We lay on the scorched hill, our favorite hill. I turn to Ruby, looking past MM's limp body, "So how'd you survive..." gestures around at the charred ground and burnt vegetation.
She laughs, "I... don't know if I can tell you the whole tale. Maybe one day, when you're not in such a rush. If there's ever time like that again."
"There will, Ruby. I promise." I look deeply in her eyes. She nods but looks away.
"I'm ash-born. I was cast into a furnace by my parents at birth. Those surviving," she turns and slips her shirt up, revealing the small of her back. I try to contain my blush. "Get this mark, it's called being blessed by the God of Fire." She rolls her eyes. "If anything, I think the mark is formed from extreme trauma. Our survival is simply a means of adaption we're only capable of at a young age. Naturally the cherry on top being genetic factors." She sighs, "making a soup of occultism and traditionalism, creating the perfect method for passing down familial trauma all in the name of improvement."
The mark is a large gecko burn on her back, it's various shades of orange, red, and yellow. It's honestly beautiful and fits her dark complexion like a bright gemstone illuminating the shadows in wondrous color.
I want to tell her how amazing it makes her look, how I'm lost in the gradients, that it's not a bad thing.
But I'm not stupid. I can see the pain clear as day in her eyes. I feel so connected to her right now, a way I've never felt with another person before. Like I can understand her without words. Great sadness washes over me. Lost family.
"Your siblings didn't make it."
She turns away, tears flowing openly down her soft cheeks. "No. I was the first, it made them blind and overconfident. The rates are less than 1 in 1000."
"That's horrible."
"They stopped having kids when I turned 7. Once I was old enough to stop them, to comprehend what had been happening. To put the pieces together."
"They're such weak cowards." She turns to me, a half smile on her face, burdened with the weight of the world.
"It was that night that my magic awoke. The first thing I did was burn our house to the ground." Her voice stops quivering, something steels it. "With them inside." Her eyes narrow and a strong mixture of pain and hatred flashes through. "I never saw them again. Knights came, they took me, chained me in something that stopped the growing blaze. But it had already swallowed the entire village. To this day I don't know how many people got hurt... how many died."
Ruby breaks down, sobbing, wailing. She's never opened up to anyone before, not with this level of detail.
I open my arms and wrap her in an embrace, tucking her face into my shoulder. My shirt is quickly soaked with her snot and tears. She shakes, shivering through the pain and the vividly agonizing memories.
"Everything's going to be okay. You're safe now."
I pet the back of her head. She grabs onto my shirt with both hands, balled up, knuckles white with stress and lets out a visceral scream, muffled by the fabric and the reverberation of my bones. The tension in her body releases and she pulls back leaving a string of mucus hanging between us. Her face is red and puffy, her eyes bloodshot and pink.
With a raspy voice she quietly says, "If MM remembers this I want your help beating her ass." She cracks a weak smile at her own joke. Well no, it's definitely not a joke. More of a reminder as to who surrounds her now, a check back in with her current reality.
I look down at MM. I roll her over so she's face down on the burnt grass. The movement causes her to slide down a few feet, before her face drags her to a stop. We both chuckle. "I don't think she's gonna remember, and if she does, hopefully the rage and anger she has with me will overwrite it."
We hear a muffled groan, our eyes go wide. Trying to reassure her, "I bet the face slide is what woke her, no doubt in my mind."
Ruby just rolls her eyes before giving me a weak punch on the arm, "The moment's passed, I'm just glad I got to share it... with you."
"Whb re ooh ungsters talbing abot"
We both respond, "What."
Craning and straining her neck, MM manages to lift her face partially off the ground, bits of blackened dirt and ash trickle off it, "WHAT are you YOUNGSTERS talking about?"
Ruby and I exchange a glance. Ruby quickly responds, "Just how amazing of a teacher you are."
"Now I know that can't be true," MM's neck muscles give up, slamming her face back into the ground.
I hurriedly flip MM back over dusting her face off before she weakly attempts to smack my hand. I slowly retract, attempting to give the guise that her flailing did something. She tries to sit up but collapses midway. Ruby and I saw this coming and are already supporting her back, helping her sit and then stand. We slowly descend the hill in silence, MM's legs putting on more of a show than actually walking, but I appreciate the resilience.
