and the Darwin I knew came tumbling out across the cobblestones. He tried to recover. Almost immediately, he collapsed again.

"Are you okay?" I asked Vaelith. She waved me off when I tried to help. She stood, rubbing her throat, and turned toward Darwin. Her voice came out in a croak.

"What in the gods' names was that about? He almost killed me." Darwin pushed himself upright, wobbling on his four legs.

"…Die!" he murmured. His tongue lashed out again. I stepped in front of Vaelith and caught it out of the air.

"That's enough!" I demanded. Even I was surprised by the command in my voice. Darwin froze. Surprised, he slowly drew his tongue back. I watched the anger drain from his face.

"Darwin… sorry." He glanced at Vaelith. For a brief moment, I saw another flash of hatred. Still, he muttered, "Sorry."

"No worries," Vaelith said, obviously forcing a smile.

"We've all seen some crazy shit in that mist, I'm sure." I nodded. Darwin did too. Ysra practically bounced in her seat.

"I haven't had this much fun in so long. Sable, your friends are the best."

"What did you show Darwin?" Sable asked, coming out of a trance-like stupor. Ysra waved her off.

"Nothing. Just some past trauma. The usual stuff. Dead relatives. A quest for vengeance. I drifted off halfway through, truth be told. But this—this here—I could never sleep through this." Sable rolled her eyes.

"You're the same as you ever were." Ysra smiled… then frowned.

"Oh. You didn't mean that as a compliment, did you?"

"I did not." Ysra adopted a pout.

"No dessert for you tonight, Sable." She righted the table and sat again. A server arrived carrying another cup of tea, replacing the one that had shattered several steps away. Wait… I looked toward the broken cup. It was gone. So was the tea that had spilled across the cobblestones. Not even a wet spot remained. A moment later, servers placed fresh cups of steaming tea around the table.

"All right, then. I'm sure you've all got some questions, and for that entertainment, I can give you some answers. So go on. Ask away."

"Where's Marnie?" I asked.

"And Fenna," Vaelith added.

"Can't forget the wayward daughter."

"Fenna is in the castle enjoying, at this very moment, some artwork. She is rather rambunctious, but she's lived a sheltered and boring life, if I do say so myself—and I'm the expert on sheltered and boring." Ysra turned and pointed down a narrow alleyway.

"As for Marnie—she's right there." I turned. Sure enough, Marnie was stepping out of the alley. She looked like she had seen a ghost, her face as pale as I had ever seen it. Then her eyes landed on Ysra.

"You…" Marnie seethed. She strode forward with violence in every step. Ysra whipped out a wand. A flick of her wrist—and Marnie was immediately bound.

"Sorry," Ysra said.

"But better this than having to kill you. I do so hate geting my hands dirty."

"You bitch. You bitch!"

"It's pronounced witch." Ignoring Ysra, Marnie turned toward us.

"Wait… why are you all here? Don't tell me this is just another test. Another mind game." Ysra feigned innocence.

"No, we're actually here," I said.

"We were looking for you."

"He was," Sable replied.

"I was looking for Ysra, the bitch of a witch." Ysra chuckled to herself.

"And I'm just along for the journey," Vaelith added, rubbing her throat.

"If anyone cares."

"Witch!" Marnie spat.

"Where is Fenna? Where is my daughter? You took her from me. You took—""—I did no such thing," Ysra replied.

"Then where is she?"

"Safe in my castle. She wishes to strike a deal, you know." Marnie nodded.

"A deal to end the curse. The one you and her father put on her. How could you? She was just a child."

"I don't make the curses, I just facilitate them. Curses are of one's own making." Ysra gave Sable a sidelong glance at that. Sable growled.

"But you can end them?" Marnie asked.

"Free Fenna from the curse, and I'll give you anything you want." Ysra clicked her tongue.

"Nobody seems to understand that I cannot simply undo curses. Buyers remorse. In other words, no returns. All sales final. A curse is nature itself. A give and a take. I cannot bend the rules. I can only make them known." She paused.

"You see, your daughter lied to you."

"Fenna… lied?" Marnie replied. Ysra nodded.

"She told me everything. She said that you broke into the manor to snatch her away, suspecting that the dear Lord would never give her up. In that, you are correct—he would never do that. He couldn't." Marnie stared at her, mouth wide.

"Yet she said you found some of his old writings that spoke of a witch and a curse." Ysra stood and flourished dramatically.

"I am your witch, but not your curse." The noise of the market continued around us. Wheels rolled over stones, and merchants continued to shout their wares, paying no mind to our heavy conversation.

"You see," Ysra explained, "the Lord did come to me many years ago. He was sick. Very sick. A sickness that would have ended his life. Something to do with those pretty gemstones on his fingers." She tapped one finger against the table.

"A deal was offered. His next child would share their life with his. One year to extend his life for one year of theirs. He only needed… to procreate." Marnie's face tightened.

"And, not wanting to doom a child from a woman he actually cared about, he sought the bed of another. A local woman from town. A nobody." Ysra smiled faintly.

"You!"

"That bastard. That rat-fucking bastard! I'll kill him!" Ysra raised a hand.

"Yes, yes. Revenge and all that. But here is the interesting part…" She leaned forward slightly.

"That wasn't the curse." Marnie went still.

"You see, the Lord thought he could live with the guilt of what he had done. I mean, sacrificing even a portion of your child's life for your own is messed up, right?" Ysra shrugged.

"But the curse was not the deal he made. It was something else entirely." Her purple eyes brightened.

"He was cursed to care." Marnie stared at her.

"With each year given, the Lord's shriveled little heart grew until he learned to actually love the child he had damned. He tried to come to me many times, but in his broken mess of a state, he could never pass the mist."

"Cursed… to care," Marnie replied. Her voice had gone quiet.

"You're telling me that he actually cares now?" Ysra nodded. Marnie growled.

"Well, I don't give a damn if he cares or not. He deserves death. End this 'deal' he made against Fenna's life. Take my own if you have to. I'll likely be killed when I find the man and slit his damn throat."

"We haven't gotten to the interesting part yet." Ysra's expression sharpened.

"As I said, Fenna lied to you. When you told her, she said she would come with you to free herself from him…" She paused.

"But she loves her father dearly. Loves him with all her heart." Marnie said nothing.

"She didn't come here to free herself…" Ysra smiled.

"She came here to give the remainder of her life so that he may live."