When we finally get to the remains of the tower, Ruby darts off grabbing and stacking pieces of rubble together. We prop her up on the ruins of her favored lab. MM looks an absolute wreck. Her clothes are tattered and torn, dirtied and sullied by the immense bloodshed. Her skin is unbearably pale, withered, and flaky, her veins protruding violently. It looks like she's lost all the muscle she once had, her bones stick out at the hips and shoulders. Her arms and legs are thin and frail. Her hair is wispy, greasy, and there are several noticeable bald spots. She sums it all up with her first barely audible words, "Well I feel like absolute shit. Guess I did pretty damned good against ol' Queen Rotting Flesh. It worked?" She looks at me.
"Well yes? But mostly no." I scratch the back of my head, I feel uneasy. "I think the one we were fighting might've been a fake? Maybe a clone? Regardless, the trick did kill whatever it was. But then we, as well as the rest of the locals were all saved... by Mother Death herself. She showed up riding the portal tentacle monster. Then she did that." I point over towards the mountain of cut up carcass. MM looks over. A great flurry of emotions appear on her face at once, sadness, anger, hurt, and then finally just relief.
"I'm glad things worked out... this time. We're going to need to be cautious about this, especially you, Jessica. But we can work those details out later, for now, where the hells did Luther and the others go?"
"Well the last I saw the 'others' was when they were helping me with my scheme. My artistry. But when the unexpected happened and the heavens opened and the tentacles descended, well they ran screaming." I shrug.
"Hmmmm. Do either of you have any magical reserves? I'm quite spent."
I look to Ruby, she shakes her head. "Sorry MM, we used everything we had patching you up."
"Well, that is certainly quite fine by me. You both did stellar. Time to do this the annoying way. Go find me some black feathers, Jess. And Ruby, you prepare a calf for slaughter."
I've wandered into the forest, in search of my prized quest. I scan the area but again, I see no birds nor any feathers. The battle must've spooked 'em all.
I awkwardly step over a bit of uncovered root, thick and snake-like. The tree's in this section of forest appear to be much older than the rest of the forest. The bark is a shade darker, each tree adorned with thick knots bulging out around 10 to 15 feet up on the tree. The leaves are unimaginably strange, with almost no consistency to their size or shape. They're like clouds, following patterns, but every one of them undeniably unique. I'm overwhelmed with a sense of wonder and mystery but a lingering fog spreading around me about ankle height replaces that with a sense of danger.
That's when I see the fucker. A crow the size of a small cat, looking right at me. Naturally, it's about 50 feet away. 50 feet deeper into whatever the hell this is.
CAW, CAW
It flies away flapping it's wings, launching itself above the trees, almost urgently. My stomach drops. So does a clump of black feathers, lightly floating to the ground right below where the bird used to sit. I take a deep breath in, and out. A little fog has never hurt anybody. Unless it's magical poisonous fog. Or maybe concealing a legion of snakes that will overwhelm me the moment I go to pick those damned feathers up.
I look from side to side, all around me. I see the edge of the fog, where sunshine spots spitter spatter through the canopy painting the ground with glowing light. Just ahead of me, the tempting answer to my problem. No sunlight reaches through here. If only I had just an inkling of magic, just a drop. I rake through my river, nothing but sand.
With a sudden burst of stupidity, I hope to catch whatever the hells is going on off guard, after all if I don't know what I'm doing, how can anyone else?
I race toward toward the feathers in large, quick strides. The terrain is rough, roots prodding out all over, I have to push through thick obstructing branches. I stumble, but my fear keeps me afoot. Right as I'm nearly there, it's all over. A mere step away from the feathers, I feel something wrap around my foot. It's stiff and tough. Sending a wave of pain through me as I try to just soldier on. My ankle throbs, looking down I can't see through the fog. But I know what it is. It's a fucking tree root. More of them are crawling over, a small army of roots sliding across the forest floor to trap me forever.
I still feel no slow of time, but I'm unsure if that's because I'm in no mortal danger or rather that I used it all up unknowingly, to survive the earlier battle. I wish this shit had like a gauge I could read or something. I can't trust anything other than my instincts and they tell me to get the fuck out of this creepy ass place.
My hands work quicker than my mind and I find them already desperately unlacing my boot. My foot slides out with some struggle and I bend backward picking up the feathers. Which are sitting on top of the fog. How the hells did I JUST notice that?
I sprint with all my might, some of the roots have lost all hint of subtlety and have wormed their way above the fog making me bend and twist to dodge them. The cut where my leg was severed by Mother Death is now bleeding profusely and I can't feel my toes anymore. My clothes are torn at but I keep moving. I'm tripped and I fall, painfully rolling across the forest floor, just enough to lie in agony right outside the edge of the fog. This day just won't fucking let up.
I take a moment, just for me, to let my head continue to ring as I catch my breath. My hand has a vice grip on 5 black feathers. I use a friendly or at the very least neutral tree to help myself stand up. I then proceed to limp, with no shoe, blood still dripping from my leg, all the way back. Upon exiting the woods, prize in hand, Ruby runs up to me.
"Jess! What the hells happened to you?"
Behind her I can see Sir Kahlin and the rest of the farm women chatting with MM. They've hardly even glanced my way. Not that I'm complaining given my horrid state. I can't believe I almost fucking died there, after all that shit with Mother Death.
I flop to the ground, my fist still tightly clenching the feathers. "I'm just glad Sir Kahlin and all the women are ok."
"I'm happy that you're ok. Now are you going to make me repeat me question?" Ruby has a tight impatient smile wired across her face. I can see the concern in her eyes that's being masked by relief.
I look over at the sun. It's a lot lower than when I went in. It must've been hours. "I... I had no clue I was gone that long. It only feels like it's been 20... maybe 30 minutes? I'm sorry Rubes, I didn't mean to worry you."
"Don't apologize now you little jerk. I'm gonna make you beg for my forgiveness later. For now, just start with the beginning. And let's move this chat over to the rest." She shoots everyone else a big stink eye.
As we approach the group, Sir Kahlin says, "See, I told you Ruby. Lucas is just fine. Er- I mean, Jessica is just fine." He smiles and Ruby stares daggers at him. He puts his hands up innocently, like there's not a wrong in the world he could've ever commited.
"If you call me Lucas again, I'm dropping the Sir from your title."
Sir Kahlin, panicked begins to stutter out an apology but I wave him off.
MM looks amused and proud, like she just saw her freshly hatched chick flap it's wings for the first time.
"Jessica, can you please tell us why a few-", her eyes lingered down to what I'm holding, her speech cut off at the sight. "You damned idiot, Jessica. Those must be what I think they are." Her fingers immediately go to squeeze the bridge of her nose. "Oh Jessica, you lucky, lucky fool."
CLICK, CLACK
An army of green banners, knights, and even a few wizards gather near the raised drawbridge. There's no combat. The defending soldiers on the castle wall simply watch. Their nerves tell a different story. It's been nearly a week since they've been besieged. They know the peace will end soon.
CLICK, CLACK
The food supplies of the city cannot hold another day. No, to wait another day would be to forfeit any and all claims of royalty. And that's what this is all for, right?
CLICK, CLACK
Sharp heels confidently pace down the West wing of the palace. Like they own the place. Which they do.
CLICK, CLACK
The door creaks as it's assertively opened. The Queen of the Darkathi Kingdom stands in front of her 3rd son. The public would tell you he's her favored son. But the reality is, he's the runt of the litter. And she knows it. The other two left her nest before they were of age, opportunities aplenty for those with royal blood. Yet her third has stayed close to her side, always tugging on her elegant dresses, begging for attention. It all went awry when her arrogant husband told him all about The Ascension a year ago.
That bastard has already made up his mind, my poor boys had no choice but to pretend they wanted it too.
Prince Rythel looks up at his mother. He's still in bed, his hair uncombed, worrying maids trying their best to make him presentable, despite his obvious resistance.
She looks down at him. "I take it you know what today is?"
"Will brother really kill me? And where is that queer wizard you promised?" Rythel says, each and every word dripping with venom.
The Queen looks down with pity. Oh he's just so incorrigible, when oh when will he change? I pray it's before his death. Lest it shall be too heartbreakingly soon.
"Your brother will only kill a warrior, Rythel."
The prince whimpers in response.